NORTH CAROLINA 2-21-22

NORTH CAROLINA EDITION

6 THINGS YOU NEED TO DO TO BE A GREAT MENTOR

How To Build A Team That Will Win Big No Matter Its Size

EMOTIONAL FLUENCY : HOW TO COMMUNICATE

FEATURED AGENT

ALEX MILLER-SAUNDERS

WITH CLIENTS WHEN TENSIONS ARE HIGH

COVER STORY

DAVID N. FROST

NORTH CAROLINA EDITION

ALEX MILLER-SAUNDERS

It all began for Alex Miller with a couof the industry, closing a volume t 7 17 nature rageous leap of faith. Ready for change nearly $34 million just this past year. from her career at the time, despite the perks that came with a guaranteed payAs an agent of Keller Williams, Ale check and working for her family, she alongside her brokerage, is incredibl was curious about real estate. Following involved in the community. Her involve her heart, she became licensed in 2018 ment in Keller Williams allows her t and joined the newly established Keller participate in various town events an Williams Realty Outer Banks in that charitable causes committed to givin December. In 2020, Alex went full time back to her community. Her favorite even as an agent. Alex describes her expeis Red Day, where just this past year, sh rience with Keller Williams as one that and her brokerage took to sprucing u gives her access to incredible training as the local recreational park. They plante well DAVID as being aN. part of a fantastic teamFROST ALEX MILLER-SAUNDERSgardens, painted inspirational murals o like atmosphere, thoroughly loving the support she has dugouts, created outdoor games, and built benches. Sh found in her current brokerage. has also been an active resource and supplier regardin hurricane aftermath. Her family had organized supplie Serving the Eastern area of North Carolina, Alex has volunteered their time, and transported goods throug spent the last two years as a full-time agent selling and boating trips to supply for needy families when road listing throughout the ever-popular Outer Banks of were not accessible. Soon she will continue her volun North Carolina. She always strives to make personal teer work with a local Soup Kitchen alongside her fello connections with her clients. Often Alex works directly agents at Keller Williams Realty Outer Banks. Overal with many investors and first-time home buyers. She as a local family, Alex loves witnessing and sharing i describes herself as highly personable and enjoys bondthe immense support provided to the community b ing with her clients through commonality. As a native her brokerage. of the Outer Banks, she connects with potential buyers and clients over shared favorites of local businesses When asked what Alex does in her free time to enjoy lif within the town she calls home and deeply loves. This outside of her career, she shares that spending time wit approach differentiates her from many of her peers her family of seven is her favorite activity. Together, the and competitors. love to go boating, fishing, and just spending the da on the water. Currently, Alex is passionately workin Alex nourishes her relationship with clients by sending towards an exciting new project that is still under wrap occasional text messages, staying informed with exciting She has also paired with other divisions within Kelle changes amidst their lives, and continuing to be a friend!

Williams. She is beginning the interview process to hir In addition, she works diligently to find her clients the an executive assistant to carry out her projects better an home of their dreams with care. “At the end of the day, more efficiently. After asking Alex what else was on th they need to be happy,” she shares. Alex also compares horizon, she shared, “I really want to grow a team an her career in real estate to matchmaking and finds the make a difference within the community.” Alex carrie entire process exciting and rewarding. Acknowledging a joyful and determined spirit, embodying a friend an 310-734-1440 | Faxinvolved, 310-734-1440 the challenges she thrives off the competitive reliable professional as a Top Agent of North Carolina.

CONTENTS

4) 6 THINGS YOU NEED TO DO TO BE A GREAT MENTOR

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

Phone

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

22) 5 THINGS YOU CAN DO TO ACHIEVE YOUR BIGGEST GOALS

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To learn more about Alex Miller-Saunders, call 252-207-7080,

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6 Things You Need to Do to Be a Great Mentor

Everyone reaches the point in their career where they feel they have gained enough experience and wisdom about business and what it takes to succeed, to actually help someone else achieve the same. Although you may have trained or given advice over the years, taking on the official status as a mentor to someone is a whole new ball game.

