What would you say if I told you that collaborating with your competitors will boost your business?
I’m not talking about price setting or other illegal business activities. I mean changing your perspective about how you interact with other agents and firms. I mean being open to share with and learn from them. When we support each other, we create a professional industry culture that benefits us all.
Now, what would you say if I told you that many Texas REALTORS® are already invested in doing exactly that?
You will see this type of collaboration at the 2018 Texas REALTORS® Conference in San Antonio next month. Thousands of Texas REALTORS®—some of whom compete for customers in the same markets—will come together to share their experiences in the field. They’ll learn from the same expert instructors, enjoy meals together while getting to know about each other’s life in and outside of real estate, and leave energized to get back to work.
You will see this collaboration when Texas REALTORS® learn about and follow the standards set forth in the Code of Ethics.
You will even see it in transactions, when longtime agents show grace and patience with newer agents who are learning the ins and outs of the business—or when an agent with less experience shares information that a veteran agent was unaware.
The Texas REALTOR® family is one of few groups in which competitors have decided to come together to collaborate, and for nearly 100 years, it’s worked. You’ll find that your business grows when you open yourself up to others’ ideas. You’ll look at your business in new ways. You’ll make connections that could lead to more business. You’ll also create new friendships.
Despite your best intentions, we are human, and it’s normal to be mad as a hornet when you feel a competitor has wronged you—and sometimes it’s justified. However, if that’s your mode of thinking most of the time, make an effort to step back, give your competitors the benefit of the doubt, and move forward in a collaborative, professional way.
–Kaki Lybbert
