JANUARY 2018 CALIFORNIA

EXECUTIVEAGENT MAGAZINE

Michael Miller Executive Agent of the Month

Inside Features: Mollie Eubanks Ricci Realty

Noelle Longmeyer

Keller Williams Pacific Estates

Decira Pimentel Realty ONE Group

TM

MORE EDUCATED, MORE MOTIVATED, MORE CONFIDENT HOME BUYING. In an uncertain market with changing interest rates and home prices, it’s more important now than ever to work with a professional Mortgage Consultant to ensure your success in today’s housing market and in securing your Home Financing.

Ryan Grant Producing Branch Manager NMLS # 118767 Phone: 949.651.6300 Team@RyanGrantTeam.com www.RyanGrantTeam.com

100 Spectrum Center Drive #750 Irvine, California 92618

Copyright©2017 Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation. NMLS#2289. 4801 S. Biltmore Lane, Madison, WI 53718, 1-877-699-0353. All rights reserved.

Other restrictions and limitations may apply. Equal Housing Lender. Licensed by the Department of Business Oversight under the California Finance Lenders Law. Loans made or arranged pursuant to a California Finance Lenders Law License.

EXECUTIVE AGENT OF THE MONTH

Michael Miller

Luxre Realty

22

17

INSIDE FEATURES

6 Mollie Eubanks Ricci Realty 4

10 Noelle Longmeyer Keller Williams Pacific Estates ExecutiveAgent Magazine

28 Decira Pimentel Realty ONE Group

JANUARY, 2018 EDITORIALS 30

E XECUTIVE AGENT

TM

MAGAZINE

Fred Arrias Executive Publisher PO Box 73384 San Clemente, CA 92673 Ph: (949) 297-8323 Fax: (949) 266-8757 FArrias45@gmail.com www.EACal.com

How to Reach Your Goals -Ben Angel

ADVERTISERS’ INDEX - CAL

32

How to Train Cats and Salespeople -John Boe

City of Hope.......................................................35 Compass..................................................................27 Fairway Independent Mortgage...........................2 Finance of America Mortgage...........................15

24

iPhotography Studio...............................................23

Stop Wishing for the Life You Want -Jim Rohn

Kinecta Federal Credit Union...............................36 NAHREP..................................................................14 SBAOR....................................................................26 The Termite Guy......................................................3

8

12

Photography: iPhotography Studio, Ian Wiant, Rob Paino Graphic Designer: Garon T. Arrias Editorial Manager: Trudy Van Writers: Ben Angel, John Boe, Haley Freeman, Jim Rohn, Walter Sanford, Dirk Zeller, Zig Ziglar

A Rolling Stone Gathers No Moss -Walter Sanford

© Copyright 2018 Executive Agent Magazine. All rights reserved.

Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Although every precaution is taken to ensure accuracy of published materials, Executive Agent Magazine cannot be held responsible for opinions expressed or facts supplied by its authors.

BUSINESS VISION . . . IS WHERE IT ALL STARTS -Dirk Zeller

ExecutiveAgent Magazine

5

E XECUTIVE AGENT

TM

MAGAZINE

Mollie Eubanks Helping People Get to the Next Chapter in Life Written by Haley Freeman - Photography by Kathleen Rivera, Apex Studio’s

M

ollie Eubanks’ clients don’t make a move without her. That’s because they have come to rely upon the comprehensive industry knowledge and straightforward counsel she has acquired over more than a decade in multiple sectors of the industry.

With a real estate practice driven almost entirely by referral and repeat business, Mollie is the go-to professional for generations as they move from one chapter of life to the next.

A native Texan who moved to Southern California as a young adult, Mollie was a full-time mom of three boys and working as a teacher’s aide at their Christian school when another parent, a Realtor®, approached her and said, “You’d be great in escrow. The manager of the company I use is looking for an assistant.”

“I didn’t know anything about the industry except what I’d learned from buying my own houses,” Mollie recalls.

“The manager at New Century Title and Escrow had 40 years in the business, and she taught me so much. I have an incredible background because of her.”

Mollie regularly handled the escrows of Realtor® Vince Ferragamo, former Los Angeles Rams quarterback and owner of Touchdown Real Estate and End Zone Mortgage in Orange County. He hired her as a loan processor, and she eventually became the manager of both of his offices before finally focusing on real estate sales full time. “Even though I enjoy lending, I found real estate was more rewarding for me. I am more hands on and get to know my clients really well. When the transaction closes on a building or a house, I love being the one who hands them the keys.”

ExecutiveAgent Magazine

Today Mollie is both a residential and commercial agent at boutique Ricci Realty in her home community of Orange, where her broad-spectrum industry experience gives her a decided professional edge in serving clients throughout Orange County and beyond. “I understand every step of the process and what each party needs to do next, and I’m not waiting for them to tell me there’s a problem. I track the escrow timeline daily, and I’m already asking what’s been done and what is still needed.

This assures an escrow to close on time.”

Mollie’s vast experience is an asset to sellers, as she has the savvy to scrutinize loan pre-approvals and communicate effectively with lenders. “If we’re in a multiple offer situation, I can call the lender and have a conversation before I advise my seller to accept the offer. There have been many times when a pre-approval was not a real preapproval, and I’ve prevented my seller from taking their house off the market, only to discover the loan never had the ability to close.”

One seller said about her: “She did more than just sell the house: she gave us excellent advice about marketing; she was comfortable and knowledgeable about all applicable laws, rules and regulations; she had extraordinary people to call upon for the little tasks that come up in the course of a sale; and, most of all, she was friendly and supportive of all our needs. We always felt that she cared, and we trusted her implicitly.”

