CANADA 5-4-20

CANADA EDITION

4 QUALITIES OF EXCEPTIONAL EMPLOYEES

Embracing Smart Homes: Does New Technology Really Increase Home Value?

COVER STORY

How to Build a Team That Will Win Big No Matter Its Size FEATURED AGENT

CHRIS DOSNE

STACEY CHAVES

CANADA EDITION

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STACEY CHAVES

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CHRIS DOSNE

Before entering real estate, Ch Dosne had already established career for himself in the corpora world. For more than 20 years, had served as a sales/marketi manager at major compani such as ADT and Honeywe This foundation in sales gave h CHRIS DOSNE an advantage in the real estate industry. As a matter fact, in his first year at CENTURY 21 Millennium I Real Estate, Chris obtained the prestigious CENTUR 21 Centurion award and the Rookie of the Year Awa His business has been growing ever since.

CONTENTS 4) 4 QUALITIES OF EXCEPTIONAL EMPLOYEES 6) CONNECT BEYOND REAL ESTATE TO ATTRACT FUTURE CLIENTS

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Today, Chris continues to assist clients througho 15) EMBRACING SMART Oakville, Milton, Brampton and surrounding areas f CENTURYDOES 21, specializing HOMES: NEW in country estates as w as luxury city properties and development land. W TECHNOLOGY REALLY the help of his wife, Judi, a fellow agent, he has fou INCREASE HOME VALUE? a special niche in the market. In 2013, he received t CENTURY 21 Grand Centurion Award, the highe 20) HOW TO BUILD A accolade offered by the company, as his sales volum TEAM WILLallWIN BIG out of a pool of ov climbedTHAT to #15 across of Canada 8,000 agents. ITS SIZE NO MATTER

After being honored as a Grand Centurion and induct into Canada Masters Hall of Fame, Chris was invited Phone 310-734-1440 | Fax 310-734-1440 CENTURY 21’s world convention in Las Vegas, whe mag@topagentmagazine.com | www.topagentmagazine.com he gave a keynote on his recipe for success. For Chr that recipe from his career befo No portion of this issue may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without prior combined consent of theingredients publisher. Top Agent Magazine is published by Feature Publications GA, Inc. Although precautions are taken to ensure the accuracy published and sales tec real estate.

By harnessing the ofstructure materials, Top Agent Magazine cannot be held responsible for opinions expressed or facts supplied by its authors. niques that made him a standout in the corporate sphe To subscribe or change address, send inquiry to mag@topagentmagazine.com. he has cultivated an accomplished method for handli Published in the U.S. properties. “People around the company know me as t Closer,” he says. “I bring a uniquely organized approa to all of my deals.”

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4 Qualities of Exceptional Employees Hiring a new employee is one of the more stressful parts of being a business owner. After all, you’re taking someone on and trusting that they’ll not only be a valuable addition to the team, but won’t do anything to hurt your business’s hard earned reputation.

Sometimes a person comes in and you click right away, and other times you might be blown away by an impressive resume. But there are things you should look for that might not be as obvious at first. Employees that have the following qualities are ones you should seek out, because they will definitely be well worth the time and energy you invest in them.

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1. They have the confidence to be innovative There’s a reason people are drawn to those who think outside the box. Not only do innovations often lead to an extremely profitable business, even when that thinking doesn’t pan out, creative thinking is something that will energize your business and will motivate more employees to start taking chances.

Innovative thinkers also usually have great leadership skills. Ironically, you want an employee who isn’t afraid to speak up to authority and is someone who knows how to bend the rules without breaking them. They know that

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the success of the team and business is what’s most important, as long as it’s done ethically and with respect for everyone involved.

2. They are constantly reviewing their past performance A good employee looks forward, but they also look back. They are always evaluating what worked and what didn’t work in past performances and then adjusting their plans going forward accordingly. If they are coming off a big win, they know how to capitalize on that by using the momentum and cementing in everyone’s minds the value that they add to the team.

If things didn’t go as planned, they assess what they can do better next time, and they don’t get bogged down in insecurity. They take responsibility and they have confidence that they won’t repeat past mistakes. They know that failure is a temporary state, and are able to learn lessons from their mistakes, that will make them a better employee going forward.

While no one wants to fail, having the confidence to try something and fail will one day let you strike gold. Someone who lets failure shut them down, leads to a dead end and will soon make them a dead weight on your team.

