Growing up, my parents, teachers, sensei, mentors, and drill sergeants instilled specific core values in me. They were drummed into my head with the understanding that if I followed these values and code of ethics, things with generally work out in my favor. I have tried to live by these principles my entire life. I have held them high on my list of qualities that I respect and admire in other people. These guidelines were not exclusive to me. They were universal. From the start of elementary school to the end of my military service, almost all of my peers were expected to abide by this set of rules. Amongst this code of ethics, loyalty was right at the top.
I was taught that loyalty was sacred, a value that was interconnected with many other values. It wasn’t as simple as it seemed on the surface. Loyalty was a value that should never be taken for granted and indeed not an entitlement. It had to be earned. And to earn loyalty, you had to conduct yourself with a certain level of integrity.
Recently, I can’t help but think that loyalty seems to have lost its luster. It is most certainly lower on the rung of principles that are held in high regard today. Money and power have superseded loyalty in the hierarchy of the universal code of ethics, especially in business and particularly in the real estate business.
One of my first exposures to experiencing this shift in values came in my first year as a real estate agent. I was contacted by a young couple looking to move to a larger apartment. I showed them no less than 70 homes while working with them over six months. I always had the mindset that no matter how long it took me to find them their dream home, I would do whatever was needed for as long as required to show them every option until we found that perfect place. The satisfaction and reward for all my hard work and time spent would come in the form of a commission check and the knowledge that we worked together to achieve their goal. I spoke to these clients every day. They became close friends. They were my first call whenever I found a new listing that matched their criteria. On Monday morning, I received a call from them letting me know they had found their dream home at an open house, had submitted a bid, and were waiting for a contract -without me. If you have been in the real estate business long enough, you’ve had a similar experience.
This experience tortured me for weeks. I asked myself if I had dropped the ball. How had I failed them? What could I have done differently to change the outcome? At the end of the day, I realized that there was nothing I could have done. These were clients who saw the world differently and operated under a different code of ethics and values. Loyalty was not in their book.
As an agent who gets paid only if and when a closing occurs, we have to determine the percentage of success we expect to achieve when working with a customer. The client’s loyalty to us and our process is a big part of our ability to succeed. It is as essential for an agent to choose their client as it is for the client to select their agent. And it is even more critical for an agent to make sure they share the same set of values and code of ethics as their client.
Let’s do this.
-Shaun