New Jersey 2-5-18

NEW JERSEY EDITION

GOOGLE ADWORDS: How to Make Google do the Work for You CREATIVE MEDITATION for the Real Estate Professional

FEATURED AGENT:

ERICA TRAVIS COVER STORY

BOBBIE GALKIN

5 Tips to Make New Hires a LONG-LASTING SUCCESS IS YOUR PHONE VOICE ATTRACTING — or repelling?

NEW JERSEY EDITION

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BOBBIE GALKIN

ERICA TRAVIS

CONTENTS 4) 5 TIPS TO MAKE NEW HIRES A LONGLASTING SUCCESS

19) IS YOUR PHONE VOICE ATTRACTING — OR REPELLING?

14) GOOGLE ADWORDS: HOW TO MAKE GOOGLE DO THE WORK FOR YOU

22) CREATIVE MEDITATION FOR THE REAL ESTATE PROFESSIONAL

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5 Tips to Make New Hires

a Long-lasting Success Bringing a new employee into the mix is process commonly known as onboarding. The idea behind onboarding is to make the transition from new hire to team member as efficient and pain-free as possible. However, polling shows that some 31% of entry-level and intermediate level hires leave their new posts within just six months of starting. The question is: why?

The hiring and training process is time-intensive and doesn’t come cheap. This means that making 4

a good match for the long haul requires more than just assessments of skill and personality. To ensure a talented new hire sticks around and is truly positioned for success, the onboarding process must be executed with the same care applied during hiring. For a few ideas on how to make the most of the onboarding process, consider the tenets below as you guide your new hire toward long-lasting success within your company.

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1. Be honest about the scope of the role

2. Build in some perks

Let’s say you’re looking to add a new buyers agent or loan processor to your team. You write up the position’s responsibilities, but neglect to mention that you want the new hire to handle a host of administrative tasks, as well. Maybe it doesn’t seem important enough to outline in detail, as it’s the sort of thing the rest of your does. Miscommunications like these are a leading reason why new hires leave their roles.

If there isn’t clarity and transparency about a position’s true responsibilities, then new hires may become quickly disillusioned and seek out greener pastures.

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While stocking the breakroom with bagels every Friday may seem like a small gesture, it’s often those little morale-boosting moves that build loyalty and comradery among the team. Bike-to-work incentives, subsidized gym memberships, and benefits that match the needs of your employees—all are ways to demonstrate appreciation and investment in your team.

Likewise, the right candidate will return the favor and invest his or her energies into their new role.

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3. Get a sense of big-picture career plans

4. Keep the lines of communication open

Another reason new hires move on may have nothing to do with you or your office. In fact, many hires in entry-level or even intermediate roles have doubts about their long-term vision.

That’s why it’s important to be upfront from the beginning regarding a candidate’s five-year plan and ultimate dream job. Maintain realistic expectations when asking these questions, but use it as an opportunity to gage a candidate’s seriousness about the real estate or mortgage industry. Why this line of work over another?

Emphasizing industry longevity and career growth during the interview process can save you drama down the road.

Take a proactive approach in communicating with your new hire. Take time to check in regularly during the first six months of his or her addition. If you can, make time to train new hires yourself—if only for a part of the onboarding process. You’ll forge a deeper professional bond and create an avenue for further questions. All in all, make it clear that you’re personally invested in their presence and talents, and that you care what they have to say. That way, if any issues or doubts arise, you can stay on top of it and work out a solution, rather than lose a new employee.

5. Give new hires meaningful work to do It’s natural to keep the kid-gloves on with new hires, but don’t let that stop you from giving them a chance to shine. New team members will feel empowered and motivated if given meaningful projects to focus on. Don’t relegate their daily duties to busy work as they build experience.

Instead, task new teammates with something challenging, or that draws on a specific skill you hired them for. You’ll instill confidence, demonstrate your commitment to their growth, and with any luck—keep them around for the long haul.

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BOBBIE GALKIN Top Agent Magazine

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BOBBIE GALKIN With her commitment to top-notch client service, her fiery and positive personality and a can-do attitude, Bobbie Galkin has been helping buyers and sellers reach their dreams for over three decades.

Top Agent Bobbie Galkin of RE/MAX Competetive Edge in Metuchen, New Jersey has spent her career building a stellar reputation as one of the hardest-working, most dedicated and knowledgeable realtors working in New Jersey today. With her commitment to top-notch client service, her 8Copyright Top Agent Magazine

fiery and positive personality and a can-do attitude, Bobbie has been helping buyers and sellers reach their dreams for over three decades.

