Kicking Sand in Faces

O.K, I’m an equal opportunity offender so here I go.

One thing that always gets under my skin since I began selling real estate, or “sell’in that dirt” as local real estate legend Jeff Curtis once said to me, is the designation status Agents bestow on themself. ABR, CRS, CRB, DREI, GRI, CIPS,TRC, TMP to name a few. What does it all translate into? I can’t figure out what those agents do. I bet they spend ½ their life shuffling papers back and fourth between instructors in class.

I can’t find the time to go to lunch, let alone take a class so I can get some sort of designation. I remember being a new agent in 1991. I met an agent in my office and her card said “Million Dollar Club” and remember thinking “WOW, she is a millionaire”. Being a new agent or “rookie” things like that seemed important. This was until I found out that the “Million Dollar Club” in real estate is an agent that has sold a million dollars worth of real estate in one year. This translates into a $30,000 income. Now I figure, back then, 50% went to the Broker you worked for. Translation: That “Million Dollar Club” agent made $15,000 a year. I’m no historian, but even in 1991, I’m reasonably certain $15,000 put you in poverty level of income.

The best Realtors I know are a mixed breed. Some of them have a few designations, some have none. I have  not found that Agents with designations are better Realtors than those without. It varies from person to person. I was ranked #4 in the world by ERA in 2007, #1 in Florida (for ERA) and I have been the #1 ERA Agent in Tampa Bay since 1995. I have ZERO designations. I let my work (sales) speak for itself. As I have mentioned in previous Blogs, real estate is the single most pretentious business I have ever seen. Many Agents try and give the perception of success, but in truth, some can’t close a door, let alone a real estate deal.

One of the most comical things I see is this scenario that we see over and over:

Here is an agent, walks into a listing (house for sale) and starts to criticize the house openly in front of the Buyer. One negative comment after the other. Many times, I know that the Buyer likes the house, but the Agent shamed them into not making an offer. They repeat this mistake, house after house. Then, they wonder why that buyer never purchased from them. They say “Buyer are liars” and badmouth the client. The reason they did not buy is because Mr. Know It All did not know how to sell. Part of selling is knowing when NOT to talk. Selling real estate is not rocket science! You show the house, point out the positive aspects, keep your mouth shut on the negatives unless the Buyer openly does not like the home.

I’m not talking about structural flaws or a flaw that needs to be disclosed by law. I’m talking “Mr. Know It All IGNORANCE”. What sets Agents apart is there ability to work hard and get the job done. Even in my office, ½ the Agents are at home, watching Opra Winfrey re-runs and wondering why they are nat selling anything.

I demand hard work and I lead by example. I have no room on my Team or my staff for any half assed agents who refuse to take real estate seriously, and I’m not talking being in a class all day trying to learn how to “stage” a home so I can get another designation next to my name. I’m talking WORKING real estate like the JOB it is.

NEVER judge an agent by how many designations are next to that persons name.

Try driving by the office and see how often that person is there. How hard are they to get hold of. How serious are they about their job. This alone will tell you how serious they are about selling your home or finding you a home. Designations don’t get you a better interest rate. Selling thousands of homes over the years and commanding the respect of lenders who want to EARN your business. They will give your clients THE BEST deals because they want repeat business from the Agents. Not because they are an ABC or a GTP, but because of MONEY. They want the repeat referral business that we all thrive on. That is how you can get the BEST price when selling, the BEST price when buying, the BEST insurance rates and the BEST interest rates. Success breeds success. I’ve spent my career learning from other top agents. Those are the education gridlines I followed to get me where I am today. Some of my mentors had plenty of designations, but I’d be telling a lie if I did not state the fact that MOST of the lessons I have learned have been from successful agents without letters next to their name.

What I am about to say is 100% FACT: I KNOW of a “Real Estate Coach” for a well known National Trainer. Some victims (Realtors) from across the country call him. He is their “Coach” or mentor in the business. Thease Agents are paying $1,000 per month for this “Coach” to lead them. The National Trainer gets $500 and his coaches get $500. Know what the “Coach” does? Well, a year ago, he was delivering pizza. He got into real estate, had some success, became a coach for this trainer. Then, he got caught up in the real estate bust and is no longer a Realtor. But he is still a coach, collecting that $500 per month. Can you imagine the Agent paying $1,000 for advise from somebody who left the business and is no longer selling real estate?

When we say the “game of real estate” sometimes we really mean THE GAME OF REAL ESTATE! As I say over and over…… ask questions. Know the right questions to ask! If you don’t know what to ask, go to www.sellwithvince.com and take a look at my videos that are applicable to your situation.

Now I’ll brace myself for all of the complaint e-mails I’m going to receive.