MICHIGAN 10-3-22

MICHIGAN EDITION

HOW TO BUILD A TEAM THAT WILL WIN BIG NO MATTER ITS SIZE

THERE GOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD: How to List High When Neighbors Are a Nuisance

EMOTIONAL FLUENCY : HOW TO COMMUNICATE WITH CLIENTS WHEN TENSIONS ARE HIGH

HOW TO THROW A CLIENT APPRECIATION EVENT NO ONE WILL FORGET FEATURED AGENTS

COVER STORY

MOLLY NICHOLSON Photo Credit: Rainstorm Photo

JILL BUGEJA DEAN BACH FRANK JAJOU

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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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MOLLY NICHOLSON Top Agent Magazine

Photo Credit: Rainstorm Photo

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MO L LY N ICHO LSON

Top Agent Molly Nicholson loves meeting new clients, the meshing of personalities and how many contacts turn into friendships.

Looking to not only spend time with her growing family but also work outside of the home part time, Molly decided to obtain her Real Estate license. She was working with a developer at the time and got her license purely to list his spec 8

homes. Word spread, and soon colleagues from her past, contacts at school, friends and family started asking Molly for a bit of help with their real estate needs. It just kind of happened – a client base grew without even realizing that’s what was Top Agent Magazine

happening, and sixteen years later, she’s very happy in her career as a Realtor®.

Molly has a social personality to begin with, so the real estate world suits her well. If her clients want a specific property, she will do her best to get it for them.

After that, it’s a matter of working out the terms that everyone can agree upon.

She doesn’t ever want to see her clients let down. She’s a hard working person, driven even harder as a mom raising

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four children and determined to not let anything slow her down. In the past few years, her business has more than tripled, with over $13.5 million in sales completed in 2021.

There’s a small town rural feel to the territories Molly services, all lakeside regions in SW Michigan. The bustle of Chicago is ninety minutes away, and Detroit a bit further if headed North. Even though the area is not as heavily populated as some

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of the nearby cities, it is very competitive with over 900 agents working the area.

In Molly’s office alone, there’s a staff of 55 accomplished agents, but she kept her competitive edge and was top producer in her office in 2021. Everyone knows everyone in the areas she works, leading to about half of her clients coming to her by word of mouth, knowing her story and her drive.

She uses social media support companies to keep her profile visible. On her own Facebook and Instagram pages, she posts

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all positive real estate news, from just solds to new listings to market updates and tips. This keeps her top of mind for the new transfers coming into the area.

Whirlpool Appliances has a large presence, and workers are often moving in and out. For the rest of her clients, families looking to settle, she prefers working the lakefront properties. Those valuable lake houses can serve as a primary residence, or for many clients, a summer getaway home.

Molly loves meeting new clients, the meshing of personalities and how many Top Agent Magazine

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contacts turn into friendships. Even better is that, in the end, she actually gets to make a living and have fun with these new friends. From here on, her philosophy is about always moving forward. She wants to keep the same level of service to her clients, which may mean getting

a buying agent to work with her, while maintaining her focus with her current and future listing clients. As a member of the lake house demographic herself, she’s looking to introduce more and more people to the lifestyle, and make a few new friends along the way.

To get in touch with Molly Nicholson, please call 269-208-3153 or email molly.nicholson@c21affiliated.com

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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 Top Agent Magazine

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?

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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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 16

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.

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JILL BUGEJA Top Agent Magazine

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JILL BUGEJA

Centering her business on relationships, Jill Bugeja has become a top producing agent in the greater Detroit area. She got her start in 2005, after working in the healthcare industry. “I was looking for a career that would allow me a bit more flexibility to be with my son, and I landed on real estate,” Jill explains. “I fell in love with it.” Allowing her to utilize her people skills and caring nature, Jill feels real estate is her true calling. With much of her business consisting of referrals, those who work with Jill appreciate her guidance and ability to eliminate stress. She continually puts her clients’ needs first and wants them to be happy.

and really care about them.” This is why Jill finds helping first time home buyers so rewarding, as she is able to educate them on the process and be there for them through every step. “I talk my clients through it, and I also keep it fun. It doesn’t have to be straight and narrow.” She often becomes close to her clients during their journey

“Coming from a background in healthcare, I am not a high pressure salesperson,” Jill explains.