Bobbie, a former teacher who worked with disabled youth, sought out a career in the real Top Agent Magazine

estate industry when the grant that covered her teaching salary was discontinued.

“I like to work,” she says, “so I took stock of what I liked to do and what my abilities were. That’s when I decided to go into real estate.” When the teaching position became funded and available again months later, she declined the offer, citing her love of her new occupation.

Bobbie opened her own Century 21 office, which she ran for 28 years until the market downturn in 2010, when RE/MAX bought out her lease.

She has been with them ever since. Working alongside her daughter, Marcie Borke, the pair sell Middlesex County and the surrounding area.

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With a stunningly large percentage of their business based on repeat clients and referrals, Bobbie is clearly doing something right.

“I always listen to my clients,” says Bobbie, “and I’ll joke around with them, because that helps them to trust you, and when they trust you they’ll listen when you give them advice that’s in their best interest, as opposed to my own best Copyright Top Agent Magazine9

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interest.” Bobbie also employs a genuine, egalitarian approach to serving her clients. “I treat all of my clients the same, whether they’re buying a home for $750,000 or a home for $125,000.

Everyone gets the same treatment, and they get the best of me no matter the situation.”

The excellent service Bobbie provides has resulted in a multiplicity of five-star reviews on Zillow.com, where she is a Premier Agent.

Among the many glowing testimonials is this one that demonstrates the lengths to which she will go above and beyond for her customers: “Bobbie is great, cheerful, motivating, hard-working realtor. She was very active in sending us listings.

And she was on top of her work and proactive.

We consider ourselves lucky that we found her.”

Elected Woman of the Year in 2013-2014 by the National Association of Professional Women, Top Agent Magazine

Bobbie values all her buyers and sellers, including her vast roster of past clients. Keeping in touch with them all is of paramount importance to her, and to that end she frequently sends out notes and cards, including customized, humorous poems she writes herself in recognition of holidays.

When asked what she enjoys most about her career, Bobbie is quick to reply: “Everything.

It’s not a nine-to-five job. I’m in and out, and I love listening to people and helping them reach their goals. I love it when somebody gives me a referral, telling people to come to me because I’m going to make the process easy for them, and that I’m going to make them laugh.”

When she isn’t working, Bobbie can be found playing tennis three mornings a week. She is also a licensed pilot and enjoys flying planes.

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Her family is also a priority, and she enjoys spending time with her five grandchildren and also her husband, who is both a local periodontist and a pilot who has circled the globe twice in his single-engine plane, with plans to do so again to raise money for Alzheimer’s research. “My husband has always been very supportive of my career, and is very proud when people say complimentary things about me.” Bobbie also finds time to give back

to the real estate community, and among other activities, she was the President of the Middlesex County Association of Realtors in 2012-2013.

As for the future, Bobbie’s plan is to simply continue doing what she’s been doing: providing excellent customer service and expert guidance to her grateful buyers and sellers. “I really love what I do,” she says.

For more information about

BOBBIE GALKIN,

please call 732-742-1914 or email Bobbie.Galkin@gmail.com Remax Competitive Edge Copyright Top Agent Magazine 12

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Alison E. Kosberg, Esq., is proud to congratulate

Bobbie Galkin

on being featured for the state of New Jersey in Top Agent Magazine!

Alison E. Kosberg, Esq. 2035 Lincoln Highway | Suite 1000 | Edison, NJ 08817 Phone: 732-248-1212 | Fax: 732-248-1456

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Google AdWords:

How To Make Google Do the Work for You There is no denying that the internet is the first place a buyer begins looking for a new home in this digital age. Knowing how to put the powerful tools available on the internet to work for you can give you a decided advantage when it comes to attracting prospective buyers to your listings, as well as you as an agent. Google is easily one of the major superpowers of the internet, and they have one of the most powerful advertising tools available. Knowing how to utilize Google AdWords in the correct manner can make your internet advertising immensely powerful and possibly your best way to reach prospective buyers.

Google AdWords is also extremely cost-effective. This multifaceted tool gives you much more control over your advertising campaign than other more traditional methods. You can target specific audiences, choose the specific search terms, also known as keywords, that will bring up your ad in someone’s search results, and you can set a budget for each campaign that will dictate it’s reach and how long the campaign will run. Here are some tips for how to put Google AdWords to work for you.

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ent websites. You want to set yourself apart from every other real estate website users are viewing in their search for a house.

