NATIONWIDE MORTGAGE 3-22-21

NATIONWIDE MORTGAGE EDITION

Four Principles to

DEVELOP A GREAT TEAM

6 METHODS FOR BUILDING BETTER EMAIL LISTS

When It’s Time for a Home Office FEATURED AGENTS

KEELAN HARVEY TOM STORINO COVER STORY

WENDY ANDERSON

NATIONWIDE MORTGAGE EDITION

KEELAN TOM HARVEY STORINO Coming from England, Keelan Harvey’s 9 18 family really felt the economic downturn in 2008. Watching his family struggle through this adversity inspired him to educate himself on finances, and he quickly became a financial advisor before eventually getting licensed as a Certified Mortgage Advisor.

He became interested in real estate through his own home investing and home financing, and realized how much of an impact he could make in other lives by WENDY ANDERSON TOMpeople’s STORINO sharing his knowledge and experience far and wide.

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KEELAN HARVEY

Keelan is a nationally recognized Top Producer who has

is less about his own b about establishing and m tion with the people he he can help empower dream” of home owne to know people,” Kee ite thing is watching th When I closed my first emotional moment. S with customers has me ear every time.” Keelan is a big hit with his cli majority of his busine from satisfied past clien

WENDY ANDERSON seen an impressive amount of success in his five years

In his free time, Keelan coaches so CONTENTS play semi-professionally. als in the business.

His drive to better the lives of others the signing.” HeHe guid “I treat everyone like family,” ThomastoStorino called “Money Hour”, and whereis hee same way he has his while own pushes him to spread his mes-in the action, says, discussing his career mortinvesting advice. For the future of sage about home finance across his local community. gage business. He got his start in 2001 after clients before they hopes to scale his business up as “Providing of ownership to others, and educat-AND 4) HOW TO MAKE YOURthehegiftsaw MANAGERS TEAM I get myto pre-appro all the 21) opportunities it could offer.

“It Make over time. sure call Keela ing them about home financing to better their families, COMMUTE PRODUCTIVE was my friend’sBUILDERS: FOUR PRINCIPLES basically cleared t brother who owned a mortgage mortgage assistance needs! is my passion. I put all my energy into spreading this TO DEVELOP A GREAT TEAM knowledge ascompany. far as I can,” His motivaMyKeelan friendsays. started working for him so that helps with 6) 6 METHODS FOR BUILDING tion is admirable, and as a former advisor, he in high school andfinancial I thought I would give it a every step, Thom BETTER EMAIL LISTS 26)finer 5 THINGS YOU CAN DO TO is uniquely suited to explaining the details of home try.” So he decided to take a semester off from what he needs and finance to any and all who would listen.

ACHIEVE YOUR BIGGEST GOALS

15) WHEN IT’S TIME FOR school to see where it went. “I haven’t looked he two says.

Thomastopstarted off in operaclarity are of Keelan’s priorities A HOME OFFICEDirectness andback,” tions and left underwriting gohas to asales. when discussing transactions with his clients.toHe meticulous attention to detail, and makes it his goal Serving all of Illinois, Indiana andtoFlorcommunicate ida, his findings efficiently to his clients andyears his extensive knowledge and coworkers. “I treat every customer as if they are my own of experience in the mortgage industry family member. I’m extremely transparent and enable havewe helped himweflourish, withsays, the vast them to see why do what do,” Keelan Phone 310-734-1440 | Fax 310-734-1440 his so business stressing that majority educating of people that theyderiving can makefrom mag@topagentmagazine.com | www.topagentmagazine.com their own decisions his referrals. preferred method of doing repeatsisand

avoid any obstacle as quickly as poss

“The most important thingwithout I can do in consent my posiNo portion of this issue may business. be reproduced in any manner whatsoever prior of the publisher. Top Agent Magazine is published by Feature Publications GA, Inc. Although taken is to ensure tion is make people their ownprecautions experts.” are Keelan very the accuracy of published “I’m honest with absolutely everyone,” materials, Top Agent Magazine cannot with be held foreach opinions expressed or facts supplied by its authors. attuned theresponsible process of of his transactions, and he explains.