“I am not going to push anyone into something they don’t want. I’m here to help you navigate the real estate industry.” Jill recognizes that real estate isn’t just about buying or selling property, it’s about providing support and answering questions. “You have to be a counselor to your clients, 18

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together, and remains friends with them after the transaction is over.

When it comes to marketing her properties, Jill ensures each home looks its best with professional photography. She advertises on social media and hosts open houses when necessary, but finds that homes sell so quickly that this part is usually not needed. Most buyers find her listings through real estate websites like Zillow, so she spends a lot of time perfecting the descriptions. “I will go through and make sure every single detail in the ‘about’ section is explained, and I do it in a way that tells a story and stays engaging.”

Jill’s clients trust her wholeheartedly, knowing she will do everything possible to achieve their goals. One recently said, “Jill has been our ‘go-to’ real estate agent for the last 6 years, which encompassed selling four houses and purchasing three homes! Yes, not your typical family moving that many times in such a short window of time! Each sale/move presented its own unique challenges but Jill got us to and through each of the closings. Including this year’s COVID challenge! We sold a home and ended up buying a house we have dreamed about but did not think was possible.”

Jill’s passion for helping others extends outside of the real estate world, as she volunteers at a local animal shelter. Jill also participates in the Hometown Hero Program, which provides discounts on home buying fees for first responders, teachers, police officers, and others who make the community a better place.

Planning to continue growing her business for many years to come, Jill is thriving. She can’t wait to see what the future has in store. “My goal is to make a difference in as many lives as possible.”

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For more about Jill Bugeja, please call 313-999-2407 or email jill@eliterealtymi.com Copyright Top Agent Magazine 19

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How to Throw a Client Appreciation Event No One Will Forget Clients are the foundation of any flourishing enterprise, and this is particularly true in real estate—an industry where relationships are central. Demonstrating your gratitude to former and current clientele is a winning way to cultivate your network, while upping your potential referrals and creating face-to-face time with the individuals that make your business tick. Keep in mind a few of the tips below as you stage a client event that will positively impact your brand, while conveying your appreciation to those who have driven your business all year.

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Supersize Your Guest List Inviting former clients to your client appreciation bash is only the first step in crafting your guest list. To really expand your sphere of influence, invite neighbors, local business owners and staff, old friends, family, associates, fellow alumni from your alma mater, and the like. Think of your client appreciation event as a celebration of business bringing people together. Expand your guest list and you’ll create a coveted, in-person opportunity to forge relationships and broaden your reach.

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An appreciation event may be geared toward your clients, but if done correctly it can also provide a fun-filled venue for your employees to enjoy a morale boost.

Consider A Sponsor Client appreciation events shouldn’t skimp on the details, but you don’t want to break the bank, either. To defray the cost of a client appreciation event, consider enlisting local businesses as co-sponsors. Not only does this approach ease the price tag of throwing a party, but it also creates an easy partnership between you and other entrepreneurs—widening your database and making for a memorable and generous event.

ship, or the Super Bowl is coming up quick, tailoring client appreciation events to already-established happenings can create an organic tie-in and boost your attendance numbers in the process. Throw a gingerbread house decorating party during the holiday season, or throw a barbeque during the Fourth of July. Capitalizing on a naturally occurring theme creates the opportunity for comradery between you and your guests.

Apply A Personal Touch

Don’t Forget To Reward Your Employees An appreciation event may be geared toward your clients, but if done correctly it can also provide a fun-filled venue for your employees to enjoy a morale boost, as well.

By encouraging your employees to cut loose at this celebratory event—instead of having them run interference all night—your team will feel appreciated and validated, too.

Theme Your Event Whether the area’s high school sports team has made it to the state champion22

Invitations may seem like a small detail, but they shouldn’t be one-size-fits-all. Consider handwriting some of your invitations for the clients you remember well, or for business associates who you regularly partner with. Personalizing invitations to key players is the surest way to a confirmed RSVP. Cultivating your network of professional connections is an essential part of driving business, and client appreciation events not only create memories between you and your clientele, but also inspire your to step back, reflect, and give thanks to those who keep your business booming.

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DEAN BACH A lifelong Michigan resident, Dean Bach has always possessed an entrepreneurial spirit. He would first take an interest in real estate in the 1990s; however, he forewent launching his career as an agent to join his uncle’s mortgage company, where he would learn the business from the ground up while dabbling in investment properties with his wife, Denise. Along the way, Dean expanded into the restaurant business, opening four locations and leveraging his momentum to become a prominent local restaurateur often featured on FOX 2 Detroit television as a chef for the “Cooking School” segments, making him well-known throughout the Detroit area. Upon relocating to Northern Michigan in 2020, though, he was ultimately drawn back to his passion for real estate.

