Can Others Feel Your Passion?

Passion is a fun thing to see in action. No, I'm not talking about the kind of passion that makes teenagers blush or television executives cringe. I'm talking about seeing people do what they love to do. When they are great at it, it just adds to the intensity of those experiencing the action, service or performance.

For example, I have some buddies who love to play basketball but they'll never be mistaken for Michael Jordan. They love it...but they aren't great at it. I love to golf but even if I play well on a given day I am not going to make people "ooh" and "ahh" at my shot making ability like a Rory McIlroy or a Phil Mickelson.


I've written a bunch about passion. I've written about P-A-S-S-I-O-N as an acronym; I've written about people's passion for what they do.


Today, I got to see passion in action.

I had lunch today with my Mom and Kevin, my brother, and Lindsey Margaroli. Lindsey is the Interim Executive Director for Advancement with the College of Engineering at The Ohio State University. In layman's terms, I guess you could say she is a fund raiser...but in even more basic terms, she is a salesperson. And she is proud if it.

Her job every day involves building relationships, solving problems and having fun. Her job involves "selling" people on The Ohio State University, the College of Engineering, the dream of becoming an engineer, the growth and development of the school and really, her job is to sell "being a Buckeye." You're going to be a Buckeye," "you are a Buckeye" or "remember what it meant to you when you were a Buckeye?"

You can just tell by spending a few minutes with Lindsey that she loves what she does. She knew people in the restaurant by name and many knew her by name too.  At the very least, many knew her by her face and her smile. In just one quick pass through the seating area before we ordered, she connected with the Chair of The School of Architecture and the interim Chair of the School of Landscape Architecture (the same department my father proudly served in from 1971 through 2000). Lindsey knew the server who was waiting on us by name and knew of his progress through school to this point. They even discussed his choice of post-graduate plans. 

This wasn't Lindsey "stacking the deck" to impress us. She has dealt with much bigger donors that The Carpenters and was even off to a privately hosted dinner with a big school supporter in Cincinnati later in the day. This wasn't about securing a check today. This was about a chance to further develop a relationship.

She is just really good at what she does. People can feel that.

It also wasn't about her.

She was genuinely interested in my Mom's upcoming trip to New York City to see the Book of Mormon on Broadway. She asked about Kevin's current workload in his engineering career and his family. She inquired about my reasons and decision to attend The University of Florida. She was eagerly engaged with our answers and we knew it.

Do people feel your passion for what you do?

Do your clients sense your desire to help them "solve a problem" or can they hear you calculating the commission in your head before the deal has closed? Does your body language and tone of voice let people know that you are "on your game"?

The more you can do every day to make people feel special, the better chance you have of success today, tomorrow and into the future. Whether Lindsey gets donations, sponsorships, endowments, or agreements from her clients or not isn't going to threaten the Ohio State University from staying open for a long time to come. A lot would have to happen for OSU to shut down and close it's doors.

Along the same lines, whether you list another home, sign another buyer or close another deal isn't going to determine if the real estate industry is alive tomorrow or not. Someone is going to buy a house tomorrow and someone is going to sell a house tomorrow. And the day after that...and the day after that...and the day after that.

Lindsey's efforts and passion each day will however, insure that the students, faculty and staff get the best opportunity to become and create successful engineers and members of society and that the alumni and supporters of the school will be proud of their Alma mater and what it represents.

Your efforts and passion each day will insure that you can show up each day and head home each night knowing that you did your best...because that's all you can do.

It Was Twenty Years Ago Today...

To my loyal readers, I beg your indulgence for a totally selfish post. It's a moment to tap into the memory bank and relive some unbelievable times. I'm sure if you're like me, the following post will bring back many memories for you from a similar time in your life.

Scene Setting- August 10th, 1991
Scene Location: Stephen C. O'Connell Center, Gainesville, Florida

[Lights fade. Scene ends with Sean confidently walking off the stage with diploma in hand]

My parents Jot and Claire Carpenter were in the audience to witness the memorable event. I graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelors Degree in Exercise and Sports Science exactly twenty years ago today - August 10, 1991. At that moment (or perhaps the next morning), six of the best years of my life came to a close.

Apart from my 18 years of marriage and the entire lives of my children, there has not been anything in my life that has had a bigger impact on me than the time between August 1985 and August 1991. 

I'm sure you all have something in your life between the moment you entered this world and this exact moment in time as you are reading this that hold special memories for you. Perhaps it's a specific birthday such as your Sweet 16 or your 21st, your wedding day, a birth of a child (or children), a last moment with a parent or grandparent or some other personal moment in time.

For me, I can't tell you which moment from my time in Gainesville stands out the most but I can share a memories - some generic and some specific - that are in the "Play it again Sam" reel in my memory banks.

