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When Danny Hertzberg joined the family business at the Jills Zeder Group back in 2008, he pushed for change.
“When I came into the business, I thought it was insane that we were sending out brochures,” Hertzberg recalled Wednesay while on stage at Inman Connect Miami. He went on to say that Facebook was in its earliest stages at that point, while other platforms such as Instagram hadn’t even been invented yet. Nevertheless, Hertzberg pushed for change.
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“We need to go, maybe not 100 percent, but 90 percent into social,” he remembers thinking.
But then something surprising happened.
“Somebody showed up to an open house with a brochure,” Hertzberg said, adding that eventually, that brochure-wielding consumer bought the property. “The next day, we got a phone call from a magazine ad.”
Hertzberg participated in a panel discussion about how to future-proof a real estate business, and he shared the anecdote to highlight both his interest in being on the cutting edge — and the need to respect the past.
“The lesson to learn is that as things change, you have to embrace them,” Hertzberg said.
“But that doesn’t mean you have to leave the old behind,” Dolly Lenz, also a panelist Wednesday, and owner of Dolly Lenz Real Estate, added as Hertzberg nodded.
Panelists discuss tips for agents on Wednesday at Inman Connect Miami. Credit: AJ Canaria
Wednesday’s panelists also offered other tips that have helped them build their businesses. For instance, Lenz said that when photographing properties, her company could find someone to do the job for $300. But instead, “we choose to get the $5,000 photographer.” Her point was that industry pros ought to aim for the best work possible.
“Go for gold,” she advised. “You always need to go for gold.”
At another point, Jill Hertzberg — broker associate at the Jills Zeder Group, Danny Hertzberg’s mother, and also a panelist Wednesday — stressed the importance of communication. That means calling other agents back promptly and being genuinely excited to see people.
“Building relationships with everyone you meet is critical,” Jill Hertzberg said.
Jill Hertzberg additionally suggested that newer industry members connect with and learn from peers who have a proven track record.
“I think that if you’re starting in your office,” she said, “identify people who are successful and see if you can do anything for them and with them.”
