NORTH CAROLINA 6-1-20

NORTH CAROLINA EDITION

From Chaos To

CONTROL

BE THEIR REALTOR® FOR LIFE:

If it’s Good for the Soul,

How to Build a Relationship with Your Clients that Will Last a Lifetime

IT’S GOOD FOR THE BUSINESS

FEATURED AGENT

KATYNA BUNN COVER STORY

PATRICIA ROBERTS

NORTH CAROLINA EDITION

KATYNA BUNN With an eye for detail and a passion 7 for helping others, Katyna Bunn has made great strides as an agent in North Carolina. She got her start after leaving a successful career as an executive financial recruiter.

Real estate allowed her to start a family by offering more flexibility.

Eighteen years later, she has two handsome teenage boys and leads the Legacy Partners Team within Keller Williams Platinum.

only had a couple of months before my lease ended. She assured me she had the ability to help me locate a home in that time. She more than delivered. It is obvious tha her clients’ best interests are firs and foremost. I can’t imagine the amount of time she spent ensuring I got the best deal for my home In addition to this, she was able to make wonderful recommendations for all of the work I had done to my PATRICIA ROBERTS KATYNA BUNN home and (along with her amazing The team serves Wake, Durham, assistant Freda) ensured all of i Johnston and Harnett counties. was completed, prior to me moving Over 90% of their business derives from referrals in. I highly recommend her to anyone seeking a and repeat clients. The team consistently performs quality agent, that will go above and beyond for within the top 20% of theirCONTENTS market center. Her her clients.” clients appreciate the one-on-one attention that they receive. Katyna stated, “I answer my phone Katyna also expresses her passion to help others and strive to return calls quickly. In addition, if by volunteering in her community. She currently ® 4) BE THEIR REALTOR FOR FROM I don’t know something, I’m LIFE: tenacious about17) serves as the CHAOS president of TO the Downtown FuquayHOW TO BUILD A RELATIONSHIP finding the answer.”

She also doesn’t shy awayCONTROL Varina Rotary Club and as a board member of the from explaining the THAT numbersWILL associated with Fuquay Varina Chamber of Commerce. Katyna WITH YOUR CLIENTS step of the process. Katyna works hard to is also a Wake County Guardian ad Litem and LAST A every LIFETIME IF IT’S GOOD help her clients understand the financial impact22) member of Delta SigmaFOR Theta Sorority, Inc. THE SOUL, IT’S GOOD that purchasing and selling real estate can have on their families now and in the future.

Looking Katyna has her sights set on 13) 6 WAYS TO GET YOUR FOR THE ahead, BUSINESS growing her team and helping each agent to CLIENT TO TRUST YOU In turn, clients do not hesitate to give testimonials succeed and to love what they do. Selling rea about their great experiences. One recently said, estate is not easy, but it’s very rewarding. No pres“I was desperately seeking a townhouse to rent sure, no diamonds! Katyna’s goal is to help her when I stumbled across Katyna’s information. She teammates shine by helping them work smarter Phone 310-734-1440 | Fax 310-734-1440 encouraged me to consider purchasing a home, not harder. Clients deserve to work with happy and instead of continuing to rent. was skeptical, as I competent agents. mag@topagentmagazine.com | Iwww.topagentmagazine.com

15

No portion of this issue may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without prior consent of the publisher. Top Agent For more about Katyna Bunn, Magazine is published by Feature Publications GA, Inc.information Although precautions are taken to ensure the accuracy of published materials, Top Agent Magazine cannot be held responsible for opinions expressed facts supplied by its authors. please call 919-796-1678 or or email katyna@nclegacy.com To subscribe or change address, send inquiry to mag@topagentmagazine.com.

Published in the U.S.

Copyright Top Agent Magazine

2

Top Agent Magazine

mailto:mag@topagentmagazine.com

Top Agent Magazine

3

Be Their REALTOR for Life: ®

How to Build a Relationship with Your Clients That Will Last a Lifetime In the world of real estate, an agent’s relationship with their clients can make or break their career. This industry revolves around working well with people, and being able to develop a strong relationship with your clients is the foundation that you business is based upon.

