Century 21 Discovery

Community News – St. Jude Northwest Tower Completion

By Stephanie Goedl

November 7, 2014

I’m excited for my first post on the CENTURY 21 Discovery Blog to be about something that is near and dear to my heart. Our office is located in Fullerton which is in the hub of North Orange County, California. Across the street from our office is St. Jude Medical Center. This medical facility is a cornerstone of the community and provides high quality medical care as well as jobs to the area.

St. Jude is near and dear to my heart because it’s where I was born, I volunteered there in high school, I am currently a member of the St. Jude Hospital Guild and also serve on the Patient Advisory Council. As REALTORS® we are educated in the communities we serve by staying up to date on the neighborhood schools, parks, shopping and of course the local medical facilities.

A little over a year ago I had the opportunity to interview Lee Penrose, CEO of St. Jude Medical Center, as part of our CENTURY 21 Discovery Community Conversations video series. That video was about the construction that was going on of the Northwest Tower at the center.

Tomorrow, November 8^th, the four-story tower will be open to the public for tours from 11-2. The new building will house state of the art surgical suites along with a new pharmacy, radiology, a “healing garden” and my favorite, a new cafeteria!

It’s been great to have a front row seat from our office watching the Northwest Tower being built. This facility will be an amazing addition to our community. I hope you can take advantage of this opportunity to take behind-the-scenes tour and interactive demonstrations before its open for business. Having this first class facility in our own backyard is benefit to all who live and work in North Orange County.

About the author: Stephanie Goedl is the Chief Operating Officer of CENTURY 21 Discovery. For more information about CENTURY 21 Discovery you may call (714) 626-2000.

4 Key Take-Aways from the C.A.R. Expo

By Joe Lins

October 20, 2014

Two weeks ago I had the opportunity to attend the California Association of REALTORS® (C.A.R.) Expo in Anaheim. There were 9,000 to 10,000 attendees at the three day event. In between the learning and networking I also gained insight into what to expect from the 2015 housing market in the Forecast presented by C.A.R. Chief Economist Leslie Appleton-Young. It was great to make new friends and run into some old ones. One of the highlights was listening to a dear friend Terri Sjodin give her tips on crafting persuasive presentations.

Joe Lins, Terri Sjodin, Stephanie Goedl at the 2014 C.A.R. Expo

In an earlier post I said I would be giving an update on my key take-aways, so here they are:

1) What is your Value Package?

This topic was a central theme in most of the presentations I attended. A Value Package basically means: What value do you provide to your clients and in my case, our agents.

All REALTORS® need to have a list on paper and committed to memory the services you will provide to your clients and what sets you apart from your competitors. This should include what you know about the markets you serve that can’t be found online. Your micro-market knowledge will set you apart from the third party aggregator websites like Zillow, Trulia, and establish you as the go to person in your market. Your Value Package should be part of your Listing Presentation and listed on your website.

Our management team recently reviewed and updated our firm’s Value Package which will allow us to articulate the value of being associated with our company to our agents as well as the agents we want to recruit. In a recent coaching session I presented our Value Package to the agents and explained that they need to model their own Value Package after our company Value Package.

2) Education

C.A.R. provides a variety of education to its members which include continuing education, professional development classes and designations/certifications to distinguish you as a specialist in a particular niche of the industry. You have the ability to choose your own learning experience: Live Lecture or Face2Face at your local association, Remote Learning and Online classes as well as Home Study programs. One of my favorites is the online 12 session course for new agents. As professional REALTORS® we need to stay educated to be relevant in an evolving industry.

3) Track your Business

REALTORS® need to know where their business is coming from. Take the time to ask why or where a client found you so you can track which marketing efforts are working. If the bulk of your clients are coming from a specific tool: emails, Just Listed postcards or an online ad then focus you efforts on those areas where you are getting the best results.

4) Real Estate Office Layouts are changing

The physical layout of the real estate office is evolving into a new model. Sitting around a conference table in a board room is no longer as effective as it once was. Progressive firms are changing this style of doing business by providing a more relaxed and informal meeting area that features chairs around a coffee table. Kind of like sitting in a client’s living room.

I learned a lot at the 2014 C.A.R. Expo and at the end of each day I thought my head would explode with all the information coming at me. These key take-aways will allow me to improve my business and provide an even better environment to allow our REALTORS® to be more progressive, passionate and professional.

About the author: Joe Lins is President and Co-owner of CENTURY 21 Discovery. If you are interested in becoming part of the CENTURY 21 Discovery team contact Joe at 714.626.2069.

5 Easy Tips for Success in Real Estate

By Joe Lins

August 27, 2014

Not every agent in the real estate business succeeds. There are a variety of reasons why. We have come up with 5 very basic and easy things that you should be doing to help you succeed in real estate.

1) Answer your phone

This sounds like a basic thing that all agents should do, right? You’d be surprised at how many agents look at their phone when it rings and don’t answer it because they don’t recognize the number. Every call that comes in is a potential lead or advocate for you and your business. When you have the reputation of actually answering your phone more people will be calling you. Your phone will ring more…that’s a good thing!

2) Return phone calls

How many times have you called another agent about their listing and not received a return call back. Not only is it rude and unprofessional but it’s a violation of the REALTOR® Code of Ethics that state that agents cooperate with other brokers. Don’t be that guy! Take that few minutes to return phone calls.

3) Put all incoming phone numbers and emails into a client management database

What do most successful entrepreneurs have in common? A very rich database of clients, prospects and advocates. There are several client management systems (also called client relationship management (CRM) systems) out there. Some are software you install on your computer and others are cloud/internet based systems. Here is a guide to some of the CRM systems out there.

CENTURY 21 Discovery offers a CRM called Market Leader, Inc. in its Business Builder tool that allows agents to manage contacts, schedule and send emails/reminders along with a complete marketing campaign center with templates for flyers, newsletters, postcards, etc. Get a client management system and use it.

4) Listen to your Broker/Manager

Nobody is more interested in your success than your Broker/Manager. They don’t make money unless you make money. They should be providing the tools, systems and training you need to succeed. Listen to them.

5) If your Broker/Manager is not providing the tools, systems, training to succeed…change firms!

If your Broker/Manager isn’t offering you tools, systems and training or they aren’t mentoring you and you’re competing with them for business it’s time to change firms. Find one who has the tools, systems and training that fit your needs and make that move. Your success depends on it.

About the author: Joe Lins is President and Co-owner of CENTURY 21 Discovery. If you are interested in becoming part of the CENTURY 21 Discovery team contact Joe at 714.626.2069.