ILLINOIS 9-5-22

ILLINOIS EDITION

CONNECT BEYOND

REAL ESTATE TO ATTRACT FUTURE CLIENTS

EMOTIONAL FLUENCY : HOW TO COMMUNICATE

CONCIERGE CARE: Services that Lure Clients and Transform Your Reputation

WITH CLIENTS WHEN TENSIONS ARE HIGH

Creative Meditation for the Real Estate Professional COVER STORY

KIM SUHANEK

ILLINOIS EDITION

9

KIM SUHANEK SUHANEK KIM

CONTENTS 4) CONCIERGE CARE: SERVICES THAT LURE CLIENTS AND TRANSFORM YOUR REPUTATION 6) CONNECT BEYOND REAL ESTATE TO ATTRACT FUTURE CLIENTS 15) 5 SIMPLE MINDSET SHIFTS THAT WILL HELP YOU ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS

18) EMOTIONAL FLUENCY: HOW TO COMMUNICATE WITH CLIENTS WHEN TENSIONS ARE HIGH 22) CREATIVE MEDITATION FOR THE REAL ESTATE PROFESSIONAL

Phone 310-734-1440 | Fax 310-734-1440 mag@topagentmagazine.com | www.topagentmagazine.com No portion of this issue may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without prior consent of the publisher. Top Agent Magazine is published by Feature Publications GA, Inc. Although precautions are taken to ensure the accuracy of published materials, Top Agent Magazine cannot be held responsible for opinions expressed or facts supplied by its authors.

To subscribe or change address, send inquiry to mag@topagentmagazine.com.

Published in the U.S.

2

Top Agent Magazine

mailto:mag@topagentmagazine.com

Top Agent Magazine

3

Concierge Care: Services that Lure Clients and Transform Your Reputation It’s a no-brainer: customer service is central to success in the real estate industry. While properties may be the product, this industry really revolves around people and the relationships you cultivate along the way. With that in mind, how would you describe the service you provide? If solid service is the baseline, then to set yourself apart you must deliver service that’s exceptional. But, how? Returning calls and displaying a friendly face won’t necessarily separate you from the pack. If you really want to take your customer service to the next level and build a reputation for white-glove, concierge-level courtesy, then keep a few of the following tips in mind as you create a professional style that’s completely bespoke.

4

Make your communications matter For many agents, communication during and after a transaction are perfunctory affairs, with one-sizefits-all newsletters or promotional postcards that feel mass-produced. To really grab the attention of your clientele, you’ll want to build a recognizable brand. To accomplish this, begin by adding value to your regular communications. Clients are likely to bypass your communications if they think your only intent is to sell them something. Focus instead on creating content that’s compelling and dishes out value to your clientele. Just like a favorite blog you revisit again and again for its quality content, con-

Top Agent Magazine ®

Top Agent Magazine

sider your communications as an extension of your brand and identity. A few popular ideas from which clients can derive value include: local restaurant guides, tax tips for homeowners, reports on home values and the marketplace, or highlighting home décor and landscaping trends. Make your communications readable and useful, and your clients past and present will think twice before skipping past your name.

Showcase the lifestyle Clients remember when you go the extra mile, and that additional effort distinguishes run-of-the-mill agents from high-powered professionals. Whether listing or buying, consider a property’s lifestyle.

First, think about a client’s everyday experience.

Where’s the best breakfast spot nearby? How’s access to public transportation or bike paths? Which outdoor recreational opportunities exist in the area?

Where might your client swing by for coffee?

Neighborhood guides that outline the livability of a home and its area not only boost value and highlight potential, but they also demonstrate your ability to think outside the box and connect on a personal level. After all, a home isn’t just a house; a home is all about the daily experience that unfolds within and beyond those four walls. With that in mind, do your homework and make yourself a local expert.

Your clients will feel they’re in good hands and will better envision their future unfolding, all thanks to your thorough legwork.

Customize your approach to clients As an agent, it’s only natural that you build your own daily routines and practices that keep your business running. While it’s necessary to create positive habitats that streamline your workflow, it’s also important to remain adaptable. For instance, Millennial clients may prefer to chat by text, instant Top Agent Magazine

message, or email, whereas older clientele may prefer face-to-face time or connecting by phone call.

Adapting your communication style is as simple as a brief discussion: ask your client how they prefer to communicate and adapt accordingly. While it may seem like a small matter, it provides clients with a sense of comfort and control. Again, the key here is communication. Talk with your clients about their preferred methodology. Maybe they prefer a marathon house-hunting trek on a weekend day, or perhaps they rather sift through listings online before making in-person visits to a narrowed list. It’s okay to encourage clients or fill them in on industry norms, but it’s important to create an experience that’s tailored to their style and personality.

