I got called, “sweetie,” on the phone last week at work and this is how it made me feel as a young business professional.
The longer that I have been in the workforce the more I notice little things around me that just seem…well off. A large part of my job is to call other agents and ask questions about their commercial listings. Most of these individuals are twice my age, sometimes they are a little younger, but not often. I also call on banks to help assist with real estate and business closings depending on what type of listing I have at the time. One thing that has started to become a trend is that there are two types of people in the business world.
1. The Open Minded Individual
The first type of person that I run across in the business world is the open-minded individual. This is the person that remembers what it felt like to be out of college and have a job where you are the one of the youngest in your field. These people are a joy to be around and normally are teachers and leaders by nature. They are humbled and have worked with younger people in their office, or they might have kids my age and they understand the phase of life that I am in. Having a conversation with this individual leaves you smiling and confident that you are in the right line of work. This type of person gives you hope when you have done 30 cold calls and they are number 31 for the day. This is the person that I strive to be and that everyone wants to work for.
2. The Individual That Stopped Learning
The second person that I run across in the business world is the individual that stopped learning. Do you want to know how I know that? Because they are the ones that are unteachable even at 50 years old. These people are condescending when they talk to a younger person over the phone and they assume that they are the smartest one in the room because they have been working longer. They are the ones that are too good to have an intern. They are the ones that aren’t willing to teach someone new the ropes and expect them to be a seasoned veteran in the industry. These are the people that if you asked their office, at least one person has felt looked down on by them. These people are the bad eggs that can ruin a whole basket.
Now that you know what we are dealing with here let me tell you about my current experiences.
The Woman That Doubted Me
In April I was popping champagne bottles because I sold my first business as a business broker. That day to me felt well deserved. The buyers had applied for an SBA business loan and I had assisted the bank, the sellers, lawyers, and the buyers through the whole process. I had countless emails back and forth with everyone involved holding everyone accountable to submittal dates, paperwork, etc it was exhausting but so worth it. The one part that always bugged me was that every time I spoke with Mary (changing her name for storytelling purposes) at the buyer’s bank, Mary was extremely condescending and just basically had a bad attitude. Unfortunately, a when we got down to the wire Mary had not properly communicated some information. So, of course, I jumped through hoops, left friend family dinners, and stayed late at the office on a Friday to make up for her mistake. On closing day over the phone, she still had the same stinky attitude it was absolutely AMAZING! She just seemed to always be irritated.
Fast forward a couple hours and we get to the bank with my clients and my boss. This is my first closing and I have all of the paperwork for everyone to sign and copies of honestly anything that someone could have forgotten. We walk in and sit in the reception area waiting on Mary when she finally comes to us and introduces herself. She started with our clients who were eager to get the check and leave HA! Then she introduced herself to my boss. After my boss, she looked at me and said, “Oh, I’m Mary I don’t think I caught your name.” I replied, “Hi, not a problem, my name is Alexa, nice to finally meet you in person!” Of course, my boss knew that she had been rude on multiple occasions to which he informed her, “Yeah she is the one really running the show here. I am just here for support.”
Y’ALL I THOUGHT HER JAW WAS GOING TO HIT THE FLOOR!!
She was actually stunned and you could tell that it was because I was so young. I almost starting laughing because it was just flat out funny to me. Here I am a young professional closing a deal in a 4-month time span, which I, in fact, worked my bootay off to do. Needless to say, she was nicer in person than over the phone, but you can betcha I won’t be referring any of my clients to that bank for financing any time soon!
Mary if you haven’t figured it out was a number 2 kind of gal. She was a rotten egg that ruined the reputation of the whole company and unfortunately, it is a pretty big bank.
The Man That Interrogated Me
So here is another story for you guys. Man with 6 months of work under my belt I sure do have more stories than I thought I would have…. LOL.
About a week ago I reached out to another business brokerage firm in the area that had a listing that I thought could be a good fit for a buy-side client that I have. So I reached out. After radio silence for a couple of days, I finally got a call from the owner of the brokerage company asking me questions about my engagement with my client. Totally normal.
Then he goes to ask me how many deals that I had done. How long had I been in the industry because he hadn’t heard of me or the firm I work for. – RUDE. Then after I told him that I started selling companies on 1/1/18 he asked me what industry training I had if any.
Guys this was just so that I could get more information for my client. Absolutely rude and nuts. This man was a straight up number 2.
The Man That Called Me Sweetie
So the story that you all have been waiting for. The man that called me sweetie.
Last week I was on the phone with a real estate agent in Oklahoma. As we talked about the property and what we each do he asked how long I had been in real estate. To which I reluctantly told him part-time for a number of years but full time as of January. He said, “Wow you are fresh out huh?” Not a big deal. As we kept talking it turned out that we had a mutual friend in the Tulsa area, so I had started to think he was a pretty cool guy, a potential number 1. Man was I wrong. We started to end the conversation and I said, “Well *Insert Mister Name Here* thanks for the call I will get with my clients and see what they think, and I will get back to you. I appreciate the information.” To which mister responds, “Alright sweetie, not a problem y’all just send over the LOI when you can.” I said will do and hung up.
That mister became a number 2 in just one sentence.
I sat at my desk in silence after that conversation. Me the person that normally doesn’t identify as a “feminist,” thought if that was a male young professional my age on the phone would he have called him bud? Honestly would he? I didn’t think so and as I think on this a week or so later I still stand firm on that opinion.
This made me not only feel younger, but weird because some old guy, that I had never met called me sweetie….. WHAT THE HECK?!
The Man That Is A Number One
You know out of all the bad eggs, usually, you can find at least one good one. And that I did. There is a commercial agent in the area that I have never met but just by over the phone and the things that people say to him I know that he is a winner. We are working together on two listings right now and he knows exactly how old I am. Actually, when he found out how old I was he then decided to tell me how impressed with me he was because I was dedicated enough to read a whole 60-page real estate contract that he admitted he hadn’t read. He gave me some other compliments too, but at the end of the day he earned my respect and I know that I have his. He doesn’t care how old I am he recognizes the good, diligent work that I do and that is enough for him. As it should be for most people.
What My Boss Had To Say
Through all of these different events, I went to my boss’s office after the phone call I had with the man that interrogated me about my qualifications. He looked at me, gave me his goofy smile, and said, “1 Timothy 4:12” and went back to work. I have said it before and I will say it again I love my boss. He really knows the things to say when I am discouraged or how to give me corrective criticism. He is approachable and honestly has become like a second dad to me. Mostly because he is my dad’s business partner, but also because he is just cool.
After that, I knew he was right. You should never let someone look down on you because you are young. You are a young professional and there is more to you than just young.
Being the youngest in the room isn’t a burden, it is an opportunity.
It is an opportunity to not only learn from the older and “wiser,” individuals around you, but to also teach them things that you know too.
I hope all of you reading this young or old remember to be a number one, not a number two. If you are a young professional remember that you are just that. Young and PROFESSIONAL. So own it!
P.S. Don’t call anyone sweetie.
