Real Estate Leadership | EXIT Realty Franchise Opportunities / Real Estate Business Ownership

Tami Bonnell to be Featured Speaker at RISMedia's Power Broker Forum

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 06:51:49 -0400

Mid-Year NAR will focus on maximizing distressed properties

RISMedia announced yesterday that Tami Bonnell, President of the US Organization for EXIT Realty Corp. International is to be a featured speaker at this year's Power Broker Forum and Reception.

The event is held during the National Association of REALTORS®' Mid-Year Conference and Legislative Meetings in Washington DC to be held at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel.

Tami Bonnell’s real estate career spans more than 25 years during which she was instrumental in building three major brands. Ms Bonnell has been featured several times in major industry publications, including Real Estate Magazine, Bay State REALTOR® and Frog Pond Communications. She is a much sought-after international speaker, addressing thousands at events such as RISMedia’s Leadership Conference in NY, Inman News Conference in San Francisco and the Top 500 Power Brokers at The National Association of REALTORS® Convention. Since becoming President of the US Organization for EXIT Realty Corp. International, her focus is on growth and profitability for Regions, Brokers and Agents.

Real Estate Brokers and Agents: What are you attracting to yourself?

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 08:06:33 -0500

EXIT Realty US President talks about attraction

A T T R A C T I O N Take a few minutes to assess what you’re attracting to yourself and how attractive you and your office are to others in the real estate business. Tami Bonnell, President of the US Organization of EXIT Realty Corp. International, had this to say in a recent address to EXIT Realty broker/owners.

Appraisal: When was the last time you did an appraisal on yourself; really looked at the value in yourself? What it is that you and your office have to offer? Do you attract top producers?

Time: How much time are you willing to put into building and retaining a strong agent base?

Truth: Be truthful with people - don’t paint a panacea.

Reaffirm: Before you deal with anyone else you need to reaffirm who you are and why you fell in love with the real estate business.

Appreciation: How often have you shown appreciation to everyone who helped you build your real estate brokerage?

Connect: You need to connect and communicate with your agents and clients more now than ever before.

Teamwork: Does everyone in your office feel like they’re part of a team?

Inspire: If you could inspire one person in your office every day, you’d have the best office in your state. Don’t miss the opportunity to inspire others.

Overcome: What do you have to overcome? What do you have to strengthen within yourself and within your office so as to attract more people?

Need: One of the biggest weaknesses in real estate is that brokers and agents do what they want to do, instead of what needs to be done. If you’re doing what needs to get done every day you’ll accomplish greatness.

8 Steps to Achieve and Maintain an Environment of Excellence

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 09:02:07 -0500

Do You Practice Excellence?

A commentary by Sharron Richardson, Manager Franchise Support, EXIT Realty Corp. International

Excellence is defined as the “state of possessing good qualities in an eminent degree; exalted merit; superiority in virtue”. In plain English, this means someone who consistently makes an above-average effort. Do you maintain an environment of excellence at your brokerage? What constitutes “excellence”?

SHOW UP – Honor your commitments both to others and yourself. Being dependable and reliable is one of the most valuable attributes a person can have.

PRACTICE DISCERNMENT – If item one says “honor commitments”, this item says “choose your commitments wisely”. Be choosy in what you spend your time on. Put your efforts only towards what makes up your responsibilities. Hold others accountable to their own tasks, and learn to say no. You cannot practice excellence if you are doing everyone else’s work in favor of your own.

IDENTIFY THE RESULTS YOU WANT – Know what you are trying to accomplish, even if you don’t know the end game. If you are part of a bigger project, know the expectations others have of your part. Have clear guidelines. No one can be at their best with vague instructions.

BE PRESENT – Sure, we can all multi-task, and that’s fine with respect to routine tasks which don’t require any thought. When your work calls for something more, being present is absolutely necessary to produce excellent results. We’ve all had the experience of “being in the zone” – being so focused and aware that we lost track of time. This is when we do our best work. Take control of your time and your environment. Set aside times where you are not interrupted, turn off your phone (not if you’re the receptionist!), close your door, turn off IM. Be proactive with your environment, not reactive. Put boundaries and structure in place to provide the foundation for being present.

SEE THE BIG PICTURE – Step back and look at what you’re doing. Don’t remain so narrowly-focused that you miss how your work can enhance your brokerage, colleagues, subordinates. People who excel naturally step back to ensure their efforts contribute effectively to the whole.

MAINTAIN A POSITIVE STANCE – As soon as you regress to a reactive stance you are no longer in control. Learn to say no, stay on task, and accept that challenges are simply a message to readjust. Delays and setbacks are part of life and the ability to handle them with grace and professionalism will confirm your reputation for excellence.

COMPLETE EACH TASK – Follow through on your obligations and responsibilities. Do you have a pile of unfinished projects? Did you lose interest? Too busy? Was it motivating in the beginning but has become tedious? Being able to see a task or project through from beginning to end is critical to maintain the quality of excellence.

DEBRIEF – Whether it was a team or solitary project or task, go through a debriefing. What went wrong? What went right? What can be improved upon? The mark of excellence is not to simply maintain the status quo, or do something “because it’s always been done that way”. Constructive progress is the mark of excellence, of going the extra step.

Excellence will set you apart from most people. An environment of excellence will set your brokerage apart from others. This is our corporate philosophy – EXIT Realty is set apart from other real estate companies. Taking pride in providing superior service, executing your work well, and fostering this atmosphere throughout your circle of influence, both professionally and personally, can only lead to positive results.

About Sharron Richardson: Sharron Richardson has worked 30+ years in administration. Her start in the training and development industry positioned her to create, implement and manage the continuing education program for a busy real estate Board. In 2002, she moved to EXIT Realty Corp International, using her expertise to train in EXIT's elite Franchise Support department. In 2004 she became the Manager of Franchise Support, taking EXIT's administrative training and support to the next level.

For more information on joining EXIT Realty as a real estate sales representative or for information on real estate franchise opportunities across North America, please contact us.