By Frank Kirschner
I’d like to refresh the memories of the Realtor community with the origin of the term ‘co-op’ Realtor. Simply defined, it’s a Realtor who works or acts together with another Realtor towards a common goal or purpose – successfully negotiating the sale of a property.
Since that’s the premise the co-operative MLS system is based on, why do so many agents not act in accord with the derivation of the phrase? In a word – ego.
As managers, we too often hear war stories that curl our toes, make our blood pressure rise and cause the hair to stand up on the backs of our necks. So with all due respect to client representation, let me share a few reminders to our community at large.
Remember to extend proper personal decorum in your dealings with fellow Realtors. Thinking of them as allies, co-operating with salespeople is the first step. Living up to the term is the second. Showing each other professional courtesy and respect is a good base-line to start with. It can sound something like this: “I look forward to working with you tonight and have every confidence we’ll be able to put this together if we check our egos at the door as we do all we can to put this deal together, okay?”
Really not a hard thing to do, is it? Then why does this type of relationship so often not exist? We may simply forget, or we’ve had a bad day, or we’ve not been reminded often enough. We get caught up in the moment and forget to extend the common courtesies of our trade. We forget to start out on the right foot by letting the other agent hear our professional courtesy towards them from the very beginning of our interaction over the phone. They can feel a warm smile, they can hear a professional tone and they can sense our demeanour. They look forward to working with us as a result – and it shows in the outcome of two agents who have that attitude towards each other. Iron sharpens iron and mutual respect and professionalism, when extended, is usually returned.
On the other hand, being terse, rude or even demeaning gets one nowhere, especially when we mix in cultural diversity. We’re such a multi-cultural society in Canada; we often don’t realize how important personal dignity is to our peers, many of whom are finding it a challenge to establish themselves in our profession. On the other hand, are we co-op agents extending the same courtesies that add dignity to our own heritage?
One of the best ways to win one’s respect is to extend respect first. Let’s all take the high road and practice the golden rule – do unto others…
Forgive me for beleaguering this subject and let me get down from my soap-box; but I do believe we all need to be reminded from time to time to try a little harder. It’ll make our jobs so much easier. So please, be generous with the mutual respect – and check your ego at the door.
Frank Kirschner is a 30-year industry veteran and part of the management team at Royal LePage Your Community Realty in Vaughan, Ont. He can be contacted through Linked In, or at [email protected].