“I’m very transparent and I To subscribe or change address, send inquiry to mag@topagentmagazine.com. maintains a high level of regular communication with Published in the U.S. make sure they understand what’s hapeveryone he works with.

pening. They never sign anything unless When Keelan they’re interacts with his clients, fully aware heoffocuses whaton the they’re

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relationship that he builds with them. For him, his job

You can contact Keela at (206) 321-4941 or at kharvey@highlandsmo Top Agent Magazine

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How to Make Your Commute Productive The highest caliber business owners and entrepreneurs utilize every minute of their day.

Though this may be a lofty goal, there are certainly ways to make our daily routines more efficient and productive. Consider the morning and evening commute—time blocks that are accounted for every day. For some of us, daily commutes may mean a lengthy drive through gridlock traffic, or perhaps just a quick fifteen-minute crosstown excursion. However short or long your commute may be, there are ways to maximize this component of your daily routine and reap the rewards.

With that in mind, take a look at some ideas below to inject some energy and productivity into your daily commute.

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Listen to the latest industry-centric podcasts or audiobooks Whether you drive, bike, walk, or take public transportation, a commute is the perfect time to tune into an industry-oriented podcast or audiobook as a way of building your skills or getting into the zone for the day. Instead of letting your commute time be passive, you can process insights from leading industry professionals, or develop your skillset on a topic you haven’t yet made time for. Perhaps you’d like to develop your social media presence, or maybe you’d like to tap into the millennial homebuyer market—whatever the case may be, there is audio material out there suited to your interests. What’s more, podcasts are free and easy to incorporate on your smartphone or

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tablet, and there are ample audiobook subscription services out there that make regular listenership cost effective.

Create a mental to-do list to get a head-start on your day, or to prepare for tomorrow Getting your thoughts in order with a straightforward to-do list can help you dive in once you make it to your desk, or serve as a conclusive mental routine to end your work day.

If you drive to and from work and don’t have your hands free, don’t fret. Speaking your to-do list aloud can help you detangle your thoughts and tasks by vocalizing them. You can also try breaking down your to-do list by verbalizing the day’s goals, the week’s goals, and the month’s goals as a way of structuring priorities. If your commute is hands-free, you can incorporate a variety of apps that serve as custom-made todo lists that’ll organizationally map your duties for the day. In either case, use your commute window to identify and name the tasks ahead of you, and you’ll be able to hit the ground running when the time comes to perform.

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Tend to your personal commitments and planning A productive commute can boost your professional performance, but it can also serve your personal growth and out-of-the-office responsibilities, as well. Perhaps you can think out and plan your meals for the week so that you don’t come home burnt out and with nothing in mind for dinner. Maybe you check in with a relative or partner and catch up for a spare twenty minutes.

Not only does this eliminate a few items off of your personal to-do list, it can actually give you a more focused mind at the office. If your personal life is in good order, you’ll be able to devote your full attention to work tasks.

As the old saying goes, there are only so many hours in a day. If you added up all the minutes spent commuting around town, how many hours would amount? Though the trek to and from the office is an engrained part of professional life, it doesn’t have to be a drag. Account for those spare commute windows in productive ways, and in only a month you’ll have devoted a significant portion of your time to bettering yourself as a person and a professional.

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6 Methods for Building Better Email Lists

By Kendra Lee

Email lists can be a blessing or a curse. When they’re composed of real email addresses of people in your target micro-segment, and those people recognize you or your company by name, an email list is an invaluable lead generation resource. When the list is filled with contacts who don’t know of you or your company, i.e. a cold list, lead generation can be though – really tough. Likewise, if your list is populated with fake, inactive, or irrelevant accounts you’re at risk of being banned by your email software provider.

Not surprisingly, I hear from clients all the time asking how to build an email list that will get results for their campaigns.

Should they purchase? Should they attempt to build their own?

Remember that with email list building your goal is to build a list of people within your micro-segment, so quality is more important than quantity. The more similar the contacts, the easier it is to tailor your nurturing and lead generation content to their specific needs.

Here are six methods that will help you build a quality email list.

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Nurturing and lead generation activities: When you engage in social media, nurturing activities, SEO, and Adwords, those mediums provide forums for you to drive people to your website, start a conversation via a social channel, attend an event you’re hosting, and add people to your list. People who respond really do want to be part of your list.

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Membership organizations: Whether it’s through industry associations, mastermind groups, or networking events, these types of organizations provide an excellent means for collecting contact information. Generally, people will update or provide their own information because they want other members to have easy access to them so you know the data is current.

