By Michele Gillis
Staff Writer
It’s the goal of every Realtor: be a Top Producer. It isn’t easy, no matter how the market is going.
What qualities are important? What do you have to do? Some answers came recently when the St. Augustine Women’s Council of Realtors had a top producer panel.
“You must be professional,” said CJ Wright, a Realtor with ERA Dan Jones & Associates. “You need to know your market and all it has to offer including property types, the intricacies of how to purchase each type, financing options for each property type and the likely pool of buyers for each listing.”
“I believe in being blunt, honest and telling it like it is,” said Gail Steinmetz of Re/Max Complete. “I don’t try to oversell. I keep it short, sweet and to the point.”
“It helps when people know that you have integrity and care about them,” said Diane Kirvan of Re/Max All Pro Realty in Daytona Beach and New Smyrna Beach. “It’s not about you, it’s all about them.”
“You have to be hands-on with your contacts,” said Karen Farrell of Infiniti Realty in Flagler County. “When this person contacts you three years down the road, you can say you remember them because you have been following up with them all along.”
“I stay in touch with past customers, friends and family,” said Scott Arvin of Matchmaker Realty in Gainesville. “I cultivate them and they know I am in real estate. And, get all of your customer’s information. Don’t forget about them after the closing.”
When working with market listings, Wright said the days of taking orders and sticking a sign in the yard are over.
“Marketing to today’s buyers and sellers is weighted heavily toward the Internet,” said Wright. “I feel the Internet gets them to the house, but the sign still gets the phone to ring.
“It is important to educate the public because it increases your perceived value. Stop trying to sell. Unlike exercise equipment, people do not buy real estate they do not need or will not use. Also, have a solid support network both at home and at work and have a good business plan.”
Listening, follow-up and good social networking skills topped the list as important skills to have if you are going to make it.
“Be as real as you can be with people. Don’t pretend to be something you are not. Really listen to people,” said Farrell. “You have to really listen to what people want and return phone calls. You can’t get them what they want without listening to them.”
Daily disciplines include personal contact, following up, persistence and getting up everyday and treating your real estate business like a real job.
“We have to get up every morning and say, ‘This is a real job’,” said Kirvan. “There are so many agents out there floating around wondering what to do everyday. I know it sounds silly, but you must get up at a certain time every morning and get ready like you are going to a job.”
Social networking is very important to being successful in today’s market.
“I have a lot of people on Facebook that are clients,” said Farrell. “Social networking is very important, but you have to do it correctly. There are certain ways you need to do it. Also, being out there and being involved in the community are important.”
Another important factor is education, said Kirvan.
“I think education is key to the industry, longevity and getting repeat referrals,” she said. “I got my broker’s license a year and a half after I entered the business.”
She then moved on to get every designation she could get her hands on to help better educate herself to succeed, and she has.
How about marketing?
“I market online and put my business card everywhere,” said Arvin. “I leave my business card with my payment at restaurants and I have personalized pens that I give to waiters and waitresses to use at work.
“How many people go out to lunch or dinner, see the pen and keep it? It’s an inexpensive way to get your name out there in front of a lot of people.”
Other area top producers were polled and added some good thoughts:
• Dottie Lay of Davidson Realty said that setting goals is very important. “You need to have a daily commitment to the goals you set and stay on top of the changing market,” she said. “It’s important to have a business budget, practice time management and invest in yourself and your business.”
• Margo Marshall of Re/Max Specialists has taken the change in the market and found a way to make her real estate business successful. Not only does she help owners of distressed properties sell their properties, but she helps people looking for a deal.
“I think that is where the biggest need is today,” she said. “It’s probably going to continue that way for a while. With the short sales and foreclosures, those people need to make a decision.”
• Regarding the market turndown, Elizabeth Hudgins of Prudential Network Realty said, “Two words: patience and perseverance. I didn’t change anything. I still advertised and networked the same way I always have. I kept both of my assistants and forged on. I am very blessed I had the means to do that.”