Sure, sure, accomplished Realtors need to be good at staging, marketing, contracts, negotiating, and several other tasks. But, none of those matter unless they’re first hired. Which is why practically all veteran agents excel at making a (very) positive impression during their listing presentation (also known as a Realtor job interview). The key? (at least...Read More
Playing Defense as Well as Offense Anthony Finney: So I had a contract drawn up to buy you and your company lock, stock, and barrel. Ray Donovan: I’m not for sale [walks away]. Anthony Finney: Ahh . . we’re still negotiating. –“Ray Donovan”; “Come and Knock on Our Door” (episode 3, season 3). You can...Read More
The Importance of Non-Verbal Cues It certainly doesn’t hurt to have a government jet (“Air Force 2”) at your beck and call, 24/7. But in Netflix’s political potboiler “House of Cards,” notice how many of Vice President Frank Underwood’s key negotiations are conducted face-to-face, rather than by phone or — heaven forbid — email or texting. The...Read More
Negotiating 101 I don’t play poker (or do international diplomacy), but my day job — selling residential real estate — does involve a fair amount of negotiating. So, I think I can say with some confidence that good negotiators don’t usually announce, “I don’t bluff,” as President Obama reportedly just said about dealing with Iran’s...Read More
Berkshire ’09 Annual Letter — Part Two For investors, perhaps the most tantalizing — and useful — part of Warren Buffett’s 2009 letter to shareholders is a little tidbit that’s appended to the end. Actually, it’s a solicitation, addressed to perhaps a few hundred people in the world. Who? People who run or have large...Read More