After pursuing his license, Dean would find quick success in the business, representing 25 buyers and sellers in closings within his first full year as an agent. Today, he is a REALTOR® with the elite team at Kidd & Leavy Real Estate Co., where he assists clients throughout the communities of Northern Michigan. Specializing in luxury waterfront properties with a side specialty on the commercial end in the restaurant and hospitality world, he has cultivated a boutique process to meet the demands of any transaction.

When assisting his buyers, Dean leans on his background as an investor to help clients uncover the right property for their best interests. Having personally built not only his own dream-home in Michigan, but also three restaurants, he offers clients a unique insight into the local market.

“I’m an investigator by nature,” he says. “Because of that, I want to know everything about a given property—from the surrounding body of water to the land on which it sits, the nearby areas, and even the owner. From start to finish, I’m looking for the details my clients need to make well-informed decisions on their future.”

When listing a property, Dean is just as comprehensive. After helping his clients fully prepare their home for the market, he shares it via the regional MLS and a highly targeted blend of digital and social media campaigns as well as direct calls to people in a network of friends and acquaintances that he developed over the years in the hospitality industry. Along the way, he utilizes the myriad resources available with Kidd & Leavy Real Estate Co. to ensure a seamless transaction throughout.

Since delving into real estate, Dean has earned a fantastic reputation in Michigan. And the key to his success?

“I’ve always been a people-person. At the end of the day, there’s nothing more rewarding than meeting with a client, spending time with them, and becoming their friend over the course of our transaction.”

Outside of real estate, Dean is dedicated to his community. Recently elected as party delegate for his county at the Michigan State Convention, he also provides regular support to area veterans’ and children’s organizations. When he’s not with clients or giving back, he can be found spending quality time at home with his wife, practicing woodwork, or taking a drive with his friendly terrier, Sebastian.

Now having established strong roots in Northern Michigan, Dean intends on further scaling his standards of service while expanding his client-base throughout the region. In the meantime, though, he looks forward to all the new connections that await. “We live in a truly beautiful place,” he says. “Each morning, I get to enjoy a cup of coffee while looking out at the lake, as my dog runs around in the sunshine. Ours is a different world, and I love having the opportunity to bring others into such a peaceful way of living.”

To learn more about Dean Bach email dean@kiddleavy.com, visit DeanBach.com or call (989) 889-1566 www.

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There Goes the Neighborhood:

How to List High When Neighbors are a Nuisance Troublesome neighbors are a relatively common issue that agents come across. You can control the image of your client’s property and you can control your listing presentation, but you can’t always control what’s happening on your client’s street. How do you diffuse difficult neighbors that could lower your bottom line or embarrass you in front of prospective buyers?

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First of all, it takes tact and a gameplan. With that in mind, let’s consider a few ways you can maintain a listing’s viability and competitive edge—even when bothersome neighbors are involved. Here are a few common neighborly scenarios agents encounter and how to diffuse them to your advantage.

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How do you diffuse difficult neighbors that could lower your bottom line or embarrass you in front of prospective buyers? It takes tact and a gameplan.

as a courtesy introduction to the neighborhood.

While it may seem like needless busy work, it can dramatically improve prospective buyers’ perceptions of the area. Plus, you may positively ingratiate yourself with neighbors in the area and demonstrate your above-and-beyond service to your clientele in the process.

Is the neighbor’s landscaping an eyesore?

Here’s your recourse.

Most towns and cities have established ordinances regarding yard upkeep. If any of the properties adjacent to your listing are wildly overgrown, littered with junk, or otherwise in a state of obvious disrepair—take it up with the city. Rather than get directly involved at first glance, you might loop in city officials whose job it is to monitor clean-up efforts on rundown yards and properties. If this doesn’t work, you may have to take a more hands-on approach.

Start by thinking small and operating from a place of authenticity and neighborly service.

You might explain to the neighboring tenant that you’re listing and offer to mow their lawn Top Agent Magazine

Are there foreclosed or abandoned homes on your client’s block?

Do your homework.