Just like with a house, if that foundation is weak, the rest of the structure is also going to be unsteady and fragile. The mark of a good REALTOR® is their ability to build up a good referral network and following of loyal clients. This isn’t something that just happens by accident. Building healthy, strong relationships with your clients takes work and knowing how to gain another person’s trust, respect, and friendship. Here are some ways to make sure you are building the right kind of relationship with your clients.

4

Top Agent Magazine

Top Agent Magazine

1. Use Your Friendliness and Optimism to Win Them Over: No one wants a pushy, overly confident salesperson for a REALTOR®. Clients are much more inclined to put their trust in the hands of someone who is friendly when it comes to one of the biggest financial transactions of their lives. A pleasant, outgoing disposition will win you more clients as well as friends. You want to establish rapport in the first few minutes of first meeting prospective clients. Rather than starting with business right off the bat, begin your meeting with some small talk such as similar interests, hobbies, and family life. This will immediately help to put your clients at ease, and show that you are not simply trying to “sell” them something.

People also respond well to optimism. During what can be a very stressful time, clients need someone to help them stay positive when a situation looks difficult and challenging. Optimism also tends to radiate charisma, and people want to be around and do business with charismatic people. You want to learn how to understand, motivate, and inspire people.

2. Be an Inquisitive Learner and an Empathetic Listener:

On the other side of this coin is knowing how to listen empathetically. Empathy involves actually putting yourself or your mind in their shoes so you can genuinely understand their concerns, needs, and opinions. That understanding and empathy is then reflected in your conversation with that client. Your clients want to know that you care about their situation, and that they’re not just another sale for you to make. People are much more willing to put their trust in you when they can sense that you are actually making an effort to feel what they feel in order to understand their situation.

Showing your interest through questions, and then thoughtfully listening goes a long way towards gaining trust. Showing empathy and acknowledging the feelings and emotions involved in your clients situation helps build a relationship founded on genuine care and trust.

3. Watch for Nonverbal Clues:

Don’t be afraid to show your curiosity and ask your clients a lot of questions. Some of these questions may even be difficult and uncomfortable. You want to discover and learn as much as you can about your client. Don’t make the mistake of jumping straight into the role of the know-it-all. Every different client has unique needs, so you want to learn as much as you can about their specific situation before trying to propose a solution. You want to uncover their primary motive for buying or selling, and flush Top Agent Magazine

out any potential concerns they might have.

After you’ve gained as much information as possible, you can then gauge their interest in your possible solutions by asking “what if” questions. Being inquisitive also demonstrates to your clients that you are genuinely interested and invested in their situation.

Most communication happens nonverbally, so knowing how to interpret your client’s body language can be incredibly helpful. Here are a few things to pay special attention to: Eye contact: Be careful with the level of eye contact you use with clients when first meeting.

Too much and too little eye contact can send the wrong impression. You want to try and maintain eye contact around 70 percent of the time. That is the amount that most people are comfortable with. Pay attention to your client’s level of eye

Top Agent Magazine

5

contact to determine how comfortable they are.

When someone avoids eye contact that could mean they are not engaged in the conversation.

A good way to quickly build a feeling of rapport when first meeting clients is to make eye contact when you first meet them and then start nodding yes to what they’re saying. If the client reciprocates the eye contact and nodding, you’ve established a connection.

4. Prove your honesty and credibility:

Choose the right handshake for each client: One handshake does not fit all people, and that first handshake can be crucial to making a good first impression. The way to do a good handshake for each client is to try and mirror the other person’s handshake in strength, keep your shoulders aligned as you are preferably standing when you shake hands. While you shake your client’s hand make sure you make eye contact and give them a sincere smile.

Showing a little weakness can actually be to your advantage in this situation, and will actually make others more inclined view you as honest. You don’t want to come across as too good to be true. When revealing this weakness, however, the key to coming out on top is turning what sounds like a weakness into a strength. For example, your service may be more expensive, but that’s because you offer more personalized and extra services than your competitors.

Honesty and integrity are the two traits that 98 percent of buyers and sellers report are qualities they consider “very important”. The thing is you can say you have these traits all you want on your website, bio, etc., but trust has to be earned, and the only way to do this is to prove your credibility.

