“He who trims himself to suit everyone will soon whittle himself away.”
One of the great pleasures of being an entrepreneur is deciding exactly what kind of business you want to run. This includes, but is not limited to: How you spend your time, what you sell, why you sell what you sell, and (within the limits of the law and decency) the clients you choose to serve.
Now, you may be saying to yourself: Hey, everyone’s money spends the same! And it’s true, once you’ve closed the deal and cleared expenses, a profit is a profit. But how you’ve gone about securing that cash may be quietly defining who you are and what you do… without your consent.
You should take care in your career to mind who you’ve become along the way to earning a living. One of the strangest laws of business I’ve ever encountered is the one that says “you tend to get more of what you do.” It’s a slippery slope, too. Take a listing or a client you wouldn’t normally represent for some quick cash and before you know it, your day is filled with listings and clients you don’t particularly want to represent!
Sometimes you have to take a stand and decide which direction you want to go. This means declining opportunities which don’t fit with your vision for the future. Do you want to build a reputation as luxury condo agent or a distressed property specialist for investors? This might mean turning down one or the other along the way.
Your attention to client service is a given in this industry. If you don’t work on perfecting your attention to detail and commitment to excellent, professional representation, you’ll never make your mark. But also be mindful of how you differentiate yourself and how keeping track of who you are and what your core values are define the work you do every day.
