And, I Thought Screws Were Just Hardware!

In a recent conversation I had with a fellow commercial real estate professional, he asked me what I thought he should do about a recent business encounter.  Someone, who had an obligation to pay him a commission, utilized a technicality to pay him a lot less, in fact a fraction of what he owed. Then, to add insult to injury, that person elected to make minimal payments over an extended time period, without interest, despite having no contractual right to do so. After understanding more details of the circumstance, it appeared that the real estate professional's interpretation was balanced and realistic. It was plain to me that he had been screwed by this person, and that, while the real estate professional may not have perceived the payor as a bad guy, the payor obviously was not interested in doing right by the real estate professional.  In my book, someone who avoids doing the right thing when the opportunity to do right exists IS a bad guy!

I didn't find this question, nor the answer, to be overly complicated. My response was simple and obvious: I advised the real estate professional to pursue whatever business and / or legal remedies that were available to him, collect his money, and never ever do business with that person again...PERIOD!

To me, and to most people, there would be no other answer.  When someone has demonstrated that, while they didn't necessarily do anything bad, if they have an opportunity to do the right thing, but don't, for whatever they claim are their justifyable reasons or extenuating circumstances, in my book they move into the Bad Guy column.

Guess how this real estate professional responded to my recommendation? He said that he was really only seeking to understand how he might collect his compensation quicker. He went on to tell me about the importance of keeping relationships, and how he thought it was important to maintain his relationship with the person about whom he asked...the person who used a written document as justification not to honor his word, his commitment, nor his obligation to pay this real estate professional fairly based on the agreement between them, irrespective of the many months of hard work this professional expended, at risk, and despite the substantial value this person derived from those efforts.

I had to place my right hand under my chin and thrust upward to close my mouth, as my jaw dropped to my chest when I heard this.

I only had one question for the real estate professional: "Why?"

Why would he want to maintain a relationship with someone who obviously does not care for him, apparently sees no value in their relationship, truly put his money where his mouth was in this case, and already damaged the real estate professional?

The real estate professional's response was: "Because I might get other business from him."

That sound you just heard was my jaw falling off!

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