Dave Robison

By Dave Robison

It was a beautiful day and I was excited to get working.  One of my agents, Debbie, came into the office all ready to start her day, too. She had a buyer who, though she had seen around 15 homes, couldn’t come to a conclusion about what she wanted to buy. I had shown the same buyer homes, and I knew about her difficulty with decision making as well.

Debbie said to me, “I don’t know what to do. The buyer isn’t a fun buyer; she’s kinda grumpy. She doesn’t care about me, and is wasting my time. She’s really becoming a pain in my butt.” I noticed how Debbie didn’t have any energy to help this buyer, and she was just talking negatively about the client.

I said, “You know what? The client told me just yesterday how she liked you and thought highly of you.”

Debbie’s face seemed to glow. “Really?’ she said.

“Yes, and you can’t let someone down who likes you. Help her out.”

The next thing you know, her energy level picked up. The buyer bought a home, and Debbie and the buyer started going to lunches together. Debbie and the buyer’s relationship changed not because of something the buyer did. It changed because Debbie’s perception changed. She treated the buyer differently because she couldn’t let down someone who liked her. She stopped talking negatively about the client and treated the buyer like royalty.

Talking negatively about other people is like taking cocaine. It becomes addicting, and before you know it, your business suffers.

Let me tell you about a guy who was in the same class as me once. Everyone in the room loved this person. He was full of energy and made everyone smile.  I thought he was bound for success.  Years later, I heard about some people who had bad experiences working with him. I thought maybe it was just a fluke.

When I saw the guy again, the first thing he talked about was dishonest people. I heard from him again a short time later. The first thing he did was complain about how other people have ruined his business. This person was bound for success at one time, but now his business is ruined. Sadly, he looked totally different than when I first met him. The cheerful, warm, inviting glow was gone. Instead, his head hung low with eyes that looked at the floor and negative energy and anger just bottled up and ready to burst.

He took the cocaine too many times. It became a habit. And look where it got him. He’s trapped. He thinks other people have wronged him, when the truth is he has wronged himself. But now it’s too late. He can’t see that perception. He’s been on the “negative cocaine” too long.

The Code of Ethics isn’t just for protecting other REALTORS® from people saying negative things about them. It’s there to protect you as well. Talking negatively about others is like taking cocaine. It makes you feel like you are better than them for a short period of time. Eventually, you will become the grumpy guy who has lost his business.  If you change your mindset and speak highly of others, you will have great relationships and a successful business.

Dave Robison, known as “Utah Dave,” is a broker/owner of Robison & Company Real Estate.