Here are a few tips for how to sound more credible:

When you talk to your clients avoid using filler words such as “um” and “uh”, which can decrease your credibility. You also want to watch the tone of your voice. People tend to translate a deeper tone as sounding more credible.

You want to develop a relationship to last a lifetime when interacting with your clients. There are many things you can do to accomplish this, and using these tips can take you from getting just a few referrals and repeat customers to gaining a loyal client following. Taking the little extra time to make sure you are projecting the right attitude and making sure that you are doing things to gain your client’s trust can make a world of difference for your business.

6

Top Agent Magazine

Top Agent Magazine

PATRICIA ROBERTS Top Agent Magazine

7

The owner of her own large horse farm, Patricia has parlayed her equestrian passion into her status as a multi-million-dollar agent, having sold a staggering eighteen horse farms and large estates in 2019 alone.

Ranked consistently among the Top 15 Realtors in all of North Carolina, and number one in her area for horse farms and large estates, Top Agent Patricia Roberts – of the Delta Homes Group in Hillsborough – is a dedicated, hardworking real estate professional. The owner of her own large horse farm, Patricia has parlayed her equestrian passion into her status 8Copyright Top Agent Magazine

as a multi-million-dollar agent, having sold a staggering eighteen horse farms and large estates in 2019 alone. Patricia’s attention to detail and consistent, systematic approach to working with clients has earned her a slew of prestigious awards, not to mention a sterling reputation as a trusted real estate advocate for her many grateful buyers and sellers.

Top Agent Magazine

Patricia has recently exceeded a decade in the industry, and prior to her real estate career she spent many years working for a pharmaceutical company. “At a certain point, they closed their lab,” she recalls, “and since I’d had experience buying and selling some rehab properties, I decided that I would get my real estate license, and it turned out that I really loved the business. Patricia, who is incredibly detail-oriented and pinpoint-focused on providing exceptional customer service, points to her previous career as the perfect training ground for selling homes. “When you’re working for a pharmaceutical company,” she explains, “everything has to be done right.

It’s very process-driven, and you have to be Top Agent Magazine

very thorough. I’ve incorporated those traits into selling real estate.”

Patricia, who graduated from North Carolina State University with a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry, can currently claim that the entirety of her business is based upon repeat clients, referrals and positive word-of-mouth, a significant achievement in the highly competitive real estate industry. “I get the job done, and I try to be fair,” says Patricia, when asked how she has developed her thriving business that is based so heavily on customer loyalty. That includes being fair with all parties involved in the transaction. “There’s no need to go for blood when it comes to the Copyright Top Agent Magazine9

“I get the job done, and I try to be fair,” says Patricia, “There’s no need to go for blood when it comes to the other side.

That doesn’t have to happen for someone to buy a house.” other side. That doesn’t have to happen for someone to buy a house.”

Perhaps the best indicator of Patricia’s success would be the dozens of glowing reviews she has received on industry website Zillow. com, on which site she is a Premier Agent.

Among the raves she has received from her clients includes this one which perfectly illustrates her go-above-and-beyond Copyright Top Agent Magazine 10

business ethos: “Patricia is great! She is very practical, friendly, intelligent, and easy-going which helped me to keep my own stress at bay during the home buying process. She knows the area well and is quick to properly match what you’re shopping for. I appreciated the fact that she has other life experiences (with horses and biotech) that contribute to her overall well-rounded bank of knowledge.”

Top Agent Magazine

When she’s not working, Patricia is busy giving back to her community through a variety of ways, and she sits on the boards for The North Carolina Therapeutic Riding Center, a local community garden, among others. Additionally, she sponsors local horse shows, and in her free time loves to travel and ride her own horse.

Patricia’s plans for the future are relatively straightforward: to continue building her business and real estate team – Delta Homes Group. They will continue to provide the Top Agent Magazine

unparalleled customer service that has become synonymous with her name. Delta Homes Group will provide the excellent customer service that Patricia has provided over the years while expanding, to be able to serve more clients and areas. The team uses their varied backgrounds to create a well-rounded team that will assist you through the process with a personal touch. Patricia Roberts, Alia Graham, Rivers Andrews, and Tina Faucette each grew up in the Triangle community and will provide you with knowledgeable insight into the area.

