Illinois 1-15-18

ILLINOIS EDITION

6 Things You Need to Do to BE A GREAT MENTOR KEEPING IN TOUCH – How to Stay in Your Clients’ Lives for the Long Haul 5 Tips to Make New Hires a LONG-LASTING SUCCESS

FEATURED AGENTS

CHRISTINE HANCOCK MANDY McGUIRE COVER STORY

SARAH LEONARD

ILLINOIS EDITION

7

SARAH LEONARD

19

CHRISTINE HANCOCK

23

MANDY McGUIRE

CONTENTS 4) 5 TIPS TO MAKE NEW HIRES A LONG-LASTING SUCCESS

13) KEEPING IN TOUCH – HOW TO STAY IN YOUR CLIENTS’ LIVES FOR THE LONG HAUL

20) 6 THINGS YOU NEED TO DO TO BE A GREAT MENTOR

Phone 888-461-3930 | Fax 310-751-7068 mag@topagentmagazine.com | www.topagentmagazine.com No portion of this issue may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without prior consent of the publisher. Top Agent Magazine is published by Feature Publications GA, Inc. Although precautions are taken to ensure the accuracy of published materials, Top Agent Magazine cannot be held responsible for opinions expressed or facts supplied by its authors.

To subscribe or change address, send inquiry to mag@topagentmagazine.com.

Published in the U.S.

2

Top Agent Magazine

mailto:mag@topagentmagazine.com

Top Agent Magazine

3

5 Tips to Make New Hires

a Long-lasting Success Bringing a new employee into the mix is process commonly known as onboarding. The idea behind onboarding is to make the transition from new hire to team member as efficient and pain-free as possible. However, polling shows that some 31% of entry-level and intermediate level hires leave their new posts within just six months of starting. The question is: why?

The hiring and training process is time-intensive and doesn’t come cheap. This means that making 4

a good match for the long haul requires more than just assessments of skill and personality. To ensure a talented new hire sticks around and is truly positioned for success, the onboarding process must be executed with the same care applied during hiring. For a few ideas on how to make the most of the onboarding process, consider the tenets below as you guide your new hire toward long-lasting success within your company.

Top Agent Magazine ÂŽ

Top Agent Magazine

1. Be honest about the scope of the role

2. Build in some perks

Let’s say you’re looking to add a new buyers agent or loan processor to your team. You write up the position’s responsibilities, but neglect to mention that you want the new hire to handle a host of administrative tasks, as well. Maybe it doesn’t seem important enough to outline in detail, as it’s the sort of thing the rest of your does. Miscommunications like these are a leading reason why new hires leave their roles.

If there isn’t clarity and transparency about a position’s true responsibilities, then new hires may become quickly disillusioned and seek out greener pastures.

Top Agent Magazine

While stocking the breakroom with bagels every Friday may seem like a small gesture, it’s often those little morale-boosting moves that build loyalty and comradery among the team. Bike-to-work incentives, subsidized gym memberships, and benefits that match the needs of your employees—all are ways to demonstrate appreciation and investment in your team.

Likewise, the right candidate will return the favor and invest his or her energies into their new role.

Top Agent Magazine ®

5

3. Get a sense of big-picture career plans

4. Keep the lines of communication open

Another reason new hires move on may have nothing to do with you or your office. In fact, many hires in entry-level or even intermediate roles have doubts about their long-term vision.

That’s why it’s important to be upfront from the beginning regarding a candidate’s five-year plan and ultimate dream job. Maintain realistic expectations when asking these questions, but use it as an opportunity to gage a candidate’s seriousness about the real estate or mortgage industry. Why this line of work over another?

Emphasizing industry longevity and career growth during the interview process can save you drama down the road.

Take a proactive approach in communicating with your new hire. Take time to check in regularly during the first six months of his or her addition. If you can, make time to train new hires yourself—if only for a part of the onboarding process. You’ll forge a deeper professional bond and create an avenue for further questions. All in all, make it clear that you’re personally invested in their presence and talents, and that you care what they have to say. That way, if any issues or doubts arise, you can stay on top of it and work out a solution, rather than lose a new employee.

