Everything I Need To Know As A Realtor, I Learned In Bartending

I was once told that who you are in your first two years in your profession is who you're going to be. With recent Gallup polls showing that real estate brokers are maybe one rung above used car salesmen on the ladder of (link provided below,) what type of realtor you are matters more for your livelihood than any single transaction you bring to a close. During my real-estate course, I visited dozens of open houses, met and mingled with realtors, hoping to discover what kind of realtor I wanted to be by process of elimination: which realtors did I NOT want to be. While the majority of realtors in my path were congenial, alert and knowledgeable, there were a distinct few that seemed to get it: "It" being what's often regarded as the Bill Clinton effect (just google search those three words and you'll see what I'm writing about.) It's been widely touted by those who've met him that, when talking with Bill Clinton, he makes you feel like you're the only person in the room. Clinton in his own words in his book, In My Life, states "All my life, I've been interested in other people's stories. I wanted to know them, understand them, feel them." Like Bill Clinton, some realtors understand that human connection lies in the heart of customer service; and this is fundamental to success as a realtor.

Before real estate, I bartended at a fine steak house for years throughout college, and I knew one thing early on: that anyone can go anywhere to get a beverage and a meal. Yet, having the ability to really connect with my clientele is the difference between providing transactional service and relational service. CEO of Buffini and Company, a leading real estate coaching and development company, Brian Buffini makes this distinction between a transactional realtor and a relational realtor in many of his teachings. Customer service is not about transactions but about relationships, and my tenure as a bartender acted as a fundamental springboard for my future career in real estate. Remembering something as simple but profound as someone's name, listening, I mean, really listening when a client speaks about what's important to him/her, and treating each client as if he/she were the only client in the room led me to over 50 transactions during my first two years as a realtor. Authors of Go-Givers Sell More (a MUST read for anyone in sales, by the way,) Bob Burg and John David Mann sum it up best with the words "Selling is not at its core a business transaction; it is first and foremost the forging of a human connection." (pg. 8)

This needs not only to apply to our clients but to other realtors as well. We are each and all working towards a common goal: to do the job we were hired to do, manage and satisfy our client's expectations, and pay the bills with it. And if we're truly conscious about our roles as real estate agents, we are passionate about what we are blessed enough to do. We know that the laws of abundance apply here: there is enough business out there for everyone in the profession. We treat each other, whether we are a buyer's agent, a listing agent, or both, with respect, and we don't need to be reminded to "play well in the sandbox" with other realtors (and a great realtor shouldn't have to be reminded to do so.) This means completing feedback forms after showing a home, offering the appropriate buyer agency commission (I may have shown dozens of house by the time I got to your listing,) communicating promptly and effectively when time is of the essence (if you're a realtor who seldom gets the proper paperwork in for a deal on time, this means you,) and truly valuing the other realtor's role in the transaction. I try to make it a habit to leave everyone and everything a little better than I found them. In life and in work. And this couldn't be more significant in the real estate profession. In short (or long, sorry), if you want to be a better realtor, be a better person.


www.amybarber.elliman.com

http://www.gallup.com/poll/1654/honesty-ethics-professions.aspx