Gross Profit? Nope — Just Plain Gross.
Wince Worthy Tales of Coronavirus Real Estate Sales Pitches
Suppose we suddenly wake up and see that what we thought to be this and that, ain’t this and that at all?― Jack Kerouac
Your customer doesn’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.-– Damon Richards
Crass commercialism is doing well, that which should not be done at all — Gore Vidal
I sell residential real estate in New York City. As New Yorkers, we sit in the epicenter of the U.S. coronavirus tragedy.
As New York real estate agents, we are trained to be resourceful, relentless, independent, and goal-driven.
But now isn’t the time.
Here are 10 real estate scenarios, pitches and zoom-call comments from agents, brokerages, marketers and coaches that made me wince this week:
- “Practice Social Distancing on your own huge Balcony!” Um, gee, lovely. All I ever hoped for.
- There’s the story of the agent who secured a truckload of mini-bottles of hand sanitizer and customized each bottle with her name, logo, and contact information. Think of me every time you contemplate the contagion.
- “Island Fortress! — Private Floor Pent House!” Isn’t that why you love the city? For the isolation!
- “More than ever, you need advice about what to post” Oh my gosh, I’m so freaked out I forgot how to use Facebook!
- “Ease into your Saturday with New Deals” Just another laid back weekend in New York City.
- ”For just $99 you get two webinars per week with me and real estate leaders…all designed to deliver the guidance, tools, scripts, and mental toughness to get through this difficult disruption” Oh golly gee, another paid webinar. That will surely make me mentally tough.
- “Escape To The Pines” That didn’t work too well for Christopher and Paulie on The Sopranos.
- There was the story of the agent who insisted that showing real estate in-person was every bit as essential as keeping grocery stores and pharmacies open. Bending the curve be damned.
- “Escape The City!” And spread the contagion from our Hot Spot!
- “A Personal Note regarding The Struggle” Trust me, it was very very personal.
I certainly don’t have many answers here. But I do have a sense that if it feels wrong, it almost always is wrong. And, for me, the “business-as-usual” focus, mania for productivity, and self-improvement mandates all feel off. It’s not the right time.
Don’t misunderstand me, I still admire resourcefulness, independence, and productivity. And I understand the anxiety of seemingly doing nothing.
But more than ever, I’m working on adding in these qualities : empathy, rationality, kindness, responsiveness, acceptance, self-care and community.
So do me a favor, move as you see fit towards gross profit — just make sure, especially now, you are not being gross.
