This weekend was HOT here in California.  People were out and about.  Some running errands, others heading to the beaches and for the Active Realtor, they were holding Open Houses in almost 90 degree weather!

I myself was out showing property on Sunday.  I had to make a stop and get some gas.  At the gas station, I ran inside to grab some waters and was waiting in line.  The gal in front of me turned around and smiled at me.  I smiled back. She said "Hi!  How are you?"  It caught me off guard for a minute.  Did I know her?  Was she confusing me with someone else?  So, rather than embarrass her (or myself), I smiled back and said, "I'm great thanks!  How are you?"

At which point, she asks me my name so it is now confirmed that I don't know her.  I give her my name and she says, "Amanda, I just opened a new nail salon!  It's right across the street".  She grabs my hand and leads me to the door to show me where it is. 

"Amanda, I would love to see you there!  Stop by and tell me what you think."  I smiled and thanked her and said I would see when I could stop by. 

I then went back to my car to finish putting in the gas, when a gal of no more than 16 came over to me.  She smiled BIG and said, "Hi!  I'm sorry to bother you, but I'm trying to get something to eat.  Do you have a dollar you can give me to get something to eat?"  I said sure and went through my purse and gave her some money.  Off she went into the snack shop and bought herself something to eat.

As I drove away, I thought to myself "WOW!  This has been a day full of learning!"

Stop and think about it.  How many of us as Realtors make the time to smile and meet people and talk to them about what we do with pride in being an expert?  Not many.  Or should I say, not as many as there should be. 

We're afraid to talk to people about who we are and what we do for fear of being judged as pushy, or being a "salesman" and THAT is not what we are!  Or is it?

In the days of old, salesmen had a bad rep for pushing people into doing something they didn't necessarily want to do.  That was the "hard sell". 

Then came the "soft sell" where salespeople were told that they needed to adjust their way of thinking and think like the consumer, speak about the benefits, overcome objections, and show the consumer that what they had to offer was worth giving up the cash to get it.

Nowadays, we are Client Centric, which really is where we should have always been.  For some, this is a no brainer, for others it's a brand new concept!  We are Real Estate Advisors. We KNOW what is happening in the markets that we serve and yet, we are still caught up and almost ashamed to tell people what we do for fear of being judged.  But ask yourself, isn't this the perfect time to be having conversations with people about what is really happening out there?  Our job as an industry is to provide advice and give pertinent information to our clients. 

This brings me to my next point.  Where do our Clients come from?  Some Agents that have been in business for a long while will have a base of repeat Clients and Clients who refer business to them.  What about the new agent, or the agent that wasn't so diligent in keeping in touch with their Clients? 

Rule number one in sales is: TALK TO EVERYONE! 

Someone may know someone that knows someone that NEEDS OUR HELP!  Loan mods, short sales, foreclosures.  Everyone knows of them but not everyone knows EXACTLY how to guide their Clients through the process. 

Remember that this is your business and the only way that your business will grow is if you nurture it.  Tell everyone you know that this is what you do, and make sure that you are constantly being coached and trained on the real aspects of Real Estate and your business WILL grow. 

The rest is up to you. 

Now, on to the 16 year old girl.  She had no hesitation in asking for help. 

I thought to myself, "Wow!  Would I be able to do that?  Would I be gutsy enough to ask a stranger for help?"  The answer is, NO.  So why would a total stranger trust you with one of the biggest assets they have? 

Better yet, ask yourself this, "If they are in a situation where they really do need help, are they too embarrassed to reach out for help?  If they won't ask for help from family and friends, why would they come to me, a Realtor who they think only wants to make money off of them?"  At least this is one way of looking at it (a reality based on fear).

This too needs to be addressed.  Are you speaking to people about ALL their options?  Not just offering up to do a short sale to get them out of their current situation?  Do you speak to them of the possibility of a Loan Modification?  Do you speak to them about leasing their home until the market turns around and sell then if they currently have no equity?  There are so many other options out there, are you afraid to talk to strangers and ask them if they need YOUR help?

Time to put on our "Advisor Hat" and go out there and look for those that need our help.  After all, this is what we signed up for when we took our Realtor Oath!