Hi Everyone:

Over the last few months, when I write an article for the Consulting Times, I also submit it to Realty Times and it usually runs a month or two later. Anyway, one of my articles "Blue Oceans: How To Combat a Cutthroat Industry" ran in Realty Times yesterday. Today, Realty Times forwarded me a fascinating response that was sent to "Ask Realty Times". I'm printing this agent's comment plus my response below because I think it's very indicative of the mindset of many of our fellow agents, and even more so, brokers and managers.

I would be very interested in your thoughts. What did you think of his comment? What did you think of my response? Would you respond differently? How so? Since consultling is so new, how we deal with this type of thinking is an important topic and one that I hope will be the impetus for a lively discussion here on the Exchange. Here it is:

In addition to putting your ACRE info in your email signature, adding the logo, adding a link to The ConsultingTimes.com blog, telling your sphere of influence that you have incorporated Consulting into your practice, and all the other great suggestions that have been made for promoting your business, don't overlook the power of sharing this with the agents in your office.

You are doing them a favor by showing them how being an ACRE can benefit their business. I'm not shy about telling people in my office what I'm doing. I don't make big announcements or yell it from the rooftop but I do share it with any agent with whom I'm having a related conversation.

An example of how this has recently benefited me is that our assistant team leader referred an agent to me because the agent wanted to find a solution for one of his clients that involved getting the house sold and netting the most amount of money possible since the money situation was very tight. This agent had sold the client a new construction home and getting his existing home on the market and sold ASAP with as little expense as possible was key to the new deal making it to closing. The agent's client was talking about going with an MLS Only company. So my Assistant TL told the agent he should talk to me because I do consulting.

I've spoken with the client and sent him the Seller Needs Analysis. I don't have a warm fuzzy about him because I think he believes he really can get what he needs from the MLS Only company for just a few hundred bucks. Whether or not I get the appointment to sit down with him or whether he decides to go another route, it is still a big WIN because it was referral from within my own office. Think about it...a lot of agents are not going to want to work this kind of business model but they'll be willing to refer business to you. Kenny and I had not worked out how and what I'd pay him for the referral but that was really not his issue. He just wants the best thing for his client. And, get this....he will probably sign up for the ACRE course!

I got an email today from my web site...initially it irritated me, but after reading it several times, I realized this person has no idea that the don't know what they don't know.

I haven't responded back as of yet, still trying to figure out what to say without sounding like a female dog ;-)

I thought I'd through this out to the group and get some Q&A of what your feedback would be. I know what I'm going to say to this woman, but wonder what you would say if you got this sort of email?

Is the retainer fee check issued to the Broker/Company and run through the Broker
like a referral check?