Clean Out Your Car and Clean Off Your Desk - First Impressions Do Count

Recently as I was shopping in the produce section of the local Market Basket grocery store,  I was drawn to the organized display of vegetables.  I stood for a minute, just admiring the colors and bright assortments before I began to load my grocery cart.   I bought more than I had intended.  To me, there is something compelling about order and organization.

What does that have to do with the real estate or mortgage business?  It is all about first impressions.  Does it really make a difference if your car is filled with trash from the week-end, your desk overflowing with papers and files, or you have to move magazines from a chair so a client has a place to sit? It certainly can.

Let me say here that there are highly competent professionals who struggle with order and organization, and others who are incompent who have their life perfectly alphabetized and categorized.  It is not about having everything perfect.  But it is about having enough order in and around your work areas to let others know that you have things under control.

Here are three reasons it might be worth the effort to get your car, your business, your desk,  workspace and work habits, organized: 

#1  Clients appreciate professionals who have a business which is running smoothly and in an orderly fashion.  Now we all know that having a clean car or desk does not mean that you will handle your real estate or mortgage practice in the same way.  But it does give the outside world the sense that there is order within your world.  It gives that first impression that you will handle your business transactions in like manner.  

#2  Clients need calm and control.  Purchasing and financing a home can be an overwhelming process.  When everything around you is orderly, it gives the impression that you are calm and in control.  Of course, if you haven't invested the time and energy to become a true expert in your profession, then having a neat desk and detailed vehicle won't help you there.  

#3  Clients want professionals who have a system in place and know how to get the job done smoothly and efficiently.  Having order around you gives the impression that you not only have a system, but that system works. 

But it is much more than just giving a good first impression.  Organization is mainly about having the systems and habits in place that will allow you to focus on what's really important and to be more efficient. Truly successful professionals not only look organized and act organized but ARE organized.  And that can lead to sales! 

Do you think organization matters to your business?  Do you have a story  you can tell?