Authentically seek feedback While it may feel uncomfortable, asking for feedback during and at the end of a transaction can dramatically improve your working style and professional blind-spots. It can also help you adapt your working style to better suit your respective clients.

Of course, it’s important to be open-minded and to quash the need to be defensive. Not all feedback will be useful, but you can incorporate the parts that are. This not only grows your skillset, but it also demonstrates to clients that you are open to constructive criticism and sincerely prioritize a job well done over personal praise. As a bonus, positive feedback can be parlayed into client testimonials, which are incredibly useful tools to boost your business on the whole.

It’s no secret that real estate is a busy, self-determined business. While your client care may feel all accounted for, there is always room to grow. Professionals at the top of their field know this and never stop building out their repertoire. If you want to take your business to the next level and create an imprint that’s synonymous with concierge care, then keep these ideas in mind as you build your relationships and your brand.

Top Agent Magazine ®

5

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

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?

6

Top Agent Magazine Top Agent Magazine

n

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

7 Top Agent Magazine

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

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.

8

Top Agent Magazine Top Agent Magazine

Top Agent Magazine

KIM SUHANEK

9

Covering Chicago and its northwest suburbs, Top Agent Kim Suhanek works solo with @properties Christie’s International Real Estate out of Arlington Heights, IL. COVID-19 upended the world. There’s just no other way to say it. The pandemic has affected every part of our lives, real estate included.

But the strong, like REALTOR® Kim Suhanek, remain optimistic.

“Oh my gosh, COVID made me realize how much I really do love my business. It’s a people business. A lot of it is taking care of people and their emotions. Staying on top of everything and keeping my clients calm, cool and collected 10 Copyright Top Agent Magazine

when things come up that could be upsetting. Of course, there’s the gratification of helping them find a home they’re going to love for years,” said Kim, who works @properties Christie’s International Real Estate out of Arlington Heights, IL. “We’re living in a crazy market right now. I’ve been doing this for 19 years and I’ve never run out of homes to show my buyers. Every year in this business is different. I’ve helped my clients maneuver through many atmospheres. This one is not any different – it just takes more patience.”

Top Agent Magazine

And it takes a REALTOR® with the background that Kim has. She is: • A Graduate of the Real Estate Institute • A Certified Distressed Property Expert • A Certified Investor Agent Specialist • A Certified Luxury Listing Expert • A Certified Relocation Specialist • A Certified Military Specialist • A Certified Senior Specialist Top Agent Magazine

Covering Chicago and its northwest suburbs, Kim is a solo agent who got her license in 2004 and has accumulated a repeat and referral client list that now accounts for almost 90 percent of her business. She averages about 35-40 transactions per year and last year sold just under $10 million in volume. What keeps them coming back?

11 Copyright Top Agent Magazine

“We’re living in a crazy market right now. I’ve been doing this for 19 years and I’ve never run out of homes to show my buyers. Every year in this business is different. I’ve helped my clients maneuver through many atmospheres. This one is not any different – it just takes more patience.”

“I’m honest with them, whether it’s good or bad news. That’s especially true on the pricing side of listings. I encourage them to price the house to sell vs. overpricing the house and then negotiating,” said Kim, who stays connected with her clients through drop-by visits, annually drops off pumpkins for the holidays, and communicates through social media, email, phone calls, and postcards. “The biggest thing for me Copyright Top Agent Magazine 12

is communication, communication, communication. And it’s also important that I stay on top of all the moving parts of each transaction.”

Kim is deeply involved in her community, working with Our Lady of the Wayside Church, getting involved in breast cancer awareness events, and helping to feed senior citizens on Thanksgiving who are unable to leave their Top Agent Magazine

Top Agent Magazine

Copyright Top Agent Magazine 13

homes. It gives her immense joy to be so active and available to neighbors that she knows and those she just meets for the first time. When she’s not working on her business or working in the community, Kim takes advantage of her love of nature with long walks, drives, painting, and

spending time with family and friends. Going forward, she has definite plans to grow.

“I would like to get one to two buyers’ agents under me,” she said. “I am looking to create a team. Doing it by the end of this year is the goal.”

Contact Kim at 847-338-7543, email ksuhanek@sbcglobal.net, or visit pinkpowerhomes.com. Kim also has profiles on Zillow: zillow.com/profile/ksuhanek4; and Realtor.com: realtor.com/realestateagents/569ef7abbb954c01006a12ca www.

www.

www.

