Called Out For Booty Calling

 

Despite the title, this blog post will have something to do with real estate.  Sort of.  I was recently at a South Carolina Association of Realtors conference.  If you’ve never been, these events usually last a few days with vendors and speakers with goods, services, and information to help agents from all over the state become more knowledgeable, informed, and inspired to be their best.

When I go to conferences like this, I try to attend as many of the sessions as possible. Though I do always take something positive away from hearing the motivational speakers, I’d never before attended a session with someone whose title is ‘Coach’ and got even remotely tempted to sign up for more of their coaching.  I’d even go as far as to say that I’ve thought myself to perhaps be an uncoachable person. Not that I don’t have and keep an open mind. And not that I’m opposed to considering better ways to achieve my goals.  I certainly know that regardless of how smart I think I am, I have plenty more to learn from others and life in general.

I don’t want to get too far off topic, so I’ll elaborate more in a future blog called “Uncoachable Woman Has Aha Moment” but for now, I’ll try to remain on topic. I found myself in a session conducted by an energetic coach named Wayne Salmans with The Hero Nation. I didn’t know his background or story at the time, but even so, I liked how he didn’t just repeat buzzwords and promise to tell the secrets of success to those who signed up and paid for his coaching. He was engaging and real.

He asked if anyone had ever had good intentions to keep in touch with past or potential clients but they didn’t follow through. Literally everyone raised their hand or should have. He then asked why it was difficult to reach out after more time had passed than intended. He called it ‘booty calling your customers/clients.’ And said that it feels weird because it should feel weird.

I’d just had a conversation about this topic with a longtime client and friend who I recently reconnected with. I shared with her how these past couple years have been especially hectic, and I’ve worked very long hours and days just to get the ‘must do’ things done for clients who are trying to find and buy a home. Then, there’s the month or so of juggling and keeping everything on track to get current clients to the closing table. I get very attached to my clients and it’s difficult to get used to speaking with them several times a week or even each day and then when their transaction is complete, I have a new group of people who rely on me to make sure they can buy or sell a home.  And the cycle repeats. They all know they can call me anytime and I will answer, but I have the best intentions of checking in more often than I actually have been. When I finally do get a chance to call, I don’t want it to be weird.

That wasn’t the only thing that resonated with me. It also clicked that this guy was wide open about past experiences that helped him get where he is today. I didn’t realize it at first, but this is the first person with the title “Coach” that I would consider being coached by. Though I can’t verbalize exactly what it was that didn’t resonate with me with all the other coaches I’ve encountered in the past, I kind of know why. I don’t like it when I can see an agenda. I don’t like it when I feel like I’m getting a carefully worded spiel that promises to teach me how to capture sales with carefully worded scripts. That’s just not who I am. I understand that you need to get business to have business, but if you establish and maintain genuine relationships, you won’t have to ‘booty call’ for business.

I didn’t mean for this to be a review for The Hero Nation, and I have no affiliation with them, but I do recognize why I was inspired by Wayne. This guy spoke from the heart and I recognized his authenticity. It was obvious he was passionate about what he does and why he does it. He actually gave useful information and not just the promise of it if I signed up for a coaching program.  I didn’t sign up for coaching yet, but I should consider it. (Note to self: At least send a thank you card and give the coaching a try.) This did reinforce some things I already knew:  Be yourself.  People recognize authenticity. Even if it’s been a while, pick up the phone and call people you haven’t talked to in awhile just to say hi. It doesn’t have to be weird.