CHAPTER 5: WORK, WORK, BUT KNOW THE LIMITS.
Experience is what you get when you don’t get what you want. (Mark Twain?)
After working for over a year on a land deal with a long time friend and client I was forced to make a decision. It was not an easy deal nor was the decision I faced; because the deal had just netted me my largest commission cheque in my professional career. Not only was it a lot of money but the future was potentially much more financially rewarding because my client/friend/developer suggested that I would get all the work selling a multi-phase, multi-unit, multi-million dollar (you get the idea – lots of multies!!) residential development that would ‘set me up’ for the rest of my real estate career. But, and there is usually a ‘but’ in these fairy tale type scenarios.
Let me back things up a ways. Even before this deal I had been searching and sending ‘deals’ to my client for about 3 years. I couldn’t figure out why he was always choosing other realtors to work with yet never had anything good to say about any of them. Not that I thought I was anything special, but my client always called me when he wanted something and wanted it NOW. I am very efficient and always looked at my role as a servant and messenger. I served by getting whatever was asked of me immediately and provided current and relevant information when it was requested.
This client had contacted me with very specific criteria of what he wanted and I worked hard and found exactly what he wanted. I sent him all the details only to find out two weeks later that he purchased it thru another realtor. It was not a big deal, but I asked him why and he said “he could not reach me”. Now we all know that the easiest people to contact and hardest to get ‘rid of’ are real estate agents. Okay, I let this one go.
Not long after that I got another request. This one was, as we call in the profession a ‘big deal’. Again I searched and found what he was looking for and sent it to him.
He called me up to go over the building plan for the multi-family development he was going to build on the property and wanted my feedback on the initial drawings based on a business plan I developed for the proposed site. However, before we got down to business I enquired about the piece of property I had sent him and he said “nothing”.
This would have been the end of it if I hadn’t got a call from a close associate from one of the largest real estate franchises who I had introduced to my client and was going to work together on selling the residential development. My associate called and asked why my client had gone to his office and contacted another realtor (who was partners with my associate) in his office to write the offer on the property I had sent to him. I didn’t have an answer for my friend and fellow realtor so I thought this was a perfect time to confront my client on his response.
Again, I asked my client what was happening and he said “nothing”. I quietly handed over the bundle of business plans and said “I don’t work with liars” and as his face reddened I turned and walked away.
I may have walked away from more deals with this guy but the cost to my own conscience and morals was far greater. How do I know I did the right thing? I know I did the right thing because not only did it feel good to be released from the ‘falseness’ of our relationship, that deal didn’t close and later I heard of others being treated like this. Therefore, there are times when one must focus less on the success and more on the happiness.
“Money is money my little sunny
A rich man’s joke is always funny”
I just turned 40 years old and I don’t know how many times I have reminded myself and others that it doesn’t matter how much money you make – YOU CAN ALWAYS SPEND MORE. I have also learned that it does not matter how much money you make it is how much you save that will make you a millionaire. If you don’t get anything else from this book, get this: being satisfied with whatever you have is the secret to success, happiness, joy………it the answer to the proverbial $64,000 question!!
Okay, so you want to be a millionaire. Don’t let that be your focus. Your focus should be to do what you love and love what you do. Just go for it………..the money will follow. Anyone born in the West or 1st world has been given a ‘free’ ticket to be a millionaire. Our biggest problem (and curse) is that we are burdened with a bad case of consumerism that sucks up most of our million to make us millionaires. I don’t know how to explain the concept that ‘less is more’ except that if you can spend less than you make over a period of time – you will be a millionaire.
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