Jerry Holden is the president and broker for The Holden Agency. After a career in professional baseball, Holden redirected his competitive mindset toward real estate and quickly built a reputation of success in the industry.
Holden has been recognized as the no. 1 sales agent for 11 years straight in North Central Ohio and a top sales agent in the state of Ohio. Most recently he was announced as an Inman Innovator 2017 finalist in the Most Innovative Brokerage category.
Holden has completed real estate transactions all over the continental United States and is currently expanding The Holden Agency into new markets using his four key principles in every transaction: innovation, integrity, vision and partnership.
Holden will take the stage at the Indie Broker Summit on Monday, August 7, to address brokers from across the country on how to compete with the industry giants like Keller Williams. (Hint: Listen to your grandma, and practice as hard as LeBron James.)
We caught up with Holden to hear why he loves being an independent broker and what trends to keep an eye on.
What do you see as the biggest benefit to being an independent broker?
The ability to abide by three simple rules:
1. No assholes
2. Have fun
3. The grandmother rule: Treat every customer with white glove service as you would your own grandmother.
Also being able to develop a culture, rather than just talking about it. People always talk about culture and their business, but it’s very difficult and takes a lot of time to have that culture be enriched and accepted by everyone.
I work every day with keeping in mind and developing the culture so this is the place everybody wants to come and work.
What are your best tips and tricks for building your client base?
Getting better! Not getting bigger! If you get better the consumers will demand that you get bigger!
What do you see as the most important trends (good or bad) that independent brokers should be keeping an eye on in the coming year?
Always being a student of the business. Being flexible and referring back to being a student of the business and understanding market data and the different trends from absorption rate, median prices, average prices, etc.
Things may slow down, and you have to have that trending data from at least six months back to be able to counsel your clients in the right way. Also don’t get caught up in all the different tech gadgets or technology.
LeBron James is in his off-season right now. However, I guarantee you he is working on getting better right now.
If you keep that frame of reference in your mind, you will get better, and then your business and your base of clients will ultimately get bigger!