Past Clients, People from Our Past and Customer Service
When I hear from a past client or someone from my past I'm filled with joy and happiness. It's always exciting. It's like finding an old piece of jewelry when I run into an old friend or co-worker or when an old friend or co-worker sends a Facebook friend request, a LinkedIn connection request. I love to keep the friends I've made.
This was a great week!
Last night I got an email from a woman who had been a for sale by owner seller. We have emailed a few times over the last 5 or 6 years. I have always loved to work so it's natural that many of my friends are past co workers or past clients. One of the most special things to ever happen is when a client becomes a friend and re-connects for business. This is the absolute feeling in the world. They know you, like you and now they are showing that they trust and respect you and want to work with you again.
I remember her like it was yesterday. She had a For Sale By Owner sign in her front yard. I called her. We talked a dozen times over the next 2 weeks. I remember doing the research for her CMA (Comparative Market Analysis). I remember talking to her while I was in my office. I can feel the temperature and see the lighting and everything on my desk during that time period. She was selling a nice house. I remember walking in the yard. She got a buyer from her For Sale By Owner sign. She wasn't sure if the offer was good and thought she could do better. When she saw my CMA she knew the offer was great. She took it and ran.
She has a beautiful triplex she is considering selling. I've walked all around it. I remember talking with her about it, the tenants and the rents. Home prices are about 50% to 60% off of peak values. The market has been fairly stable. The numbers show a very slight decline, but what you get for the money is less than what a buyer would get 18 months ago so I would consider it a 'net' increase in prices. There are a lot of investment buyers now. 52% of our sales are cash. Buyers expect an investment property to pay for itself and provide a cushion for vacancies and repairs. Investors like it if there is a little bit of profit at the end of the month - even if it's just $100. A seller can 'back' out the numbers to determine if you are willing to sell a property for the money you can get today.
I went to do an occupancy check for a bank on a new foreclosure in a mixed use project. A guy popped out of the door of a business waving and smiling as he rushed up to give me a hug. We used to work together. It was so nice to catch up and hear about people I haven't seen in 10 years.
I was looking at old videos and found an old friend. The video was one of my client's at her beach wedding. I was transported back to the homes we looked at and the that offers we wrote. When I met the couple they were dating. A year and a half later I was on a beach at sunset watching them get married.
On LinkedIn I ran across the name of one of the most customer service oriented people I have ever known in my life. He was a supportive co-worker, a nice person and a tireless worker. He understood that if you take care of your clients, anticipate their needs and respond with urgency to their 'wants' the bottom line will take care of itself.
I logged in to Google to search and saw an article about another friend. I called him up. It's been 7 years since I talked to him. It was as if it had been a week since we last talked. This is a man that I greatly admire. He, like the man above, absolutely adores his clients. The hotel in Miami where he was the General Manager was a wonderful place to stay. The parking lot and landscaping were perfect. Every bellman, maid, front desk guest service agent and server was professional, helpful, unobtrusive and well trained. The brass was shined, the carpets were vacuumed and the floors couldn't have been any shinier. He is a great manager. I can't wait to see the hotel where he is now the General Manager.
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