3. They value teamwork Even though an exceptional employee might be a rising star, they realize that success is Top Agent Magazine

not an individual endeavor, it relies strongly on who you’re working with. Exceptional employees make sure that everyone is contributing and valued for their input. They put the interests of the company above their own, and thrive in an environment where ideas and information are shared freely.

Shared success is the ultimate goal for every project. Exceptional employees have the confidence to know that even when they’re not singled out for praise, they’re an irreplaceable component of a larger machine.

4. They are self-motivated learners A key thing to remember is that while experience is a valuable commodity, intelligence and intellectual curiosity is usually something that can’t be taught. Yes, you might request employees get additional training or attend seminars, but exceptional employees will be seeking out educational opportunities constantly. Even if they don’t have a lot of money for weekend retreats, they will be getting books from the library, downloading audiobooks, and most importantly, taking advantage of one their greatest resources, YOU. Exceptional employees know that the way to stay ahead is to always be at the forefront of new technology and systems. They don’t see educating themselves as a burden, they actually enjoy it. They realize that everything they take in, will one day make them not only an exceptional employee, but an exceptional boss as well.

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CONNECT BEYOND

REAL ESTATE

to Attract Future Clients What kind of content are you sharing on your blog, website, and social media? Does most of it have something to do with buying or selling a home? While sharing the latest market information or tips on how to qualify for a mortgage, or when someone should buy or sell is important and demonstrates your value as a REALTOR®, it shouldn’t be the only subject you cover. If you only focus on real estate, you’ll be missing the chance to connect with future clients that might not be ready to move just yet. By sharing a lot 6

of industry-heavy content, you are only going to appeal to those who are currently in the market rather than a broad base of potential clients.

To pull in those other future clients you want to provide fresh, interesting content that will appeal to those possible future clients that aren’t quite ready to move yet. However, you also want to still tie this content back into your business goals.

So, how do you share content that will speak to a wider audience, but also still be relevant to your business?

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Talk About Your Philanthropic Activities

The philanthropic work you do to support your community says a great deal about who you are as a person. Many people will be attracted to working with you because of the charitable works you are involved with. While you may be hesitant to share these efforts because you feel it may come across as bragging, you also need to remember that sharing information about the charitable organizations you support will actually help those organizations. Many of them have small marketing budgets, so any free exposure you can give them helps to promote their cause.

In fact, they want and need you to promote them.

And you can promote them without coming across as a braggart. Focus your content entirely on the organization. Talk about why you support them, how they help the community, and how others can also get involved. This turns what could have been bragging into something that benefits everyone. n

Your Local Community

We humans are connected to each other through our community – our local sports teams, parks, churches, schools, and much more. What better way is there to connect with people in your community than to talk about your community? Demonstrate that you are an expert on your community, and bring that community to your followers. Share information about a local event; perhaps even share the actual event through live-stream video. Interview city officials to get the low-down on the latest development project. Share information with your followers about things they didn’t know about their community. Consult with local historians or the historical society to share interesting information about your community that your followers will want to read. You could even turn it into a series of podcasts or videos. n

Use Your Creativity to Connect

Find creative ways to engage your followers on the topic of real estate. Try engaging your followers in an interactive project such as posting photos of interesting front doors. Doors are the entry point into our homes as well as our private lives. The way we adorn our front door can give someone a sense of our style and personality. Ask followers to submit photos and choose one to post each Friday. Make sure to watermark each photo with your logo at the bottom and include an inspirational quote that ties back to the importance of home. You could also ask your followers to provide a little story or caption to go along with the photo that tells something about them and their home. These kinds of projects are interesting and unique, and clearly connect back to your business. n

Share Your Hobbies

Are you an adrenalin junkie who has bungee jumped from some of the tallest bridges in the world? Are you a foodie that grows your own organic vegetables and fruit? Do you have a Top Agent Magazine

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secret passion for photography? Everyone has hobbies that they enjoy outside of work. When you look past the surface people become quite interesting. People also happen to find interesting people interesting, and tend to remember people based on their distinctive traits. We humans love discovering a person’s behind the scenes story, the mind behind the face. While you don’t want to talk too much about yourself, sharing pieces of your personal life and things that interest you can be a great way to connect with followers. By sharing interesting facts about your life, you will find that many followers will feel a strong, personal connection to you based on your hobbies and personal interests. n

Divulge Interesting Experiences

This is somewhat similar to the idea of sharing your hobbies. Sharing some of your more interesting personal experiences such as a fateful conversation with a stranger or an exciting adventure you had while in another country can be a great way to connect with followers as long as it also relates to some kind of life or business lesson. Talk about experiences you’ve had with clients or purchasing your own home. Experiences that relate to your business are great ways to connect with future clients in a manner that goes beyond the world of business. n

What and Who Inspires You

No matter what you’ve chosen to spend your life doing, you didn’t get there alone. You may have had a mentor that made a special impact on your life or someone already in the business that you looked up to and who perhaps inspired you to get into real estate. You may have found inspiration through a love of architecture or design. People want to know why others do the things they do. Sharing who or what influences you in your personal and business life is a great way to connect with followers. Recognizing that you didn’t get to where you are now by yourself shows humility, and talking about those people that had an influence on you shows others that you stay connected to the world and people around you.

