Knowledge is Power

By Lesley Geary

Linda Harrison
The Harrison Team
Pacific Union/GMAC Real Estate
Team members: 6. 1 transaction coordinator, 1 client liaison, 1 creative director, 1 home stager, Linda Harrison the team leader, and her partner, Ellen Anderson.
Years in real estate: Since 1999.
Region Served: San Francisco Bay Area

When and why was the team formed?
I formed the team in 2000 after my first year. I came from a corporate background in sales and marketing and thought a team would be best to handle all aspects of the transaction so as not just to be good, but to be great.

What do you tell people on listing appointments about the value of hiring your team versus hiring a solo agent?
By having a team we are not tired and nothing gets lost in the shuffle. Our job is really to protect that seller every step of the way and as a team we can do that absolutely.

What’s your best tip for getting a listing at the right price?
That is always a challenge especially in this market. I try to explain to the seller the mindset of the buyer. So I try to share with the seller who the sets of buyers are going to be and that they are very savvy. This is a group that can Google and Yahoo! and they know pricing; it has to be a fair price or buyers will pass on it.

What advertising idea created the greatest return on investment?
We used to do a lot of print ads but now we have shifted to maybe about 80% online advertising. Four years ago we were literally all print. But now for every listing we develop a complete Web site with floor plans, maps, just as much information as possible.

What’s your best idea for holding effective team meetings?
Because technology allows us to be so fluid we use tablets so we can be in separate locations and still check in.

What works best in generating online leads?
I believe having a very good Web site as well as an individual Web site for the property. Being part of GMAC we have one of the most dynamic Web sites, which gives us a lot of leads as well.

What are the three top things that are key to making yours a successful team?
Communication is a key piece because we need to know what’s happening with our clients at all times so we can stay on top of our clients needs. Then knowledge. I am a real big fan of continuing education. The education piece is what distinguishes us from the competition. Our clients travel all over the world and so they are asking us questions about international. Also, we have to have fun.

Do you rely on internal or external training and for what specific areas?
We have excellent training through our brokerage-great technology classes twice a month. Then we also have classes on real estate. We are also Brian Buffini fans and we use the Items of Value with Buffini and some of their systems. I like their approach of “referrals only.”

What sort of business/financial arrangement do you have with your broker? How does your broker support you as team leader?
I think this is one of the top brokerage houses and they support us with risk management and it really helps us to be much better Realtors. As part of Christie’s Great Estates we have a great marketing team which really helps us with marketing pieces or ads. They have set it up so that we can have 24/7 access and set up great looking pieces on our own. And our CEO is a true visionary. We are seeing him at all of our meetings. He is always there for us and he is always ready to take us to the cutting edge to be true leaders.

Have you formed an LLC or incorporated?
The Harrison Team is a partnership, but we have not moved it to the corporation yet, but will. I want this to be a business that we retire from, but that still gives us an income. That’s our next thing. Developing the business so that it’s its own machine.

Philosophy on life in real estate:
There has to be a balance so that real estate is not 24/7. Team recognition is also a big thing. Respect your team members. Take a leadership role and have fun with it.

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