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In advance of Connect Now, we’ve asked many well-known members of the Inman community for their insights on how they are working and keeping their businesses moving forward in this time — in other words, How They Connect Now. Here are three responses.
Frederick Peters
Frederick Peters
CEO, Warburg Realty
What’s the biggest change in the way you’re managing your business now?
I can list them:
- None of us are in the office, so we can only interact by phone, FaceTime or Zoom.
- Much of my time is being spent managing expenses and future planning. Less devoted to immediate revenue generation, since at the moment there isn’t much.
- Substantial focus on the relationship part of the business and activating the pipeline.
How do you find new business in a time like this?
Mostly you don’t. What a time like this is primarily about is solidifying your existing relationships. It’s those relationships which will lead you to new business once there is new business to be had.
David Marine
David Marine
Chief Marketing Officer, Coldwell Banker
How do you find new business in a time like this?
As the caretaker of a brand, this is the time for us to continue to show value both to our agents and our customers. For agents, we’re building out steady streams of content to connect with their SOI, education expos to enhance their skills, and igniting best practice sharing to keep the network engaged and learning from those who have found success. On the customer side, we’re making sure our brand is providing value and lending a voice where appropriate. It’s why we quickly pivoted our planned advertising campaign from being about us as a brand to the Hometown Heroes in our communities, which has led to it being the highest rated ad in real estate among consumers and over 1 million views on social with the sharing of custom graphics from our network.
How do you keep morale up, for you personally, and for your team?
Keeping the team engaged with each other and focused on a goal has been a huge help. I put out a challenge to the team to come up with a big idea that in the normal course of business we might not be able to focus on. How could we make an impact for our network or our customers in a major way? What came back was nothing less than incredible. Some truly inspirational thinking and ways to impact our business that I would have never considered. You’ll surely be hearing more about that in the comings months!
Who in the community has impressed you or helped you most during this time?
I’ve been impressed with a few people in different ways.
I’ve been impressed with Team Diva from Coldwell Banker Bain in how swiftly and effectively they moved to virtual open houses and engaged with their community.
I’ve been impressed with Sean Carpenter from Coldwell Banker King Thompson who is creating some really compelling content and ways to connect with his sphere.
I’ve been impressed with the real estate community as a whole who for the most part has been able to adjust but continue to conduct business and help people through what’s already a stressful process and just compacted with our current environment.
Amie Quirarte
Amie Quirarte
Real estate agent in California and Nevada, Tahoe Luxury Properties
What’s the biggest change in the way you’re managing your business now?
My primary focus is to operate from a space of empathy right now. I am being more gentle with everyone, including myself, when it comes to response time, scheduling limitations and just overall business logistics. The first thing I do when I get on the phone with someone (anyone) is ask how they’re doing and genuinely take the time to listen. It helps to know that even in business, the people you’re working with care enough to hit pause to see how you’re feeling. I listen simply to listen.
How do you find new business in a time like this?
I recently put out a 2,000-household mailer without mentioning the words “real estate” once. I sent my “neighbors” a letter to let them know I’m here for whatever it is they need. I have been very involved in community relief efforts and started sending out newsletters with this information instead of traditional real estate data. I have also been more focused on ramping up our efforts on projects that have been pushed to the wayside in the past. Updating our database, revamping our newsletter templates and revising our internal processes.
How do you keep morale up, for you personally, and for your team?
I am constantly sending positive videos and stories to my colleagues. I have shared what books I’m reading and pull my favorite snippets out to share. And I actually started a weekly video challenge. Each week, I come up with a new video topic (a positive topic) and ask them to create a video of their own and share with the group. It has been so much fun!
Who in the community has impressed you or helped you most during this time?
I started an Emergency Relief Facebook page about a month ago, and since then, we’ve gained 1,000 followers. We have used this page to connect volunteers to those in need. The needs are dire, and in my opinion, they will only continue to get worse. We have assisted with grocery shopping and delivery, rent relief (we paid 30 families’ rent on April 1) and are now providing a hot meal 5 nights a week for 650 people. The funds we’re using have been donated by our real estate clients, second-homeowners (on our rental program), friends and family. I have been impressed with every single person who has contributed in such a meaningful way: the people who donated their time to shop, the restaurants who are providing food, our donors and every other person who has touched this project.
What’s your outlook for the rest of this year?
I think the biggest question mark that still remains is how long this will go on for. If we see a soft reopening of the country in the month of May, I think we will see a gradual (but overall quick) rebound in the real estate market. If it continues past May, I think the market will have a hard time recovering. For the record, I can only speak to my own market, which is a second-home market in Lake Tahoe.
Can you share a few words about how Inman has helped you grow your business, in bull or bear times?
Each morning, I wake up and read at least two Inman articles. It keeps me connected to our real estate community and keeps me grounded by reminding me I’m not the only one who feels a certain way.
Inman Connect Now connects virtually June 2-4, 2020. The digital event offers standout speakers, incredible networking opportunities, and the chance to forge business breakthroughs and build new relationships to last a lifetime. Don’t miss out — register today.