Driven by Ideals, not Deals

An instant message reminds me what matters most in our business isn't data.

(Listen to this week’s article by playing the clip above.)

Why do you do what you do?

Over the past few weeks, I've been tired.

One reason is the crazy schedule I've been keeping, helping friends stay positive, focused and on track in a tough market. It's a lot of work, and I love every moment of it. It’s what I was designed to do.

But it has me thinking: barely two years ago I promised myself I wouldn’t overdo it again. It’s tough when you love your work; you know what I mean. Still, I’ve got to remain healthy.

So I’ll take a little vacation….

Except for the Brain Drain

Will a few days off be enough? As of this morning, I wasn’t so sure.

The other reason I’m so tired lately is the “Brain Drain” in the housing industry. More accurately, it’s a heart and brain drain, a kind of inverse-vibe spreading across the industry that’s dampening our usual spirit for lifting people up, achieving dreams, and creating abundance. I’ve dedicated 35 years to improving this industry because I believe in the mission:

We don’t sell homes, we help change lives.

Unfortunately, not everyone prioritizes that ideal. Or maybe some people have gone scorched earth because the market is difficult, and their payments are due. I couldn’t say, other than don’t read the industry headlines today on a full stomach.

Are we under attack from lions coming over the hill? Banks entering the business? Algorithmic ibuying schemes? Another big lawsuit? Nah… We’re just addicted to biting our own tails in an industry that always has a boogeyman. It’s hard to recall that just two years ago we worked together against the big lawsuit; six years ago we held hands (six feet apart) during the pandemic. Now that there isn’t really an outside enemy, we’ll make them up from the inside: MLS, portals, competitors…

How quickly the industry forgets about its health, too.

I don’t mind fighting a good fight; But nothing good is being proposed, only bad and worse. We’re hurling lawsuits at each other because we don’t like the rules any more, tearing apart MLS communities whose decades of cooperation lifted all of our boats, turning off the data-feeds on unsuspecting clients, and badmouthing brokerages on conference stages without a hint of concern for the audience, most of whom are just trying to sell a few homes and go home for dinner.

But hey, Wall Street loves that we’re crushing it, right?

The Danger of Making Deals Too Important

Much of the angst is nonsense; misguided attempts to pull up the ladder after it helped some organizations get so far. Portal wars? Exactly zero consumers care (they have decided which apps they want.) Private listing schemes? Collective amnesia about the times before MLS when nobody knew anything about any inventory.

Here’s a reminder: we barely sold 3 million homes a year in those days. Now the norm is typically 5 million. Wonder what changed.

The chaos isn’t by accident, either: disoriented agents, confused consumers, and colleagues who can’t sit in the same board room leave the industry wide open to ideas purporting to “save” everything. But if the ideas were so good, why are legislators stepping in and outlawing them? Even the justifications are tiresome: More market share? A trickle of web traffic? A point in stock price? “Taking back our data” (who created the data in the first place, and what were they doing with it then?)

I bet you’re pretty tired of the noise, too.

So I confess, I’ve felt worse than just jet lag. An industry I love has turned into a food-fight without a point, leaving everyone messy and hungry. Strange, considering the heart of every transaction is getting two parties to a closing table from opposite sides. You mean our leaders can’t sit together and figure these things out?

Unless you only care about the deals.

Then this happens…

I received a message on Facebook from a friend yesterday, someone with years of industry contribution who is still pouring into our profession. He recently moved to a firm I have worked with for decades, and was attending new orientation. He sent me this picture:

“I’m in orientation today and this is in the front of the room!”

Out of Sight But Still In Mind!

Imagine someone turning a quote from you into a poster!

Little did I know that I’d left such a mark, I’d become part of the orientation culture for my client. It’s one thing for someone to say, “thinking of you today.” It’s another to thing they took something you said years ago and turned it into a big poster in their office.

It reminded me why I do this hard work: to live a career that not driven by deals:

It’s driven by ideals!

I’ve always led with this philosophy. Sales careers are precious opportunities to change people’s lives. In housing, we routinely turn our clients into lifelong friends. We remember their birthdays, kids’ names, and big dreams. We remain connected on personal pages on social media, not just business ads.

Leading a career powered by ideals means taking responsibility for the big marks we leave behind.

When I saw this photo, my batteries were instantly recharged.
My heart reconnected with my purpose.
All thoughts of exhaustion disappeared.

Suddenly all the news headlines became irrelevant. They’re just noise; consumers and colleagues really don’t care. And if I focus on what I’m doing, neither will I.

As long as we remember that ideals, not just deals, drive the good life, we can make a difference in our industry: There’s always good work to be done. Lead by example. Avoid the people who have forgotten it. I don’t need to fix everything or everyone. I’m here to do my thing.

And the people who resonate with me will appear, engage, enjoy, and even turn a few good words into a daily reminder.

Some things last in life. Deals come, and deals go. Your competitor today will be your partner tomorrow, when something happens and you wake up facing the same problem, or merged unexpectedly. A year or two from now, today’s boogeymen will be laughable. We’ll ask ourselves:

Did we really fight about that?

If you’re feeling tired today, remember this:

The noise is meaningless.
Your clients don’t care.
Nor do most of your competitors,
who still want to be colleagues,
if you let them.

Fighting over data and deals,
may get you attention for a while.
But it’s the people pouring their ideals
into relationships who always pay off,
forever.

Who knows? Maybe someday someone will send you a message, too. A thank you note, or an instant message that says, I remember that thing you said, those beliefs you held, the ideal to make a difference. I don’t even remember the deals we did, but I’ll never forget who I did them with!

You will have left a mark.

It won’t show up in the data, but it won’t fade from their hearts.

Someone is thinking of you today, too.

I promise.

— M