Don't Use that DriveThru!

A funny thing happened last week when we had no power after Hurricane Irene visited us and left us here in New England without power for days – I got a call from a neighbor just 3 doors away I hadn’t seen (outside of those 2 or 3 min moments at the mailbox) in years. She suggested that if we too had some defrosted food that we needed to cook, they were having a neighborhood cook-out to use that food and to spend some time together (since there was little else to do once nightfall came).



With candles burning for light, and the grill on and fresh beans and tomatoes and cukes from neighbors’ yards, a delicious meal was pulled together with little effort. It was a great night reconnecting with people we somehow have missed connecting with because of the speed of life – Life wasn’t moving too quickly after Irene – We had to get used to time without tv’s, pc’s and technology in general. Without those interruptions, suddenly we had time to slow down, enjoy the beautiful quiet evening with people who live a stone’s throw away.



Funny how so many things we do today simply don’t allow extemporaneous opportunities like our cook-out last week. And that’s sad - And for a realtor it actually is non-productive. The business of Real Estate is the business of being in touch with people. Each day we find a way to avoid that contact. It could be thru using online transactions instead of going to the Town Hall. It could using the drive thru at your bank or always choosing the drive thru for lunch or coffee breaks – Those are all missed opportunities to make that contact. And somehow so many opportunities to meet people are quickly disappearing, like going to a book store – Who doesn’t use Amazon these days?





Just try it once each day – Make an effort to avoid the automated approach and take the time to stop in the bank and really chat with the teller – Or walk down the local mall or plaza instead of moving the car from one side of the mall to the other – Build in ways to have chats with people you meet or old acquaintances that might be out and about – It may not pay off in immediate transactions, but I can guarantee you that over time, you will be receiving calls and generating business simply from those easy one to one conversations that happen when you touch people daily. And in the interim, you’re going to love reconnecting with your community! Try it, you’ll like it !