Through my career, I heard many speakers use this phrase, and I always got a chuckle out of it. It was funny because it was cute, and sadly, kind of true. Whenever presented on stage, a group laugh would move through the audience. The laughter seemed genuine at first, but as the realization of the truth behind the statement hit home, the laughter would trickle off, leaving behind a trace of embarrassment and unease.
Society has traditionally ranked Real Estate Agents toward the bottom of the respectability scale. The industry seems to be placed somewhere above Used Car Dealers and below … well… most everyone else. (Apologies to any Used Car Dealers, no offense intended.) I certainly didn’t feel that way for all of my career, but early on when some interested party inquired as to what I did for a living, I would feel my hand creep toward my mouth in a faux-cough and “I sell real estate.”, would come out as a muffled gasp. This maneuver was quickly followed by a question intended to re-direct the conversation.
Perhaps I felt embarrassed about my choice of employment because I had not chosen Real Estate so much as fallen into it, when there were few options available to me. All though I am a career salesperson, Real Estate was not my first stop. I only had four real-life exposures to Real Estate growing up.
Real-Life 1: In childhood, my friend Kelly’s mom was an agent. She always seemed to be home during the day. She would lounge outside, lying on her folding chair, dressed in a bikini, cold drink in hand and working on her tan. Not a bad life.
Real-Life 2: We had bought a house in Cambridge, sold a house in Cambridge and bought a farm outside of London (using a great agent, Wendy Mickus with Re/Max, sadly she’s passed on now, she made the job look effortless).
Real-Life 3: Mike Ferry is certainly larger than life. My husband had lugged a huge pile of Mike Ferry VHS tapes that he had bought on a garage sale. In fact, these tapes should have scared me off of Real Estate forever. If you think Mike is tough now, you should watch these old tapes.
Real-Life 4: Glengarry Glen Ross. ‘Nuf said.
Eventually, as time wore on and my confidence grew, I developed pride in the industry that I’m part of. Not only that, but I had no problem plastering my vehicle with my business information and driving it like a mobile badge of pride. Real Estate is a tough industry. It’s hard to be successful and it’s hard to last. If you have made it through the financial stresses, family hurdles, numerous courses and ups and downs of a Real Estate career, don’t hesitate to let people know.
Hand out that card with pride. Collect your referrals when you’ve parked your license. Don’t be a Secret Agent, be a Proud Agent.