Yesterday I did a speaking engagement at a senior community that went very well for everyone, served up a third sauce and meatballs dinner for Charlotte Fire Department Station #14 crew, made a contribution to an autism walk, and today I’ll be clearing tables and schmoozing for maybe five hours with the crowd (we served almost 700 last year) that figures to attend my Men’s Club group’s annual fish fry. (Ed. Note: Stopping to pet the doggie, who probably wants to be let out.)
Which actually means nothing to the Universe in my pursuit of the $500,000 listing that would make me feel 90% better than having three much smaller potential buyers just getting into the credit application process, BUT…that doesn’t mean I’m backing off doing good.
It’s not that I wouldn’t luuuuuv to enjoy some anticipation of a commission check that would come with having such a house listed-sold-moving towards a closing date. The reality is, small moments of Goodness don’t usually translate into paychecks—SERVICE does. One of those smaller buyers just had a third child arrive, and they’re going to need a place with more room to raise a family. Two others survived those rough years of recession, when just staying close to paying bills was a legitimate goal, and those ooops! moments when they dipped under water because of a hospital bill or unfortunate decision are still part of their financial picture.
Getting a chunk of $500k, yes, that would improve my personal situation significantly. Getting on the phone, following up with, touching those who might become clients—or who KNOW OTHERS that might have need of my expertise– that counts a lot more than being nice to the dog though.
Last night, I met ‘the brother’ (fire fighters are clearly a brotherhood) at #14 who is a successful ten-year realtor, and there is essentially one of those in every station, even if most aren’t at his level. If I’m lucky, the guys who agreed my meatballs were moist and delicious might speak well of me when home buying comes up at the next block party, because I *know* Eric won’t miss any opportunities from up close.
The Truth has always been that people don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care. Those little old ladies who said my 40-minute talk was very interesting don’t have any houses to sell. Having recently written a Value Proposition I was proud of because it accurately reflected who I am and what I do, being True to those core values means walking the talk. It wouldn’t *HURT* if the Universe was paying attention, but…
CDTalent Enterprises 