A bona fide master of multitasking, Mollie is a ready problem solver with the know-how and determination to move transactions to a smooth conclusion for both buyers and sellers. In the commercial space, she has developed a niche of working with doctors to facilitate a seamless real estate experience. These busy professionals rely upon her to coordinate the whole transaction, saving them precious time by synchronizing escrow agents, lending professionals, Realtors®, architects, designers, contractors, city planning commissioners and CPAs, and providing a single, coherent communication channel. Mollie also has experience managing residential and commercial properties, from screening tenants to collecting rents.

dealing with clients and industry colleagues. She exercises compassion for people as they take on what is often an emotional life event, while remaining level-headed and solutions-oriented. She is a fierce but fair negotiator who seeks a win for everyone at the table.

Mollie is also a longtime fitness enthusiast, who maintains her lively sparkle by hitting the gym every morning.

Her little grandson calls her “Go-Go,” a fitting monicker for this vibrant woman who is always on the go.

Whether someone is making a move to a condo or a luxury property, and whether they are a first-time millennial homebuyer or a downsizing baby boomer, Mollie is poised to help them get to the next chapter of their lives with maximum care and proficiency. She says, “I want to be someone’s Realtor® for life, and for the next generation, as well.”

Conscientious about her fiduciary duty as a professional, Mollie draws upon her Christian values when ExecutiveAgent Magazine

Mollie Eubanks Ricci Realty 606 E. Chapman Avenue, #100 Orange, CA 92866 Tel: 714.321.6241 Email: MollieEubanks@riccirealty.com Web: www.riccirealty.com CalDRE # 01844533

A Rolling Stone Gathers No Moss...

8

ExecutiveAgent Magazine

Y

ou are pumping on all eight cylinders, your systems are working, and you’re an expert in time and motion reduction. You can even get your “stone” rolling faster by performing your day-to-day activities with incorporated lead generation. Simple procedures can be added to your listing, marketing, and closing checklists to make certain you are taking advantage of every opportunity to service, “wow,” and replace your clientele.

By converting common activities such as open houses, FSBO lead generation, or the opening/closing procedures into checklists, you reap the following rewards: 1. You don’t have to remember what made you successful last year.

2. You have a platform to subtract unnecessary steps from, thus reducing overhead.

3. You have a foundation to add to after reading this article or attending a seminar.

4. You can show your clients your business manual, made up of checklists, at your buyer/seller presentations.

5. They are easy! When you start a repeatable task, pull out your note taker of choice and write down the steps.

6. It provides the basis for delegation once you have decided to multiply your efforts through an assistant.

7. Uniformity through checklists also gives consistent service and speeds your “rolling rock” because of the organization it brings.

Now, some secret steps to add to your checklists that will ensure that even the boring aspects of real estate generate speed, convenience, happiness, and money.

Add to Your Seller Question Checklist: 1. Ask what their criteria will be for hiring a new agent. The agent who knows the most wins!

2. At the meeting, ask them to provide two keys to the home. Let’s end key-making forever! Have you ever shown up and had two keys on the kitchen table? It sure builds confidence!

3. Ask them if they plan to list any other properties at the same time. This one question alone made me more than $15,000 every year!

Add to Your Marketing Checklist: 1. Put home flyers on your website so the homeowner can print and supply as necessary. What a great way to save on printing, time, delivery, wear and tear, and provide another way to disseminate information on your new listing.

2. Send a new listing letter to all expireds within

a pre-determined radius around your new listing, extolling the virtues of putting their home on the market, and allowing you to do a joint marketing campaign.

3. Add a cover page to your flyers in the brochure box, explaining why you should also represent the buyer.

Yes, I really do love dual-agency.

Add to Your Open House Checklist: • Bring blank thank you cards for handwritten notes to the people whose parkways you utilized for open house signs. It just takes a few minutes, and it is worth a listing a year!

Add to Your Buyer Search Checklist: 1. Contact all expireds who may have homes that meet your buyers’ needs. This is a great way to prospect for listings and increase odds in obtaining dual-agency contact.

2. Contact your sphere of influence that owns homes which match buyers’ needs. See the above.

Add to Your Goal Checklist: 1. Call five past clients a day and ask for repeat or referral business.

2. Obtain the phone numbers of all merged or out-ofbusiness real estate firms. Add their numbers to your bank of lines.

3. Solicit all the clients owned by your broker who were previously serviced by agents in your office who have left, retired, or moved.

By providing this information and your doing a lot of the small things right – you will soon be the agent in your area to contend with. As your “stone” is rolling, there is precious little time to add these “extras,” but by adding these items to your checklists, you are insuring that these profit steps get taken before your “stone” gets finished rolling!

Walter Sanford was one of the top real estate agents in North America for nearly thirty years, and now, he is one of the most requested speakers, trainers, and coaches.

He has authored twelve systems and books on checklists, pro-active lead generation, affiliate lead generation, plus others mentioned in this article. You can hire Walter or buy his products by visiting his website for more details at www.waltersanford.com, by calling 815-929-9258, or emailing Walter at walter@waltersanford.com.

ExecutiveAgent Magazine

9

E XECUTIVE AGENT

TM

MAGAZINE

Written by Haley Freeman

Noelle Longmeyer

F

rom the beginning of her 16-plus year career in real estate, Noelle Longmeyer has been deliberate about developing herself as a professional so that she can, in turn, provide quality service and education to her clients. Now an award-winning agent at Keller Williams Pacific Estates in Long Beach and team leader of NEST SoCal Group, Noelle is a powerful woman business owner and a dynamic force in Southern California real estate.