5. Give new hires meaningful work to do It’s natural to keep the kid-gloves on with new hires, but don’t let that stop you from giving them a chance to shine. New team members will feel empowered and motivated if given meaningful projects to focus on. Don’t relegate their daily duties to busy work as they build experience.

Instead, task new teammates with something challenging, or that draws on a specific skill you hired them for. You’ll instill confidence, demonstrate your commitment to their growth, and with any luck—keep them around for the long haul.

6

Top Agent Magazine ®

Top Agent Magazine

Top Agent Magazine

SARAH LEONARD 7

SARAH LEONARD Growing up, Sarah Leonard often found herself at outings and events alongside her mother, a leader at the local Board of Realtors. As a teenager, she also worked part-time at various real estate offices, earning firsthand experience and getting a sense for the industry’s ins and outs.

Those experiences proved to have a profound influence on Sarah, as she went on to earn her license straight out of college, at the age of twenty-one. After a few years working as a buyer’s agent, she went solo in 2011, going on to close the most sales for any REMAX agent in the MLS just a few years later in 2014. That year, she also made the leap to start her own 8 Copyright Top Agent Magazine

team and has since grown to lead seven agents.

At the core of Sarah’s meteoric rise? A genuine investment in her clients’ successes and a proven ability to deliver results.

Primarily serving the greater Cook, Kane, and McHenry Counties—with a service radius that extends roughly seventy miles—Sarah heads a team that closes approximately 430 transactions per year. Utilizing streamlined systems, teamwork, and excellent communication, Sarah and her team ensure that each client receives ample personal attention. “It’s not just a job or a transaction,” Sarah says. “We really want Top Agent Magazine

every client to feel that they’re our only client, and the feedback we receive tells us we’re responsive and help make the process seamless. We don’t take our responsibility lightly.” What’s more, Sarah and her team are supported by seven in-house assistants who ensure each transaction progresses with care and efficiency. Likewise, a strong team dynamic ensures clients enjoy round-the-clock accessibility and transparency throughout the buying or selling process. “Our goal is to make sure that no questions go unanswered,” Sarah explains. “We continue learning from every experience and every transaction, so we have a good understanding of what makes clients nervous or concerned. That way, we resolve issues before they arise. We also try to minTop Agent Magazine

imize stress by setting expectations up front and making sure clients are filled in every step of the way.”

Aside from steadfast communication and a personable approach, Sarah also adds value to her services through her native understanding of the area, its neighborhoods, market trends, and inventory. With over half of the team’s business generated by referral clientele and Copyright Top Agent Magazine 9

10Copyright Top Agent Magazine

Top Agent Magazine

an additional 15% generated by repeat clientele, Sarah and her office have cemented their track record as real estate leaders in their area.

When it comes to listing properties, Sarah relishes the chance to put her marketing expertise to the test. “I love figuring out new ways to advertise homes, getting properties to the public, and capturing the interest of buyers,� she says. To accomplish this, Sarah incorporates staging, high quality photography, print marketing, broker outreach, and high visibility on the top digital listing sites and social media platforms. To keep in touch with her vast network of clientele, Sarah applies her patented personal approach by throwing client appreciation events throughout the year—bringing families together through parties, movie nights, and charitable opportunities.

Top Agent Magazine

To extend her spirit of service to the local community, Sarah and her team stay involved in Food for Greater Elgin, a non-profit that allows those in need to shop at a donated grocery store style food bank. During the year, she and her team members rotate volunteer shifts there, while reaching out to other community organizations on a monthly basis to give back by donating resources. Some recent causes include local animal rescue organizations and sponsorship opportunities for kids headed back to school and in need of uniforms and supplies.

As for her free time, Sarah most enjoys traveling and spending time with her family and loved ones, especially her Mastiff puppy.

