Recently my business partner, Tracy Stice, wrote an article titled, “Retiring to Maui? I got my Medicare Card Yesterday.” In reading this I thought about the difference in age between us and how we go about handling situations. Our routines, communication, and thought processes truly show our place in time. I enjoy clients from all walks of life, but I particularly connect with clients over the age of 50. It helps that most of the people with money happen to be in that age group as well, this could be because my generation is busy buying avocados and craft beer. I wanted to take a minute and highlight the day to day interactions between Tracy and myself to hopefully shed light on how we bridge the age gap and “make things work.”
Routines
Tracy usually starts his day reading the Maui News while eating oatmeal. He often tells me that if I want to know anything, I need to subscribe to the Economist, National Geographic, and some sort of local newspaper. When I answer with a simple “I read Bloomberg or CNN online,” he reacts in disgust; he has a firm belief that most online articles couldn’t be accurate. We usually humor each other and trade some tidbit of information. I continue onto reading through the multiple listing service, answering emails, and writing blogs. Tracy, on the other hand, loves to talk on the phone. He calls people from the canoe club, or local gardeners looking to buy tilapia from his farm for hydroponics. Believe it or not, much of his business comes from his hobbies. Our favorite parts of the day are the face to face interactions; we love interacting with clients in person.
Tracy sitting in seat 3, I’m in seat 2.
Communication
As I mentioned, we both prefer face to face interactions. We hold a meeting between the two of us each Monday to keep ourselves accountable and motivated. It’s interesting to see how we expedite the learning curve for one another. I help Tracy with issues on his computer, phone, or other technical problems. He gives me pointers on real estate related situations. When we take a listing or meet a buyer client for the first time, we both attend and meet them in person. The benefit of having two personalities is that we can relate to most clients and interact with them on a productive and personal level. In Tracy’s words, “I speak geezer and you speak Facebook.” When actually, he is the only one with a Facebook account.
Thought Processes
About two years ago I attended a conference where I was the youngest person by 20 years. There was a speaker who had a successful career in advertising. 2-hour speech was about the lack of advertisement towards people over the age of 50 and the disconnect between generations. He had no solution, merely the observation, and complaint. I asked him, “what could my generation do to help this concern?” He was not amused– he must have thought I was mocking him. This could be a costly mindset to have; we have so much to learn from one another. Although Tracy and I think in a completely different ways, we almost always strive for the same outcome.
There are days where we miss the boat and our age difference shows. However, the benefits and doors opened from combining our skill sets and personalities by far out weigh the pit falls.
I truly am a professional at selling homes with a senior citizen.
Give us a call, lets chat about how our multi-generational team can assist you.
Tim Stice
timastice@gmail.com
808.268.8511
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