Tag Archive: success
August 12, 2019
________________________ Betting on Yourself In her graphic design program, my youngest daughter was taught early and reminded often not to work for free. What may at first blush seem like an opportunity to impress a potential employer, is more often a dead end after the free sample has been provided. It is a train of thought common in many professions, mine included, and is often accompanied by catch phrases such as: “If you don’t value your work, why should someone... View Article
May 6, 2019
____________________________________________ In the current Snap’d issue can be found a double page spread announcing Coldwell Banker Affiliates of Canada award winners, under the title Success is Not Accidental. The measure of winning these awards is by necessity a mathematical one – but is this the true measure of success? Is success selling a lot of houses or making money? Is success a reasonable goal? Or, as I prefer to believe, is success (or failure) the natural byproduct of the processes... View Article
January 2, 2019
_____________ Be patient with me, this is not a hockey article. However, while channel surfing waiting for the Leaf game to start, I happened upon the final few minutes of a lopsided hockey game in which the Philadelphia Flyers were handily defeating the Buffalo Sabres. Losses arent unusual, every game includes one. This one however seemed particularly irksome to Buffalo Sabre colour commentator Rob Ray, who lamented the lack of effort put forth by the home team. Finally, with the... View Article
November 12, 2018
________________________ 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
June 4, 2018
________________________ 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
May 1, 2018
_______________________ 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
April 2, 2018
___________________ 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
March 2, 2018
__________________________ 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
February 1, 2018
________________________________ 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
January 4, 2018
___________________________ 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
