Exceptional service from the kitchen table to the closing table

Exceptional Service From the Kitchen Table to the Closing Table

Following the lead of founder Mike Swan, the team at Swan Land Company with its headquarters in Bozeman, Montana, serves its clients from “the kitchen table to the closing table.”

“For us, the kitchen table is symbolic of the personal, high-touch way we do business,” said Swan, who ran the office of Bates Sanders Swan Land Company in Bozeman for 12 years before establishing his own brand. “Whether we’re sitting down with a titan of industry in a New York penthouse office or a ranching family from central Montana, the kitchen table—where we sit and look into one another’s eyes and really establish a personal connection—is where each and every relationship begins.”

In 2012, riding on a wave of success that included representing Montana’s 124,000-acre Broken O Ranch in a sale to Stan Kroenke, Swan opened Swan Land Company.

“I had great momentum, but I realized I needed help if the company was going to continue to move forward,” Swan said, noting that early sales also included Montana’s 25,323-acre Historic Horse Ranch and Montana’s Lazy J Ranch, the largest contiguous privately-held block remaining in Bridger Canyon.

He began adding team members in 2013. Today, his list of all-star brokers includes: Tim Anderson, David Lowry, Stephen Leibinger, Sam Sanders and Scott Williams. The

company now has offices in Bozeman, Salt Lake City and Buffalo, Wyoming, and is licensed in Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, New Mexico, Colorado and Nebraska.

“We haven’t taken our foot off the gas since the beginning— and we’re not letting up anytime soon,” Swan said.

While growth and success tempt some companies to abandon principle for profit, Swan refuses to fall into that trap and remains true to the values he learned around his family’s kitchen table on their cow-calf operation in Montana’s Ruby Valley: personal integrity, hard work, respect and putting others’ needs before your own.

“It all comes back to who you are and what you stand for as an individual—and as a company,” said Swan, a selfdescribed servant leader. “I’m a simple guy. I know how to work hard and treat people right, and I’ve surrounded myself with people who live their lives the same way.”

The seemingly simple formula delivers results including signature sales such as Jane Fonda’s 2,300-acre Forked Lightning Ranch near Santa Fe, New Mexico, and the 42,215-acre LF Ranch near Augusta, Montana.

“Despite our relatively small size, we continue to gain market share at a rate that has me asking, ‘What is Swan Land Company going to do next?’” Swan said. “While I don’t know the exact answer to that question yet, I can guarantee we will remain true to who we are—and to our clients.”

F O R U S , T H E K I T C H E N T A B L E I S S Y M B O L I C O F T H E P E R S O N A L , H I G H - T O U C H W A Y W E D O B U S I N E S S.” —Mike Swan

Embracing A Simple Formula Sharing a cup of coffee while sitting at a kitchen table may seem like an oldfashioned idea in today’s digital age, but it is a requirement of doing business with the Swan Team.

“Before we do business, we sit down and talk through every step of the process, clarify expectations on both sides and make it clear that our team will ‘hold their hand’ from beginning to end,” Swan said. “Our approach to customer service is very personal and very high-touch, which some people would say is out of step with our hurry-up modern world, but it works for us—and our clients.”

In this age of instant, impersonal communication, the first face-to-face meeting lays a foundation for a working relationship that often blossoms into a personal one.

“The deals are important, but it’s the relationships that are priceless to us,” said Swan, noting team members routinely get invitations to graduations, weddings and other special occasions reserved for family and friends long after a deal is done. “We never quit working to earn and maintain the trust that underpins every successful relationship.”

Authenticity matters.

“If you’re not a person of your word, people will see right through you,” Swan said. “Our clients leave their kitchen tables confident that we are who we say and we

will do what we promise, which is putting their interests first—every single time— and putting extraordinary effort into each and every listing.”

Character counts.

“When we do business with people, whether they’re CEOs of Fortune 100 companies or fourth-generation ranchers, they are entrusting us with their families’ legacies and their families’ futures,” Swan said. “It’s a tremendous amount of responsibility which we take very seriously.”

Personal commitment yields results for the clients and the company. Swan, who estimates up to 75 percent of the firm’s business comes from referrals and repeat business, had this lesson reinforced soon after he opened Swan Land Company.

“My phone rang one day and it was Jane Fonda,” Swan recalled. “She said, ‘I’ve heard your name in several circles and I think you’re someone I need to meet.’”

She was considering selling her New Mexico ranch and was looking for representation. It was Friday. Swan arranged to tour the property the following Monday morning. After evaluating the ranch, he submitted a proposal and 10 days later he was drinking coffee with the actress at her ranch. They spent the morning sitting at her kitchen table and talking about the process and his company’s personal approach to business.

“By the end of our visit, she said, ‘I trust you and I want you to represent me,’” Swan said.

The first meeting was just the beginning. During the process, Swan made nearly 20 trips to New Mexico and another six to Fonda’s home in Beverly Hills.

“Every time we had to make a critical decision, I made it a point to be face-to-face, so she understood every nuance and every detail of this complicated deal,” Swan said. “I promised to ‘hold her hand’ through the entire process—and I did. This is the same principle that we apply to each and every client that we are fortunate enough to represent.”

In the end, the ranch sold. Fonda expressed her gratitude for his willingness to go above and beyond her expectations as did her family and business team.

The Power Of A Team The Swan Land Company team, which totals nine including Swan and three support staff, is small and nimble by design.

“As a team, we serve a very selective, exclusive niche,” Swan said. “We limit the number of properties we represent so we can focus

on each one individually and tailor-make a plan for each property in our portfolio.”

The benefits of working with a diverse, close-knit team really are very evident as the members gather around their conference table to strategize on behalf of a client. Each broker brings a unique skill set, ranging from knowledge in fisheries, recreation and agriculture to the synergy between energy development and land management, to the project.

“The best solutions for our clients come from looking at every

property from every angle,” Swan said. “I don’t want brokers who are clones of me, I want people who will give me their honest opinions based on different experiences and push the boundaries on behalf of our clients.”

Just as the clients trust the Swan team, the team members trust one another.

“The atmosphere is open and collaborative,” Swan said. “Even though we all have different backgrounds, we’re like-minded when it comes to our high-touch, customer-oriented philosophy that’s at the core of our business. It’s the power of one multiplied by six.”

Plus, the team members enjoy their work and one another.

“We get to do what we love in the midst of God’s most beautiful

creations—and share a lot of laughs along the way,” Swan said. “To

work with this team is a blessing. Each and every one of us takes ownership of our objectives.”

Because of its size, the team doesn’t have the luxury of painting with a broad brush when it comes to marketing, buyer demographics or any other critical piece of the project. They study the market and adapt their strategies to meet the ever-present changes.

“There aren’t many of us, so we have to make the most of our time,” Swan said. “We identify our goals and strategies—and then apply a laser-focus to execute them, and we are efficient with our time.”

Egos are checked at the door.

“As brokers we lead transactions, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that we lead from the front or draw attention to ourselves in the public eye,” Swan said.

The team always puts the client’s interests first, time after time, so the deal can make its way to the closing table.

“We work behind the scenes and take care of every detail, so the

process is seamless,” Swan said. “When we do our job, the spotlight shines on our clients’ success.”

Deals are finished, but relationships live on. Because of strong relationships, the team finds itself at a different kitchen table.

“When people begin a phone call by saying, ‘You helped a friend. . . a colleague. . . a family member of mine—and we’re not talking to anybody else,’ it’s a true testimony to the power of putting our clients first,” Swan said. “Their trust honors us and serves as a continual reminder of the value of doing business the right way. The world may change, but our focus on people won’t.” °

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