Copyright Top Agent Magazine 14

Top Agent Magazine

5 Simple Mindset Shifts That Will Help You Achieve Your Goals

Everyone knows that a positive attitude is one of the key steps to achieving success. It’s very easy to let negativity bring you down and oftentimes, people end up quitting at the first set back. Even if you don’t think of yourself as a negative person, you’re probably doing numerous things you don’t even realize are holding you back.

Recognizing these negative mindsets, and then implementing simple mindset shifts, are sure to help you not only create a more positive outlook, but a more successful outcome to whatever goal you’re trying to achieve.

Top Agent Magazine

1

Turn jealousy into admiration

It’s very easy to look at someone who has what you want, and feel envious, which quickly turns into criticism and excuses about why you weren’t able to get what they seemed to get with ease. This is something successful people never do. Instead, they recognize that the only thing keeping them from success is themselves.

If you want what someone else has, you should look to them as a role model. What

Top Agent Magazine

15

are they doing that you aren’t? There’s probably more to their story than you’re giving them credit for. Someone else’s success doesn’t hinder your ability to do the same, but constantly having a ‘life’s not fair’ attitude definitely will.

2

Tackle the things you dread doing first

We all procrastinate to some extent. Usually it’s things we don’t want to do. But when you put something like that off, it creates a serious cloud over your whole day.

Experts recommend getting those things out of the way first. Not only do get it crossed off your list, but you will feel energized by your accomplishments and tackle the day with even more force.

3

Don’t make decisions based on emotion

Reaching goals, especially long term ones, can have a lot of ups and downs. The key to achieving them is to stay level-headed during setbacks, really focusing on your plan and how the setback fits into your long term vision.

If you have a solid plan in place, you could be destroying months of hard work with one rash emotional decision, that is probably coming from a place of panic.

When you’re feeling emotional...wait.

It really is that simple. Wait it out until 16

you’re back in a rational state of mind and take it from there.

4

Learn to love feedback

It’s very easy to be thrown off by negative feedback or constructive criticism. No one likes it. But when it comes to achieving your goals, you need to be able to hear it, assess it and then make an unemotional decision about what it means to you and your success.

In fact the business world’s most successful leaders are there because they not only take in that feedback, they actually constantly ask for it. Fresh perspectives on what you’re doing are always valuable. When you’re in the thick of it, it can be hard to see what needs improvement. Asking a trusted peer or advisor can be instrumental in keeping the momentum on reaching your goal going.

5

Replace a fixed mindset with a growth mindset

You might be wondering what the difference between the two are. A fixed mindset thinks that growing intelligence or skills is impossible, while a growth mindset thinks those things can be developed.

People with a growth mindset are more likely to expand beyond their comfort zone, since they really believe almost anything is possible with hard work. And if it isn’t?

They’re willing to give it a try. Being willing to try and fail, is a key element to reaching even the most lofty goals.

Top Agent Magazine

Top Agent Magazine

mailto:mag@topagentmagazine.com http://www.topagentmagazine.com

Top Agent Magazine

17

Emotional Fluency:

How to Communicate with Clients When Tensions are High Managing emotions, expectations, and personalities are central to a successful real estate career. After all, this is a business based on relationships and interpersonal communication. Likewise, real estate is built on one of life’s central milestones—homeownership. This means that stress, disappointment, excitement, and competition are inherently 18

involved in the process. As an agent, you take on the real estate world every day, but most of your clients aren’t well-versed in the norms of the industry and are likely riding an emotional roller coaster throughout.

Acknowledging this, how do you steer the ship when emotions and tensions are running high?

Top Agent Magazine ®

Top Agent Magazine

For starters, it’s not always intuitive. Just like you add tools to your arsenal when it comes to marketing, social media, or lead generation, you also have to add emotional tools to your repertoire. Here are a few ways to diffuse tense situations and keep clients on an even keel—even during the ups and downs of the transactional process.

Create realistic expectations from the outset and reinforce them as you go As a seasoned agent, some aspects of the industry may seem run of the mill to you, but may come as a shock to your clients. That’s

Top Agent Magazine

why communicating expectations from the beginning can help create reasonable touchpoints in the minds of your clients. In addition to talking through the steps of the transactional process with your clients, consider writing out a checklist or compiling a buyer’s guide that can serve as a resource for them throughout. Think of it like a security blanket, but one that’s built by facts, figures, and anecdotal experience. If you paint a clear picture of what to expect, clients are less likely to be taken by the surprise and react impulsively as a result. What’s more, reinforce next steps, expectations, and possible outcomes as you go. If your client is left to wonder or guess at what’s ahead or

Top Agent Magazine ®

19

what will happen, they will either envision the worst-case scenario and panic, or they’ll misjudge the next step and be disappointed or left anxious as a result. Minimize surprises by communicating regularly, clearly, and with all options on the table.

