Perfecting Your Craft

Monday Morning Match is a post – maybe a quote, inspirational story or idea – intended to spark some motivation inside each of you so your week gets off to a fantastic start on Monday morning.

What’s on Tap?

A few weeks ago I was out in San Francisco, California for the Inman Connect conference. This event is filled with great information on real estate and technology and focused heavily this year on the customer experience and what the real estate industry can learn from other sectors who are doing some amazing things when it comes to how they attract, service and retain the consumer.

One part of Inman Connect that makes it such a worthwhile event to attend is the people who are a part of it. As good as the presentations, workshops and trade show booths are, there is nothing like spending time building relationships and learning from the amazing people who attend from across the country and around the globe.

There just isn’t enough time or meals to schedule that would allow you to spend meaningful time with everyone. So when you do get a moment to sneak away and get true engagement with someone, you act on it. It might be a morning walk through the city or breakfast in one of the many nearby diners. You can grab a Starbucks and chat with people in the lobby at the Hilton Union Square or you can do what I did and meet up over beers.

When In San Francisco

Realtors connecting over beers is nothing new; It’s like Tiger & Phil seeing each other on the driving range or Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. running into each other on pit row at a NASCAR race. Knowing that the National Association of Realtors loves to point out in one of their marketing campaigns that “All real estate is local,” I figured I probably should take that same advice when it comes to selecting a beer to enjoy while in “The City by the Bay.”

My late father’s cousin, Mark Carpenter, has been the Brew Master at San Francisco’s Anchor Brewing Company for 30+ years. Anchor Brewing is one of America’s first and oldest craft breweries. I’ve enjoyed private tours of the brewery that calls the Potrero Hill neighborhood just southwest of downtown on previous visits and I was always jealous to see groups or buisness people or travelers enjoying the tasting room for gatherings.

This year, as soon as I booked my flight, I reached out to my “Uncle” Mark and made arrangements to enjoy some beers with friends in Anchor’s Tasting Room on my visit. I wish I could have invited everyone who attended Inman Connect to join us but the tasting room isn’t that big and well, I didn’t want to be greedy. I also knew that because people’s time was in such demand that not everyone would be able to make it.

The Fruits of Your Labor

When you work hard at your job and are good at it, isn’t it neat to see the results pay off? Like a teacher seeing their students succeed with confidence and skill or an actress seeing an audience emotionally moved by her performance, there’s something magical about getting to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Well, at Anchor Brewing that happens each day at the end of your shift.

As we arrived at the breweryslighty before 6pm, the brewers and line employees who worked that day had just finished their shift. They were gathered at the end of the bar in the tasting room, literally enjoying a cold beer that earlier that week they helped to create. Like Emeril Lagasse getting to taste his own dishes in the kitchen of one of his world-famous restaurants, it was neat to see the pride and camaraderie of these men and women of Anchor Brewing Company as they did what most co-workers do. Relaxed, laughed and wound down from their long day at work.

Our host that night was Bobby. Bobby knows Mark well and was super friendly and knowledgeable behind the bar, just as you would expect from someone who was exuding both confidence and pride in the product he worked to create and represent. As the guests arrived, they were offered a sample of several Anchor flavors they had on tap. Of course, their “flagship” beer – Anchor Steam, was what most people started with.

Bobby and the off duty staff were very helpful with our questions as we inquired about things like different flavors and styles of beer to bottling procedures and even history of the brewery which dates back to 1896.

Let Me Show You Around the Place

We then were lucky enough to get a private tour from Bobby as he walked us through the “life of a beer” from the brew kettles to the fermenting process, from the barley and hop selections to the bottling and distributing system.  If you know anything about Realtors, they aren’t a shy group so Bobby had no problem eliciting questions and comments the group and handled the exuberant attendees with skill and humor.

Along the way we ran into a few staff members who were either just finishing their day or perhaps just starting their shift but you couldn’t tell. They were excited to be there and happy to share answers or point out some piece of information that would make our experience that much better. It was almost as if they were thankful for the opportunity to “show off their work” they way a young child wants someone to ask him about his art project.

As the tour ended, we walked down a long hallway that displayed banners of the different flavors brewed at Anchor Brewing but also was lined with photos of the brands 110+ year heritage. It was neat to find a couple of photos of my cousin Mark so I could show my friends my family’s link to this neat place and product.

We sampled a few more glasses of beer when Bobby finished his tour but now the beer tasted a little different. Not only did we enjoy the perfect mixtures of the finest ingredients but it seemed like we could taste the passion and dedication of the Anchor Brewing Company team in each sip. I’m sure Bobby would have stayed longer (and I have no doubt that many of my friends could have had a few more pints if I twisted their arms) but it was time to leave and head back into the city and catch up with the other events and parties that were happening that night.

What Realtors Can Learn from Anchor Brewing Company

A – Appreciate your customers. Show them that you love what you do through your actions and efforts to create an amazing product

N – Now. Anchor has been around since the 19th century but tradition and heritage don’t mean a thing if today’s product or consumer experience doesn’t succeed. We’ll never know if Bobbywas having a good day before we arrived or not. All we know is when we showed up for our event, he was on his game and the beer was cold and tasty and that made everyone’s experience that much better.

C – Clean workspace. One thing that almost every guest mentioned was how spotlessly clean the brewery was. Sure, safety is a huge concern for those who work there but it was also evident that these people wanted to show off their workplace to everyone who might experience it.

H – Help out your teammates. It wasn’t just Mark or Bobby or Joao or Kevin or any of the other employees at Anchor that made our experience amazing by themselves. It was each of them taking some small part in it (even the ones we never met but had some small part in making an amazing product).

O – Outgoing people attract more fans. Bobby went out of his way to make sure every visitor there was treated like a guest in his own home. He met eye contact when he was speaking. He elicited engagement as we toured the plant and he didn’t hide behind the bar. He spent as much time shoulder to shoulder with us as he did pouring beers. I am positive that Bobby’s outgoing personality earned the Anchor family 25 – 30 raving fans back in their hometowns across the globe.

R –  Be Ready. A large group of people are coming over. Are you ready for them? Some people might not know much about your product or service. Are you ready to educate them? You never know what kind of questions you might get along the tour. Will you be prepared to answer with confidence and conviction? Will you help guide people when they don’t like one thing and help them find something they do?

I wish all people could have an A-N-C-H-O-R approach to their business. When you follow this approach, you’ll be ready to settle in for some serious success just like the Anchor Brewing Company has been doing in San Francisco for the last 118 years.

Have a great week building relationships, solving problems and having fun.

And see if you can find time to raise an Anchor and enjoy smooth sailing.

Cheers!

Photo Credit: Derek Gavey

Additional Photo Credits: Sean Carpenter & Bane Driggs