For The Lexi Taylor Team, bridging business with the community is essential—and hits home in a monumental way.
For the last three years, Lexi Taylor, her business partners, Michelle and John Taylor, and the rest of The Lexi Taylor Team have hosted “Hometown Heroes,” events for local nurses, teachers, veterans, and more, in their marketplace, the Coastal Carolinas.
“We have a family member who’s been dealing with cancer for the last few years,” explains Lexi, who, along with Michelle and John, founded The Lexi Taylor Team in 2013. “The nurses have been exceptional, and we wanted to show our appreciation. We also realized there are many other hometown heroes touching other people’s lives here in our area. This monthly event serves to honor our nurses, firefighters, law enforcement, teachers and veterans.”
Affiliated with eXp Realty, and with eight agents, an operations manager and an administrative assistant, The Lexi Taylor Team operates primarily along the North Carolina coastal region, headquartered in Wilmington and serving New Hanover, Brunswick and Pender counties. Since its inception, Hometown Heroes has grown from a handful of nurses to 70-plus public service professionals. Each month, the gathering includes a raffle; in January, the prize was a 50-inch smart TV. This month, they headed to Henry’s, a local restaurant.
This, all in addition to appreciation events, hosted monthly, and community-in-crisis efforts—such as in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence, when the group educated homeowners about their options, as well as collected and distributed donations for pets—define The Lexi Taylor Team, where the culture is driven by a focus on support.
Support, Always and in All Ways
For the agents, there’s a critical distinction on that front: no costs, and leads and open house opportunities.
“We looked carefully at all sorts of models and have chosen to support our team with extremely low expenses,” Lexi says. “All the marketing and lead-generation costs are covered, and we have full-time administrative support. We feel that this gives agents what they need most: freedom to spend their time on dollar-producing activities.”
Tuesdays are “team days” complete with skill training, product knowledge and motivational speakers. In the case of a recent seminar, agents developed goals for the year, breaking them down into manageable tasks. As leaders of the team, Lexi and Michelle are meeting with them regularly, not only to check in on their progress—and course-correct, if needed—but also to help them through trying times.
“We know that steady professional development comes from dedication to that very goal,” says Michelle. “We often have a guest speaker that helps to deepen skills. We have lunch and do additional training that may be in personal development or a specific real estate skill. We share our wins and successes with each other. Team culture is a big part of our overall focus.”
“We honor each agent’s individual goals, whether it be to close five homes or 50,” says Lexi. “We also define those goals working together. We emphasize family time and limiting interruptions during hours when agents are at home.”
“If you have a difficult negotiation, it’s nice to lean on your team leader who has the experience,” Michelle says. “That really adds to our culture. It’s not just training on contracts; it’s training for personal growth.”
“We had a mindset coach come in, and we’ve been discussing mindset with our team,” adds Lexi. “It can be tough in real estate. We’re open about that, and always want to remind to have a positive outlook.”
With their agents on-track and unencumbered—not to mention a recent turn on HGTV’s “Island Life”—The Lexi Taylor Team has a lot to look forward to in the upcoming year.
“We are looking forward to reaching our goal of 150 transactions, and we look forward to continuing to work in an environment where agents feel supported in their own growth and reaching their personal goals,” says Michelle.
“Because we’re a team, we support each other in achieving our overall goals,” says Lexi. “We all like to be together, and we back each other up.”
Suzanne De Vita is RISMedia’s online news editor. Email her your real estate news ideas at sdevita@rismedia.com.
