If Things Are Going Sideways…..Let Em!
Dec 20th
Ordinarily you wouldn’t endorse efforts going sideways unless you actually have planned for them to go that way. Many times as commercial professionals we are so focused on doing business one way that we forget the arsenal of services that we have at our disposal that could actually add value to our customers and clients goals and objectives. We are so programmed to list and sell or lease and represent that we neglect the needs and wants of the actual situation.
Side door selling is becoming more and more successful for those innovative professionals that are willing to determine what the opportunity in a particular situation might be. For instance, recently I was in the office of a potential client and the more I listened to how they conducted their business the more I knew that if I stuck to my traditional thinking and my traditional menu of services that there would not be an opportunity for me to assist this particular prospect.
Once I started to think differently and let my thoughts go “sideways”, I was confident that if I could determine, through the asking of strategic questions, how I could add value to not only the corporate real estate executive but also the shareholder. By asking how leases were being abstracted, did they have an in-house facilities management department, who was tracking critical dates, how are they currently handling market analytics and would they possibly consider a series of sale leasebacks either nationally or regionally. These types of questions were different enough that it made the corporate real estate executive look at me and my organization differently. It made my stock rise in their eyes and took me out of the traditional “broker” box that most of my competition is mired in. What makes you different? Do you know? You should be able to recite your differentiators.
If you are willing to learn everything there is to know about your organizations capabilities and identify that you are a part of something much greater than yourself and your local group then you will begin to speak with confidence when describing the vast array of services that you can provide by embracing those alliances and service partners with a proven success tract. This is will also give your prospective customers and clients more confidence in your abilities, keeping you at the top of their minds whenever they think of commercial real estate.
Take the chance and reinvent yourself and take the opportunity to prosper when things go a little sideways
What Motivates the Motivators?
Aug 15th
Recently it occurred to me that the leaders in our industry by their actions are motivators? But where do they find the source of their motivation? There are those who are self motivated, those that need to be motivated and others who couldn’t be motivated for any reason in the world. Similarly you’ve heard about those who make things happen, those who realize something is happening and then some who don’t have a clue what’s happening.
When we were young it was our parents whom we looked to for motivation and encouragement. Often times we were rewarded with kind words, extra privileges or even an allowance. But who or what motivated our parents? Why did some parents stay home and others go off to work? Why did some choose to work with their hands and others who chose other venues? When did our parents stop being our source of motivation or are they still that source today?
For me as I got older it was coaches in the various sports I was blessed to have played in. The coaches that dangled motivation out in front of you every practice in the form of a carrott, “If you work hard, keep your nose to the grind stone you will succeed and have a better life”. There was also motivation in the form of recognition from your school and your teachers; All Star games, honor societies, the theatre and perhaps student government.
By this time in your life you have a firm grasp if you are a self motivated person or someone who needs to be motivated. It shows if you choose to go off to higher education or if your choice is the work force. In the commercial real estate industry I’ve found those with the most success learned long ago that they must be self motivators. If they have that special something deep inside that never allows you to give up, keep your glass half full and treat others with respect then success is within their grasp.
My friend Vance Caesar taught me to have more “get to’s” than got to’s and it really changed the way I greet each new day. We all have a choice to make when our feet hit the floor whether our motivation will come from within and it will be a positive start to the day or if we have to wait for our spouse, children, boss or some other outside choice to get us going it might not be as positive because that motivation may not come on that day.
The sooner we understand that what happens to us is life, how we react defines our character and gives us the opportunity to motivate ourselves and others. What is your choice?
Nothing Personal-Just Business……Really?!
Jun 21st
If you are fortunate enough to be in the same industry for a lengthy period of time you see trends come and go as quickly as some of the people. Whether you’re an attorney, accountant, teacher or even a professional commercial real estate advisor you’ll see people at conferences and conventions. After years of this if you’re lucky you develop a relationship and a friendship that will last long after your professional connection is changed.
This isn’t always the case. People come and people go. Company’s come and company’s go but business friendships can go on forever even though you may be carrying different cards. It’s always hard to hear that a colleague is leaving to pursue other endeavors. The conscious mind appreciates the opportunity they have been given and you see all the positives it will afford that person, but the unconscious mind wonders and sometimes wanders to that place where if you’re not very careful your relationship, that friendship could be altered.
This was evident in my dealing with the corporate world in the 1990’s. If he or she was on our team that was great, but if they left and went to work for the competition then they had crossed over to the dark side and were amongst the Evil Empire. It’s the same person doing the same job for someone else.
We are very lucky in our organization because we truly have become a professional family. From the very top of the enterprise, since 1978 it was a given that if you believed in the mission and shared the vision that it would become clear what your path to success would look like. Sure every family has that strange Uncle that no one wants to talk about, but he’s still our Uncle and you’d better be careful what you may think of him.
We talk about being different from the competition. What are your differentiators? You can search your soul and rack your brain but what I’ve observed is that no matter what differentiator you might come up with, I’ve found that the most important differences, if you’re going to succeed, are that you know each other, you like each other and you look for reasons to work together. Coming to every opportunity as a servant is always a rewarding position and one that is never a disappointment.
When a valued colleague leaves your organization or industry or and entire company decides to follow a different path, while it gives you pause, you have to realize it’s nothing personal, it’s just business…..Really!
Champion or Hero
May 15th
Do you know the difference between a Champion and a Hero, is there any?
Webster’s defines a Champion as a person who has defeated all opponents in a competition or series of competitions, so as to hold first place. You can also Champion a cause or support someone else’s efforts.
They define a Hero as a person of distinguished courage or ability, admired for their brave deeds and noble qualities. A person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal. Can someone be both? Absolutely!
Now I realize we all have heroes in our life; parents, spouses, friends, etc. but how many times have you had the chance to be a Champion and passed it up. Too many times in our professional or personal lives for that matter, either we are given the opportunity to take a chance and reach beyond the reachable or we are called upon to support or lift up a colleague and in both cases we just plain look the other way. Why? Too much trouble? Jealousy? Fear?
Being given the opportunity to be a Champion whether it’s for yourself or for others should be embraced. The world as we know it is constantly changing and we as active members of the human race need to change with it or we will most assuredly die. What are you afraid of? Whether it’s your inner competitive heart that drives you every day to reach new goals or whether it’s your compassionate heart that every day takes time out to support and encourage someone else. Marriage, friendships, you career; Do something that takes you outside of your comfort zone and look for opportunities to champion someone else’s efforts.
Who knows you might even become that someone’s hero too.