Long Beach is the hub for Noelle’s real estate practice, which spans LA and Orange counties. She has deep, personal ties to the Long Beach community, originating

with her days as a student and, later, a human resources manager for California State Long Beach Foundation. “I love Long Beach,” she says. “It is an international, metropolitan city with a vibrant arts scene. Downtown Long Beach has been experiencing a renaissance, and I think it will continue. My husband grew up in Westminster, and we ended up living there near Seal Beach. It’s one of the last remaining quaint beach areas and equidistant to both Long Beach and Huntington. We really have the best of both worlds. There are so many differences between the two counties, and I love introducing people to unique communities they may not know about. I’m a huge cheerleader for the areas I work in.”

ExecutiveAgent Magazine

Noelle’s passion for the communities she sells and the unique lifestyles they offer inspires her superlative client service. A designated Military Relocation Professional (MRP) and Senior Real Estate Specialist (SRES), she is constantly adapting her practice to meet the needs of the region’s shifting populations. “I think diversity is a big component of my success. A lot of agents tend to focus on one niche. But I meet so many people on any given day, and I feel like I get to be part of the citizenship of a much larger family.”

Noelle adapted her practice to better serve military families after she represented a client in 2010 who had difficulty getting a VA offer accepted by area listing agents. “I took issue with that, and I felt a responsibility to help educate the community that a VA loan is a treasured opportunity for many military families. There are so many myths around VA loans, and a lot of education still needs to happen. I have a wonderful partnership with a VA lender and have grown from there. I’m honored to work with military families, and I advocate for the military community and educate them about how to use their benefits, as well.”

Helping seniors and/or their children with the many decisions surrounding the liquidation of an estate requires both empathy and special knowledge. Noelle has both, and she helps families navigate these challenging times with compassion and skill. “It’s such a complicated emotional experience, and it really takes a special touch to steer clients through that process successfully. Part of the SRES designation is learning to help someone through the emotional minefield of selling a property they have lived in most of their life. There are also potential tax implications, the legalities of a trust and exemption from certain disclosures that need to be addressed.”

Diversity is a hallmark of Noelle’s team, and she is a champion of women as leaders in business. “Although 58 percent of all licensed agents in California are women, only 24 percent are in leadership. That’s a call to action in my opinion. I just started participating in a student mentorship program through Long Beach City College, partnering with students who are getting their real estate license. It’s very important to me to help bring people up in the profession, especially women.”

bring richness and relatability to her team. “Growing my team through diversity has been beautiful to me. Mania Persekian is from the Armenian community and Michelle Lee is originally from Taiwan. These women have brought me into their worlds and expanded our team’s ability to serve international and luxury markets with greater sensitivity.”

As a mother of three, Noelle is committed to setting the right example for succeeding in business. “I want to make sure my son and two daughters see that they can have integrity and be leaders in whatever they choose to do.”

Doing business thoughtfully and with purpose also makes it sustainable. As Noelle expands her team and serves more families, she says, “My clients’ goals are always at the forefront. I want to see their families succeed, and I want to be part of their story for the rest of their lives.”

Noelle Longmeyer, MRP, SRES Keller Williams Pacific Estates 2883 E. Spring St., Ste. 100 Long Beach, CA 90806 Tel: 714-514-5643 - 562-344-5146 Email: NLongmeyer@gmail.com Web: www.nestsocal.com CalDRE # 01313351

She is also eager to include people who reflect the global cultures represented in Southern California. Noelle currently works with two other remarkable women who ExecutiveAgent Magazine

BUSINESS VISION . . . IS WHERE IT ALL STARTS

B

eing able to establish a business vision for your company separates you from the other agents who are in real estate. When building a team, you must pause and work to define your business vision. Enduring, successful people and successful companies establish their core values and core purpose. They then remain fixed on those core values and purpose throughout their business life. The changing elements are their business strategy and tactics due to the marketplace changes and competition influences.

Successful people and companies know that it is critically important to know who you are and what you stand for. In many cases, knowing who you are, as a team, will be more important than where you are going. We all will change and adapt as our world changes and adapts. This change is inevitable. The only part about change that is in question is whether it will be evolution or revolution.

Evolution is defined by Webster as: A process in which something passes by degrees to a different stage (especially a more advanced or mature stage). We want to engage in the small, gradual movement or change over a period of time. This type of change only comes from clarity of values and purpose. More effort, energy, and resources can be used to increase success, sales, and production in an evolutionary mode, rather than a revolutionary mode.

Revolution is defined by Webster as: A drastic and farreaching change in ways of thinking and behaving. The change in revolution is more violent, sudden, and potentially damaging. The vast majority of resources will be used to keep up with the revolution at hand or trying to

12

get out of the revolutionary process. The stress level is significantly higher, and the probability of success is much lower in revolution. By having well-defined core values and core purpose, you can avoid the forces of revolution more effectively.

There has been a prevailing thought for sometime on the value of mission statements. The thought is that you have to build a mission statement for your team. When I ask many experts why they have that view, their answers are less than stellar: “Because good companies have them”; “You just do”; “Your people need something to guide them.” There are a host of others that I have heard regularly.

I have personally coached hundreds of the most successful agents in the last fifteen years. I always ask if they have a mission statement. When they say “oh yes”, I ask them what it is. The phone always goes dead silent. Then you have this rustling of papers as they try to find the document that has their mission statement on it. Once they can’t find it, they try to recite from memory some garbled version of it.

I personally feel that mission statements have little value, and we should abolish their use. Most small business owners’ (like real estate agents) mission statements are treated as something you have to have or do, but you don’t know why you have to have it or do it. The most common practice of building a mission statement for small business owners is to scalp what they like from a large company, like Nordstrom if you have a service mentality or Nike if you like competition or Wal-Mart if you want to serve the ordinary or disadvantaged consumer.

ExecutiveAgent Magazine

WRITTEN BY DIRK ZELLER

We aren’t building it from within our own views, tenets, and principles of excellence in life and business. For most, we are building the mission statement based on what sounds good, looks good on a brochure or marketing piece, or is made up of the components that another successful company articulates in their mission statement. My best advice is to scrap the whole exercise and start focusing on what you stand for.