Copyright Top Agent Magazine 11

Delta Homes Group philosophy is simple: They pledge to be in constant communication with our clients, keeping them fully informed through the entire buying or selling process.

They believe that if you’re not left with an

amazing experience, they haven’t done their job. They don’t measure success through achievements or awards, but through the satisfaction of their clients. “It’s a great time to buy land in Central North Carolina,” she says.

For more information about Patricia Roberts, call 919-621-4060 or email PatriciaRoberts77@gmail.com

Copyright Top Agent Magazine 12

Top Agent Magazine

6 Ways to Get Your Client to Trust You The word “REALTOR®” can leave a sour taste in some people’s mouths. Many of today’s home buyers and sellers grew up during the 2009 recession. They are wary of anything

or anyone who comes off as too salesy, and they want to work with individuals who they can trust.

But how do you prove to someone you’ve likely never met that you can be trusted?

Top Agent Magazine

13

Top Agent Magazine ®

1

Put Testimonials or Case Studies on Your Website

When something goes wrong, own up to your mistakes. Don’t hide bad news from your clients. Be upfront and responsive.

Testimonials and case studies are social proof that you have both the experience and the skills to do the job your clients are hiring you for. People often leave testimonials when they are either incredibly disappointed or extremely happy with the service they were provided, so they’re a good indication to prospective clients of the treatment they’ll receive.

Case studies, which you can post on your blog or website, have much of the same effect, but even more than testimonials, case studies demonstrate your real estate and finance expertise because they explain how you achieved a specific set of results.

2

Be Responsive and Accessible

Can your clients reach you easily? That doesn’t mean you need to be available 24/7, but you should respond to your clients within a few hours of receiving their message. When agents don’t respond to their clients’ calls or emails for days on end or fail to provide them with a direct line of contact, their clients’ experience can quickly become frustrating.

Agents are busy but so are their clients. If you constantly show up late to or reschedule meetings, your clients won’t feel like their time is respected or their business is valued. Make sure you set a realistic schedule for yourself rather than spreading yourself too thin.

3

Be Honest and Transparent

Sometimes you don’t have the answer to a client’s question. Be honest about your strengths, weaknesses, and the limits of your knowledge. A good response might be, “I don’t know, but I can find out.” Be transparent with your clients, and they’ll respect you for it.

You should always act in their best interest.

4

Go the Extra Mile

If you do the bare minimum, that’s what your clients will remember. Their experience won’t be memorable, and they won’t gush about you in online testimonials or in real life to people they know who could use your services. It’s that simple.

5

Put Yourself in Your Client’s Shoes

Clients understand that you need to earn money, but that doesn’t mean they want to feel like they’re just a dollar sign to you. Be empathetic to your client’s concerns, even if you’ve heard it all before. Your clients should know that you are there for them.

6

Be Consistent

Being responsive, friendly, and knowledgeable shouldn’t be an act. If you “turn on” your personality for clients and then suddenly become a different person when they leave the room, it’s likely that the cracks in your mask will eventually become apparent.

But “faking it till you make it” is so common it’s become a cliché. When we are starting out, we don’t always have the systems or resources in place to create a smooth client journey, from onboarding to closing, so instead we constantly try to reinvent the wheel. Give yourself time to pause, slow down, and reevaluate your workflow. Creating systems creates

consistency, and those systems can and should be constantly updated.

Developing trust between you and your clients will take time, but doing these things can give you a running start.

14

Top Agent Magazine

Top Agent Magazine ®

KATYNA BUNN With an eye for detail and a passion for helping others, Katyna Bunn has made great strides as an agent in North Carolina. She got her start after leaving a successful career as an executive financial recruiter.

Real estate allowed her to start a family by offering more flexibility.

Eighteen years later, she has two handsome teenage boys and leads the Legacy Partners Team within Keller Williams Platinum.

The team serves Wake, Durham, Johnston and Harnett counties.

