The words “honesty” and “integrity” are used so often in today’s organization mission statements that they have become trite and meaningless.
True honesty isn’t always easy to apply in the real estate industry. One of my agents recently told me of how the agent exaggerated an emergency when they were talking with an airline attendant so they could get a quicker flight home. It seemed the white lie hurt no one, but I confronted the agent on it anyway. We need to be honest in all occasions, especially when we ourselves are hurt or not benefitted from telling the truth.
A couple of years ago, I ran into a client’s office to give him an update on his property. As he saw me come in, he stuck out his hand and greeted me. I shook it and we talked. He noted that I sounded stuffy and asked if I had a cold. I told him it was probably allergies. With the update finished and him thanking me for the update I got back in my car and drove off. My thoughts bothered me. “Rob, you know you don’t have allergies. You just lied to your client about it because he shook your hand.” Embarrassed, I picked up the phone and told him I lied about the allergies and probably had a cold. He responded, “So, you are saying I should wash my hands?!” He laughed heartily, thanked me for the call and we hung up. I felt forgiven but still humilitated about what I’d done. A month later he introduced me to one of his friends, “This is Rob Brooks, my Realtor. He’s possibly the most honest person I know.”
The trust our clients have for us is derived from the honesty we give them. Honesty isn’t easy, but it is what we expect of ourselves and what our clients expect of us.