1970 I was just out of the Army as a Captain and had returned home. I had a job (not related to real estate) and as I went to work the first day, I got off of the elevator and there was a little man, big booming voice, great smile, bald head and standing at attention, snapping a salute "I just wanted to tell you welcome home" and so I got to know Huston. More importantly I learned a lot from him.
Huston entered the service during WWII. In 1946 he was shipped back from Europe. Married, got a job, bought a house and raised a family. All the while being a positive influence on those around him, but never grabbing the limelight. Quick with, humor, respect and hard work. Houston started selling life insurance for one of the largest companies in the US in 1947. 55 years later he was still with the same company. All but his first couple years and the last years as he marched into his mid 80's he was the leading individual producer for the company on the entire West Coast. The town he came back to back in the 40s was about 15,000 population. By the 90's about 50,000. But nothing like Seattle, San Fran or LA yet he outproduced. How??
One day at lunch he shared with me his secret. Every morning when he got dressed he put 10 dimes in his left pant pocket. Throughout the day he made personal calls on clients and after each call he transferred a dime from his left pocket into his right. He would not go home at night until all ten dimes were transferred. There you go a secret to success, coupled with building relationships it gets the job done. Merry Christmas.
PS
Houston passed on about 11 years ago. I don't use dimes but every morning I start a clean sheet of paper and put two 6's on it. One is for the six clients I currently have that I will contact and I write their names down as I do so. The other 6 is for the six people I am going to contact and make them a client someday too.
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