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The importance of first impressions

By
Property Manager with AmeriTeam Property Management SL#3200658

The importance of first impressions

The importance of first impressions

 

http://www.inman.com/next/5-key-elements-of-a-brilliant-first-impression/

 

The author here does a great job of making the case for 5 small steps that can play a big part in making a first impression.  While this is from Inman and more/less geared toward Realtors, the premise holds true in pretty much any of our relationships.  I'd add a few things:

 

1) Be on time.  I hate it when don't really like it when folks are late for an appointment with me- just don't like it.  I could probably work on my tolerance in that arena a bit- but I reconcile things by throwing in the one thing I'm probably even less fond of- my being late for an appointment with someone.

 

2) Be genuine.  Simply put, folks can see right through fake.  I recall a wise man once said you can fool all of the people some of the time and some of the people all of the time- I just presume the folks I'm dealing with are the un-foolable kind.  And anyone whose seen a video or two that I've made can tell that what one sees is what one gets- always the best policy, in my humble yet accurate opinion.

 

3) Be confident.  If you don't believe in yourself, do you really expect others to believe in you?  Of course not.  And if you're thinking of faking it, see #2.

 

4) Be memorable.  Realtors help folks buy homes...or list/sell their homes.  Some of them even venture off into Property Management-land and handle rental properties.  From the world of baseball comes the sage advice to "hit 'em where they ain't".  That advice is to have one's batted ball miss the opposing outfielders, but the premise holds true in Real Estate-land as well- where a good course of action is to find something that sets you apart from your competition.

I'm thinking of orange cars.  I give a good buddy of mine who for some unknown reason cheers for the Tennessee Volunteers a ton of grief for- for their losing to my Alabama Crimson Tide for the 8th year in a row now, of course, but also for Tennessee's team colors being a hideous Punkin' Orange color.  I've always told my buddy that if it was a decent color, we'd see a lot of Punkin' Orange cars on the road.  We don't, of course- but pulling up in a Punkin' Orange car is a great example of something that'd be memorable.

 

5) Be positive.  Nobody likes an Eeyore.  With all due respect to Winnie the Pooh's buddy, he's not what one would call the encouraging or uplifting type.  He is a good case study, though- for he shows that while one can be memorable enough to satisfy #4 above, being memorable can also be a bad thing.

 

As many have said, it holds true that there's only one shot to make a first impression- and if you blow it, you might very well never recover from it.

 

The importance of first impressions

 

Posted by
 
DENNIS B. BURGESS
Property Manager

Licensed Florida Realtor
 
AmeriTeam Property Management
845 N. Garland Ave., #200
Orlando, FL  32801
 
 
 
205-445-4755 cell/direct
407-901-3636 x103 office
407-901-5147 office fax
 
Turning vacant into occupied, and "houses" into "homes"SM
 

Comments (4)

Gene Mundt, IL/WI Mortgage Originator - FHA/VA/Conv/Jumbo/Portfolio/Refi
NMLS #216987, IL Lic. 031.0006220, WI Licensed. APMC NMLS #175656 - New Lenox, IL
708.921.6331 - 40+ yrs experience

Dennis Burgess ... I'm lovin' that pic at the top of your post!  Perfect for the message!  I have often felt out-of-step for lending, as so often it seems clients see and get the "sales" approach from those in my business.  That's not me.  So #2 on your list resonates especially well for me.  All on this list are great advice.  Thanks for sharing ...

Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Gene 

Nov 25, 2014 06:22 AM
Michael Dagner
Brokers Guild Classic - Denver, CO
Your Denver Homes Realty Expert

Dennis, yes, done right, these five things are probably more important to getting and keeping the business, than experience or knowledge itself.  Best to you!

Nov 25, 2014 01:22 PM
Dennis Burgess
AmeriTeam Property Management - Mid Florida, FL
Orlando Property Manager and Realtor

Hi, Gene:  Thank you for dropping by, and for your comment and kind words. Best wishes to you and hope that you and yours had a great Thanksgiving!

Nov 27, 2014 11:31 AM
Dennis Burgess
AmeriTeam Property Management - Mid Florida, FL
Orlando Property Manager and Realtor

Hi, Michael:  Thank you for stopping by, and for your comment and kind words. As with many facets of life, I still maintain that real estate/property management is no different in that things come down to but two kinds of knowledge: product knowledge and "people knowledge".

Despite many others' opinions to the contrary, I'll also continue to find the latter far more important than the former.

Hope you and yours had a great Thanksgiving- and that you have a healthy remainder of the holiday season!

Nov 27, 2014 11:35 AM