Today marks the first of a series entitled “CSI: Factor.” Every day every one of us experiences the “CSI Factor” and it is up to us to take lessons from our surroundings and improve on our very own “CSI Factor”! Now, CSI Factor (despite the heading) is not a new television show nor is it a digital YouTube short… the “CSI Factor” is the “Custom Service Index Factor”- Realtor Wives’ newest feature, outlining case studies in daily interactions with those who are (whether they know it or not) in the Customer Service industry. Realtors recieve a “how to” every day through various interactions and should learn how to utilize each lesson they recieve. I have always been a stickler for customer service and have become quite demanding over time.

For example, I went to my favorite restaurant with a girlfriend today. I stood in line with the Senior Discounters, pointed out which southern food I wanted and carried my tray to my table to enjoy all of its splendor. The only problem was that my fried fish lady didn’t offer tartar sauce and I couldn’t get her attention after she had already moved on. No big deal, right? YOU try eating a LuAnn platter with no tartar sauce The solution was within reach- the cashier called down for a side of sauce; no harm no foul.

The CSI Factor here is a 3 on a scale of 10- muy mal! I got the fish I ordered, but I couldn’t get my favorite part- the sauce! But in the Real Estate industry, it is important to attend to all of your clients’ needs before moving on to the next. You may not realize that tartar sauce is one of my top three reasons for going or that as a seller I really wanted your advice in staging my home. As a Realtor, listening to verbal and nonverbal clues is crucial- when a client feels that you have checked them off some theoretical list and moved on prior to close- you’ll never get referrals, and that’s the name of the game!

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So that I’m not a ranter, I will share another CSI story… At Starbuck’s recently, I was in a rather pissy mood, but the barista took it upon herself to make my normal drink and ask cheerfully if I wanted sprinkles. I grunted and said “no thanks.” “Sprinkles always make your day better, I’ll add them for you and you’ll have to let me know if your day goes better!”

Aww sprinkles… The CSI Factor here is a 9 on a scale of 10- awesome! She gave me the stupid sprinkles that I hadn’t desired since my thumb-sucking days, but guess what? My day DID get better- she really chirped me up! She gave me that something extra that clients deserve out of their Realtors. So if your clients are frustrated (which is so common), find a way to give them sprinkles- it is silly, but guess what? She’s my favorite barista and she always cheers me up! Try it!!!

Many people think that because of the commercialism of it all, Christmas is the holiest time of the year for Christians. That is not the truth- Easter is the most holy day of the year. I would suggest that by understanding Lent from a Catholic viewpoint lends to a great way to practice Real Estate. Whether or not you celebrate Easter, the list below illustrates Lent as it applies to Real Estate.

At the beginning of Lent, three practices begin: prayer (justice to God), fasting (justice toward Self), and tithing (justice toward Neighbor).

JUSTICE TO GOD (or your business): So, I set a goal to pray frequently… translate that into a Real Estate practice of being analytical of your practices, your business plans, and your goal. This aim of justice to a cause bigger than you is good for business.

JUSTICE TOWARD SELF: I also fast- this is not necessarily depriving myself of food, rather fasting from something that makes you conscious of your difficult choice (ex: I could give up Starbuck’s since I go there daily; this would create a yearning for it because I would miss it and it is a choice I make to not buy coffee) and allows you to focus on God and a relationship with Him rather than the trappings of this life. As a business practice, a Realtor should to not give in to guilty pleasures that take their focus off of their business. For example, fasting from internet gaming in downtime or from excessive vacationing will allow you to focus on the bottom line of your business.

JUSTICE TOWARD NEIGHBOR: Lastly, tithing is NOT exclusive to Catholics. As a Realtor, you should be involved in the community even if it’s not financially- Habitat for Humanity, Caritas, mentoring, Adopting a Highway stretch, or any other means to better your neighbor (and not just for the “free” publicity)- that is tithing. The focus for Catholics is in becoming better individually and as a community, and to become closer to God. The focus for Realtors is becoming better agents and to become closer to clientele.

It’s a pretty simple concept if you ask me. Happy Easter everyone!

There are some things that you can be trained to do and others that are ingrained into your DNA. Take for example last summer when I shopped online for over a month for the perfect pair of bronze/brown sandals (or flip flops here in Austin- yes, it’s common to wear these to the office here). I wanted them to be sparkly and elegant and didn’t want to pay over $50 for them. I went to Nordstroms.com and found the best pair of flip flops ever- they called out to my soul and I knew then that the only thing that would complete me was that specific pair of flip flops and I had to have them TODAY.

So I call Nordstroms in Austin and they inform me that they do not carry that line locally but could I hold one moment? Hold? What for? I’ll just order them online and be angry that I cannot have the instant gratification I sought by going and picking them up in person (I hate online shopping, the wait is excruciating). After 90 seconds, a perky male voice said that he was the manager of the shoe department (oh great, here comes the “you can order them online” speech) who was very quick on his feet (get it? get it?) and told me that there was a young lady from Austin training that day in Dallas where they carried that shoe and he would be glad to have her personally bring down a variety of sizes for me to try on when they open in the morning… What? Are you serious? Someone would literally carry boxes of shoes in their little BMW 323 just so I could try them on and maybe buy them? He kindly said “if they aren’t the right fit for you, I’m sure the perfect pair is in the store, I’d love to show you any shoe you’d like. I’ll have these shoes on hold for you and I’ll see you tomorrow!”

I was floored. I have told this story a million times and have explained to people that I now buy shoes from Nordstroms because of this incredible customer service experience. Even if I don’t need shoes, I feel obligated when I walk through to pick up at least a little somethin’ somethin’. Now this service was not something that was in the training manual- this man truly wanted to make me happy, even for a measly $35 pair of flip flops.

Imagine if the Real Estate industry behaved in such a way where part of your continuing education was a test of your service skills. I watch my husband bend over backwards for every client, even when there is no need (ex: going to all inspections, running paperwork across town so a courier can’t screw it up, etc). I also see that because our market in Austin is doing so well, a lot of green agents take clientele for granted- not returning calls, acting irritated at a referral because they’re busy, and so on and so forth. Can you imagine if Nordstrom’s had acted irritated with me for wanting a service that THEY SHOULD provide? I would be screaming about it to this day.

Remember, I could still be ranting about a bad experience at Nordstrom’s, but instead I continually project to the world a story of the most amazing service ever. So, take a tip from Nordstrom’s AND by emulating their model, maybe someday, someone will blog/brag about the amazing service YOU have provided.