It’s early in my career, 1985, and my pager is going off like crazy. Buyers. Showings. Faxes that need to be picked up. I’m a driven CPA turned Realtor and it’s all becoming too much. It just seems there’s not enough hours in the day to get it all done.
I look at the pager. It’s one of my sellers and it’s about the 4th time she’s tried to get me. I call her back and she gives me a harsh truth, she’s feeling disappointed that I’m not giving her enough attention. This was a big client. We’d recently listed her $300,000 Southwest DC townhouse and that was a big number back in ‘85.
She was absolutely right. I’d been spreading myself too thin. Back in the ‘80s, Realtors did everything themselves and didn’t hire anyone to help them. In my enthusiasm to succeed, I was taking on too much and not realizing how time consuming each transaction could be. With every new client, the things I needed to do seemed to explode exponentially.
I needed help, but money was tight and I was barely making enough money for myself. How could I afford to pay an assistant?
I was feeling apprehensive and a bit scared, so I called my Dad.
“Son,” he said, “when I graduated dental school I had to sign a lease for an office. I had to take out a loan to buy dental equipment. I had to hire a receptionist. I had to hire a hygienist. I had just moved to a new city and I didn’t know anyone. I didn’t have a single patient. And you’re worried about hiring a part time assistant?”
That was all I needed to hear. By the end of the week, I’d made my first hire and I was on my way.
It’s funny how life works. You never know how things will turn out. Who would have guessed that an unhappy client would prompt a phone call with Dad, that would inspire me to make my first hire, that would eventually grow into the Ron Sitrin Team.
Thanks to Dad’s advice then. I am surrounded by an amazing team now.
Thanks Dad and Happy Fathers Day!