Over 90% of their business derives from referrals and repeat clients. The team consistently performs within the top 20% of their market center. Her clients appreciate the one-on-one attention that they receive. Katyna stated, “I answer my phone and strive to return calls quickly. In addition, if I don’t know something, I’m tenacious about finding the answer.” She also doesn’t shy away from explaining the numbers associated with every step of the process. Katyna works hard to help her clients understand the financial impact that purchasing and selling real estate can have on their families now and in the future.

In turn, clients do not hesitate to give testimonials about their great experiences. One recently said, “I was desperately seeking a townhouse to rent when I stumbled across Katyna’s information. She encouraged me to consider purchasing a home, instead of continuing to rent. I was skeptical, as I

only had a couple of months before my lease ended. She assured me she had the ability to help me locate a home in that time. She more than delivered. It is obvious that her clients’ best interests are first and foremost. I can’t imagine the amount of time she spent ensuring I got the best deal for my home.

In addition to this, she was able to make wonderful recommendations for all of the work I had done to my home and (along with her amazing assistant Freda) ensured all of it was completed, prior to me moving in. I highly recommend her to anyone seeking a quality agent, that will go above and beyond for her clients.”

Katyna also expresses her passion to help others by volunteering in her community. She currently serves as the president of the Downtown FuquayVarina Rotary Club and as a board member of the Fuquay Varina Chamber of Commerce. Katyna is also a Wake County Guardian ad Litem and member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Looking ahead, Katyna has her sights set on growing her team and helping each agent to succeed and to love what they do. Selling real estate is not easy, but it’s very rewarding. No pressure, no diamonds! Katyna’s goal is to help her teammates shine by helping them work smarter, not harder. Clients deserve to work with happy and competent agents.

For more information about Katyna Bunn, please call 919-796-1678 or email katyna@nclegacy.com Top Agent Magazine

Copyright Top Agent Magazine 15

mailto:mag@topagentmagazine.com http://www.topagentmagazine.com

16

Top Agent Magazine

From Chaos to Control

By Barry Eisen

Below are 24 great ideas designed to give you back your time and life.

Managing time, rather than letting it manage you is an art form. Little changes can make huge differences. Look at what is offered below and incorporate 1 or 2 ideas that make sense to do. You can always come back to the list for more when you’re ready for more.

1. Get Ready the Night Before. Get it out of your head. Plan

out your next day by writing a “killer” To-Do list and prioritize A, B and C business and personal priorities. You’ll sleep better too.

Top Agent Magazine

Top Agent Magazine

17

2. Focus on the Important Things. Less is more. Commit to

doing the A things on your To-Do list. Stop randomly playing games and surfing social media. Focus on what’s important. Here’s the procrastinationbe-gone formula: Do the important stuff first. No “ifs,” “ands,” or “buts” do it.

3. Remove the Clutter. Much of our “visual noise” is caused by

stuff. Practice a three-part clutter rating system that will help you prevent and remove clutter: • It’s important now. Use it and then put it in its home (where it’s supposed to be).

• It will be important. Put it in its home (where it’s supposed to be).

• It’s not important. Get rid of it: Toss it or if possible, consider donating it.

4. Get Organized and Stay That Way. Pick an organizational

system, execute it, and stick to it. Your new system may feel foreign at first, but it will eventually form into a habit. If you slip or feel like you’re ready to give up, recall the benefits of being organized and pick up where you left off. When necessary, make adjustments, but avoid switching to new organizational systems or you’ll lose the benefits.

5. Keep One Calendar. Whether it’s a Week/Month at a Glance

appointment book, wall calendar, smartphone app, etc. - keep ONE calendar.

First, keep track of the usual calendar events: birthdays, and appointments.

Second, use your weekly calendar to keep track of bills, plan menus, make appointments with yourself to write or read, etc. This will help prevent the scenario of sifting through bills, notes, and multiple calendars.

6. Focus on What’s in Front of You. Of course, not all tasks

require 100% focus, but for tasks like prospecting or writing, never multitask.