What do you stand for?

We can’t look for what we stand for in others. We have to discover it in ourselves. It is not outside in the world around you; it is in your inner world, in your mind and heart. In order for what you stand for to be authentic, you have to search for it. You aren’t asking yourself what you should stand for; you are asking yourself what you passionately stand for.

Let me share with you an example of what I mean. At Real Estate Champions, we stand for hard work and continuous self-improvement. We believe passionately that the quest of self-improvement, both personally and professionally, is one of the noblest callings in life. I personally toil long hours weekly in the quest of self-improvement and building tools, training systems, scripts, materials, strategies, tactics, theories, coaching – the list is endless. I spend additional hours reading, writing, praying, and listening to podcasts to keep my personal development in high gear. I have other people on my team, as well, who contribute to this effort.

There is no one in the real estate field who has produced more quality systems, tools, strategies, skill improvement,

and business master systems in the last fifteen years than we have at Real Estate Champions. You can pick any name, speaker, trainer, or coach, and most are still selling the same material they were ten years ago! We have 15 distinctly different coaching programs, over fifty different training programs and audio CDs, DVD training, internet subscription-based training, and ten books written on sales success. We don’t do it because it’s good business; we create new intellectual property and deliver it in many different ways because it’s what we stand for. It is born out of my personal core values and beliefs.

We passionately believe that we need to engage in our own journey of personal self-improvement to impact the world. Once we take on that challenge, we will be able to impact the world around us.

What do you stand for?

Dirk Zeller is an Agent, an Investor, and the President & CEO of Real Estate Champions. His company trains more than 350,000 Agents worldwide each year through live events, online training, self-study programs, and newsletters. He’s the widely published author of Your First Year in Real Estate, Success as a Real Estate Agent for Dummies®, The Champion Real Estate Agent, Telephone Sales for Dummies®, and over 300 articles in print. You can get more information by visiting www.RealEstateChampions. com. © 2008, Dirk Zeller. All rights reserved. For information contact FrogPond at 800.704.FROG(3764) or email susie@FrogPond.com; http://www.FrogPond.com.

ExecutiveAgent Magazine

13

02 .26 – 02 .28

NEWPORT BEACH 3501 Jamboree | Suite 200 | Newport Beach, CA 92660

Build a partnership with a direct lender that offers exceptional service.

John J. Reed Branch Manager NMLS-869516

(949) 398-3655

Mark Martinez

Alan Cipolletti

NMLS-302745

NMLS-653005

Anthony Colacion

Senior Mortgage Advisor

Senior Mortgage Advisor

(714) 863-8470

(949) 394-1757

(949) 689-3597

Jill Coss

Valerie Dawson

Therese Franklin

NMLS-286726

NMLS-1552910

NMLS-1151840

(949) 791-7901

(714) 864-8088

(949) 394-4624

Sales Manager

NMLS-329651

Senior Mortgage Advisor

Senior Mortgage Advisor

Senior Mortgage Advisor

Senior Mortgage Advisor

Senior Mortgage Advisor

Jeffrey Scott

Argie Nastasi

NMLS-1030205

NMLS-255094

NMLS-1467005

(949) 306-3268

(949) 677-1001

(714) 878-9934

Ryan Grainer

Senior Mortgage Advisor

Lynn Nelson

Jim Thiel

NMLS-653022

NMLS-907893

Senior Mortgage Advisor

(714) 412-8608

Senior Mortgage Advisor

(949) 521-0039

We offer in-house agent marketing support providing the following services: POSTCARDS | FLYERS | VIDEO | PHOTOGRAPHY Š2017 Finance of America Mortgage LLC is licensed nationwide | | NMLS ID #1071 (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org) | 300 Welsh Road, Building 5, Horsham, PA 19044 | (800) 355-5626 | AZ Mortgage Banker License #0910184 | Licensed by the Department of Business Oversight under the California Residential Mortgage Lending Act | Georgia Residential Mortgage Licensee #15499 | Illinois Residential Mortgage Licensee | Kansas Licensed Mortgage Company | Licensed by the N.J. Department of Banking and Insurance | Licensed Mortgage Banker -- NYS Banking Department | Rhode Island Licensed Lender.

EXECUTIVEAGENT MAGAZINE

Nomination Form Nominate a fellow REALTORÂŽ to be featured in one of our feature stories; on the cover as Executive Agent of the Month, or as a special feature story. All candidates must be nominated by a real estate professional. The selection process includes a questionnaire, personal interview, reference check and final approval by the Advisory Council. Candidates are evaluated based upon professionalism, length of service and uniqueness of story, as well as industry and community involvement.

I Nominate: Name_______________________________ Company___________________________ Address____________________________ _____________________________________ City, State, Zip_____________________ _____________________________________ Phone______________________________ Email_______________________________ Submitted By: Fax/Email nomination to: Executive Agent Magazine PO Box 73384 San Clemente, CA 92673 Fax: 949.266.8757 Email: Info@eamag.net Tel: 949.297.8323

Name_______________________________ Company___________________________ Phone______________________________ Email_______________________________

TM

Cover Story

Michael Miller Executive Agent of the Month

ExecutiveAgent Magazine

Michael Miller Coming From Contribution Written by Haley Freeman - Photography by Ian Wiant

M

ichael Miller’s dad had a unique combination of talents: he was a Realtor® and a deejay. He helped Michael get a job at his radio station, and at only 15 years old, Michael became the top salesperson there selling on-air advertising. “I didn’t really know what I was doing at first,” Michael says, “but my dad taught me to cold call. I’m a very friendly person, and I just liked the opportunity to talk to people and hear their stories. To me, it was awesome. There was never any fear in me, and I loved it.”

