Monday Morning Match is a quick post – maybe a quote, inspirational story or idea – intended to spark some motivation inside each of you so your week gets off to a fantastic start on Monday morning.
Like many Christians around the world, I attended Easter Mass. Along with Christmas, it’s one of the big days for those who have faith in a higher power. These two days – Easter and Christmas – are probably each church or house of worship’s busiest days, welcoming regular parishioners as well as visiting family members and the many who just don’t practice as regularly or fervently as some.
You would think with so many people in for these two services that those in charge might elect to change things up yet each year, the story remains the same. The characters never change, the settings never change and the plot never changes. Heck, some years, they read exactly the same story. And that’s exactly the point.
Whether you worship daily or just two times a year, there are some basics that just don’t get old. There’s no need to change what has worked for years. Generations have come before and generations will come after and the story will still be the same.
It’s a Tradition
Each year, CBS reminds of The Masters tournament in the commercials by saying “A tradition unlike any other.” Hank Williams, Jr. sang of his Family Traditions. College football fans get excited just thinking about that first game of the season when they can congregate in the same parking lot they have been tailgating in for years because it “just feels right.” Many of us have a morning routine on Saturdays or Sundays that might involve a pot of coffee, our slippers and robe and the New York Times. We long for a vacation from the “same old same old” we face at work each day, yet we often end up spending the week off in the same vacation home or condo we always do, eating at the same restaurants and playing at the same beach.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Let’s get “Back to the Basics”
Whether it’s coming into a new year, a new month or even a new week, many people will utter the phrase, “It’s time to get back to the basics.” I know what they are trying to say – they want to do all the things they did to make themselves successful, healthy, financially secure or whatever other measure of success they may claim. The thing I always want to ask them is “If the basics work so well, why do we have to get BACK to them? Why don’t we just do them every day?”
Trust me, I know why. Because sometimes things work so well, we quit doing them. Is anyone out there on the original diet they started years ago? Does everyone have a huge next egg saved up for that rainy day because they’ve been setting aside money out of every single paycheck or have there been a few moments of frivolity and splurge every now and then that depleted the savings a little bit?
Major League Baseball players get back to the basics every spring training. The best players in the world spend February and March in Florida or Arizona re-training themselves how to catch, throw and hot the ball. They practice parts of the game they have done since they were 6-year-olds playing tee ball. Yet each year they return for another season, the managers, coaches and trainers tell them the same old story. Run, throw, catch, hit.
You Know How This Story Goes
It’s time for you to make some phone calls, send some hand-written notes, knock on some doors and hold some open houses. Set that alarm clock 30 minutes earlier and start getting back in the office before the rest of the team like you used to do when you were just starting out. Aim for a minimum of three appointments each week with potential sellers or buyers because that’s the surest way to secure new clients…or be referred to someone who might be.
Sitting on some listings that haven’t sold? Time to have a discussion with the Sellers.
Working with a Buyer who just can’t seem to make up his/her mind? Might be a good idea to re-visit the Buyer Counseling Session and re-focus on their true wants and needs.
Schedule a lunch with your lender and remind them of your need for quick responses and confident answers. Review with your closing team the importance of proper documentation and quality work. Tell your preferred home inspector how much your clients like it when he speaks in layman’s terms and tells them not just what the problem is but how it can be fixed.
But I don’t need to tell you this, right? You’ve been here before so you know how the story goes…
“Once upon a time, there was a very successful person. He built relationships, he solved problems and he had fun. He was so good at building relationships, solving problems and having fun that he just kept doing those three things, over and over and over again.”
The End