Lots of studies have shown the inefficiency of juggling tasks. If you refocus your attention on another task, it can take more time to refocus on your original task. Don’t do it. Stay focused. Turn off your phone and disconnect from the internet during tasks, like writing or studying, to focus. Don’t drop what you’re currently doing to address something you just thought of or remembered. If you think of something completely unrelated to what you’re 18

Top Agent Magazine

Top Agent Magazine

working on, jot down a few quick notes (a word or two to jog your memory will suffice). Keep up momentum: FOCUS. 7. Execute Decisions Faster. If you find

yourself hemming and hawing over a decision, make a decision then and there. If the task Sometimes a has a lot hanging on the outcome, fresh set of eyes is seek/ask for more information if you need it, but the key all you need to get is: make a decision now. back on track.

8. Delegate and Learn to Love It.

We can be greedy with our workloads. Drop the, “if you want things done right, you have to do it yourself” mentality. If it can be done by someone else (more effectively) and it’s not an important task, delegate it.

9. Just Say “No.” Stop agreeing to take on things for which you don’t

have time. If you don’t have time for it or it will take your focus away from other priorities, say no.

10. HELP Is not a Dirty 4 Letter Word. Ask for help. Sometimes

a fresh set of eyes is all you need to get back on track, but be sure your plea is directed at the right person and is respectful of their own priorities.

11. Time Activities. We all can get swept away by television, social

media, internet browsing, article reading, and games. Allot yourself an amount of time for online activities and playing games. Set an alarm. When the time is up, stop the activity.

12. Time Your Conversations and Meetings. I’m not

recommending that you don’t socialize or be rude. I’m recommending that you don’t allow conversations or meetings to completely disrupt your day.

Allot yourself time. For “water cooler” talks, give yourself 5 minutes and keep them infrequent. For meetings, estimate how much time you’ll need to address the needs of those involved, come prepared, and if there isn’t

Top Agent Magazine

Top Agent Magazine

19

already an agenda, propose talking points to squeeze more value out of the meeting.

13. Call, Don’t Text. Text messaging is supposed to be quick and to

the point... not long, drawn out conversations. For anything beyond a quick yes or no question, call. For example, call for emergencies and all of those “how are you?” and “what ‘cha doin’?” questions. If it goes to voicemail, don’t worry. Most people have access to visual voicemail anyway, so it will be like a text. Either way, trust that they will get the message.

14. Turn Aimless Browsing Into Growth Opportunities.

Create an ongoing list of questions, curiosities, or things you’ve always wanted to find out more about. When you sit down to browse the internet, start looking for answers. You might surprise yourself with what you find.

15. Do Your Errands at the Same Time. Schedule time to

do errands and plan a route ahead of time to ensure you’re not wasting time bouncing back and forth across town.

16. Filter Your Email. How much time do you waste in your inbox?

Filter your email: • Create rules for recurring emails that don’t require an action to be archived in a particular folder.

• Set rigorous anti-spam settings to block unwanted email from reaching your inbox.

• Form a habit of touching an email once: If you open it, you have to address it (e.g., respond and file).

17. Automate Responses. If you find yourself replying with the

same or nearly identical responses for clients keep a template to quickly copy/paste the response and tweak it as necessary to personalize the message.

18. Automate Bill Payments. For any recurring bills that you

have: AUTOMATE. Not only will this save you time, it may even save you money and raise your credit score if you’re the forgetful type.

20

Top Agent Magazine

Top Agent Magazine

19. Sort the Mail in Your Hand. When you get your mail, don’t

let it sit in a pile. Sort out the junk right away and then prioritize other items respectively (see weekly calendar). If possible, go green by electing not to receive the hard copy.

20. Avoid Rush Hour. Do you commute to work? Negotiate a work

schedule to travel during non-traffic delayed times. You can easily turn a 60-minute, traffic-jammed commute into 25 minutes by getting ahead of the traffic or waiting it out. Online apps, like Waze, do a good job informing of traffic problems so you can adjust accordingly.

21. Keep a Running Shopping List. Create a policy that for

whoever squeezes the last bit of toothpaste out of the tube, kills the mustard bottle, etc., they are responsible to write it down on the shopping list. In doing so, this will save time from taking inventory as well as keep your shopping trip quick - get into the store, grab what you need, and go (rather than meandering down aisles).

22. Cook for Tomorrow. Double the amount of what your cooking

and refrigerate/freeze the leftovers. It may take you a small amount of time to double what you’re already making, but it will save you much more time making your next meal by not having to start from scratch.

