I just watched the film “Layer Cake.” It was a pretty good movie about a drug dealer. At the outset, the main character highlighted his business and several of the rules he followed. Yes, believe it or not, this dealer had rules for operating his business.

He began with the following:

“I am a businessman whose commodity just happens to be cocaine.”

I found this comment extremely important because you and I are entrepreneurs and our commodity happens to be houses. The problem is that most agents don’t have this perspective with their businesses. They don’t see themselves as entrepreneurs. When you truly think of yourself as an entrepreneur, your business starts to change. You start to see brand new opportunities. You begin doing things differently.

Here are the rules the drug dealer in Layer Cake stated:

Only deal in kilos

Give the people what they want

Work always with a small team

Deal only with people who come recommended

Keep a very low profile

As long as you can take care of your customers, they’ll always come back for more.

Never be excessively greedy

Always respect your enemy

Make hay while the sun is still shining

Avoid attention seeking ‘wanna be’ gangsters in it for the glory

Stay clear of the end user; they always cause you problems.

Very, very important: Always pay suppliers promptly, in full, without fail

Everyone likes to walk through a door marked “Private”

When your business is on the up-and-up, have a plan and stick to it

Quit while you’re ahead

When I first heard him explain these rules, I immediately paused the movie and grabbed my notepad. I began taking notes, starting and stopping my DVD player.

Can you apply these rules to your business? Here is how I’ve applied them to mine…

1. Notice that he only dealt in kilos. He specifically niched his business to work in a specific quantity of cocaine. This meant that he eliminated all of the smaller, less profitable business. This volume of cocaine apparently is more profitable and eliminates a great deal of risk. (I don’t know for sure because I’m not a drug dealer!)

2. He worked with a small, trustworthy team. This meant he kept tight rein on those with whom he worked. He made certain that he could trust them. If you don’t trust someone on your team, that person needs to go.

3. To avoid legal problems, he worked by referral only. This meant that he didn’t work with any Tom, Dick or Harry off of the street. He was very selective about whom he spent time with. Should you be selective about which clients you accept?

4. Take care of your clients.

5. Never be too greedy. If one of your clients is unhappy, fix the problem even if you have to invest money to do so. Keep your prospects and clients happy, and they will come back to you.

6. Always respect the enemy. Your main enemies are your competition. Pay close attention to what they’re doing in their businesses. Look for gaps in the market that you can exploit for your business.

7. Keep away from hiring agents with big egos. They’re impossible to please.

8. Don’t deal with the actual client. They place extreme demands on your time. Remember, you are an entrepreneur, not an agent. You should not be showing homes and negotiating offers, because then you lose control of your schedule.

9. Always pay for advertising promptly, in full, without fail. Marketing and advertising are the pipeline of your business.

10. Always make your clients feel special. Do special things for them that you don’t do for just anybody.

11. Have a plan for your business and stick to it. Don’t allow yourself to be distracted. Do not listen to what everybody else is complaining about. Keep your head down and work the plan.

12. Sell your business while you’re on top.