Love my job as I do, I sometimes wonder if I could have possibly chosen a more stressful field of work. And love my clients as I do, there are days I have to take a REALLY, REALLY deep breath and say, "It's the stress he/she is under, not the person doing this (or saying this)." 
I have a range of clients because I work in a fairly small town/beach market and sell the gamut, from first time home buyers purchasing a starter home to buyers of luxury second homes or beach condominiums. For the most part, the first time home buyers and military buyers are a joy to work with. Their excitement is palatable when they realize they can really afford to own that home they've had their eye on for the past year or so. I get a thrill just being part of that transaction! And my affluent customers are great for my business; they are my biggest source of referral business! What fun to run into them on the beach and hear about how much they are enjoying that beach condo we negotiated for so fiercely.
But then there's the stress factor. After a client meltdown the other day that almost had me spinning out of control (3 minute phone call fixed the problem) I thought I would do a little research on stress and the affluent buyer. Not surprising what I found:
According to 2004 APD Research, more than 75% of all affluent business owners and self-employed professionals work in excess of 60 hours a week - many a lot more hours than that (Sounds like us Real Estate professionals, right?). People working this hard are used to obstacles in their day to day work life, but they would like their high-end purchase experience to be as close to stress free as possible. That's my goal - making it stress free. Unfortunately, we all know a real estate transaction is a complicated affair given the best of circumstances so there are occasional hiccups . . . like the one my client experienced the other day.
Working to anticipate possible problems in advance and rectifying any issues as quickly as possible has long been my game plan, but I sometimes wonder if there isn't something more I could be doing to pro-actively head off what I see as unnecessary "stress reactions." Or at least deal with them more gracefully in the moment.
So, any ideas out there?
Ideas would be great....love to hear them. I just noticed your in Pensacola...I used to be stationed there back in the early 90's LOVE the beaches, walks, entertainment and good times!
Kelly - for us and for the client!
Greg - Pensacola does have the most beautiful beaches!
My business partner, Ruthie, says dark chocolate and good whiskey cure most ills!
Robin
Robin ~ I always have to remember to BREATHE. Sometimes, when we get stressed, we tend to breathe rather shallowly, which is not good.
Deep breathing is much better. Also, for me, I handle stress much, much better when I take the time to exercise. Another thing to try is meditation and/or yoga, both of which help to keep me calm.
Linda - I'm with you, but even the BEST real estate agents are human - emotions and all!
Darleen - Breathing, yoga, I'm all over it!
I was actually hoping to hear some techniques for calming the client who is about to blow. Anybody out there with any ideas?