Connecting with potential clients is something that is essential to any REALTOR’S® business. If you’re doing the work to create interesting blog posts and make those connections, you want to make sure that you’re sharing the right kind of content to draw in those future clients. It takes a lot more than simply providing the latest market news. To get the most out of what you share, you need to provide a wide array of interesting content 8

that will draw in a broad range of followers.

Providing the right kind of content can make all the difference when it comes to connecting with future clients and building the right kind of relationship with them right from the start. Connecting through your website or social media and sharing more than just real estate advice will help you build confidence and trust with future clients before you even meet them.

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STACEY CHAVES Top Agent Magazine

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STACEY CHAVES 12 years deep in the business with many accolades along the way, Top Agent Stacey Chaves works solo serving the Waterloo region of Ontario, Canada.

Motherhood is often a catalyst for change, as was the case for Stacey Chaves who was searching for a career that would allow her the flexibility needed to look after a newborn.

With no friends in the real estate business and very little knowledge of how the industry 10 Copyright Top Agent Magazine

works, she dove headfirst into the unknown and passed her real estate exams while on maternity leave.

Now, 12 years deep in the business with many performance accolades along the way, Top Agent Magazine

she works solo with a great mentor for guidance serving the Waterloo region of Ontario, Canada. Her clients know that for Stacey, it isn’t just about selling them a house, it’s about finding them a home, so it’s no surprise that 50 % of her business comes from Top Agent Magazine

repeat customers and referrals. “I have this fault where I actually talk people out of buying houses, before I let them buy one.

Because I know we are going to find the right one, and we’ll all know when we get there,” she says.

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“I have this fault where I actually talk people out of buying houses, before I let them buy one. Because I know we are going to find the right one, and we’ll all know when we get there.”

When it comes to keeping in touch with clients, Stacey tends to eschew the traditional ways, opting for more spontaneous methods of showing appreciation. If she sees a client out at a restaurant having dinner, or at a nail salon getting their nails done, she always graciously pays for them. Or she might pop by with a bottle of wine if she’s in the neighborhood and check how her clients have settled into their new home. She also sends out a personalized monthly magazine Copyright Top Agent Magazine 12

with a variety of useful house tips to clients and will often deliver flyers or door hangers herself, giving potential clients a chance to chat.

Her deep respect for her clients is reflected in many ways; one of them being her quick response time whenever someone has a question. She counts on social media to market her listings, a method which has worked splendidly well seeing as she Top Agent Magazine

averages 65-75 homes per year. Nothing brings Stacey greater joy than witnessing her client’s reaction when they find out they’ve won a bid. “A house might get anywhere from 5-30 offers, so when I am able to tell my client ‘We got it’, I freak out alongside them. Often those bids are won by a letter written to the current homeowner expressing how much the home would mean to the potential buyer. Even after 12 years and the Top Agent Magazine

amount of homes I sell, I’m just as excited as I was on the first one.”

That passion is the drive that keeps her going in this business. “The day I wake up and I don’t want to go show houses, I’ll be done.” Stacey has a knack for finding the right home for clients to match their lifestyle and budget; and that is what helps to propel her business forward.

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Stacey also volunteers on the board of directors for the Cambridge Association of REALTORS®; a position she takes very seriously. As well, she has a strong sense of community and often sponsors local junior sport’s teams and events.

When she’s not working, she loves to bake and travel with her two children; Ally and Nikolai.

For Stacey her work as a REALTOR® is not just a job. “Real estate is a life choice, not a career. You have to be all in with it.” And she’s definitely all in, with her future plans being all encompassing. “I’m not the type to set annual goals. My aim is to do better than I did last year.

I envision everything. I want it all!”

To learn more about Stacey Chaves email Stacey@makeamove.ca, visit staceychaves.com, or call (519) 240–3380 www.

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Embracing Smart Homes:

Does New Technology Really Increase Home Value?

