5 reasons to give your Real Estate License back....or NOT....

 Have you ever seen an "I Love Lucy " episode?  How much trouble that witty, talented lady could get into.  Thank God she never quit. Most of us got our licenses for a variety of reasons, but to my knowledge none of us felt we should give it back. Sure some people lost theirs for different reasons, but giving it Back? 

 I was reading Lenn Harley's post on ARE YOU A SECRET AGENT? RUMINATING ABOUT AGENT TO AGENT REFERRALS , then after a 22 hour day I left my phone on the sidewalk outside my office :(   Driving back from the middle of nowhere this morning  to pick up my phone, I remembered her post and decided  darn I better give my license back. 

The Top 5 reasons for giving your license back are:

1.  Losing or dropping your cell phone into any type of water: Let's see....I have dropped it in the lake, a portapot in the desert, and have gotten it wet by the sprinklers.  And last night after driving 3 hours from one office to another-I left it lying on the sidewalk outside the office, along with a bottle of water. 

So, Lenn, I guess I won't be getting anyones referrals :) but should I quit?

2.  Spending too much time with clients to help them meet their needs.; One of the comments on Lenn's blog was from an Agent that stated they don't answer the phone if they are with clients, or on the other line as she is meeting the needs of the current person. Boy, am I guilty of this. I think when a client calls, or we call them, that they deserve our full attention. If we are full service, then we need to give every client full service first, and the prospects second...... Can you imagine saying:

Sorry Joe, but I can't help you right now...someone I don't know is calling?  Or even better, Joe called and you have an appointment to list his home.....He's showing you his home and you hurry him along because he is taking too much time.....what if a listing call comes in? What type of message does this give the person whose home you're in? And doesn't Joe deserve the time he needs for this important decision?  Guess I better quit....

3.  Using the computer for more than playing solitaire....Some agents don't know how to use the Computer, and are afraid to try. I had to hire a high school kid to teach me in the beginning, but I learned, and am learning daily:  this takes time and commitment. Sure it can be overwhelming spending hours blogging, Marketing, and learning new things here, or on one of the millions of sites out there. But we are the winners, and so are our clients, both current and future.  We can help them meet their needs if we learn the new tools available for Real Estate in the 21st Century......

4.  Driving too much and adding to the Greenhouse effect...With gas around $3 a gallon, we spend a lot of money on gas these days, and probably add to the greenhouse effect. Clients are not just in our backyards....they have properties anywhere in the 50 states, and for some of us, overseas as well.  I just haven't figured out how to help them meet their needs by saying, sorry I can't drive that far... I have to fill my tank, and well, you know about the global warming!  Guess we could tell them that Industries and cows give off more gases than our car :) Guess we can only have clients within walking distance.....

Again, Guess I better quit, as I drive to where I'm needed.

5.  Having a family, and/or a pet. Now this is a big one for all of us. My Grandchildren expect me at their birthdays, or plays at school; maybe even a little league game or 2.  My children call and take up my time telling me they love me, and what they are doing in their adult lives.  Heck, I have even been know to call my 76 year old mother to make sure she is well, and let her tell me whatever is happening in her life that day. 

And to complicate my availability I have a dog........poor guy thinks I should play with him every now and again, and EVERY DAY he thinks he should get fed, petted, and for me to give him fresh water.  he also likes to be let into the house to escape the 100 plus weather we have. 

I just don't know how we can meet everyones needs with these 5 things taking up our valuable time .....Should we give our licenses back.......

I'll bet that our clients have lives too.....think about how many times one of the above 5, Life itself, has occured anytime in your Real Estate Career.  I won't give my license back, and nor should any of us.....

Life is full of ups and downs, we just do the best we can with what we have.......