When I first started my real estate career I was so excited that I would speak to anyone & everyone about what I did and things were great. It was pure ignorance on fire. I didn’t know what I didn’t know but people were trusting me based on my sheer joy & excitement to serve.
On one occasion, I saw a “FOR RENT” sign on a large apartment complex and decided to call and see if the owner would consider selling their property. The person who answered said that they might consider it and that we could meet to discuss it. I agreed to meet with him on a Friday Night at a Starbucks in Cerritos off the 605 Freeway at 7:00 PM. I lived in Eagle Rock which meant I would have to fight traffic for at least 1 hour each way and I would be giving up my Friday night with my wife and children. I thought I might need backup so I brought my business partner Robert with me.
We met the Gentleman who expressed interest in selling the building. Robert led the conversation and it was soon discovered that he WAS NOT the owner, but was the Owner’s nephew. To make matters better, he was also a licensed agent! I had not pre-qualified the appointment at all, but went based on pure excitement. It felt like an amazing waste of time and the drive home seemed like an eternity.
2 months later, the Nephew-Agent called me and informed me that he was impressed by our determination and had convinced his Uncle to list their $2 Million dollar apartment complex with me. Within a couple of hours they had faxed over a signed listing agreement to me.
Here’s the morale of the story: 1) You can accomplish more on pure excitement than pure knowledge. 2) You will have moments that feel like complete disasters despite your excitement. It’s okay. Keep planting the seeds. Don’t worry about the weather. Don’t worry about the crows. Plant your seeds. EVERY DAY. 3) Pre-Qualify ALL your meetings so you know who you are meeting with.
#JoinTheCrusade #FailForward
