In business, life, friendship and finances, it is the little things that really make the difference. This is something I have had to work through my whole life. I love the idea phase but it is the details that bog me down. Case in point, I have not balanced my personal checkbook in over 20 years. Ha. I would not recommend this to anyone but I basically go on-line and keep up with the checks that clear and the current balance, but as far as balancing it, it doesn’t happen.

At work, our staff will tell you that I am the worst writer in the company. They will also probably tell you I am ugly too. Ha. If I didn’t have someone to write the books on the properties we sell, I probably would be out of business. The funny thing is that I know what the finished product should look like but I just don’t know how to get it there. I fully understand imaging and what the market needs to see but it is the details where I need the help.

Why am I telling you this? It is about understanding and accepting what you are good at and seeking help in the areas where you are lacking. In my line of work, I hear sellers say from time to time that they will just sell their hotel on their own. My usual response to them is, “even if you don’t hire us, hire someone to represent you. The worst thing you can do to the value of your hotel is handle the marketing yourself.” There are just some things you need to hire an outside party to do. It is like being your own lawyer at a trial. Dumb idea.

It is also appreciating the people that help you get to where you need to go. Behind every successful company is a group of detailed oriented people whose sole focus is on the little things. It is often said of Army Generals that when they receive orders for battle, the first thing they think about is logistics. See, there would never be a battle if you can’t get the troops in place. Henry Ford once walked into his engine team and told them he wanted them to design a V8 engine. After the team told him why the idea was impossible, he paused a minute and said, ok I will just fire all of you and hire me someone who can design a V8 engine. Several months later the same team designed a V8 engine.

So, in summary, very few people have the ideas and the detailed oriented talent to pull it off. Most often, people have one or the other. Understand which one you are and embrace it and surround yourself with people that can help you. This applies to business, finances, life and event yard work. KT

Over the past 30 years I have dealt with some clients that you simply cannot make happy. There is nothing you can do to satisfy them. In my humble opinion, these same people probably go to sleep each night alone and their children never come to see them. In fact, they most likely do not have personal relationships because of the stress, strife and anxiety they create everywhere they go. The challenge in these type situations is to remain professional and objective and still treat them with respect and kindness.

I love Psalms 23 because near the end of the passage, it says that goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. That is what I am talking about. Ha

This client hired us for a rush job and we performed far beyond any market level expectation and he still wasn’t happy. Within eight weeks, we showed his property more than any asset I have ever been involved with and brought in a stack of offers, many of which were well in excess of the target pricing, and he still wasn’t happy. He helped drive the point home that there are just some people you cannot please.

It also drove home another little factoid that I have known and used in my profession for many years. How an engagement starts is how it will be throughout the whole process. Case in point, if the client argues excessively over the listing agreement, it should tell you how he will be at contract and closing. Also, how he responds to the materials, offering memorandums and marketing approach should tell you how he will micromanage every little thing. These type people just have to be the smartest person in any conversation and they just have to be the lead dog.

In the past, each time I encounter this type individual, I just pass on the engagement. See, there are some things more important in life. Notwithstanding that these type engagements most usually fail because of personality conflict, many times it is best to just walk away.

I remember one such client years ago that we were selling a resort property for and we had a conference call with a REIT (publicly traded company) that owned 200 such assets. On the call, I will never forget the seller asking the REIT in a non-friendly tone, “have you ever bought a hotel?” Well,,,,, I knew when the call was over that deal was dead and it is a shame because that same owner still has the hotel today and it has lost half of its property value. All because of his attitude.

So, in life, business, friendships, church and almost any other personal interaction, when you recognize that one of the people involved is a hot head, just walk away as soon as you can. In life, how you respond and your attitude will almost always be more important that the subject you are dealing with. KT

Business and life are full of success and failure. I don’t know of a person that only knows success without also knowing failure. Walt Disney, Henry Ford, Milton Hershey, H.J. Heinz and Abraham Lincoln all had one thing in common. They all filed bankruptcy before going on to great success.

I heard a quote the other day that I wrote down. The quote was “failure is the fog from which we all glimpse triumph.” I have thought about that quote for several weeks and think there might be some truth to it. See, if you only have success you will not be forced to improve, change or better yourself. It is usually a failure (hopefully a small one) that forces us to look deeply at what we are doing and how we are doing it. It also forces us to ask, how can I improve on what I do?

I like the word fog in the quote because when you get turned down for job, lose an account, don’t get selected for a promotion, etc. you find yourself in a little haze (fog) that you must focus to see your way through. Yesterday, we lost a little piece of business that I thought we had a good shot of getting and I had to stop and remind myself that no one wins every time. I also had to remind myself that sometimes not getting what you thought you wanted, can many times be a good thing. Today, I have some clients that are enjoyable to work with and then I have other clients that just are too demanding to really enjoy.

This morning and got up and started thinking about the little deal we lost out on yesterday and I stopped and said to myself, wait a second, look at how blessed me and my family are! After that I was ready for the next opportunity instead of dwelling on the one I lost. As with every fog, it is usually short on duration and then the light comes through and you see a whole new day stretched out before you. Life is a gift so don’t waste one day rehashing old disappointments. Cowboy up and get back on your horse. KT