Frequently Asked Questions
What made you write this book?
Having worked with real estate agents in public relations and marketing, I knew most agents had “war” stories of their experiences. When a colleague suddenly and tragically lost a loved one, my thoughts turned to how to cheer her. As this woman practically lived, ate and slept real estate, my thoughts naturally turned to real estate. I remembered some of these “war” stories I’d heard—things like car trouble with clients in the car, getting speeding tickets with clients, finding people in compromising positions in their homes. It made me wish there was a book which had a collection of stories to give this person. As I knew no such book existed, the idea began to germinate that I should be the one to bring such a book into existence.
It was more than four years in the making, but the wait was worth it. As I delved beyond these surface stories, speaking to agents around the country, I found some truly amazing stories—agents asked to go above and beyond in odd ways (like the agent asked to be a client’s birthing coach or nursing a client back to health for six weeks at an agent’s home), negotiating some unusual things into contracts (like two orphaned dogs; an entire house full of furniture and belongings for a Russian immigrant family, or coord-inating a contract trading a rental property for the world’s largest boa constrictor), or agents having to deal with wildlife (guard dogs, attack cats, wild turkeys, snakes, fire ants, fleas, woodpeckers, squirrels, goats).
I’m proud to have crossed paths with the more than 100 agents in 44 states and Canada who are a part of this book. In the process, I talked to hundreds of agents and managing brokers and met some people who are truly dedicated to their profession. This book is a fitting beginning, the perfect start point if you will, for the All In A Day’s Work career series.
Why are you the best person to write this book?
Because of my extensive background working with real estate agents, Realtor associations and home builders for the last 14 years. I have worked on the staff of a large builder, been in the staff trenches of a 100-agent real estate office, and worked at the corporate level for a real estate firm. For nearly 10 years, I have run my own real estate PR/marketing consulting company with clients who include one of the top 10 Prudential affiliates in the nation, one of the top 5 RE/MAX agents, and one of the largest regional Realtor associations in the Southeast. In the process, I’ve written thousands of press releases, hundreds of newsletters, dozens of real estate-related articles (some with my byline and others ghost-written).
I speak the agents’ language as I know what a FSBO, WCR, CMA, NAR, etc. is and I can relate to their unpredictable and sometimes overwhelming schedules. Most people don’t realize that the best agents work seven days a week. Weekends and evenings are almost a must in the real estate profession. Because of my time around and working with agents, I can relate to their mindset, understand their concerns when their phones aren’t ringing or a listing has stopped getting showings, and respect the need for the real estate profession.
Will there be other All In A Day’s Work titles?
Yes, several other careers are planned including All In A Day’s Work for Women in Business: Humorous & Heartwarming Stories as well as titles for flight attendants, nurses, librarians, people with disabilities, business owners and, of course, a sequel to All In A Day’s Work for Real Estate Agents as I suspect we’ve barely scratched the surface there!
Why real estate agents?
People in the real estate profession are actually an extremely interesting and diverse cross-section of people. Real estate is often a second or third career for these people and they bring many life experiences and lessons into the profession. I’ve personally known agents who have previously been teachers, nurses, professional athletes, engineers, attorneys, loan officers, car salesman and many other career areas.
Because it’s not your typical desk job and it doesn’t have your standard Corporate America hours, things are more likely to happen to real estate agents.
What about an offshoot or second volume to the All In A Day’s Work for Real Estate Agents: Humorous & Heartwarming Stories?
The response to this book has been extremely positive. Even agents whose stories didn’t make the final cut into the book were so thrilled about the book’s concept. When you hear comments from agents about how they’ve always wanted to write a book about their experiences or that a book like this is sorely needed to give the public a better understanding of the real estate profession, you know you’re on the right track.
What’s so unique about this book?
Stories are what make the world go ‘round. And laughter seems to be in short supply these days. Real estate agents are just one profession having a challenging time right now. If they can read a few stories that will lighten their day, revive their belief in their profession or just offer a brief escape, then this book has done its job. This book won’t teach you how to be a better agent or a more efficient worker, but it will give you a break from a tough day at the office and it will make you see the good in the real estate profession.
