A doctor gets paid even if the patient is not cured.
A lawyer gets paid even if the client gets convicted.
A hawker gets paid even if the food taste horrible and the list of people getting paid whether they get the job done or not goes on.
However, being a real estate agent, we could be working for months and if we can’t get the property sold/leased, we do not get any reimbursement.
Sometimes, it is not even within our control such as sellers decide to withdraw from sale or buyers unable to secure loan.
What we can learn from this pandemic is that some of the biggest names can also go into red and even bankruptcy within a few quarters.
So before you just smile and accept a lower fee for your next deal, do your best to demonstrate your value to your client and share with them the truth behind our business model.