Soulful Success!

Here are a few shots of many of my Sutton colleagues with me!  We went bike riding near Kelowna at the Kettle Valley Railway trestles for the day on Saturday, July 21st.  This was a "reward" for a listing contest our office ran in the spring.  In our office, we don't pit one Realtor against another.  Our contest was for total office listings -- some brought several, some brought one -- but we all played together in celebration of our shared success.

Success is being redefined these days. I think the best term I've heard of late, when referring to people who "made it" by all usual measures of success, yet still feel empty, may still be suffering from "Success without Soul."  I believe the richness of our interactions together; the meaningfulness of what we do in our community, the genuineness of our interactions with clients is what enriches our work.  So it is I'm thrilled to find context in a smaller office of like-minded people!  Sutton Group rocks!

To create a workplace that fueled by more than financial reward you must play together, care about one another and see the role you play in business as service to the larger world.

And, when visiting the Okanagan be sure to check out this biking adventure!

Enjoy Soulful Success!

Curiosity didn't kill the cat!

Pondering during my gym workout, which is a great pondering time, I was thinking about how much most people like to help others.  And, how closed many people are to receiving help.  Odd.  In my real estate office we recently had a woman doing holiday coverage.  She was extremely competent, but also a wee bit nervous and not afraid to ask opinions or for help with a question.  The result was that she was adored across the board and the Realtors couldn't do enough to help her.

Why is it some of us feel we need to single-handedly have everything under control?  Is it the gold stars we got in grade school for knowing the right answer?  Are we afraid that others won't view us as competent unless we know it all in our fields?

I think education should focus on stimulating curiosity and questions!  Lots of questions!  But that's another blog!

Back to what I see as the smartest way to operate in any area one has expertise:  with great humility and the awareness that there is SO much more to learn.

One thing that always impressed me about the best horse people I've known is that the great ones are always aware of how much they DON'T know...and they're life long learners interested in what other riders and trainers are doing.  They never feel they've arrived and that all horses are the same.  They always know that each situation is different and merits respect and attention.

So too with the best Realtors.  They are never afraid to ask questions and consider options.  A home sale is never "same old, same old."  Great Realtors don't begrudge going to educational and motivational seminars; they crave them.

While experts in any field carry a wealth of knowledge and experience perhaps their greatest asset is their continued desire to learn from others.  One of the things I love about the real estate office where I work is that there are no "stupid" questions -- either from clients or from colleagues.  And often you'll hear conversation about "how to" between Realtors.  I mean, it's a no-brainer to realize that 15 brains are better than one!

Onward and outward!  Collaboration is the word of the day.

Make a Customer, not a sale!

Many years ago I did bookkeeping and payroll for a company in the booming metropolis of 100 Mile House, BC. One of the companies we did work for was Tip Top Radio & TV. It was there I met one of the finest salespeople I’ve ever known, John Krieger. It was in their staff washroom I used one day that I learned one of the most important rules of sales EVER. The slogan pasted on the door of the washroom was simply “Make a customer, not a sale.” John was never pushy but very knowledgeable; I once asked him if he knew of a good, cheap VCR player. He told me I would have to pick first between good and cheap! Beyond that, he found and sold me a very fine, secondhand player.

I see so much shortsightedness in sales and service. Perhaps there was another slogan pasted somewhere that read: “Make the sale! Forget about the customer.”

Musing about a recent offer I submitted outlines what I mean. On behalf of a fine client, first time buyer, I submitted a low offer (close to the top of what she could afford). We knew there was but a snowball's chance in Haiti that it would go anywhere. It was an estate sale so the bank was executor. The listing realtor, a well established professional, submitted the offer along with my cover letter. The bank flatly refused to counter the offer and suggested the client put forth her best offer and the bank would only then take time to “consider” it.

Guess who banked at that institution? Guess who was going to get their financing through the same institution? You guessed it! The buyer. Imagine how well they think of their bank now? Imagine who is ripe to change banks in a heartbeat now? Not because the offer didn’t go, but because of the brusque, careless way the offer was rejected.

Do you think it would have taken more time for the banker to first say “thank you for the efforts in bringing this offer?” (As an aside to my realtor colleagues, if the first words out of your mouth when receiving ANY offer aren’t “thank you” you’ve made a serious error.)

Do you think the banker might have added, “We regret the offer is not in the range for acceptance…however perhaps one of our mortgage specialists could assist you to see if you can up the offer reasonably?” Do you think the buyer might have been proud of her bank? Do you think that spirit of goodwill might have been spoken about to friends and given my client a much stronger sense of loyalty to the bank?

Some would argue that it’s a big bank, and the person rejecting my clients offer never met or dealt with her before. That’s true; but all of us are held accountable to whatever business name we associate with. End of story. If I treat someone miserably from Sutton in BC, rest assured the ripple effect could damage a Sutton Realtor in Ontario.

Thus ends my little tale! Thank you John Krieger. Thank you slogan in the washroom. I’ve tailored my career around that simple rule of service: “MAKE A CUSTOMER, NOT A SALE.”