“The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra.”
-Jimmy Johnson, American football broadcaster and former player, coach, and executive.
We live in an age where increasing importance is placed on tracking the return on investment (ROI) in almost everything we do. It’s a side effect of living in a digital world. Google has built an empire by tracking and monetizing every question you ask them and link you click. Software tracks web traffic and the number of leads we receive online. Marketers use special call capture systems and variable 1-800 numbers to know which ads make the phone ring. The phrase “data driven decision making” is commonplace.
While metrics help us save time and money, we have to guard against becoming too obsessed with tracking direct return on every investment. If we do not, we risk losing our humanity, the very thing which builds strong communities in which there is an implicit belief that doing good in the world ultimately results in getting good in return.
Call it karma, the Golden Rule, or the Truth of Reciprocity, but to be extraordinary, you must make the leap of faith that while you cannot measure the hundred of small, thoughtful efforts that take up a little of your time and energy, they will come back to you– either directly, or indirectly, in the form of making the world a little more civilized, and someone’s day a little brighter.
Real estate is fundamentally a client service and relationship marketing business, and if you wish to succeed, you must be comfortable “letting go, and letting good” happen in your day-to-day life.
The best systems for staying in touch with clients come down to making a concerted effort to practice random acts of kindness. Referrals hinge on the little “extra” that elevates you from ordinary to extraordinary, and you can’t spend all your time keeping track of who’s scratched your back today. Lead faith in people. Give it away and I guarantee you’ll get it in return.
