Hmm. My Millennial business partners asked me to write a personal blog for our ‘sick’ new CRE website. So, here it goes.
I love music – listening to music that is. I’m not skilled enough to play any instruments, except air guitar, air bass, air keyboards, air drums and my own voice during a karaoke routine.
The opening lyrics to this Talking Heads song from my high school days relates to my current place in ‘blog time.’
Once in a lifetime…
And you may find yourself living in a shotgun shack
And you may find yourself in another part of the
world
And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a
large automobile
And you may find yourself in a beautiful house,
with a beautiful Wife
And you may ask yourself-well… how did I
get here?
The answer to that question for many of us could take the conversation down many paths.
My path as a sales/negotiating professional began in Louisville, KY during my middle school days of the 1970’s.
Trading inferior brown bag lunch items for brand name delectables like Hostess Ho-Ho’s and Little Debbie Nutty Bars & Star Crunches.
Understanding the value of a good deal started at the cafeteria lunch table, but evolved to the conference table.
How did I get here?
From Pay Phones to Apple Pay.
Yes, I have been a sales professional long enough to learn from my Dad (a hall of fame salesperson in his own right) where the pull up pay phone hot spots were; way before Wi-Fi hot spots.
My Millennial CRE partners ask me if I have Venmo or Zelle. I answer, “I don’t think I downloaded that from Spotify, who sings that?”
How did I get here?
It doesn’t really matter. Just know that I have refined my selling and negotiating skills to become a trusted CRE advisor to those colleagues and clients who have hired or engaged our commercial real estate firm in the Tampa Bay market.
Several million dollars of transactions later, I can now say while writing this blog, this career has turned into a Once in a lifetime opportunity – and I’m glad I’m here!