Looking ahead, Sarah has plans to continue building her brand, incorporating emerging Copyright Top Agent Magazine11

technologies to best serve aspiring buyers and sellers, while supporting her evolving team. At the end of the day, what Sarah enjoys most about her work is the ability to forge bonds with those she services. “I love building relationships with our clients,” she finally reflects. “Our goals are to simplify a process that’s often stressful, help people achieve their goals, and encourage them

to enjoy the experience along the way. Anyone can put a sign in a yard, but we take careful steps to build relationships of trust with our clients.

To us it’s more than just a transaction.” Now, with more than a decade of experience behind her and a determined eye on what’s to come, the future is bound to be bright for Sarah Leonard and her team.

To learn more about Sarah Leonard visit SarahLeonardSells.com, www.

e-mail remax.sarahleonard@gmail.com, or call (224) 239–3966 12Copyright Top Agent Magazine

Top Agent Magazine

g n i p Kee h c u in To

HOW TO STAY IN YOUR CLIENTS’ LIVES FOR THE LONG HAUL

One sign of a great real estate agent is there long list of loyal client following. Part of achieving a great referral base is being a great realtor during the transaction. But, that’s only half of the work.

To truly be your client’s realtor for life and keep them coming back to you as well as referring others to you, you have to stay in their lives past the transaction. Keeping in touch with your past clients can be one of the most important parts of your business, and one that many realtors tend to push to the wayside.

Do you stay in your client’s lives, or do you disappear? People refer people that they feel they know well and that they trust, people they consider friends. However, earning and keeping your client’s trust involves maintaining a delicate balance with how much you contact them. Experts recommend reaching out to your clients at least quarterly. But, it’s not just about how often you stay in touch. You also need to be mindful about how you are reaching out to them. Here are some tips on how to keep in touch with your clients for the long haul: Top Agent Magazine

Top Agent Magazine

13

INDIVIDUAL PERSONAL CONTACT One of the best ways to keep in touch with your clients is to simply give them a call every once in a while. Follow up and see how your clients are doing. Offer them assistance if they need it. Personalized contact helps to ensure that you remain as important to your clients long after the sale as you were during the transaction. Giving your clients a call on special occasions such as birthdays or holidays also makes for a great personal touch.

Of course, nothing beats face-to-face contact. Stopping by to say hello can be a great way to keep in contact. An even better way to catch up and maintain that friendship is to set up a lunch or coffee date with past clients. Giving individual clients your undivided attention goes a long way towards maintaining that bond you formed during the transaction and earning your client’s loyalty and trust. Interactions like this make a lasting impression on your clients.

Of course, many busy REALTORS® may not have time to follow up with every client oneon-one. A great way to still give personal attention to your clients without meeting each and every one for lunch is to throw a client appreciation party. This allows you to get in some face-to-face time with each client and make sure they all get your undivided attention and quality time to catch up with you, even if it’s only for a short time.

Now, if you have a lot of past clients, this can be difficult to manage during one party. One way to get around the numbers problem is to organize smaller events based on client’s inter-

14

Top Agent Magazine

Top Agent Magazine

ests. Instead of throwing one giant party, host a pool party for the families with kids or a wine and cheese get together for single clients. Hosting special events like these ones goes a long way towards keeping your contact with past clients more personalized and setting you apart from those businesses that simply send them a calendar once a year.

PROVIDE CLIENTS WITH USEFUL NEWS PROVIDE CLIENTS WITH USEFUL NEWS One way that many REALTORSÂŽ keep in touch with their clients is by sending them newsletters. This form of contact can be a double-edged sword. You want to make sure you provide them with useful information that reminds them of your value as a real estate professional.

Otherwise your communication will amount to nothing more than spam, and clients will think of you less as a trusted friend and more as a nuisance salesperson.

Clients react much more positively to communication containing information that is pertinent to their lives. Update your clients on what is going on in their local community and housing market. Demonstrate your knowledge about the community and the things that are important to your clients. Include information about local cultural events, community news, housing statistics, information on the mortgage market, home maintenance advice, home design tips, and anything else that your clients will find personally useful. Your clients will always be interested in value.