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Although mentorship is an unpaid endeavor, you’ll be surprised to find out how much you’ll gain from the experience. You’ll also grow as a business person through the process of teaching someone else. It’s also an endeavor that many will pay forward one day, creating a business atmosphere that is based more on mutual success than competition, which is better for everyone.

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If you were mentored, you may already have an idea of what it entails, and what you liked or didn’t like in your mentor/mentee relationship. Although it is a personal relationship that will need an individual approach, there are certain things that are key when it comes to being a great mentor: 1. Be a good listener

est about your own failures. It can be a huge relief to find out someone they look up to has gone through similar experiences and still managed to come out on top. As we all know, oftentimes the greatest lessons come from failures, which can be times when our character is truly tested. Building trust through mutual respect and honesty will make every aspect of your mentorship more effective.

You’re basically a sounding board who needs to hear your mentee’s ideas, plans and goals in order to advise them. Strong, constant and clear communication is key to any successful mentoring relationship.

Sometimes just letting them talk things out with you, will lead to them to discovering the solution they were looking for.

2. Set expectations and goals at the start When listening to your mentee in your first meeting about the potential relationship, it’s important to establish the parameters of what that relationship will be: What can you give them? What do they need or expect from you? Once the terms are agreed upon, you may want to set specific goals you’ll be working on together so that there’s a defined plan of action, timeline and result you can both expect.

3. Be honest This is important when it comes to offering them constructive criticism or tough love, but more importantly, you need to be honTop Agent Magazine

4. Get them to think, don’t make decisions for them Sometimes being a mentor is being a bit like a psychologist. By asking certain ques-

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tions you can lead your mentee to their own conclusions about their business dilemmas and strategies to reach their goals. Being a mentor is all about guidance. Build confidence by drawing out the best in your mentee rather than just presenting them with solutions.

5. Look at the situation objectively One of the key strengths you offer your mentee is a complete emotional detachment to their business. You have no sentimental attachment to doing things a certain way or working with an incompetent vendor because you ‘go way back’. Your only motive is what’s best for your mentee and their business. Although emotions cans still get in the way sometimes, having a detached perspective on hand to guide you is invaluable.

6. Don’t just offer constructive criticism, be supportive Yes, being a mentor is sometimes advising your mentee that he’s doing something ineffectively, but your main purpose is to alway approach everything like cheerleader.

You need to let them know that through it 6

all, you are a reliable support to them and have a complete belief in their abilities.

Make sure to always praise their accomplishments.

Remember: your job as a mentor is more about guidance than constant feedback.

Your goal is to help someone become the best they can be, not someone who just does everything the way you do it. You’re helping them build confidence in their own intuition, which will hopefully lead to a lifetime of success, and one day, they too might be a valuable resource to another mentee down the road.

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DAVID N. FROST Top Agent Magazine

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Top Agent David Frost leads one of the top-rated teams—the Frost Real Estate Team—along North Carolina’s Crystal Coast and the surrounding area.

Any military member knows that a team is only as strong as its weakest link. As a veteran himself, Realtor David Frost understands that fact very well, which is why he devotes so much time to training and resources for the Frost Real Estate Team with eXp Realty.

“We’re a full-time real estate team with the goal of setting the gold standard for service in the industry,” David explains. “We’re in the office every day, and we train weekly, sharing ideas about how we can better help our clients. As the team leader, I take a lot of pride in what our agents have been able to accomplish for our buyers and sellers.”

After 13 years of service as a criminal investigator in the Army, David was looking for a different kind of challenge. During his time in the service, from 2003-2004, he was deployed to Iraq to conduct the War Crimes investigations against Sadaam Hussein.

“While there I processed all of the mass graves discovered, the terrorists attacks such as the UN bombing, conducted protection missions for then Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfield and was part of the 8Copyright Top Agent Magazine

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investigation on the Jessica Lynch case. After that, I was awarded the Bronze Star.”

