The Mortgage Consultant’s Naughty and Nice List December 21, 2006
Posted by Jay Medina in Reflections.1 comment so far
As it is the holidays, things start to slow down, as families and individuals begin their preparations for feasts, gifts, and get-togethers. What better time than to have my inaugural Naughty and Nice list from a Mortgage Consultant’s point of view?
The Naughty and Nice list gives the highlights and lowlights of the year, so that you can judge for yourself if you wish to associate with various companies or service providers. Don’t worry, I won’t be naming individuals on the Naughty list, but I may wish to highlight individual efforts that deserve to be on the Nice list.
Are you ready? Here we go:
The Nice List
My wife and my children – They are so loving and so supportive, I cannot say enough good things about my family. We are a family of huggers, and we’re always hugging and laughing, and I just love my family. Most of all, they support me in what I do as a Mortgage Consultant, and they love having me around.
Lenda Henry, Laurie Gawin, Oscar Parra, Sheyla Hutchins, Anne Evans, Maria Duluc, Macaria Gonzalez, Chris Holzhausen, Rose Jenkins, Don Shirey, Marcus Lee, Karen Whipple – Each person named here has placed their faith in trust in me, either for their personal loans, or by referring me to others they care about. That is a very nice thing to do, if I say so myself.
My parents and my in-laws – They show me and my family love in more ways than I can count. My parents and my in-laws are very proud and very good granparents, who love to spoil my children. My mom and dad believe in me, and my in-laws are convinced I have enough talent and drive to change the world for the better. That kind of faith in me is humbling, and I couldn’t ask for a better set of in-laws or parents.
My brother, Chris and my sister-in-law, Yordana and Papi and Migue – I was not always the best brother or brother-in-law. In fact before I left for the war, I was downright intolerable. After coming home from the war, and experiencing the things I did, I changed. I think my brother and his family saw they could love me and my family again. They have done so much for me and my family, I cannot count the ways. Their faith and support in us helped us do so much in the past couple of years. I am glad to have a brother like Chris.
The Cockrell Family, The Misioweic Family, Mike Lopez, Monica Blanchard, The Hong Family (yes, Howie, you will always be my brother), The Ignacio family (we go way back), The Padua family, Ramon Rodriguez, Uncle Johnny, Uncle Joe, Steve Lira – These are friends (and actual relatives) that I consider to be family. Even though we may not always get along, these are folks that I can always count on to have my back when the chips are down. It is a small list, but I have never been one to have a whole bunch of friends. I choose very carefully and very wisely whom I call a friend.
Chris Sullivan and Miguel Goodpasture – These are good friends I have known since 6th grade. That’s funny, because when I was young, my family moved around a lot, and I never thought I’d be able to have the kind of friends that you know since grade-school. We’ve lost touch over the years, and we’d reconnect, and so recently, I’ve been able to reconnect with these fine gentlemen. Chris is an officer in the Air Force, an Academy grad. And Miguel is a Marine Officer who got his degree then went to Officer Candidate School. They are both serving overseas at the moment, and are in harm’s way. Please say a prayer for them as they are away from loved ones at this time. Growing up, we’ve had sleep-overs, video game marathons, Dungeons and Dragons parties (dang, we’re old), and we played High School football together. After graduation, I joined the Army, Chris went to the AF Academy, and Miguel went to Berkely; so we went our separate ways, only to reconnect again after many years. I’m very proud of them, and I am honored they consider me still a friend.
Fremont Investment and Loan – We started off on a bad foot, where I wasn’t able to get my calls answered, and it was making me look bad with a client. After speaking with an operations manager and explaining my difficulties, he made good on his promise to increase the responsiveness and communication. The result was that they expedited my client’s loan process, and we were able to close the loan quickly thereafter. For that, I believe that Fremont had a true desire to be of service to others, and by correcting their mistakes, their sincerity came through.
