advice – Page 2 – Help-U-Sell® Connect

Broker Focus: Richard Cricchio

Richard Cricchio of Help-U-Sell Honolulu Properties

A Help-U-Sell Real Estate broker/owner since 1999, Richard Cricchio practically pioneered the set-fee concept in his home state of Hawaii.

When he first opened his office, Help-U-Sell Honolulu Properties, he had to educate the public on the set-fee concept. “People never wanted to pay a percentage but when offered an alternative, they thought something was wrong,” he said.

That’s something Cricchio can relate to. He visited several Help-U-Sell offices during a four-year period before deciding to purchase an office of his own. “I couldn’t believe it could work,” he said. “It’s a different mindset to understand how you could profit by not collecting a percentage.” After looking at the offices’ different business models, Cricchio said a light bulb went off.

His office’s business model capitalizes on Help-U-Sell’s set-fee concept. Because of the copycat brokerages that have popped up on the island of Oahu in recent years, Honolulu Properties doesn’t charge extra for anything. “Our fee is our fee. That has helped us stay competitive,” Cricchio said.

They have also worked to keep their name top of mind on the island, which Cricchio describes as “one big neighborhood.” He runs TV ads, does strategic print advertising and distributes mailouts, but it’s probably his weekly radio show that gets the most attention. Cricchio began doing the talk show in 2002 at the suggestion of the station’s morning show host, whom he met after sponsoring an event the station held. The show has proven so popular that listeners rallied to get it back on the air when Clear Channel ceased local programming. Cricchio said the show covers real estate trends and news and answers listeners’ questions. He keeps the attitude light and doesn’t always pitch Help-U-Sell during the show.

Cricchio’s goal for 2012 is to complete 300 transactions. “I think the market’s ready now,” he said. His office closed 91 transactions in 2011, as of Dec. 29.

He plans to drum up more business by increasing his appearances at home shows and hosting more buyer and seller seminars.For new brokers, Cricchio encourages optimism and a strategy. “You have to believe in the system,” he said. “You can’t get caught up in the day-to-day stuff. Make a plan and really stick to it. It’s still the best business you can be in.”

Broker Focus: Tammy Whitehead

Tammy Whitehead of Help-U-Sell Riverside Realty

Tammy Whitehead of Help-U-Sell Riverside Realty in California believes you can go home again.

She and her husband, Charlie, owned a Help-U-Sell Real Estate franchise from 2000 until 2007, when they sold it to pursue a building business. The state of the economy forced them to close the business in 2010. Looking for a new opportunity, Whitehead decided to return to her roots. “I ran into [Franchise Opportunities Director] Ron McCoy, and he asked me if I would be interested in coming home to Help-U-Sell,” she said.

Whitehead has had her new Help-U-Sell office since the fall of 2010. While she holds hope for the future of the market, she also holds a practical view of its current state.

“I still see a lot of upheaval in the real estate market,” Whitehead said. “People are not settled yet.”

More optimistically, she added: “I think next year may be a long year, but we will pull through. We must be positive to everyone we meet and give them hope. I think there is a light at the end of the tunnel.”

One way she helps her current and potential clients is simply by being responsive. Like Kimberly Zelena, last month’s Broker Focus subject, Whitehead makes a point of answering the phone, day and night. “That always impresses people,” she said.

Her top achievement this year is hiring an assistant. “She helps so much,” Whitehead said. “I can now take a minute, think clearer and spend more time with my agents training.” Her goal for 2012 is for her office to do 50 transactions outside of her REO account.

She encourages new brokers to hang in there, put their heads down and pull through it.

“We all need a really good dose of the holiday season, I think this year much more than before,” she concluded. “We need love and hope from each other and for everyone to work together.”

Broker Focus: Dan Desmond

Dan Desmond, Help-U-Sell Bay Beach Realty

Dan Desmond, owner of Help-U-Sell Bay Beach Realty in Forked River, N.J., has a key piece of advice for new brokers: “Never stop learning.” And he practices what he preaches.

“This market changes day to day and will for several more years. I [just] turned 64 and I am in the last of three parts of Graduate of the Real Estate Institute,” says Desmond, who has been in the real-estate industry for nearly a quarter of a century (and with Help-U-Sell Real Estate for five years).

He’s also keeping himself relevant in today’s market by specializing.

“I added four certifications this year,” Desmond says. “One [certification] was the Certified Investor Agent Specialist, and I am adding more and more cash investors to my database, plus encouraging some people to use their IRAs, etc. to get into good cash flow rentals.”

Another way he has adjusted to today’s climate is through his listings themselves. “I am having a much better year than last because I adapted to it. I list smarter and push for a reduction more,” he says.

His favorite part of the business is helping people buy or sell, and “especially helping people in a bind to get on with their lives.” To help him help sellers facing foreclosure, he is also a Certified Distressed Property Expert.

Despite the current challenges, Desmond is confident that the market will come back long-term and believes in the meantime that “Help-U-Sell equity sellers need us now more than ever.”

To new Help-U-Sell brokers, he advises, “Believe in Help-U-Sell – the Internet will help us tell our story more in the next few years than it did in the past 35.”

