Is it really that scary?

©Copyright 2010 Ian Keightley. All rights reserved. Feel free to forward and distribute but copyright is retained.

Hi [name] and welcome to my Weekly Insight for Monday 21st June 2010  

Is it really that scary?

One of the pleasures of what I do comes from the many calls I get from fantastic realtors and the stories they share. Last week I was talking with one of New Zealand's most professional and successful realtors and he shared this with me. It's quite an inspiring wee story for those who are short of listings and hesitant to step over the thresh-hold.

He was out on his run and came across a young teenager (say 14) who was putting flyers in letter-boxes. He stopped and asked him what he was dropping and found he was selling manure in 10Kg bags to fund his school sports team trip and hoping to achieve that by dropping flyers in letter boxes. The realtor said was impressed and told him to come to the office later and he would donate $50. "But how many sales are you making?" In their discussion the realtor found there weren't many sales and he then asked the young man, "Why don't you knock on the doors instead of leaving them in the letterbox?"

"I might get embarrassed," he replied.

"Is that fatal?" asked my realtor friend. "Any other dangers lurking there?"

"Tell you what," said the realtor, "I will continue on my run and whilst I do that you knock on the doors in this street and when I get back I will give you $100 towards your trip. Deal?"

On his return he found the boy again and asked,

"How did you go?"

"Wow. I did what you said and I have sold all 20 bags in this street," and burst into a big smile.

"See," said the realtor, "You just have to ask. Now come into the office tomorrow and I will have that $100 for you." The 14 year old young man crossed the thresh-hold and found it wasn't that scary. It was in fact rewarding.

This week pick one of your thresh-holds (fear, resisted activity) and cross it! After all, what danger really lurks there?   

     Quote for the Week

  "The scariest part of real estate seems to be that grey strip of concrete between the letterbox and the front door. But what real dangers lurk there?"

Anonymous Realtor