Mark Hanley and Eric Engberg – These are two fine individuals who have gone above and beyond in their industry. They are Account Executives with wholesale lenders (banks who don’t deal directly with customers), and they are the finest examples of ethical and honest salespeople I have had the pleasure of working with. They are service oriented, and will do everything possible to help the Mortgage Consultant who uses their products, and the client who wishes to buy a home via the Mortgage Consultant. The result, their efforts make everyone look good!
The Naughty List
IndyMac Bank – If you ever have a chance to do business with them, run, don’t walk to a reputable lender. As a Mortgage Consultant, I match my clients with different banks to assist them in obtaining home loans. Using IndyMac for a client of mine was a huge mistake and one I’ll never make again. After approving my client’s loan, and getting everyone excited about a favorable outcome, they pulled back the approval and changed the terms of the deal. The reason: because under Texas law, they couldn’t collect certain fees for granting the loan, so they decided to punish my client as a result. Any bank that is ok with pulling back an approval after it’s been made, and that is ok with making me look bad to my client, aint ok with me. Beware of these folks. Feedback from others indicates that they do this regularly, to the point where some employees have left because they could not stand working for a company that lies on a regular basis. For that, IndyMac gets a lump of coal in their stocking this year.
CitiFinancial – This entry has nothing to do with mortgages, but this institution gets a lump of coal in their stocking for being business un-friendly toward the U.S. Military. When making decisions on granting unsecured loans to military personnel, they do not look favorably on recently separated service members. Meaning, if someone who recently got out of the service, or was deployed as a Reservist and recently released from Active Duty to resume their normal lives, CitiFinancial will not grant a loan to these individuals. The reason is, they will only grant a favorable lending decision based on two years’ tax returns. If you are not in the same line of work for the past two years, they will not even allow you to complete you loan application. They will stop you right there, and deny you a loan. Personally, I consider this to be discriminatory; punishing those who have sacrificed and served this country in time of war. However, it happens to not be illegal. My take is that just because something isn’t illegal, doesn’t make it right. Therefore, CitiFinancial gets TWO lumps of coal in their stocking for being discriminatory in how it treats our recently returned veterans of war.
Sebring Capital Partners – Although I’m not looking to rub salt in any wounds, Sebring does deserve mention in this list. As it is tragic that they recently closed their doors, and that people have lost their jobs, I have to say it comes as no surprise. In other words, when you have a company that lies to it’s customers by saying they’ll approve a loan, only to delay the answer to the approval for days or weeks, only to deny the loan in the end, is bad business. To make a habit of it shows poor service. Poor service does not deserve reward, and poor service in my opinion, gets what it deserves. The power of the people is strong, and the people have said they will not put up with poor service, forcing Sebring out of business. No lump of coal, as it is sad that perhaps some folks who did care about good service may have been working for Sebring, but Sebring should be an example of what happens when you forget who pays your bills. Your clients.
Charter Funding, Retail Division of First Magnus Financial – Charter Funding in Austin, Texas, has to be one of the most poorly run organizations I have seen, ever. When I got back from the war, I worked for Charter Funding, and had to fire them as my employer in July of this year. Yes, I fired them. During a management shake-up in July, the new management at Charter Funding made some poor decisions in how it treats its employees and customers. While I was a mortgage consultant for Charter Funding, I had been their top producing mortgage consultant for 2005, promoted to team leader, and was offered a Sales Manager position. While I was on vacation, they fired the regional VP, rescinded my promotion, and gave away all my business to other mortgage consultants; all without notifying me of any of this. When I had heard of the firing of the regional VP, I called my new boss and asked him about the status of my promotion and my business. He replied he would get back to me, and never did. When I got back from vacation only to find everything I had worked for was pillaged, I had no choice but to resign and tell them that their behavior was unacceptable. Since then, they have lost many clients who were unhappy with the service they’ve received, their business has fallen to nearly half of what it once was, and the work environment has degraded to that of back-stabbing and outmaneuvering one another for title or position. It’s sad what has become of that once great place to work. However, if the boys and girls at Charter don’t watch out, the ghost of Sebring Capital Partners could visit them during their Christmas slumber… and yes, Charter Funding gets a lump of coal in their stocking for mis-treating their customers and turning the lives of their employees upside down for no good reason, and for mismanaging every aspect of their business.
