Business Etiquette & The Gold Key Certification
Having reached the ripe old age of “I’m not telling”, I’ve had the opportunity to work in a broad spectrum of industries that include manufacturing, distributing, retail, entertainment and of course, the real estate industry. During these adventures I’ve had the privilege of working with and for some of the most courteous, gracious and humble professionals who have exemplified the Gold Key standard for excellence in business etiquette.
So, what is business etiquette anyway?
As defined by Dictionary.com, etiquette is:
Conventional requirements as to social behavior; properties of conduct as established in any class or community or for any occasion.
A prescribed or accepted code of usage in matters of ceremony as at a court or in official or other formal observances.
The code of ethical behavior regarding professional practice or action among the members of a profession in their dealings with each other, e.g. medical etiquette.
In layman’s terms, etiquette is a set of rules or code of conduct that allows individuals to interact with each other in a professional and civilized manner.
What about the Real Estate industry?
Do we have a well-defined set of rules, standards or code of conduct that is enforced, regulated, taught and promoted by the Realtor associations? Unfortunately, the answer is a resounding “not really”.
The truth is that we love to talk the talk, but far too many Realtors do not walk the walk. A quick look at the various types of complaints filed against Realtors with their different real estate commissions and associations shows that there remains a lot of room for improvement.
What are some of the most common complaints? While there are several different statutes that are often violated in one way or another, the most frequent violations revolve around the issues of basic trustworthiness and honest behavior. In other words, an agent lied, cheated, deceived, misrepresented, exaggerated or made false promises, and perhaps even stole money from someone they were representing as either a seller or buyer.
Other complaints, while being less serious in nature, reflect their level of importance to the consumer and show a fundamental lack of care, concern or consideration that many agents exhibit daily to the detriment of the industry at large. They include:
He never answered his phone or returned calls
She was rude and spoke down to me
He showed up in shorts and flip flops
She waited two days before presenting my offer
He was late for every appointment
She wasted our time showing houses that we had no interest in
Each year the Gallup organization conducts a national survey asking consumers about their perceptions of the honesty and ethical standards in the people in various professions and occupations, including real estate agents.
The results of the 2018 survey are detailed in the chart below:
In 2019, Real Estate Agents didn’t even make the list, which means that Members of Congress were considered to be more honest and have a higher ethical standard than your average Real Estate Agent. How about that for a kick in the shins?
The National Association of Realtors, the Florida Real Estate Commission and the Orlando Regional Realtor Association have recognized that we can and must do better. The Gold Key Certification for agents and the Platinum Key Certification for brokers was created to help raise the level of professionalism being practiced by members of our industry as part of their ongoing efforts to vastly improve the public’s perception of the real estate industry as a whole.
The programs focus on the necessity of following “standards of excellence” and “codes of ethics” and “pathways to professionalism”, all of which consist of many, many pages detailing how we should all be treating our clients and each other. Below I’ve narrowed it down to a few basics that every consumer should expect from their Realtor:
The Golden Rule: They always treat and communicate with you professionally. They should answer their phones, return calls or texts and answer emails promptly.
Do No Harm: They do not say negative things or spread rumors about their competition, former clients or their properties. It doesn’t make them look good and it certainly isn’t part of their job description.
Be Truthful: They do not lie, speak falsely or purposefully hide or omit the truth. The truth always comes out sooner or later and that’s especially true with real estate.
Be Honest: They do not cheat, betray or misrepresent the who, what and why regarding themselves or a property.
Be Respectful: They treat everyone as deserving of respect. The fact that this may be your first home purchase, or the other agent might be new to the industry doesn’t mean the agent has the right to be disrespectful or talk down to anyone.
Real Estate Agents or Brokers who are Gold or Platinum Key Certified have proven that they are committed to providing the highest standards of conduct, ethics and business etiquette when representing their clients and working with their peers.
Regardless of whether you are a buyer or seller, you can be confidant that your Gold Key Certified real estate agent will always provide you with Excellence in Professionalism.
If you have any questions about Gold Key Certification or anything Central Florida Real Estate related - Contact me, Brian Hayes Realtor.