Knowledge is Power

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By Leslie Geary 

RISMEDIA, Dec. 8, 2007-Linda Harrison and the Harrison Team serve the San Francisco Bay area with three key attributes constantly in the forefront of their practice-communication, knowledge, and fun. To Harrison, these three “secrets” have proven to be valuable when it comes to standing out in the market. Here, learn what else works for the Harrison Team.

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 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 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 their 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. Last, 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 that really helps us with marketing pieces or ads. They have set it up so that we can have 24/7 access and create great looking pieces on our own. And our CEO is a true visionary. We see 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.

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