lIFE lESSONS IN SUccESSyou have to put your feelings aside and become courageous. I learned
a new dimension of courage that day and it has served me well. If I can
confront a powerful alpha male twice my size and ten years my senior,
I know I’m well equipped to ask for a listing or close a sale. Sometimes
courage has to be learned. Don’t let fear direct your path. Be courageous
and step outside your comfort zone. You will find that you have more
courage than you even realized.
e. AlWAYs exCeeD exPeCtAtIonsI’ve heard from some of my clients that they have a perception that real
estate agents are very lazy. That’s not a perception I care to validate
through my own activity. In fact, I take great strides in going the oppo-
site direction of lazy. I constantly seek to go far beyond the expectations
of my clients. I am very high energy and I am very willing to walk ten
extra miles if necessary to make my business successful. My motivation
is not necessarily just to please my clients. I am also very highly moti-
vated by the expectations I set for myself. I have never allowed myself
to accept mediocrity as a work ethic. That’s not how I live my life. I go
above and beyond for my clients as well as for the satisfaction I derive
for myself knowing I have done everything I can possibly do to make a
business transaction as successful as possible.
My clients see me do a lot of extra work for them that other agents will
not do. I’m constantly available to my clients and constantly network-
ing with others. My clients know they are getting value for their dollar
when they work with me. I promptly answer every email, text message or
phone message. I’ve even answered phone calls at 10:30 in the evening.
The only time I don’t answer my phone is when I’m sleeping. I want my
clients to communicate with me and my clients want me to communicate
with them. I customize all of my marketing materials for each client and
make sure no one is shortchanged when it comes to marketing. When
you achieve a reputation as one who provides great, outstanding, over
and above customer service, people will line up to do business with you.
F. Be A CARIng PeRsonAs you can imagine with the great downward spiral of the real estate
market starting in 2007, I had conversations with numerous real estate
business owners who were finding themselves in unfortunate circum-
stances. I functioned as a turnaround consultant in those situations.