Building Trust in Customers AND Our Peers

I love to reason and play give and take in everything I come across that requires it. However, I do reach a point where I tell people...I am not able to just keep giving in so please help out here at some point...It gets done after that

Debe, I’ve become friends with other agents who were such a delight to work with. It seems so rare to find “collaboration” in real estate transactions.  It does not sound strange to me at all … we do have a shared goal.  There is no reason why it cannot be a win-win. 

Your buyers, my sellers has made it defensive, like litigating for not just a good taste in everyone's mouth, but to win. The buyer and seller want to go to the real estate closing. With your help they can or may not if the expectations are not realistic. Or if the agent that took the nose bleed high listing should have been all smiles, but walked away from the table. Over priced listings cause more heat in the kitchen when the buyer, market tries to bring the price down to where it should have been three years ago, three agents ago. The situation is the problem, not the personalities. Be tough skinned, tender hearted but don't take it personal or get snarky. 95% of our sales are list them, sell them and don't have the back and forth tongue lashing you see in the halls of layers and layers of splits. All those happy, not so happy cooks in the kitchen. Too many people involved and delays in the drive through right now snap snap is how alot of the frustration heats up, boils over. And blame, someone gets the sharp finger point...and funny how it is the other side of the equation not checking in to relay the drama missing pieces.

Good Morning and this is a great post!!  Keep up the good work and good luck with your business,  E

Debe

Oh this sooo resonates with with me. It seems that there are some in our business whose personal agendas are at the forefront of what they do. And they have learned to denigrate, insult, manipulate and engage in other behaviors that they feel put them in control and put the other person down, perhaps in the name of negotiation.

We really do all have the same goal. The path there might be a bit diffferent, but ultimately we do want the same thing. And that is sometimes true in real life as well.

I have had a great year and worked with some great agents that I would love to do business with again.

Jeff

I love this post Debe!  So many out there don't recognize that they might be in this business for a looooong time and that there are only so many bridges that can be burned! 

Great Post!! I agree, we all have to work together and that is agent to agent as well. But, I do say "what goes around comes around"...Communication is EVERTHING!!! Good Luck in 2014!!

Debe:

Very good post and you communicate some things that really need to be said. We must treat one another with the Highest respect. I have always seen the other agent I am working with as almost a co-worker or team member. We are both trying to accomplish a similar task. I want his clients to be pleased and grateful and mine as well and most agents, I believe, feel the same. 

I was once told that the best negotiators are like a pick-pocket. The target doesn't know they have lost anything until way after the fact

One result when having two agents representing their two clients with a win-win attitude is there is a much more frequent "how can we fix this" attitude when a problem arises, rather than, "your client needs to give us this or that or we're walking".  And having a "how can we fix this" attitude usually ends up in a successful closing.

Debe: A good reminder for me to win people over and not fight with them.  It is important to make a transaction clean and neat and it takes patience to do this.

There is a tranaction I'm in that will close Monday.  When it does . . . I might get a couple posts out of it . . . the listing agent outright lied!  For no apparent reason.  You're right Debe, among peers it goes a long way in a small town!

Sometimes you work with someone that you may not like or respect. The goal is to make them like and respect you by doing the right thing. It does  help make for an easier settlement.

Good post, Debe!

Debe - what a great post. Creating a professional environment to work together to accomplish a common goal is what it should be about. Each agent represents their buyer and should not take it personally when an agent delivers a clear message. I really enjoyed your post. Thanks.

Some agents just have that finesse, some don’t!  Today and every day, I am incredibly thankful for those who DO! 

That about sums it up, we don't have to be adversarial just get our jobs done. 

Debe, I can bet, this agent is not a good fit for many things - other than just real estate!

However, what I liked about you is - you care for WIN-WIN! 

I wish I could meet you - I am in Cary, NC - leaving for Boston tomorrow...

May be, next time?

Trust increases the chances you will "problem solve" - and in most transactions I'm involved with, the selles DOES want to sell, and the buyer DOES want to buy this particular home.  But problems crop up - price and terms, condition, finance - getting to the closing table is complicated! Agents who trust each other can focus on solving problems for their clients, not defending their flanks.

Great post and a very well deserved feature. You are right, negotiating does not mean you have to be a junk yard dog, you can be a polite poodle with a little bite if necessary! Representing your clients in a negotiation with a professional attitude speaks volumes about you!