Technology and innovation move at a lightning-fast clip, so it can be hard to keep up with all the smart-home trends sweeping the market at a given time. From smart thermostats to security systems accessed through an app on your phone—there are endless options to customize and update your home for the modern era. But which, if any, of these smart home products add Top Agent Magazine

value to property in a significant, worthwhile capacity? Especially with new generations of the same products released in quick succession, it can be hard to determine whether it’s worth it to take the plunge. With that in mind, we’ve conducted a deep-dive into the smart home options out there that make the most sense for your bottom line and real estate investments.

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Smart home amenities range in price and return.

There are certain smart home products that won’t break the bank while still adding lovely touches and time-saving features to your space. For instance, a smart thermostat may not run more than a few hundred dollars, but it can take so much of the guesswork and analog nuisance out of programming your home’s internal environment. That said, buyers selling properties with mid-range amenities like this can’t expect a windfall in return. While smart home features can certainly lure buyers and give the sense that a home is attractively modern (and thus move-in ready), it doesn’t mean that you’ll be reaping a sizable monetary reward for your foresight. Conversely, this reality doesn’t mean those smart options

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are without value entirely; it just means that the value of smart home options may be apparent in a different capacity, like luring a particular buyer or creating a desirable, sleek image for a property headed to market.

On the other hand, larger scale smart home amenities that are being left behind for the buyer—like a smart refrigerator or wired sound throughout the property—may be able to lure particular buyers who value high-end details. While it can be difficult to state definitively the value of smart home options, the rule tends to be that the more you put in, the higher the likelihood you’ll reap the investment you sow. Focus your smart home options on home appliances first, then work your way toward security, thermostat, and entertainment options.

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Smart home amenities capture the attention of buyers

Agents must know how to pitch the value of smart home options

Even if you have mostly opted for small or mid-range smart home options, you can still benefit from their presence in a property—even if they don’t inflate your bottom line as a result. Smart home amenities have the power to focus the attention of buyers, sending a clear signal that the previous owners were tech-forward and made an effort to upgrade the property for the contemporary era. Millennial or Gen Z buyers especially value these up-to-date modifications, and the presence of these desirable gadgets can create added interest and drive up value naturally. Likewise, featuring these options in listing photography can also drive interest from younger or high-end buyers looking for move-in ready spaces.

Remember that smart home features are relatively fresh to the market. While some new construction properties are equipped with these smart amenities, just as many homes on the market don’t offer these upgrades and modern flairs. This means that many buyers, of all ages even, aren’t familiar with the benefits and perks of these options, let alone how they’re operated. Before you can derive value from a smart home or smart home features, you’ll need to understand a product’s proper usage, cost, and benefits. Do your homework regarding what smart home features can offer in terms time or cost savings, and be able to show prospective buyers how easy these objects are to use, as well. Do both, and you’ll be in proper command of what smart home features can offer buyers and pitch them accordingly.

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Laughs!

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How to Build a Team That Will Win Big No Matter its Size In the real estate world building a team is a goal almost every agent strives towards achieving. Doing business with a team as opposed to solo has numerous advantages. With more agents handling clients as well as other employees specialized in areas such as marketing and administrative support there to assist you; you can greatly increase your business and sales.

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So, when creating a team, logic would tell us that the bigger it is, the better, right? Wrong. When it comes to real estate teams, size doesn’t matter so much as the players you bring onto that team to work with you. A team doesn’t have to be big to win big, and here are the secrets to building a team that wins big no matter its size.

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Hire the Right Team Members

Put Your Team Members in the Right Positions to Win

You’ve probably heard the saying, “you’re only as strong as you’re weakest link.” That idea holds true for any kind of team, including those in real estate. If you have weak members on your team, then it’s not possible to have a strong team. Drawing strong team members to your business is essential.

Finding strong team members is just one part of the equation. As the leader of your team, you now have to assess each member’s strengths and weaknesses and position them appropriately. You want the best player for each role playing that part and catering to their strengths. Choose your team member’s roles wisely, and place each individual in the position where their strengths can shine and they can best contribute to a win for the entire team. Every role is important to the team working smoothly and winning as a whole, so it is important to place each team member in the role most suited to his or her skills.

To better understand what kind of person would make a strong addition to your team, you need to ask yourself what skills and characteristics you want your team members to possess. The strongest members are often ones that share their leader’s values. When you share values with your teammates, you are all running along the same course towards the same goal as one. Your definition of a victory in this case is also your teammates’ definition of it. This helps strengthen even the smallest of numbers because you are all working together toward a common goal.

