There is a saying in business that 20% of the people you deal with create 80% of your aggravation. I believe this to be true because I have seen it time and time again in my own life. The question is: what do you do with the 20% that you consider as toxic people? Answer…you remove yourself from doing business with that 20%. How does this pertain to real estate? Simple: real estate is all about relationships. As an agent, do you click with the buyer or seller? Does Mr. and Mrs. Seller or Buyer click with the agent? If you are not all on the same page and do not feel like you have a great relationship of trust and confidence, then you’re well on your way to a toxic relationship.
In these economic times, no one has the time, patience, money, or effort to continue to be involved with toxic people. Yet, we do it all the time. Each one of us puts up with someone else. Many of us have said over and over, “If and when this person gets out of my life, things will be a lot better.” Maybe you shouldn’t wait until that happens. Maybe you should cut the cord and your losses now and get back your sanity. Maybe it’s time to start saying goodbye to that 20% that creates 80% of your aggravation? I know what you’re saying, “Dan, it’s not that easy,” or “I can’t afford to do that,” or “I need that client,” or “I need that job,” or “I have come too far with this Realtor.” Listen, I am a firm believer that if you let go of that 20% of toxic people, you won’t lose anything, but gain everything. With a positive frame of mind, good people supporting you, having more time to think freely and creatively, and becoming a happy person will, at the end of the day, produce far more success than what you would have earned from that group of toxic people.
In real estate, whether you are a buyer or a seller, you are hiring a company to represent you but more importantly, you’re hiring a person within that company to represent you. I tell potential clients all the time that a lot of these brokerage firm services all look alike. What’s really important is if you like me, trust me, are comfortable with me, and feel like we’ll have a good relationship. That will make all the difference between a pleasant real estate experience and a nightmare. Agents, you may feel like you need to take on any client no matter how toxic they are because you need business. Try it the other way, just take on good people and see if your business really takes off.