He got his license in 2014 and immediately began building a successful business, selling 14 houses in his very first year. Today he leads one of the top-rated teams along North Top Agent Magazine

Carolina’s Crystal Coast and the surrounding area. Located in Jacksonville, David’s office primarily serves active military members from nearby Camp Lejeune Marine Corp base and the New River Air Station, as well as many veterans. Last year the team closed 179 transactions—including 133 listed homes—for a Copyright Top Agent Magazine9

Located in Jacksonville, David’s office primarily serves active military members from nearby Camp Lejeune Marine Corp base and the New River Air Station, as well as many veterans. sales volume of nearly $33 million. Ninetyeight percent of that volume comes from repeat clients and trained aggressive lead generating techniques, a tribute to the attention David gives to preparing his agents and giving them the tools to succeed on behalf of their clients.

“I enjoy helping our agents grow every bit as much as helping clients,” says David. “It feels very rewarding to coach them and then watch Copyright Top Agent Magazine 10

them go from zero experience to top-producers in their market.”

The Frost Team is aggressive in pursuit of their clients’ interests, utilizing a combination of the latest technology, the implementation of video and good old fashioned prospecting to market their listings or find inventory for their buyers.

David’s wife, Brittany Frost, is also a realtor and the Director of Operations for the team.

“She is also former military. We met playing Top Agent Magazine

military softball where we competed in World Tournaments throughout the United States.”

Besides the MLS, The Frost Team market on Facebook, dedicated real estate websites like Zillow, and through artful YouTube videos.

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The process David has implemented nets his sellers up to 18 percent more for their homes than methods used by other agents. His Team’s success and ethic is noted by clients in their reviews, one writing, “Their professionalism and customer service is by far the best I have Copyright Top Agent Magazine 11

had the pleasure of dealing with in the Real Estate field. This is the second time I have used the Frost Team and I would never use another.”

giving back, David loves spending time with his wife and his three children Teyla, Raegan, and William.

David and his team are committed to their community beyond real estate matters too, sponsoring a youth sports team every year and donating to local charities. They are also gearing up to begin work with the Tunnels to Towers Foundation soon. When he isn’t working or

As for the future of his business, David wants to expand the team by 3 or 4 agents soon. He would also like to elevate a couple of his existing agents to team leaders, who will help him coach up new agents and continue improving the exceptional service they offer to clients.

To learn more about David Frost please call 910-670-1554 or email david.n.frost@gmail.com Copyright Top Agent Magazine 12

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Emotional Fluency:

How to Communicate with Clients When Tensions are High Managing emotions, expectations, and personalities are central to a successful real estate career. After all, this is a business based on relationships and interpersonal communication. Likewise, real estate is built on one of life’s central milestones—homeownership. This means that stress, disappointment, excitement, and competition are inherently Top Agent Magazine

involved in the process. As an agent, you take on the real estate world every day, but most of your clients aren’t well-versed in the norms of the industry and are likely riding an emotional roller coaster throughout.

Acknowledging this, how do you steer the ship when emotions and tensions are running high?

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For starters, it’s not always intuitive. Just like you add tools to your arsenal when it comes to marketing, social media, or lead generation, you also have to add emotional tools to your repertoire. Here are a few ways to diffuse tense situations and keep clients on an even keel—even during the ups and downs of the transactional process.

Create realistic expectations from the outset and reinforce them as you go As a seasoned agent, some aspects of the industry may seem run of the mill to you, but may come as a shock to your clients. That’s

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why communicating expectations from the beginning can help create reasonable touchpoints in the minds of your clients. In addition to talking through the steps of the transactional process with your clients, consider writing out a checklist or compiling a buyer’s guide that can serve as a resource for them throughout. Think of it like a security blanket, but one that’s built by facts, figures, and anecdotal experience. If you paint a clear picture of what to expect, clients are less likely to be taken by the surprise and react impulsively as a result. What’s more, reinforce next steps, expectations, and possible outcomes as you go. If your client is left to wonder or guess at what’s ahead or

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what will happen, they will either envision the worst-case scenario and panic, or they’ll misjudge the next step and be disappointed or left anxious as a result. Minimize surprises by communicating regularly, clearly, and with all options on the table.

