Why are people so difficult to work with?

In a past life I was an air traffic controller for about 5 years. I can tell you that without question that air traffic control is one tough job. It is not only the obvious parts of the job such as the lives of over a thousand people in your hands at any given time while you sequence and create the needed vertical and horizontal separation while still keeping your traffic pattern as tight as possible. This part is only part that people (sort of) know about. This is the part that they depict in movies and TV shows. Keeping two to 20 aircraft from meeting each other at 25,000 feet is just one part of the job.

OK so what does this have to do with Real Estate leads or selling homes?

Well I was in the control tower one day and the sky was full of aircrafts. Departing, arriving and just flying through our airspace. A normal day at the tower. The person in control of the aircraft in the air (local controller) was busy as she could be. Nearing the mental breaking point, her hair was frazzled and she looked like she was going to have a brain hemorrhage at any moment. Then all at once all the aircraft had landed and the storm of metal was over. The sky was clear and no one had ever known how close she was to losing it completely other than those of us in the tower that day. Like I said a normal day in the tower.

No one said anything to her and she sat in the high chair and took a couple of deep breaths before she lifted her head and said “This would be a great job if it weren’t for the airplanes”

At that we all broke up and the tension was out of the tower, at least for the moment.

The moral of the story is that every job would be great if we didn’t have to do the work part.

I mean going to work and hanging out with your friends and drink coffee would be a great job, but the pay sucks.

So we are forced to do the work part of our jobs too. It seems a bit inconvenient at times but it does pay for the coffee.

The air traffic control job was a perfect example.

Sit in a room with surrounded by windows with the best view of the world and on a pretty day the best view of the heavens anywhere.

But those darn airplanes ruin it completely.

They want to land and take off and ask questions and need things. What the hell is that!?

Our work is working our leads and making them into sales.

Home buyer leads, listing leads, preparing listing presentations, showing homes and answering the same questions a million times. What the hell is that!?

I guess it’s called work for a reason but wouldn’t it be a great job if it weren’t for the people?