It was just another phone call with a prefix I did not recognize. Not unusual since we take our cell numbers with us when we move. I was just pulling into town and was in moderate traffic. "Probably another telemarketer", I thought, "or a bot hangup".
Gotta answer it though...right? Could be the next big deal! That has actually happened more than once.
"Good Afternoon, this is Mike McCann ... Mach1 Realty", and hallelujah... there was a voice on the other end.
This person identified them-self and quickly asked about hanging their real estate license with my company.
(I am in the process of growing the company with rural agents who will work the farm and ag land markets.) Hint hint
We chatted for a while and we talked about this person's goals and Mach1 Realty company goals. We came to the quick conclusion that this person wanted to join a company that sells homes in town through the MLS and does not want to do ag land.
I gave them the name of a great Broker who, it turns out, they had already talked with and had gotten my name from.
Although I do not care if my agents sell houses in an MLS town, we do not belong to the MLS...(on purpose but that is a story for another time)...which makes it hard to work with home buyers and sellers in the larger towns...fair enough.
Back to the original headline: I did a little due diligence on this individual when I got back to my computer mainly because I had referred the person on without knowing anything about them.
It was easy to search for the individual because of a few comments they made plus I had their number and you can search via phone number on the State Commission website.
I confirmed it was the right person. And then went to social media...which is how I usually vet a person.
What I saw on social media can only be described as voyeurism and something I had never seen before and did not know even existed. But the first photo and accompanying comment thread absolutely made me very confused and instantly a red flag went up. There were numerous photos and comments from this person and others on their FB page including specific requests for certain types of photos and private messages. I felt very uncomfortable which is unusual for me.
I thought maybe I was over reacting and asked my wife her thoughts...she was as puzzled as I was.
I personally do not care what a person does behind closed doors as long as it is not illegal and I believe what I saw was legal...but very strange.
I do however, strongly care what a person does publicly that can adversely impact my family, friends, work life, and my company. The FB page was open to the public. Bad, Bad, Bad idea. It had photos that this person probably thinks are innocent but if I perceive them as bad...I guarantee you I am way more open and understanding than 90% of my potential customers. That is not who I want to have working for me.
We all walk a fine line with social media as we all control what others perceive of us. But if you do not own the company...what you think is okay may not fly with the owner or with the person hiring...which in this case...is both.
Until next time...remember what you post online can come back to hurt you in the future...and destroy a career before it gets started!!
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