Thanksgiving 2006
Dear Friend,
Thanksgiving is one of the times we think about all the things for which we are thankful. I wanted to share something personal with you that may cause you to think about your own profession and life in general. Recently, I have been thinking about my deceased father and some of his values that I have incorporated into my life. My father was a pediatrician in the suburbs of Philadelphia. He practiced medicine, but he also practiced what he called “the art of medicine”. He explained the significant difference to me between just practicing medicine and practicing “the art of medicine”. To practice medicine he would help a little child get well. But to practice “the art of medicine” he would go quite a bit further. This would involve becoming a friend of the patient and showing a genuine interest in the patient’s overall well being. It would mean doing what is necessary to earn the patient’s trust and confidence. It would mean not only addressing the illness and symptoms, but also making the patient (and parents) feel as comfortable as possible during the illness. Practicing “the art of medicine” is not a production line approach and involves more than spending five minutes with the patient and telling them to “take these pills and call me in the morning”. Practicing “the art of medicine” also involves making house calls, so the sick child would not need to get out of bed. Making house calls would also allow him to see the environment where the sick child lived and possibly learn about other contributing factors to the child’s illness and general well being. He would schedule one hour every weekday (8 to 9 AM) for mothers to call in and get free consultation directly from him and not a nurse or assistant. During the office visits the patient would meet with him the whole time and visit very little if any time with a nurse or assistant. His emphasis was on individual attention and not on growing his practice for the sake of growth. I know that government regulations, insurance companies and paperwork have put many pressures on those in the medical profession today, but the “the art of medicine” can still be practiced.
These concepts of practicing the art of a profession can be applied to almost any service vocation, including real estate. I am indebted to my father for many things, including the concepts and values involved in practicing the art of my profession – selling real estate. These concepts and values have been much help to me in my real estate practice. The art of selling real estate goes beyond the general high standards that are expected from a good realtor, such as integrity, knowledge, competence and being hard working. In addition to these qualities, the “art of selling real estate” involves the following: seeing the client as a person and a friend; being personally available on a timely basis to meet face-to-face or communicate over the phone; and to resist the temptation to hire a “team” to take over the key client/realtor interface functions, just to enable them to “process” more clients to increase their revenue.
I am thankful for the example that my father was to me in the area of practicing the art of my profession. I am sure you have learned many things from your parents that you are using today in your chosen profession.
Have a happy Thanksgiving!
Tedd Harshaw