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Shared lists: By finding a peer who targets a similar microsegment with a non-competitive offering, you may be able to forge a partnership in which you promote to each other’s lists. This happens frequently within the high tech space, with consultants, and with professional services organization where they understand the value of collaboration.

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Research the web and build your own: Increasingly, we’re seeing companies comb LinkedIn, Zoominfo. com, InsideView.com, DiscoverOrg.com and other websites for contact information, and then follow-up with companies to confirm the validity of that information. This approach is time consuming, but it can be very effective. A client who we coached through this process recently got a 41% open rate on their email nurturing campaign. I really like DiscoverOrg for the detailed information they have if you’re selling in the IT or telecom industry.

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Purchase lists: There are numerous companies that sell email lists, but you need to be careful which vendor you buy from

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and how much you spend. Prices typically range from hundreds to several thousand dollars depending on list specificity and size.

One warning: Expect higher bounce rates with these lists and negotiate for that issue when you purchase. To avoid high bounce rates, look for a list company that validates the information. In this way I’ve been very pleased with ExchangeLeads for new lists and validation of current lists. If you don’t have any list, this may be the way to get started.

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Trade information for information: Sites like ExchangeLeads and Data.com community give you credit for providing contact information for companies you’ve worked with in the past. As you earn credit, you can use it to acquire lists for free. These services generally have a fee option as well, and the data integrity is dependent upon users keeping it current.

Again, look for companies that validate data to reduce bounce rates and wasted time. I really like ExchangeLeads for trading information as well as purchasing it.

Ultimately, my advice would be to focus as much on the organic list building methods (#s 1-4) as possible, and supplement with the purchased methods (#s 5 and 6) when necessary. If you start with a purchased list, plan to nurture it and build your recognition.

Don’t toss it away if you don’t get immediate results.

At the end of the day, you want to strive for list quality over list quantity. Pushing your messaging out to unwitting, uninterested, or unsuspecting prospects won’t do anything to help you close more deals.

Contact details for Kendra Lee: Phone: 303-741-6636 (Old fashioned, but very effective.) Email: Info@klagroup.com (Yes, I get every one of these personally.) Twitter: @KendraLeeKLA (And I do follow all direct messages on Twitter!) KLA Group is a sales consulting and training firm focused on helping clients get more customers in the Small and Midmarket Business (SMB) segment through lead generation, prospecting, hiring and onboarding strategies.

Copyright©, Kendra Lee. All rights reserved.

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WENDY ANDERSON

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Wendy Anderson

Branch Manager & Senior Mortgage Advisor

Wendy Anderson has built a thriving business on a foundation of honesty and integrity, one that continues to grow exponentially year after year.

When speaking with Wendy Anderson – Branch Manager and Senior Mortgage Advisor at Wallick & Volk in Coeur d Alene, Idaho – one can’t help but notice her obvious enthusiasm for helping her 10Copyright Top Agent Magazine

clients achieve the American dream of home ownership. Hardworking, dedicated and possessing over fifteen years of experience, Wendy has more than earned her sterling reputation as a Top Agent Magazine

trusted financial advisor who truly cares about the wellbeing of both her buyers and her Realtor® partners Wendy began her journey in the world of mortgages following a career in sales for the art and wine industries, living – as she says – paycheck to paycheck. Following a layoff, Wendy, a single mother with a young daughter, began to search for a job that would help her better provide for Top Agent Magazine

herself and her child. “I knew I wanted to get into the mortgage industry, so I pursued that career,” she recalls. “I was turned down for a job many times until I was finally hired by Countrywide mortgage. It changed my world.”

Since then, having moved over to Wallick & Volk, Wendy has built a thriving business on a foundation of honesty and integrity, one that continues to grow Copyright Top Agent Magazine11

exponentially year after year, based on the excellent customer service she and her equally dedicated team of five provide. Currently, more than two-thirds of Wendy and her team’s considerable business is based upon returning customers and referrals, a true testament to the level of care they provide for their clients.

“We build trust with our clients,” says Wendy, when asked how she manages to

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inspire such loyalty amongst those she works with, “because we always put their best interests first. We also have a streamlined process that, if it’s a fairly clean loan, allows us to frequently close in two weeks. We also regularly keep everyone in the loop during the process, including the selling agents. As soon as there’s a milestone on the loan, everyone gets a notification. They never have to call and inquire about the status of the transaction.”

