Is your business who you are or what you do?

My particular soapbox for the day is pretty much spelled out in the title.  Is your business defined more by who you are as an individual or by what you do for your clients and the systems you have to do it?

 As a real estate professional, I think that question is more important to your sanity and ability to grow a business than just about any of the others out there.  It speaks to the foundation of what you are building your business upon. 

 I see time and time again (with both new agents and veterans alike) this tendency to try and build a sort of 'cult of personality' and sell that to the general public.  Catchy advertising phrases and glamor shots spread across marketing materials and stuffing mailboxes all in an attempt to grab as much 'mindshare' as possible.  Then, when the phone doesn't ring off the hook and the bill comes in for all that 'great marketing', the agents feel personally rejected and downtrodden because 'the market' is beating them down.  However, if you pick yourself up and keep it up you WILL get business from this particular method.  But what happens when YOU get those clients?  Do YOU handle all the appointments?  Do YOU handle all the paperwork?  Do YOU hold every open house, show up for every inspector, update every web page, answer every call?  Are YOU the expert in marketing, negotiations, vendor coordinations, paperwork, technology, inspections, repair, photography, etc....?  IF SO, how many clients can you handle a day?  A week? A month?  And can you give them all the same level of service that you would want?

 I am 100% positive that many agents out there are living their careers in this manner.  I know that I have fallen into that particular trap before.  It is not only easy to fall into, but many time very ego satisfying to say that 'YOU' are the one one stop shop who made it happen by burning the midnight oil.  'Super Agent Syndrome'.  Also known as 'Guaranteed Burn-out 101' or 'How to let your business and clients run your life.'

 I think that it is actually MORE IMPORTANT to have your systems in place in the long run than to continue try the SAS route.  What many people don't realize is that they already have systems.  Commonly known as habits.  The trick here is to know which of those habits support you and your business and which don't.  Everyone has strengths and weaknesses.  It is a fact so don't feel bad about it or get into a huff.  A mentor of mine once said to me 'Know your role and own it.".  Know what you are good at and do that.  For everything else, develop a system (or beg, borrow or buy someone else's) and work that.  To develop a true real estate 'business' that can sustain and grow, you need to be able to work on it, not be it.  Once you start to codify the systems that work for you, it gets MUCH easier to both grow and expand your business.  Also, the quality of your service will INCREASE the less you personally have to do.  What I mean by that is even if you are a one person shop, as long as you have consistent systems for producing a certain result, then you are not going to be worried about what to do next.  You won't have to continually re-invent the wheels of your business.  You know the kind of excellent result you will produce for your client consistently.  And when you do begin to busy enough where you can't handle it all yourself, it will be much easier to hand some of these personal systems off to an assistant or another employee.  Better yet, when it comes time to retire, you will be able to hand off the entire thing to someone else (for some good residuals) and know that your business will continue to grow and function.

 With the proper systems in place you will be able to sell consistent results.  Consistent service.  Consistent excellence. Combine that with your personal branding and be known for your results and business skills as opposed to just another pretty face on a postcard.

 Sorry for the ramble but I have been hearing too many 'poor me' gripes lately and had to vent someplace.... 

:)