{"id":5097,"date":"2021-08-06T11:46:21","date_gmt":"2021-08-06T18:46:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.realtyexecutives.com\/blog\/?p=5097"},"modified":"2021-08-06T11:46:22","modified_gmt":"2021-08-06T18:46:22","slug":"new-agent-to-multi-million-dollar-producer-mary-giles-shares-her-success-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.realtyexecutives.com\/blog\/new-agent-to-multi-million-dollar-producer-mary-giles-shares-her-success-story","title":{"rendered":"New Agent to Multi-Million Dollar Producer: Mary Giles Shares Her Success Story"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Mary
Mary Giles of Realty Executives Select Group Ohio.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

According to the National Association of REALTORS\u00ae 2021 Member Profile<\/a>, agents in the business for two years or less averaged three transactions in 2020- or roughly $400,000 in sales volume.  For most of those agents, their real estate work generated less than $10,000 in income. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not for Mary Giles<\/a> of Realty Executives Select Group in Sandusky, Ohio. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite a pandemic and inventory shortage, Giles decided to obtain her real estate license in November 2020.  Since that time, she has closed 20 homes, has four more under contract, and has closed over $2.5 million in sales volume in an area where home prices average $100,000. To jumpstart real estate careers for other new agents looking to become highly productive, Giles sat down with us to share her story, strategies, and recommendations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Why real estate?<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

My brother suggested that I consider real estate because he\nthought that I would be great at it. Then in March of 2020 I started working\nfor a friend in the industry.  I helped\nher with marketing, listings, and administration, and had the opportunity to\nreally learn the ropes and see what it was like to be a realtor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starting a business can be overwhelming for many people. Was there anything that helped you prepare to become a real estate agent? <\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIn\nthe past I\u2019ve worked my way up from factory work to tradeshow and marketing\nmanager- so I am sure that if I focus on my goals, I can reach them. I\u2019ve\nworked two full-time jobs simultaneously. Getting my hands dirty and working\nhard isn\u2019t new to me and I expect it. In fact, I love it. Anything involving\nmarketing and sales excites me, especially considering my experience with\npublic relations and marketing, so I was confident starting a real estate business\nwas for me.\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you first started, what did you do to close your first transaction? Was it buy or sell side?<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I represented the buyer in my first transaction, and we went\nunder contract within the first few weeks of being licensed. I met my buyers\nthrough Realtor.com\u2019s app, Opcity. They had outgrown their home and were\nlooking for something larger.  Funny\nenough, I was getting ready to watch my favorite football team play when I\nreceived the lead.  I responded\nimmediately.  They wanted to view a home\nthat was roughly 45 minutes away from me, and they wanted to see it as soon as\npossible.  I had to ask them to mind my\nattire as I was clad in Steeler\u2019s gear from head to toe.  They instantly fell in love with the home,\nand we put in a full-price offer.  It was\naccepted the next day, which was very exciting for all of us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I learned a lot through the twists and turns of this first\ntransaction, which happened to be a HUD home. My buyers were extremely\nappreciative of the work that I did and how the transaction was seamless for\nthem.  They called me a few months later\nto list one of their properties, and I sold it for $15,000 more than they\nexpected!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What about your first listing?<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

My first listing came in week three and, shockingly, it was\na FSBO! The property closed for $239,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What made you decide to go after FSBOs?<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I decided to target FSBOs because I felt that it would set me apart from other seasoned agents. Additionally, as a newly licensed real estate agent, I could practice my skills and do my best to win the listing.  I felt that if I could show them my personality and my hunger, it would sway them to give me a chance. It has worked for me. I believe I\u2019ve had 5 listings from FSBOs so far.  I\u2019ve even had a referral from a FSBO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Did you make a business plan before getting started?<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBefore\nI was licensed, I made SMART goals to map out my first three months, six\nmonths, and year. My goal was to close one transaction each quarter for my\nfirst year. I am now getting close to closing 20 deals and will continue to\nkeep pushing and marketing myself. \n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can you describe your strategy and how it progressed during the first few months?<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