Rawlings Hall - Freshman year. 17 year old boy from Columbus enters a un-airconditioned, co-ed dormitory to begin my college years. My Dad helped move me in and still to this day, I remember every moment of that day...even my Dad sneaking in the two cases of Bud Light that my older brother Jot helped buy for me before I left Columbus. (It's not like Dad never did any underage drinking at University of Georgia when he was a freshman, right?)

Carl Bergeron - my Rawlings Hall RA (resident assistant) and the person who introduced me to my future best friends at...

Delta Upsilon Fraternity - A non-secret, non-hazing fraternity that was originally founded on November 4, 1834 at Williams College that became a huge part of my life in Fall 1985. 

Class of 1985 Pledge Class - Matt Corey, Tim Burch, Jim Daniel, Rick Marshall, Norm Cuadra and many others who became my first "band of brothers" in my adult life. Brian Marmaud, my fraternity Big Brother, was the original "River Dawg" and a huge mentor in my life over the next six years.

Jot T. Carpenter - My grandfather (a.k.a "Pop") lived in Jacksonville, Florida and was a huge factor in me choosing to attend UF. Turns out, after pledging Delta Upsilon, I found out that my "Pop" was a DU brother from the University of California back in the early part of the 20th century. Pop's beachfront property in Ponte Vedra Beach quickly because the DU House East until his death in 1987.

Joe's Deli - The eatery next door that was a legendary spot to eat before, during and after all Gator events. Many of my DU brothers worked here thru the years which meant great discounts on food and beers and many "after hours" events that weren't open to the public.

It's been said before but guys like Jim Mullaney, Tom Sandberg (River Dawg Gen II), Marc Jackson, Bill Loehle, Tim Logan, Pete Reichert, Pete Blank, Todd Meininger, Ross Bilbrey, Mike Neuwirth, Mike Richardson (River Dawg Gen III), Matt Scaringe (River Dawg Gen IV) and may other DU brothers that have a huge majority of my memory cache than any "lesson learned" in that same time frame. "Good times don't last but good people do." Dikaia Upotheke boys!

Crescent Beach, Sugar Mountain, NYC, Boston, LA, and many more road trip locations across America including most major college towns in the Southeastern quadrant of the United States. Many memories, most of which have been sealed in a pledge of confidentiality.

"Stop", "Can I get some Viresh?", "Abutments don't give," and "Calibogue" as well as many other sayings that don't mean anything except to those who ever said them.

.10 beers at The Park, .25 cent beers at CJ's, Reed Boyd at Chelsea's on Bottomless Beer Night, Danny's on Thursday Token Nights, Chili's Friday afternoon, Happy Hour at the Purple Porpoise from midnight to 2am, Balls, PJ O'Reilly's, Bennigan's, Nells for drafts and many more I am sure we've forgotten about...or probably should.

Tony and Pat's, Skeeters, Sizzler, Burrito Bros., Waffle House, Bill Knapp's, Grandy's, gator tails at Joe's Deli and anything served by fraternity cooks -  Ed, The Rev or Pat the Cook. (Please note the term "cook" used loosely and probably an insult to true chefs everywhere)

Faces of Faith, DU Lagoon, Full Moon Formal and Grand Slam Sorority Softball Tournament just to name a few events that come to mind.

Donating blood two times in a four week period to help win Greek Week


The Pike Open


Serenading sororities during dinner time


The Mallard Lounge, Work Parties and the Pent-House (forever)


Delta Upsilon's Florida Chapter earning the Sweepstakes Award for Best Chapter in the Nation - 1986. Not very often you can say you were among "the best in North America."

Dr Owen Holyoak - The toughest, meanest, most caring teacher I had in the College of Health and Human Performance. A tough SOB who wasn't liked by anyone but was respected by everyone. Without knowing it, he probably was a mirror image of my father. Earning a 100% on the final thesis in his course remains one of my proudest accomplishments in my life. 

Visits to see the lovely ladies of Delta Zeta at the University of Kentucky - some solo to visit my future wife and some with buddies to attend random sorority events.

Hitting my first hole-in-one on the 11th hole at the University Course with Brian Marmaud by my side

Seeing some incredible sporting events involving the Florida Gators and many other great SEC and rival teams.  

Wow - what a trip down Memory Lane. I hope you enjoyed the trip too and it made you flash back to some of the people, places and parties from your college years.

It's funny, because thinking about this now, it's probably during my college years that I subconsciously developed my current philosophy of "building relationships, solving problems and having fun."

I'm excited for the opportunity to continue that approach for another twenty years... and hopefully a few more.

 

How Does Jack's 6th Compare to Your Client's First?

I remember it well.

