Back in March, John Corey asked a question on what to avoid in Real Estate Transactions. Since his post, I became increasingly conscious of my day-to-day interactions with others – the good, the bad and the ugly.
It reinforced what I’ve always believed. Integrity counts.
People are amazingly consistent. Good people usually behave well in all aspects of their lives, while the not-so-good ones tend to behave badly all the time. Those who treat their employees, clients, and partners badly also seem to be the same ones that break, bend, or mutilate the rules.
What is integrity? The link above provides the standard definition. I’d like to borrow from Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart’s famous quote – “I know it when I see it.” But how do you find it? When I build new relationships, here’s how I do it:
Rely on referrals. If someone you trust recommends someone, then you are pointed in the right direction.
See what they say publicly. The Internet is a great tool to find out what people think and how they act. Check out their web presence(s). What does it say? More importantly – what doesn’t it say? Look for a clear articulation of values and a business philosophy similar to your own.
Look for a trail of satisfaction. Do you hear good things about them from others in the industry and community? Do clients and colleagues go the extra mile to say good things about them publicly?
Observe how they treat others. Do they treat their employees well? How do they treat their vendors? Others?
The title business has evolved into two distinct business models – Client Focused and Transaction Focused. The agency’s operating model can have a dramatic impact on your experience. I’ll follow up with another post that explains the service models and how they impact the client experience.
2 responses so far ↓
Christopher Smith // May 17, 2007 at 10:56 am |
Integrity is a subject that doesn’t get enough airtime in Real Estate discussions, in my opinion.
Successful businesses rely on relationships which are built on trust; in my experience there’s no other way. As an investor one of my most valuable assets is the series of relationships that I have with selected contractors and real estate professionals. For low value repairs (under, say $1,500) I have a contractor that I regularly give no-bid jobs – I just call him and ask him to check it out and fix it and send me the bill. And I know he’s not gonna screw me. Why? A) he’s an honest guy, and B) he knows that I’ll keep coming back with more work if we treat each other fairly.
Great businesses are built at the intersection of integrity and self-interest.
Good post.
Diane Cipa // May 18, 2007 at 11:56 am |
Dave and Francine: It’s all chemistry. Like minded people will work together. When I have an employee fretting over the potential loss of a business source because we stood our ground on an issue, I always remind them that the good ones will stay and the bad ones won’t – or they’ll reconsider and come back. One of our favorite ad campaigns was “We care enough about our reputation to protect yours.”