​Buying and selling homes, businesses and property is simple.  Find buyers and sellers.  Link them together. Fill out some paperwork. Do some negotiating.  Collect your check.  Look at all the people “doing” real estate.  If that guy can do it, I can too! Pay a fee. Get a license. How hard can it be? A simple equation of direct mailing (DM) + door knocking (DK) + social media (SM) + phone calling (PH)+ X-Factor = listing appointment = listing = sales (LALS).  Over time that evolves into 3DM + 2DK + 5SM + 8PH + X-Factor = LALS(max). But what is that X-Factor and does it work?

X-Factor is sales without selling

I'm not talking about selling to your tennis partner, or someone from your bridge club, church choir, PTA or literary society.  X-Factor isn't your neighbor, cousin or barber.  Doing a deal across your daily path is fallout from living.  Good.  Fine.  Well done.

No, X-factor is more overt.  You earned the deal.  You went out of your way in a way no other Realtor goes. You didn't sell us. You served us. And for that we say thank you - please work with us to sell our home. X-Factor has five components:

Give more than you receive

I volunteer at a non-profit theater in Key West.  The Tropic Cinema. During Summer and Christmas school break the Tropic has $1 movies for kids and their parents on Saturday mornings. Most of the kids are between 6 and 12 years old. Every child receives a chance to win a free bike. Then, the last Saturday in July, August, September and January a ticket with a child's name is pulled out of a hat.  That child and parent head over to K-mart and pick out a bike - a Brand New Bike! Happy days!

This year I sponsored the bikes.  I have to tell you, it was great.  Local papers published the photos of the smiling kids and happy parents.  Did I receive any payment? More than I can count.

Serve many and serve them well

There is a nationwide education initiative called STEM - Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. The goal is to encourage elementary, middle and high school students to pursue degrees in the sciences. Students work in teams of 3 and 4 to build simple machines that introduce various sciences.  The fun factor creates a continuous interest and desire to seek greater challenges.  Team work shows how discovery is a collaborative effort.

The Navy League of the US won this year's award from the Office of Naval Research to bring STEM to America's schoolroom. Students from grades 6 - 12 will build an underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV). Though no bigger than a breadbox, the ROV incorporates electronics and circuit boards, bouyancy, propulsion and underwater manueverability. 

The Key West Navy League Chapter was the first chapter in the US to bring this Navy League STEM project to its schools. Over 215 school kids from four schools will build an ROV, drive it in a pool or canal, learn about science and have FUN doing it.  If they have half the fun their teachers did during teacher training, STEM will take root here and hopefully guide some student to a life of discovery and amazement.

I'm in the Navy League. It has been my pleasure to be in charge of bringing this project to Key West schools, teachers and students. To serve now and keep this project afloat next year and the next.

Place other people's interests first

Forget win-win.  Focus on the other person's win.  Like Brian Picolo.  John Stockton. Jacob Parrott. Some call it enlightened self-interest. Such as -

A lady who returned home to care for an aging Uncle.  Who put her life on hold to give and honor.  Now, it's time to sell the ancestral home.  An aching process of leaving.  My goal?  To be her listener.  Her when.  Her why.  Her future and aspirations.  To strengthen her strengths.  Absorb her stress.  Keep the sale process Disney simple.  When we closed she was truly joyful.

She sees me 'round town and waves like we're kin.  I guess we are.

Authenticity is all you have

Years ago the aircraft carrier I was on spent 5 months in the North Arabian Sea.  Enroute to California, it stopped in fabulous Fremantle/Perth Australia.  The second evening there was a party at a splashy hotel sponsored by the local Lady's Guild.  1500 lovelies and the air was heaven in perfume.  In a small group, the Admiral and his wife chatted me up for a few minutes, congratulating me on my success.  A couple of sisters noticed. 

There were a lot of heros real and imagined there that evening. Handsome and strong. Somehow, these two charming Sheilas waded through them all and invited me to their family home in the country.  Grandfather raised bees.  We harvested honey, grilled lamb chops and had a few lagers.  "Only Yank we've had here in years" he says. 

Whenever I see honeycomb and munch waxy Tupelo I think of them.

Good givers are good receivers

Giving can be exhaustive.  Even unhealthy.  Without replenishment there is no joy.  Let people give to you. Every giving can happen only because it is also a receiving (The Go-Giver, pg 107).

Circle back to the X-Factor.  X = Give + Serve + Selflessness + Real + Receive.  Even better is the multiplying effect "X" has on all the other components of our lead equation. Therefore, be a Giver, a Go-Giver. Such is the underlying philosophy of my company - Engel and Voelkers.

If you have any comments or questions, please contacted me here. 

Good luck.

Additional sources: