Wow, it's challenging enough in this business to practice real estate with a license but today I had a situation that really made me scratch my head. I was asked to take a duty call since the agent on duty was out on an appointment. The caller told me he was "sort of an agent himself" and wanted some info on a property for rent. Well, I don't really handle rentals unless it's for an established client and I figured that if he was "sort of an agent himself" he'd have access to the same information I had.
Come to find out he's not an agent at all! I told him that I went to real estate school and pay monthly dues in order to call myself an "agent" as well as attend regular continuing education. Then he claimed he never said he was an agent, that he was just asked to "represent" someone. I'm all about the entrepreneurial spirit but the thought of someone practicing real estate without a license...and accepting a fee for it...frightens the pure pudding out of me. I've been licensed in 2 states and have seen countless changes throughout my career. I know the amount of liability that lies on my shoulders as a licensed agent which is why I am so diligent in my dealings with the public.
The Good Lord only knows what trouble he'll end up causing his "client." Be sure to hire a licensed broker when either buying or selling a home. I know it's tempting to go the For Sale By Owner route when selling or attempting to purchase a FSBO just to save a few thousand bucks. But unless you're daily immersing yourself in the culture and climate of this market you are just setting yourself up for bigger problems that could perhaps cost way more than the few thousand dollars you saved.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Friday, October 22, 2010
Gift Zones
At Keller Williams Realty we all learn to relate to each other based on our DISC personality assessment. When you learn what your own DISC looks like you begin to realize why you excel in some areas but find yourself lacking in others. You learn to leverage (ie, hire) someone else to do the things that do not maximize your potential so that you can spend your time in the areas where you are a rock star. This is what we call living in your gift zones.
So, what the heck does DISC mean anyway? "D" is "Dominance" and they are your rainmakers, your CEO's, your bulls. They pave the way for others and lead through sheer strength and will. Some folks think they're too direct and to the point but it's almost impossible to offend a "D." They know what they know and make sure that you know it as well. "I" is "Influence" and they are also your rainmakers and CEO's, your charming talkers, your tigers. They lead others through persuasion, they're the life of the party and will know everyone in the room before they leave. Other people just naturally are attracted to their style and flair with words. "S" is "Stabilizing" and they are the lambs who comprise about 65% of the American population. They are your secretaries and warm chatty sweethearts you want on the front desk. They just want to please and be loved in return for it. "C" is "Compliant" and they are your IT guys, your accountants, the owls who've never met a task they didn't like. Numbers are their friends but we need the "C's", without then I'd not be able to sit here and blog on my new HP laptop. "D's" and "C's" are task oriented in nature whereas the "I's" and "S's" are relationship oriented. "D's" and "S's" are in direct opposition to each other, same goes for "I's" and "C's". Everyone has a blend of the 4 different traits.
I'm completely fascinated by the DISC profile because it allows you to not only understand yourself better but also see how others perceive you. You learn to reign in the "D" side around your accountants and receptionists so as not to trample on their sensitivities. The "I's" learn to contain their excitement a bit around the engineers so as not to frighten them with too many options. The "S's" learn to thicken their skin a bit and not take things too personally, business is business after all. And the "C's" learn to open up and speak a bit more. Once you know who you are speaking with in your office, on an appointment, when meeting a new client, etc it makes it so much easier to relate to the person on the other side of the table.
Why am I choosing my first post to be about the DISC profile? It's all about living in my gift zones. I am a very high "I" with an almost equal amount of "D" in my personality. So that means I'm supposed to be a very strong people persuader who loves to complete tasks. Or something like that. I can relate to "S's" all day long as long as they get to the point about things quickly enough (again, high "D", get to the point). However, I am blessed with a very low amount of "C" in my personality makeup. I'm not a geek though I can speak geek for a limited amount of time. So setting up this blog from scratch, designing the layout and format, writing HTML, etc...not in my gift zone. Not even close. And I'm enterprising enough to want to hire someone to set this up for me so I can go out and do something exciting ("I") yet too stubborn to give up ("D"). Perplexing for you, reader? Try living in my noggin for a bit!
Below is a link to a free DISC assessment from Tony Robbins; it takes about 15 minutes to complete, well worth the time and you can't beat the price. Would love to hear your thoughts once you're completed yours.
http://www.tonyrobbins.com/ue/disc-profile.php?redirected=1
So, what the heck does DISC mean anyway? "D" is "Dominance" and they are your rainmakers, your CEO's, your bulls. They pave the way for others and lead through sheer strength and will. Some folks think they're too direct and to the point but it's almost impossible to offend a "D." They know what they know and make sure that you know it as well. "I" is "Influence" and they are also your rainmakers and CEO's, your charming talkers, your tigers. They lead others through persuasion, they're the life of the party and will know everyone in the room before they leave. Other people just naturally are attracted to their style and flair with words. "S" is "Stabilizing" and they are the lambs who comprise about 65% of the American population. They are your secretaries and warm chatty sweethearts you want on the front desk. They just want to please and be loved in return for it. "C" is "Compliant" and they are your IT guys, your accountants, the owls who've never met a task they didn't like. Numbers are their friends but we need the "C's", without then I'd not be able to sit here and blog on my new HP laptop. "D's" and "C's" are task oriented in nature whereas the "I's" and "S's" are relationship oriented. "D's" and "S's" are in direct opposition to each other, same goes for "I's" and "C's". Everyone has a blend of the 4 different traits.
I'm completely fascinated by the DISC profile because it allows you to not only understand yourself better but also see how others perceive you. You learn to reign in the "D" side around your accountants and receptionists so as not to trample on their sensitivities. The "I's" learn to contain their excitement a bit around the engineers so as not to frighten them with too many options. The "S's" learn to thicken their skin a bit and not take things too personally, business is business after all. And the "C's" learn to open up and speak a bit more. Once you know who you are speaking with in your office, on an appointment, when meeting a new client, etc it makes it so much easier to relate to the person on the other side of the table.
Why am I choosing my first post to be about the DISC profile? It's all about living in my gift zones. I am a very high "I" with an almost equal amount of "D" in my personality. So that means I'm supposed to be a very strong people persuader who loves to complete tasks. Or something like that. I can relate to "S's" all day long as long as they get to the point about things quickly enough (again, high "D", get to the point). However, I am blessed with a very low amount of "C" in my personality makeup. I'm not a geek though I can speak geek for a limited amount of time. So setting up this blog from scratch, designing the layout and format, writing HTML, etc...not in my gift zone. Not even close. And I'm enterprising enough to want to hire someone to set this up for me so I can go out and do something exciting ("I") yet too stubborn to give up ("D"). Perplexing for you, reader? Try living in my noggin for a bit!
Below is a link to a free DISC assessment from Tony Robbins; it takes about 15 minutes to complete, well worth the time and you can't beat the price. Would love to hear your thoughts once you're completed yours.
http://www.tonyrobbins.com/ue/disc-profile.php?redirected=1
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)