4 WAYS MENTORING

4 Ways Mentoring Up-and-Coming Employees Makes You a Better Agent

In the world of real estate, there are always new agents joining the ranks. Even if you’ve been practicing for just a few short years, you’ve likely learned your fair share of lesson along the way. As an agent, much of your working philosophy is derived from first-hand experience and your work on the ground. This means that new agents are less prepared for the inevitable curveballs of the industry. That’s where you come in.

While mentorship is often pitched as a relationship that solely benefits the mentee, there is actually plenty to be gained from becoming a mentor. After all, personal growth goes hand-in-hand with professional growth, and becoming a mentor asks agents to thoughtfully explore and demonstrate their own ideologies, practices, and rationale. With that in mind, take a look at some of the benefits of mentorship below, and you’ll get a sense of why counseling new agents can be a boon to your own business.

Teaching lessons to others reinforces your own professional values. Showing the ropes to young agents is a great way to brush-up on your foundational skills. Verbalizing and demonstrating processes, or walking through the rationale behind negotiation tactics—all cause mentors to think through their established practices and outline in detail why they’ve chosen this route over an

alternative. This helps older agents fine-tune their routines, while getting back in touch with the critical thinking that went into constructing those habits.

Mentorships allows you to see the big picture. After a lengthy industry tenure, it’s not uncommon for battle-worn agents to lose some steam and begin to burn out. By devoting some time to mentoring up-and-coming agents, you’ll get back in touch with your early days, remembering the excitement, the trials, and the hard lessons gleaned. Spending time with the next generation of real estate professionals can reinvigorate your practice, as seeing the business from the eyes of an eager amateur can inject energy into your working life.

You’ll benefit from seeing things from a new perspective. Just as working with young agents can help you remember your career’s big picture, you may also benefit from working alongside someone with a new perspective. Young agents bring a different set of skills and awareness to their work, and established agents can benefit from a fresh take. If technology isn’t your strong suit, or you’re interested in tapping the Millennial homebuyer market, working with a younger agent is an excellent way to see through fresh eyes. surely sharpen your ability as the head of a team. What’s more, you’ll be building skills of empathy, understanding, teaching, and constructive criticism. Working on those skills will better your practice and your ability to lead in your office.

Mentoring young agents makes you a better leader. As a mentor, you’ll often direct the flow of your professional relationship—figuring out which issues to tackle, making an agenda, and imparting lessons in a clear way. These are all characteristics of a leader, and acting in a position of authority as mentor can While some may balk at the time commitment or energy required to take on a mentee or two, you might consider it an act of ongoing education or professional development. While your mentee will undoubtedly benefit from access to your expertise, there’s certainly much to be gained from taking the time to cultivate tomorrow’s real estate leaders.

RACHELLE LORAINE

Rachelle Loraine began her Real Estate career in 2018, after moving to Cleveland to be with her now-fiancé and working within the insurance agency he owned. “We catered to professionals, including Realtors® and teams who wanted to create a concierge experience for their clients,” Rachelle recalls. That’s how she became an insurance partner for the EZ Sales Team, the #1 Real Estate team in Ohio. When one of the Team Leaders told her she should be an agent, Rachelle jumped right in and hasn’t looked back since. “It’s boomed from there,” Rachelle says. “My business has surpassed all expectations.”

Rachelle serves northeast Ohio with The EZ Sales Team. She is already seeing her repeat and referral business grow, an impressive feat that speaks to the trust and confidence she inspires. “Real estate is all about relationships for me,” she says. “By holding the client’s hand, being at every showing, being at the inspection, responding at almost any hour to questions, being there to give them the keys, you create a relationship with the client. Then not only are you their Realtor® for that transaction, you become the family Realtor® and you are the one they refer to all their friends and family.”

Rachelle sets herself apart through her amazing work ethic. “I had to put everything I am into creating the foundation for what I have now,” she says. “I didn’t have a sphere when I moved here, so I built my business from the ground up.” The results speak for themselves: in 2019 Rachelle sold over $7 million, with 33 units. In 2020 she sold $15.2 million, with 65 units. “In less than 2 and a half years, I had already sold over 100 homes.” When it comes to marketing her listings, Rachelle draws on the considerable resources The EZ Sales Team provides. “We have phenomenal marketing and our own Marketing Company, EZ Media Productions,” Rachelle says. “When I do a listing, EZ Media goes in and does professional photography, drone footage, videos, and 3D Matterport tours. That way, even someone in Hong Kong can walk through one of my listings.”

