Real estate agents have for a long time been known for their ruthlessness. Some of many names include; sharks, dodgy, money hungry, liars, and the list goes on. The problem is that this thought from Purchasers and Vendors can permit us from doing our job. Purchasers rarely tell us when they’re interested in a property and play their cards close to their chest and in reverse Vendors can inflate the price they will actually accept and keep this information from us which can be detrimental to the sale of a home when our job is already to achieve the highest price for the Vendor. This game hasn’t been created by the real estate agents it has actually been created by the vendors and purchasers. A real estate agent is no different to a sales assistant (some purchasers may ask for a discount however the sales assistant is not authorised to do this without the owners permission). Facing this prejudice everyday is one of the biggest struggles I find in Real Estate – gaining back the trust (that was never lost) which leads me to my experience in Darwin.
I was strolling the streets of Darwin and came across a lovely shop front full of Pearls. The company name was Paspaley. Paspaley is now a name I will never forget. It’s one of the shops that as soon as you walk into you feel like you’re out of place as everything you see looks well above anything you can afford. In an attempt to escape the scorching heat we planned on popping in for a quick look to cool down & then hit the pavement again. I do have a love of Pearls ever since I sited Audrey Hepburn wearing them in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. I was briskly looking around the shop admiring the pieces of jewellery. However what happened after that wasn’t something I was expecting.
The sales assistant of the store started talking to us asking if we needed any help and of course we just answered with the usual response “Just looking” – then she started asking us where we were from (with sweat dripping from us it wasn’t hard to pigeon hole us as tourists) she then followed on to ask what brought us up to Darwin and took a keen interest in what we were doing while we were in town. After the pleasantries she then asked if we had heard of Paspaley before. Both of us hadn’t heard of these exquisite pearls. The shop assistant then went right through the history of Paspaley pearls and explained the process on how they are made.
I asked what price the Jewellery ranged from and she replied, “This piece I have around my neck is $30,000”. She then said, “Our jewellery is priced from $700.00 to $250,000.00”. I asked if I could see the most expensive piece in the store (out of interest sake) and she pulled out a piece worth $100,000 and offered to put it around my neck (I politely declined, not feeling very comfortable with $100,000 hanging from neck). She was well aware I did not have $100,000 to spend however didn’t fob us off or not spend time on us even though she knew the chances of us buying something that day was minimal.
She explained that with the jewellery you get a lifetime guarantee and they will restring the pearls for you if need be. The Paspaley pearl is determined by a small diamond placed into one of the pearls – which is their trademark signature. I was extremely impressed with not only the Pearl and Guarantee but mostly the Service that was offered to us when we walked in to the store. The pearls were a rarity and I felt that level of customer service I received was also. The pearls weren’t what sold me on the product it was the Sales Assistant willing to spend time with us and actually explain the rarity of the pearl.
The company might not have received a sale out of us that day – but what they weren’t aware of is that the Sales Assistant that took time and interest in her customers will most certainly receive a sale out of me one day in the future. The service we received was second to none and never once made us feel like we didn’t belong in the store.
What did I learn from the experience? Everything I already knew however it’s always nice to have a refresher. Don’t judge a book by its cover. Never ever make assumptions of people by the way they dress, talk or walk. Treat everyone equally!
