While it might seem counterintuitive, being selfless and committed to helping others can be the surest way to find personal success, says Matt Tenney, a former prisoner and monk turned social entreupener who spoke to Illinois REALTORS® Saturday during the IAR Fall Conference.

Tenney’s session, ” Serve to be Great: How Being Selfless Will Help You Sell the Roof Off,” stressed the importance of serving others in life and business.

“People buy from people they like and trust,” Tenney said. REALTORS® can incorporate that mindset by shifting away from comforts and material possessions and toward a life of service.

Augment cold calling with service. Forget about the sale and think about what you can do for your clients.

Add this task to your daily calendar: Ask yourself what you can do to better serve people around you and do it before you check you email in the morning and get distracted with daily tasks, he said.

The best salespeople are those who work diligently behind the scenes to prepare but are fully engaged when dealing face to face with a client, Tenney said.

Thank you to Century 21 for
sponsoring Tenney’s session.