CHAPTER 3: LEARN, LEARN AND KEEP LEARNING
When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.
During my retirement from Real Estate (age 33) I hired the services of a realtor that had just opened up a Re/Max franchise and was struggling to get started. I considered this person a friend and because we attended the same church felt it was the right thing to do to use him to market and sell a family owned business. Now, I know as a realtor, the worst people usually to work for are ex-realtors because they think they know everything. I didn’t want to be a part of that group so I decided to let him do whatever he wanted with our property.
Very little was done and no feedback was given for months during the time with listed an apartment building with this realtor. After many months of nothing, the realtor brought what he called “a very good offer”. The only problem was that it was his own client’s offer and for about 20% less than the list price. I was not upset because it was an offer and that I was a place to start. However, I began to question in my own mind my realtor’s motives when he told me that this was a ‘good’ offer and that I should ‘take it’.
I soon realized that my ‘friend’ and realtor was ‘out of his league’ when the offer didn’t make a condition for an environmental assessment and a request to get the pertinent financial statements. When I questioned my realtor about his offer he presented to me he said that was not important. From here I could see things were going to go downhill so I contacted the realtor and told him we were no longer interested in selling the building at this time. I didn’t want to upset him as I considered him a friend but not someone capable in commercial real estate. The realtor refused to grant me an ‘unconditional release’ from the listing and so began the battle of how I was to get free of this guy who didn’t know what he was doing.
To make a long story short, I never did get out of the agreement until it expired 6 months later. The moral of the story is that I felt for the first time had how sellers feel when considering working with a realtor. It was because of the way I was treated and how I felt I swore that if I ever got into real estate again I would never hold anyone hostage like I was. It was a terrible feeling.
When I did come back into the business I formed what I called my “unconditional guarantee”
UNCONDITIONAL GUARANTEE: - I'm so sure that you'll not only be just satisfied, but actually delighted....I guarantee it!! If for any reason we do not provide 100% satisfactory service, just let me know and I will promise to remedy the situation within 24 hours. If you are still not satisfied, I will release you unconditionally from the agency agreement with no further obligation
I have always enjoyed learning. However most of my learning has come from doing. I have needed to experience the lesson: be it endurance, patience, love, or whatever. Below is a list of activities, experiences and lessons that have helped me relate to the person I am trying to satisfy – the customer.
· TRAVELLED Around the world twice (currently on the 3rd)
· Iron Man Triathlon 1996
· Cycled 3300 km in Europe (7-10 countries)
· Trekked 21 days in Nepal
· Taught English in Japan
· Raised as a farmer
· First business at age 7 – selling goats milk
· Investing in stock market for 15 years
· Advanced Toastmaster
· RCMP Auxiliary Officer
· Business Degree
o Accounting, audit and taxation
· Theology Degree
· Ran for City councilor and Mayor of Summerland, British Columbia.
· Married 17 years
· 4 children
· Worked as Pastor in Church
· Lived in a car
· Lived on a bench
· Studied in China – Mandarin, history and archeology
· Owned and operated 2 real estate firms
· TEFL certification (Teaching English as Foreign Language)
o Teaching Business English certification
· Lost my father to suicide
· 2 brothers caught in drugs
· Lesbian sister
Many of these items listed above afford a story in themselves; however the point here is that if we look at what we have done and reflect on it we will receive life’s many lessons from them. When our client senses our sincerity we will then earn their trust, respect and finally their business. What I want you to take away from this chapter is don’t stagnate. Keep learning, keep up to date, and don’t be afraid to be wrong or make mistakes. We all have so much to learn so when we are ready the teacher will appear. Life is about being wrong and admitting it and making mistakes and learning from them.
Advice: Keep learning, keep up to date, and don’t be afraid to be wrong or make mistakes.
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