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It’s difficult to get people to step outside their comfort zone, especially sales people. A lot of them – including those in real estate – stay there because it’s what they feel they do best.
Great sales people don’t live in a comfort zone, though. They seek out a challenge.
As president of Weichert Real Estate Affiliates, Inc., I believe in putting the right pieces in place to help move the thousands of agents who work at Weichert affiliated offices around the country beyond what’s familiar. I want them to tackle their fears.
Greatness is unachievable unless you’re willing to do something outside your comfort zone. For me, that meant looking at a weakness – cold calling – when I first started in sales. I practiced religiously until I mastered it.
Success in real estate also requires self-confidence. Hearing the word “no” can crush an agent’s spirit. My job is to make sure our agents have the right resources and tools to help them become self-assured and stand out from the pack when they get in front of a client. If you can build up their confidence level, an ordinary agent becomes extraordinary.
I came to Weichert in 2005 strongly believing extraordinary success is achieved by sticking with the fundamentals and doing them over and over again. In real estate, that means knowing your market inside and out, having solid selling skills (prospecting, closing, etc.), getting face-to-face with prospects and adhering to business practices that have passed the test of time. These business strategies are a core component of the various business tools, management systems, and trainings we provide at Weichert to help our agents, managers, and owners deliver high quality, consistent client interactions. They’re also the driving force that moves the performance needle for Weichert affiliates that weave our business tools and systems into their work fabric.
Weichert, REALTORS® — The Nickel Group is one such affiliate. The Oak Park, Ill., agency joined Weichert eight years ago. The decision by the company’s owner, John Lawrence, to franchise was made around the time the U.S. housing market started to crash. It proved to be a smart call, as many of Lawrence’s competitors did not survive the market downturn.
Lawrence’s office was recognized last year as a top performing Weichert affiliate. Like many other Weichert affiliates, Lawrence, who is currently serving as president of the Oak Park Area Association of REALTORS®, uses our resources as a means to move his agents past their fears of hearing “no.” Doing so, in return, helps Weichert grow its franchise footprint nationally.
It also helps Lawrence’s agents, like Patti Sprafka Wagner, achieve individual success. Wagner was the top producing agent in Lawrence’s office last year. Her 2016 production also helped her win a second Chairman’s Club award, the highest sales award presented to our affiliated agents.
You can’t thrive in real estate if held hostage by fear. Focus on mastering the basics, instead. This approach has helped the Weichert organization grow from a single office to one of the nation’s leading providers of homeownership services in the country today. Making these tenets part of our affiliates’ DNA has transformed Weichert into one of the country’s premiere realty brands.
