NEW JERSEY MORTGAGE EDITION
MANAGERS AND TEAM BUILDERS: FOUR PRINCIPLES TO DEVELOP A GREAT TEAM FEATURED TOP MORTGAGE PROFESSIONAL
WALTER GORMAN COVER STORY
MARK ZACHARCZYK
GOOGLE ADWORDS: HOW TO MAKE GOOGLE DO THE WORK FOR YOU GET YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME! FACEBOOK: Q&A
NEW JERSEY MORTGAGE EDITION
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MARK ZACHARCZYK
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WALTER GORMAN
CONTENTS 4) GOOGLE AD WORDS: HOW TO MAKE GOOGLE DO THE WORK FOR YOU 14) MANAGERS AND TEAM BUILDERS: FOUR PRINCIPLES TO DEVELOP A GREAT TEAM
18) FACEBOOK: Q&A 22) GET YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME!
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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. 4
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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. 6
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MARK ZACHARCZYK Top Agent Magazine
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“There is no better outcome for me than when I help a client realize it’s not as difficult of a process as they expected it to be. My goal is to surprise them with the simplicity of the process.”
MARK ZACHARCZYK 8 Copyright Top Agent Magazine
After graduating from SUNY Albany Business School in 2000, Mark Zacharczyk embarked on a successful career as an equities trader, but he quickly realized that it wasn’t for him. In 2002, his brother, who was in the mortgage business, was looking for help during the refinance boom, and Mark decided to make the leap. Top Agent Magazine
Mark takes a stroll with his wife, Dana, and their two sons in Asbury Park, NJ
He was quickly hooked. He learned the business, did his first loan in 2003 and he hasn’t looked back since. Mark is now one of the most respected mortgage professionals in New Jersey, where he serves Monmouth County. Mark is currently with Guaranteed Rate where he is the Vice President of Mortgage Lending. “One of the great things about working at Guaranteed Rate is their unique assembly line process. Everyone here has their own unique responsibility and they do the same thing over and over again, which creates an efficient Top Agent Magazine
flow for our clients. Obviously constant communication amongst the team members is key, and we are touching base at each milestone. Everyone knows what’s going on at all times. It’s been an amazingly successful system.” The system is so successful in fact, that Mark and his team have a near 100% repeat and referral business rate. Another way Mark stands out in this competitive industry is with the compassionate approach he takes when doing his job. “I’m very caring and empathetic. Yes this is a financial transaction, but it is also Copyright Top Agent Magazine 9
“We’re big on technology here, and another exciting thing we offer is an innovative application app, that you can actually use to get pre-approved.” a very emotional process. I really take time upfront to understand what my client needs and why they feel the way they do, so I can find the mortgage solution that will work best for them. Then I reassure them throughout the entire process. There is no better outcome for me than when I help a client realize it’s not as difficult of a process as they expected it to be. My Copyright Top Agent Magazine 10Copyright
goal is to surprise them with the simplicity of the process. There are some tougher situations than others obviously, but most are straightforward. It’s all about managing expectations, so the client is always aware of what they can expect.” Mark is actively involved with the Monmouth County Association of Realtors® Top Agent Magazine
where he is an affiliate member, and really makes an effort to be involved in his professional community. “Another way everyone at Guaranteed Rate connects with our referral partners is with our website Gateless.com, which we believe is the best real estate marketing website on the planet. We’ve spent millions of dollars investing in the site which offers people interviews with the best agents across the country, giving their tricks of the trade, in Top Agent Magazine
order to help users grow their business. We’re big on technology here, and another exciting thing we offer is an innovative application app, that you can actually use to get pre-approved.” Another one of Mark’s passions is giving back. Three years ago he started a charity called The Believe Project, an organization that brings holiday cheer to kids in need. Copyright Top Agent Magazine11
Mark would like to continue to see his business grow, but it’s not about financial gain for him. “Money isn’t what drives me. It’s really about gaining influence so I can give back to my community even more. I love
connecting with people. I’ve had a good four year run here and I feel like I’m just getting started. This career is rewarding on so many levels and I can’t see myself doing anything else.”
To learn more about Mark Zacharczyk, email Mark.Zacharczyk@Rate.com, call 732-754-0056 or visithttp://www.justingrable.com Rate.com/MarkZacharczyk www.
