That is certainly an interesting question? Do you know the answer? You should be able to write out and articulate it clearly. Whether you know it or not you have an answer. We all have a business philosophy.
What I mean by business philosophy is the guidelines for doing business, personally and professionally. Your standard business practices and procedures for what you do.
One part of your business philosophy should encompass your value per hour. The amount of money you are worth per hour. What you are willing to do to earn the money you make per hour? It could also encompass your average commission check. If you understand your value per hour and your average commission check, you can determine the type of people you are willing to work with. For some agents, you may not be able to help people in a certain price range due to your hourly wage or average commission check amount.
If you have developed and understand your business philosophy you are better equipped to qualify potential clients. When the buyer does not give you the exact answer you need, you can refer him to another agent in the office or drop him because he does not meet your philosophy.
The truth is we were not put on this earth to help everyone buy or sell a home. There are people we cannot help. There are people, as much as we try, who really do not want our help. Yet most agents continue to work with them, hoping to win them over. My philosophy was wishing these types of clients the best of luck and sending them on their way. Often these people actually believe they know more about selling and buying than we do. Now why would I spend my time trying to prove to them that their reality is false? I am going to lose either way in that discussion. Wouldn't I be better to throw them back like an undersized fish? Let someone else catch them and waste their time. The truth is that fish is not going to grow much more once you put them in your bucket, or do I mean car? This strict philosophy does not make the people who don't fit your business philosophy bad people. But it also does not make you a bad person either. It just makes you a businessperson that expects a reasonable profit for the time you are investing.
Once you are clear on your philosophy of what a client is and what you expect from a client, you do not have to deal with people who did not conform to your philosophy. You need to concisely define your world of business. This definition will enable you to better select the people to work with. We have all selected the wrong people, bent on our beliefs, spent large amounts of time and money working with people we should not have and felt awful afterwards. In some instances, we were never paid or appreciated for our efforts. You will feel much better turning them down before you invest your time, energy, and money in a losing cause.
By knowing the client your are looking for before going out to search for clients will enable you to find them. There is a law of life called the law of attraction. That law clearly states you will have a tendency to attract what you are thinking about and looking for. If you were thinking about buying a black Jeep Grand Cherokee and you went out driving it is amazing how many your mind will find on the road. You may have never noticed them before but because you are contemplating a purchase they are everywhere.
Do not get frustrated if you are having difficulties finding clients who meet your business philosophy. You will ultimately attract the well-defined client you are looking for. Why not create a strong philosophy and definition of your clients so you will start to attract those types of clients. You will also learn to quickly dispense with those that do not meet your standard or philosophy, so you are able to invest your time wisely to find the right clients for your business.