Another characteristic too look out for in potential team members is a positive attitude. You can teach someone the skills needed in real estate, but you can’t teach someone how to have a positive attitude.

Positive members tend to achieve more due to their optimistic nature, but more importantly, they spread that positive attitude to the rest of the team, which improves every members’ performance.

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Communicating Your Vision to Your Team

Your team members are the key ingredients to ultimate victory, but what recipe do you follow now to lead them to victory? That is what communication is for a winning team; the recipe you will use to

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help best utilize each team member and instruct them on how they need to work together to fulfill the recipe that will lead them to be a winning team. Your team members need to know the plan and you must give them the tools to successfully execute it.

It is up to the leader of a team to help your players see your vision and help them understand what a victory looks like. The goal may seem simple and obvious to you, but you must communicate it over and over again to your team members, so they understand it as well as you do. With different personalities coming together to form a unit, you are going to be dealing with numerous challenges such as competing agendas. You will find this on any team. You must keep the goal and at the forefront of your player’s minds in order to encourage them to put aside their own personal desires in order to come together as one cohesive, single-minded unit and push towards the team’s goal.

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Give Your Team Members the Tools to Help Them Perform at Their Best The final thing all great leaders do is equip their team members with the proper tools and training needed for them to succeed. You have to show them how they can each come together with their different strengths to work as a team towards one unified goal. This involves more than simple skills training, but also endurance, so they can last as a team and win even those matches that seem unending and impossible.

Think of all the challenges that they could possibly face ahead, and clear their path to victory by giving them the necessary training and tools they will need to get past any obstacle. As the leader, you must be prepared to continually communicate the team’s goal and your vision. Use that vision to motivate your team members throughout the journey towards victory.

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CHRIS DOSNE Before entering real estate, Chris Dosne had already established a career for himself in the corporate world. For more than 20 years, he had served as a sales/marketing manager at major companies such as ADT and Honeywell.

This foundation in sales gave him an advantage in the real estate industry. As a matter of fact, in his first year at CENTURY 21 Millennium Inc Real Estate, Chris obtained the prestigious CENTURY 21 Centurion award and the Rookie of the Year Award.

His business has been growing ever since.

Today, Chris continues to assist clients throughout Oakville, Milton, Brampton and surrounding areas for CENTURY 21, specializing in country estates as well as luxury city properties and development land. With the help of his wife, Judi, a fellow agent, he has found a special niche in the market. In 2013, he received the CENTURY 21 Grand Centurion Award, the highest accolade offered by the company, as his sales volume climbed to #15 across all of Canada out of a pool of over 8,000 agents.

After being honored as a Grand Centurion and inducted into Canada Masters Hall of Fame, Chris was invited to CENTURY 21’s world convention in Las Vegas, where he gave a keynote on his recipe for success. For Chris, that recipe combined ingredients from his career before real estate. By harnessing the structure and sales techniques that made him a standout in the corporate sphere, he has cultivated an accomplished method for handling properties. “People around the company know me as the Closer,” he says. “I bring a uniquely organized approach to all of my deals.”

When listing a home, Chris guides clients through the marketing process via online listings, magazine ads, advertising and professional drone photography. But he and Judi have also mastered the art of the open house.

“Open houses are my favorite part of the business,” Chris says. “I’m a face-to-face guy. Maybe I’m old Top Agent Magazine

fashioned, but I love greeting customers and showing them through a property.”

Elsewhere, Chris ensures that his clients earn a worldwide reach through his global web site, having discovered buyers in countries as far away as Saudi Arabia. Above all, though, he still finds the most joy in the human side of sales. “Honesty is key,” he says. “I tell my clients the good and the bad. My motto has always been that you will have no surprises.”

Through CENTURY 21, Chris also gives back to his community. On top of contributions to local charities and AAA youth hockey teams, he participates in a Christmas fundraiser that provides families with presents and meals for the holidays. Outside of work, he enjoys showing his award-winning Corvette at Car Shows and relaxing with his family around their beachfront home. Once a year, he even throws a barbeque on the beach for all his clients, where he can check in on their new homes.

Thirteen years ago, Chris saw an opportunity in real estate. By blending his passion for sales with his structured work ethic, he built a successful model in the market. As for the future? “Keep going,” Chris says. “ I have found a terrific life in real estate. This is what I am meant to do.”

To learn more about Chris Dosne email chris.dosne@century21.ca, visit chrisdosne.com or call 416-578-2343 www.

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