In 2009 Will You Dare To Be Different? MACY'S Did...

It is now 3:19am eastern standard time (literally as I began writing this), and I just got home from Macy's. Yep, you heard me right...Macy's at 3 in the AM!

Now I know you're probably thinking, "What in the world is Amber doing at Macy's that time of night?" Well last minute Christmas shopping of course...hello people! :)

But that's actually not the reason for this post.

So back to the story...

I actually went to the Macy's at the Freehold Raceway Mall first, but they closed at 12 midnight. I wasn't finished shopping, so I developed an instant headache at the thought of having to rush around the next day on Christmas Eve to find the final few items.

So as I'm leaving the store, I overhear one of the sales clerks telling a shopper that the Macy's at the Menlo Park Mall (Edison, NJ) is open 24 hours. Wow...This blew me away! My prayers had literally been answered.

Being the eternal night-owl that I am, I load all of my gifts to my SUV and head on over to the all night Macy's approximately 20+ miles up Route 9. Thank God my husband was home sleep, because if he knew that I was out in a mall parking lot by myself in the wee hours of the morning, he would've called the authorities on me...trust me, he's in law enforcement...he'd really do it!

Now once I arrived at the 2nd Macy's, I assumed I'd be the only person in the store doing last minute shopping so there would be no waiting in line. Boy was I wrong! Even at 12:30am up until the time I left at 2:47am (in the freezing rain nonetheless), there were a ton of people shopping in the store, as if it was 12 noon on a bright and sunny Saturday morning.

I got everything I needed. Then with the help of a friendly employee named Carlos, we loaded my purchases in my vehicle, and I went about my way.

As I was driving home, I got to thinking, "Wow...Things are that rough with the economy that Macy's had to stay open for 24 hrs just to make ends meet...man that's terrible."

All of a sudden, while sitting still at an extended traffic light on Route 1, a different perspective hit me like a ton of bricks.

My thoughts shifted from feeling sorry for Macy's, to giving the genius who runs Macy's an imaginary hi-five in my head. Sure, they probably had the store open around-the-clock out of necessity, but to me the thought of it was brilliant.

I mean think about it this way...

1. While ALL the other stores were closed, the 24 hours Macy's had a huge leg up on the competition and was able to capitalize on those last-minute shoppers or nightowls like me.

2. If Macy's would have followed suit and closed at 11pm or 12 midnight like the rest of the stores, then they would not have offered any different appeal to those customers who had an urgent need for something "out of the norm."

I looked at this paradigm to see how I could relate to it on a personal level (like in terms of how I run my real estate business). What valuable lesson could I learn from this? That's when it all made sense.

The 24 hrs Macy's is a reminder that being "different" can be a good thing...In fact, it can be a VERY good thing when it's genuine and thought-out.

When everyone else is going "right," there are times you've got to look both ways before crossing the street, and don't be afraid to turn "left."

Not every client is the same as Monica Walters reminded us; each one requires a different type of personality in order to handle them effectively.

By being our most individually authentic and unique selves, we have the potential to tap into a sea of under-served prospects whose needs may be different from the rest and "out of the norm."

In two-thousand & nine...DaRe to Be diFFerent...iT jUst mIghT pAy off!

Stay motivated,

Amber

www.AmberLovesRealEstate.com