$20
Earlier this week I read a post from my friend Kelly Peterson Northcott that really resonated with me.
Kelly is an incredible direct sales maven and now coaches other direct sellers from many companies all across the country. I’m in some of her groups because 1) I think she’s awesome, 2) she’s a past client and shares my love of the handwritten note (You know that story I tell about listing a house directly because of a note? It was her.), and 3) I find that a lot of what she shares is applicable to the real estate industry.
With Kelly’s permission, I am sharing that post with you today. Replace customer/potential recruit below with buyer/seller/client and consultant with agent …
“I saw this in the middle of the street at the end of today’s walk. And I had the ethical debate of leaving it there in case the person who dropped it came back or picking it up so that I can stimulate the economy by celebrating Taco Tuesday. If someone was around, I would have picked it up and asked them if they lost dropped the money, and if they could tell me the exact denomination and serial number, I would have returned it to them (that part was a joke – I would have just asked for the serial number). But, no one was around. I wonder if you debate about what to do when you find a customer or potential recruit that you think might be working with another consultant. Do you walk away in case the consultant comes back? Or do you start serving her? Maybe even treat her to a taco if it happens to be a Tuesday. I’m not an advocate of poaching, but I do believe that it’s always the customer’s choice whom she buys from and signs with. I also believe that no one owns any customers. And, I know that when you serve your customers well and build a strong relationship with them, they’re more likely to be loyal.”
So, what do you think? We deal with this in our business all the time. I hear from agents who are upset because a past client bought a house with someone else (it’s happened to me many a time). How well were you serving them at the time? Maybe really well and it just wasn’t a great fit or they were just jerks (happens all the time). Or maybe you weren’t serving them as well or staying in touch as much as you thought you were.
Food for thought.
PS: If you are also in direct sales, I highly recommend checking out Kelly’s group on Facebook called “Daily Tips for Direct Sellers”.
