Inspired responsibility

A coaching client booked her call for this past week. She showed up 5 minutes late - after I reminded her via text and then resent the Zoom link.

When she got on Zoom, she said, “Your coaching isn’t working.”

Or maybe she’s not working the coaching.

Now, maybe my coaching is no good. Or maybe the coaching I gave her was wrong. On the other hand, I almost never tell people what to do - because that’s not coaching. Coaching is enabling people to see things they didn’t see before, the seeing of which uncovers a new way of being or operating that creates different results.

What’s for sure not working is her lack of responsibility (and maybe integrity - honoring her word, at least in regards to being on time). If you are 100% committed to your success, then you show up ON TIME for your coaching call. You show up with what you have done, what worked, what didn’t, and are ready to have a discussion on what’s missing.

In my experience, any time something is not working in my life and business, it is almost always a result of me not taking responsibility for something. When I show up to a workshop and the room is not full, I have two choices: blame the person who put it on, or look to myself and see what I missed to have had that room full. Easier to do the first thing, but it makes no difference. If you are blaming, you are likely losing. Blaming is a victim mentality.

If there is an area of your business (or life) that isn’t working, I invite you to look for something to be responsible for.

Not every client needs you

I offered a one-time coaching call to some folks, and one woman, Diane, signed up to discuss a situation with a seller - who also is her neighbor two doors down the street. 

We had some scheduling challenges, and as it turned out, we had the call while she was in the car with another set of her real estate clients. Her buyer client, Terry, was driving, so Diane was free to be on the call with me. However, Diane had the phone on speaker, and Terry couldn’t help but chime in along the way. (BTW: The circumstances of this call are one of the most hilarious coaching call situations I have ever had)

Diane was sharing that the seller on her street is not cooperating. After six months, the house isn’t selling, and the seller is not being collaborative or cooperative. Diane was wondering what to do as the listing agreement expires at the end of the month.

Terry speaks up. Terry is a retired auto mechanic and gives us the following:

“If a customer comes to me with an electrical problem, I spend a maximum of two hours on it. If I can’t find the problem in two hours, it’s likely to take an inordinate number of additional hours, and that won’t be good for the customer. So after two hours, I hand the keys back to the customer and apologize for not being able to help them.”

Then he says, “Every car can be repaired, but not every car can be repaired profitably.”

Mic drop.

Real estate agents often have “clients” who can not be serviced profitably. When you aren’t clear on the value of your time, you are more likely to find yourself in this situation than not. Pretty soon, it’s 6 months, 12 months, or....4 years later - still chasing that elusive electrical problem. 

Being Inspired By Your Clients

This past week, I was in Phoenix, attending workshops, broker opens, and participating as a student in a program. 

One of the reasons I travel: I love the opportunity to be with agents in their own markets. On Wednesday, I went to a $7 million listing with a view that stretched over the whole valley. The listing agent was incredibly gracious. He greeted everyone humbly, intentionally, and was 100% present. He wasn’t on his phone. He wasn’t pompous. He made everyone feel welcome. By the way, this is a broker who sells $200 million/year. Distinctly different. What’s distinct? Who he is. Of course he does that kind of production, because he is a Professional Worth Hiring!

In the course I was attending, one of the questions we were engaging in was the following:

“What if you had a philosophy of business that connects people to their heart, inspires imagination, creates access to extraordinary accomplishment, and produces fulfillment in work and in life?”

Yes! That has been my intention, and it is being fulfilled - for me, and for my clients.

When I flew into Phoenix Monday night, I got off the plane, turned on my phone, and got a message from one of my coaching clients. He was relating something one of his clients said to him that day: 

“...how appreciative we are of you and how well taken care of we feel...”

And then, 

“We are better off for having known you.”

I’ve listened to this voicemail a dozen or more times - I am still floored every time I listen to it. What I am present to is the transformation in my client - he is having a totally different experience in his business - you could say that it is “profound”.

Back to you: How many of your clients say that? Forget for a moment about them saying that to you. Do they feel that way about you?

I am not saying they should feel that way, I am not saying they shouldn’t. I am not saying every client should feel that way, or even that every client could feel that way, even if you tried. 

But if some of your clients felt that way, what would be different about how you operated in your business? Wouldn’t that be an expression or fulfillment of answering the question regarding your philosophy of business?

By the way, when you make your philosophy more important than your sales volume, your sales volume naturally goes to a place that makes you proud.