Don't be afraid to throw money at a problem to make it go away.
I call this the Open Checkbook Policy. If you've read Sell with Soul, you're already familiar with it. The Open Checkbook Policy means that you, as a buyer or seller representative, are willing to throw money at a problem to make it go away. Maybe the problem was your fault to begin with. Maybe it wasn't. Maybe it's even the fault of the agent sitting on the other side of the table!
Some agents are vehemently opposed to giving up even a little piece of their commission check to solve problems, even problems that they created. I think that's bad business. More than once, I've sat across the closing table from an agent who screwed something up and written a check myself to salvage both our reputations. Never got a Thank You from the other guy. He probably thought I was a wimp.
And maybe I was. Maybe I don't have the gumption to make a stink and create a confrontation. Maybe that's the introvert in me.
Or, maybe I realize that I have the potential to make a whole lot more money in one month than my client made last year... and that my $300 contribution (which is barely noticeable to me) means the difference between whether or not he makes his car payment next month.
Okay, so maybe that's a little too melodramatic. So I'll get practical. I Open My Checkbook because sometimes I have better things to do with my time and energy than start a fight I might lose. Maybe I'm not willing to let $100 stand between me and a $5000 commission check. Maybe not even $800. Maybe I don't want to put that buyer back in my car for another tour of the city.
And {gasp}, sometimes I even mess up. I forget to share a disclosure with my buyer. I mis-state the HOA fees. I forget to exclude the washer and dryer from the purchase agreement. In these situations, I can't Open My Checkbook fast enough.
As an introvert, I'm not a natural fighter. I can't sweet-talk or hard-sell someone into doing something they don't wanna do. So, sometimes, I take the easy way out, for me. It's only money. I can make more.
Peace of mind? That's a little harder to come by!
copyright Jennifer Allan 2007
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