A career as a Realtor® requires numerous abilities and personality traits. You need to be a good listener, know how to communicate and be a skilled negotiator. Entrepreneurial and organizational talent is critical. In addition, you must be educated about best practices and the local real estate market.

 Identifying one thing out of that diverse skill set as the most important is nearly impossible, but we asked successful Realtors® to share a decision or a moment that they believe was a turning point for their career – a game changer that strengthened their business. Perhaps one of their game-changing experiences could be transformational for you, too.

JOHANNA BAKER: HIRED A COACH

BAKER IS AN ASSOCIATE BROKER WITH COMPASS IN D.C. AND VIRGINIA.

I’ve been selling real estate for over 15 years and have tried many different strategies to increase my production. In looking back, I can say the investment that had the greatest impact was hiring a business coach. My business partner and I hired a coaching company and spent two years working with different coaches who shared strategies and habits that helped us increase our productivity.

I learned it’s not about working longer or harder (although those characteristics certainly do help!); it’s really about working smarter. Maintaining a system for accountability and scheduling activities each day that keep me in touch with my clients are two important changes I made to my weekly routine. These changes are just a couple of the many adjustments I made to my strategy for creating and maintaining client relationships. After my team and I worked with the consulting company, my business more than doubled.

MORGAN KNULL: RETHOUGHT HIS BUSINESS MODEL

KNULL IS AN ASSOCIATE BROKER WITH RE/MAX GATEWAY IN D.C., MARYLAND AND VIRGINIA.

I was in my mid-20s when I became a Realtor®. I spent the decade that followed moving around with some frequency – taking advantage of being my own best client. But I worried that my transience meant that I’d never be able to “farm” a specific neighborhood. Then a business coach offered an insight that finally put me at ease: The cornerstone of my business model is building human relationships, not farming neighborhoods. And that’s what my real estate practice is all about.

MARNIE SCHAAR: EMBRACED THE TEAM APPROACH

SCHAAR IS A REALTOR® WITH LONG AND FOSTER REAL ESTATE IN RESTON.

My business has grown quickly over the last 16 years, and it got to the point where I was constantly reacting versus being proactive. Forming a team with Margo Sotet and Tiffany Frederick has allowed me to take a step back and really focus on developing effective marketing, which includes a new logo, a new website, social media campaigns and print marketing for my listings. This has really been a game changer for me and my business. We have systems in place that are truly bringing us the results we hoped for. With the support of my management at Long & Foster and brand development from an outside consultant, I’m at a whole new level.

VIVIANNE COUTS: TURNED A BOOK CLUB INTO SUCCESS

COUTS IS A REALTOR® WITH COLDWELL BANKER RESIDENTIAL BROKERAGE IN FAIRFAX.

Two years ago, our manager, Paul Sanford, hosted a “book club” every week to discuss a chapter in the book “7L: The Seven Levels of Communication: Go from Relationships to Referrals.” For each book club, Paul would outline some bullet points or takeaways from the chapters and we would discuss. We would then be given homework, so the people in the class could hold each other accountable. At our sales meetings, he would also mention highlights of the book.

Most of the chapters in the book are things you always know you should be doing, but the book is great at giving “real world” examples of how these strategies work. The combination of the book and the class led my production to increase about 25 percent and my partner’s production to double. In addition, the continued use of the methods in the book has created a snowball effect – meaning we are getting more referrals from continuing to follow the advice in the book. The author also has a website and Facebook page with additional ideas and strategies.

SHOSHANNA TANNER: EMBRACED FULL-TIME PROFESSION

TANNER IS A REALTOR® WITH COMPASS IN D.C. AND VIRGINIA.

My game-changing moment came a few years ago when I had been working as a Realtor® on a part-time basis, while also working for the federal government part-time as an attorney. At the time, I was doing quite well in real estate, but was nervous to give up the security and stability I had with my “day job,” even though I hated it. Ultimately, working 80-plus hours a week for several years took a huge mental and physical toll on me. After my income in real estate more than doubled my government earnings, I realized that I didn’t need the latter as a security blanket anymore. In order to grow my business further, I knew I needed to be fully committed to real estate. Once I made that decision to leave the government, I was able to focus my attention on my business and my sales volume increased by over 50 percent in the following year.

