So I’m coming up on my first full year of practicing real estate. I’ve met lots of wonderful people and I’ve learned, and still learning, so much that it could make any ones head explode… I’m sure mine has a time or two. HA!
One major thing I’ve learned about this business and about myself for that matter, is that your phone number is THE. MOST. IMPORTANT. THING! You’re probably thinking, “Well duh, Jamie! That’s how most people get a hold of someone.” Well… Let me tell you why it’s the most important thing to me.
Sooooo back to that little thing called a phone number. A phone number is the most important thing to have, especially in business… that is if you want to be successful. But honestly, that’s the only true way of getting in touch with someone. So if you don’t have one, well then you need to upgrade from whatever it is you’re using and move along with the rest of the world. But I guess if you don’t have a phone number then the chances of you reading this post is very unlikely. So yes, a phone number is important, but it’s not just any phone number, It’s YOUR phone number. The one you want to use so people can contact YOU. I promise there’s a point to this, keep reading.
At the beginning of this year I attended a networking event. It was very informative and I met tons of wonderful people with great beautiful minds. During this event I collected several business cards. One in particular was another real estate agent, lets call him Kevin. So at this time I thought to myself, why am I taking his card? I’m now a real estate agent too, so I don’t need his information. Well.. I wanted to be nice, so I took it and placed it in my bag. Later, and I mean weeks later, I decided that it’s time to work on my database. So I start with the huge stack of business cards that I have been collecting over the past few months or so. I get to Kevin’s card, and still thinking very foolishly that I don’t need his information, but, I continued to enter his contact info into my database…. Because honestly, you never know, I actually may need him some day.
Well, that day came sooner then I expected. I was working with a client that was relocating from out of state to the Dallas area, lets call him Mark. Mark and I were out touring homes and as we’re driving from one house to the next, he asked if we could go see a property that he just found. I said, absolutely.. let me schedule it because most homes require an hour notice. Well this particular home required a two hour notice. TWO HOURS?? We didn’t have that kind of time as he needed to get back home, which again was out of state. So I said…you know what, not a problem, I will just call the listing agent and explain the situation and see if they can get us in. So I pulled that listing agents information and guess who it was…. it was Kevin. I was so excited about this because I was sure he was going to remember me and do all that he can do to help me and my client. After all, we are Facebook friends at this point. I call his CELL phone number, which is the number that was on his business card that he gave me. It rings and rings, then right as I thought I was about to hear his lovely voice, I get a robot that wants me to enter a code that had nothing to do with connecting me with Kevin. This auto-message came from his brokers office. So I thought.. maybe I entered the wrong number. So I called every number that was on his card and I still got that same robot.
This is embarrassing to me because I am sitting in front of my client and I can’t get a hold of this agent. At this point I’m scrambling around trying to email him and praying that he actually gets his emails and not some random robot. I even sent him a Facebook message. By the way, this happened on a Saturday around noon. I send this short and sweet email and begin to wait.. Mark and I continue to tour the homes that were left on our list. An hour goes by and we are finishing up….still waiting for a response from Kevin and we never get it. I’m so bummed out for my client because he really was interested in this property. It’s also a bummer for Kevin because he just lost out on a potential offer. Mark saw how hard I tried to make it happen and he appreciated that. I think if we were able to get into that property, Mark would’ve placed an offer. I believe that things happen for a reason, I still don’t know what that reason is, but Mark is now living in a much better place and has lots of exciting things happening to him.
My point is… If you’re an agent, make sure the number you give out is a good number to reach YOU. I mean, do you even know how many potential clients you are missing? The average person is not going to wait through a recording. Plus it’s just rude. But if you’re someone who is looking to hire an agent, please do yourself a favor and make sure that it’s a good number to reach that agent, especially if you want to limit the stress of buying or selling a home.
One little fun fact about me, is that I am super attached to my phone number. I don’t know why, but it’s part of my identity. It’s like my social security number. I’ve had it for as long as I can remember and it’s never changing… unless my cellular provider forces me too. Then that will be a very sad day for me. So if we meet and I give you my number, every time you call it you will reach ME…Not an assistant and definitely not a robot. If you get my voicemail, that just means I’m with a client or busy doing amazing things, but I will get back with you in a timely manner. Also, I can’t stand looking at those red notifications on ANYTHING. So I promise, if you leave me a message, I will hear it and respond quickly.
“Hey I just met you, and this is crazy, but here’s my number, so call me maybe”….Good luck with getting that silly little tune out of your head.. But seriously, call me! 936-371-1083
