What’s your advice?
In this job, people always ask for our advice, our counsel, and our recommendations on how to spend their money.
“What do you think Dan, should I take the offer?”
“Do you think this is a good buy/investment?”
“Do you think I should lower the price?”
“Do you think I’ll get a better offer?”
“Do you think I will have a problem with resale?”
I could go on and on and on, but at heart of all these questions, our clients are asking us to do something very serious and very difficult. They are asking us how to spend their money!
My opinion
I have never taken this part of my job lightly. In fact, I start every conversation by saying, “well Mr. and Mrs. client, you are asking me to spend your money and I can’t do that.” They usually quickly reply back with, “ No, I know you can’t but I just want your opinion.” So I give them my opinion but I take it very seriously. I tell all of our agents on the team that the best you can do for your clients is to pass along your wisdom from your years of experience, always tell them the truth and always act in their best interest. If you do that, the rest will take care of itself. Over the years, our clients have mostly taken our advice but occasionally they over rule us. I welcome that, after all, it’s your money.
We care
I always worry whether or not the advice I give you is the correct answer, not necessarily the answer you want but the answer that is in your best interest. This is a heavy responsibility and sometimes I worry myself sick. My business partner Gary told me early on in my career, “no one cares how much you know until they know how much you care.” My business coach tells me that I care too much. He says that sometimes I care more about the transaction than the client. Many times he’s right because I so badly want things to work out for our clients. We passionately care and want to help. I think this is one of the reasons we have been so successful. In a day and age when so many people are just trying to make a quick buck, I still believe we stand out above the rest for no other reason than what I just described.
So the next time you think badly about a Realtor, think back to this article and know that some of us care more about you, your investment, and your well-being than you might think.
My name Dan Polimino and I’m a Broker/Owner with The Hawaii Team, Keller Williams Realty Maui. Contact The Hawaii Team at 720-789-8322, team@thehawaiiteam.com.
