What on Earth does that title mean??

Well the quote, "service is black and white, hospitality is color" is from the book, Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara and he attributes this to a woman he once chose not to hire. And this is an amazing quote for me to use as the basis for this month's blog post. 

I recently shared a cup of coffee with a friend, and we discussed the change in real estate from almost two years ago, the removal of commission from the public eye and putting it in the offer. Now to back up, if you don't know what this means; basically commission for a buyers agent in real estate is now part of an offer, and it's not legally just an agreed amount between firms.

No, it's now a negotiation tool in an offer, but almost no agent I interact with gets this and uses it appropriately. Now, I get to agree with my buyer clients on an amount they would be willing to pay me; 2%, 2.1%, 3%, or whatever I want. And guess what we get to ask the seller to pay that in an offer, but most agents still think the line is supposed to be what they put in their listing contract as what is offered. WRONG!!! My clients get to ask for any amount they want in their offer and that's what we do. And guess what, I can charge my buyers more than what the typical industry charges and sometimes I choose to do that based on what services I'm providing. Essentially if I'm providing more to one client than another I can choose to charge them more.

Okay, so short explaining moment done, now back to the purpose of this blog. The quote noted above really resonated with me because it's how I believe in operating in real estate, in life, with my family, and in all aspects of what I do. 
 - The concept of what to do is easy; wash the dishes, put clothes away, open a door for a client, write a good offer, go to your kids sporting event; all of these are ways you can and should serve (if you're me). That's black and white.
 - But the idea of going above and beyond, that's hospitality and that's adding the color to life. 

Instead of just washing the dishes, maybe consider also cleaning the stovetop after each use. Instead of just writing a good offer, maybe consider helping them find a moving and unpacking company if they are busy in life and could use the assist. Don't just go to the kids sporting event, consider truly paying attention and working with your child to get better while at home.

These were my thoughts after Chapter 1 of Unreasonable Hospitality, where or where will we go from here???

When I meet with a client for the first time, we have a "get to know ya" conversation. They could be buying, selling, or both, but before we dive into that I like to spend some time getting to the person(s) because we are going to be in a relationship with each other for a period of time and hopefully the relationship ends in a way that is mutual and we are still friends. 

I am a believer in relationships come first in life and in business; heck it's how I obtain almost all of my clients; through relationships I already have established. And so if I say that "people will never forget how you made them feel" I am clearly a believer in making people feel loved, valued, seen, heard, respected, and probably many more positive adjectives.

#HumansOverHouses is the hashtag that NextHome uses as a company to shout our mindset each and every day, and it's one of the reasons I am with this company. As I've made clear, it's about the relationships and the people, not the deal. If you've read any of my others posts, including the first part of this, you know that for me it's about relationships and people, not just simply collecting a paycheck.

So, I read Unreasonable Hospitality, and first I'll say, I loved it. Plus I've heard Will speak and he's got the ability to captivate the room. But how do I take what he wrote about & preaches and incorporate that into my business so my clients feel that, know that I care about them, and want to share my name & number with their family and friends.

 - Well first and foremost, I could just operate with "reaonable" vs "unreasonable" hospitality because that's still positive and should be the bare minimum.
 - But here's an idea, what if everything I did was with intentionality, from the most mundane task to the most important task in the process of buying or selling a home? 

Examples
 - If you've bought a home, then you have been set up on a search by an agent, and you also use Zillow, Realtor, and plenty of other sites. But what if your agent took time to scour the market and sent you a personal text with some homes that meet your criteria, explaining why and sharing their thoughts before you've even reached out. Would you feel heard that I noticed little things you like and dislike?
 - How about touring homes as a buyer; ever done that in the rain? I should really buy a few umbrellas to keep in my truck to offer to you like a valet at a restaurant so you don't get soaked walking into the home.
 - We are all adults who can buy a beverage, but what if I kept a cooler of water bottles and knew your coffee order so I could provide that for you before going on several tours? 

These are some basic examples of going above and beyond and no I'm not going to charge a customer more for these kinds of services as their agent.

Unreasonableness is going above and beyond, and a version of this is not something I've done but the right situation hasn't presented itself yet. But it has crossed my mind that I could assist clients with moving services, unpacking, organizing, cleaning, and food service to make the moving process much less stressful. Now that costs money obviously, but what if I coordinate all of it and simply charge it as part of that buyer agency fee. We can have the conversation up front, and you would know what I'm providing, and be willing to pay it; and we can try to get the seller to pay my fee in negotiations, but if they are unwilling then you have agreed to have me handle that. Then you get to move into your house and not have to deal with any of the boring and tedious moving aspects and simply get to relax. This is a bit unreasonable isn't it?

But potentially the most convicting idea that came from this book is the "Thank You Gift" that I give each & every client I've worked with. Yes, realtors give out gifts at closing as a thank you for the opportunity to help with the transaction. And I've given out some great gifts, but the "great" ones I'd say were situational, not in every transaction. Every transaction has had a gift, but I am realizing I could do so much more without spending a ton of money to gift something meaningful to each client. 
 - How about the family that sold a home they've owned for 30 years? Maybe a printed/drawn photo of the home?
 - If I know they are big fans of a certain musician, maybe a stack of that artists CDs, or a cool coffee table book.
 - Or if I know you are a fan of a specific type of food, how about a gift card to a local restaurant of that style.

Actually the coolest idea I had is to create a brochure of what to do in the community someone moved to, including parks, restaurants, stores, and proximity to places. Imagine moving to a new town or state and being provided with a guide of what to do. Everyone gives wine or home signs, but how can I be different, and maybe a bit unreasonable? Would this help me build that relationship and stay connected with my clients long-term? I'm going to say, Let's Try It!!

We can all choose to do what's right, or choose to go above and beyond and make people appreciate us a bit more. This book has set the wheels spinning in my head on what I can incorporate in my business going forward, and some of those small things are what's going to be on the docket for now. Because when I am done helping a client with a real estate transaction, I want them to remember me as the person that helped them move into their home, not as the guy that made the deal happen; it's about the people & their dreams, not just a check.

Have you read Unreasonable Hospitality; if so, what were your takeaways?