A friend of mine who is a school teacher recently shared a post on Facebook about the seven stages of a snow day for an educator that a friend of hers had written. I found it absolutely hilarious and got to thinking about it in terms of a sign call from a Realtors perspective. Fellow Realtors, I know you will be able to identify with it and those of you out there who do make sign calls...well, now you can see what is sometimes set in motion. Enjoy and as always, comments are welcomed.
Stage 1- THE CALL. Your cell phone rings and the caller ID flashes up an unknown call, potential in the making. You answer with your most professional, trust me, I‘m a Realtor, voice. "Hello? What property is it you're calling about?" You frantically wrack your brain trying desperately to remember which house it is that they are calling about. You mumble positive phrases like "great house" and "fabulous floor plan" until you mentally conjure up an image of what house it is you're getting rapid fire questions on. You smile, anticipating the lucky break, a buyer out there who happened to call and get an agent who actually answered the phone, a buyer who needs you and no other Realtor. You make an appointment to show the house to Mr. and Mrs. Interested the next day. Just when you needed a client the most! You begin thinking of all the things you are going to buy when you receive your commission check at 3% of the sales price. Aaaah, the joys of being in real estate!
Stage 2-THE LET DOWN. Above said previously joyful Realtor hangs up the phone and begins to mull over the phone conversation. Every voice inflection and nuance is examined in detail and replayed over and over in a doomsday sounding voice. There have been sign calls before, you tell yourself, sign calls that turned out to be nothing but high maintenance time wasters . You hear the familiar cadence of chanting fellow Realtors screaming "buyers are liars" inside your head. You begin to visualize the afore mentioned time wasters as they parade before your very eyes laughing and mocking as they go. You again replay the discussion with sign caller. "Did I ask them if they were working with another Realtor? Did I see if they were pre qualified for a mortgage?" You begin to feel that you may have signed on yet again with another potential time waster.
Stage 3-WILL THE REAL REALTOR PLEASE STAND UP?! This is where the rubber meets the road, where the "I gotta do what I gotta do" professional inside us comes roaring back to life. "I can't show property. I have calls to make, video to shoot, leads to follow up on. I cannot take time to go show a house to some lookie loo who just wants some free decorating ideas!" At this point, we may begin to grumble to fellow agents or office mates who make the silly mistake of asking "what's up?" Don't be fooled by our seemingly lack of interest in a real, live, breathing potential client. We are still interested but we have been down this road before. This is a "commission paid only if it sells" mentality of a salesperson trying to maintain a thin sheen of composure just in case the sign calls does turn out to be a complete waste of time. That way we still appear "busy" and have other things going that we can fall back on and save face.
Stage 4-IT MIGHT BE DIFFERENT THIS TIME. You allow yourself brief snippets of time to start dreaming again- a shopping spree at Talbot's, a weekend beach getaway, all easily done with the possible commission check you might be getting if you could just get the deal done. The sign caller isn't looking so bad, after all. They sounded nice. They sounded serious. They would have to be serious to call, right? To even make an appointment? They really would not have called without being serious, surely. Of course not! You think positive thoughts, telling yourself that this caller may actually turn out to be your best client ever.
Stage 5-EXTREME MADNESS! This is very common in any profession where the professional is paid solely on commission. You have a perfectly idealic situation going on inside your head of a commission check being handed to you with lots of zeroes on it and then poof! You remember all the other visions you've had of big checks that failed for one reason or other that came to a big whopping nothing! You remember all the other times you have met buyers at properties only to be stood up or worse, have them show up, love the house then never again hear from them after you've called dozens of times and sent them myriad emails, leaving you with nothing but an ache in your heart and the familiar refrain of buyers are liars again going through your head. Fellow agents, this is not the time to converse with us about trivial things like the printer doesn't work or have you seen my fax cover sheet. It is certainly not the time to tell us about agent so and so who just got both sides of a million dollar plus listing. Yes, we're happy for them but just not right at this moment!
Stage 6- CAUTIOUS . This stage often finds the Realtor cautiously thinking that maybe the possibility of perhaps this might work out eventually down the road is kind of a good thing. The Realtor will tell themselves anything positive at this stage because they are leaving to go show the property to the sign caller and must psyche themselves up. Yes, they think, this really could turn to be the one, the one golden client who buys this great house, becomes a client for life and sends so many referrals you never have to cold call again! You know this is it, yeah, you've been wrong before but this is the client, the one you have been dreaming of. You say this only to yourself, not aloud, lest you jinx it all. You don't even tell your spouse because you don't want to disappoint them if that surprise trip to the Greek Islands you've been planning with the proceeds from this transaction do not materialize. You say this only to yourself though and get more and more excited as you get closer to the home you are showing to sign caller.
Stage 7 UNBRIDLED JOY! Thank you, God, thank you! The client loves you and no, they aren't working with another Realtor! Hallelujah, praise Jehovah! The house is perfect for their family and they wonder aloud if you could make time in your schedule to go back to the office so they can write an offer . Even if you had a date with People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive you would blow it off just to get this offer on paper. It is all you can do not to put on your flashers and blink you headlight s on and off to clear a path back to the place you love to work so that you can get that contract started. You even buy soft drinks for anyone in the lobby, not just your new best clients ever. Visions begin to happen. You see all the bills you want to pay off coming in the mail next month with big 0's in the balance section while a thinner version of you laying by the pool flashes through your mind, a frozen margarita in one hand and a cell phone in the other, already anticipating your next big deal, no matter where or when it comes. Aaah, life in real estate, where one phone call can truly make a difference.
Comments(2)