I have a pretty simple routine most days. Not much changes, and I'm fine with that. This past weekend, I had to show property in another town about an hour away. Fortunately, I have a second home in the same community. So, I retreated to my house and waited for my new clients (*thank you Amanda Davidson).
While I was waiting, I checked the status of all of the homes we would be seeing. There were 11. Of course, anything can happen in 24 hours. Therefore, I wanted to make sure we were on for each home before heading out the door. Speaking of heading out the door, I always check to make sure I have my listing printouts and tax records before taking off on showings and I did, and that's when I realized I had forgotten something. My phone.
My phone is my access to the properties. In our market, we do have a backup tool in the 
event a phone battery dies, or there is no service or you forget your phone. We have a card that can open doors too, but that card has to be charged everyday, and of course, I never charge mine because I foolishly trust my electronics too much.
Here I am, minutes before my clients show up. No phone, a dead card and 11 houses to look at, and most of them were on a digital lockbox. I quickly grabbed my wife's phone and downloaded the ekey app to gain access. I had no idea what an ordeal that would be, but finally, it loaded, I set it up on her phone, and I was ready. That put us about 15 minutes behind. That's not too bad except each showing is only 15 minutes and they were scattered all over the mountain.
Well, it worked out and the buyers are buying and I learned a great lesson. I should put a little sign in my car that says, "Do you have your phone? Is your card charged?" It could have been a nightmare, and if my wife hadn't decided to go a long just minutes before my departure, it would have been. But, some days go like that.
The best advice I can offer you is, don't panic. There is always a solution to every problem. Worst case scenario, I would have called every agent with a digital lockbox to request a one day code. Don't get mad. It won't make a difference. It will only frustrate you and it will make you look like a dufus in front of your clients. Be at peace. Allowing a mistake to format your day will ruin your day and it will be unlikely to lead to a solution. Be a problem solver, and in this business, that is the most important role you will ever play. Oh yeah, one more piece of advice, make sure to charge your entry card everyday.
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