RISMEDIA, Nov. 7, 2007-Rob Commodari of Baltimore, Maryland didn’t have any experience with the real estate industry when he set out to get his license in July of 2001, unless you count the neighborhoods he traversed on a daily basis delivering newspapers. But something about seeing dilapidated houses in the Federal Hill area become rehabbed and the subsequent revitalization of the neighborhood caught his attention.
As often happens in life, the unexpected can prove to be the ultimate motivator, and in fact that was the case for Commodari, when his wife announced she was pregnant with their second child.
Determined to let his wife become a stay at home mom rather than return to work after the birth of their child, Commodari decided to give real estate a try, setting a very reasonable but important goal for himself: earn enough to match his wife’s $42,000 a year salary. At the end of his first year, he’d netted $41,000, and his passion for real estate was born.
Without much strong direction or training early in his career, it’s not surprising that Commodari didn’t go down the typical avenue most new agents take; targeting Expireds, FSBOs, and establishing himself a niche, or focusing on a particular neighborhood. What is surprising is that he makes becoming a profitable, active agent in today’s market sound so easy.
For Commodari, it has always been about the referrals. His first five deals came from his immediate sphere of contacts, and something about working in this manner clicked for him; enough to inspire him to attend a seminar on the concept. Eschewing farming and traditional marketing methods, Commodari decided instead to invest in his clients, and pursued the working by referral concept doggedly. It paid off, and handsomely: just one year after adopting the techniques he learned, he increased his transaction numbers from 19 to 42. Now Commodari boasts a gross sales volume of $22 million, with 80 sales and 170 referrals.
Commodari describes his decision to focus on referrals only and how he sustains those client relationships in this week’s iSucceed/RISMedia Business Development and Training call Prison Break: Free Yourself From the Daily Grind of Finding Prospects.
Hosted by iSucceed’s own Kelly Kelley, the interview will be available for one week only at www.isucceed.com/rismedia. In this instructive call, Commodari explains how he nurtures his existing client relationships and forms new ones working exclusively by referral, and finishes up the call with a stirring account of a very impactful experience he had while delivering a speech to a group of inmates at a local prison.
A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Rob Commodari has been building his referral-based real estate business for six years. Rather than pursuing traditional methods of prospecting and farming, Commodari focuses exclusively on his clients, by establishing strong and sincere relationships bolstered by frequent calls, visits, and numerous client appreciation events throughout the year.
Every Wednesday the RIS Media/iSucceed Business Development and Training Call presents profitable real estate strategies and introduces agents across the country to the full 30-minute iSucceed Weekly Counseling Call, available at www.iSucceed.com.
