In August, I went on vacation to England. My husband is a first generation American and we were all dying to see the aunts and cousins we love but rarely get to see. This is not a unique story, however, this time I handled my work in a manner which was totally new to me. I turned my business over to a trusted colleague and never once checked voice mail or called back to the US to make sure that all was under control. And guess what? When I returned, everything WAS under control! She even managed to move up the closing on one of my listings so that we closed several days early. (Sue, you are my hero!)
I have to admit that I am, at heart, a control freak. Usually, when I go on vacation with my family, I am the annoying person who is constantly checking emails or calling back to the office. I have called back while in the middle of Disney World, on a boat in the Caribbean, and at a ranch in Colorado. My family resents it but they have learned to tolerate my foibles. This time, I was determined to really BE THERE for my family. And the world did not end and I came back to happy clients. I did learn some lessons along the way that will help me to make sure that I can repeat this experiment.
- I prepared my clients well in advance. I started talking to my clients a month before the trip and let them know that I would be leaving the country and told them all about the person who would be handling my business while I was gone. My colleague informed me that my clients were great about calling her when they had an issue and did not treat her in any way that would indicate that they were uncomfortable with the arrangement.
- I chose someone that I trust implicitly and admire for her professionalism. I am not a member of a team so picking the right person was one of the most important decisions.
- I organized my files and provided instructions for each file so that it was easy for her to see at a glance where we were with each listing and buyer. I did not want her to have to search for anything. All contact information and status was highlighted.
- We agreed to all options for compensating her for the work she performed, including sharing a percentage of several transactions. In July, Gloria Valvasori wrote a great blog about a Vacation Agreement to use so that there are no grey areas when you go on vacation. I used this as the basis to have this discussion with my colleague. Thank you Gloria!
- I did not micromanage her or second guess her when I returned. She did a great job of handling my business while I was away. Did she handle it exactly as I would have? No. But did she do a great job and were my clients happy? A resounding YES. And that is all that matters.
The moral to this story is a little preparation and the willingness to let go allowed me to have FUN with my family and create some lasting memories. And isn't that a big reason why we are all working so hard in the first place?
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