Salt and pepper, cupholder, or why details matter
Do you know the easiest way to tell if a restaurant is poorly managed? Or, to say it another way, if a restaurant has the potential to make you sick? Check to see if the salt and pepper shakers are half empty. Another tell is if the menus are sticky and dirty. Why do I bring this up? Because details matter! If a restaurant manager can't be bothered to check the details on the front of the house (where customers sit and interact with their business) then I can bet you they aren't minding the details back of the house (where your food is cooked!)
In the real estate business, there are a lot of "details" to manage. Contract deadlines and timelines, inspection reports to sift through, contracts to review and explain to clients, etc. But what about the "people" details? Are we checking those boxes? What makes or breaks a great business are usually the seemingly insignificant details.
Are you remembering to...
Smile!
Say please and thank you.
Send follow up emails--review what was discussed and what the next steps are. Send a quick thank you email after each meeting (first one being the most important!)
Send a handwritten note thanking the client for their business.
Follow through on your promises--under promise and over deliver!
Return calls promptly.
Print out a professional CMA.
Show up on time!
Details promise professionalism! Handling the small details will inspire confidence in your clients that you prepared and ready to handle the more important, larger details.
What do cupholders have to do with anything? A few years ago after my dad passed away, my Mom offered to sell me his Audi A6 for a screaming deal. I test drove the car and the first thing I noticed was the cupholders could just about hold a 12oz can and that was it. I always have a Yeti or big water bottle with me and there was simply no place to put it. For that reason, I turned down the generous offer. As soon as the appeal of a newer, fun, fast car wore off I would be stuck with a car that didn't solve for a very basic need. Audi forgot to consider the end user. In an effort to create a sleek, well-engineered design, they neglected the consumer. What needs of your client are you neglecting? As practitioners, we often can forget that our clients don't do this every day. Is there a basic need that a client may have that you are forgetting about? Did you thoroughly explain the terms of the contract? Walk them through expectations around inspections, appraisals, and the closing? Let's always remember that we are here to serve the "end user," the client. As Robin Sharma says, "The purpose of work is to help people. The other rewards are inevitable by-products of this singular focus."