Monday Morning Match is a quick 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 you want, honey, you got it
And what you need, baby, you’ve got it
All I’m asking
For a little respect– Otis Redding, Respect
Otis Redding might have written the classic song but certainly, most people will hear the late Aretha Franklin singing in their heads as they read the lyrics above.
Respect is simply defined as “a feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements.” Respect is something that every salesperson seeks from his or her customers, clients, company, and community. Respect is something that every sales professional I know is hoping to earn, develop, and maintain throughout their career.
So what do sales professionals, from REALTORS® to mortgage or title professionals, need to do to earn a little R-E-S-P-E-C-T?
We must Represent – As members of the National Association of REALTORS®, a fiduciary relationship is created which turns our customers into clients. It means we agree to be obedient to our client’s legal instruction, loyal to our clients in our service, disclose any material information that would help them make the best decisions throughout the relationship and eventual transaction. We also agree to hold confidential any all information that could be important in representing our clients, account for any and all money we may handle in the transaction such as earnest money deposits and we demonstrate reasonable care and skill in executing our duties. If you’re a salesperson in another industry or practice, how do you represent your clients or companies best interests?
We must Educate – REALTORS® help educate clients on the current market and how it is reacting to the outside forces that affect it such as economic, political, and seasonal issues. They seek to create a perception of value for their client’s houses so they will attract the most attention and buyer interest possible. While on the other side, REALTORS® educate buyers on local market values, features, and amenities so they can find the best property to purchase and someday call their “home.” Every salesperson, regardless of the trade or industry, has some obligation to help educate their customers or clients about the products or services they are offering and hopefully creating the proverbial “win-win” scenario for all parties involved.
We Solve Problems – REALTORS® are called on to help our clients when they have a problem. Some problems are “good” such as having a new child, getting married or receiving a new job or promotion. Some might be considered negative problems like divorce, death, or job loss that could cause a downsizing for economic reasons. It all starts with asking the right questions at the beginning and diagnosing the “problem” before rushing to push or promote a prescription that might lead to a sale and eventual “cure.”
We must Promote – We market ourselves proudly as REALTORS®. We are professionals who are members of the National Association of Realtors and agree to live and work by the Code of Ethics, which specifically outlines our duties to customers and clients, the public, and to other Realtors. Those in other industries and trades should know who they are and why they are the best fit for their customer or clients business.
We must Earn Trust – It takes three things to earn trust; Competence, Confidence, and Consistency. Each day REALTORS® seek to educate themselves on their local markets, the tools and technologies they use each and every day, and the services they, their company, brand, and industry provide. In the best of cases, they are constantly practicing their craft, becoming better and more skilled every day to better serve their current and future customers and clients. Learning how to deliver not just great service, but memorable experiences each and every day is the consistency that people can begin to count on and will be the reason they refer you to others to as well.
We must Counsel – REALTORS® help our clients make good decisions while trying to keep the highs from being too high and the lows from being too low. As professionals, we seek to control the process of buying or selling a house while the clients control the decisions along the way. How are you helping your customers and clients make good decisions so when they reach the successful conclusion, they feel like they had a faithful guide along their journey?
We must Take Responsibility – In most cases, as REALTORS®, we are independent contractors. We don’t work for our broker or company of choice, we work with our broker or company of choice. We must understand the power of personal accountability and realize how important it is that we start “raising the bar” in the industry by doing what is right and just at all times. One of my real estate mentors always told me the best piece of advice he every learned in the real estate business was “always put the best interests of your client first and everything else will take care of itself.” That same mentor likes to say about the real estate business, “Each one of us represents all of us.” When you understand that, you begin to understand the importance of taking responsibility for yourself, which will in turn help you take responsibility and protect the best interests of your clients, company, and the larger community.
REALTORS® don’t buy or sell houses. What we do is help our buyer clients do the searching, viewing, negotiating, inspecting, purchasing, and closing on new and existing houses, condos and townhouses. What we do is aid Sellers with the staging, pricing, marketing, showing, negotiating, inspecting, appraising, and closing of their houses. Salespeople help connect a ready, willing, and able buyer with a Seller and reach a mutual agreement for a property, product or service.
What are you going to do to earn some respect this week? Start by building relationships, solving problems, and having fun and that’ll be a good start to earn “your propers” when you get home.
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Photo Credit: Marcelo Leal