I find myself in lots of conversations with other agents lately about whether what our industry is composed of 'sales professionals' or 'service professionals.' This is a very telling conversation. Many agents across the country have built million dollar businesses by consistently applying proven sales models to their businesses. Their contact network grows and as a result of that their volumes grow and they hire additional help (which they do carefully to get talented people) to handle the increased number of clients successfully.
I have no issues with this whatsoever. You do have to plan your business and get help in order to grow and when managed correctly, the growth results in improved service for your clients. It's something I have frequent dreams of. I would love to spend the day working with clients on important things like choosing the home that truly meets their needs. A place that they can spend the next ten or twenty years in. I want to help people who are retiring get the best return on the home they are selling that is now bigger and costlier than they really need and spend time with them to really know what they are planning for their life so I can do my part even better.
When I have these sales vs. service conversations, I think back on my favorite parts of this profession and wonder, what part of all this is actually sales? I mean, there are certainly portions that are sales. When you want to sell your house I have to get the word out there that its for sale. I need to have good timing with then it goes on the market and know the neighborhood and market as a whole to get you buyers who are ready to buy and wanting your house. Definitely sales. But not at all what I spend the majority of my time on.
Good agents spend the majority of their time on predicting the "bumps in the road" for their clients and taking action to smooth those out before they are on the horizon. Good agents spend time with their clients to find out what they actually are wanting and helping them get there. When yo want to buy a house you are not just making an investment in your family's future; you have an image in your head of the life that you want. Room for the kids to play and not be so cramped that every morning isn't a jumble of backpacks and stepped-on-toes and dropped lunches. You want a dining room for holiday dinners. Do you want to spend your weekends walking the Downtown Mall or roller skating at Carver gym on a Friday night? Do you picture a yard where you play soccer with the kids or a place that you plant your own vegetables every spring?
These are all important things when determining your overall satisfaction with a house. Sometimes its even telling a client that they can't have it all. These take time. These are not about the next sale or lead or client. These are about you, the client.
I believe that this is what makes us a service industry.
When you are in the sales industry, the most important client in the world is the next one.
When you are in the service industry, the most important client in the world is the one I am sitting across from right now.
If you are looking to buy or sell a home in the Charlottesville Area, I would be very happy to help you.
Quinton Beckham
Keller Williams Realty
3510 Remson Court, Suite 301
Charlottesville VA, 22901
quintonbeckham@me.com
Cell: 434.242.6212
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