Broker Focus: Meena Gujral

Meena Gujral, Help-U-Sell Achievers Realty

An advocate of technology and social media, Meena Gujral connects with current and potential clients by blogging, responding to questions on real estate forums and posting links to articles on Facebook. She has worked in real estate for 25 years, with Coldwell Banker for 18 of those years, and for the past seven years she has owned Help-U-Sell Achievers Realty in Fremont, Calif.

She explains how technology has changed how she works, for the better.

“I remember the days when we used to find listings from a big thick book that was so difficult to carry around, the days when we had to map out every house, write down directions before taking the buyers in the car,” Gujral says. “The Internet and the GPS (technology) have made things much easier, saving time and energy so we can spend more time doing things we are good at, like building client relations and paying more attention to their needs. My goal has always been to help my buyers achieve their real estate goals.”

One way she uses technology to build client relations is through Trulia. She markets her listings and advertises open houses on the site, but what she uses Trulia the most for is to answer questions from buyers, sellers and agents.

“It is a platform where I get the most visibility. I get at least two to three leads every week from clients who have read my post and consider me the expert in that field or neighborhood,” Gujral says. “I have listed a few properties as a direct result from my Trulia answers. It is very easy to create a profile and get started to show up as the expert in your neighborhood.”

She suggests that Zillow.com is another site where you can set up a profile and start answering questions and advertise your listings and open houses.

Gujral also is active on other social media sites, including LinkedIn and Facebook. She explains that even though she has a separate Facebook page for her Help-U-Sell Real Estate office, she shares a lot of real estate articles and open house information on her personal Facebook page.

“I want all my friends to know me as an agent also, not just a friend,” she says. “I have actually had three friends contact me from my Facebook page and I am currently working on showing two of them homes, and the third one is a seller whose property I recently listed as a short sale.”

In addition to responding to questions on Trulia and posting to Facebook, Gujral also blogs. “I have five different blogging sites,” she says. “I used to blog twice a week, but I have to admit, I don’t do it as much now. I have had many clients tell me they saw my blog on a certain topic and that is why they called me. I just wish I had more time to blog since I do consider it good exposure.”

Another effective outreach technique for Gujral is drip email campaigns, which she has created for buyers and sellers. A drip email campaign sends pre-written messages to leads over a predetermined period of time. Clients have called her a year later after receiving her drip emails. “I am very excited that the Help-U-Sell Real Estate website will also have the drip email feature soon. It really works.”

[Note: Help-U-Sell Real Estate’s email campaign functionality will be live by early 2012.]

Gujral’s commitment to being considered a local expert extends to the new website her son is designing for her. The site offers community-level detail, where she can demonstrate and impart her hyperlocal knowledge, and the site also targets keywords that people searching for real estate in her immediate area would likely use, such as “Fremont Realtor” and “Pleasanton homes.”

“The bottom line is to make a site that both Google loves and customers love,” Gujral says. “We did this by targeting our content specific city-level keywords that we know buyers/sellers are looking for online.”

For new Help-U-Sell Real Estate brokers, she offers the following tips.

I would advise all new agents to get out there with technology, social media and get your name across to as many people as you can. You are fortunate to be in real estate in this technology boom time where you can get so much more exposure without spending too much money at all.
Make sure you ask for referrals from your past clients if you have been in real estate before coming to Help-U-Sell Real Estate.
Get your clients to see you as the expert in the real estate field.

How are you using social media to get the word out about your brokerage?

Broker Focus: Jack Bailey

Jack Bailey

A Help-U-Sell veteran, Jack Bailey has owned his franchise in Greensboro, N.C., since 1988. He’s seen many changes in real estate since then, from technology to the rise of buyers’ agencies, but his goal remains the same.

“I love exceeding expectations,” he says. “I get a lot of satisfaction from taking a client, listening to their objectives and overcoming obstacles.”

One of his secret weapons is his buyer consultation, which he created more than 20 years ago when he realized his buyers didn’t have knowledge of real estate basics. “You have to become more of an adviser in these tough times than just someone who lists houses,” Bailey says.

To that end, he coaches his potential buyers in the terms and the tricks of the industry that they’ll need to know. “It’s important for buyers to be educated as best they can,” he asserts.

During the consultation, Bailey explains the buying process, negotiating techniques, types of loans and basics like closing costs and escrow accounts. “By the time we’re done, we’ll have a strategy for them,” he says.

Not only does the consultation inform his clients, but it also inspires their confidence in themselves and in him.

On the seller side, Bailey advises that you need to know your statistics and your facts. “Explain what’s going to happen in the market and how [you and the seller] need to strategize,” he suggests.

His techniques and practices come from the heart. “I sincerely want to help people. I put their interest before mine,” he says. “The results always work out for everybody.”

For new brokers, particularly those new to Help-U-Sell, Bailey offers the following advice:

Make sure you pick the best business model for you. Consider your strengths, your objectives and your market before deciding between running your office as a manager with agents and doing it all yourself.
Build a good knowledge base of real estate and be constantly aware of what’s happening and what is projected to happen.
Market very smartly, especially to your Centers of Influence.
Focus on profitability, not just closings.