________________________ Mark Twain, that 18th century provider of good stories and better quotes, is credited with having said Find a job that you like, and you will never have to work a day in your life. Good advice if youre lucky enough to succeed in your effort to heed it. Universities are full of students attempting to do just that – get an education that will help them get a job doing what they like. Some will succeed. For those... View Article
________________________ While delving down the Wikipedia rabbit hole this weekend, I stumbled upon a Jose Mourinho (manager of Manchester United Football Club) quote about a rival manager: “This could be the story of a donkey who worked for 30 years but never became a horse.” The identity of the rival manager is irrelevant. For those who have followed Mourinho, you may well understand that he believes everyone but himself to be a donkey. The metaphor, though clearly enough understood, got... View Article
_______________________ Chris Rock, for those unfamiliar, is an acerbic comedian who may make you both laugh and cringe – especially if your kids (or parents) are in the room. Humour however, is the close relative of wisdom, so it should be no surprise when funny people say wise things. And so it was when Rock observed a phenomenon from his years as a starving artist when he could not afford a reliable car: “I’d always end up broken down on... View Article
___________________ Have you ever had your ambitions belittled? Or the metaphorical claw of the crab in the bucket pulling you back among your peers? You are not alone. Some time ago a hockey buddy and his little brother joined our company as fledgling salespeople. We were a small independent real estate company of about 15 salespeople, and we too were fledgling. They were fresh out of University entering real estate sales at a time when it was relatively uncommon for... View Article
__________________________ Like many professions, the Real Estate sales industry is one in which it is common for prospective clients to interview multiple salespeople before selecting one with whom to work. Google How to select a Realtor, and you will probably be exhorted to interview a minimum of 3 prospective salespeople before making your decision. Salespeople know this, and the more successful of them, thrive through this process because they have honed their skills to such a degree that they know... View Article
________________________________ This spring marks my 30th year in organized real estate (oddly, aside from crime, the only profession that feels the need to let people know we are organized). As mine was a family business, it was not uncommon for former clients of my father to wander into the office when the circumstances of their lives required the services of a Realtor. In an age in which database management amounted to dropping by unannounced every few years, one would think... View Article
___________________________ Like many businesses, ours relies on the part-time labour from University students, mostly covering evening reception duties. It is a position that requires answering the telephone in a friendly manner, and efficiently relaying the messages to our salespeople. It can be mundane work at times, but vital as well. A missed call can be costly for both our salespeople, and more importantly – their clients. Matt is one such student, and Matt made an error. While paging out... View Article
________________________________________________ Under the category of ‘even a broken clock is right twice a day‘, Donald Trump struck upon a truism in what otherwise might have been mistaken for an election night victory speech – albeit 7 months late – when he addressed the Boy Scout convention in Virginia on July 24th. It is too easy in the President’s case to throw the baby out with the bathwater, and I almost did as I joined the international cringe at the majority... View Article
_____________________ Success is a nebulous term. By societal measure success is often equated with financial achievement. If making money is your primary objective, setting out to achieve that result can be an exercise in futility. Conversely, examples abound of passionate people, even in the most obscure arenas, reaching the pinnacle of both their profession and their bank account. Passion and process it would seem, is the egg that comes before the chicken. This is not to suggest financial achievement ought... View Article
In an age when so much is made of marketing, and speaking from personal experience, much pressure is placed upon companies to spend marketing dollars. Perhaps it would serve us and our businesses well to pause and consider exactly what we are hoping to achieve when we market ourselves or our company. Are we wanting to create an image for the consumer? Or would we be content to accurately reflect what we really are? All businesses have a brand.... View Article
