“I promise to never tell a lie. I swear I’ll deliver on my promises. I’ll never cheat steal or swindle.”
Agents should have to take that oath before ever throwing customers in the back seat and taking them for a “ride”.
This is a crazy business. Sometimes it’s downright cut throat.
People will say or do anything to make a sale it seems.
I have a buddy who reminds me constantly that people act out of selfish interests.
And damn it, as much as I hate to believe it, he’s right!
I’ve seen agents hold sellers hostage at the closing table, charging more than agreed.
I’ve seen FAMILY members screw family members. Now incest is certainly relative, but it disgusts me personally! And so does ripping off your own flesh and blood.
I’ve watched agents completely throw their reputation out the window for a few measly bucks.
Integrity MUST be the essential core value of your business proposition.
Let integrity slip and you’re just a hustler. Hustlers don’t last. They get a good pop here and there but sooner or later they are just tumbleweeds rolling off across the sandy plains.
I had an REO asset manager call me one day and offer me every listing in Atlanta if I kicked him back 20%. He thought he was the hot shot holding the cards. Tried to force it down my throat with threats of not getting any listings otherwise. Let’s just say old Billy the Kid there didn’t win. I got listings…plenty of them. He got tossed like a hooligan in a bar fight, thrown out the swinging doors by muscle bound bouncers.
Moral of the story here is this….stay true to yourself. When you act with integrity, you perform at a higher level. There’s no self-doubt, less anxiety when dealing with clients and just plain old more success.
Temptation is hard to resist and that’s why most people fail. It’s also why most people make very little money.
When you can look yourself in the eye and smile, clients pick up on your honesty naturally. Getting listings and making sales comes easily because they trust you automatically.
If you’d like to become the new sheriff in charge of your market, go here:
-Mike Costigan