Perhaps there’s hope that these companies that are on the Naughty List can change their ways, and do good for others, instead of trying to do harm. Maybe next year, they can be on the Nice List. Because Santa knows who’s been naughty or nice, so you better be good, for Goodness Sake!
Let’s all be good boys and girls… Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!
Christmas and a time of blessings December 19, 2006
Posted by Jay Medina in Personal Stuff, Reflections.add a comment
I think it’s just starting to catch up to me. What a year it’s been. I guess I could say that about last year as well. Ever since coming home from Iraq, I’ve been on fire. Unable to sit still and just do the minimum to get by. Not realizing I was doing it, I went to a training course earlier this year where the instructor challenged us to “GO BIG!” It seems, that’s what I’ve been doing the whole time. Not being content with wasting a day that could be used to help others and help my family.
See, it’s a simple concept. I help others, and by doing so, I’m helping my family. I cannot help but feel blessed when this balance of service and gratitude has taken on a form that I consider to be bigger than life. In other words, I get a real kick out of helping others, as it really warms my heart to know I used my God-given talents for helping others do positive things. What can be more positive than buying a home, a piece of the American Dream? Well, I help folks refinance their homes as well, where using cash from the equity can do some very amazing things for the families I help.
Last week I was able to help a client refinance her rental property, where she was able to use the cash to pay off non-tax deductible debt. Her monthly cash flow increased, and she has cash left over for the Holidays. But, aside from all that, the most important thing is… she is happy with the outcome. She was also happy with the service I was able to provide.
I get so danged excited when I think about how much can be accomplished when we all work together. I’ve seen this in the military and as a civilian. When we all want to do our own thing and go off in different directions, nothing gets accomplished. The minute we all rolll up our sleeves and focus our efforts on a common goal, we can move mountains.
Sometimes I get bummed out at traffic and crime and litter and all the things that are negative about humanity. But then I get a glimpse of what we can do when we put our selfishness aside and truly assist one another. It’s amazing. It’s not subserviant, it’s not degrading, it’s the ultimate power. The power to band together as people and make a difference.
I’m writing today about my blessings in life because I think it’s starting to sink in. My boys won’t be with me this Christmas, as they’ll be visiting their mom out of state. Although we were together last year, I happen to like it when we’re together any year. I certainly miss them when they’re away, even though they deserve to be with their mom and have a strong relationship with her as well.
As hard as I try not to be selfish, when it comes to spending time with my kids, I’m guilty as charged. I think God knows this, I really do. No sooner than I was sulking for a moment, thinking about Christmas without my boys, when another friend who I’ve helped with her loan calls me. Lenda and her husband bought a home last year, and they remembered me. That is a true blessing.
The Henry’s are wonderful people, and I am glad to have them in my life. We consider each other to be family, as it should be. Lenda has even referred a friend of hers to my services, as she is not getting the best of service elsewhere. I’m honored to provide such assistance in a situation like that.
So, as I start to get down, I just think of all the reasons I have to be encouraged. We’ll celebrate Christmas with my boys when they get back on January 2nd. We’ll just adjust to the situation. But, how wonderful it is to have my past clients track me down just to say hi, and even to refer my services to very special people in their lives.
One last thought before I go. A commercial for a company once showed the words, “The quickest way to get rich… Is to count your blessings.” Today, that makes all the sense in the world.
May you always be blessed, and may you have comfort and joy this Holiday Season.
Pearl Harbor Survivors Meet For Last Time December 7, 2006
Posted by Jay Medina in Reflections.add a comment
As today is December 7th, I found this story on the AP Newswire:
PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (AP) – With their number quickly dwindling, survivors of Pearl Harbor will gather Thursday one last time to honor those killed by the Japanese 65 years ago, and to mark a day that lives in infamy.
