‘Tis the Season of Love
I don’t think we spend enough time talking about our relationships with other agents. And I don’t mean here, online, where we love EVERYBODY. I am talking about our competitors, those agents who work the same neighborhoods that we do, who are competing for the attention of the same buyers and sellers we are.
- More pleasant transactions when based on feelings of goodwill and trust
- Information: Other agents are experts in things just like you are-could come in handy!
- Referrals. Yes, your competition could send you business. It happens.
- I know there are others but I am on a deadline here 😉
We’re All Guilty Sometimes
The relationships we nurture with our cooperative competition is too often overlooked, I’m afraid. We tend watch each other, suspect the worst, gossip and complain a lot – especially now, when the market is slower, when people aren’t as busy writing contracts and showing homes and talking to prospects on the phone or face to face. Add a dash crankiness resulting from lower income levels and, voila, nitpickville!
I think it’s important, maybe now more than ever, to cultivate the feeling of goodwill throughout our industry, especially locally where our attitudes and relationships with each other are easily noticed by consumers. Negative attitudes toward each other can only breed or feed those bad stereotypes of ‘cut-throat real estate agents,’ which hurt us all. If we treat each other with respect, respect for our profession will grow.
So go ahead, give that agent the help he needs…with a smile. Say thank you. Make showing appointments gladly, efficiently and with respect for the showing agents’ time. Buy her a coffee. Make him a copy even if he could look it up himself.
