With That Too?
I spend a good bit of time reading and researching and generally trying to figure out how to excel at this job, how to provide superior experiences for my clientele. I’ve managed to surround myself – virtually – with other agents with the same goals. Perhaps I enjoy living in this idealized virtual world a bit too much, because this email has made me almost irrationally angry.
It’s from some agent in Phoenix that I don’t know, have never talked to, or heard of. I’m just his information b**ch of choice.
From: [phx agent]
To: Kelley Koehler
Subject: Phx agent needs your help
Hi Kelley,
Please let me know any info you can find about these properties. I’ll be happy to send you a referral.
________________________________
From: [some other random guy]
To: [phoenix agent]
Subject: Check these for me
[Phoenix agent name removed],
Can you look these properties up on MLS for me. I need to know the Owners name on both!
Thanks (They are in Tucson)
I don’t even know where to begin. Should we start with the standards of practice that say you don’t sell outside of the region you know? Or maybe if you’re not willing to join an area MLS, you shouldn’t practice there. Or maybe if you’re too stupid – in a state where home sales and ownership are public record – to figure out who owns a home, then you shouldn’t be doing business at all.
How about running a quick Google search yourself on the addresses and finding the listing agent? Or use any one of a thousand Tucson MLS searches, plug in the MLS# yourself, and figure it out?
Or how about calling and asking me nicely and explaining the situation instead of trying to bribe me with an ambiguous referral for doing your clerical work?
Kelley Koehler, aka the Housechick, is usually found focused on her Tucson, Arizona, real estate business. You may also find her on Twitter, where she doubles as a super hero, at Social Media Training Camp, where she trains and coaches people on how to integrate social media into successful business practices, or at KelleyKoehler.com, a collection of all things housechick-ish. Despite her engineering background, Kelley enjoys translating complex technical concepts into understandable and clear ideas that are practical and useful to the striving real estate agent.
Benn Rosales
January 26, 2008 at 1:06 pm
Insanity. and you know what’s worse, you almost feel like if you don’t do it, some other idiot will… geeze
Benn Rosales
January 26, 2008 at 1:07 pm
second thought – now you can honestly tell your clients “I’m so damn good, even Realtors use me”
Jeff Brown
January 26, 2008 at 1:24 pm
Kelley — they do this because it gets results. Sad, but true.
Larry Yatkowsky
January 26, 2008 at 4:50 pm
Oh go ahead.
Add another designation to your business card and flyers. Don’t be shy. Don’t be humble. Bold-Gold and Embossed would be nice.
Hint: alphabetical placement dictates that R.E.Gopher comes before Taxi.
Just think of the benefit. Now that you are a recognized as a card carrying Gopher, you have the moral authority to tell the next caller to go dig a hole. .>)
Mariana
January 26, 2008 at 6:45 pm
“I am happy to offer you a 25% referral fee, but other than that, I am uncomfortable sharing that information with you.” That is what I tell most Denver agents who think they can effectively sell in my area…
Vicki Moore
January 26, 2008 at 10:03 pm
Buyers do it all the time, but when it’s a so-called professional, it’s irritating as hell. I’ve had agents call me from other areas to help them find their buyer a house. They want me to do the search but don’t want to refer the client to me, someone who knows the area.
Love this! “I’m so damn good, even Realtors use me”
Kelley Koehler
January 27, 2008 at 10:23 am
Benn – maybe I can work that into my slogan: Housechick – the Realtor’s Realtor. Or Housechick – Who Your Realtor Turns To for Realtor Services. What do you think, can I use the R word like that?
Larry – gopher sounds much nicer than information beeyotch. good call.