SEND CLIENTS MEMORABLE AND PERSONAL CARDS Sending your clients cards related to important events in their lives and letting them know that you remember those events and care will go a long way towards building and maintaining a close personal relationship with them. You want to make sure your cards stand out, though. Sending popular holiday cards can be a mistake, as they will most likely get lost amongst all of your clients other holiday cards and will be quickly forgotten. Instead send something more personal such as: HOME ANNIVERSARY CARDS: Send cards to each client on the anniversary of the closing of their home.

CONGRATULATORY CARDS: Remember important events such as wedding anniversaries, graduations, new babies, etc.

SPECIAL BIRTHDAY CARDS: Instead of just sending your typical birthday card, add something special to yours that will stand out. Include a $1 scratch off ticket or a $5 gift certificate to Starbucks. Make sure to include a handwritten personal note.

Top Agent Magazine

Top Agent Magazine

15

GIVE CLIENTS AN UNUSUAL GIFT Make sure the gifts you send your past clients stand out. Send your past clients an odd gift at the beginning of the year or on a holiday. Think outside the box and send things like funny magnets, customized mugs, a personalized piece of wall décor, and other fun and unusual items. A great way to make your gift stand out even more is to include a funny note with it that will catch their attention as well as make them think of you. For example, one cute idea is to send clients a bag of popcorn with the note, “Real estate is popping, give me a call.” You could send a bag of goldfish with a note attached that says, “I’m fishing for your referrals.” Get creative and have a little fun with it, your clients will notice and remember you for it.

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SOCIAL NETWORKS

Social networking sites make staying in contact with past clients in a more informal and friendly basis much easier. Connect with your past clients on Facebook. This will help you stay up to date on the important things happening in your pact clients’ lives. In return, it provides you a great platform for keeping those past clients up to date with what is going on in your business as well as keep in contact in a more informal manner. Use Facebook to remind past clients to check their basement after a heavy rain or that they can contact you for help during tax time.

16

Top Agent Magazine

Top Agent Magazine

You can even organize your contacts on Facebook into customized lists such as “past clients,” “industry contacts,” etc. This will help you better manage your Facebook contacts.

This will also allow you to view specific news feeds based on these lists and send messages to a particular list of contacts. Don’t forget about the many other social networking sites such as Twitter or LinkedIn either. Utilize this technology to drive personal contact with your clients.

STAY ORGANIZED

No matter how you choose to keep in contact with past clients, make sure to be consistent.

Consistency will help you stay organized and diligent about reaching out to your past clients regularly. A tool used by many real estate professionals to stay organized is a customer relationship management solution. Whether you use one that is online or a computer software program, this will help you stay organized when managing your contacts and allow you to set notifications to alert you when you need to contact certain clients, send out gifts, plan a client appreciation event, and many other things throughout the year.

Staying organized and consistent in your contact with past clients will help you continue to build and manage your referral base, as well as open the door to repeat and referral business.

Top Agent Magazine

Top Agent Magazine

17

mailto:mag@topagentmagazine.com http://www.topagentmagazine.com

18

Top Agent Magazine

CHRISTINE HANCOCK Back in 2002, Christine Hancock was ready for a new challenge. She’d already owned a small business, and at the encouragement of a friend she decided to spend a summer taking real estate classes and earning her license. From the outset, it was a natural fit. In her first year, she earned $4 million in sales, and sixteen years later she’s cultivated an exceptional reputation for her professionalism, consistent execution, and personal touch.

Primarily serving the Downtown Chicago areas of West Loop, South Loop, Lincoln Park, and Gold Coast, Christine heads a team of two additional agents at her office, mostly geared towards buyers. For her part, Christine largely works with listing properties, bringing her love and knowledge of Chicago city living to each transaction. With more than half of her business generated by repeat and referral clientele, Christine has cemented her presence in the Downtown Chicago real estate scene, inspiring clients by creating a seamless, stress-free transactional process. “I really love city living,” she says. “Though I was raised in the Chicago suburbs, I’ve been downtown for around twenty-four years now. I work where I live and if somebody is moving to the city or relocating to the area, I love showing them different neighborhoods, my favorite spots around the city, and the best places to settle.”

