Many probably remember one of the last scenes in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. In this scene the aging Knight tells the evil doctor to “Choose Wisely” when searching for the Holy Grail. Unfortunately, as the Knight said, “He chose poorly.”
In real estate, I am grateful that I chose wisely with whom I wanted to “hang my license.”
A couple of years before we physically moved to NW Arizona, Mohave County, I toured numerous properties with Elise Harron at that time our buyer’s agent and now the Designated Broker and Owner of Dirt Road Real Estate. Then after we relocated here in Golden Valley, Elise offered me a job. At that time, I wanted to consider becoming an appraiser. As that did not work out, I asked Elise in the fall of 2017 if the job offer was still open and she said yes.
Fast forward, eight years later, I am filled with thankfulness that I chose wisely. During these past eight years, I have personally witnessed many agents potentially choosing poorly. From my observations, there appears to be numerous reasons behind these potentially poor choices that create revolving doors.
First is Recruitment. After receiving new licenses or even before, individuals are recruited. I was, not by Dirt Road, but by brokerages that in my opinion engage in multi-level marketing. During my 20 plus years as an Executive Strategic and Leadership Consultant, I personally witnessed multi-level marketing by other industries. To be honest, I was not impressed. These recruitment actions often start with the promise of “big bucks.” For me that was not my primary decision-making factor.
Second is “Big Bucks.” Unfortunately, real estate is sales and sales depends on certain skill levels as well as knowledge of the overall sales process. Again, many agents lack those skills and knowledge.
Here in Mohave County, especially selling dirt, big bucks is a relative term. If I remember correctly, in eight years I have had only two (2) vacant land parcels sell for over $100,000. Rural vacant land here in Golden Valley, AZ often sells for under $100,000. Knowing the geographic and demographics of one’s real estate area is critical.
Third is Time. Some brokerages with brick and mortar buildings require agents to “man the front desk” also known as “seat time.” Having been in corporate sales for over 20 years and having my own small executive consulting business for 20 years, I was not inclined to sit at a desk and “hope” someone drops in. Time is precious for me. I have learned where, when, why and how to invest, not spend my time.
Fourth is Development. The majority of firms in all industries focus on training and that is the basic foundation for success in any industry. However, to excel in most roles requires development. Building on and improving those skills along with knowledge to be the best one can be. With Elise's sharing of what she knows, I have further developed my own skills specific to real estate here in Mohave County.
Elise is always sending information to the Dirt Road Family and encourages all agents to share with others. What I have observed especially with teams, training is minimal and development appears to be rare. Personally, I am not a fan of “pass the buck” or “pass the call” to another individual.
Fifth is Access. One of the consistent complaints I hear from some agents is their inability to communicate with their broker. This is especially true with brokerages with 20 plus agents.
For all of the professional real estate agents at Dirt Road, Elise is a phone call or text away. If she is busy, Elise has always returned calls or texts within the same day. Additionally, if Elise goes out of town, all agents are informed.
Recently I had a transaction that I knew was going to be a problem. After the counteroffer was signed by the buyers, I called Elise and shared what had happened.
As I believe in the old “CYA,” principle, I had properly documented the interactions with this transaction. Risk management is just a prevalent in real estate as it was in my previous work experiences. Elise embraced her role as broker and what could have been a disaster was quickly settled for the benefit of our buyers.
Sixth is Leadership. When I joined Dirt Road in 2017, Judith Ritter was the broker. Judith had a calming leadership persona with strong ethics. Then Judith retired and Elise became the broker. Elise is entirely different in many ways from Judith. However, Elise's leadership skills are also exceptional and highly ethical. As an aside, Judith is the individual who first told me about Active Rain.
Finally, Seventh is Corporate Culture. For some firms including real estate, salespeople engage in “cut throat” behaviors. This behavior is detrimental to the organization’s culture. Often in some companies, these “cut throat” behaviors are overlooked and appear to be quietly endorsed.
At Dirt Road Real Estate, the corporate culture established by Judith and Elise is one of respect, high ethics and mutually shared common goals. For example, if one agent cannot make a showing or an inspection, he or she has the ability to reach out to other agents who are more than willing to help out. These reach outs are accepted usually without any expectation of compensation.
Additionally, if a Dirt Road Real Estate agent finds a request is out of his or her geographic area given the size of Mohave County, that agent will pass on the sales lead. Again, the goal is to help the customer first and not worry about the “big bucks.”
I just recently passed on an incoming sales lead for vacant land. The property was about 90 minutes away. I politely let the potential client know that I could not service his request given the distance, but with his permission I would forward his contact information and request to another Dirt Road agent, in this instance, Cheryl Robertson who far more knowledgeable about this area.
The sales lead gave me permission to share his contact information as well as to receive Cheryl’s information. He did call Cheryl and now is a client for Dirt Road under Cheryl’s care. And Cheryl took me out for dinner to thank me for the sales lead. That was an unexpected surprise. We had a truly delightful meal.
My 50+ years of sales advice and even wisdom to new real estate agents is to undertake your own research. Determine what is important to you such as time, ethics, leadership, culture and income. Remember, money is not everything.
Yes, I am grateful that I made a wise decision to work here at Dirt Road Real Estate and especially thankful for Elise who has also become a good friend to myself and my husband. As I continue to tell those who subtly ask me and sometimes not so subtly to consider changing brokerages, my response is:
“When I leave real estate, I leave Dirt Road.”
This is my fourth and final entry to the November Challenged hosted by Lynn B. Friedman. Thank you Lynn as I did enjoy this month's challenge.
P.S. Please consider checking out my Facebook business page, The Grit and Gratitude Realtor, that will focus on the Dirt Roads in Mohave County as well local real estate, lots of dirt or vacant land parcels as some of the local attractions.
#LetsGetBackToRealConversations #WeDoThingsDifferently #GoldenValleyAZHomesAndLand #realestateagent #CorporateCulture #Broker #Leadership #Ethics
Leanne M Smith, The Grit and Gratitude Agent Who Goes the Extra Mile Because Life Begins Where the Pavement Ends.
Feature Photo Courtesy of Leanne M Smith
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