Hey y’all! Let me start off by saying that my smile is present. My life is a happy whirlwind with a move going on, boxes all over the place, and children home doing home-economics lessons and physical fitness. My husband and I are home working because that’s what we must do. It’s a loud house today, and will be for the next few weeks.
But here I am – smiling, working, dressed for success.
The COVID-19 pandemic is here. I’m not going to paint a fictional story that the mass media is ‘making this up’. I will tell you this – the sun will rise tomorrow. Homes will still be purchased and sold, and you can bet your bottom dollar that my smile will remain!
I have received a ton of messages from new REALTORS® asking me if this is about to belike the Great Recession of 2008. The answer, in my mind, is no. 2007-2008 saw a unique situation that combined panic with a poor economic foundation. Our economic foundation today isn’t flawed. The panic, however, is very real.
This is what we call a slip. You know, that cartoon character slipping on the banana peel – albeit without the laughs. The cartoon character then rubs his rear end for a second, and gets back on his feet and presses on. The panic has just put us on our rears, y’all! We will get back up quickly, and continue forward.
In the meantime, a good REALTOR® shouldn’t be spending time in their pajamas waiting for the next banana peel. I’m dressed for work, professional and in pearls. I will have clients that can’t worry about the panic because they need to get the ball rolling on their future. If I am panicked, how can I help them?
I can’t stress this enough. I can’t say this any plainer – stay focused! Life is going to continue on. Loss of life is tragic and I am genuinely hopeful that this virus can be put to bed. But I can only focus on what I can control.
Focus on the now – what can I do to help someone? I can make my home environment professional with a ‘can-do’ attitude and a fresh smile. I can eliminate panic by not shutting down my life for the foreseeable future. If a client is asking me for a dream home, then by God I am going to do everything that I can to find it.
I can focus TODAY as I do EVERY DAY. Focus!
Whether the situation is a slip or a full slide, a plan is necessary for success. In the Great Recession, the best REALTORS® were planning for the recovery, not allowing themselves to get stuck in the pit of gloom. Lost the doom and gloom attitude and put a smile on for tomorrow.
Farmers survived the Dust Bowl because they knew that it couldn’t last forever. So they hunkered down and survived – they found a way. Today, we must find a way working from home. This doesn’t end your business, it just changes it. Plan for this change. If you have been paying attention, this virus outbreak hasn’t come as a surprise to you. While mainstream media has a tendency to scare the daylights out of the common person, it can double as a planning tool. Is there a chance that the restrictions could get worse in the United States? Absolutely. Have a plan, both professionally and personally, and you can set yourself up for success.
The panic is real on the television y’all. Turn it off! Instead of sitting on your butt waiting for the world to rid itself of this virus, get up and do something! Maybe business has slowed down due to the panic – can’t you still train yourself or your team? Go checkout Leigh Brown University or my coaching platform. Training right from home, y’all!
This is just an example of some action that you can take. Sort through those endless files that have piled up. Take the time to coordinate your team to be efficient and achieve real results. This panic doesn’t mean you can’t take action.
I don’t want to give the impression that I’m not taking this seriously. At One Community Real Estate™, we value the information that health departments have released. We aren’t being defiant, and neither should you.
I guess what really needs to be said is that everything is going to be okay. As a REALTOR®, we must recognize that the ingredients of a full scale collapse just simply aren’t there. It is okay to panic – just keep it within reason. The key to making it to tomorrow is to plan and stay focused on it. Be a professional, whether you are in the office or stuck at home in front of your vanity in the middle of a move.
As always, I want to be the REALTOR®, leader and mentor that you choose to help you achieve your goals. I am here – I’m not going anywhere! You know how to reach me, and you can be rest assured that I am working hard to deliver for those who have entrusted me with forming their better tomorrow.
Stay safe, and remember that panic with no action is NOT going to help you stand up from this slip!
Respectfully,
Leigh Brown
Author. Coach. Keynote speaker. Leigh Brown is laser-focused on inspiring real estate agents to break through and Just Say Hi!
