Many moons ago, 20 years to be exact, I started my career in real estate. I thought it was going to be like any other sales job that I worked on commission. The harder I worked, the more I sold, the more money I made.
The Pacific Northwest franchise that I selected, offered what I thought was a reasonable commission split for a newby agent. My first year in business, I paid the office $30K in fees and capped out at a 70% split. I anticipated increasing my sales in my 2nd year, so I asked my Principal Broker where we could go from there. He said if I signed a contract guaranteeing the office $30K in fees, I could get a guaranteed split of 75%. I already met that quota in my 1st year, so it was a no brainer, I signed on the dotted line.
At the end of my 2nd year in business, I paid the office $35K in fees. So, I asked my Principal Broker again, where could we go from there. He looked at me a little dumbfounded and said; "That wouldn't be fair." I asked; "Fair to whom?" He said; "Fair to all the other agents." I said; "You mean, all the other agents who drink your coffee, eat your donuts, and play solitaire on your office computers?" He laughed and said; "Yes," and then proceeded to call me a grinder.
Needless to say, that was a Linda Blair moment (aka... head spinner). I've always subscribed to two schools of thought... Hard Work = Fair Compensation, and... When Someone Doesn't Recognize Your Value = Move on. Needless to say, I didn't hang my hat there for very long.
He called me a grinder, and a girly grinder I shall forever be ;-)
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