Whenever I meet with potential clients, and they end up using another agent, I always ask them why

O

ne of the many hats I’ve worn was that of seminary teacher. In one class, the girls shared an unusual “minhag” they had in their school.

As in many schools, on Rosh Chodesh, the girls didn’t have to wear the uniform. But there was something else they could don; the school offered buttons that could be pinned to a shirt. That was a signal: give me feedback.

If a girl wore a pin, the staff would know she was open to input, and they would sometimes take that opportunity and share with her what they thought she was doing well in her performance at school, and which areas could use some improvement.

I loved the idea; feedback given kindly and sensitively is a gift.

I can’t wear a button, but I do consistently ask for feedback. Whenever I meet with potential clients, and they end up using another agent, I always ask them why. I did that recently, after I’d had a good initial meeting with the Parkers and they informed me the next evening that they’d be using someone else.

Nora Parker told me they’d enjoyed meeting me, but the other agent had a bunch of awards up on her office wall, and that made them feel she must be more professional.