This will be their last visit to this watery grave to share stories, exchange smiles, find peace and salute their fallen friends. This, they say, will be their final farewell.
You can read the full story here. Thank you for reading and for doing something positive today.
I Think This Is Very Inspiring December 4, 2006
Posted by Jay Medina in Inspirations, Personal Stuff, Reflections.add a comment
Having served in Iraq fairly recently, I think this story deserves attention. Ed Asner is kicking off a “Cards For Troops” campaign to help Americans remember our troops stationed overseas during the holidays. You can read the story here.
I think it is very inspiring when someone does something so special for others, in most cases, for people they’ve never met.
When I was in Iraq during Christmas of 2004, we received cards and care packages, and it was great to know we weren’t forgotten. It was important at that time, as it was not the best of times.
In fact, on Christmas day, our generator broke down, so we had no heat or lights the entire day; therefore we couldn’t write letters in the dark, or read or listen to music or even watch a movie. Christmas day was one of two holidays where most of us were guaranteed a day off, and even then guard duty still had to happen as well as other essential duties. And, if we were attacked, all bets were off.
It was about 35 degrees outside, and our sleeping quarters couldn’t have been more than 40 degrees, as insulation was not part of the package. It was rainy, so mud was everywhere. At the chow hall, they really went all out to make it festive. The dinner was delicious and officers served chow to the soldiers, and it was a nice time. After dinner, my Platoon Leader and now best friend and I stood in line with water up to our ankles, sloshing in mud for two hours to be able to call home.
I’m not sharing this with you to make anyone feel bad, or even guilty. I chose that life, and I chose to serve. It just meant a lot when people showed they cared. One country club south of Austin sent each soldier in our battalion (about 600 soldiers) a care package filled with goodies and books and shaving items. Earlier this year, Brenda and I were married at the country club that sent us those items. I saw a decoration on the wall of the offices there and noticed several names on cards on the decoration. They were soldiers from my unit! I didn’t realize it until I saw that decoration that this was the country club that sent us our packages!
That next week, I came back to the club events coordinator’s office to meet the girl that actually organized the package-sending effort with the country club members. I shook her hand and thanked her for all she did. The cool thing was that the country club also featured me and Brenda in their marketing for events services on their website. You can see that here.
Well, I surely didn’t mean to go on this long about how the holidays can be a rough time for Soldiers stationed overseas. However, I hope that my personal story may inspire you to do something for the troops this year. Even if it’s baking cookies for a National Guard unit or Reserve unit in your town or county. Perhaps bringing hot soup to firefighters or police officers. Have you noticed how cold crossing guards who protect our children can get? How about some coffee or cocoa for them? Just do something for someone who serves, please.
And, if I have any influence at all, please visit my National Charity Registry and register your favorite cause or charity. Thank you so much for reading and for doing something positive today.
A Huge Compliment November 30, 2006
Posted by Jay Medina in Reflections.add a comment
It’s always a great feeling when you get a sign or a signal or some sort of validation that tells you that you’re doing something right. Do you know that feeling? When you give it your all, and then you get that wonderful feedback or pat on the back, or award?
Well, this week I recieved a huge compliment. A client of mine that I helped buy a home a year and a half ago called me yesterday. Most of all, it was great to hear from her. I’d been sending little notes and cards, because I really love to stay in touch with all my clients. Not just for business, but because when I work with my clients, I like to feel that we really get to know one another and it’s great to keep that relationship alive even after the transaction.
So Laurie calls me and shares with me all the things she did to get my number. As I had switched from being an employee of mortgage bank to an independent mortgage consultant, she didn’t know how to reach me. I was very impressed to find that she went through all my correspondence with her, until she finally Googled me in the Internet.
I must admit, I was a bit embarrassed that someone had to go through such lengths to reach me. Truth be known, I haven’t been accused of being hard to find or reach before. In any case, she found me, and it was wonderful to hear from her again.