Michael became a successful radio entrepreneur, working in stations across his home state of New York and in Canada. Then one December, when it was blisteringly cold on the East Coast, he had an opportunity to migrate west to sun-drenched California and expand his career.

As Michael matured professionally, he felt compelled to use his tremendous people and sales skills to accomplish something even bigger, and he continued on his father’s

path. “Eventually the fame and fortune of being paid in concert tickets and McDonalds gift cards wasn’t working for me anymore,” he laughs. “Somebody I met said, ‘I’d love to help you become a Realtor®.’”

That was in 2004. Between his gregarious personality and the sphere of influence he had created in radio, Michael closed a staggering 10 deals in his first month.

He finished the year with 50 closed transactions. A few years later the market crashed, and the game changed.

But the enterprising Michael didn’t miss a beat. In 2010, he gave up his deejay work to focus completely on real estate. That year, he closed 140 transactions by going back to basics, using the skills he had honed as a 15-yearold boy. He cold-called people with homes for sale by owner and expired sale listings. “It’s all about coming from contribution. Some of the best people I’ve met in my life are because I called them first. The avenues that have opened up for me just by picking up the phone have led to amazing things in my life.”

ExecutiveAgent Magazine

Today Michael is the leader of a top-producing team at Luxre Realty, an Orange County real estate boutique committed to “exceptional service for exquisite living.” He says that the contributions of his girlfriend, Brittany Fulton, are critical to the team’s success. “It is awesome to be in a professional and personal relationship with my amazing girlfriend, Brittany. She has qualities and abilities like no other, and her love and support give me strength. By joining forces, our team has become unstoppable.”

Michael enjoys teaching other professionals the art of selling with world-class customer service. From Orange County’s posh coastal markets to its distinctive inland communities, he and his team are neighborhood specialists, equipped with the knowledge to help sellers market their homes to their best advantage and help future homeowners find the property of their dreams. “I have a team in South OC and North OC because I want neighborhood specialists on my team. Even if we have not sold a home in a particular neighborhood before, we will make ourselves specialists by knowing what houses in the area have sold and for how much, what events are going on in the community, and what neighbors are saying. We make sure we

tell the story of the home for each property we list.”

Michael uses his creative media background to market homes in fresh and entertaining ways. He has recently begun producing mini commercials for every home he and his team sells. “I have experience with copywriting, and in the past I had to come up with something new for my show every day. Now, I think of each listing as show prep.

What are the most attractive things about the home? How do I take this to the next level to make it interesting to someone who maybe isn’t even looking to buy a home?

I make it entertaining and informative, while also getting exposure for the home. It’s been so much fun. These days, everyone has a video or a blog, but I’m taking drone and 3D tours to the next level. Stepping outside the box, we’re selling our homes faster and for more money.”

When Michael and his team take a listing, they want the world to know about it. As a result, they spend three hours every day on the phones cold calling people in their database from agents to past clients, searching for potential buyers. “We’re relentless in our determination to accomplish our goal,” Michael says.

ExecutiveAgent Magazine

The proof is in the results, and here’s what sellers are saying: “Mike did a great job selling our Rancho Santa Margarita home. He really hit the ground running, and we had multiple offers after just over two weeks on the market. He has great enthusiasm, is very responsive and knows how to generate buzz around a new listing.”

“Michael is a real estate professional with lots of experience in the market. He is high energy and creative in his approach to selling. He is a good presenter and makes good use of social media. We liked the fact that he held an

open house every weekend until our property sold. In addition, he held broker previews, events and a social event for the neighborhood to bring attention to our home. In a very competitive market, he was steadfast in his commitment to find the right buyer for our home.”

Michael’s buyers team works with the same spirit of tenacity. “It’s the best feeling in the world to hand a buyer the keys to their new home. They’ve worked so hard to provide that for their family, and it’s exciting to be part of that accomplishment. The journey is often emotional and stressful, but the end result is amazing.”

ExecutiveAgent Magazine

Coaching and developing his team is another perk of the job for Michael. He is an innately self-assessing and self-motivated individual with the discipline to succeed, and he provides his teammates with the example, tools and accountability to achieve their real estate goals. He continues to share the “Dadisms” he learned from his father like, “Smile and dial,” and, “You get more with honey than with vinegar.”

He explains, “Those things really stick with you, and I quote him a lot, especially with new agents that come in.

The most important thing with cold calling is consistency.

They say not to give up five minutes before the miracle. I love my role of coaching and helping others achieve their potential. I want and love the job I do, and I wake up every day with a purpose to accomplish my goals. I have an amazing team, and they inspire me to be my best. I want to be that same inspiration to them.”

to be right now. I think our culture has generally evolved into that with technology. People want to get you immediately on the phone, and they want instant gratification.

I’ve been able to adapt to that well in this industry because of where I come from.”

Michael has never been afraid of hard work. He’s still picking up the phone and knocking on doors every day to meet new people and help them achieve one of life’s most significant milestones. “I love what I do, and I love to help, even more. If someone needs to sell a home, or wants to attain personal growth and expand their business, I’m here to share what I know. Coming from contribution is my driving force. I’ve learned that my ‘why’ isn’t so much about me. For me, it’s more about what I can do to help facilitate the goals of others. I want to make people better and help them achieve good things for their families.”