When unveiling a problem, come to clients with potential solutions in hand Any agent worth his or her salt knows that bumps in the road are likely to occur along the way. You can’t promise a transaction free of stress or unforeseen issues, but you can minimize the ensuing stress by preparing you client in advance for any potential problems, and by addressing any problems

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clearly and with solutions already in hand.

Clients are likely to become agitated if a problem arises and they can’t understand why or what it means. That’s why slowing it down, talking it through, and offering potential avenues for recourse can quell fears and remind clients why they chose you to facilitate the transactional process. This means you’ll have to vigilant, proactive, and on the ball. Of course, it’s much easier to be an agent when everything is going great and flowing naturally. It’s when things take an unexpected or negative turn that true talent is really tested. Accordingly, show your clients that you are confident and in control by remaining adaptable, communicative, and clear in your problem-solving approach.

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Never underestimate the power of listening As an agent, you are probably well-versed in putting out fires and sourcing solutions. Sometimes, however, clients are really looking to you as a confidante and a listening ear. You’d be surprised how much nervousness you can resolve by simply offering a listening ear and offering reassurance. Sometimes it’s not about providing a band-aid or a practical solution; oftentimes, it’s all about listening. Clients need to feel like they’re being heard, even if you’ve heard it all before. By listening to their fears, acknowledging their perspective, and reiterating their goals—you display your empathy and understanding, which is often just what a client 16

needs to feel better. In other words, you don’t have to break out the graphs and data each time a client airs his or her insecurity. First, slow down, listen, and interact on a personal level. You may stop an emotional upheaval in its tracks simply by putting your listening cap on.

Not all clients are alike. Some will require a little more hand-holding than others, but it’s your job to put yourself in their perspective, recognize the milestone at hand, and managing the personalities you’re working with. The next time you feel frustrated by a client’s unpredictable emotional energy, keep these insights in mind as you diffuse the situation, steer them to a place of comfort, and fortify your interpersonal skillset in the process.

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ALEX MILLER-SAUNDERS It all began for Alex Miller with a courageous leap of faith. Ready for change from her career at the time, despite the perks that came with a guaranteed paycheck and working for her family, she was curious about real estate. Following her heart, she became licensed in 2018 and joined the newly established Keller Williams Realty Outer Banks in that December. In 2020, Alex went full time as an agent. Alex describes her experience with Keller Williams as one that gives her access to incredible training as well as being a part of a fantastic teamlike atmosphere, thoroughly loving the support she has found in her current brokerage.

Serving the Eastern area of North Carolina, Alex has spent the last two years as a full-time agent selling and listing throughout the ever-popular Outer Banks of North Carolina. She always strives to make personal connections with her clients. Often Alex works directly with many investors and first-time home buyers. She describes herself as highly personable and enjoys bonding with her clients through commonality. As a native of the Outer Banks, she connects with potential buyers and clients over shared favorites of local businesses within the town she calls home and deeply loves. This approach differentiates her from many of her peers and competitors.

Alex nourishes her relationship with clients by sending occasional text messages, staying informed with exciting changes amidst their lives, and continuing to be a friend!

In addition, she works diligently to find her clients the home of their dreams with care. “At the end of the day, they need to be happy,” she shares. Alex also compares her career in real estate to matchmaking and finds the entire process exciting and rewarding. Acknowledging the challenges involved, she thrives off the competitive

A M Top Agent Magazine

nature of the industry, closing a volume to nearly $34 million just this past year.

As an agent of Keller Williams, Alex, alongside her brokerage, is incredibly involved in the community. Her involvement in Keller Williams allows her to participate in various town events and charitable causes committed to giving back to her community. Her favorite event is Red Day, where just this past year, she and her brokerage took to sprucing up the local recreational park. They planted gardens, painted inspirational murals on dugouts, created outdoor games, and built benches. She has also been an active resource and supplier regarding hurricane aftermath. Her family had organized supplies, volunteered their time, and transported goods through boating trips to supply for needy families when roads were not accessible. Soon she will continue her volunteer work with a local Soup Kitchen alongside her fellow agents at Keller Williams Realty Outer Banks. Overall, as a local family, Alex loves witnessing and sharing in the immense support provided to the community by her brokerage.