To me, being a consultant is more than just “doing a deal”. The clients I am able to help are clients for life. I wish to be their consultant for life; even to be considered The Family Consultant and Friend. This is why I do what I do and why I love it so much.
I missed Laurie, and she even told me that I spoiled her so much that another mortgage company full of Salespeople just weren’t leaving her very satisfied. That’s a great feeling to know that my deliberate spoiling of my clients gives them the feeling of satisfaction they deserve. It’s great to be in touch with her again.
Have you had a huge compliment like that lately? Write me or comment on this blog and let me know what your huge compliment was.
Thank you for reading and for doing something positive today.
Happy Thanksgiving, May You Continue To Be Blessed November 24, 2006
Posted by Jay Medina in Reflections.add a comment
I view Thanksgiving to be a great holiday to be with family and to reflect on the blessings we do have, as well as to pause and think about how far we’ve come in our lives, our growth and our faith.
If I could do one thing, that would be to encourage others, regardless of their current status or position, to think about all the blessings that are in their lives. Hopefully as those add up, you will find much love and happiness in your hearts and your homes.
Rather than dwell on the things I don’t have, as there are quite a few, I instead give thanks for the many more wonderful things I do have. Those are the blessings I count. I count my family, friends, wonderful clients, and all the great things that have happened to the Medina family this year, and all the years leading up to now.
May you be blessed continually, and may you always receive the best life has to offer.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Thank you for reading, and for doing something positive today!
Bono Speaks About Injustice November 20, 2006
Posted by Jay Medina in Inspirations, Personal Stuff, Reflections.add a comment
I remember when I was 13 years old, and I was in junior high; it was 1982. As I was getting ready for school one morning, I heard a song on the radio, and it blew me away. As usual, the DJ didn’t back-announce the song, so I had to wait patiently until they played it again, so I could learn the name of the song.
The name of the song was “New Years’ Day” by U2. I hadn’t heard the song before, and I hadn’t heard of the band up to that time. Then, that same week, on one of my favorite video shows, they played the video to “Gloria” by U2. Was this the same band? Well, they looked like high school aged rockers… where were they from?
As I began to reseach U2, their story became more interesting. By the time I reached my senior year in high school, U2 was my favorite all time band for numerous reasons. First, they were using music to make a statement, a statement of change, not one of violence. Second, they were buddies, and they never argued, they always showed a united front. Third, they knew they wanted to be an inspiration to others, so they set out to make a positive example for youth everywhere.
During my senior year in 1987, they were on the Joshua Tree tour in Los Angeles, where I lived, and I got to see them live. For me, that was an oustanding achievement… first to be able to afford the tickets, second to see my favorite band LIVE!
Fast forward to today. I am now 37 years old, and U2 has had many musical eras, ups and downs in the media, but something miraculous has happened. Bono made a decision about 20 years ago to use his fame for helping others instead of only helping himself. He has set about, and in my opinion, succeeded in changing the world’s perception of “rock-star fame” and aligned it with using his celebre’ to effect change in the world.
Bono has spoken at the UN, he has given talks around the world, he has met with world leaders both political and religious, and he has been tireless in his efforts to educate the world on the tragedies in Africa and what we can each do to help make positive change in the world. Here is a video of a talk he gave in 2005. He makes a profound statement. He says, that he alone cannot change the world, and you or I alone can’t change anything. But by working together, we can change the world.
Last week, I set up an area where you can register your favorite charity. This is a means to get the word out about the different causes and organizations that are there to help others in time of need. Please visit my Charity Registry, and educate us on your most passionate cause. By taking a few minutes to let us know your cause exists, you can change the world.
Thank you for reading, and for doing something positive today.
My Veterans Day Experience November 10, 2006
Posted by Jay Medina in Reflections.add a comment
Today I attended a Veterans Day assembly at my oldest son’s school. I am always honored when my boys ask me to attend their school functions, and when Marcus asked me to come to this one, I certainly wanted to. Things at work were getting kind of busy, and this morning I asked him if it would be ok if I skipped this year’s assembly, since I went to the one at his school last year.