His East Coast roots are also a factor in Michael’s success. “It’s a more fast-paced lifestyle, and everything has ExecutiveAgent Magazine

Michael Miller Luxre Realty, Inc. 222 Avenida Del Mar, San Clemente, CA 92672 Tel: 949.798.9052 - Email: millionsoldteam@gmail.com CalDRE # 01482159 ExecutiveAgent Magazine

Stop Wishing for the Life You Want

24

ExecutiveAgent Magazine

A

mbition is a minute-by-minute, day-by-day mentality—an eager desire. To many people, ambition is kind of a mystery. The dictionary says it is “an eager desire for distinction, power or fame.” But what does that really mean? Let’s start with the word eager. All by itself, eager is kind of exciting. Kids are eager for birthday parties. They expect to be the center of attention, to get many presents, to eat too much. For that matter, I guess adults are eager for birthdays, too. (Unless, of course, they’re embarrassed that the candles on their cake outnumber their achievements.) We can be eager to see a ball game, eager to see our kids in a dance recital, eager to see an old friend, eager to shop for a new car. Eager sounds like a lot of fun!

money to pay the bills, take a vacation or just take a little pressure out of their lives. But before their lifestyle can change, their wishes need to become desires. If they really desired change, they wouldn’t spend their evenings just watching TV and wishing they were doing something more.

But do you ever hear people say they are “eager to live a better life,” “eager to have a better family,” “eager to make a lot of money”? Probably not. And that’s a problem, because as I see it, living a better life, having a better family and making a lot of money takes an eager desire.

Ambition is a minute-by-minute, day-by-day mentality.

To have the ambition to work toward a better family life, a newer car, a bigger house, a financially secure future… you have to live it every moment.

We have the remarkable ability to get exactly what we must have. But there is a difference between wishes and desires. We’ve all heard people say, “Oh, I wish I could just drop five pounds. I want to be a little lighter.” We’ve probably said it ourselves. Although we might wish we could breathe a little easier in our clothing, we have to have the desire to exercise a little more and eat a little less. The “I wish I could lose weight” has to become “I have the eager desire to lose weight.”

The backbone of an eager desire to change is discipline.

True ambition is disciplined, eager desire. It’s that little part within us that says, “If I want to be ready for that meeting tomorrow, I need to finish preparing for it today.”

“If I want to make sure I can pay for my kid’s college education, I need to start saving today.” “If I want a better life tomorrow, I need to start working on it today.”

Jim Rohn knows the secrets of success - in business and in life. He has devoted his life to a study of the fundamentals of human behavior and personal motivation that affect professional performance. He can awaken the unlimited power of achievement within you! Reproduced with permission from the Jim Rohn Weekly E-zine. Copyright© 2006, Jim Rohn. All right reserved. For information about Jim’s keynote presentations and seminars, contact the FrogPond at 800.704.FROG(3764) or email susie@FrogPond.com http://FrogPond.com.

The backbone of an eager desire to change is discipline.

True ambition is disciplined, eager desire. I’m also sure you’ve hear people talk about wishing they had more

ExecutiveAgent Magazine

25

The Installation of Cheryle Ushkow as President and the 2018 Board of Directors Portofino Hotel & Marina 260 Portofino Way Redondo Beach, CA 90277 Wednesday, January 10th 11am - 12 pm “Magical” Champagne Reception 12pm Comedy Show, Lunch & Program Magic & Entertainment Not To Be Missed!

Tickets are $35 and must be purchased before 1/3/18 www.SouthBayAOR.com or call 310-326-3010

12

°0 1 '95"

" W MAL

U • CA

34

IB

N

118°49

'

$3B in sales volume with a 170% increase from 2016*

163% increase in units sold**

138% increase in number of agents**

Compass has grown in Southern California.

Have you found your place in the world?

— Call Jay Rubenstein at 310.230.5740 to discover if Compass could be your next home.

compass.com Compass is a licensed real estate broker (01991628) in the State of California and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. All material presented herein is intended for informational purposes only. Information is compiled from sources deemed reliable but is subject to errors, omissions, changes in price, condition, sale, or withdraw without notice. *Measured Jan 2017 to Nov 2017 compared to Jan 2016 to Nov 2016 for all of Compass Offices in Southern California. **Measured Jan 2017 to Oct 2017 compared to Jan 2016 to Oct 2016 for all of Compass Offices in Southern California.

E XECUTIVE AGENT

TM

MAGAZINE

Decira Pimentel “It’s All About You” Written by Haley Freeman

R

ealtor® Decira Pimentel is originally from Michoacán, Mexico, where her parents owned a large hacienda. She remembers her father teaching her the importance of property ownership. “He owned many acres of land, and having property for him and for my ancestors was a big deal. It differentiates you from the rest. I agree that anywhere you are in the world, home ownership positions you differently. I grew up with that

sense of pride.” Not surprisingly, Decira found her professional calling in real estate. She began as a property manager and later obtained her real estate license. Her expertise in managing large properties sharpened her grasp of compliance matters and provided a segue for representing multi-unit and commercial properties in her real estate practice.

ExecutiveAgent Magazine

Decira has acquired many professional designations over the course of her 20-plus year real estate career.

She is a Certified Distress Property Expert (CDPE); an Accredited Real Estate Property Manager (ARM); is Short Sales and Foreclosure Resource (SFR) certified; e-PRO® certified; and is a Luxury Portfolio agent at Realty ONE Group. All of these help her serve her diverse community of clients with distinction, from first-time buyers to experienced investors.

With her breadth of market knowledge, Decira is always ahead of the market and ready with reliable advice about where and when to buy or sell in Orange County and beyond. “I know the possibilities and the product, so I can help people get where they want to be. They don’t have to go searching without direction. I am here to guide them to the property that fits their goals and budget.”

Decira sets her clients up for success by helping them plan for the future. “When the market was doing really good, that’s when I made less money, because I was telling people to hold off on buying. If the numbers don’t add up, you’ll pay for it later. I always sit down and look at their income, expenses, and expectations and dreams for the future. How long are they planning to live in the house? Will they be having more kids? Will the kids be going to a university? Will they be retiring soon? This is the biggest investment most will make in life. I want them to understand how they can use a home to create financial security. I even show them how they can pay it off in 15 or 20 years. I prepare my clients to own a home, not just buy it.”

