Costly Cutting Corners

Many years ago Doug, the founder of Quantum Management, inspired a team of us to climb Mount McKinley with him. It was an experience to remember forever. We were among the least prepared to make the climb of all the people who did that year. We were in average to above average fitness and had way less than average skill levels compared to the other climbers...so off we went anyway.

Eleven people died climbing McKinley that year. I'm not sure what percentage that is, but it is a lot higher than going for a hike in the woods. For eleven people, cutting corners was literally fatal. I don't know about all of them, but I do remember a Korean team and an Austrian team were among them. Both of these teams were well equipped to succeed, yet they failed in the worst way possible.

The Koreans made a summit attempt in very bad weather and did not make it. The Austrians brought their stove into the tent during a blizzard and the air vent closed up, asphyxiating them.

Other events were near misses, only terrifying, but not fatal. One of our team became fatigued and disoriented on the summit climb. Our lead guide told him to sit beside the trail and he would be picked up on the way back down. My cramp-on (teeth on the bottom of your boots to grip the hard snow) came off because of a faulty strap and I began a slide down the thousand foot slope.

Every one of these events were the result of shaving a corner, taking an "easier" path. And in each case there was a really good reason to do it. The Korean team was running out of time, fuel and food; the Austrians couldn't keep their stove lit in the blizzard; our lead guide wanted all of his guides to reach the summit; my outfitter took one look at me (older, red fingernails, red lipstick and a new snow suit) and knew I was never going to make it to the headwall. I and my team member were fortunate, our cut corners were not fatal.

WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH A REAL ESTATE CAREER!

Truth is you will not die from cutting corners in your real estate career. However, your CAREER might die. When you make decisions to do the easy thing instead of the really productive thing, you are making a decision to fail at real estate. Problem is, the easy thing makes your career that much harder. Every time.

The easy thing makes it take longer to get productive. Time is not on your side. Every day takes you closer to running out of time, money and the support of your family.

The really productive things often seem harder:

• Calling on by-owner sellers
• Calling on expired listings
• Asking for an appointment every time you meet a new prospect
• Calling your leads on a regular basis
• Staying in relationship with the people you have met on a very regular basis
• Demanding that your buyer prospects get qualified with your lender

...the list is long...

It has been said...Real estate is the lowest paid easy work...and the highest paid hard work.

-Sherry Pitcock
Senior Consultant, QMS