Aside from her many years of experience, Christine focuses foremost on quality communication, education, and a comprehensive approach when spearheading her practice. “I always look at the big picture,” she explains. “I prioritize my clients as lifelong relationships, so I make it a point to keep in contact on a monthly basis.”

Likewise, Christine doesn’t hesitate to put in the legwork necessary to secure a top dollar sale. “I don’t just post a home on the MLS and pray that a listing sells,” she says. “I really do enjoy the marketing process and go above and beyond to get

a house sold.” This includes quality photography, postcards, mailers reaching out to the neighborhood area, 3D tours, and videos that document each neighborhoods’ unique amenities—from parks to top schools. Again, communication plays a big role during the listing process, as Christine ensures clients are kept in the loop and educated along the way. “I always give my clients feedback on every showing,” she says. “I’m constantly checking in and I never want my clients to have to wonder or feel like they were in the dark.” As for what Christine most enjoys about her work in real estate, it all comes back to the bonds forged with those she serves. “I love all the new relationships I’m able to make with my clients,” she reflects. “Over the years, many have become good friends.”

To give back to the community she calls home, Christine is active in a variety of worthwhile causes. As a Gold Star mom, military organizations are close to her heart, and she supports groups like Patriot Guard Riders and the Wounded Warrior Project—to name a few. In fact, a portion of each commission Christine earns goes to an organization supporting military members and their families. As for her free hours, Christine most enjoys travel, playing poker, and spending time with loved ones, particularly her grandson.

Looking ahead, Christine has plans to continue growing her business, and has recently enlisted the help of a real estate coach to aid in her expansion efforts. In the next few years, she aspires to add additional agents and support team members to her ranks, while upholding the same hallmark standard of care her clients have come to expect. Now, with more than a decade-and-a-half of success behind her and an ambitious eye toward what’s to come, the road ahead is bound to be prosperous for Christine Hancock and her team.

To learn more about Christine Hancock e-mail chancock@atproperties.com, visit searchchicagorealestate.com, www.facebook.com/ChicagoCondo here call (312) 296 - 9300, or visit her Facebook page www.

Top Agent Magazine

Copyright Top Agent Magazine 19

6 Things You Need to Do to Be a Great Mentor

Everyone reaches the point in their career where they feel they have gained enough experience and wisdom about business and what it takes to succeed, to actually help someone else achieve the same. Although you may have trained or given advice over the years, taking on the official status as a mentor to someone is a whole new ball game.

20

Although mentorship is an unpaid endeavor, you’ll be surprised to find out how much you’ll gain from the experience. You’ll also grow as a business person through the process of teaching someone else. It’s also an endeavor that many will pay forward one day, creating a business atmosphere that is based more on mutual success than competition, which is better for everyone.

Top Agent Magazine

Top Agent Magazine

If you were mentored, you may already have an idea of what it entails, and what you liked or didn’t like in your mentor/mentee relationship. Although it is a personal relationship that will need an individual approach, there are certain things that are key when it comes to being a great mentor: 1. Be a good listener

est about your own failures. It can be a huge relief to find out someone they look up to has gone through similar experiences and still managed to come out on top. As we all know, oftentimes the greatest lessons come from failures, which can be times when our character is truly tested. Building trust through mutual respect and honesty will make every aspect of your mentorship more effective.

You’re basically a sounding board who needs to hear your mentee’s ideas, plans and goals in order to advise them. Strong, constant and clear communication is key to any successful mentoring relationship.

Sometimes just letting them talk things out with you, will lead to them to discovering the solution they were looking for.

2. Set expectations and goals at the start When listening to your mentee in your first meeting about the potential relationship, it’s important to establish the parameters of what that relationship will be: What can you give them? What do they need or expect from you? Once the terms are agreed upon, you may want to set specific goals you’ll be working on together so that there’s a defined plan of action, timeline and result you can both expect.