He looked so sad, and so dissapointed that I told him I’d be there. As luck would have it, I was able to get there a little early, and he hadn’t come to the assembly yet. Last year, it was in the cafeteria, but this year, they had it on the athletic field, in the bleachers. Reason was, this year they asked two Army pilots to attend, and they brought their Blackhawk helicopter with them.
Marcus got to see them land it earlier in the day, and as I got to the top of the hill where the field was, the Blackhaws was sitting there, perched on the football field, like a majestic bird. It was a Medevac helicopter, as denoted by the very familiar red cross painted on the doors and nose.
Now, I can be as mean as the rest of them in combat, but when it comes to these ceremonies, I get a little choked up. Last year I certainly did. This year was a bit of a different experience.
As I came to the top of the hill where the athletic field sits, I knew the helicopter would be there… but I didn’t know I’d react the way I did. Laying eyes on that beautiful bird caught me with emotion. As soon as I saw it, it reminded me of so much that went on over there, and all the many times I’d see helicopters flying overhead, or hear them while in my bunk at night… or even the time I saw a Medevac rushing a wounded Soldier to the field hospital, where his life lay in the balance.
As the group was on the other side of the field, I was somewhat alone, and without warning, tears just started to run down my face. A rush of memories came in within a blink of an eye. When one of the children acting as an usher asked me if I was a parent or a veteran, I answered, “Both.” I guess that was kinda cool. I’m proud to be both, and frankly, very lucky to be both.
As a student passed by, helping a teacher carry an ice chest over to the staff on the other side, I overheard him say that his dad was in Iraq right now. My heart sank. I remember how my boys felt when their dad was away, as they would tell me whenever I called them.
Later during the ceremony, they asked the veterans attending to please stand, and we all got our round of applause. Then the principal asked for the students who had parents serving overseas to please stand up, and a wave of children stood up. My jaw flew open. I could not believe how many children stood… how many children are going home every day from school and there is one or both parents gone many thousands of miles away. I was amazed, and yet, we are a nation at war.
A big coincidence was I saw a buddy who I served with over there, SSG Greg Smith. After the ceremony, I went and shook his hand, but we ended up bear-hugging. You can’t go through a year of Iraq and not hug when you see each other. It was great to see him; and when I introduced him to Marcus, they shook hands and I was so proud of my boy. I had even remembered that Greg and I had bunks right next to each other when we were at Ft. Hood, preparing to mobilize to Iraq.
He was in uniform as he is still in the Service. Seeing Greg along with my experience with the Blackhawk, combined with my seeing all those students who have a part of their hearts overseas with their parents who are serving, made for a very humbling day today.
In the end, I’m glad I made the time and went, and that I got to sit next to my son during it all. Even though he is in middle school, I think he was proud to have his dad there as well. But, I think I got the better end of the bargain today.
May God Bless all Military Members, their families, our Veterans, and You.
What A Week It’s Been Part 3 November 9, 2006
Posted by Jay Medina in Reflections.2 comments
Referral-based businesses are no secret. They certainly aren’t new. But, from what I’ve seen, not everyone in the Real Estate field approaches business from a “client-first” mindset. But I do, and although it’s been slow going, my actions, not my words, have created a buzz. Word is getting out, and I’m still working hard to improve myself each and every day. I give thanks to the Lord and I give humble gratitude to my friends and my family as well as my wonderful clients who sing my praises when I don’t even realize they are doing so.
Building a referral-based business is still a lot of hard work. However, it provides so many benefits to my clients, it’s truly amazing. First off, having a referral business allows me to spend more time delivering excellent service to my clients. The reason is, the time I would normally need to spend looking for new clients is freed up because my clients are delighted to refer their friends and family to my services. That alone is a huge benefit to my clients. In fact, my clients can actually get a little spoiled at times (in a good way!), because I am able to always return my calls and provide status and updates on their loans; which they almost certainly never get anywhere else.
