Colleagues, NOT Competitors: Meet my friend, Scottsdale Broker Allen D. Henderson
In a business as crowded as the real estate industry, it's very tempting - and very human - to freeze up when we meet other agents, brokers, lenders, inspectors, appraisers, etc., ESPECIALLY in a networking setting. There's almost nothing worse than being the 4th or 5th REALTOR® to do an introduction at an event. But there are two lessons to take away from this:
- This is why it becomes so important to make YOUR 30-second commercial memorable.
- It's an abundant universe, meaning there's more than enough business for everyone - so it's really helpful to begin to views the others in your specific industry as colleagues, not competitors.
I recently had the opportunity to sit down with fellow broker, Allen Henderson, who specializes in Scottsdale and the East Valley. Allen contacted me through ActiveRain and asked me if I'd be willing to answer some questions and give him some pointers on how to continue to grow his business. I'm so glad I invited him over - what a delightful guy!
Born in Detroit but raised and educated in Canada, Allen considers himself a cold-weather refugee. While we natives (and nearly natives) are shivering at these 60-degree highs, he's out in shirtsleeves. A well-educated man, Allen has degrees in biology and chemsitry. He's lived and worked as an agent and broker in our sunny Arizona home for the last 15 years.
Allen's past work experience includes sales training and marketing for a medical e-venture capital startup in Silicon Valley, as well as a sales trainer for much larger companies like Warner Lambert, Pfizer, and Boerigner-Mannheim.
The first thing you notice about Allen is his infectious smile. And, of course, he passed the real test: more than willing to put on a banana suit! Check out some of the fun we had as Allen became an Honorary Banana for a day!
And then, think about taking a new approach to the others in your industry.
- Who in your industry can you reach out to so that you can get to know them better - perhaps people you've been avoiding because you've been thinking of them as the big, bad competition?
- Are there areas where you don't specialize - or enjoy - that would allow you to create great referral partnerships with people you might otherwise think of as competitors?
- Could you partner with a couple colleagues to do some vertical marketing, where you all split the costs, instead of bearing the full expense on your own?
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