What Separates an Average REO Vendor From Elite REO Vendor?

The Elite Vendor
An elite vendor identifies his weaknesses and works his ass off, twice as hard, until he improves in those areas. He realizes that it will be difficult to improve these areas at the beginning. But he also knows that if he keeps working on bettering his weaknesses, eventually he will.

The elite vendor understands that he doesn’t have to be superman to keep his clients happy. All he has to do is his job, every single time. And when he makes a mistake or something goes awry, his clients are willing to forgive him, because they have been watching him and they know that he gave it his best, just like he has been doing for them since the first day he started.

The elite vendor’s clients treat him with respect and pay him well, because they know that he is a valuable asset to their company who constantly comes through for them. They know they can call him and ask for his expertise about the difficult scenarios that arise on a daily basis. And he welcomes each and every call as it strengthens his position as the client’s “go to guy”.

Here are some more traits commonly found in the elite vendor:

• the tendency to be a perfectionist
• they practice ACCURATE THINKING
• they are always asking themselves questions about what they could have done better, more efficient, faster
• they attack their craft with an obsession
• they know that they are going to make a lot of mistakes, especially when they first start doing something new, and they plan on learning a lesson from each and every single mistake so that they do not happen again
• they are strong-willed, which helps them keep pushing forward even when the struggle in front of them appears insurmountable
• they are willing to make sacrifices in certain parts of their lives to be the best at what they do

The Average Vendor
An average vendor always tries to get away with doing the bare minimum. He has a bad habit of being quick to give up at the first sign of trouble. The average vendor has himself convinced that he doesn’t have any weaknesses. He thinks its because he’s perfect, but the rest of us know that its because he’s too much of a coward to ask himself the hard questions. The average vendor is great at engaging in conversations with others who are just like him. The ironic thing is, though, that they’re always talking about the elite vendor’s weaknesses!

The Moral of This Story
The worst kind of people in this industry are the ones who think they don’t need any training. They already know it all… just ask them. I say the minute you think you know everything in this industry you should walk over to your toolbox, lock it up and start looking for another job.

Some websites, training courses and clients provide better information than others. No doubt about it. However, I always end up learning at least a few things, even if the materials are less than stellar. What I believe to be even more crucial than the information itself, is convincing yourself that you are trainable.

There is no one person in this industry that knows it all. You can always learn something. If you are not learning something everyday in this industry, then you are not paying attention.