Andy McDonald, HomeSmart

strategies? Don’t change anything until you’re ready to work on your business. Adopting tech is like establishing a new habit. You can’t give it a week or two weeks and complain that it isn’t working. Agents sometimes get distracted by the latest shiny thing, but they have to give tech, or any process and workflow change, enough time to evaluate if it’s truly worth it. RE

For more information, please visit www.era.com.

-Jordan Grice

McDonald

Connecting With Clients and Providing Superior Service

Andy McDonald

Designated Broker/Owner, HomeSmart Advantage Group Tucson, Arizona homesmart.com/real-estate-agent/arizona/ tucson/49283-andrew-andy-mcdonald/Welcome

Region served: Greater Tucson Years in real estate: 24 Number of offices: 2 Number of agents: 300

What is your best tip for getting the right listing price? Show sellers the comps, ask them to consider improvements they’ve done, then ask how much they would pay if they were to buy their own house. We typically get to a reasonable number after that.

What is your No. 1 tip for dealing with difficult clients? Give them 24 hours to sit on new information and understand what their options are before asking them to make a decision in order to avoid knee-jerk responses. Time allows for the big picture to set in.

Please describe your most effective way to motivate agents. We promote agent success with a monthly Top 10 list. Agents appreciate the recognition that they can share with their sphere, and it motivates them to make the list every month.

“Our agents have done a fantastic job of connecting with clients and providing superior service.”

-ANDY MCDONALD Designated Broker/Owner, HomeSmart Advantage Group

How do you successfully get buyers and sellers to work together? Agents set the tone for clients by working professionally with one another. When our clients see us being respectful, they typically follow suit. Remaining professional is key to a successful closing.

How has affiliating with HomeSmart helped you elevate your company above the competition? A forward-thinking brand, affiliating with HomeSmart has given us an edge in technology, price structure and overall franchise support. Matt Widdows (founder and CEO) and his team are constantly evolving to keep up with the changing times and provide advantages that enable us to stay on top. Whether it’s new elements, features or apps on our proprietary tech platform, recruiting assistance in every market, or promotional materials, HomeSmart leadership is always implementing value-added services to help us maintain a top market position.

How has your recruiting strategy changed over the years, and how has that affected your agents’ productivity/sales ratios? Nine years ago, I was eager to recruit anyone and everyone in our Tucson agent pool. Our company works hard for all agents, high and low producers alike. However, a few years ago, I decided to be more selective and recruit only producing agents. As a result, our units and sales volume has increased yearover-year along with our per-agent production. Our typical agent is now selling double the national average.