Can We As RE Professionals Afford To Pick and Choose Our Clients?
SURF'S UP!
As I've aged or hopefully matured over the decades I'm at a point in my life and career where if I don't get warm fuzzies with a person/s I'm dealing with I will just choose not to deal with them. Call it crazy but I've fired or declined more clients and projects in the past 5 years or so than I've actually taken on. Has it affected my income? Perhaps. But do I really care? Not really.
There was a time when I would bend over backwards for every nickle. When your're raising a family, paying for a mortgage/s, putting food on the tabe, healthcare, college educations, trying to build a financial portfolio that you hope will carry you through the rest of your life, et.al. you often have to bite the proverbial bullet and just suck it up.
But as I enter this next phase of my life or as it's often referred to, "Golden Years", do I really want or need the stress, pressure, anxiety and all the other negative emotions that makes one churn and turn and have sleepless nights? I don't think so. That's when it's time to pass the wand onto those young and up and coming RE Whipper Snippers.
I'm at an age, 66, where a lot of folks start stepping out of the work force altogether and begin thinking about those golf outings, fishing trips, spending more time with the grandkiddies, traveling and/or otherwise just enjoying one's leisure time. I actually tried to retire in '07. That lasted about 6 months.
But I don't golf or fish. Nor do I have any hobbies i.e. working in the garden, woodworking, painting , sculpter, ete. I surf and play beach Bocce Ball, bicycle, walk the sandy beaches of San Diego with my lovely wife of 37 years, travel and spend lots of time with the Grandkiddies. I guess those could be considered hobbies.
But at my age I can only last a couple of hours a day in the surf which leaves me with about 12 to 14 hours a day to spend doing the things I like to do. So aside from hanging with family, indulging in a backyard Barby, tossing back a couple of cool ones and tasting a few fine wines I have a lot of extra time on my hands. Ya think?
So what do I like to do with that extra time? I like to have FUN making money! However, that stated, I'm very selective about the type of clients I take on and projects I get involved with. I want it to be a happy, fun and rewarding experience from both a wholesomely personal and financially benefical point of view.
I'm not so polyanna as to assume that there will never be glitches, the occassional deal from Hell or other negatie experiences no matter how selective you try to be at picking and choosing your clientele. I'm just saying that when folks find themselves getting heatet up and their blood pressure starts rising it's time to fall back and regroup. Like my Dear Father used to say, "Run Your Job. Never Let Your Job Run You". That's probably the single best piece of advice I've ever had and I've tried as hard as I possibly can to live by that credo most of my life.
It's not always about the money. In fact I can remember some pretty desperate times when it was glaringly obvious that I really needed to close the deal so I could put some food on the table but instead ended up getting worked by my client and/or blown off all together because they could sense the sense of desparation and feel the chemistry and it was a turn off to them.
I guess where I'm going with all of this is that if I can pass along any advice to the up-and-comings in our great profession it would be another adage my Father taught me very early on in life. When you feel yourself getting that sense of panic or anxiety, anger and other negative and destructive emotions starts getting the best of you Just learn how to step away for a moment, take a few deep breaths and "Give It The Light Touch" or yell to the top of your lungs...............NEXT!! It feel soooo good sometimes.
SURF'S UP!
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