Giving back to her community is of huge importance to Rachelle. She works with the Lakewood Charitable Assistance Corporation to feed needy families Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner, and she organizes an annual company food drive within her Team that fed over 600 families in each 2019 and 2020. When she is not working or giving back, Rachelle enjoys spending time with her fiancé & puppy, cooking, enjoying Cleveland’s beautiful parks, hiking, and trying new restaurants.

In the future, Rachelle plans to keep growing her business and expanding her volume. She also loves to Coach others on her team, and wants to continue helping new and seasoned agents alike build their own businesses. Above all, Rachelle wants to keep helping her clients achieve their real estate goals. “It’s been amazing,” she says. “I’m really blessed, and I love what I do.”

To stay in touch with past clients, Rachelle sends handwritten anniversary notes along with gift cards to let clients know she is thinking of them. “I love to make sure clients remember me,” Rachelle says. “I give out unique gifts, and many of my clients become lifelong friends.” To find out more about Rachelle Loraine, please call 614-483-9569, email Rachelle@EZSalesTeam.com or visit EZSalesTeam.com

VALYN LYONS

By now, Valyn Lyons has experience with just about every kind of real estate there is, from new construction to long-time investors. She has been in real estate for fifteen years in Atlanta, and garnered a huge amount of success over the course of her career. Through a winning combination of talent, grit, and personability, Valyn has proven to be a force to be reckoned with in the industry, and she has found a great deal of personal fulfillment in her work.

Valyn is big on repeat business, and she makes a serious effort to make her clients feel comfortable. She interacts with clients constantly on social media, and, when the option is there, hosts events for clients to socialize and meet each other. “My clients are my friends,” Valyn says. “I go to their weddings and we talk on Facebook. I love showing new arrivals around Atlanta as well.” She takes a personal approach to interacting with her clients, opting to treat them as friends rather than business associates. This has made her an attractive option as a Realtor®, proven by her high percentage of referral-based business.

Being a Realtor® means more to Valyn than meeting her own bottom line. She takes steps to ensure that her community is well cared for, and she has a penchant for looking after those members of her community who are less educated and more disadvantaged. “I’m a big-hearted person,” Valyn says. “I have people in my office who do credit repair and help with lease purchase. Home ownership is huge, and I want people to become home owners.” Valyn helps people in need, whether it be first time homebuyers unfamiliar with the market or people who have taken a hit to their credit and don’t have a lot of options. She trains the agents on her team to pursue this goal, and it’s become a huge part of her identity as a Realtor® .

Throughout the year, Valyn works constantly to engage with her client base and build her business, and her work ethic is paying off. Valyn closed a whopping $45 million of total volume in 2020 and is looking to push the envelope even further in 2021. According to her, Atlanta is a hot market, people keep moving in, and “they’re not making more land!” Now is the time to move in on it, and with Valyn’s experience, she is a good bet for knowing the ins and outs of the market.

Valyn has become fully absorbed in her work as a Realtor®, which makes her uniquely suited to tackling every aspect of real estate that her clients’ cases can throw at her. “This is not just a business for me. It’s who I am, it’s what I do, I know it, I love it,” Valyn says. “My favorite part is seeing the family in their home at the end of the transaction.” She finds her clients’ transactions to be emotionally rewarding experiences, and helping them get to the end of the line is immensely satisfying every time.

Outside of work, Valyn spends a lot of time assisting various community organizations with her team. She also is enamored with her new granddaughter; they play dress-up and take pictures together when Valyn has free time. Looking toward the future of her business, Valyn hopes to grow her team, specifically the division that is in charge of helping more disadvantaged clients achieve home ownership. Additionally, she will continue to mentor brokers and train Realtors® to provide excellent relationship-focused service to all of their clients.

For more about Valyn Lyons call (678) 467-5098, email valyn@thecolerealtygroup.com or visit thecolerealtygroup.com