Susan Schneider’s Blog

212 Degrees

Awhile back, I received a small book titled “212º: The Extra Degree™.” I thumbed through it briefly but inevitably threw it into my read-at-a-later-date pile. Not but a month later, I was sitting at a conference where they showed a two-minute video clip entitled “212º: The Extra Degree™.” I believe life sends us signs on a regular basis — sometimes we choose to pay attention and other times we completely ignore them. Remember the movie “Bruce Almighty” with Jim Carrey? The “signs” were literally falling on him and his car. Well for me, this was a “Bruce Almighty” moment; I was in need of a 212 degree motivational message.

So, now I am going to pay it forward. To catch the fever, visit www.212movie.com. After seeing the video, I have now read the book and am trying to figure out how I can get it into everyone else’s hands. The ironic part of the 212 degree concept is that it is so simple…it takes very little to make a huge difference. You see, water is hot at 211 degrees but it boils at 212 degrees. It is cold and rainy at 33 degrees, but kids are building Frosty the Snowman at 32 degrees. In the last 10 years of major golf tournaments, the margin of victory has been less than three strokes — that’s it!

I am going to find ways to take the 212 degree challenge, not only at work but also in my personal life. I hope you get a chance to take a look at this concept and join me in turning up the heat!

Candidates

Well, if you haven’t done so already, it is time to get your candidate plan into place, and I am not just referring to the recruiting and interviewing processes. I am referring to helping your candidates understand how much their home is worth at the time you are presenting them a job offer. I’ll go back to my post from last week; most sellers are unaware of today’s value of their home.

I am of the opinion that the best thing we can do for relocating employees is to arm them with solid information. This creates informed decision makers. I see far too many employees today accepting job offers and beginning the relocation process, only to find out their homes are not nearly worth what they expected and they are upside down in their mortgages. It is hard to imagine the whirlwind of emotions these families face when they are this far into the process. Add this to the fact that many have already left their former jobs.

So, what can we do to help with this situation? Personally, I think spending a few hundred dollars initially to order a relocation appraisal is a very safe bet. If you are hesitant about making a financial investment up front, you could consider getting not just one but two broker market analyses. This will give the employee the ability to review the results in advance and then accept the job offer with full understanding.

List it or Sell it?

What a great line! This came from a relocation director out of Chicago as she talked about the challenges real estate agents are facing today. It is hard to imagine that any real estate agent would turn down an opportunity to take on a new listing, especially in this painfully slow market; but it is happening all over the country.

Successful real estate agents are getting smarter about where they are going to invest their time and money. Even with all of the sales information available, they are faced with unrealistic sellers who are still under the impression that their home is worth what they paid three years ago or at least what their mortgage(s) payoffs are. In reality, homes are only worth what the market dictates. Personal situations, just like personal preferences in decorating, have nothing to do with it. People have to price their homes to sell, not just to sit in the MLS database.

And unfortunately, this mindset impacts all of us in the relocation industry. We have become the bearer of bad news which in itself requires a very thick layer of skin. Thankfully, there are many tools and resources available to help us deliver the message. If you haven't checked out ERC's Toolkit, I highly recommend it as a resource for today's real estate market. You will find a host of stats, market updates, valuation guides, and articles that can help you educate those who are impacted (i.e., relocating employees and corporate clients).

It isn't easy, but the best thing we can do when dealing with unrealistic sellers is to be honest. I liken it to ripping off a Band-Aid; the quicker you act (pricing it right the first time) the less pain you will feel (a quick sale)!

“Whoa, My Boss is Naked”

I am sure the title just threw you for a loop, but I am actually referring to a book I recently read by a twenty-something author named Jake Greene. One of my employees bought this book for me because she knows how passionate I am about mentoring the “next generation.”

This career book is a little unconventional, but it has a great message. It teaches rules to the up and coming professionals about how to interview, how to behave in the workplace, why people are rewarded for working hard and why those who hardly work don’t move up the company ladder. The author provides the reader with the protocols necessary to prepare for meetings. He teaches them to spend less time questioning the challenge and more time battling through it, and that playing computer games while on the company dollar isn’t the best idea.

Of course, one of the chapters I find the funniest is the description of “Corporate Tools;” people who take their travel miles and elite status way too seriously, wear their technology (blackberry) on their waistbands like armor, and reference 80’s movies in most conversations. Okay, so it’s a little over the top but nonetheless it was very funny and quite poignant, and I could even see myself a little bit.

This may be the book for you if you want to identify more with your younger employees; or perhaps, you have grown children who could use some clear guidance. Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did!

April Fool’s

Being the practical joker I am, I couldn’t resist having a little fun with my team. As you may recall, a few weeks ago, I talked about the newly formed group in my office called the “Green Team.” Well, I decided to send out an e-mail to our employees regarding some of our newest green initiatives. Here are a couple of the points in the e-mail:

• From 10 to 11 a.m. each Tuesday, we will turn the overhead lights off in the office to save energy. Since we gain great exposure from the sun from the east, we feel that employees will not notice the lights are even off! We will be removing blinds from the eastern windows in the next few weeks. This will also take place in our California office.
• During this hour, we’re asking all employees with dual monitors to turn one monitor off. Employees are also encouraged to turn off computer speakers and personal cell phones. Yep, even those use energy.
• To help with our water usage, we are asking that employees limit their bathroom usage to one visit per day. If you foresee this being a problem, we encourage you to use restrooms on different floors or at restaurants over your lunch break. In addition, personal towels from home will be supplied by the Green Team in each bathroom.
• In addition, until we remodel the restrooms, we’re asking employees to limit the amount of toilet paper they use. On average, no more than three (3) squares should be used during each visit. If you are aware of someone that hasn’t used their daily allowance of TP, you could ask them to give you their squares. We will also be hiring bathroom monitors to ensure that we meet our goals. Please do not feel obligated to tip these employees; they are eligible for profit sharing.

Well, everyone had a few laughs, and the funniest part is the fact that several employees thought I was serious. Hope you had some success with your April Fool’s jokes too!