Positive Attitude Means a Lot!

By now, those of you who have read my posts have seen that I like to comment on the human side of Real Estate just as much as the business side. Last time, I posted about managing emotions in a transaction, and emphasized the importance of keeping my own emotions out of the way, so I can be the objective Realtor and help my clients get what they need.

Today, I will comment on Attitude. More specifically, my desire to focus on keeping a positive attitude as the focus of my business, my client interactions, and also my interactions with other Realtors in my area of Cranford, Westfield, Berkeley Heights and surrounding areas.

First, I think it is appropriate to begin with a story. About 9 months ago, I was completing my usual rounds of broker's open houses in Cranford and walked into a home on the north side of town where I met the listing agent, and her preferred mortgage representative. As I always do, I said "Hello, I'm Sean Carroll from **insert name of former company here** :)

That greeting led to a pleasant, but brief conversation about the home, the real estate market in Cranford, and Real Estate in general. After a few minutes, the conversation naturally came to a close, and I left my business card and said sincerely "It was nice speaking with you. Good luck to you both!" I did not think that anything out of the ordinary had just taken place. Until....

Two days later, I received a phone call from that mortgage consultant inviting me to lunch. He told me that he enjoyed speaking with me, and that he liked to surround himself in business with positive people, and he felt that was the best way to not only grow his business, but enjoy his job and help him stay balanced in life. I was taken aback...Was this guy for real? I figured he wanted to network with me, and I always like to network. This, I accepted his lunch invitation and we went to the Westfield Diner and chatted for about an hour on numerous topics.

I found out that....Yes! This guy was for real. He was genuine, honest, and wanted to see me succeed in business. He also suggested that I speak to this new Broker in Berkeley Heights, who had a tremendous vision for running a positive, creative, and passionate RE/MAX franchise in our area. What the mortgage representative didn't know was that this Broker had already called me the day before. The listing agent from that open house told him about my positive attitude, and willingness to share opinions and advice about Real Estate...That changed my career. Within a month, I was working at RE/MAX Classic Group, where I remain today, and I can honestly say it was the best business decision I ever made. I have learned so much from everyone in that office, and my business has gone places I never thought were possible. Why?? ATTITUDE!!!

It is frustrating to me when I go to brokers open houses, or negotiate with many Realtors who just are not very nice. I realize it is a business transaction, and not personal, but it startles me when other agents not only aren't nice, but are just downright NASTY. I believe there is no place for that in our business, or in any business for that matter. I realized that I have nothing to gain by being mean to people. We all have bad days, and have every right to be in a bad mood sometimes, but to verbally take it out on others is not a good idea. It spreads negative vibes, which are not going to help any situation in my humble opinion.

Having a positive attitude that day started a chain reaction of events which led to a new company, more clients, and MORE CLOSINGS! Not only that, but I have learned so much about keeping balance in my life, and making sure that each component of my life (family, business, spirituality, physical health, emotional health) stays as balanced as possible on a daily basis. Ironically though, rather than get bogged down with trying to "balance everything" I have found that the key to my success on a daily basis starts with two basic actions each day:

#1 Choosing to start the day with a good attitude, and accepting life's challenges as growth opportunities

#2 Doing the next right thing.

Granted, I do not do this perfectly each day, and sometimes it takes real effort, especially to accomplish goal #1 after 2 deals have fallen apart, and something awful has happened in my personal life that day.. But it still is possible, and I have the power to re-adjust my thinking on a minute by minute basis.


Thanks for reading. Have a great day!!!