Three Institute panelists shared great ideas at NAR, Part 1: Sandy Raines

1. As always, the NAR convention offered a wealth of ideas for real estate professionals eager to take their business to the next level of success.  In one of the breakout sessions, three Institute members joined me for a luxury homes expert panel sharing ideas about working in the luxury home market.  Over the next few days, I’ll share blog posts outlining some of the panelists’ ideas.  The panelists will be featured in the order they presented at NAR – Sandy Raines, Stan Barron, and Gayle Henderson.

Sandy Raines of HER/Real Living in Columbus (OH) talked about how she has built one of the most successful real estate teams in the Mid-West.  You can download Sandy's PowerPoint for full information, but here are just a few teaser ideas based on what Sandy shared with the crowd: 

1. Sandy suggests that you WOW your prospects starting with the initial interaction. Rather than going to another location, Sandy schedules the very first meeting in her office to set a professional tone.  She greets her prospects with The Raines Team’s bottled water and chocolate and provides a “communications binder” which outlines the entire buying and selling interaction.  This is a powerful combination of solid information and attention-to-service details.
2. Sandy provides a moving van for her client’s use.  They can schedule the van Online.  At first she says she wasn’t sure that her upscale clientele would use the van, but soon discovered that they are excited about it and use it to move their wine, artwork, and other valuables.  She also makes the van available to local charities for use in their events.  Since the side of the van is a billboard for The Raines Team, Sandy gains important visibility every time the van hits the road.
3. Sandy not only uses business systems to manage her business more effectively, she also uses motivational systems to keep her team positive and operating at peak performance levels.  For example, she has each of her staff members create vision boards which are visual reminders of the specific goals they wish to achieve.  These boards are at their desks and help them stay focused on their goals (both business and personal).  At the end of each day, Sandy also encourages her team to think about 10 things they are grateful for and 5 successes they’ve accomplished that day.  This clear goal setting and positive reinforcement helps Sandy’s team keep their eye on the target and have fun in the process. 

Be sure to download Sandy's presentation at the link below.

Visit Sandy’s website at www.therainesgroup.com.  Here is Sandy’s presentation (PDF, 2.2mb)