It may take a little research and digging to figure out the banking entity that owns a foreclosed home, but it’s well worth the effort. Banks are typically required to maintain foreclosed homes on at least a basic level. If you’re worried about

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squatters, an unsightly façade, or general disrepair of a neighboring foreclosed property—go to the source. Sometimes banks take their time in hiring a third party to maintain a foreclosed property, but with some proactive prodding on your part, you may be able to speed the process along and resolve eyesores even before prospective buyers come calling. Remember: the squeaky wheel gets the grease. An improved bottom line will be your reward for those few prodding phone calls and emails.

Noisy, nosy, or annoying neighbors?

Don’t be discouraged.

Obnoxious neighbors can really rain on a seller’s parade, especially the kind of neighbor 26

that takes their less-than-stellar behavior to their porch, front yard, or sidewalk. While this sensitive issue may seem daunting, there are a few official channels you can utilize to thwart the issue before getting personally involved. If the neighborhood in question is governed by an HOA, you might take it up with them. If the troublesome neighbor is harassing passersby or taking to the sidewalk—in other words, public space—then you may be able to involve local authorities in worst-case scenarios. Of course, it’s always possible to talk to troublesome neighbors faceto-face, but do so with caution and with safety as the priority. Always reason gently and empathetically, utilizing I... phrasing, instead of accusatory You... phrasing. After all, some neighbors are clueless about their impact on the neighborhood and may adjust their behavior after being called out. If the issue persists and no third-party authority can help, then you may have to disclose the neighbor’s issues to prospective buyers, depending on the disclosure laws in your region. While this may seem like a blow, you can at least rest easy knowing you pursued all the potential avenues for resolution available. Likewise, your client will likely appreciate your thorough efforts to resolve the issue.

While troublesome neighborhoods can bring down an optimistic mood when listing a property, sometimes being real estate is all about being resourceful. With diligence, digging, and a little follow-up, you just may be able to resolve some of the issues plaguing your neighborly plot.

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FRANK JAJOU Frank Jajou is a tenacious real estate agent with a lifetime of firsthand industry knowledge. He doesn’t just “talk the talk,” but he personally has invested in over 50 rental properties in Michigan, making him a valuable resource for those also looking to invest. He believes that “the sky is the limit” when it comes to real estate potential and is open to working with all types of buyers, including out-of-state investors, to help them begin building their own generational wealth.

At age 23, Frank was working in several of his parents’ retail stores. At the time, he gained interest in real estate and started investing in rental properties of his own. Soon he had his own liquor store and acquired several other rentals in the area.

Over the years, he opened a Metro PCS Franchise and added 28 more rentals to the load. He shares how in 2021, he decided to earn his realtor license to better his professional skillset and to help other people invest in the market.

Frank currently works as a solo agent serving metro Detroit in the Greater Lansing area. He notes, “I’m looking to grow a personal team and onboard agents to work with me.” Astoundingly, Frank’s repeat and referral rates are at 80%, which are unprecedented for a new agent. He confirms, “People are looking for knowledgeable agents to assist them with the purchase process, and I have that experience they want.” From lender recommendations to home buying advice, Frank has everything a client seeks. He notes, “I’ve been involved with investment properties since 2006. Clients can always trust me for first-hand insight.”

Frank stays in touch with past clients via text messages.

He says, “Keeping that open line of communication between yourself and a past or potential client helps generate more leads.” He continues, “My line of communication is always open.” Frank’s firm markets current Top Agent Magazine

listings across Facebook and other social media platforms. He says that he personally prefers to distribute flyers and brochures for upcoming properties.

Frank’s personal investment portfolio weighs in at 53 rental properties. With only a year as a licensed agent, he has already closed over 10 million dollars in sales volume. He notes, “Generating that kind of revenue has to do with the number of properties I’ve already invested in,” a nod to his expertise. “I’ve already taken that road myself.”

When asked what he most enjoys about being a real estate agent, Frank says, “I love helping people out.”

His core motivation is to provide clients with a foundation to build their own empire and invest in real estate wealth. Frank also has a heart for his community, frequently volunteering with local back-to-school events and backpack drives. Outside of work, he can be found spending time with his family, from camping to bonfires to visiting the lake, “That time is very important.”

Frank’s plans for the future are to continue building his own team. He shares that he is currently looking to bring two more people on to serve Metro Detroit and the Greater Lansing area.

Contact Frank at 248-709-6696 OR 517-819-5888 email frankrealestatemi@gmail.com or visit FRANKREALESTATEMI.COM WWW.

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