My first sales job was selling new and used Cadillacs and Pontiacs in Saginaw, Mich. That was just after college and you might say I was a little naive. One thing I immediately noticed was people did not trust me.

Being fresh in the business and never having bought a new car, I was kind of miffed by the customers’ reaction to me, a nice, genuine guy. I started to notice the old-timer salespeople who all had great personalities and seemed to have a good time at what they did for a living. Then, I noticed they all enjoyed finding ways to cheat their customers and did anything to close the deal. That's when I finally understood why people don't trust salespeople. Very quickly, I decided I did not want to become like the old timers who thought customers were there simply to take advantage of. After a few months, I left and went down the road to sell carpet, another well-respected occupation. The difference was, I decided to learn how to sell with honesty and integrity.

Gaining Trust:
Recently, my wife and I purchased a new existing home in Loveland, Colo. We saw the property facing a lake, and instantly fell in love with it. Because we did not use our original realtor to find the place, we felt it was alright to go with the one who had posted the sign. We thought that by law, she had to treat the buyer and the seller with equal interests. Boy was that a mistake.

She, with a smile, treated us like an unwanted stepchild. Not only did she not keep us informed of the step-by-step procedures, she let us know our inspection was too late and we were on our own for any repairs or changes. I did get what I wanted done, but I had to fight for it. It seems to me the buyer should be helped by the selling agent every step of the way.

At this point, I could have kicked myself for not getting my trusted sales agent, Mary Beth, in to look out for our best interests. In our past home purchase, Mary Beth had really watched out for use. She earned our trust in many ways. She told us it, a property had negatives. She made sure we performed our responsibilities, for example, getting the inspection on time. And, in general, she made sure were making a wise choice for both our lifestyle and financial situation. In fact, I will be giving her a copy of this column to let her know we blew it, and that we will not fail to use her next time. Earning trust is as simple as just doing what is best on behalf of your buyer-plain and simple.

Kelly Kramer, based in Loveland, Colo., is
an author, inventor and owner of Kelly's Carpet Wagon.

“I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciated your help. My frustration level with the realtor in Estes is terrible. I wish you were selling that place. I actually felt like you cared about us and that is not the way I feel about the other realtors. As she was the friend of a friend, and I made the contact, I have only myself to blame.”
“Thx for finding this place and thx for being so good! You were a pleasure to work with.”

Ed Gonzalez