Hey Samson, Nice Hair Cut

HEY SAMSON, NICE HAIRCUT

Written by Jim “Gymbeaux” Brown, April 11, 2020

Anything appearing in BLUE is a link to a web site 

Most people have heard the story of Samson and how he drew unbelievable strength supposedly from the length of his hair.  Only after he was deceived to cut his hair, was he able to be conquered.  America has just had its haircut with this total shutdown of the economy and the stay at home commitments.  Reference, got the idea of Samson from Jeffrey Gitomer on his daily Facebook video post.

A lot of people are at home and a great many of those people have lost their income.  The Federal Government has taken steps to help but I seriously doubt the monetary help the government is providing comes close to paying their monthly bills.  To everyone, you can sit around and feel sorry for yourself and think, woe is me if you want to and think it is in your best interest to do so.  Not me!  What good would come from such an attitude – nothing.  You can sit around the house and watch the endless parade of “experts” on your television puking about the Coronavirus and you can get depressed.  Been there, done that, but not for long.  What exactly can you do with all this unexpected time on your hands?  Thought you would never ask.

I would begin with searching on Spotify or Pandora or both for music to STUDY BY.  It’s there, I know, I have found it and saved it on a playlist.  This is a crucial step in doing something worthy of your time.  Don’t listen to the radio, it is not that much better than watching television. Radio programming is constantly interrupted with Coronavirus updates and if it is talk radio, that is even more depressing than Corona updates. 

Play the STUDY BY music and select a good book to read.  Do you select fiction or nonfiction?  It really depends on whether you are just killing time or if you want to learn something that could be very beneficial to you in your line of work.  Even more importantly, if you have been fired versus just laid off, there is a good chance that your employment was temporary at best.  This would be a fantastic time to learn a new profession.  Time is one thing in your favor, yes, I said in your favor.  You cannot beat the streets looking for work because you are supposed to be in a stay-at-home status.  Time is one thing you have plenty of.  It typically takes between 3 to 7 hours to read most books.  If you used your time wisely and studied the line of work you were engaged in or study the line of work you would like to be engaged in, in a very short period of time you would be an expert!

Even better than listening to STUDY BY music, why not search for Baroque Music.  Why Baroque music?  Again, so glad you asked.  Studies have been done regarding the AFFECT of music on the brain.  It was discovered that Baroque Music had similar if not the same rhythm patterns of brain waves.  Why is this important to understand?  It is similar to Right Brain vs Left Brain technology.  If you happen to be a Right Brain person, one who likes to play music, paint, create things, you will most likely have a difficult time communicating with a Left Brain person, the mathematicians, engineers, architects, etc.   The reverse of that is also true.  Baroque Music, according to the studies, tends to open your brain to new things and enables people to learn much faster than they otherwise would with no music or music that would be contrary to brain wave rhythms, like rock and roll.  Like the Left Brain/Right Brain issue, you increase your ability to communicate with the material you want to learn vs fighting with your environment while you try to learn and understand.   If you want to learn more about this, here is a link to where it is explained much better than I ever could. http://brainbasedbiz.blogspot.com/2007/04/baroque-music-helps-you-focus.html

Every business should review their standard operating procedures and physical structures (office environments) of their office/business spaces.  Life as we have known it has changed; our hair was cut!  In fact, our collective heads were shaved!  Are you changing with the times or are you going to resist making changes that your employees and customers will now expect?  As an example, look at your typical corner gas station type businesses.  How much would it cost to install a plexiglass divider between customers and employees?  And while you are at it, why not install a bullet resistant plexiglass divider as we know such businesses have been targets for armed robberies; you kill two birds with one stone!  If you are the owner of a corner gas station, here’s a thought.  Customers are more aware of the dangers of spreading disease by touching things that other people have touched.  Are you old enough to remember when gas stations hired young teenagers for a minimum wage to pump gas for its customers?  Could you increase your business by doing that in an environment where the spread of disease is of a major concern and your competition is not doing it?  It’s just a question but a good one don’t you think?  Would I go to such a gas station even if it meant paying a bit more for the gas?  ABOSOLUTELY especially since I am one of the people referred to as having “underlying conditions.”