Another benefit of a referral business is that I keep my expenses very low. As a Personal Mortgage Consultant, I don’t have a big office to pay rent on, or an office full of lights and computers to keep running. I certainly don’t have overpaid bosses to keep fed, either. It’s just me, the independent consultant. That savings gets passed on to my clients, big time.
Without any and all of you, I would be nothing, and for that I remain humble. I also strive to return that gratitude by seeing “service” as the highest compliment I can give to another. Because for me, “Service” also means “Respect.” Something I learned in the Army. Just because I wore stripes didn’t mean I was too good to get dirty with everyone else. And it certainly didn’t mean that I stopped being of service to others. In fact, it usually meant more work instead of less. But there is good reward in hard work.
I was just talking to a wonderful client of mine, Anne Evans, who is a professional Real Estate investor. We talk just about every day, and each time I can’t help but smile and laugh because she is just so easy to get along with. She even told me that I’m part of her “Team”! I really appreciate the fact she sees me as part of her “Team” and I like being on her Team. She always has something nice to say about how well I look out for her and how much she appreciates my hard work.
That in itself is enough to make me grin from ear to ear. Then she tells me that she put my phone number on her business cards! This way when she gives out her card, the person receiving it gets an invitation to use my services if they have a need for a loan. I was blown away! That truly told me I was doing something right. And for her trust in me, and for her willingness to tell anyone and everyone about my services, I am forever grateful and humbled.
I have received some very awesome words of encouragement this week. I’ve even received some excellent constructive criticism, which I needed and I am thankful to receive so that I can be an even better Consultant for my clients. And, I would like to highlight the following people for referring people they know and care about to my services:
Anne Evans
Karen Whipple
Joe McCoy
Sheyla Hutchins
Ramon Rodriguez
Lloyd Misiowiec
Chris Holzhausen
Don Shirey
Macaria Gonzalez
Their referrals are the greatest compliment I could receive. I willingly take the responsibility of taking very good care of the people they cared enough to refer to me. I would also take that same responsbility to take very good care of someone you cared enough to refer to my services as well.
And this is how a referral business grows and succeeds. By others being delighted to refer to me, and by me taking the responsibility to be of service to all who wish to use my services.
This was long, but I thank you for reading.
What A Week It’s Been Part 2 November 9, 2006
Posted by Jay Medina in Reflections.add a comment
Being a Sergeant in the Army was the toughest job I’ll ever love, only next to being a Dad. I loved helping Soldiers reach their goals, but also being there to support them and to call them out when they needed it. It was very rewarding in it’s own right. I loved being exhausted at the end of a very long day, knowing I did all I could that day to help the Soldiers below me and the Officers above me.
To me, this is the next best thing to being a Sergeant in the Army, because now there’s no pushups! Instead, I rely on my can-do attitude to get things done. I rely on my quick thinking and resourcefulness to get past obstacles. And, just like I did with my Soldiers, I do with my clients… I tell them what they need to hear, not always what they want to hear. Reason is, I care about them too much to lie to them and to sell them short on the truth.
All of this “deciding” that I was doing at the end of some very, very long days led me to a very profound decision. I wanted to help others, and I wanted to do it in such a way that I would be able to continually be able to deliver a high level of service to my clients, while still having a life and time with my family, while still pursuing education and mastery of my chosen field.
After making this decision, I shared it with others, and I was told that I would go far with that kind of mindset. I was told that I had the skills, the ability, and even the personality to do this. But I could not have done this alone. I had the support of friends, family, and even my Lord. Because all of the above helped me get re-started in this field upon my return. All of the above gave me the encouragement, and I do believe that the Lord put in my hands the means to accomplish all of the above by making me aware of how to actually do it:
Grow your business by being so helpful and driven to be of service to your clients that they will refer people they know to your business.
More in Part 3…
Jay's Journal 