That might be a question I would have of a family member who I haven’t heard from in a while.
In my Family (Which is a very eclectic mix from Episcopalian including a Bishop Grandfather and Priest Father . . . to Catholic where we currently go to church . . . and a whole collage of Jewish relatives on both sides of our families), the question “Are you still ALIVE?” arises as a “Jewish Mother guilt trip”.
My first reaction when that question hits me is one of backpedaling as I feebly attempt to justify my prolonged disappearing act . . . and my response is one of gratitude as it sinks in that I was missed.
How often do we get so busy and self-absorbed that we forget to reach out to those closest to us?
How often do we get in the dumps and start feeling sorry for ourselves and hide in shame hoping that things will just magically sort themselves out?
I hope I’m preaching to the choir and not just baring my own soul in a moment of transparency . . . I know that we all have these moments.
I also know that when those moments occur, I am never in search of a Knight in shining Armor kind of “swoop in and save me from all of these trials and tribulations” person . . . I am always most “saved” by the person who just shows up out of nowhere and simply says: “Hey! I haven’t seen you in a while and was thinking about you. How are you?”
A sales career is enigmatic in the sense that the best salespeople are the people who are best with interpersonal relationships. These are the folks who are the life of party – funloving – happy-go-lucky . . . Yet most sales people are “Independent contractors” and are solo out in the field.
What this means is that they have LOTS of relationships with many people . . . The only issue being that those relationships have the additional boundary of professionalism . . . these are relatively shallow relationships. To be “transparent” with a customer or client may be viewed as unprofessional.
So . . . It can be very lonely to be a sales person . . . capiche?
This is where the HOME comes into play.
Where have we ALWAYS gone throughout our lives when life sucked?
HOME!
We go home where we know we will be loved unconditionally . . . and will find candid and constructive feed-back.
I believe that our offices should be this “home” in our professional worlds. If we disappear for a while, who at the office will notice?
I had a conversation with an agent today who said: “I haven’t been to my office more than 3 times in the past 3 months, and nobody’s missed me.”
REALLY?
I think that’s negligence.
In ANY office . . . EVERY associate deserves a level of attention akin to family . . . and if it’s not there? I believe that’s the wrong office for ya.
As Broker @ Pareto Realty, my covenant to all my associates is a quarterly Career Review at a MINIMUM . . . and my invitiation to them is that if they will utilize the CRM tools I provide for them at no cost to them, I will keep an eye on their performance continuously over time . . . and will step in any time I see room for improvement.
There ain’t no excuse for agents falling through the cracks in a Real estate firm . . . that causes much unecessary angst and negatively impacts families and self esteem.
I’m just sayin’
(stepping off the soap box)
Best,
b