BETHANY ELLIS: PUSHED AWAY NEGATIVITY

ELLIS IS A REALTOR® AT LONG & FOSTER | CHRISTIE’S BASED IN MCLEAN.

My pivotal point was someone in management telling me I had plateaued at year five. I thought, “To heck with that. I’m going to be awesome.” I found a really great mentor in Karen Kidwell, our regional vice president. With Karen encouraging and supporting me, I started implementing systems. I have a plan every day, and I focus on staying in touch with people. I listen to Brian Buffini, a real estate coach who talks about relationships versus transactions. It helped to have someone like Karen saying, “Don’t ever believe you’ve plateaued. That isn’t true. You always have room for growth.”

KOKI ADASI: DEVELOPED A GEOGRAPHICAL NICHE

ADASI IS A REALTOR® WITH COMPASS IN D.C., MARYLAND AND VIRGINIA.

One thing that changed my career is when I decided around 2013 to roll out a targeted marketing campaign in the U Street Corridor. I had a solid real estate business and had been named to the “30 Under 30” list by Realtor® Magazine in 2008, but I was looking to increase my average sales price and increase the number of listings my team was selling on an annual basis. The result of our efforts helped us significantly increase our market share in the coveted Harrison Square neighborhood. Not only were we assisting families with the sale of their homes in the $800,000 to $1.1 million range, we also were helping them with the purchase in the $1.2 million to $1.8 million range. By focusing on a niche market, we were able to bring a high level of value and knowledge to our clients while increasing our overall production.

RYAN NICHOLAS: EARNED A NEW DESIGNATION

NICHOLAS IS A REALTOR® WITH COLDWELL BANKER RESIDENTIAL BROKERAGE IN FAIRFAX.

I would say that once I got the Certified Home Buying Advisor (CHBA) designation, that changed my business and confidence level. It gave me the training, authority, strategies and confidence to a) get every buyer I meet with to sign on with me, and b) have excellent buyer strategies to provide a great buying experience and results, which has led to more referrals.

ANDRE PEREZ: DEVELOPED A NICHE BASED ON HIS ARCHITECTURAL PASSION

PEREZ IS A REALTOR® AND VICE PRESIDENT WITH COMPASS IN D.C., MARYLAND AND VIRGINIA.

Finding a niche was my game changer. The local real estate business has gone through many changes during my 20-plus years of experience. But it was combining a personal interest and professional focus that ultimately became my game changer. I had long admired modern, mid-century and contemporary architecture – all of which are interrelated facets. As years went on, I delved deeper into what was, at the time, a niche market. In a stroke of serendipity, modernist design mounted a significant comeback. This is a region rich in pockets of architecture that go against the grain of more traditional forms. And that became my specialty: using a genuine passion for modern homes to set myself apart from other brokers – and gave my practice a significant boost in business and revenue.

TIMUR LOYNAB: EXPANDED HIS NICHE WITH THE HELP OF A TEAM

LOYNAB IS A PRINCIPAL OF CONDONEST IN D.C.

What changed my career was the understanding that I could only get so far as a one-man operation. Building a team was the smartest, most strategic move I’ve made because it has enabled me to quadruple my business and make significant inroads in the resale market. I began my career in new home sales. After a few years of working in this niche market, a number of people to whom I sold originally reached out to me for help selling their homes. The business was unsolicited and based exclusively on the relationship that I had built with these homeowners when they were making their new construction purchases. I realized then that this was one of the ways I could build a clientele.

My new-home sales would eventually lead to resale work and feed my resale business. The challenge arose when these resale requests came when I was in the throes of selling a multi-unit condo building. I would routinely have to turn down this resale business or refer it to others because I didn’t have the time to do both or, more importantly, do both well. It took me a while to realize how I was limiting my success and my volume by continuing to go it alone. When I took a step back and evaluated the business I was turning down or giving away or not actively pursuing (i.e., not doing any outreach to those I had sold to previously), the opportunities lost were eye opening.

IDENTIFYING YOUR SUCCESS GAME PLAN

Whether changing attitudes, pursuing more designations, embracing a full-time real estate career, gathering a team, or pursuing a niche – these Realtors® have all discovered paths to reach their turning point towards success. Many of them recognize that the support from other agents, coaches, mentors and brokers was the critical play that helped them achieve greater results, or at least identify a path to those game-changing achievements.

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