In the following interview, Abbie Holland, broker/owner of Realty ONE Group Experience in Conroe, Texas, discusses getting involved, recruitment and retention, and more.
Region Served: Greater Houston area
Years in Real Estate: 12
Number of Offices: 1
Number of Agents: 78
How do you stay in touch with your clients?
We use two CRMs: LionDesk and Buffini & Company’s Referral Desk. Brian Buffini recently told us that when it comes to earning referrals, it’s important to go an inch wide and a mile deep.
What’s your secret to staying relevant in today’s rapidly changing industry?
The best way is to have good systems. Following up with our clients is incredibly important, but touching each of our agents regularly is also integral to staying relevant. Also, attending and being involved in events helps us stay relevant and informed about what’s happening in the industry.
How are you attracting and retaining top agents in your market?
It’s all about exposure with events. We do a lot of free training at Realty ONE Group Experience, and we’re all about building up our agents. We also pick up the phone and have assistance with recruitment through word of mouth. Our current agents are shouting from the rooftops—and on social media—about what we’re doing.
In what ways does Realty ONE Group Experience give back to the community?
When we started Realty ONE Group Experience, we created a junior leadership program. The agents in that program come up with things to do in our community each quarter. In recent years, we’ve raised funds for local charities through selling photos with Santa and provided backpacks for schools. However, our most impactful effort was likely sponsoring a local girls home. Many young women coming through these homes keep all of their belongings in one bag, so we provided the home with 115 duffel bags filled with toiletries.
What’s the most impactful market trend you’re experiencing in your area?
Agents that can run their own businesses. I have so many agents who are collaborative and bring amazing technologies—like BoxBrownie.com and Chatbot—to the company’s attention; however, I’m also careful not to have “digital agents.” I always want Realty ONE Group Experience to be shifting toward the customer experience. People often think they want the tech experience when buying a home, but at the end of the day, they crave that human touch.
Where do you see yourself and your business five years down the road?
Continuing to serve our community. It can be hard to find quality over quantity with REALTORS® in our industry. I see us having the cream of the crop. The more you give, the more you get back, and we’ll continue to try and give as much as we can to our agents.
For more information, please visit www.realtyonegroup.com.
Jameson Doris is RISMedia’s blog and social media editor. Email him your real estate blog ideas at jdoris@rismedia.com.
