Rally My Troops

Here is a letter I am drafting to send to all my agents concerning the current state of affairs in this market.  I know I may sound all general Schwarzkopf-ish but hey I believe it needs to be said.  I did take my inspiration and plagiarized a bit from Marc Davison, so thank you for the inspiration.  Although most if not all is my own words and my own feelings.  Yes it is a draft and some changes may be occurring. I wanted to put it up here to get some comments.

Ryan Sean Carrigan, J.D., and Edward Bankston Carrigan

President, Senior Vice President The Carrigan Group, CG Funding, Earras Corporation

Dear Agents and Staff:

As you know, we are in the midst of a storm raining down on many Americans. Foreclosures are skyrocketing, many banks are closing their doors, many loan originators, and real estate agents are out of a job. Many people are waking up today to the fact that they believe they have no other hope or options available to them and they must pack up all they have accumulated in their home and leave...somewhere else, not in the home they felt was their dream home, the home they would retire in and build wealth with.

Many of you of course, are all too painfully aware of this type of situation. You may have former clients in this situation; you may have neighbors, friends, and even family members that are going through this.

Despite the efforts of the Federal Reserve and some banks, the loan market has not quite stabilized and escrows and deals continue to fall away. Even some of our well intentioned, and what we use to think were strong buyers, have been struggling to get their loans approved. Many times you will feel the pressure of sellers who want or desperately NEED to get a specific price for their home, and sadly are unrealistic in those goals.  Many of you will bear the brunt of the anger of consumers and sellers as if this is somehow your fault.

So starting today, we -- you and me, together -- will begin to rehabilitate our company into a stronger leaner company that still believes in the client and all that is good about Real Estate.  Together we as a small army must attempt to revive an industry that has over the last 10 years become fat, lazy, greedy, bloated with agents who don’t care, and spoiled brokers and agents who were used to selling homes within hours and getting clients into loans they should not have afforded. If you join the struggle, in time we will emerge healthier, stronger and more prosperous. If you shirk, dig in, do nothing, wait for something to fall in your lap, and cling to the past, then I ask you now to take your real estate license elsewhere. There may be a place for you in this industry (although not a strong one or one who cares about you and your future), but it is not within our family of The Carrigan Group.

To begin, I want you to be reintroduced to our company, to who it is we are and if you stay who you are. That name that appears on our signs, on your business cards, on the letterhead, and on your yard signs is a name that has meaning and history. The people that built this firm did so on a handshake, goodwill, a belief that through thick OR thin we will always be there WITH our client for their good not our own bottom line.  We have always strived to go that extra mile for our clients and they have always believed in us and put their trust in us. We have given our clients our word, and on deeds performed within the community. All of these in the past have paid dividends. Beginning now, I expect you to carry that history faithfully forward.

We will have to work hard to gain the confidence and trust of the public. From now on, every human being we touch will no longer wonder if we have their interest at heart. They will know it. They will know it in the way you speak, in your actions, and your attempt to educate everyone you come into contact with, that WE are different and WE are making a difference.  Yes it is difficult right now, yes we must struggle to make it, but we will, we will not only survive but we will begin to truly prosper.  With your help and the support of the many people we will help along the way.

Starting today, we will begin an audit of every program, practice, application, vendor relationship and product we have. What doesn't fully honor and respect our customers will be discarded. We will begin to diversify, offer products and services that others don’t and in a way others have not thought about before. We must produce products and services that truly HELP people, clients, consumers, our environment, our economy, and our communities.  We must not shirk OUR responsibility to roll our sleeves up and get ready to work hard, for if we do this now, we will all prosper in the future.  We will be as a company build a future that is more stable and built more solidly and more ready to weather whatever the lord may bring our way.

Beginning now, everything that communicates our mutual message to the community must be unified and spoken with a passion that belies the fact that you truly believe in what you are saying. You will say it with Your email signature file, your business cards, your personal letters, your websites, your communications with others, your advertisements, your open houses, your fliers, and your listings, your listing and sales presentations, everything must convey this message.

The story you tell and the actions you convey will reflect on your peers within this company and throughout the entire industry. As professional men and women who handle the most important financial transaction in our customers' lives, we will present ourselves accordingly. We must earn their trust and safeguard that trust with everything we have.  It is then and only then that we may show them that we are here for the long haul, not just for the hot markets where we can make a fast buck and move on.  I know it is tough out there; it is tough for everyone, INCLUDING your clients.  Show your empathy by educating them and providing them with service that goes above and beyond the call of the norm.  Stick with it, think outside the box, pray hard, and really put yourself out there for others, they will come, and we will prosper.

Stay connected to people, LISTEN to people, and offer our services to them, what we have to offer is truly unique and will help them and in the long run help you.  Yes you will earn less, and yes you will have a lot of deals fall through, but in the end we will rise up and become a beacon for all others to emulate. The products we offer such as the credit repair and budget analysis is like none other, the ray of sunshine in a gloomy world program, the expert analysis and education we can provide current, future, and past clients are unparallel.  Believe in them and your clients will too. Believe in yourself because we believe in you.

Finally, as a member of this (family) firm, remind yourself everyday of your commitment to be the best. If you're not the best, then you are nothing. Look around you. This building, our executive team, your peers, our past clients, and our history -- it's a foundation we expect you to add to, not take from. Honor it and you have our word that it will honor you.

Sincerely,

Ryan Sean Carrigan, J.D.                            Edward Bankston Carrigan                                          

President/ Senior Vice President, The Carrigan Group, CG Funding, Earras Corporation

so there you go, in a nutshell, this too shall pass. 

Ryan

Comments

[Kevin Treglia]

I enjoyed reading your statement about your company's mission.
It is easy to understand that building goodwill with a client is doing what is best for them, which is done through communication and as you say by going the exta mile. Placing the customers in an honorable position and not as contacts for quick sales is noble. Credit repair is an industry that should be blosoming at this time, offering this as a product is smart business thinking.