When unveiling a problem, come to clients with potential solutions in hand Any agent worth his or her salt knows that bumps in the road are likely to occur along the way. You can’t promise a transaction free of stress or unforeseen issues, but you can minimize the ensuing stress by preparing you client in advance for any potential problems, and by addressing any problems

20

clearly and with solutions already in hand.

Clients are likely to become agitated if a problem arises and they can’t understand why or what it means. That’s why slowing it down, talking it through, and offering potential avenues for recourse can quell fears and remind clients why they chose you to facilitate the transactional process. This means you’ll have to vigilant, proactive, and on the ball. Of course, it’s much easier to be an agent when everything is going great and flowing naturally. It’s when things take an unexpected or negative turn that true talent is really tested. Accordingly, show your clients that you are confident and in control by remaining adaptable, communicative, and clear in your problem-solving approach.

Top Agent Magazine ®

Top Agent Magazine

Never underestimate the power of listening As an agent, you are probably well-versed in putting out fires and sourcing solutions. Sometimes, however, clients are really looking to you as a confidante and a listening ear. You’d be surprised how much nervousness you can resolve by simply offering a listening ear and offering reassurance. Sometimes it’s not about providing a band-aid or a practical solution; oftentimes, it’s all about listening. Clients need to feel like they’re being heard, even if you’ve heard it all before. By listening to their fears, acknowledging their perspective, and reiterating their goals—you display your empathy and understanding, which is often just what a client Top Agent Magazine

needs to feel better. In other words, you don’t have to break out the graphs and data each time a client airs his or her insecurity. First, slow down, listen, and interact on a personal level. You may stop an emotional upheaval in its tracks simply by putting your listening cap on.

Not all clients are alike. Some will require a little more hand-holding than others, but it’s your job to put yourself in their perspective, recognize the milestone at hand, and managing the personalities you’re working with. The next time you feel frustrated by a client’s unpredictable emotional energy, keep these insights in mind as you diffuse the situation, steer them to a place of comfort, and fortify your interpersonal skillset in the process.

Top Agent Magazine ®

21

Creative Meditation

for the Real Estate Professional The real estate world can be an industry of intense emotional and psychological pressure. Deadlines, meetings, employee needs, client needs and a hundred other items on which one needs to focus on a daily basis can create an environment that is not only not conducive to mental well-being, but can be outright detrimental.

Learning to quiet the mind has been the focus of meditation for millennia. While those not familiar with the concept of meditation may instinctively think of yoga mats, incense, and chanting when the word “meditation” arises, there are in fact, many forms of meditation that can integrate quite 22

easily into the daily hustle & bustle world of the busy real estate agent.

First, think about when you are alone each day. Here are some possible times to practice mediation during the work day: • When driving to the office in the morning • When driving to a showing or to meet a client • Before your open house begins • After the open house • Driving home in the evening Top Agent Magazine

Repeating a mantra can be very calming, particularly when you are trying to rid yourself of negative, self-defeating thoughts.

These are just five examples of times when you can take advantage of meditation techniques to quiet your mind and, by extension, increase productivity. A calm mind is a more thoughtful, better tuned instrument.

Here are some examples of meditations you can try:

1

For when you’re driving, download and listen to any number of audio Guided Meditations available on the internet. YouTube has a generous selection of these, many of which are geared towards success in business.

2 Repeating a mantra can be very calm-

ing, particularly when you are trying to rid yourself of negative, self-defeating thoughts. It doesn’t matter what words you choose, as long as you feel good about your choice. “I am a success” or “I will approach all of my clients with love today” are two examples. Whatever works for you and gets you into the desired mindset.

Top Agent Magazine

3 Something as simple as listening to pleasant music in your car can be considered meditation, provided it brings you to a place of comfort as opposed to one of spiritual discordance.

4 The most important thing, however, is to take time to find gratitude in everything you do. Count your blessings, be grateful the exciting career in real estate you have built for yourself.

Once you’ve mastered some of these techniques at quieting your mind, you can attempt to find some that work even better for you. Walking, plain silence, or even exercise can have meditative qualities and benefits if practiced on a regular basis.

When you’re truly feeling calm, your clients can sense this. And with this comes the feeling that you can be relied upon to stay focused and calm in any unforeseen circumstances. And in the world of real estate, that’s a highly prized commodity.

23

mailto:mag@topagentmagazine.com

24

Top Agent Magazine