After tragedy unexpectedly pushed her to move, Re/Max Dream Realtor Sue “Pinky” Benson used her business and social media knowledge to completely start over in a new market.
At this year’s Inman Connect San Francisco conference, Benson discussed how agents can be using social media to build a base in a new market.
After losing her infant son to a rare health disorder, Benson and her husband needed to start over. As a result, they moved from a small town to a larger suburban area in Naples, Florida.
“If there is a glory in grief, it’s that it gives you tunnel vision,” Benson told the audience at Inman Connect. “I realized very quickly that what is very important is what’s in front of me and my family.”
Benson quickly had to adjust to working as a Realtor in a much larger commmunity with both more business and more competition.
And to get started, she would do a weekly Facebook live stream in which she walked around her new neighborhood and discussed the real estate market to whoever happened to tune-in and follow her page.
“Each time I did it, I met someone new,” Benson said. “I started to slowly build my network by meeting people and businesses.”
While it took time for people in Naples to start to see Benson as an authority in real estate, she continued to talk to people both in person and through her live streams. Eventually, she built a base of clients and connections with other real estate colleagues, which helped her cement a place in the Naples market.
“A lot of agents think ‘ok, I’ve got my license, bring me the business,’” Benson said, adding that agents instead need to continually be finding new and tech-focused ways to connect with other professionals.
“Look at that camera and your awkwardness will go away,” Benson told the crowd.
