It is that time of year. Some love it - some hate it. Few can avoid it. Here come the holidays - real estate style. We love the holidays actually. The natural ebb and flow of the busy market creates room this time of year for reconnecting with our business partners, clients, family and friends. However, it is also a bit of an ironic time of year when we may find ourselves overwhelmed with road rage in a Target parking lot as someone almost backs into us (or maybe we almost back into them). All the while trying to bring cheer to our loved ones as we grab that Black Friday special that they will LOVE come Christmas. This holiday season we are returning to our kindness manifesto - inspired by Chip and Joanna - so that we can apply the same perspective we keep during the busy housing market season to this other type of busy season.

#makeKINDNESSloud

It is no secret we have been following the #makeKINDNESSloud campaign for awhile now. But what does this mean in the real world - in business – and for Taylor Real Estate? In a world of sales and negotiations, can you be a hustler and humble? Can you be generous and profitable? Is it possible to occupy a social media space with depth?

The Integrity of Kindness in Business

You see, most people are kind, and when we stray from our kindness we start to lose a touch of our integrity. It can be so easy to do. We are not perfect. We fight for our businesses, our clients, and might be tempted to bulldog our way to success. We might even feel pulled to accomplish this on behalf of clients - under the illusion we are serving their best interests. Perhaps we try to separate who we "really" are from what we "do" to protect our egos. However, the fabric of our actions are woven by the threads of our character. And if we allow ourselves to separate our contextual actions, we start to pull at a very loose thread.

But there is no need to compromise kindness for ambition. Kindness should never be mistaken for softness or weakness - kindness is just good manners and treating people like human beings. How we conduct ourselves in business should reflect how we conduct ourselves in real life. You can be firm and polite. Negotiations are won through research, persistence, patience and timing - not through aggressive tactics. 

Kindness in Negotiations and Client Representation 

Real estate is an interesting business to be in. People are making one of the largest investments of their lifetime. However, it is so much more than an investment. It is where they will build their home and make memories. Despite it being an exciting time filled with hopes and dreams, moving can also an incredibly difficult process. It's stressful, emotional, financially scary and time-consuming. Often that stress can bring out the worst in a person, and they have a shorter fuse or react in ways they normally wouldn't. It is a high stakes time for both a buyer and seller.

As brokers, part of our job is to put water on the fires, and keep things cool, calm and collected which helps make everything in the process work smoother for all sides. Therefore, being kind in real estate is not only an attractive quality in a brokerage firm, but a necessary one. You can’t put trust in someone that just sees you as a number - is fake, or bullies another agent.

We have been lucky in this regard. Across the table during negotiations, we are so often the recipient of kindness from other brokerage firms. So by no means do we think of ourselves as exceptional in this aspect.

The Holiday Tunnel Vision Amnesia

What we do think, and why we are taking the time to write about it now, is that kindness is somewhat of a skill that is easy to forget when we get tunnel vision in business. In fact, we can think of no better parallel than the hustle and passion spent on the holidays. We love the busy, but maybe we get hyper focused and lose sight. And no one, including us, is immune from this. 

So for that reason, we are joining the #makeKINDNESSloud campaign from Chip and Joanna Gaines... AGAIN. So we can practice our manners, from a simple “Hi how are you?” to gasp - letting a stranger cut in line - even on Black Friday. And then when we ask said stranger how their day was, let’s actually wait and listen for their response when they tell us HOW they are ACTUALLY doing today.

This holiday, let’s network a different kind of way - with genuine curiosity and interest. When we think about how we can lift someone up - they remember. When we extend graciousness and gratitude - we are often extended the same. And when we offer the gift of a random act of kindness - we are starting a contagious chain of positivity that often circles right back to us in ways we never predicted.

Follow along on the Taylor Real Estate edition of the #makeKINDNESSloud campaign as we post reminders in our office, volunteer our hearts out, reconnect with cherished community partners and clients, and practice our good old fashioned manners with everyone we meet. Hey they say practice makes perfect, so we will keep flexing our muscles. 

So what can we all do to not just survive - but thrive - this holiday season? First. Take a deep breath. Return to the purpose of your interactions and gifts. Give back in new, real ways - not just because it is a fun instagram photo (I mean grab that photo too of course and spread the word), but because you really do care. Because you do. Because we all do. We just have to keep remembering. 

Kindest Regards and Happy Holidays,  
The Taylor Real Estate Team