23. Learn While You Workout. When on a treadmill, elliptical

machine etc., listen to news, pod casts, and audiobooks rather than music to keep up with trends in your niche, current events, books, and learning at large.

24. Exercise More Effectively. Exchange moderation for higher

intensity. You can have a more effective and efficient workout by putting more effort into a 30-minute high-intensity workout than 90 minutes of lowto-medium effort.

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

Top Agent Magazine

21

If it’s good for the soul,

IT’S GOOD FOR THE BUSINESS

Visibility, name recognition and knowing you’re supporting the community that makes your success possible are good reasons to take part in community service. But how is it that some people seem to be able to give time to charities while running their own businesses, managing their own families and households, exercising regularly, attending sporting events and concerts, eating well and sleeping seven or eight hours a night?

The truth is, not all agents are able to do everything so easily. But more important is the fact that no one needs to do everything all of the time. The trick is to make sure that, whatever you do holds meaning.

REALTORS® and mortgage professionals who seem the most gregarious in their community outreach are those whose giving seems to fill their own souls. When their 22

volunteer efforts or donations directly impact causes they or their clients care deeply about, “giving back” becomes energizing.

Jason O’Quinn of Prime Lending in Dallas Texas, for instance, says that his family’s ongoing work building homes for some of the poorest families in Honduras fills him immeasurably. “It rejuvenates me,” he says.

“There’s quite a dichotomy between the houses we build there and the houses we finance here,” he says. “It refocuses me, going from financing $1 million homes in Dallas to physically laying cinderblock for $10,000 homes in Honduras. Everything has more meaning when we sacrificially give of our time, talent and treasure.”

The longtime “big picture” for Colorado REALTOR® and property manager, Linda

Top Agent Magazine

Top Agent Magazine

Todd, for instance, has included giving back to the community, whether serving as a lead carpenter for Habitat for Humanity, making deliveries for Meals on Wheels, or pitching in for the sake of baseball. And through her lifelong passion for baseball, she harmoniously blended her personal interests, her work and her community service. For many years, she was so involved Little League the local league named a new field after her. “I cried for 3 days after they told me that!” She and her husband also started a scholarship fund for junior college baseball players and serve as a host family for the rookie league of the Colorado Rockies, putting up newly drafted players in their home.

For Florida REALTOR® and property manager, Mario Gonzalez, neither his business nor his primary community outreach would exist without the other. A retired U.S. Navy pilot, Mario formed his brokerage, Navy to Navy Homes, when he saw a need for military personnel to find affordable homes to purchase. “We got into it to help, but that led to a full-blown real estate business.” Besides providing opportunities for investment and homeownership, the company donates 35% of every commission to Homes for Heroes, veterans’ groups, or organizations benefiting fire, police, medical organizations, churches and homeless shelters. “We’re small, but we give so much back that we were the top Homes for Heroes company in Florida and

top-five nationwide.” But he does none of this for the attention. His friends may call him the “Humble Hero of Heroes,” but helping is Mario’s passion. “To be such a small business and be the top Homes for Heroes affiliate is mind boggling!”

Like Mario, for many, the best service takes place in simple and quiet ways. Illinois REALTOR®, Susie Scheuber, for example, takes a humble approach to giving back. Although she donates a portion of every commission check to the Children’s Miracle Network, she doesn’t discuss this with clients unless they happen to ask. “I do it because I want to and because, to me, giving back is the right thing to do when you’ve been fortunate in business and life,” says Susie.

We all know how inertia works; the more energized we get by certain behaviors, the more likely we are to continue those behaviors. For some top agents, community outreach has become such a natural routine of their daily lives that they never find it burdensome. A good way to add community service into your life, therefore, is through the causes that mean the most to you. For starters, consider giving a small donation after closing to the charity of your client’s choosing. Learning the different causes that they care about just might foster a new mission for you.

If you have a unique story to share about how your community outreach has impacted your life and your business or inspired others, click here for consideration in our magazines: www.topagentmagazine.com/nominate-a-real-estate-agent-to-be-featured Top Agent Magazine

Top Agent Magazine

23

mailto:mag@topagentmagazine.com

24

Top Agent Magazine