3. Be honest This is important when it comes to offering them constructive criticism or tough love, but more importantly, you need to be honTop Agent Magazine

4. Get them to think, don’t make decisions for them Sometimes being a mentor is being a bit like a psychologist. By asking certain ques-

Top Agent Magazine

21

tions you can lead your mentee to their own conclusions about their business dilemmas and strategies to reach their goals. Being a mentor is all about guidance. Build confidence by drawing out the best in your mentee rather than just presenting them with solutions.

5. Look at the situation objectively One of the key strengths you offer your mentee is a complete emotional detachment to their business. You have no sentimental attachment to doing things a certain way or working with an incompetent vendor because you ‘go way back’. Your only motive is what’s best for your mentee and their business. Although emotions cans still get in the way sometimes, having a detached perspective on hand to guide you is invaluable.

6. Don’t just offer constructive criticism, be supportive Yes, being a mentor is sometimes advising your mentee that he’s doing something ineffectively, but your main purpose is to alway approach everything like cheerleader.

You need to let them know that through it 22

all, you are a reliable support to them and have a complete belief in their abilities.

Make sure to always praise their accomplishments.

Remember: your job as a mentor is more about guidance than constant feedback.

Your goal is to help someone become the best they can be, not someone who just does everything the way you do it. You’re helping them build confidence in their own intuition, which will hopefully lead to a lifetime of success, and one day, they too might be a valuable resource to another mentee down the road.

Top Agent Magazine

Top Agent Magazine

MANDY McGUIRE When Mandy McGuire was deciding what career she wanted to go into, the choice was clear almost from the start. “My father worked for a builder, so I was always intrigued by the real estate business. I live in a small community and I know everyone, so with my people skills and love of homes, it just seemed like the perfect fit. That was in 2004, and I haven’t looked back since.”

In 2017, Mandy started her own team, The Mandy McGuire Group at Keller WIlliams. The team primarily serves Southern Illinois, including Madison, Randolph, Monroe and St. Clair Counties. One of Mandy’s team members is licensed in Missouri, so they are expanding into the St. Louis area as well.

Mandy and her team are one of the most in-demand teams working in this area and they’ve achieved that distinction with the winning combination of providing an exceptional customer experience with being community minded. “We are a younger team, and despite that fact, we have a lot of experience, so that’s a very unique combination. We are truly dedicated to providing an unsurpassed level of service. This business is all about building relationships and perhaps the greatest way to do that is by being very involved in the community we represent. We are always there helping out at fundraisers or community events. When people think of us, we want them to know we are here to help, with your real estate needs or things that improve the community that we represent and love.”

Mandy and her team really prioritize maintaining the relationships they build as well. “We do a lot of fun events for the community and always try to incorporate a charitable element into them.

For instance we have a day people can come in and their kids can get a picture with Santa, and also give a donation to a family in need. We also sponsor the annual Fourth of July parade. In addition to that, we offer ourselves as a resource Top Agent Magazine

to past clients. Our clients know they can call us at any point and get a recommendations for a vendor or any other real estate questions and needs. I want to be their Realtor® for life.”

Another ares in which The Mandy McGuire Group excels is with the marketing of their listings. “Keller Williams offers us enormous support and we take full advantage of that. We take a comprehensive approach to marketing, using both modern and more traditional techniques.

But it all starts with getting the home professionally photographed and making sure it’s shown in the best light possible. We’ve also started doing video walkthroughs for YouTube that have been enormously successful.”

Mandy’s business had tripled in the last few years and she would like to continue to see her business and team grow. “We are planning on expanding more unto St. Louis and would also like to add more new construction developments to our portfolio. Helping people with what is often the biggest financial decision of their lives is a great honor and we take that responsibility seriously.

Our goal is to help people realize the American Dream.

It’s not about awards or numbers for us. It’s about helping people.”

To learn more about Mandy McGuire call 618.558.1350, email movewithmandy@gmail.com or visit MoveWithMandy.com www.

Copyright Top Agent Magazine 23

mailto:mag@topagentmagazine.com

24

Top Agent Magazine