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Winning, Loosing and Starting Over…

By John Mangas, Broker/Co-Owner RE/MAX Preferred Toledo, Ohio

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." -Sir Winston Churchill
 
So on Tuesday another election cycle ended. There were winners and losers’ but one thing that every candidate had in common is that they all had to start over on Wednesday. And so did each of us.
 
That isn’t really all that different from what each of us experiences in the normal course of doing business. None of us sign every listing appointment that we go on. Not every buyer gets to the closing table. Simple facts of life, but very often we have invested so much of ourselves in a buyer or seller that moving on can be a challenge.
 
Setbacks are a very normal part of life. What I have observed as a managing broker is that the most successful agents prepare for success; they make a great listing presentation or endeavor aggressively to get the buyer to the closing table. They focus on the details and leave as little to chance as they can.
 
The best agents also know that there are some clients who are too difficult to business with or have circumstances that they simply cannot navigate through. Plain and simple, none of us win every time. When most of us were children, we had a sibling, relative, neighbor or friend that would twist an arm behind our back until we said “uncle”. Sometimes we have clients that do the same. Recognizing that early on and then letting go can save so much of your time, but more importantly your energy and attitude. Most of us know the red flags when we see them, and yet choose to ignore them.
 
Having the ability to start over energized, excited and engaged can be a challenge, but as professionals we have the ability to do exactly that. Knowing that there are good people out there that need to buy and sell homes and appreciate the expertise that we offer is what keeps many of us going. Embracing the win, overcoming the loss and mustering the enthusiasm to openly greet the next opportunity is how I approach things. None of us wins 100% of the time, but allowing ourselves to move on after a defeat makes us winners!