Is it possible for the unprepared person to appear to be prepared?
Is it possible for an unhappy person to appear happy?
Is it possible for an unorganized person to appear organized?
Is it possible for a late person to appear on time?
Is it possible for an uneducated person to appear educated?
Is it possible for confused person to look confident?
Is it possible for an unloyal client to appear loyal?
Is it possible for a bad deal to look like a good deal?
Question #3 on the list above prompted me to write today’s post. Sometimes we like to appear that we have it all together when in actuality we don’t. It’s currently 230 am as I write this and I’m going through Podio notifications and I am seeing similarities with all of the team member’s notes (please don’t any one person take this in a negative way…it’s intended as constructive criticism). Notes are being updated 2, 3, 4, days after the fact, or they’re on time and incomplete. There is no way for us to be a top producing team if we’re not updating clearly and in a timely fashion.
If you ever have too much on your plate, you have to “raise your hand” to let us know you need time to process what you have before we give you any more. I’ve learned that the best team members are usually the ones that don’t turn anything down. I say this because their intentions are good, however, those same team members tend to not last long on Team Woods because our model is to generate more leads than the team can handle. So know that ideally the incoming leads will never slow up, meaning that there is always going to be work to do.
This is all food for thought because we can’t continue to appear as if we have it all together, let’s actually get it all together. One of my favorite quotes by John Maxwell is: Make it so you don’t have to Fake it. I’m a good at following up with leads, clients, and team members, however, I’m not the best when it comes to tracking the money. This isn’t to say that I’m terrible at it, it’s just that I am more focused on the customer service department as opposed to the financial department. Nate on the other hand is great when it comes to making money, tracking money, saving/spending money, etc. So I’ve been spending a lot of my time talking to him about the money and ways that he can help me/us in this area.
Everyone on the team has a talent, and everyone on the team has something that they SUCK at, let’s just be real, ok? If you know you suck at something or you’re not very good at it, stop trying to appear to have it all together in that area. If you’re not good at keeping the notes updated, acknowledge it, talk to us, and let’s figure out how to get you an assistant to help you keep up and be more productive. If you are not good at getting the deal to the closing table, let’s figure out what kind of training you need to help you get better...or maybe you’ll need to hand off the entire file to someone else once it’s under contract.
Not being “good” at something doesn’t have to be a bad thing, it only becomes bad when you allow yourself to remain in a situation that you’re not good at without having a plan to delegate or learn more about the thing so that you can get better. I am here to help come up with solutions that will make us become more efficient and productive. I can only do this if you want to get better, request the help, and follow through until we get it right.
We have a great referral system in place, and the deals that you all are working on come from “my client”. I say “my client” because it’s an investor that I procured. Plus I need to make the connection that just as you all are focused on you're individual projects and clients, I too am focused on a particular thing...and that’s making sure that the clients that I personally generate are satisfied.
I know my client very well; just as you should know your clients very well too. It’s more than what they are willing to buy or sell, it’s also about how to communicate effectively with them while still addressing their needs. And the most important way to communicate effectively is by providing detailed updates in a timely fashion.
The ball is now in your court, who will be the first to raise their hand? Speak now or forever suck your teeth.
~Matthew