Written by: Dan Hellweg
They say never try to be perfect. I disagree with that. Well, maybe we shouldn't keep trying to be “perfect” but what we should be on is the pursuit of perfection. The recipe for perfection is complex. An excellent example of where perfection exists is in a cup of coffee. Typically, a cup of coffee is just a cup of coffee. However, a cup of coffee has the ability to change lives. Coffee has the power to make your day go from bad to good in just a few sips. It can warm you on the coldest of mornings. It can make you smile and enjoy the company around you. Of course, an equally opposite experience is possible, abad cup of coffee can ruin one’s day. What comes after changes the cosmos forever---for good or bad!
All professions can be compared to coffee. All industries have corporate sized entities down to passion driven boutiques. Some businesses place an emphasis on how many/ how much they serve, such as a burger joint saying how many burgers they have served. It doesn’t mean they are the best. On the other hand, there are some that focus on who they serve. Both have value and each is designed for a specific client or customer type. Additionally, both come with a mindset. How often is the largest ever really the best? They cannot go together; it does not exist. You can choose two of three in speed, quality, and price but never all three.
I've been associated with a variety of environments and have always wanted to know what makes them tick. How they treat coffee seems to correspond with how they do everything. One had Keurig machines - they had several externally licensed tools. Another, Starbucks coffee because it's similar to how they do business in seeking to become the face of real estate. Another had a touch machine that did everything for you, from grinding to mixing and pouring. It was a good cup of coffee, but there was no appreciation for it. Also, no one can make them from scratch because they never knew how. The machine would break down frequently. There's nothing worse than having clients in for a meeting and not having coffee, especially as it was the third time being serviced in a week. Since it was not my own office, my contingency consisted of instant packets or running to the local coffee house. That was just an added stress I did not need. It also had a foreshadowing feeling of how business would be (or as I would interpret if I were newly met clients). Lots of show with sporadic go.
Then enter an office that has manual locks on the door, a wonderful assortment of plants, an old school record player, and no cookie cutter selling materials that thousands of agents are all using. Oh, and the coffee. That is, after all, the important thing here. We got our freshly roasted, unground beans, from local Chicago coffee shops. Every bag tells a story from the roast info, where the beans were sourced, and their mission. Here’s one example for instance, “In a world driven by technology and science, we are the gravitational resistance in skill and philosophy. An Innovative culinary family fueled by community and passion to deliver the most intellectually honest coffee you will experience." Whoa!
So, what does a perfect cup really mean to you? When the intention is the pursuit of perfection, you, my friend, are consuming the perfect cup everyday. How one does everything, is how they do everything, especially in real estate. We invite you, agent, client, neighbor, or curious passerby, to stop in and experience a perfect cup of coffee.