I was sitting in the lounge on the first floor of Rawlings Hall, an un-air conditioned dormitory at the University of Florida. It was mid-afternoon on a Sunday and the weekend was coming to a close. I know I had to get over to my fraternity house for our Chapter meeting that evening but I didn't want to leave. Something magical was happening.

I remember it well.

We had been back in Columbus for about a year and our lease was going to be done or needing a renewal if we wanted to stay in our small two-bedroom apartment in North Columbus. I met with my parents and told them that we wanted to buy a house but we weren't sure what to do. Without hesitation, they suggested we call "their Realtor," who sold them the house I grew up in and my mother still owns to this day. That was 25 years prior to that day.

Experience + Excitement

Jack Nicklaus started that final round of The Masters in 1986 with not much chance of winning. He was 46 years old and the leader board was a virtual "who's who" of the game's biggest stars - Greg Norman, Seve Ballesteros, Tom Kite, Nice Price and Tom Watson, just to name a few. The "Golden Bear" was being called the "Olden Bear" and was really looked at as nothing more than a nice side story early in the round. But what if...?

There was maybe three or four of my fellow dorm residents watching the action when Nicklaus birdied #9, #10 and #11 to really get everyone watching thinking "what if?" A few more people started filing in to see what all the screams and cheering was about. They didn't leave. Nicklaus made a momentum stalling bogey on Augusta National's signature #12 and more than a few people in the room thought, "Well, that was fun when it lasted," assuming Nicklaus was done with any hope of a comeback win for the ages and a record 6th green jacket.

Captain Bob and Bonnie

My parent's Realtor was "Captain Bob" Kidwell, so we gave him a call to say we wanted to buy a house. Kidwell was then the manager at King Thompson (now Coldwell Banker King Thompson) so he referred us to Bonnie Nyikes. Bonnie was a joy to work with and we began searching for our first house.

Like most first timers, we didn't really know what we wanted except for a place we could call home. Bonnie was helpful and encouraging and kept her poise throughout our search. She relied on her experience and expertise to handle the ups and downs of a home search as well as helped handle the emotions that you often see when the pressure of negotiation sets in.

Our first contract fell through due to a home inspection and frustration and fear set in. I remember thinking, "Well, that was fun when it lasted" and beginning to think we'd have to rent for another year.

The Bear Roars Again

Nicklaus relied on his previous trips through "Amen Corner" and knew that there were plenty of opportunities for success ahead of him and just as many challenges in his wake for his competitors to overcome. With Jack Nicklaus, Jr. on his bag as caddy, he added a birdie on #13, an unbelievable eagle on #15, a near hole-in-one turned tap-in birdie on #16 and a lead claiming birdie on #17. CBS Sports Verne Ludquist's famous call of that birdie has to be in most sports fan's Top Ten of most dramatic moments in sports. (Click here if you don't see the video below)



As Jack and Jack, Jr. approached the green on #18, they each had tears in their eyes and the rest of the world was beginning to believe that this storybook ending may actually occur. The lounge in Rawlings Hall, similar to every other dorm, sports bars, airports lounge and country club stag room across the globe was standing room only. People who had never played golf in their lives were passionately pulling for 46-year-old Jack Nicklaus to win the Masters.

From Bitter...to Bitterroot

Just like Nicklaus's bogey on #12, we had lost some momentum after that first deal fell apart due to a bad home inspection report. We started to question whether we were ready for home ownership. That is until we looked in the neighborhood of Sunbury Woods in Northeast Columbus and found a home for sale on Bitterroot Drive.

We liked it, we wrote on it and our offer was accepted as written. The home inspection went smoothly, our financing was clean and we were ready to close the deal and become homeowners.

Green Jackets and Green Buyers

Seve Ballesteros hit it in the water on #15 and fell off the lead. Tom Kite missed a short putt on #18 to finish a stroke back of Nicklaus. As Greg Norman's approach shot sailed into the crowd on the right side of the green and he failed to get up and down for a par, Jack Nicklaus was the Masters champion...again. I think they could have heard the cheers from Rawlings Hall and living rooms across America in Augusta when Jack won that day.

How Big of a Part will You Play in Your Client's Memory?

I got an email from my good buddy Tom earlier this week asking if I remember what we were doing 25 years ago. I replied back immediately saying "I sure do, and I'll never forget it."

I also remember the adventure and thrill of buying my first home. While it wasn't 25 years ago (actually 15 ago now), I certainly remember it well.

As Realtors, we get a front row seat to the action of our Buyers and Sellers. We sometimes get more than that. We get to be part of the action; an integral part of the transaction. What are you doing with each client to ensure that you and your services are memorable one year later? Ten years later? Twenty five years later? Will your clients be able to remember the transaction as if it was yesterday as they recount stories to their friends, children or grandchildren?

If they do, you'll know you have "mastered" your role.

Until next time, keep building relationships, solving problems and having fun