Karma is real. (Yet another story from an old man)

I just watched a speach Warren Buffett to a group of small business owners about how to grow your business by putting your customers first. It reminded me of an experience I just had in the real estate market and as I thought about it, I realized it was applicable to all relationships and how it related to my career in IT.

As is always the case, I have to tell you a story first.?

My wife and I were recently looking for a home in New Mexico. So we started contacting real estate agents.?

The first one we contacted was polite enough. But, despite his protests to the contrary, and even though we assured him that we could afford whatever we wanted, it was obvious to us that he wasn't interested in working with us until we were pre-qualified by a bank for a loan. He just didn't want to wast his time and, ironically, by convincing us that he wasn't interested in working with us withoug a guaranteed loan, he did waste his time because neither my wife, nor I wanted to do business with a man who only cared about the money.

The next one we contacted promised to follow up, but never did. We had to keep calling her about houses we found ourselves using online tools like zillow. We quickly tired of that and moved on.

Finally, we contacted an agent who didn't seem to care whether or not we were pre-qualified and did a very good job of following up with us. She took the time to listen to us. She watched as we looked at homes and listened to what we liked and did not like about them. Within a few days, she realized that what we wanted was not on the market yet and brought us to a builder with a 2.5 acre lot out in the country and a huge house that was just being framed.?

After meeting with the builder, looking at the lot and the plans, and checking a few other things about the area, we signed a contract, put down 1% earnest money, and contacted the bank to secure a loan for the small amount above what we already have and the price of the home.

This agent has a thriving real estate business with multiple closings per week (we asked and she told us she closed on three homes last week alone). I can guarantee that anyone who asks us for a recommendation will be referred to her.

Now, how does this relate to a career in IT?

It's actually pretty simple. Everyone is your customer. If it becomes clear to them that you feel it may be a waste of your time when they come to you for help, they won't come back. If you promise something and don't deliver, they are unlikely to come back. If you do not follow up with them and make it obvious that you are not letting their request drop through the cracks, they will move on.

After a while, you will find yourself sitting at your desk, bored, with nothing to do. And, here is the real problem. If you have no customers, you have no job.

Here is some advice from an old man.

If you want to have a long and very profitable career, stop worrying about the money. Worry about relationships instead. Treat your coworkers with respect. Help them in any way you can to reach their own goals. Follow up on requests regardless of who makes them and whether or not it is obvious at first whether or not they will benefit you. That is the simple secret to success.

You can have anything you want in life as long as you are genuinely interested in helping everyone around you get what they want.