This entire career series is ground-breaking because it focuses on humor in the workplace. We spend approximately one-third of our lives working so why wait until you’re at home or with friends to have a good laugh? Funny and bizarre things do happen on the job. Let’s acknowledge, share and celebrate that.
Who is your primary audience for this book?
Obviously, current and past real estate agents, managing brokers and real estate company owners top the list. However, it’s also a candid snapshot of the business for those who are considering entering the real estate field. The book shows the funny, crazy and odd things that can happen in this profession. If you are someone who does not like the mundane and who loves that everyday is completely different in your career, this book will readily demonstrate the variety and zaniness that can happen in the course of a real estate agent’s day. It can also be an education tool, for many of these stories could serve as mini-lessons for how to handle particular situations or how to avoid getting into certain predicaments. And finally, spouses and loved ones may enjoy the book to get an idea of the things that can happen to their family member.
Are these stories meant to be life lessons?
The purpose of writing the book was not to educate real estate professionals on how to avoid certain situations or how to be better agents. The various real estate organizations, local, state and national already do an excellent job of both continuing education and Realtor safety awareness. I have, however, had a handful of people express an interesting in using some of these anecdotes in a teaching situation, particularly for pre-licensing classes and new agent orientations. Real life stories are always so much more interesting to highlight a point trying to be made in the classroom environment.
How important is a sense of humor in today’s climate?
You can turn on the news every day and 99 % of the newscast is about depressing things—the economy, robberies, terrorism, traffic accidents, drug busts, natural disasters, disagreements between the two political parties supposedly running this country. It can be overwhelming and debilitating if you constantly focus on all this and these are things, by the way, for which you have little to no control. Maintaining a sense of humor in these times is essential. Resiliency and attitude are everything. Spend that half hour or hour instead reading something that will end your day on a positive note. Whether it’s light and funny or something along the lines of self-improvement or learning a new skill—these things will take you much farther in life than knowing the latest celebrity news or that someone robbed a bank that day.
Clear back in the 1800s, William Makepeace Thackeray said, “A good laugh is sunshine in a house” and I completely agree with that—and not just because of the real estate reference!
How can a real estate agent or someone working in another career area get in touch with you to share their funny or one-of-a-kind stories?
Anyone interested in sharing their story can email editor@worklikeadogbooks.com and put their career field in the header (example: real estate story). Please include contact information and at least a couple sentences about the event that happened to you. Feel free to send multiple stories at once. I once had a guy send 11 story ideas at the same time! I felt like I hit the jackpot that day and actually ended up using three of his stories in the real estate book.
I’ll be writing the sequel to this first real estate book as well as a few other titles in the career series. Other authors or co-authors will be used on some of the titles in which specific career expertise might be needed. For instance, I could foresee someone else writing or at least co-authoring the All In A Day’s Work for Nurses volume. Either way, rest assured, these leads will be filed away for the correct volume and people will be contacted to share their experiences.
Which title is scheduled next in this humorous career series?
The All In A Day’s Work for Women in Business title. I am really looking forward to this one as it encompasses a broader variety of people. We had originally kicked around the idea of focusing on just women business owners, but decided to broaden the range. After all, I’m sure there are countless company vice presidents, executive assistants, or department heads with some pretty wild stories! I expect stories here will have a much different slant, like creative or cagey ways women have gotten around sexism, office politics or the glass ceiling. I think women who are in male-dominated fields like medicine, engineering, manufacturing, etc. will also have some very unique experiences to share.
And sometimes it’s the workers at the lower levels who have the best understanding of what’s really going on at a company or realizing how it runs. Higher ups often have to get so caught up in meetings and profit and loss statements that they lose sight of the micro-business things happening around them every day.
How is the All In A Day’s Work career series different from other true story collections out there?
Other true story collections are tear-jerkers or focus on life’s bigger picture. All In A Day’s Work titles, while indirectly throwing in an occasional life lesson, are really more for entertainment and bringing a few more laughs into this world.
The concept has expanded into a career series and, now that the groundwork has been set, the editorial style and look of the career series established, these titles will be coming out more frequently. I would be remiss (and probably give the PR Director or publisher a heart attack!) if I did not mention that. Titles will now be worked on simultaneously and although Work Like A Dog Books is an independent publisher without the might or employee roster of the big New York publishers, it is very committed to this career series as there’s really nothing like it on the market.