In my first 30 days, I created a list of influencers,\nphysically handed them my business card, and chatted with them.  I also made social media posts a few times\neach week. From there I contacted local businesses and non-profits to see if I\ncould advertise on their websites or inside the business location. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I reached the 90-day mark, I decided to host as many\nopen houses as possible. I believed this would be a great way to meet people,\nincluding potential buyers.  During that time,\nI also dedicated quite a bit of time completing various training sessions and\nvideos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How have you tracked your sales and marketing progress?<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I would recommend that every new agent creates a personal\nstrategy to help reach and exceed the number of closings they would like to\nexperience throughout the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I created a scorecard for myself that included how many\nlisting presentations I completed, and how many listings I won.  If I didn\u2019t win a listing, I recorded details\nand reasons why I believed I missed the opportunity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I also used a similar scorecard for listings. The scorecard helped\nme track if the home was on the market too long, or if my pricing strategy\nwasn\u2019t dialed in as much as it should be. On top of that, I created a quarterly\nmarketing and advertising budget so I could always monitor my ROI.  I\u2019ve received 2 listings from my advertising,\nso I\u2019m watching that carefully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What kind of client experience do you strive for? How do you build rapport?<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I always put my client needs first.  I want to be more than just their eyes, ears, and their realtor in the transaction.  I want to build a trusting relationship that everyone can appreciate. I repeatedly tell my clients \u201cdo not stress, this is what I am here for,\u201d and make sure that I do all I can to make the process seamless for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is your best tip for communicating with clients?<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

My biggest communication tip is to listen to your client.  You can gain so much information! For example, you can learn how they like to handle business, what things are important to them, and how they prefer to communicate. If they are comfortable with you, they will trust you more easily. I generally opt to explain all the details and over communicate.  I believe that my clients respect that I\u2019m open and transparent. I want clients to feel comfortable being open and honest about their situation and home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last, <\/em>are you involved in your community? How do you serve the area beyond real estate?<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

There are a few activities that I love doing, and they help me give back to the community.  Every year I adopt a Sandusky school.  I work with the principal and teachers to develop a gift list for the classrooms- which covers everything from supplies to snacks to games. I purchase the items and then distribute them right before Christmas break, so it is extra fun. The local newspapers usually visit the school each year and write articles about the donations and needs of the students. It encourages everyone to find a way to give back in his or her own way. My recommendation is to find something you really care about and pour your heart into it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I also sponsor a local travel baseball team and participate in Habitat for Humanity. I am known as \u201cyour friendly realtor\u201d and here to help.  I absolutely love being a realtor, meeting new people, and changing lives for the better. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To learn more about Mary Giles and her blossoming real\nestate business, visit RealtyExecutives.com\/office\/selectgroupohio.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

According to the National Association of REALTORS\u00ae 2021 Member Profile, agents in the business for two years or less averaged three transactions in 2020- or roughly $400,000 in sales volume.  For most of those agents, their real estate work generated less than $10,000 in income. Not for Mary Giles of Realty Executives Select Group in … Continue reading New Agent to Multi-Million Dollar Producer: Mary Giles Shares Her Success Story<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[265,19,3,829,29],"tags":[216,59,4981],"yst_prominent_words":[1611,903,894,4019,4978,4976,4977,4974,4971,546,4969,4973,4970,796,890,792,4975,4972,1175,4979],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.realtyexecutives.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5097"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.realtyexecutives.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.realtyexecutives.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.realtyexecutives.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.realtyexecutives.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5097"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.realtyexecutives.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5097\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5112,"href":"https:\/\/www.realtyexecutives.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5097\/revisions\/5112"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.realtyexecutives.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5097"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.realtyexecutives.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5097"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.realtyexecutives.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5097"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.realtyexecutives.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=5097"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}