DEALING WITH DISRESPECT IN BUSINESS! Have You Seen It? How Does It Make You Feel? And, How Did You Respond?

Chicago Bears Lose to the Atlanta Falcons down in Atlanta tonight!  Booooo!  (But, Jim Crawford, as well as my other friends from the South - please, stop gloating!)

In your workplace, in your business - have you ever been disrespected?  Not just for making a mistake at some job-related task.

But have you been disrespected by someone painting a negative brush against your whole profession?

Many Lawyers know this - divorce attorneys, Personal Injury, Bankruptcy - all sharks, in many a layman's opinion!

Municipal Employees!  Never work very hard, because, in many cases, they can not be fired (this is changing in many municipalities with the recession, however).

Sales People of all stripes - especially those working on commission - including those selling cars, home improvement items, and, of course, those in the Real Estate Profession.  In the opinion of many, all sales people care about is earning a fat check - damn the clients.

True professionals, in any field, in any business, have to develop a tough outer skin in order to survive.  But often times, does their evolving cynicism actually perpetuate those negative notions among clients or prospective clients?

Is disrespect - poor treatment by clients and customers against those in certain professions - earned?  Expected?  Even . . . Flat-Out Normal?

On a daily basis, on our Team, many of the prospective buyers and sellers we contact cancel meetings with what we know to be trumped-up, false reasons.  They're not feeling well.  Death in the family.  Too busy this week - maybe next week, or the week after, or . . .

Often, in the Real Estate Profession, this notion of disrespect is often followed by an MLS Listing, the next day, with another Real Estate Practitioner.  Perhaps one who was more agreeable to the client's fantasy wishes. 

For Lawyers, Consultants, and all Sales Professionals - your follow up call is often not returned.  Or, when a phone or email connection is made, the response from the disrespecting client is heavy irritation.  Even anger!  How dare you!

One of our very experienced colleagues here at Keller Williams Lincoln Square here in Chicago, Pamela (not her real name), recently worked hard for a Buyer Client our Team referred to her.  After several unreturned telephone calls, the prospective buyer told her he was "not making any buy decision until early 2010.  He will call back then!"

But her further investigation showed that this buyer had not only made an offer on another Downtown Chicago Loop Condominium, but that this transaction had already closed!  In became final, in fact, two weeks before the "we're putting it off" phone call described here.

Luckily, my colleague had registered this errant client with the developer.  Even more lucky for her, this developer was a large, respected one here in Chicago, and honored their written commitment to pay her a Buyer's Agent Co-op Fee.  

She got compensated despite the fact the buyer himself asked the builder not to, and directed the builder "not to mention anything to the representing buyer's agent."

Disrespect!  Complete disrespect!

But my guess is, as I write this late Sunday night, the offending buyer has no remorse.  Doesn't care!  Felt he did nothing at all wrong!

Pamela feels terrible because of her buyer client's disrespect, however!  And more than a small piece of her trusting nature, and her faith in newly-introduced clients, has fallen away.  It has been replaced by a sizable slice of suspicion.  Cynicism.  And her commitment to "never let this ever happen again."

Hey - has anything similar to this ever happened to you?  Did you take it in stride, and move on?

Or, did you dwell on it, perhaps more than you should, feeling a bit violated?  And did it make a permanent change in your subsequent business attitude?

Please share!

DEAN & DEAN'S TEAM CHICAGO