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Wendy is justifiably proud of her association with Wallick & Volk, and of the vast array of loan products they offer to fit almost every buyer’s needs, including asset depletion loans and bank statement loans for the self-employed. “We’re able to do loans that a lot of the larger banks won’t do anymore,” she explains. “One thing I love about this company is that they care so much about their employees and have created such an amazing, loving work environment, and that carries over into the relationships with our clients.”

“We build trust with our clients,” says Wendy, when asked how she manages to inspire such loyalty amongst those she works with, “because we always put their best interests first.”

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When she’s not helping people achieve their real estate goals, Wendy enjoys nothing more than spending time with her family and friends, and is also loves skiing, long hikes and working out. She also gives back to her community in a variety of ways, both personally and through her company.

Wendy’s plans for the future of her

business are fairly straightforward: continued growth, possibly opening additional branches, and potentially adding like-minded team members to support that growth. Above all, however, remains her overarching objective: to continue providing the exceptional customer service that has long been synonymous with her name.

For more information about Wendy Anderson, please call 208-791-2864 or http://www.justingrable.com email Wendy.Anderson@WVMB.com 14Copyright Top Agent Magazine

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When It’s Time for a Home Office

by Nancy Michaels

So, you’re tired of clearing your papers off the dining room table every time someone wants to eat (how dare they!). And you’re still recovering from the business call you were forced to take that time your 5-yearold pressed the phone into your hand just as you stepped from the shower (it’s amazing how professional one can sound while wrapped in a towel and dripping wet).

fairly easily for this purpose. Use bookcases, filing cabinets, plants, screens, even lighting to define your work space. It’s essential that you remain committed to your space as office space. Without this psychological distinction between home and work, the two areas of your life may slide into one another, causing you to lose focus, and thus, productivity.

Sounds like it’s time for a home Choose furnishings that are ergooffice. nomically correct, and which fit in with the decor of the rest of your Ideally, you’ll have a spare room to home. Lighting should come from turn into office space—preferably three sources: natural, ambient and one with a locking door. An extra direct. Give yourself enough storage bedroom, the basement, or attic can space to keep your work area all serve this purpose. If you don’t uncluttered. You may want to store have room for a dedicated office, your supplies in another part of the take a look around your house to see house, keeping just a week’s worth where you can carve yourself some in your office. And schedule a space. A closet, bedroom corner, weekly or biweekly cleanup where hallway alcove or even the area you go through your papers and files under a stairway can all be converted and either throw away or stow away Top Agent Magazine

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anything that is not essential to the event of a power failure. An daily operation of your business. uninterruptable power source supply is also a must for the home office.

Almost every business requires a This will keep your computer runcomputer system. Don’t skimp. You ning during a power outage until want something with enough speed you’re able to safely shut it down. and memory capacity to last into the future. A good-quality inkjet, or Another essential component of the preferably, a laser printer is also home office is telecommunications, essential. Investigate the all-in-one meaning telephone, fax and Internet printer, fax, copier and scanners. access. An account through an These may save you money as well Internet service provider or online as precious office space. I also service shouldn’t cost more than $20 recommend a computer backup per month and it will give you the system, which will protect the ability to send and receive e-mail. contents of your hard drive in the 16

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It’s essential that you remain committed to your space as office space.

You’ll probably want more than one answering” from your phone comphone line, three if you’re using one pany. It’s just a few dollars a month line for a fax and modem hookup. and sounds more professional than It’s wise to invest in a business line, an answering machine, and which which allows you to list your won’t break down while you’re on business name and number in the vacation. phone book and with directory assistance. To keep costs down, use A home office can either improve that line for incoming calls only. If productivity, or harm it. You may find you don’t want the expense of a yourself doing paperwork at 2 a.m. business line, but can do without a when you should be sleeping, or repeat of the shower scene, order flipping to General Hospital at 3 p.m. “distinct ring” service from your when you should be working. It’s phone company. This is a separate helpful to treat your home office as phone number which rings into your you would an outside office, complete home line, but sounds different from with “starting” and “quitting” times. your normal ring. This alerts you This will help you stay focused, and family members to incoming organized, and productive. And your business calls. If you’re dishing up family will appreciate having their dinner or washing the dog, you’ll dining room table back. know to let your answering machine, or better yet, your electronic voice Nancy Michaels, of Impression Impact, mail system, grab the call. If you’re works with companies that want to reach in the shower, hopefully your 5- the small business community and with small business owners who want to sell year-old will know to do the same. more products and services. Copyright©, You may also want to order “call Nancy Michaels. All rights reserved.

