This is a love story… so how do I relate it to blogging and real estate? I guess you could call this the “take away close.”
When I was very young and very single, I worked at the hospital with a friend named Sandy, who was very bright and very cute. She, too, was a registered nurse just like me. Sandy came in one day and said: “I’ve got someone exceptional that you have got to go out with.”
Well, I had a policy back then: No Blind Dates. My social calendar was full. I said to Sandy, "If he’s such a catch, why don’t you go out with him?" She answered, "I would love to, but he won't even give me the time of day." So I was intrigued and wondered how she ever talked him into calling me?
The first time Lee called, we talked for more than an hour. I found out that he was much older, married, divorced, had a 10-year-old son, and flew an airplane. He figured if any one of those things were a turn-off, he would find out right up front. (I later found out he had a No Blind Dates policy also.)
We made plans for Tuesday for a late date to go out for a drink. Why waste an entire evening on a blind date? If we didn’t like each other, we would only have to spend a short time together.
But then my plans changed. An old flame stopped by my hospital (I was head nurse of Pediatrics and OPD). We had not seen each other for a couple of years, Steve asked me out, and I accepted.
So I called Lee and told him about my date. I told him that I knew this guy, I like this guy, and I had not met Lee. Later, Lee thought he was lucky not to have to go on a blind date, but I think he might have been a bit intrigued that someone would actually break a date with him. He agreed to Wednesday night.
Well, Steve stayed in town another day and then another and asked me out for...you guessed it… Wednesday and then again Thursday night. Again I broke dates with Lee. We finally went out on Friday night for a late drink and what we both thought would be a short date. We wound up closing the joint. We talked for hours.
Lee and I dated for almost two years! But in his past conversations told me he would not marry again, would not use the word "love," and was not interested in having another child. Now understand that I was a Pediatric RN, I adored kids, and wanted four boys! For two years, we went out together, and for two years, I continued to see others. The more together we were, the less I wanted to be apart.
My friends were saying.. "fish or get off the yacht." I knew that an ultimatum for Lee was not the answer...no chance was I going to push him away. When I was ready to talk with him, the words would not come out... but the tears did. This was a first; he had never seen me cry and was at a loss for what to say.
Then he spoke those now famous words on January 16th, "You have to let me get used to loving you."
Remember, "Love" was a word he would never use.
So with that one sentence, I started planning for our wedding. Lee never ASKED me to marry him. Well, not until our 25th anniversary, and I still have not given him an answer! We have been married for 14675 days.
So how does this relate to real estate? Be prepared. Watch those signals. Really listen to those words. There are many ways to CLOSE the deal. This was my best close ever and forever!
Do you have a special closing story?
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