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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. 14
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, Top Agent Magazine
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 Top Agent Magazine
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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©, 2015 Carla Cross. All want and let’s check how it’s going 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. Top Agent Magazine
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Facebook: Q & A Top Agent Magazine Asked, You Answered: Finish this sentence: You know your clients think you are the best when… • They give you a Tiffanys key necklace as a gift at closing! • You get calls from past clients' family and friends saying that they heard you were the best agent in the business and that they want to meet with you. • When two past clients without knowing both referred you to the same person. • You are the family REALTOR® for several generations. • They send referrals and bring a gift for me at closing! • They hire me again! • They need someone to call that they can truly trust and rely on. • Promise little but deliver over and above. • They consider you their friend—not just their REALTOR®.” • They say, “Wow, you do have a really hard job. This is nothing like HGTV! Thank you so much!” • They rave about you and send everyone your way! • You get them a great interest rate. • They insist on taking you out to dinner and give you a recommendation for your advertising. • When you are a problem solver. • You begin receiving calls to help their family and friends (shoot, maybe even their enemies) buy and sell real estate! It’s the best job ever! 18
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WALTER GORMAN Before entering the mortgage industry, Walter Gorman excelled in the sales arena. He met his first broker as an actual customer that he won over with his savvy sales techniques. Looking to increase his career standing, Walter began working in the mortgage industry when he was only 20 years old. He moved to NJ Lenders Corp. in October 2016. Over the course of 15 years, he has built his business and earned himself a massive 100 percent repeat and referral business. With his primary business coming from past clients and real estate agents, he is able to offer them virtually any loan type they are looking for. “That’s the reason I work an NJ Lenders Corp.,” Walter says. NJ Lenders Corp. is one of New Jersey’s largest private mortgage bankers. With a solid reputation as a market leader for 25 years, NJ Lenders Corp has helped over 55,000 homeowners. By partnering with NJ Lenders Corp., Walter is able specialize in construction loans and home-style financing. He knows there are two keys to his success – being honest with his clients and always being available. “I try to make myself as available as I can to my clients whether it’s after hours or on vacation,” he says. This constant availability eases his clients’ minds as he is always there to take their calls and answer their questions. Communication is essential with Walter as he realizes the typical client requires a steady stream of information about their loan process to reduce the stress associated with buying a home. “If it is a consumers first time buying a home, you have to hold their hand and educate them on the process while always providing guidance. Buying a home is one of the biggest purchases someone can make in their life, having a partner to be your advocate is key,” he says.
Even with more than a decade in the industry, Walter still gets a thrill out of seeing a homebuyer achieve their dream of owning a house. Knowing that he is responsible for making this happen gives him the satisfaction he needs. Walter explains that this ability and opportunity to truly help people realize their dreams is one of the greatest rewards of his daily job. “It’s always awesome to see at the end of the day that you were able to help a family get into a home,” he says. When a client works with Walter, they are fortunate also to have access to his knowledge of technology. He is social media savvy and likes to try new digital ideas to stay in touch and in front of his clients. This is especially important to his realtor clients that can use this information to further their own business. “I teach them how to use technology and social media to put themselves ahead of the competition,” he said. Community service and volunteerism is a core part of Walter’s business practice and belief’s. Walter gives generously to help and protect animals as an animal lover himself and finds solace in giving to World Vision, a charity dedicated to educating and providing for children. When Walter is away from work, he enjoys spending time with his three kids and doing the things they love. As he continues to move forward with his business, he wants to add to his Realtor network with like-minded agents that have the same business philosophy as him. “I want to align myself with more agents that have the same vision as myself in terms of continued success,” he says. He also wants to move forward with technology and connect with agents that are at the forefront of the digital world as he says, “The future of our business is rooted in technology. It’s all about generating and connecting with an audience online. Future buyers click before they call.”
For more information about Walter Gorman, call 973-200-3405, or email wgorman@njlenders.com. Walter Gorman, NMLS# 138370, is licensed by the NJ Department of Banking and Insurance, Licensed Mortgage Banker- NYS Department of Financial Services. Licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities. NJ Lenders Corp. NMLS# 35286 is a Licensed Mortgage Banker NJ, NY, CT, FL, MD, PA and VA and Equal Housing Opportunity. Top Agent Magazine
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Get Your Head in the Game! By Barry Eisen
Can you think of any top athlete in any sport who is inconsistent in prepara tion, has little focus, has no defined game plan, and has low confidence and self-esteem? If you can, you’re not thinking of a top athlete, you’re thinking of a wanna-be poser. There are lots of gifted and talented people in sports, but the world doesn’t care as much about the talent unless it shows up, demonstrates focus, shows a dedicated plan of action and acts like success is the natural by product of all the previous preparation. The same scenario is true about successful entrepreneurs. You’d be hard pressed to think of a winner who wasn’t prepared, focused, strategized and confident. 20
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The stories about Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, Billie Jean King, John McEnroe, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Michael Phelps, Lionel Messi, Amanda Beard, and thousands of other sports greats share many When you hear negative basic success principles. Think of the Captains of Commerce in your business and chances are the success principles are much the same.
messages in your mind... take a deep breath and replace them with supportive words.