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TOM STORINO

“I treat everyone like family,” Thomas Storino says, while discussing his career in the mortgage business. He got his start in 2001 after he saw all the opportunities it could offer. “It was my friend’s brother who owned a mortgage company. My friend started working for him in high school and I thought I would give it a try.” So he decided to take a semester off from school to see where it went. “I haven’t looked back,” he says. Thomas started off in operations and left underwriting to go to sales.

Serving all of Illinois, Indiana and Florida, his extensive knowledge and years of experience in the mortgage industry have helped him flourish, with the vast majority of his business deriving from repeats and referrals.

signing.” He guides them throughout the transaction, and is even able to pre-underwrite clients before they get to underwriting. “When I get my pre-approvals done, that means they’re basically cleared to close, they are ready to go, so that helps with a faster processing time.” At every step, Thomas takes the time to explain what he needs and why he needs it so they can avoid any obstacles and get to the closing table as quickly as possible.

“I’m honest with absolutely everyone,” he explains. “I’m very transparent and I make sure they understand what’s happening. They never sign anything unless they’re fully aware of what they’re 18

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After the transaction, clients leave glowing reviews about their time together. One recently said, “There are people who are good at what they do... And then there are people like Tom Storino who are truly phenomenal at what they do. Throughout the entire process of my home building, he was there. He did everything he said he would.

He responded very quickly to all of my obnoxious questions, he was on top of everything, he was professional and clearly very knowledgeable. He made my home buying experience painless, stress-free and joyful!”

When Thomas isn’t working, he’s giving back to the community through his work with charities and non-profit organizations.

He’s involved with Brotherhood for the Fallen as well as Our CORPS Charity, which helps wounded veterans with bills. He’s also a sponsor for the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation, as his wife is a Chicago police officer. This organization helps the families of officers lost in the line of duty get back on their feet. Through the Storino Mortgage Team, he sponsors families in need every year for Thanksgiving and Christmas, which involves surprising them on the holiday with gifts and food. Thomas also sponsors local youth athletics and rescues animals. During any free time, he’s playing sports, going to the gym, traveling or hanging out with friends and family.

Looking ahead, Thomas plans to grow his business and is working on developing partnerships with more real estate companies. In the meantime, he’s enjoying every minute of his work and plans to continue working hard to get his clients towards their goals. “What keeps me going is making it to that closing table and seeing them happy.”

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For more information about Thomas Storino, please call 312-730-2471 or email tstorino@Neighborhoodloans.com Copyright Top Agent Magazine 19

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Managers and Team Builders: Four Principles to Develop a Great Team

By Carla Cross “I work alone.” “I don’t need to be a member of a ‘team’”. We’re heard that for years in the real estate industry. Yet, the strongest, fastestgrowing real estate companies have team building as part of their cultures.

Agents who want to expand their businesses create teams. So, TEAM is no longer a four-letter word. The importance and implementation of leadership through teamwork and synergy is back in style in the real estate industry.

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Why Building a Strong Team is Important to Agents AND Management

As with all industries, the real estate industry is evolving. We’ve gone through the ‘go it alone’ phase. Because we’ve gotten more sophisticated in business. We realize that no one succeeds alone. We understand now that people working together create something more substantial than the sum of the parts. In addition, 21

with the challenges in the business, we finally get that many minds focused on the same task can accomplish much more than each person working as his own little island.

Supporting this trend, strong company cultures have emerged which encourage and reward teamwork instead of solely independent achievement.

Do you have a job description for each of your team positions?

Do you provide it prior to hiring?

Talking About Team-Building is a Slam-Dunk

It’s much easier to talk about teamwork than to create a team. One of the reasons is that most of us have never worked as a team before. As an agent, I didn’t create a team. But, in my management career, I worked to create teams with common focus.

How did I learn how to create great teams?

