Imagine this scenario. You're sitting in your office and the receptionist forwards you a floor call from a potential buyer. The caller says something like this: "I'm lookin' fer a little piece of land on the outskirts of town to move my double-wide to. Just a nice little place fer me and the missus to retire on. Kin you hep me?"

Okay, so you're probably not overly excited about hep'ing this particular buyer, unless little pieces of land on the outskirts of town are your thing. You might be tempted to politely brush off this particular caller or, if you're in a particularly generous frame of mind, find someone a little hungrier than you are to refer him to (and get that juicy 25% referral!).

But what if he followed up by saying, "Oh, ‘n my uncle will be movin' up this-a-away in a few months and he'll be looking fer a place to keep his collection of vintage Ferrari's - mebbe something with a view and a pool, with a nice pasture fer his thoroughbreds."

Suddenly you see Mr. Double-Wide in a whole new light, might you not?

Here's the thing. Everyone you encounter during the course of doing business has friends, family and mebbe even a rich uncle or two. Whether or not Mr. DW ever buys his little piece of heaven outside of town really isn't the point. Whether Rich Uncle DW ever shows up or even exists isn't the point, either.

What IS the point? That it won't hurt any of us to take that extra hour (maybe even two!) to make an effort to impress any warm body who voluntarily puts him or herself in our presence. Even if he's not-yet-qualified. Even if she doesn't plan to buy or sell til 2010. Even if they're looking for a little piece of land in the flood plain.

Every person who crosses your path is a potential gold mine of business for you, if you treat them respectfully and competently. Treat every buyer like he has a rich uncle waiting in the wings and you may be surprised how many of them do!

Published: October 16, 2008

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Jennifer Allan is a former top producing real estate broker, a published author, a speaker and a trainer. She has written five books a bout the business of selling real estate, including her flagship book: Sell with Soul: Creating an Extraordinary Career in Real Estate without Losing Your Friends, Your Principles or Your Self-Respect. Her new book entitled "If You’re Not Having Fun Selling Real Estate, You're Not Doing it Right!" will be released in early 2010. Jennifer believes that the secret of success for real estate agents is not in aggressive marketing techniques or hard-core sales pitches, but rather in being competent in one's craft. Competence begets Confidence. And in today's world of increasingly suspicious and ad-weary consumers, having an air of self-assurance and enthusiasm will be far more effective than a slick sales campaign. Jennifer writes and speaks with this philosophy in mind. She preaches that salespeople should follow the Golden Rule in their day-to-day practice of business - treating clients and prospects respectfully, as the salesperson him or herself would like to be treated. Being competent, reliable and fair, and motivated by a true desire to earn a paycheck, not just show up at closing with hand outstretched. She is a regular contributor to several real estate newsletters and magazines, a member of the RE/MAX Hall of Fame and one of the industry's most popular bloggers. You can learn more about Jennifer's "soulful" philosophies at www.SellWithSoul.com. Subscribe to Jennifer Allan's Newsletter for SOI'ers Tips & Strategies for Generating Business from Your Sphere of Influence Your Email Address: Your Name: