Seaport Real Estate Services Blog

Do More.

Do Better.

No Excuses.

I saw this somewhere today, while working, either online or on tv. I don’t recall where I saw it, only that I did not forget it. These 6 words seem to express the desire of every individual at the start of a New Year. They point to our dissatisfaction with the status quo and our desire to achieve no matter what the cost. The unrelenting desire to have, do, and be more is what is at work here. But in reality, having it all and doing it all doesn’t mean you will be it all. Not by a long shot.

“With all thy getting, get understanding.”

In the business world, the goal is constant growth and improvement. 

• Grow the business. 

• Reduce expenses. 

• Increase revenue. 

• Beat last year’s figures.

• Be the first to adopt some new technology. 

• Make this region stands out from all the others. 

• Make sure you score high on customer surveys. 

Every year businesses strategize on these topics, employing experts to research and codify past results and come up with a plan of action that will help the company or division achieve more.  The corporate achievement/improvement sector is a growth industry all by itself. Billions of dollars are wagered by industry participants looking to find the next great thing to help them move their businesses to the next level.  

And the Real Estate industry is one of the biggest at spending money to increase results. In fact, the marketplace has been inundated by gurus who speak at conferences and try to sell agents on a certain process to follow in order to be successful or certain hacks to implement that will move their businesses to the next level. The implication is that by adhering to a certain route, advocated by some “expert”.

Realtors will find success in all their endeavors. These range from simple processes like personal marketing strategies to outlandish ones like letting the home sellers dictate the price to list their property at and then pressuring the sellers to reduce it by a certain percentage on a monthly basis until the home is sold.     

And that is too bad because often the best way to grow your business, increase your revenue, lower expenses, and achieve a high level of customer satisfaction is not to seek to do more business but to strive to do more with the business you have. 

Imagine if a Realtor or Mortgage Banker re-oriented themselves away from the idea of beating last year’s figures, and focused instead on improving the quality of service they delivered to their existing clients. If they chose not to focus on how to get 1, 2, or 3 more deals a week, month, or quarter, but decided to check in with 1-3 of their clients every week, month or quarter and see how they are doing. Not to solicit business or referrals from the client but to check with them and see if their house or mortgage is still meeting their needs as it was when you first did business together with them.  

In the movie “Jerry McGuire”, Tom Cruise, as Jerry, asks Rod Tidwell, played by Cuba Gooding Jr, to “help me to help you”. The idea being that together they can solve the problems they are facing, some by compromise, some by backing down from a certain stance or position, and some by trying a different approach. Only through a collaborative effort can the problems they face be addressed, and solutions found. 

To follow up with the client in a very compelling fashion, seeking to make them better off than when you did business together in the first place is the essence of having a relationship, and being a fiduciary. 

• In our harried, stressed-out world, we have become fixated on getting the next deal, rather than making sure we’re getting our clients the best deal.  

• It’s a choice between 2 opposing strategies: to serve yourself or to selflessly serve others.

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