An Unlikely Place to Learn Teamwork

My first experiences in great teams, and then leading teams--comes from the world of music. I’ve created and Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “People led teams as a jazz musician. I’ve acting together as a group can accom- played in exceptional orchestras plish things which no individual (I’m a flutist). I’ve seen conductors acting alone could ever hope to bring pull together one hundred disparate, temperamental, independent musicabout.” ians as an inspiring team. (It’s a lot If you’ve ever played on a sports like managing a real estate office!). team, you know the chaos that en- So, the four truisms here come from sues when every player tries to be the my experience in both worlds—the star—to go her own way. That’s not musical performance world and the a team. That’s a group. You may also world of real estate team-building. know the joy of playing on a team that shares a common focus and It’s Not Just About Developing commitment to excellence. What a YOU as a Leader difference! What if you could bring that into your real estate office or You may think that, as a leader, your your agent team? job is to find team members that 22

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Just because people accept a position doesn’t mean they know how to proceed with the job. They need to have clear direction, a job description and a firm understanding of the responsibilities--prioritized. Do you have a job description for each of your team positions? Do you provide it prior to hiring? Do you coach to One of the differences between lead- it? Do you help your team members ing a group and leading a team is that, get so good at it that they can start in a successful team, team members training new team members (move also become leaders, and think like into leadership)? leaders, looking out for the good of the team, not just for themselves, In “Teamwork is the primary other words, will work well together. That’s true, as far as it goes. But, your ultimate job is to train and coach those team members to start doing some of the leadership jobs you’ve done. That way, you can keep moving to higher levels of leadership. You can expand and sell your business.

ingredient of success.”

Leaders develop leadership on their team.

Otherwise, leaders are not really leading. They’re managing—or micromanaging. From developing leadership over a couple of decades, I’ve found four major truisms for developing your team with strong internal leadership. These principles apply whether you’re in management or in sales interested in building a team.

Principle #2: People don’t know WHAT to do to get the job done.

Even if you hire someone who has real estate experience, it doesn’t work to leave it to them to figure what exactly needs to be done—from your point of view. They don’t know your priorities. They don’t know how you work. Do you have processes and systems in place to teach them exactly what needs to be done?

The Principles to Developing Team Leadership

Principle #3: It’s your job to teach them HOW.

Principle #1: People don’t know what’s expected of them.

Some people think “leaders” are the “idea people” and aren’t supposed to

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get into implementation. But if you want your team to excel, you must show them how. Having worked with assistants for over 15 years, I have found that assistants and team members need help in systemizing any process that you want done. They need help in developing dialogues to deal with affiliates and consumers in the way you expect. They are good at systemizing their own processes-but not good at all at systemizing ours! Help them.

regularly”. Hold your team members accountable for each step along the way to completion of a task as well as the end result. Do you have solid, measurable benchmarks from which to measure? How do you know you and they are succeeding?

All systems in place? Do you have foundational systems in place from which to improvise? Do you have a solid training program to bring a new team member on board? Do you a method to ‘clone’ yourself to develop someone who can take over your job?

Vince Lombardi, one of the greatest football coaches of all time, said of teamwork, “Teamwork is the primary ingredient of success.”

The pay-off for developing competency and leadership skills in all of your team members is a business that is ‘owned’ by all those involved, with empowerment assured.

Your goal is to develop processes, systems, and training for your team members—all which reflect your philosophy of how you do business.

Principle #4: When accountability They reflect your values and your factors aren’t built in, things don’t culture. Bring them into a leadership get done. mentality with you, so you can delegate more responsibilities and There’s a great difference between finally replace yourself! “do it the way you want” and expecting results and “do it the way you Copyright©, Carla Cross. want and let’s check how it’s going All rights reserved.

Carla Cross, CRB, MA, is an international speaker, writer, and coach, specializing in real estate management. Her Leadership Mastery Coaching program is unique in the industry.

A National Realtor Educator of the Year, Carla was recently named one of the 50 most influential women in real estate. Join Carla’s Community and receive special offers and free resources. Contact Carla at 425-392-6914 or www.carlacross.com.

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KEELAN HARVEY Coming from England, Keelan Harvey’s family really felt the economic downturn in 2008. Watching his family struggle through this adversity inspired him to educate himself on finances, and he quickly became a financial advisor before eventually getting licensed as a Certified Mortgage Advisor.

He became interested in real estate through his own home investing and home financing, and realized how much of an impact he could make in other people’s lives by sharing his knowledge and experience far and wide.

Keelan is a nationally recognized Top Producer who has seen an impressive amount of success in his five years in the business. His drive to better the lives of others the same way he has his own pushes him to spread his message about home finance across his local community.

“Providing the gift of ownership to others, and educating them about home financing to better their families, is my passion. I put all my energy into spreading this knowledge as far as I can,” Keelan says. His motivation is admirable, and as a former financial advisor, he is uniquely suited to explaining the finer details of home finance to any and all who would listen.

