by Michele Newbern Gillis
Staff Writer
If anyone can persuade someone to do something, it could be George Linville.
And, at 79, he’s still out there persuading people to do what he wants.
Buy a home? He’s going strong at George Linville Realty in Jacksonville.
Learn something? The 2007 Spirit Award winner for Lifetime Achievement is ready to help anyone and he gave plenty of helpful hints last month at the St. Augustine Women’s Council of Realtor event at Carrabba’s Italian Grill.
“If you want to get things done in this market, have more open houses,” said Linville. “Do it everyday. Take your portable office with you to your open house, set up shop and tend to business at the open house.”
Three great things happen at an open house, he said.
“You can catch up on stuff you are behind on,” he said. “You get a chance to meet prospective buyers and you meet prospective sellers - i.e., the neighbors.”
Getting to know the neighbors is very important, he said, because they will know you as a Realtor who makes things happen. Though open houses may not be your favorite thing to do, they are very important to your business.
Linville said he has been happy every day he has spent in real estate - even at open houses.
“If Joanne, my beautiful wife, were here, she would say that George has never started off a day, come home from the office or open house he happened to be at without a happy thought about what happened that day,” said Linville.
His mother told him to always look for the best in everyone he met or already knew and he would always be happy.
“Thank you, Momma,” he said. “I’m always happy and it still works.”
Linville said that the art of persuading starts with one simple act - asking.
“Ask and you are on your way to persuading them to make things happen,” he said.
Linville said if you ask and they say ‘No’, ask again.
“Just keep knocking until the door opens,” he said. “Then follow through, follow through and follow through.”
Marketing items are another form of persuasion.
“They keep your name or company name in front of the customer on an item they use daily, which could persuade them to use you the next time they need your service or to recommend you to someone else who needs that service,” he said.
More things to do, according to Linville: knock on doors, revisit your sphere of influence and find a new niche that you can get into.
“You can concentrate totally on doctors, totally on dentists or even people in the title business,” he said. “Go to affiliates and ask for leads. Get to know something personal about everyone you deal with.”
Linville said it is important to make a weekly agenda.
“Rebuilding a business isn’t easy,” he said. “It’s something that has to be tackled one manageable chunk at a time. I’m always amazed at how much there is to learn about the things that we aren’t doing as often as we should be.”