There are certain things that make us memorable. Of course that can be good or bad. I prefer to be memorable in a good way. What about you? I've had a couple recent deals where the other players were memorable, but not in a good way. In one deal that is a short sale, the buyer's agent recommended a negotiating company who would do all of the negotiating for our deal. Great! It turns out they are the most arrogant, condescending and snarky group of people I have ever worked with. I did tell the agent I will never work with them again, recommend them and I've sent a memo out to all of the agents on our team in two states asking them not to work with them. They are truly disgusting.
At the same time, I have an agent who is going above and beyond to help my young buyers afford a house they love. She doesn't have to do that, but she's one of those agents you love to work with, and she is memorable. That got me to thinking, "What makes someone memorable in a good way?"
I think the one simple thing that makes us memorable for most clients and colleagues are words. Let me give you few of examples of the words that make others memorable to me. When they say:
- I'm sorry, I made a mistake. I can be very patient with someone who is contrite. Excessive mistakes are one thing, but in this business most of us run into single mistakes that could easily be forgiven with a simple correction. Few would void a contract, but even if they would, making sure they're caught and corrected is a simple process.
- I forgot. How many times has someone called and asked for that addendum you promised three days ago? If that happens to you, refer to the first point. I run Yesware behind my email to make sure I can verify whether I did or didn't send a form. If I didn't, I apologize and send it. If I did, I let the other side know what day and time I sent it, and I let them know who opened it, what device they opened it on and where they were at the time. Yesware provides that detail. I will still send it again, but I do like for agents to know that sloppy work on their end did not equate to my mistake. If I made the mistake, I admit it.
- I never received it. Would you please send it again? If we're going to live by technology, we're going to be at the whim of technology. I had an agent call today asking for a form I sent to her last Friday. It was in my sent folder, but apparently it wasn't in her in-box. OK, I'll send it again. Things really do happen that end in this scenario. It's not an issue unless someone wants to make it an issue.
- Would you help me? A humble request for help is magnetic. Everyone needs help at some point. Of course, everyone should grow beyond the need for continuous help, but an occasional request is not a problem. I did a deal last year with an agent I've found to be difficult to work with. This time, I ask for help from her. She was thrilled to help, and we've been friends ever since, and we've done multiple deals since then flawlessly.
- May I help you? On the flip-side, some people need help but may not ask because our business is full of egos. Asking for help may be considered a sign of weakness or incompetence. I had an agent send her client to my office a few years ago and I wrote the purchase contract because the agent kept messing it up and the REO bank kept rejecting it. I didn't mind helping, and she received her full commission.
- I don't know. It's OK not to know everything. Clients really don't expect us to know everything, and I can't imagine that our colleagues do either.
- Thank you for the great job you're doing. I like to always let the other side of a deal know when they're being a big asset. That's true of staff members, home inspectors, termite inspectors, attorneys, closers, etc.
- Thank you. How can you beat that?
- Please. This is one of those universal words that all people appreciate.
- It was great working with you. Let's do it again. How can you turn that down?
This list could go on and on, but you get the point. Living and working a life of graciousness always leaves a good feeling with people you deal with. Be that person, and you'll always have others who want to work with you.
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