Hiring a small business to help you with an important project can be one of the best decisions you make. Think of the small construction company where the owner-operator is on every project, putting his stamp of approval on his work. You know you'll be happy with the quality and the craftsmanship of the finished product. And if something isn't done quite right, the owner will fix it. 

But sometimes small business owners encounter problems that negatively impact their service. 

For example, because they're part of a larger economy, they might struggle with supply chain issues, labor shortages, and rising expenses. And because they're human, they can experience the loss of a loved one or a health concern that impacts their ability to do their job

Many real estate training programs teach us to constantly ask for referrals...but are we worthy of referring in the first place?

People refer us when they know us, trust us, and appreciate who we are as people. But if we haven't yet proven that we can be trusted, for example, then asking for a referral can be counter productive and damaging to our reputation. 

Before we ask for a referral, we should seek to serve first, and demonstrate our value to our clients. In many cases we'll learn that we don't even need to ask for a referral. Our clients will refer us without our knowledge, without us even asking.

These can be career-changing questions for anyone in the field of real estate. When we become crystal clear on who we intend to serve and what we choose to stand for, then our path forward becomes clear and actionable. 

Who do we serve? 

At Mad City Dream Homes, we focus on serving clients who share the traits of our team. People who are generous, hardworking, and humble tend to be wonderful clients who appreciate the expertise and the effort that we bring to the table. 

This is why we approach all of our services and all of our marketing with a clear sense of generosity, hard work, and humility. When we consistently live out these traits, we tend to attract clients who are generous, hardworking, and humble, too. 

What do we stand for? 

At

Is to change the way we go about our work. We spend 8 hours each day at our job, sometimes more. So why not view everyone we encounter as an opportunity to serve?

We can choose to be generous, not competitive. We can be kind and helpful to everyone we meet. And we can model humility over individualism. 

We might just learn that we're able to accomplish our goals and enjoy our work. That we're able to connect with people and form long-lasting relationships. And that we're capable of being a positive influence in the business community and the larger community, too -- when we lead by example. 

According to author Stephen M.R. Covey, credibility is the foundation for building trust in any personal or professional relationship. And credibility, according to Covey, boils down to two simple questions:

#1: Can we trust ourselves?  

#2: Can others trust us, too? 

When we have credibility, Covey says, we have the ability to form long-lasting relationships that are built on a foundation of trust. Here are Covey's 4 Cores of Credibility, which the author says are essential for earning trust in any type of relationship. 

Integrity: Integrity is about demonstrating consistency between our words and our actions. When people see that we are true to our words, they are more likely to trust us. 

Intent: Intent is about demonstrating care and

Our team believes that working by referral is a genuine and fruitful way to practice real estate. But what does working by referral mean?

- Letting your quality of service be your greatest marketing tool, instead of paid advertisements
- Focusing on building relationships instead of "finding clients"
- Having a spirit of generosity and incorporating discretionary effort into your daily work
- Removing the anxiety of real estate: when you do your job with skill, honesty, and kindness, you will always be led to the next person to help

If you'd like to learn more about how working by referral looks in day-to-day practice, Dan and Amanda would love to meet with you. 

Lately it's feeling like the "spamming and cramming" from marketers has reached an all-time high. Or all-time low, depending on how you look it. Politicians, non-profits, realtors, mortgage lenders, restaurants, and any company with an app...they're using any and all means to disrupt our attention.

But for those of us who are in sales and marketing, we have so many better ways to approach our work. Here are just a few of them: 

• Choose to run a business that stands for something. 
• Lead with generosity. 
• Focus on relationships. 
• Adopt a long-term, servant mindset. 
• Invest in our clients. 
• Be professionals. 
• Earn more trust. 
• In short, stop selling and start serving. 

By doing so, we lead by example, and model for each

Higher education has come under a lot of scrutiny in recent years, due to the investment required for a four-year degree. Fortunately there are lower cost ways to break into a good-paying profession, a profession that doesn't require $100,000 or more up front. 

One of them is a career in real estate. For only a few hundred dollars and a few weeks of training, you can obtain your license and launch your real estate career. Of course this comes with a caveat. Your real education begins after you obtain your license, when you learn how to grow a healthy and sustainable business that's built for the long run. 

Another low cost option is an apprenticeship in the trades, healthcare, information technology, or another field. With an apprenticeship, you

If this is the type of career environment that resonates with you, then we would love to hear from you. Contact Dan or Amanda for coffee and a conversation. 

Our professional standards and expectations 

• We are present with our clients so they know through our words and our actions that we always have their best interests at heart.

• We are patient with our clients. We know that our clients are almost always experiencing stress. It is our job to help them navigate this stressful time through our own kindness and grace. 

• We over-communicate rather than under-communicate with our clients, colleagues, and other real estate professionals. We are professionals, which means we always communicate with a positive and

Many of us in real estate have seen the "work hard, play hard" posts on social media. Posts that suggest we can we can enjoy the good life when we commit to the daily hustle and grind. If we're willing to consistently persevere through the long hours, the networking, and the phone calls, then we'll be able to achieve a level of success that allows us to cash in some of those hours for a dream vacation. Or maybe even a vacation home. 

The underlying message? Even if the work itself isn't all that enjoyable, the financial rewards make it all worth it. 

Of course the problem with "work hard, play hard" is a lack of balance. It tends to be either-or. On-off. Bouncing from one extreme to the other. Trading in extreme work for moments of play can take its