To thine own self be true...

“To wish to be the person you aren’t is to waste the person you are.” (John Wesley) from the Jack’s Winning Words Blog. How apropos as I agonize over that person that I’m not. That person is unafraid of cold calling as a prospecting activity. That person is out there socializing around town and making new contacts everyday. That person is out front, in your face and probably wildly popular at bars or in certain social circles. I’m not that person and the truth is that I’m not wishing that I was.

I don’t like cold-calling, so I just don’t do it. I get out in a few social circles, but I’ll never be mistaken for the most popular guy at the bar. I’ll likely never get “in your face” about very much, but I’d enjoy a good discussion with you. I’m not “that person” and I’m OK with that.

I’m pretty comfortable with the person that I am. I seem to do well with people whom I meet in the circumstances that I’m comfortable with. I enjoy working with them and they seem to enjoy working with me. We have fun if we’re house hunting and we even have some fun with the sales process, assuming that the sellers have a sense of humor and aren’t too depressed about the market. I’ve even managed to become friends beyond the real estate relationship with a few and that’s kind of nice, too.

The real estate business, like lots of other sales jobs, is populated with people who are self-confident, outgoing and sometimes a little overbearing. There are big egos in real estate. Especially among the so-called super agents or teams. That’s OK, I guess, so long as one doesn’t just have ego and nothing else going for them. I have won more than one listing after one of the super agents was in and totally turned off the clients with their self-centered pitch. My approach is that it’s not all about me; it’s all about the clients – their needs and wants – and not my ego and its need to be stroked.

So maybe Shakespeare’s line “to thine own self be true” is the best advice. I’m happy with me and I think you would be, too. Give me a call if you want to buy or sell a house and let’s find out.