I’ve been privileged to have worked with some of the very best in sport and business over many years and this is some of what I’ve learned from them. 5 ideas for stepping up your game.
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Preparation is what creates confidence. Don’t work on confidence. Practice more. Whether it’s practicing getting out of the starting blocks quickly in the 100 meter dash, efficient flip turns in the pool, chipping onto the green from 30 yards away or rehearsing business presentation scripts, introducing yourself while knocking on doors, or closing assertively after a strong presentation...you can’t get around practice/preparation. Check out “the 10,000 Hour Rule,” in Gladwell’s, Outliers. Ya gotta do the work! Mental practice in a relaxed state of mind (self-hypnosis) can speed up the success process from 2-5 times. Read almost any autobiography of a successful athlete or business personality and recognize this common trait; almost all successful people saw and savored the end result in their quiet, meditative states first.
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The quality of Self-Talk is a big reason for the separation between superstars and the herd that follows. It’s easy to be positive and use positive words when things are going great and your attitude is up. One way of getting and keeping an “up” attitude is to silently tell yourself what the outcome of the next event will be...where the ball will land, your time for the 100 butterfly, the height of the high jump you’ll clear, the room you’ll mesmerize with your speech, the powerful listing presentation you’ll
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give today, etc. The result of negative self-talk (self fulfilling prophesy) is obvious...poor posture, unfocused, procrastination, fear. Self sabotage! When you hear negative messages in your mind...take a deep breath and replace them with supportive words. This will get easier and more automatic with practice and so will your successes. (If you don’t achieve what you set out for...it doesn’t matter...keep doing this.) The difference in how the ultimately successful get to where they are and where everyone one else gets, is how soon you pull the plug and quit. Raise your game by staying in it. As you shift your mind your game will improve/your business will improve.
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Visualize the self-talk. Pictures make more and deeper neurological impressions. A picture IS worth a thousand words. The greats in every sport played the game, walked the course, saw the 100 mph fastball come in, saw the touch at the pool’s wall, broke the beam at the finish line well before their bodies were involved. Your actions are based on your thoughts. Don’t be random. Choose successful pictures that move you forward.
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Feel the satisfaction of success for just a moment. How would it feel hitting that perfect dive, making the 20 foot putt, running your personal best in a 10k, nailing that listing presentation, passing that test? Allowing the neurotransmitter dopamine to flash through the pleasure centers of your brain, reinforces the positive goal towhich you are moving. We do things to maximize pleasure or to minimize discomfort. As you associate the task or goal with a positive feeling, you’ll approach the task/ goal with a more open, “CAN DO,” attitude. It’s attitude not aptitude that usually matters more. Like a pep talk before a game, like a supportive hand on a child’s shoulder before a test in school, like a smile from a prospect that says, “I’m open to what you have to say,” feel good about what you’re here to do. You’ll make changes, not because you need to or want to, but because it feels good. Take the kicking and screaming out of your life to experience a more centered and focused energy.
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Relax before you compete/take care of that piece of business. Some use music, some meditate, some create physical rituals (eat a certain food, do push ups, clap hands, stretch, a couple of breathes (and a whole lot of other crazy things you’ve seen. It ain’t crazy if it works.) Create a small ritual that focuses you in the last moment before the event/business presentation/prospecting/public speaking... Some sport psychology is about emotional, social and or physical issues, more to be addressed by qualified coaches, counselors or therapists, trained to deal with psychological baggage and physical scars. Some business leaders sit in with therapists and coaches to sort out individual blocks. But after all the analysis is said and done, the smart ones go back to the basics. See the ball, hit the ball. Copyright©, 2016 Barry Eisen. All rights reserved.
Barry Eisen teaches personal development seminars and coaches Southern California top producing REALTORS®. “Your business will never grow more than you do” is the theme; self hypnosis and behavior modification are the tools for playing a bigger game. barryeisen.com, barryeisen@LA.twcbc.com 818-769-4300 Top Agent Magazine
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