When asked what Alex does in her free time to enjoy life outside of her career, she shares that spending time with her family of seven is her favorite activity. Together, they love to go boating, fishing, and just spending the day on the water. Currently, Alex is passionately working towards an exciting new project that is still under wraps.

She has also paired with other divisions within Keller Williams. She is beginning the interview process to hire an executive assistant to carry out her projects better and more efficiently. After asking Alex what else was on the horizon, she shared, “I really want to grow a team and make a difference within the community.” Alex carries a joyful and determined spirit, embodying a friend and reliable professional as a Top Agent of North Carolina.

To learn more about Alex Miller-Saunders, call 252-207-7080, visit alexmillerobx.com or email alexmillerobx@kw.com www.

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How to Build a Team That Will Win Big No Matter its Size In the real estate world building a team is a goal almost every agent strives towards achieving. Doing business with a team as opposed to solo has numerous advantages. With more agents handling clients as well as other employees specialized in areas such as marketing and administrative support there to assist you; you can greatly increase your business and sales.

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So, when creating a team, logic would tell us that the bigger it is, the better, right? Wrong. When it comes to real estate teams, size doesn’t matter so much as the players you bring onto that team to work with you. A team doesn’t have to be big to win big, and here are the secrets to building a team that wins big no matter its size.

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Hire the Right Team Members

Put Your Team Members in the Right Positions to Win

You’ve probably heard the saying, “you’re only as strong as you’re weakest link.” That idea holds true for any kind of team, including those in real estate. If you have weak members on your team, then it’s not possible to have a strong team. Drawing strong team members to your business is essential.

Finding strong team members is just one part of the equation. As the leader of your team, you now have to assess each member’s strengths and weaknesses and position them appropriately. You want the best player for each role playing that part and catering to their strengths. Choose your team member’s roles wisely, and place each individual in the position where their strengths can shine and they can best contribute to a win for the entire team. Every role is important to the team working smoothly and winning as a whole, so it is important to place each team member in the role most suited to his or her skills.

To better understand what kind of person would make a strong addition to your team, you need to ask yourself what skills and characteristics you want your team members to possess. The strongest members are often ones that share their leader’s values. When you share values with your teammates, you are all running along the same course towards the same goal as one. Your definition of a victory in this case is also your teammates’ definition of it. This helps strengthen even the smallest of numbers because you are all working together toward a common goal.

Another characteristic too look out for in potential team members is a positive attitude. You can teach someone the skills needed in real estate, but you can’t teach someone how to have a positive attitude.

Positive members tend to achieve more due to their optimistic nature, but more importantly, they spread that positive attitude to the rest of the team, which improves every members’ performance.

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Communicating Your Vision to Your Team

Your team members are the key ingredients to ultimate victory, but what recipe do you follow now to lead them to victory? That is what communication is for a winning team; the recipe you will use to

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help best utilize each team member and instruct them on how they need to work together to fulfill the recipe that will lead them to be a winning team. Your team members need to know the plan and you must give them the tools to successfully execute it.

It is up to the leader of a team to help your players see your vision and help them understand what a victory looks like. The goal may seem simple and obvious to you, but you must communicate it over and over again to your team members, so they understand it as well as you do. With different personalities coming together to form a unit, you are going to be dealing with numerous challenges such as competing agendas. You will find this on any team. You must keep the goal and at the forefront of your player’s minds in order to encourage them to put aside their own personal desires in order to come together as one cohesive, single-minded unit and push towards the team’s goal.

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Give Your Team Members the Tools to Help Them Perform at Their Best The final thing all great leaders do is equip their team members with the proper tools and training needed for them to succeed. You have to show them how they can each come together with their different strengths to work as a team towards one unified goal. This involves more than simple skills training, but also endurance, so they can last as a team and win even those matches that seem unending and impossible.

Think of all the challenges that they could possibly face ahead, and clear their path to victory by giving them the necessary training and tools they will need to get past any obstacle. As the leader, you must be prepared to continually communicate the team’s goal and your vision. Use that vision to motivate your team members throughout the journey towards victory.

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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 con22

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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