Directness and clarity are two of Keelan’s top priorities when discussing transactions with his clients. He has a meticulous attention to detail, and makes it his goal to communicate his findings efficiently to his clients and coworkers. “I treat every customer as if they are my own family member. I’m extremely transparent and enable them to see why we do what we do,” Keelan says, stressing that educating people so that they can make their own decisions is his preferred method of doing business. “The most important thing I can do in my position is make people their own experts.” Keelan is very attuned with the process of each of his transactions, and maintains a high level of regular communication with everyone he works with.

When Keelan interacts with his clients, he focuses on the relationship that he builds with them. For him, his job Top Agent Magazine

is less about his own bottom line and more about establishing and maintaining a connection with the people he meets, through which he can help empower them to “obtain the dream” of home ownership. “I love getting to know people,” Keelan says. “My favorite thing is watching the dream become real.

When I closed my first home, it was a very emotional moment. Sharing that moment with customers has me glowing from ear to ear every time.” Keelan’s personal approach is a big hit with his client-base; he gets the majority of his business through referrals from satisfied past clients.

In his free time, Keelan coaches soccer, a sport he used to play semi-professionally. He also hosts a radio show called “Money Hour”, where he offers financial and investing advice. For the future of his business, Keelan hopes to scale his business up as it continues to grow over time. Make sure to call Keelan Harvey for all your mortgage assistance needs!

You can contact Keelan by phone at (206) 321-4941 or by email at kharvey@highlandsmortgage.com 25 Copyright Top Agent Magazine

5 Things You Can Do To Achieve Your Biggest Goals If there’s one thing successful people can agree on, it’s that setting goals has been key to their success. Whether you’re creating a five year plan or just settling on what you want to achieve by the end of the day, setting goals gives you the focus and direction you need to complete even the biggest tasks.

But there is a method to setting them. It’s a process that takes careful thought and con26

sideration up front, which is then combined with the hard work necessary to implement your plan. Luckily there are proven methods to goal setting that you can start using immediately.

1. MAKE YOUR GOALS SPECIFIC

Yes, it’s fun to think in grand terms of where you want to end up in life and in your career, but it’s better to have a specific

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Your plan of action should include daily, weekly, monthly and yearly goals. goal like “Increase my sales by 25%”, than “Get rich.” When a goal is clear and specific, it allows you to figure out the exact steps you need to take to accomplish it. The more general it is, the more paralyzed you might be when it comes to figuring out what to do since, the choices may be overwhelming.

2. MAKE IT ATTAINABLE

Making attainable goals might seem boring, I mean afterall, you want to dream big! But you don’t want to suffer through the disappointment of not reaching your goal, something that may not even be possible at this stage in your life to begin with. One solution to that is creating goal levels. You can have the dream goal, but underneath that you have the realistic goals that are setting up a foundation for achieving the big one.

Things that are attainable still take work and effort to achieve. Those small victories will keep you motivated and encouraged to go for the bigger dreams. And don’t forget, those little goals may have been things you wouldn’t have gotten done if you didn’t set out to achieve them, so be proud!

3. PUT A PLAN OF ACTION IN WRITING

Your plan of action should include daily, weekly, monthly and yearly goals. There is something about seeing things in writing and crossing them off the list that is oddly satisfying.The daily goals are especially Top Agent Magazine

important in regards to building up those good habits. The first few weeks of your plan of action are critical when it comes to your long term success. Reaching a goal is something you are doing every day, all throughout the day, in numerous ways.

Achieving goals is all about creating good new habits.

4. MAKE IT MEASURABLE

This is key, since you definitely want to reward yourself for a job well done, and having a goal that is measurable in some way is a sure way to know. Maybe it’s to increase your lead generation or to cut expenses, whatever the case, have a measurable test you need to meet, as well as a time frame. Then calculate what you have to do to reach that goal. Not only should your goal be specific, but the plan and the measure of success should also be set in stone.

5. ADJUST AS YOU GO

You can have all the best laid plans, and you still might quickly realize that what you thought would help you reach your goal, might not be cutting it. Commitment to reaching your goals is good, but commitment to a plan you know isn’t going to work is not only a waste of time, but will be a devastating blow to your motivation.

Sticking to a plan everyday means adjusting it accordingly.

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