The old adage "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear" is so true. I have a friend that says that all the time, especially when I proudly announce that "I" have just found a cool website or software program... only to be reminded that she had sent that same website to me months earlier in an email. I feel foolish for a moment but then move on. With everything going on in today's world, it's a wonder that we can even function doing the day to day tasks of our lives.
It's been a few days since I've returned from the National Association of REALTORS® convention in New Orleans and as I dig through the Halloween bucket of trinkets handed out at the trade show, I've come to the realization that there are no new ideas.... only new ways of presenting them. What's old is now new again and what's new today will be old tomorrow. Howard & Friends had a booth and were promoting their CMA program. Come on now... a CMA is a comparison of what has happened, what is happening and what is waiting to happen. I think that the reason there is not a stand out CMA program is because everyone is trying to take the old idea and dress it up, slap it in a new box and sell the sizzle.
I guess I'd better get back to the point of my title before I lose all of you. As a young man studying humanistic psychology, Abraham Maslow observed the social habits of monkeys. He noted that some needs take precedence over others. If you are hungry and thirsty, you will take care of your thirst first, then your hunger. You can live several days without food, but you need water every couple of days to survive, thus thirst is a stronger need than food. These observations allowed Maslow to create his now famous "hierarchy of needs" pyramid.
The pyramid consists of five layers: physiological needs, the needs for safety and security, the needs for love and belonging, the needs for esteem, and the need to actualize the self.
The real estate business right now is affecting REALTORS® on different levels. It's pretty safe to say that the Physiological Needs layer is probably not in play in this example. Given the choice of breathing air vs. listing a property.... I'm guessing that breathing air will win out every time... but beginning with Safety Needs layer it begins to get interesting.
National REALTOR® safety week was in September and there are REALTORS® that do nothing but remain preoccupied with their personal safety during showings or at an open house. This is not a bad thing, but if your own concern over your personal safety affects your ability to show homes, you'll find that selling real estate will be pretty difficult.
LIkewise if you are a person that must have that continuous positive reinforcement, then your Belonging Needs could hold you back. You know this person... they are always in the office, hanging at someones office door. They are the first to suggest "Let's Go To Lunch!" and probably have a lot of free time on their hands because they thrive on "hanging" in the office as opposed to beating the streets for business.
The easiest level agent to spot is the Esteem Needs agent. Unlike the Belonging Needs person, these folks are typically successful. They are the ones that drive the expensive cars, wear the best of clothing & jewelry. These REALTORS® were everywhere in New Orleans... big hair, heavy makeup, painted nails.....(the women looked pretty snazzy too! <G>) Now please, before you chastise me for picking on this group, read on.
Self-Actualization stands out at the top of the pyramid not just as the ultimate level, but alone and above the others. In a sense, to attain the Self-Actualization level, the needs below it must be taken care of at least to a considerable extent. You can't be hungry and scrambling for food, living in fear or clinging to the masses and attain Self-Actualization. According to Maslow, when your lower needs are unmet, you can't fully devote yourself to fulfilling your potentials. Maslow believed that only about two percent of the worlds population are Self-Actualizing. I personally think that number is too low, but hey, it's his theory.
To wrap this blog up, I challenge you to take a look at yourself closely. Where are you on Maslow's pyramid? What is the highest point you have attained at a given time? What were you doing in your business then? It's too easy to see a stabilizing real estate market and cry that the sky is falling. True, business is probably not like it was a year ago, but then again what else in your own life is exactly like it was a year ago.
When the only tool you own is a hammer, every problem begins to look like a nail.
I bet that this statement already has a different meaning to you know than it did when you first read it. Take advantage of a changing market to climb Maslow's pyramid.
Les Sulgrove
RE/MAX Real Estate Group
Des Moines, IA
Sources: http://www.deepermind.com/20maslow.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Maslow
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