General Office spaces.  As an office manager what could you do to help prevent the spread of disease within your office spaces.  First thought for me are the rest rooms – a haven for bacteria.  What can you do now to ensure your employees that the rest rooms they use daily are kept as clean as possible?  How can you convey that information to potential customers and visitors?  What can you do regarding common use equipment like computer keyboards, copy machine terminals, and telephones?  Everything that people touch.  What can you do to insure that as many common touch areas are reduced and/or cleaned to the maximum extent possible?  If they exist, make certain that disinfectant sprays, wipes are readily available.  If you take the issue seriously, consider installing doors that open and shut electronically instead of manually with door knobs and push/pull handles.

I see grocery stores installing protection screens for checkout employees and baggers.  I also see grocery stores of the future installing drive through service for the handicapped or the people with “underlying conditions.”  Imagine giving such people the opportunity to go on line or telephone in their order and then simply drive through and pick it up.  The items can also be paid for online and there would be no need for any interaction other than identifying who you are when you drive through. 

A lot of doctors’ offices have an open reception area where employees are constantly exposed to the public.  I see them eventually being glassed in.  And what about waiting rooms.  Ever sat in a doctor’s waiting room for what seems like forever along with everyone else?  I can see future waiting rooms where there is a lot of space between chairs in keeping with the social distance guidelines.  If I were the doctor and it was my office, I would make absolutely certain that all of the multitude of forms that I require my patients to complete and routinely update, would be online forms.  I would notify the patient that the forms are online when they make their appointments and that they are expected to complete the forms prior to their visit to reduce the time spent in the waiting room.  Of course, if a patient does not have access to a computer there would be no alternative but to give them paper forms to complete.

There will be changes coming.  Here’s a thought about your business.  If you fail to address these issues NOW and instead, “wait to see what happens”, and your competition addresses them NOW, who do you think the customers will choose to do business with?  If you don’t know, I would refrain from operating any heavy machinery like driving a car.

I retired from the Real Estate Business in 2012 after 33 years.  I know the business.  What would I do differently given the Coronavirus Pandemic?  If I were an agent, I would create an information sheet that I would give to every customer I work with.  This is what I would say (you can pick and choose whatever applies or whatever you can change to make it work).  

Dear Customer,

If the recent Coronavirus episode taught us one thing it is that disease can be spread person to person through touch, through the air and/or by just being close to each other.  I have established the following guidelines to make as certain as possible that you and I take the precautions established during the Coronavirus outbreak as serious today and into the future.  Your health and the health of your family is paramount to me as I am certain it is for you.  Therefore, I have established these guidelines and sincerely hope you understand they were created in your best interest as well as mine.

• No handshaking
• Stay 6 feel apart as much as possible
• I will provide hand sanitizers for everyone to use
• I will provide sanitizing wipes when we tour homes to clean door knobs both as we enter and again as we leave a property
• I personally will sanitize any pens we may use during the process of buying or selling a home
• When possible, we will take two cars to tour property, you in your car, me in mine. *
• Be advised that our office routinely sanitizes all door handles and bathrooms on a regular basis
• If I as your agent, feel the slightest bit ill, I will ask another agent to work with you as scheduled
• If you or a member of your family feels the slightest bit ill, please notify me as soon as possible and we will reschedule all meetings, showings and closings.
• For your convenience our office provides sanitizing materials to be used after each use of equipment provided for both customers and employees; equipment such as phones and keyboards.
• Agreement:  If I ever conduct my business with you in a manner that you feel is unsafe, I would expect that you would remind me of my agreement with you.  In return, I hope you agree that I do the same with you.

Note (*), I have always taught that this is a good technique to use for agents concerned about their personal safety long before the Coronavirus hit us.  I had an entire class on agent personal safety and how to use their cars to help ensure their safety.  If you are uncomfortable with this, then don’t do it but if you do, explain why you do it.

You get the drift.  Just as if Samson’s hair grew out and he would supposedly regain his strength, America’s hair will grow back and I believe it will be longer and stronger than ever before.  But it may not be the same color as before.  Things will and probably should change.  One such example is the habit of shaking people’s hands.  There is nothing wrong with the way the Japanese bow to each other upon greeting them and maybe we should as well. 

Funny story.  Several years ago, I was playing golf and I noticed that one of the players used the Porta-potty on the 14^th hole.  We continued to play and after we finished on the 18^th hole everyone started to exchange pleasantries and shake each other’s hands.  Except for me.  On that day, at that time, I started to “fist pump” instead of shaking hands.  My fellow players noticed and asked why?  I then said, and I quote, “There are no wash basins in the Porta-potties.”  They all laughed but from that day, they all started using the “fist pump” instead of the hand shake.  Nuff said!