Taking Action …

I love this quote by Lily Tomlin. Haven’t we all said or thought some version of “why doesn’t somebody do something about that” from time to time?

In our business, it’s the agents sharing lockbox keys, or who don’t even have keys and have their clients view properties via the listing agent. It’s the buyer who is regularly 20-30 minutes late to each appointment, then wants to add on one or two more houses on the spot. It’s the agents who feel that the best way to represent their client is to fight with the agent on the other side every step of the way.

Frustrating, isn’t it? You wonder why, and perhaps have even said to your colleague or turned to your broker and asked why someone doesn’t do something.

Guess what? You are someone, and you can do something.

Agents sharing lockbox keys, or not showing up to remove their lockbox days after settlement? My association has a list of very specific fine-able offenses. Take action. Report it. Move on, instead of continuing to complain.

Are your sellers exasperated because agents don’t extend the courtesy of leaving a business card after showing their home (therefore signifying that they were there)? Are you banging your head against the wall because agents won’t provide you with feedback after showing your listing, no matter how many times you call, email, send surveys? Then raise the bar yourself. When you show a home, always leave a card, and always provide feedback. Model the behavior you want to see, that you should see.

We all miss things from time to time, but I have found that the agent who is consistently unprofessional in one area, is or will be unprofessional in others. Raise the bar for yourself. Conduct business the way it should be done. Your colleagues will notice and will want to work with you when you present offers on their listings or when you have a listing that their buyer is considering. The consumer will notice that you do things differently, handle yourself differently. Sometimes that means speaking up when they are consistently late for the appointment and explaining why it is difficult (or not possible) to add on additional properties on the spot. Sometimes it just means saying no and moving on to those you can help who respect what you do and your time too.

No matter how big or small, there is always something that you can do, often just by improving your own actions.

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