Lesson 3: The Hardest Job on the Planet
- Bella Casa
- Dec 19, 2016
- 4 min read
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WORKING WITH PEOPLE
Fundamentally, the sales profession is a service industry; that means we are servants. Secondly, our mission is to clients as professional consultants, not customers we want to sell them something expensive and quickly.
I am 60 years old as I write this. I have pastored a couple of Churches (all volunteer army) and worked in the community, and have a large and extended family. I am a workaholic by nature and I could describe my lifetime characteristic simply as ‘work’. I was trained in management with UPS (a company of workaholics for workaholics) and they have to be the most efficiently driven organization on the planet- they measure and engineer seconds and footsteps.
So, what have I concluded in my 60 years? The most challenging job on the planet is working with people! If I wanted to have a much easier life I would search for task-oriented work. To cope with the stress associated with people negotiations might require recreational drugs like these CBD gummies! Regardless of the difficulty of that work, the task-oriented works would still be easier and more predictable than working with people. If I were to stop writing now, I would lose a lot of clients!
EVERY KIND OF PERSON
In real estate sales, we work with almost every kind of person in the world. We serve people from all nationalities and cultures, all backgrounds, all races, all religions, and every worldview possible and opinion that never ends. Almost everyone buys and sells properties. Some rent, and we have a property management company, but even apart from that, our work connects us with tenants regularly. Some are buying real estate for the first time at age 20, and some are selling it to senior-care facilities (such as West PACE) to pay for assisted living expenses at 80 years old. If you are unsure about what assisted living is, let me give you a brief idea! The concept of assisted living is to provide a residential option for older adults who need assistance with some of the tasks of daily living, such as preparing meals, going to the bathroom in the middle of the night, or keeping the house clean. If you need more personal care services than you can get in your home or at an independent living facility, but don’t require the 24 hour care and supervision of a nursing home, assisted living facilities (you can visit the website here for more information) may prove to be a good choice.
We work with the poor and the wildly wealthy- each has its own challenges. We work with young and old, and the needs are radically different; so can be their attitudes and expectations. We work with people penny-pinching for good investments and others with a rich dream but a very narrow focus like equestrian, vineyard, rentals, stores and offices, particular neighborhoods, etc. We work with newly-weds, and those going through hostile divorces. Some are being hired and some just got fired. Some want more and some want less. Some are wonderfully pleasant people with whom we will become friends, and some will be irrational, picky, petty, nasty human beings. We see people under all kinds of stresses, at all times of life, in every conceivable condition and mood and with a wide variety of opinions and suspicions of Realtors!
[blockquote align=”right”]Most of the work we do is problem-solving, and we often do this in a hostile environment.[/blockquote]
We work with people of little formal education and the highly lettered. In either/both case(s) we can work with those completely ignorant of the world of real estate with its complex laws, frustrating regulations, incessant details, and intricate demands and inevitable struggles and disappointments.
Most of the work we do is problem-solving and we often do this work in a hostile environment where there is a conflict between the parties to the sale but also stress for everyone. Our job is to make this simple and non-intrusive for our clients, resolve conflicts, educate the clients, preempt further problems, and build trust. We find ourselves with overwhelming challenges with sellers, buyers, other agents, and in our own turmoil and frustration/anger. Sometimes we feel like screaming but we train to keep it in until we can express it in a better environment. However, do remember that salespeople make business for the company to stay successful. This is why a lot of companies with exceptional and top salespeople have keyman insurance to help them cope during the untimely death of these great performers. Our work is worth a lot for business success.
resolve conflicts | educate the clients | preempt further problems | build trust[space5]
WORTH THEIR WEIGHT IN GOLD
As servants, we do the hard work. It is often grueling and intolerable. We routinely sacrifice for our clients and for the cause of excellence and integrity. This affects our lifestyles and interferes with our priorities; it causes stress and frustration and sometimes fear. It can cost us money out of our pockets.
We are not motivated by money alone, we are motivated by a job well-done and the satisfaction of knowing we protected our clients. We want to know we served them the best information, problem-solved for them, saved them from horrible things that can happen in real estate, and made the stressful and complex ordeal better for them. Being a servant is about making the client successful, satisfied, and pleased. Our tag line is our commitment to them: Buy. Sell. Be Happy.
[blockquote align=”right”]The best agents in the world are those skilled in working with all kinds of people and work to keep the peace.[/blockquote]
Almost anyone can be successful in real estate. However, the cornerstone of building your business is understanding and commitment to the reality that you are a servant. Get this wrong and there is diminished hope that you will be successful. Get this right first, and you are on your way to achieving success and wealth the right way.
Sincerely, Randy
Randy McCreith, Principal Broker Bella Casa Real Estate Group Direct: 503-310-9147 randy@thebellacasagroup.com