MAKE SURE YOUR ADS ARE GOING TO SEND USERS TO A SITE THAT WILL CAPTURE THEIR ATTENTION

You can spend an infinite amount of money on Google advertising campaigns, but if those ads don’t send users to a site that will capture and hold their interest, then you’ve just wasted all that money. Don’t put your cart before the horse. Make sure you are considering exactly where these ads are going to send users. To set up your website for success, at the very least you want to make sure users are greeted by clear call-to-action, such as a message that will encourage them to sign up for your newsletter or subscribe to your blog. You want to set up your website to maximize and capture the leads the ad campaign sends your way.

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BUILD CUSTOMIZED OR CUSTOM-MADE WEBSITES RATHER THAN TEMPLATE WEBSITES It is easy and tempting to use template websites, or to offer your agents template websites if you are a real estate manager or broker. While this offers a cost-effective solution to providing every agent with a website, it does little to set you or your agents apart and capture the attention of users that are used to seeing a wealth of differ-

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MAKE SURE YOU ARE OFFERING VALUE ON YOUR WEBSITE

Don’t simply use your website as a kind of brag sheet. Let users know what makes your particular services valuable to them. Highlight your expertise in a certain location through tools such as blog posts, providing market updates, or giving pertinent information on a unique type of property. This will ensure that your online advertising campaigns are much more successful.

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LOCATION IS EVERYTHING!

Location is everything in real estate, and the same holds true for Google AdWords. You can target specific locations in your ad campaign. While one approach is to focus on the area around your location, a more advanced approach would be to link AdWords campaigns to your Google My Business account. This is a Google service that includes your address in the ad, allowing people to then click on it and see exactly where you are located on a map.

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USE GOOGLE ADWORDS IN YOUR CAMPAIGN TO EXPAND YOUR BUSINESS IN GENERAL

Focus an AdWords campaign on expanding your business by incorporating specific zip codes and neighborhoods that will help you establish a presence in an area where you would like to increase your real estate business. Making sure that your ad appears in search results that are related to the real estate in a specific area will help shape the image and brand of your business as well as bring in new leads.

HARNESS THE POWER OF DATA

When you run a Google AdWords campaign Google Analytics captures a wealth of information about your target client demographic.

You can gain real insight into your online visitors, such as when they visit, what they do and look at on your site once they get there, and what search terms they use. You can use all of this information to grow your business. Use Google Analytics to determine which users (location, gender, age) are utilizing specific aspects of your site, such as looking at multiple listings, reading your blog, etc. You can then use this information to target these specific demographics in your AdWord campaigns, Gmail ads, the Google Display Network, and other advertising.

Using the internet to help advertise your business and your listings is one of the smartest moves you can make as an agent in this modern age. However, you don’t want to simply go into the process blind or you’re wasting a lot of potential resources and data that could make all the difference. To reap the benefits of Google AdWords, you must apply an intelligent strategy to using these campaigns.

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ERICA TRAVIS Top Agent Magazine

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ERICA TRAVIS Top Agent Erica Travis of Weichert Realtors in Morristown, New Jersey has spent the last four years building a reputation as one of the finest agents working in the Garden State. With an impressive list of accolades and awards, Erica has seen her business escalate exponentially in the four years since she began helping buyers and sellers.

Erica, who was named the #1 Selling Realtor in Morristown in 2016, came to the real estate business via a stint working for Bank of America. Following a fairly traumatic episode where the bank was robbed at gunpoint, she decided to begin pursuing other career options. Upon being hired by Weichert, Erica “hit the ground running,” working sixty-hour weeks. “My first year was a little slow,” she says. “I only closed two-and-a-half million in sales. My second year I tripled that, and in my third year I closed thirteen million. This year I’m projected to do another thirteen million.” Now a member of the Weichert Million Dollar Club, the Director’s Club, and the Weichert Executive’s Club & Ambassadors Club, she is ranked among the top 1% of all selling Realtors in Morris County.

With almost 30% of her business based on repeat clients and referrals, Erica is clearly on the right path. “I think there’s a no-nonsense part of me that my clients enjoy,” she says. “I think they find that very refreshing, and that they see me as very welcoming and not pushy. That gives them a lot of comfort, I believe.”

A solid embrace of current technologies also gives her a leg up on her competition. “I have a tremendous amount of experience with technology, computers and marketing,” she explains. “I’m able to implement things that other agents aren’t able to because they just don’t have the background in working with websites and computers and things like Google Analytics.”

Intelligent, cutting-edge marketing is a hallmark of Erica’s approach, and to that end she utilizes professional photography, aerial photography, and 3D virtual marketing, among other

high-tech methods. Erica is also grateful to have Weichert Realty for the excellent support they provide. “I’m backed by Jim & James Weichert, through their technological advances and support, it too has helped put more money in not only my pocket, but in my clients pockets! Social media, open houses and simple word of mouth from neighbors, friends and past clients also contribute to Erica’s success at promoting her listings.

