Login
iscover
Every Friday, RPMonline will feature a story from a property manager on the ground. This week’s story comes from Deniz Yusuf, BDM and coach at bdmcoach.com.au.
Most of the people who know me, know that I’m a very loyal man to my wife and kids. I was in my early days as an agent, only weeks in, when I was conducting an open for a property. There were around 12 people who attended the open at the time. During the open, I was answering some questions for a dear old lady who had never rented before. During this conversation, two young girls - I would guess around the late teens, 17-18 - interrupted my conversation and asked how they could apply for the property. I calmly replied, “Fill out the applications, drop them into the office, they’ll get processed, and you’ll receive a call from us”. She nodded her head, suggesting that she understood what I had said, so I proceeded back to the elderly lady that I was originally helping. As I was talking to the older woman, I couldn’t help notice the girl who came to me being spoken to by the other girl, as if to give advice about what to ask me again.
As I was talking to the older lady, the young girl came up again asking a question, “Excuse me sir, what do we have to do to get the house?” I calmly responded again with the same answer as I had done only seconds before - “Fill out the applications, drop them into the office, they’ll get processed, and you’ll receive a call from us”. She again nodded her head - this time with a smile - and walked back to her friend to repeat my answer to her.
In the meantime, I was still talking to the same elderly lady and her daughter trying to answer all the worried questions they had, and the other eight or so people had started to gather around me as they wanted applications or had some questions regarding the property.
At the same time, I was scanning the room trying to catch everyone to make sure I had spoken to them all, and I couldn’t stop and notice the two young girls still in the same spot in the room talking to each other, but this time looking at me while in discussion. It was at this point, mid-conversation, when they both walked up to me and interrupted what I was saying to people. THIS time when she interrupted me, she was speaking a great deal louder and dragging her words out looonnnger… “Excuse me sir……what do WE HAVE TO DO TO YOU…..so WEEEEE can get this house?”.
Now, at this point the room went silent. Such words coming out with a room full of people was a shock on its own, but everyone was also stunned the question was being asked, let alone the rudeness of being interrupted in conversation as well. To this day, I still have no clue how I responded calmly, how I didn’t get stage fright, or whatever you want to call it, but I responded in exactly the same way as I had previously - “Fill out the applications, drop them into the office, they’ll get processed, and you’ll receive a call from us”.
This time, I turned my back to them and finished answering questions and hoped that in all the powers of the world they had left. I asked one couple to even wait out the front for me, so I could answer their questions while heading to the car.
While locking the house up, I called the office to tell Jodie what had happened, she laughed at me and said, “Yeah, yeah whatever"….probably thinking it was me being a typical male.
I got back to the office to run in and tell Jodie that I wasn’t joking, and if they came in asking for me to tell them I’m out. I was standing behind a two-way mirror at the time and from the look on my face, I felt she believed me. However, the other two or three girls in the office just laughed at me.
Right there and then the two prospective young ladies had walked into the door. I froze when I heard their voices asking for me – "Excuse me, we were just at a house with the guy and we were wondering if we could meet with him?" NOW, Jodie believed me as I was pretending I had a knife in my hand gesturing I was cutting my own throat saying NO NO NO NO NO. She then proceeded to tell the girls that I wasn’t back yet and they could come back later.
Now they all believed me. I was kind of freaked and relieved and also praying they never returned. They did come back the next day and hand in the applications, after processing them, there was no way they would have been approved anyway.
Just as an FYI: I got somebody else to call them to let them know they were unsuccessful for the house.
