Hi everyone, and welcome to this week’s Zebra Report. Today I am here with one of my favorite things in the world, an incredibly special gift that I received from a very special person. This gorgeous piece of hand-crafted zebra art was given to me by a client of mine, Brian Rosso. His brother created it for me with some of his friends.
Brian’s brother spent his precious time and talent making this and I cannot even begin to express how much it means to me. It was created by a group of individuals that are special needs. This picture, this painting, this little work of art, this creation is like gold to me. If my house caught on fire, it’s coming with me. I love it.
What is so interesting and so special to me is that it is not perfect. It has a flaw here and there and even though not every color has been perfectly kept inside the lines it is the imperfections that bring such meaning and beauty to it.
The one thing I hear from agents a lot is that they feel they need to do everything perfectly. They often do not send out a mailer or complete some marketing piece because they just cannot seem to make it perfect. Perfection is overrated! It is often the things in life that aren’t so perfect that make us smile, bring us joy and make us feel special. People do not care if everything you do is perfect but they do care if you don’t connect with them or remember them because you weren’t able to achieve perfection.
There is so much meaning behind this picture. It is the MOST special piece of art in my home. I have a lot of other art that people might think is more beautiful or more valuable, but this piece of art has my heart. It was made for me by someone so special and given to me by a treasured client.
The one thing I want you to be thinking about in your own business is to Stop trying to be so perfect, because it’s probably keeping you from getting things done. I have agents tell me “Oh, I’m worried about my mailer. It wasn’t quite perfect enough, so I didn’t send it out.” This desire for perfection is causing you to over think and to HALT when trying to act. This level of perfectionism is taking away the power in your business.
Perfectionism is not powerful. It holds you back from taking risks and doing critical things you need to be doing. Whether it’s getting a mailer out or making that phone call maybe you’re not “perfectly” ready for. Maybe your mailer isn’t “perfect.” Maybe you’re going over and over the content because it’s not perfect.
What your clients appreciate most is hearing from you and feeling like they matter to you. Your clients want to hear from you about real estate. They want to know what is happening in their local market. If you want to remain top-of-mind, you cannot be a perfectionist when it comes to your contact.
Your contact must be consistent, but it does not need to be perfect. In my career as a real estate professional there were many times that I hesitated to send something out because I was worried it was not good enough. Thankfully I had a rule when creating mailers and that rule allowed me to spend one day perfecting the mailer, one day procrastinating about sending it out, and the next day it was the day it got mailed out regardless of how perfect it was or wasn’t.
Real estate agents ask me what is more powerful: taking action or having things perfect?” I would bet on action over perfection any day!
Remember my Zebra art…this gorgeous, incredible work of art is not technically perfect. But it is perfect for me. I love it. I appreciate it. I adore it. And it is all because of the meaning behind it.
When you take the time to have those imperfect connections, even though perhaps what you’re sending out isn’t perfect, it’s consistent and the message is strong. That is what your clients will ultimately remember, and that is why ’s why they hired you. I believe strongly in the saying “it is the thought that counts”.
So please stop being a perfectionist! It’s not powerful and it is not helping you in your business.
Ok guys, bye until next week—and Brian Rosso, I love my work of art. Thank you so, so much!
By Denise Lones CSP, M.I.R.M., CDEI – The founding partner of The Lones Group, Denise Lones, brings nearly three decades of experience in the real estate industry. With agent/broker coaching, expertise in branding, lead generation, strategic marketing, business analysis, new home project planning, product development, Denise is nationally recognized as the source for all things real estate. With a passion for improvement, Denise has helped thousands of real estate agents, brokers, and managers build their business to unprecedented levels of success, while helping them maintain balance and quality of life.
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So true! The need for perfection stops us from doing so much!