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On many previous occassions, I have written about my love for not only coffee, but for the written word - I love reading books. While I fully use the internet for just about everything possible, I still buy books - that's right...I still buy books...off Amazon.com and have them delivered to my office. I so look forward to receiving that brown cardboard box with it's treasures, I can hardly wait to open it and begin reading my latest purchases.
As a real estate trainer and instructor, I am in front of rooms of real estate agents, many of them under a lot of pressure today to keep their business running during tough economic times. I congratulate them for taking the time "on their own dime" to get better educated and prepare themselves for today's market. I also take the opportunity to share with them my latest reading treasure(s) - I bring along a copy of my book for them to peruse on their breaks, but more importantly, I call their attention to how this particular book offers insights that transcend to their business.
I am delighted with the response to my latest "treasure" - Howard Behar's It's Not About the Coffee - 10 Principles of Personal Leadership from a Life at Starbucks. These 10 principles apply to us all and judging from the feedback from some of my students, is very relevant to our real estate business or any business for that matter. Do yourself a big favor, get a copy of this treasure for yourself.
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Posted May 21, 2008 6:49:01 AM
Annamarie Ausnes had been visiting her local Starbucks for coffee and small talk with the barista for three years. During their conversations, they talked about almost everything, but Ausnes never once mentioned her failing health.
Ausnes, 55, who works at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, has known about her polycystic kidney disease for nearly 20 years. The genetic disorder causes numerous cysts in the kidney and eventual kidney failure. When her health suddenly began to decline and her kidneys were functioning at only 15 percent, she knew she needed a transplant. Read the rest of this story- http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/354672_starbuckskidney12.html
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Posted March 13, 2008 6:47:26 PM
Today at RAMB, we had an incredible group of REALTORS attend a new course: Unleash the Power of Blogging in Your Real Estate Business. As is my practice for all classes I teach, I shared with the group some of my favorite business books. One in particular is Howard Behar's "It's Not About the Coffee"...Leadership Principles from a Life at Starbucks. You might say, how in the world does that relate to real estate? Well here it is in a nutshell:
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Posted March 5, 2008 6:41:16 PM
I am very anxious to see if the three hour closing of Starbucks yesterday will really and truly make a difference in the attitude and/or level of service delivered by the baristas. The news programs have been abuzz this morning with stories of horrendous service and disinterested baristas across this country. I personally have not experienced "bad" service...but I have noticed that the service at some of my favorite Starbucks has not been up to par. Go to the Starbucks where the majority of the customers are students and the baristas are about the same age and you will get lackluster service if you're over the ripe old age of 21...so I just don't go there anymore. At "my" Starbucks, they know me the minute I walk through the door and the majority of the customers are business professionals...over 21!!! This is what's called freedom of choice and free enterprise. I'm off to drink my venti non-fat latte (no, not skinny, non-fat).
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Posted February 27, 2008 6:47:31 AM
It's just for three hours tonight...from 5:30 - 8:30 pm...but free standing Starbucks nationwide will be closing. The closing, according to Chairman Howard Schultz, will be a retraining of all employees - getting back to their roots. I have long sung the Starbucks song, the"Experience"...I look forward to the reopening this evening with high hopes that in three short hours, my favorite third place, will truly return to the basics that made it America's addiction.
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Posted February 26, 2008 7:02:39 AM
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Posted February 21, 2008 5:10:06 AM
