A commercial referral is not a threat to your business!

I love paying referrals, and I'm not just talking about a referral to out-of-town agents I met at a convention and barely know. I'm talking about friends in my office or fellow agents in my market area that are working every day to make a living just like I am. As a commercial agent I have a business focus that is different than 99% of the agents in my MLS thus, in many cases, I am able to help "your" customers better than you can, and please understand this is a good thing!   

Just sold with a "nice" referral paid to a friend and fellow agent!

Although America is built on a capitalist platform that is getting a bad rap due to greed it remains a culture where a healthy alliance can still be formed. There will always be relationships that are "dog-eat-dog" but that does not mean you have to be involved in one! A commercial agent with honesty and integrity is not going to steal your customer, they are going to enhance and improve your relationship with a client in your sphere. Whether you are friends or co-workers with a reputable commercial agent, or need to schedule interviews to establish that relationship, it is in the best interest of every residential agent to have a commercial referral agent on speed dial! Hopefully it goes without saying that the inverse is true - every commercial agent needs a great residential referral agent on speed dial!

Just last month I closed on the sale of a medical office building where the listing was referred to me by agents from a "competing office" in town. The quotes are used to indicate sarcasm that you can not hear because Ruben and Karyl are not competitors, they are friends. We worked at the same company a few years ago and, though we are at different offices now we have maintained a professional friendship and respect that resulted in me sending them a rather large check a couple weeks ago! Was this bad for their business? I would have to say "no" because my seller who, more importantly, is their friend and client has listed his amazing seven figure estate with them! How awesome is that! I made a sale that they got paid on and now they get to list an amazing property - all for the same client. The client is happy, they are happy and I'm ecstatic. Referrals are great for Realtors whether they are close to home or cross-country.