Over the years, Decira’s heartfelt belief in the power of home ownership has helped her transform whole families and their futures. Today, nearly all of her business comes from referral and repeat clients. “In the beginning, I believed that some of my clients deserved to have a home more than they did. In dealing with many first-time homebuyers, I made them believe it, too. They could count on me to find a way to help them build their dreams. Once one family member purchased a home, others saw it was possible, and then they bought homes.”

One loyal client described Decira this way: “I’ve known Decira for a long time now, she has handled the sale of our property and the leasing of our rental property, both in OC. She’s very professional, and always available to answer questions and explain things when needed. She’s someone that I can trust and can count on.”

Decira works in partnership with Realtor® Maria Romero, so someone is always available and responsive when a client needs assistance. They leverage the cutting edge tech tools at Realty ONE Group to educate and inform clients, as well as to provide maximum exposure to properties for sale. “If I’m not available, I never want someone to miss an opportunity. We use software that gives our buyers access to new properties as soon as they are on the market, and for sellers, we are marketing our listings on over 500 websites.”

Decira has been married to her husband for 28 years, and they share four children, two boys and two girls. After coaching her children in soccer for many years, Decira says she learned, “If you don’t participate, you don’t win.

The same applies in business and real estate. If you don’t buy, you don’t gain.”

With her tagline, “It’s all about you,” Decira conveys the selfless spirit she brings to her real estate practice.

She is passionate about the importance of owning a home, and she is committed to helping everyone achieve their American Dream.

Decira Pimentel Realty ONE Group 2300 E. Katella Anaheim, CA 92806 Tel: 714-785-9739 Email: decira@aol.com Web: www.salemyhomecalifornia.com CalDRE #01239269

ExecutiveAgent Magazine

How to Reach Your Goals

hen setting goals, the first question that I always ask myself is, Who must I become to achieve this specific outcome? Who must I become to bring this particular goal to life?

W

If you’re not making it yet, you’re yet to become that person who can attain that very specific goal. You simply do not have the mental framework that supports the attainment, the manifestation, of that vision. Yet. I call this the identity gap. There’s a gap between who you and who you need to become to reach your goals.

There will always be a gap, because we always have our sights set on something else that we want—a vision that we want to bring to life, and the person who we want to become. The gap between who you are and who you want to become is that beautiful gray area in which we experience our greatest happiness. Why? In this beautiful gray area, we have a purpose, we have a mission, we have a reason for living in the process of this

30

self-evolution. The second we stop evolving is the second we lose meaning.

The more goals that we set for ourselves, the more gaps we create. The more gaps that we create, the more chasms we cross, and the better and more significant we feel, and the more likely we are to succeed in the future.

With each chasm crossed, we better ourselves. We become more focused, and eventually attain mastery of our craft until we’ve become the person who’s achieved their goals.

Ben Angel, best-selling author of CLICK, Sleeping Your Way to The Top in Business and Flee 9-5, is Australia’s leading marketing authority. Followed by 80,000 internationally and founder of benangel.co—a site dedicated to providing entrepreneurs advanced online marketing courses and education—Ben provides easy-to-apply and even easier-to-understand strategies for reaching new customers with ease. Stay up to date with his latest marketing strategies at benangel.co/blog

ExecutiveAgent Magazine

Written By Ben Angel ExecutiveAgent Magazine

31

HOW TO TRAIN CATS AND SALESPEOPLE hich do you think would be harder to train, a cat or a salesperson? Seriously, which one would you pick? While it’s true that cats have a welldeserved reputation for being independent, demanding and virtually impossible to train, the same can be said for many salespeople. Surprisingly, the same training and reward techniques required to get Fluffy to jump through a hoop can also be utilized to motivate your sales team to achieve peak performance!

W

One evening while channel surfing I came across a fascinating animal act that grabbed my attention. The act featured a cat trainer with a half dozen cats of varying size, shape and color. Unlike a circus lion tamer who attempts to intimidate with a chair and whip, this man simply used a combination of treats and verbal praise to motivate his cats to perform difficult tricks. Using only soothing voice tones and a pocket full of cat treats, he would calmly command each cat to do its own specific trick. Amazingly, he got one cat to walk on his front paws, one balanced on a ball, while yet another pushed a toy baby stroller across the stage.

After the performance, the cat trainer was interviewed and asked how he was able to get his cats to willingly obey his commands. His response surprised me with its simple wisdom. He said that he didn’t train the cats at all, he simply figured out what each cat liked to do best and then encouraged that behavior! “People need to realize that a cat’s indifference doesn’t mean they can’t learn cool tricks,” says celebrity animal trainer Joel Silverman. “It simply means you haven’t convinced them yet that doing so is in their best interest. A dog naturally wants to please and will work for you, but a cat needs a paycheck to be motivated.”

Five Tips to Help You Train Cats and Salespeople 1. Check for temperament suitability. Temperament testing allows you to identify those who by nature lack the discipline, desire or self-motivation to consistently achieve peak performance. Sales managers who lack the benefit of temperament understanding are inclined to place too much emphasize on their gut-level feeling during the hiring process. If you hire someone that is not suited for the position, you will experience low morale, high turnover and find yourself constantly in the training mode. On the other hand, when you recruit the right person you will find that they are self-motivated and eager to train.

2. Look for “hot buttons”. Traditionally, sales managers have relied primarily on commission to motivate their sales force. Unfortunately, a compensation structure based solely on commission does not address individual motivational 32

factors and therefore, money alone will not motivate your sales force. A successful incentive program is a mixture of awards, recognition and peer pressure. There is tremendous power behind a timely word of praise or a handwritten note acknowledging achievement. While money is certainly an important ingredient in any incentive program, it should by no means be the only tool in a manager’s motivational toolbox. If money by itself were a sufficient motivation, commission-based salespeople would simply sell more without additional enticement.

