You've got to know when to fold 'em...
Great post and so important for home stagers as well to walk away from a client that's just not on the same page. As stagers we face many of the same challenges of trying to make things work with getting the home seller to do their 'homework' when in fact they are not really ready to move. There is a lot of psychology as we all know, behind what motivates sellers and what makes an awesome client. I do think that if we truly listened to our 'gut feeling' we know we should have walked away in the first place but for many reasons eg the money, I can get them to do what i want, it'll all work out, etc. we stuck it out!
From the Jack’s Winning Words blog comes this little gem. “Some of us think that holding on makes us strong; but sometimes it’s letting go.” (Hermann Hesse) “ Jack went on to write -The Gambler” was a hit song for Kenny Rodgers…”You got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em.” This really isn’t about poker; it’s inherent wisdom. In life, it’s important to know when enough is enough.
I know that Jack writes these blogs with general life lessons in mind and not necessarily about our real estate lives; however, many of them just turn out to be so fitting for Realtors that I end up re-using the best of them. Today’s quote and Jack’s insight into it are just such a case. In real estate we tend to hold on too long to bad clients – the seller who really isn’t motivated (or ready) to sell or the buyer who has unrealistic expectations or is totally clueless about what they really want. The reason we hold on is our belief that we can somehow change them or educate them. That’s also why people oft times stay in bad personal relationships too long.
The fact is that sometimes “you gotta fold ‘em.” I’ve had to “fire” clients on occasion, but only after I probably had already wasted too much time trying to get them to be reasonable about the market price for their home or perhaps wasted too much time driving all over the place looking for that elusive perfect home that they’ll know when they see it. That’s my bad for being too egotistical about my magical persuasive powers to get them to change. That’s not a strength on my part, it’s a weakness; and I should learn to let go. Do you have this issue, too? Can you let go of those bad clients who are just sucking up your time and resources?
Norm Werner
Real Estate One
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