When I became a REALTOR®, fifteen years ago, I thought I was going to do very well, because of my resume! I had spent 24 years as a public utility Right-of-Way agent. I had purchased land and leased property, I had obtained easements from property owners, and I had obtained permits from several government agencies at federal, state, county, and district levels. I had even parceled land and written legal descriptions. Surely, I thought, people would choose me over someone without such experience.
I also have a Master’s Degree. That will impress them, I thought. I’ll put that after my name everywhere I can.
I hurried and got my Broker’s License. Surely, I thought, people would choose someone who had completed almost three times the college, or college level, courses required for the entry level Salesperson License.
I even spent one year, one full day per month in the classroom, to get my Graduate REALTOR® Institute certification. That’ll impress them, I thought. I also got my Senior Real Este Specialist 9SRES) designation, with special training to help clients over 50 years of age.
With all that I was doing a few transactions each year, but not setting the world on fire as I thought my resume should enable me to do.
Then I read study by National Association of REALTORS®, finding that agent qualification did not make even the top five reasons home sellers chose their agent. Maybe my focus needed some realigning, I thought.
Sometime later I heard a fellow, very successful, REALTOR® say, “They don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.” I’m not sure where that came from originally, but it was that proverbial 2 by 4 for me.
So, I sent out a greeting card with well wishing comments – Nary a word about my credentials. A few weeks later I sent another, wishing them a great Independence Day. I was not telling them anything about me, and I was not asking for anything from them. I already have my Labor Day mailing in preparation. My whole attitude toward my acquaintances and my clients is evolving!
I am now, even in the pandemic crisis, the busiest that I have ever been.
Lessons learned! I hope you find this useful.
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