3. Make the training fun and positive. All cats and most salespeople have pretty short attention spans and low boredom thresholds. Keep lessons short, interesting and always try to end on a positive note.

4. You must be patient when training cats or salespeople.

It’s important to respect individual abilities and preferences. Make allowances for personality, and don’t get frustrated if the training schedule doesn’t go exactly as expected. Remember that people have off days and on days just like cats. “When I’m really pushing and the going gets tough,” says Silverman, “Sometimes the cat just sits down and says, ‘I give up’. Even the brightest cats, if they feel you’re pushing them too hard, will, in effect, say, ‘Screw you, buddy, I’m going to go over there, sit down, and stare into space.”

5. Make sure to take time for rest and relaxation. All work and no play will make the cat, the salesperson and the trainer grumpy. Whether it is playing with a ball of yarn or enjoying a round of golf, taking time out to play is critically important. By successfully balancing play and work, you will return recharged, refreshed and ready to accomplish more By incorporating these five powerful tips into your training program, you will develop an award-winning sales team and achieve unbelievable results!

“I never teach my pupils; I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn.”

- Albert Einstein John Boe presents a wide variety of motivational and sales-oriented keynotes and seminar programs for sales meetings and conventions. John is a nationally recognized sales trainer and business motivational speaker with an impeccable track record in the meeting industry. To have John speak at your next event, visit www.johnboe.com or call 937-299-9001. Free Newsletter available on website.

ExecutiveAgent Magazine

Written By John Boe

ExecutiveAgent Magazine

33

EXECUTIVEAGENT MAGAZINE

SEARCHING FOR OUR NEXT

DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE

TO NOMINATE? Submit Nominations to: info@eamag.net Tel: 949.297.8323

TM

Our bone marrow transplant reunion is now standing room only.

Each year, City of Hope invites bone marrow transplant recipients and their families to attend the “Celebration of Life” event. It’s a joyous time during which survivors of blood cancers such as lymphoma, leukemia and myeloma embrace their health, their life and each other. It began more than 35 years ago when City of Hope created what is now one of the largest and most successful bone marrow transplant programs in the world. In fact, we’ve completed over 11,000 transplants and, according to national reports, our outcomes are among the best in the nation. The goal of curing cancer isn’t just something we work at. It’s what we live for.

If you have cancer, make us your first call. Or ask your doctor for a referral. We accept most insurance.

800-826-HOPE

COH-0726_BMT_Hem_fp_4c_ExecAgt.indd 1

WE LIVE TO CURE CANCER. Science saving lives. cityofhope.org/bmt

11/25/13 6:02 PM

We’ve got feet all over the streets of the south bay Hello neighbor! Tired of the big banks? Experience the difference of having a trusted credit union in your lending corner. Partner with us and see how your business will benefit.

Pair your clients with one of our experienced team members.

Jason Redmond, NMLS# 1234810 Manager Mortgage Loan Sales tel: 310.643.4667 | cell: 310.871.1673 Jason.Redmond@kinecta.org www.kinecta.org/jredmond Adam Barreto

tanisha curtis

Jim Gear

Martha Hernandez

larry hubbard

Eric Kari

Anet Moradkhanian

Rosina Nilsson

rosa ortiz

doug van duser

Stephen Plakcy

harold rodriguez

NMLS# 1034324 Sr. Mortgage Loan Consultant tel: 310.643.4873 | cell: 310.529.2917 Adam.Barreto@kinecta.org www.kinecta.org/abarreto

NMLS# 440924 Sr. Mortgage Loan Consultant cell: 310.643.2411 Martha.Hernandez@kinecta.org www.kinecta.org/mhernandez

NMLS# 485798 Mortgage Loan Consultant tel: 310.643.4686 | cell: 562.858.2070 Larry.Hubbard@kinecta.org www.kinecta.org/lhubbard

NMLS# 379942 Mortgage Loan Consultant tel: 310.643.2274 | cell: 424.398.6717 Anet.Moradkhanian@kinecta.org www.kinecta.org/amoradkhanian

NMLS# 485805 Mortgage Loan Consultant cell: 562.233.4688 Doug.VanDuser@kinecta.org www.kinecta.org/dvanduser

NMLS# 491921 Mortgage Loan Consultant cell: 424.398.6706 Tanisha.Curtis@kinecta.org www.kinecta.org/tcurtis

NMLS# 440912 Mortgage Loan Consultant cell: 424.237.4421 | tel: 310.643.4883 Rosina.Nilsson@kinecta.org www.kinecta.org/rnilsson

NMLS# 501886 Mortgage Loan Consultant cell: 310.709.9570 | fax: 310.536.5857 Stephen.Plakcy@kinecta.org www.kinecta.org/splakcy

NMLS# 440902 Mortgage Loan Consultant tel: 310.643.2406 | cell: 424.634.0068 James.Gear@kinecta.org www.kinecta.org/jgear

NMLS# 1010087 Sr. Mortgage Loan Consultant tel: 310.529.5981 | cell: 310.418.5641 Eric.Kari@kinecta.org www.kinecta.org/ekari

NMLS# 692402 Mortgage Loan Consultant cell: 310.529.4985 Rosa.Ortiz@kinecta.org www.kinecta.org/rortiz

NMLS# 613502 Sr. Mortgage Loan Consultant cell: 424.634.8644 Harold.Rodriguez@kinecta.org www.kinecta.org/hrodriguez

Visit www.kinecta.org/home-loans for info.

All loans are subject to credit approval. NMLS #407870. Intended for mortgage professionals only and not for consumer use.

17740-08/17