This is an ongoing series of articles that cover the topics and insights shared during the three-day Real Conf 2021 hosted by Adfenix. The following article summarizes the session held on Day 3 Session 4 of the conference.
Meris Blumstein and Tay Tiwoni are licensed real estate brokers at Corcoran, with over 35 years combined experience in New York real estate. In this session they share their tips and advice on the third installment of Secrets of Successful Real Estate Agents.
Loving what you do
For both Meris and Tay, loving real estate plays a huge role in their success.
For Meris, the ability to wear lots of different hats in order to cater to the many different audiences in New York is appealing; the job requires great listening and preparation skills, to be able to have a conversation about business, be present in the marketplace and meet people constantly to create a steady workflow. For her, referrals come in from even 30 years ago when she first started, a true testament to what it means to be an agent who truly listens and hears what people want in their homes.
Similarly, for Tay, who specializes in townhouses, his success as an agent comes from his ability to connect to not only the aesthetics but the history of the property and its inner workings and convey his deep knowledge about the process to sellers and buyers alike. He also attributes his success to not being complacent or even looking at his success as success, but continually looking at the next challenge after celebrating a win.
- How does digital drive agent success?
Meris believes that digital allows us to reach so many more people now, with the knowledge and data that allow consumers and sellers to really understand the marketplace they’re in, and to price properties properly. Digital gives agents the opportunity to not only announce property and have conversations online, but really showcase their expertise in a much more personal fashion than just being on a phone call.
Tay Tiwoni, who has a background in IT, agrees that tech helps tie things together and makes life easier for the agent. He makes himself available on practically every channel out there, from Google to Youtube to Linkedin to Instagram, which he believes can serve as your own commercial. It means you’re putting your face and credentials out there at all times, letting people become familiar with you and why you’re the best at what you do. After all, people are on their phones at all hours of the day which means when they are actually sales-ready, they know exactly who to contact.
- Advice for Agents
Meris agrees wholeheartedly, sharing that for her and her team, every phone call must be responded to within 10 minutes, which speaks to the importance of agents making themselves available and quick to think in order to get clients sitting at the closing table and closer to the home of their dreams.
The secret is to listen, react intelligently, and to not take things personally. Real estate is the kind of business that can make one feel like the most insecure person in the world, but it all boils down to whether the agent is truly listening and focusing on what the customer is saying. There are times when agents will multitask, but truly listening to a client means knowing when to put those other tasks aside and really be with the person and hear their concerns.
Tay seconds this thought, saying real estate means being ‘in the people business’, so constantly listening to what people have to say and understanding where they’re coming from is key. For up and coming agents, he recommends trying to get as much attention as possible, for people to get familiar with your face and business so that, when it comes to sell or buy a property, you’re the first face that comes to their mind.
To sum up:
- Loving the job plays a huge role in agent success, as well as the ability to wear a lot of different hats as is necessary.
- Listening to what the customer is saying and being prepared with answers is vital
- Staying on the ball and not being complacent is important to keep a steady workflow going, as well as to increase room for growth
- Digital allows consumers and sellers to really understand the marketplace they’re in, and also gives agents the opportunity to showcase their expertise and personalities online, allowing potential clients to become familiar with their brand
- Successful agents listen, react intelligently and don’t take things personally.
About Real Conf.
Real Conf 2021 is a three-day virtual event exploring ways that agencies and brokerages can leverage the power of digital to increase business opportunities, elevate the brand, and empower agents to deliver success. The conference features hundreds of invaluable insight from keynote speakers, panel discussions and case studies from experts in the field.
All 15 sessions with 25 speakers are now available to stream on-demand.
Gain full access to the stream and watch the sessions in their entirety by signing up here: https://www.adfenix.com/real-conf
