Don't worry about the results

2016 was difficult. There was a 16% dropped in the number of houses sold. 2017 is not expected to get much better. Its going to be an even greater challenge, that's for sure. I was at my company do this morning. Very enjoyable, lots of fun plus a lots of inspiring stories. Amid all the gloom, today was refreshing. It gives me the impetus to work even harder this year. As long as I am trying, there's no reason to feel a failure. I will only failed when I stopped trying. In Total Quality Management, we learned not to worry about the results. Worry about the process. If the process is right, the results will come, in sha Allah. So, I don't worry about the results. I worry about my process. Make it good, make it work. The results will come, in sha Allah.

Give it a go

Today is D day. I will join a group of people focusing solely on the primary market. We will be trained, guided and led by people who have proven themselves in the market. There will be two weeks of orientation. After that, it will be all systems go. How will I fare? Will I be successful? Will I be able to make it as a salesman, selling houses? I was struggling in the secondary market because I was on my own. Its a working culture that is totally new to me. I found it very difficult, groping in the dark. Now, with this new venture, I will be fully guided. There's a structured system. Its more like what I am used to. In sha Allah, I can give it a go.

Thrilled

Next week I will begin a new phase in my life. I have been accepted into a group being formed by the company I am with to specifically do project marketing. Its a new thing for the company and for me. Like me, they have never done it before. I will be trained by experts who have proven themselves in project marketing, will work with a specific group, will have specific working hours, will have to apply if I want to go on leave, will have to do reporting etc. Its a big different from what I have being trained as a real estate agent. This is something else! The orientation will start next week. A bit more than two weeks including a four day trip to Johore Baru because one of the project is being developed there. At sixty years old, I am embarking on a new adventure. I am thrilled just thinking about it.

Good and bad

As a real estate negotiator, I can work from anywhere. From my office, from the house or from anywhere that takes my fancy. I have worked from a mamak stall, form the office in Ampang, from my house, from a bench by the Titiwangsa lake, from a mosque etc. That's what I like most about my new profession. On the other hand, 2016 has been a tough time for people in the property business. When you are paid as per the houses you sell, it adds to the burden of trying to make a living because selling houses has not been easy in trying times like this. My seniors told me it was much easier four, five years ago compared to now. The only thing I can do is grit my teeth and push on.  

One bridge too many

The 2017 budget has not bring much impact to the property market. The market is still in the wait and see mood. There is less buying but more people are selling. Its a mismatch! People with cash or can have access to money will have plenty to choose from when looking for a property. Developers are bringing in extra incentives to attract buyers. Some are giving free cars on top of very attractive rebates. The same with the secondary market. People are selling at below market value. For real estate agents, these are trying times. For new agents like me, it is twice as hard. Its not only a mountain to climb but rivers to cross as well. And at the end of it all, its one bridge too many.

My biggest problem

From what I have been hearing and reading, 2017 is going to be like 2016, tough. I am referring to the property market off course. It might even get tougher, who knows. With banks being very particular about giving out loans, selling houses is like trying to break the great wall of China. Only 40 % approval for 2016, so I read! With that kind of statistics, how are we going to sell houses? Yes, transactions are still going on but at a much lower rate, perhaps just 60-70% of normal. Two months into my new profession, I am still struggling to get going. However, I must admit, I don't think I have tried my very best. Perhaps, only 40-50% only. For one thing, I find working on my own with no one to look over my shoulders is a real challenge. Most days, I would end up doing nothing. That is my biggest problem at the moment. To motivate myself. To push myself. To strive really hard! To go even when the road is long and winding. To go even when the light at the end of the tunnel seems like an impossible distance away.

80/20 rule applies

When I signed up to be a real estate negotiator, I had to attend two days of compulsory training in order to obtain the work permit. Then the company that I am attached to conducted two more days of training for its new negotiators. All in all, it is four days of training. After that, the deep end of the sea beckons. It is up to you how you want to negotiate through it. It is survival of the fittest. If you failed, you will drown. Otherwise, you live to fight another day. Opportunities don't come on a silver platter. You have to find it, create it, then grab it. I would say the 80/20 rule applies. 80% of the negotiators barely survived. 20% grab the main share of the cake.