What are you doing today that is unique?

On the way back from KL, I sat next to a real estate agent. He told me this interesting tale about his division sales manager who inspires him daily when he hunts for deals.

5 years ago, his manager was in debt of S$200k, lost his job and was contemplating bankrupcy. So he tried real estate selling. He was so poor he got no money to even deliver his marketing brochures. This is what he did:

1. He handed out his namecards to everyone in his area. At petrol kioks. At kopitiam, he would choose an occupied table so that he could meet customers. He said a queue means two person he can talk to - the person in front and the person behind you are all potential customers.

2. He woke up at 7am and greeted the residents and did house visits like a PAP Member of Parliament. And do it again the next morning and in the evening.

3. He was so obsessed with the business he did not even go for lunches with his colleagues because that's one hour he could connect and contract. Pasam malam, post office, void deck- he was everywhere. He wore his red jacket and roamed the estate tirelessly.

Before long, the entire estate knew he was fully totally committed to helping them in their real estate needs. He became so visually recognisable people hunt for him to sell their houses (which is a generic activity). He became so good and so well informed he actually knows which apartment is sold to which agents from which company.

Later, he started recruiting people who are more senior and successful than him and they joined him because the power of his conviction.

Don't need to tell you today he is a division head making a half a million a year today. But he still stays in the humble HDB area and expands his territory. His motto is "if I connect with 10 strangers a day, I will get 10k a month a year later".

And his best one "you got to do something shocking and totally different from your competitors, no matter how crazy, in order to stand out because everyone is doing the same. And the money will come. But people don't do that. They say it is too abnormal. It is too siao. It is too low class. It frightens customers. It is too much hard work. It is not "classy" or suitable for the "sen fen" (status). Must do fancy website. Must do slightly better than the competitors. And when they don't make money, they say competitors luckier than them lor. And keep doing the same thing again and again and again with minor changes until close shop."

What are you doing today that is unique?

Harold Fock

Comments

[Harish Mallipeddi]

Not to undermine this guy's enthusiasm and persistence, but in the age of the internet I'm confused why there's still the need for real-estate agents like these. It's surprising to me that most Singapore home owners haven't heard of websites like craigslist (which are completely free). The only people posting on these sites are the agents themselves!

[arthur]

U mean only PAP Members of Parliament do house visits?
I thought they are like hungry ghosts - only making house-to-house appearances during the Election Period. At least that's my experience of PAP Members of Parliament.

[Edwin T Y Yeo]

Its a great story. I liked it. Especially in the age of internet, its the personal touch that makes the difference.

[Tiat Leong]

Thanks for sharing this story. It is indeed inspiring.

The difference between success and failure is often the mindset - do we see the obstacles in front of us or do we look for ways to climb over the obstacles?

Are we hungry (no pun intended :-) enough to achieve our goals or the target that we set for ourselves?

Sometimes we may also be too distracted by 'get-rich-quick' opportunities and keep chasing one after another.

What we should do is to be focused and to keep at the task until we succeed - of course before we start, we should weigh the viability of whatever we are going to do embark on. But let not analysis paralyse us, sometimes we've just got to stop thinking and "Just Do It!"

Recently I shared with some friends that we must be like Forrest Gump - simple, focused and having a 'never say never' attitude and spirit. Then whether the economy is up or down, we can be as successful as we want to be.

Thank you.