Keeping current with today’s technology is key for any real estate brokerage to be successful in today’s market. In the following interview, Joseph Pluscht, Jr., president and CEO of Patterston-Schwartz Real Estate in Delaware talks about his company’s approach to technology and the best practices that set his company apart.
Joseph Pluscht, Jr.
President/CEO
Patterson-Schwartz Real Estate, a member of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World®
Hockessin, Del.
Region served: Delaware, Southeastern Pennsylvania and Northeastern Maryland
Years in business: 29
Number of offices: 9
Number of agents: 380
Best time management tip: Get the highest rate of return on your energy by focusing on what will have the greatest impact.
Best recruiting technique: Ask “why” questions so that you truly understand what’s important to prospects on both a business and personal level.
Key to keeping buyers and sellers working together successfully: Education and counseling are crucial. It’s also important to become a trusted advisor and keep the lines of communication open.
Tell us about two or three of your most recent technology best practices that are making a difference at your company.
Our agents have access to an online toolbox, designed in-house and constantly updated, that provides them with everything they need to run their business. It also collects data on each listing and generates reports that can be shared with clients. In addition, we’ve centralized the management of listing content on syndicated websites like Zillow and Trulia, so when consumers engage, the accuracy of that data is a reflection of our brand. To provide the best experience, we offer a custom feed for listing content to ensure the highest accuracy when displayed on these sites. And last but not least, we centralized lead handling from these sites to ensure that it’s handled quickly and professionally.
What strategies do your agents use to achieve customer loyalty? They sign on with a commitment to provide buyers and sellers an exceptional experience. Our agents also understand the challenges associated with buying and selling and can clearly and plainly articulate a plan of action. By setting expectations and providing timely follow up, they become a model of certainty in an uncertain environment.
After being named one of Delaware’s Top Workplaces for three of the past four years, can you identify why Patterson-Schwartz Real Estate is such a great place to work?
Based on feedback from the survey, our agents and employees attribute the company’s ability to execute as a key reason for being a top workplace. They strongly believe senior managers understand what’s happening across the organization, and that our sales managers are well connected to agents. At the corporate level, they feel we execute new initiatives efficiently and that there’s strong inter-departmental cooperation—all of which lends to helping them build successful real estate businesses.
Is there some initiative, campaign or service project that helps keep Patterson-Schwartz Real Estate top of mind in the communities you serve?
We embrace the philosophy that being a good neighbor is more than just giving money to a worthy cause. It’s about developing and investing in our community, so we donate a portion of every transaction to the Patterson-Schwartz Foundation in order to help support numerous local charitable organizations.
