She waived me in through the window and motioned for me to sit. As I sat down I looked around her office and noticed the incredible amount of paperwork strewn all over the place. There were sales awards and certificates on the walls and what seemed like a sea of old files from years passed. I waited patiently for her to get off the phone as I sat there uncomfortable and feeling like an intruder in her obviously chaotic world. Every time she would glance at me she would smirk and roll her eyes at the customer she was speaking with. At the time I didn't know that this would be how she talked to everyone.

Finally she finished her call and said, "So you want some help huh? Well...what's in it for me?"

It was my first week in the company and she was a top producer. She was known throughout the branch as the marketing guru and a machine when it came to production. My branch manager had told me to sit down with her and get some help on a quirky deal I had brought in from my database. I had known this client for years and wanted to help them out on a tough deal.

She didn't even hesitate to ask me for 60% of the commission. She told me that time is money and that she didn't do anything for free for anyone "especially not me". As soon as she finished her stern rant she proceeded to discuss her "spiritual life" and about a community service project she was spear heading. In all she spent less than 20 minutes giving me vague advice and making sure everyone in the office knew that she was helping me.

When the loan didn't close as a result of a huge mistake she made, she still asked me to pay for her time. I kid you not. For weeks and months after that she would make comments about how I still "owed her a ton of money".

This goes so far beyond this story though. You see this is about the mentality that seems to be so pervasive in our industry. Sure there is a value to our time, but what does the price you set say about you? Have you arrived so much so that you don't give those "under" you the time of day? Are you more concerned with someone "showing you the money"?

I think all of us put a value to our time not because we are money mongers, but rather because our time is at a premium. I find myself having to plan virtually everything I do just to feel like I'm doing anything at all. There is a big difference between a person who wants to leech your time and someone who just needs help.

What do you do when your time is asked of you from someone who genuinely just needs some solid advice?

Regardless of what field you are in or what title you have ascribed to your name it is so critically important for you to remember that there was a day YOU were the one in need of help. What if that person who helped you didn't stop out of their busy life to give you the advice that made you into what you are today? What if they had been too busy and unconcerned with helping you learn the necessary building blocks of what has made your so successful now?

In my experience it is certainly not the majority of real estate professionals who act this way so it would be unfair for me to characterize any one group as the sole culprit. In my experience however sales professionals seem to have the biggest problem with this.

I'll be frank after my first big year of doing well in the business it was hard for me not to feel overconfident. Sure at the time I thought it was just a sense of pride, but I would unknowingly find myself looking down on less successful loan officers. It was a mistake I corrected quickly, but nonetheless was something I realized can happen to anyone.

Remember who you are and where you came from. Go back to the days when you first started and you were the one that was asking a million questions to anyone who would give you the time of day. Appreciate that time and reinvest what you've learned in others. Be the person who helps that person who is reaching out for help. And remember, when you build your business in the lives of others, your business will be built for life!