Candy Swick
How long have you been in the business, and tell us about yourself.
I have been a real estate professional for 33 years. I have a team of people because of Ken Goodfellow. Ken called me many times, and I told him to call back because I was too busy. He was persistent for 3 or 4 months, and he told me I could work fewer hours and have a better life through coaching.
I employ people to close, a marketing person, and a virtual assistant for 5 years, which is seamless, flawless and is even on conference calls. I also have a listing coordinator and a personal assistant who keeps me in line as well as 3 buyers’ agents. We function well as a team.
I’m ranked # 5 in Florida, and just added a new realtor from out of state who was amazed that we handle the ads, have staff to assist them, and a positive working environment – we all cover for each other.
It is not easy building a team
It is a process. One of the things I use is the DISC personality profile. Bringing a person into your team that is the wrong fit can destroy the team. We have very few rules, but I insist on positive affirmations, speaking like it has already been accomplished. Negativity is not allowed. Building a team doesn’t happen overnight.
How do you find people for your team?
It’s called networking. If you are a sales person, you are constantly asking for the order and networking. I was shopping in a store and was impressed by the assistant manager, who was a jack-of-all-trades with a GREAT attitude; she has been with me for 5 years. I found someone at an MLS meeting because I needed someone who spoke a foreign language. It boils down to networking.
Attitude is the most important thing — great teams have great culture
It makes all the difference in the world. I once tried to bring in a high school person to shadow us, who was shocked at how nice we were to other people – they remember that. Stick with Ken he will be like Chinese Water Torture, he will want you to do something you don’t want to do – believe me you will do it and then you will say thank you. How did you know?
How did you mentally handle all the challenges involved with the tough times?
I am positive to being with, and Javier worked with me on Neuro- Linguistic Patterning and goal setting. The office mantra and your positive affirmations are necessary to keep on your desk. I told my staff when the world came crashing down, the first year was on me – if they stuck with me and busted their butts they would have a job at the end of the year, even if I didn’t make a cent. At the end of the year, they had jobs, and I got income.
Lead Generation
I find “realtor.com” an excellent source of leads. We are probably on about 400 different websites – the phone rings all the time – we are constantly making sure that we are staying on top of those leads.
Stay in touch with Past Clients
We all know that it takes X number of cold calls to get a client –database calls work best. Each member of my team must make 5 calls per week and we get a buyer, sale or listing each week. We do follow-up calls, one day after closing, 2 days after closing, 1 month after closing, 3 months after closing, 6months after closing and one year after closing as well as on their birthday. You have to stay in touch because they forget.
One thing that works best for Lead Generation
Past Clients have been the best because they are real.
Most important thing you do Everyday
Positive affirmations and goals keep me focused and I have to turn them into Bill Renaud who also makes sure my numbers are done every week.
Do you follow a Schedule?
I am very disciplined, I remember going to a business planning meeting with Coach Ken, and I really had my eyes opened. People didn’t know what their numbers were, and they learned why they were not making any money. They were million dollar people with good cash flow, but t hey had no money in their pockets. Bill is working with me on a schedule right now. I started by writing my mileage down, I enter it on my smart phone. It is now a habit.
Number 1 Secret to Success
Attitude and don’t let anyone ever tell you that you can’t. If anyone who tells you that you can’t- remember that it is actually them that can’t. Nobody should ever hold you hostage. Write down those positive affirmations and say them daily. Having a coach to keep you on the right path holds you accountable.
What would you say is the danger of growing a team?
Hiring someone just because you need them – look at the personalities and get someone who compliments the team – hire to your weakness – surround yourself with people who keep your balanced – usually your opposite.
Do you have staff meetings?
We have a staff meeting every Tuesday morning at 8:30 – if you are late you buy lunch – nobody comes late. We review open houses, ads, new listings, old listings, things we are having problems with. Sometimes I have two meetings admin and sales staff meetings.
How often do you speak to your current listings and what do you say?
Melissa, my listing coordinator is responsible for speaking to them every week and following up on feedback. We call every listing every Friday, and she tells me when I need to step in. Every 30 days they get a copy of their ads, the market updates, and every listing that has sold. I call them personally every two weeks.
Why have you stayed with coaching so long — is coaching worth the investment?
If you write the cheque it is really worth it. You buy into it and you will invest your time in it because it keeps you on track. Some days I learn something that open the heavens – other days it just keeps me focused and on the right track. My life is better, my contacts are better, I can pick up the phone and ask for help and the person I am talking to has nothing to gain from the help they are giving.
Candy Swick
Candy Swick & Company
Sarasota, Florida
CandySwick.com