Analysis Paralysis!

I have taught Realtors and sales forces for almost a decade now. From brand-new rookies to career agents, I know one thing that will never change... change itself! Change will constantly come at us, and no matter how much we think we know, we don't. There is always the need for additional knowledge and training. Information and experience are vital to the decisions we make on a daily basis. With the knowledge we have, and the benefit of past lessons learned, we can better assess the risk involved with any endeavor that may require an investment of our time, money, or emotions. That being said, we will seldom have an unqualified answer to the question: "Should I stay, or should I go"?

Several years ago, I was training a new twenty-something agent on my sales force when I was with a local RE/Max franchise. One of the first skills I taught this group of "newbies" was how to find prospective clients. This particular agent was attentive, thoughtful, and took copious notes in my Tuesday morning sales meetings. Jeff was what most sales trainers dream of; a clean slate devoid of bad sales habits, someone who was "coachable". Indeed, he asked a lot of questions every Tuesday morning, and most every other day as well. He asked a lot of good questions, but mostly just A LOT of questions. Initially I didn't mind. After all, that was part of my job. Although, after a month or more of this, and no clients to show for it, it finally dawned on me where his head was. His lack of confidence in being able to overcome every possible objection, stopped him in his tracks.

One Tuesday morning, after the rest of the team of new agents cleared out of the training room, I said to him; "Jeff, you do realize you will never have all the answers to every challenge that may arise beforehand, don't you? In other words, you cannot possibly absorb everything from a textbook, or class in an attempt to eliminate a problem before it reveals itself to you". Jeff looked to the side, back at me, then widened his eyes. This was his moment of Zen. Though I do not consider myself his "guru", a light had clicked on for him. A switch that for many of us never gets flipped. It's the realization that in order to pursue success, we must first be willing to fail.

So many people want to keep a perfect track record. As though THAT was more important than actually doing the job itself. I have stated several times; "perfection is overrated". More on that in a later post. But, this concept of never being willing to make a mistake is sadly permeating our society. It's not just with the young people, either. Those changing career fields, also seem to have a certain aversion to failure. Granted, there's nothing wrong with wanting to do a job well. That's admirable, though it shouldn't stifle our ability to perform at all. In the words of Marcus Lemonis, "Have no fear and be willing to fail." Most challenges have more than one solution, but none of them will be completely perfect anyway.

Fortunately, it is NOT the job of a Realtor to know everything. It is the job of the Realtor, or sales professional to understand our client's goals, then find the information that will be pertinent to our clients making an informed decision. Yes, we are compensated for helping others to avoid (or at least properly assess) the risks involved. That's why we exist! We are the professionals. But, we didn't become that by never making mistakes or by just asking a bunch of questions. So stop worrying about not knowing everything, and get to work. Your clients need you!


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