Training & Business Development: How to Build a Dynamic Business Using Branding, Marketing and Technology

RISMEDIA, August 29, 2007-It was 2001, and after 15 years of successfully managing and increasing the market share of two separate brokerages in the state of New York, real estate management veteran Miguel Berger decided to strike out on his own. Having identified a burgeoning tech industry and a community building up around it in an area commonly known as “Tech Valley,” Berger’s vision was to create a unique boutique firm, one that catered to the community and provided unparalleled service.

An admitted technology enthusiast himself, it was a natural evolution for a man who had helped to increase profitability in one brokerage by $43 million, and market share in the other from 20% to 50%. So Berger began preparations early in the year, anticipating a September launch.

The city of Albany is located approximately 155 miles to the north of New York City proper, and about 181 miles south of the Canadian border and Montreal. In the wake of September 11th, Albany’s relative distance and insulation from Ground Zero made little difference. The entire state was understandably at a standstill in many industries, and housing was hit particularly hard.

When asked if he thought about abandoning his plans at that point, Berger admits “You know, the prospect of working after 9/11 scared me a little, and I thought about it for about two minutes but then I said ‘No, this is not going to stop me, whatever is going to be is going to be, and I’m going to try my best.’”

And try he did; for three months Berger diligently worked on increasing his market exposure, and jokes that for many weeks it was simply he and his secretary sharing space in a spotless 2,000 sq. foot office.

The measures Berger took to rise from complete obscurity to boasting a thriving business and well-known brand is the focus of this week’s RISMedia/iSucceed Business Development and Training Call “How to Build a Dynamic Business Using Branding, Marketing and Technology,” A combination of hard work and sheer determination in conjunction with some surprisingly simple strategies were the winning combination for Berger, and this week he shares those techniques as he describes step-by-step what he did to establish himself and his company. From taking out full page ads advertising nothing but his company name, to installing a T-1 line and wireless networking in his office when neither had been heard of before, Berger pushed the envelope of what most brokers were doing at the time, and now six years later his satisfied clients can attest to his success.

Since as early as 1985, Miguel Berger served as branch manager for two established brokerages in Albany New York, honing his skills by immersing himself in the inner workings of a real estate office. Having shown a knack early on for training and business sense, Miguel systematically retooled each office, increasing sales volume in one by 257% and market share from 20 to 55%. Ready for a change and an early adopter of technology, Miguel struck out on his own in 2001 to create Tech Valley Homes, which in just 6 short years has grown from $10 million the first year to $74 million in gross sales last year, and from 2 agents to 33 in three different locations.

Hosted by iSucceed’s own Kelly Kelley, the interview will be available for one week only at www.isucceed.com/rismedia. Every Wednesday the RISMedia/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 only at www.iSucceed.com - one of the most comprehensive online providers of real estate tips, tools, secrets and success strategies, directly from North America’s 200 most successful real estate professionals.

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