Skimming through Youtube on a not-so-busy day, one of our staff stumbled upon a video interview with author and leadership expert Steve Farber recently. She brought it up with the team while talking about the little things that matter in running a business.
And we thought, hey, why not share this very good idea to our readers. In the interview, Farber eagerly suggested that love should play a big part in more businesses, especially in real estate, and of course, our niche, photography; so, we’re also taking notes here at DMD Real Estate Photography while discussing these points.
The video is embedded at the end of this article for those who are curious and willing to go through the hour and a half long interview. Right now, we’ll summarize the important points for you.
Now there’s a big elephant in the room. What has love got to do with business?
Here’s an interesting quote from 8:30 in the Steve Farber interview:
“We want love in every aspect of our lives … and then we go to work and it no longer applies. It doesn’t make any sense. This idea that business is a purely rational endeavour, but we know it’s not.
… If business involves both the emotion and rational thought, then why would it include all emotions except love?”
--Steve Farber
Because of the corporate setting and the due professionalism, our engagements with our clients and other people related to our business has become sterile. Or too serious. No personal connections, just business. Real Estate Photography is also not a stranger to experiences.
Some may think this as the ‘right way’ to do business. People are just people, not so significant ones we need to engage with in a special way, right? But no. This kind of thinking has to change.
This got the team to thinking, is it because our previous experiences with business leaders and our bosses took place in the serious corporate world? Most of us would feel that just how things go when you’re at the top; like all the fun people are at the bottom of the corporate ladder and gradually losing liveliness and enthusiasm as they go up.
But it doesn’t have to be that way, right? Nowadays, the trend has already changed, especially with the younger generation, there is an increase in openness and casual dress among business owners and entrepreneurs. Business should be about person-to-person connection, and looking at how new business leaders do, it seems to work pretty well for them.
Here’s another quote from 16:50 in the above video:
“Leadership requires a connection of the heart. Because what we’re doing as leaders, regardless of our position or title, is we are striving to change things for the better – to change our piece of the world for the better and eventually the capital ‘W’, the whole wide world for the better, in the broadest possible sense.
And it’s the heart that drives us to do that. It’s the heart that creates connections between people. This is what we need to do as business people.
… This is not an easy thing to do … but operationalizing love, taking the experience of love and weaving it into the way that we do business, is hard work.”
– Steve Farber
Let’s go back to the beginning and ask ourselves, why do we do what we do? Either you are aware of this or not, it is generally because we want to have a better world for us and the people that we care about; and perhaps, the people we work with.
Too broad? Yeah. But think of this, we are all compelled to pursue what is right, or what is good. It is what our conscience dictates. It is what the ‘love’ inside us is telling us to do. And going into the corporate world, we start to forget the said fact, blinded by the pursuit for success, for greater profits, more clients, all the professionalism what-have-yous; or that’s what most of us tell ourselves.
Truth is: Love is the Most Practical Choice
“This is about raising the standards, not lowering them, (but) raising the standards, holding ourselves and the people around us accountable to those standards, but if we’re really coming from a place of love then we’ll do all that with kindness. The minute we lose kindness the love evaporates.”
– Steve Farber
‘Love first.’
This mantra, (this mindset) should be at the core of our search to deliver service or product for our clients and customers.
We should operate from a point of love. This applies to everyone who seeks to be the best real estate agent, greatest photographer, best builder, the most efficient manager. Because when we really care for our customers and clients, we push ourselves to provide them with the best that we have and the best that we can do. The best service can only come from those who love what they do and cares about the people around them.
For example, if you truly love your customers, you’ll turn up for an appointment on time, or if you can’t avoid being late, you communicate clearly and early.
Loving also means setting your standards high and never dropping from it, regardless of who the client is and whatever the situation is. If you are a real estate agent, this means you communicate to all your clients equally, working diligently for the who’s on a $100,000 as well as for the one with a $10,000 listing.
For us here at DMD Real Estate Photography, we understand fully that all our customers deserve the best photos, whether their homes be a mansion in Palmer or a simple ranch in Wasilla; that we should exert the best effort to provide best angle and the most efficient lighting for either the one with a scenic background by the mountains in Eagle River or the one in the middle of the cityscapes of Anchorage.
Another example would be in communicating more effectively with your clients. This means, putting your phone away, avoiding texting anyone while in the presence of your customers. It’s not that hard to do. Giving each one time and making the most of that window is already a gesture that shows you care for them, your job, and your business.
Steve emphasizes this at around 26:44 in the video.
“If you can develop the capacity for being fully present with whomever you’re with – putting the phone away, not being distracted, really tuning in and really listening – you are going to gain a tremendous competitive advantage as a business person, as a human being because so few people … have that ability anymore, and people will always respond to it.”
– Steve Farber
As we said, it’s the little things that matter. You may be unaware of it, but our customers and clients will notice these. In the world we live in today, everyone’s eyes seem to be stuck on their devices. For a customer, it would be very significant if they connect with their agent, or anyone they’re working with, face to face. One of the most important currencies of business is attention. If you put your phone away and provide your clients with 100% of your attention, it makes all the difference and would build your business more significantly.
Assess Your Reputation
In the video, they talk also about how we can assess whether we are showing enough love to our clients and customers or doing the best we can for our business, and here’s a comment from 1:04:34:
“The question you might want to ask yourself is – what is my reputation? Do I like my reputation? If I don’t like that reputation then it’s time to change it.”
– Lynda West
If you want to work out if you’re on the right path, one way to know would be to look at the reputation that you have. Get an assessment from your customers, let them answer a survey. That’s way better than self-assessment. If this is not possible, you can at least try to review your reputation:
How do your clients see you right now with your recent engagements?
Does your image fit with what is expected from an agent, a photographer, a builder, or a business as whole, that loves their clients?
Steve Farber talks about how we should define our business roles (from 1:05:40):
“Do what you love in the service of people who love what you do.”
… You can break that apart and use it as an assessment tool, or a conversation tool. To what degree are you doing what you love? To what degree are you serving people with what you love? To what degree do they love what you do? So, you’re assessing yourself. You’re assessing the delivery, and you’re assessing the response.”
– Steve Farber
If you’re in the real estate business, then you should ask yourself the following:
How much do I love what I do? How much am I willing to help people buy and sell their homes?
How much effort am I willing to pour into negotiating, open homes, and evaluating the property market? Do I go the extra mile?
Does my level of service extend to the point where my clients are delighted with what I am doing for them?’
Business owners can learn a lot from this level of self-assessment and would very much be a helpful tool on a regular basis to keep the business growing. We, at DMD Real Estate Photography are already on it while we provide the best real estate photography in Alaska. Check us out here to see what we’re all about.