Are you a real estate "Expert" or a "Professional?"
I write in Correl Word Perfect so I started by looking up the two titles in it's dictionary.
"professional > ... a person having impressive competence in a particular activity."
You'll notice "..." I left out the parts about "being part of a professional group" that's just plain wrong! You can be a member of a group with out being professional and you can be professional with out a group! I also left out the non-sense about "being paid" experts are paid, incompetents are paid, totally unskilled labor is paid. Being paid regardless of the amount is no measure of professionalism! Welfare mothers are paid are they professional and our mothers amateur?
"expert >noun a person who is very knowledgeable about or skillful in a particular area."
I might have added "small" as in "skillful in a particular small area!" This is in contrast to the very general particular activity, defining the professional.
It use to be said, "an expert is anyone more than 50 miles from home with a briefcase!" At today's gas price maybe that should be amended to say: "an expert is anyone more than 20 miles from home with a briefcase!" After more than a decade traveling around the country with the old Farm and Land Institute, I think I understand that old definition. People 50 miles from home didn't know you weren't an expert, and if you are an expert it's safe to acknowledge you because you're probably not a competitor! Today the internet, cell phones, fax machines, and overnight delivery has made us all competitors. So today experts really do need to know everything about a very limited subject!
Experts work cheep! How can someone who may charge you several hundred dollars an hour be cheep? It's very simple you can make money on an expert's advice.*
Experts must know the answers!Professionals must know the questions!
Professionals, real estate professionals coordinate the entire real estate process. To be a real estate professional is a matter of attitude, fortitude, and tenacity! It's not necessary to know the answers, it's necessary to know and ask all the questions! It's necessary to select and control the experts. *Those o'so valuable experts go from cheep to outrageously expensive if ask an open ended question or the wrong question! The professional's job is to protect his client and get the job done! The expert's job is to answer the questions ask.
It's possible to be both professional and an expert, but why limit yourself? Experts will always be necessary. Necessary to the professionals! Professionals with broad knowledge are so much more useful! Professionals know there is always more than one way, if any one expert isn't available there is always another way to get the information!
Now go solve a client's problems!
Bill
William J Archambault Jr
The Real Estate Investment Institute
Comments(8)