While the financial rewards of her profession are not inconsiderable, it’s the more personal side of the business that Erica finds the most rewarding.

“I love working with people,” she says. “That’s what I liked best about working at the bank: the customer service aspect. If there’s anything I can do to help my buyers and sellers in life with such a major financial decision, then I feel like I’ve achieved something.”

2018 promises to be an amazing year for Erica, when she will be teaming up with a former bank co-worker, Sandy Etienne. “We ran into a builder that we both knew from the bank,” she explains, “and we sold him a fully-approved project for thirty condos and townhouses in Morristown. We sold out the building ourselves before even breaking ground this year. With nearly sixty pending closings anticipated for 2018, I’d say we’re pretty excited and so is our builder!”

Erica’s excitement is palpable. “I feel like this opportunity is going to be a game-changer for me and for anybody who wants to move here, because there hasn’t been any inventory. It’s also exciting because not only will I have my past business, we’ll have the new developments in the works and eventually will have to start building a team. It’s so exciting, being able to grow in any industry so quickly, especially with all the competition out there. It’s pretty amazing.” I know my clients feel confident when buying or selling with me. As a Broker-Salesperson they know I have the experience, willingness, and devotion to follow through on every aspect of their sale.”

For more information about Erica Travis, please call 908-370-8695 or email ETravis713@gmail.com 18

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Is Your Phone Voice Attracting–or Repelling?

By Carla Cross, CRB, MA It’s such a simple thing, but so important--the first impression you make with your voice!

Recently, I did a presentation to a group of Luxury Agent Specialists. It was about sound and its impact on others (I used the piano to demonstrate). We usually think of visual impact. But, as agents, we come across way more people initially via email or phone than we do by sight. So, isn’t it time to Top Agent Magazine

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polish your ‘phone voice’? It’s probably the first ‘warm’ impression people get of you (I call email ‘cold communication’ because it vastly shrinks the three major ways we communicate: sight, sound, and feeling).

Here are three tips to assure your phone voice makes the best first impression.

Remember, You never have a second chance to make a first impression!

Don’t Mistake Technology as the ‘End’

We are so focused on technology today, that we are in danger of forgetting to effectively use that technology. Here’s an example. When I phone an agent today, I have no idea where that agent will answer his or her phone—or from what phone the call is being answered. And, I don’t really care. Technology allows the phone to follow the agent. That’s great. Here’s what’s not so great. The agent’s message is so dull, powerless, or mumbled that it doesn’t sound as though the agent wants to talk to me. Or, the agent’s message is so long, that I’m impatient by the time I get to leave the message.

Make a Superior Phone Message

For three days, listen carefully to the tone, intent, and messages you hear in phone messages. Listen carefully to how agents, managers, and your affiliates answer the phone (including the receptionist at the office). What do you think? If you didn’t know these people, what would you think of them? Are they excited to hear from you, or are they bored?

Here are 4 important tips to remember when recording your own message: 1. Stand up—you’ll sound as though you have much more energy.

2. Write out your script first—and be sure it’s not too long. I don’t really care where you’re going to be all day!

3. Modulate your voice pleasantly. Try to get some resonance.

4. Sound as though you’re looking forward to hearing from me!

Don’t Settle for One Run at It: Re-record Your Phone Message until It’s Perfect

As a musician, I would never play the piano for others unless I had practiced until the performance was perfect. Yet, when we ‘practice’ real estate, we often just ‘let it fly’ with whatever comes out of our mouths! Not good. You have too much at stake to settle for one run at it.

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Advice from a musician: Practice your phone message several times before you record it. Then, record and listen critically. Don’t just use the first recording.

Make sure your ‘phone voice’ is the best first impression you can make.

P. S. Managers and team leaders—two tips 1. Call each of your agents’ phone mails. What’s the impression you get?

Are they professional? Do they state the company name? Do they represent your culture and image?

2. Create a quick class in phone messaging using the information in this blog.

Copyright ©, 2016 Carla Cross. All rights reserved.

Carla Cross, CRB, MA, is the founder and president of Carla Cross & Co., specializing in real estate management and sales. Her internationally best-selling start-up plan for new agents, Up and Running in 30 Days, is now going into its 5th edition (!). Carla brings her vast experience as a top-selling agent and award-winning manager and trainer to the podium, blending her musical background with her proven sales and management strategies (she uses the piano AND even teaches someone to play—fast…..—entertaining and practical). Find out more at www.carlacross.com.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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