Walk This Way

Mentors: sharing knowledge and opening doors

by Myrna Traylor

When people say, “If I knew then what I know now…,” it’s often because they realize that a little knowledge in their past might have saved them a lot of trouble or unnecessary effort in the present. Until we perfect time machines, however, we are just going to have to make use of the next best thing: a mentor.

Mentors can offer helpful advice before one gets off track, and in a field that is as variable and complicated as real estate, timely advice can be invaluable. Frequently, we think of mentors as people with a lot of years in the business. While that is true in most cases, the rapid technological changes that impact the real estate business mean younger people or “digital natives” can share tech or media expertise that allow them to mentor more seasoned professionals.

In Learning Mode

The classic mentoring dynamic of veterans helping rookies has played a part in the success stories of many CRSs. Brenda Wade, CRS, an agent at Signature Realty Associates in Valrico, Florida, discuses how she was mentored as a new agent. “I had sales right at $40 million and I met Chicago area REALTOR® Leslie McDonnell, who was doing $100 million at the time. She allowed me to shadow her. She was so giving, and now we’re friends. Currently, I do $120 million–$140 million a year and I achieved that level because of Leslie saying to me, ‘If I were in your shoes, I’d do this.’ Now, when I meet younger folks, I invite them to come along.”

For Marki Lemons-Rhyal, CRS, and real estate educator, the advice she received early on changed her career trajectory. One of her mentors was—and still is—Frank Williams, who is very well-respected in Chicago for his long advocacy for fair housing—he even marched with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “Frank didn’t ask me, he told me to become a licensed real estate educator,” she says. “He gave me a roadmap. He said I needed to become a volunteer with the Chicago Association of REALTORS® and he guided my teaching career. He pours into people with the anticipation that we will pour into others.”

A mentor can be especially helpful when you are trying to tackle tough topics or situations. “I had a situation where an employee wasn’t a good fit,” Wade says. “Leslie said I had to let the employee go. It was tough, but in order for my business to grow, I had to recognize that person was a roadblock.”

The Shoe Is on the Other Foot

Now that Wade is mentoring team members and other agents herself, she is passing that wisdom along. “You need to have the right people in the right spot,” she says. “It was a tough conversation when I got that advice, but it was life-changing.”

One of the people Wade mentors is Amber Uhren, CRS, broker/owner of Realty Billings in Montana. Wade says Uhren has a great eye for media and knowing what will appeal to the customers. “She’s an excellent agent and is always willing to learn,” says Wade. “We discuss what I am doing that applies to what she’s doing and how to get to the next step [in her business]. Sometimes you have to work to get past limiting beliefs like thinking, ‘I’ve always done it that way, so I can’t change.’ A mentor can encourage you to see and do things in a different way.”

Karen Carmona, CRS, an agent with NP Dodge Real Estate in Council Bluffs, Iowa, has mentored several agents. Justin Williams was working as a banker when he bought a house from Carmona. When Williams became a part-time agent himself and began working with NP Dodge, he asked Carmona to mentor him.

“I said ‘sure!’ He has gone on to be very successful, and he has won the top affiliate award,” she says. “He still comes by to ask me questions. He’s very grateful.”

A Two-Way Street

Mentoring relationships can coalesce around a shared business-related interest. Janine Gershon, a California Licensed Real Estate Agent and CRS candidate at Douglas Elliman Real Estate in Beverly Hills, California, remembers how she fell into a mentoring role with her co-worker.

“I was with Coldwell Banker for 21 years and was consulting for the MLS. I never noticed Katherine Aronsson at the office until we started talking about MLS tech, and we clicked and became friends,” says Gershon. Aronsson, who is originally from Russia and graduated from the renowned Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, was unfamiliar with certain rules governing California property transactions. Both agents are now at Elliman, and Gershon teaches Aronsson the state’s requirements when they are not riding out on broker caravans together.

Gershon and Aronsson have actually developed a reciprocal mentoring relationship. While Gershon gives Aronsson tips about how to deal with clients, Aronsson is a dab hand at tech and social media. “She is a technology maven. She helped me set up my business website, and since Instagram is the most effective tool in real estate, she set up a business account for me and showed me more things you can do with target marketing. It’s incredibly valuable to have this relationship,” Gershon says. In addition, the pair work together with star clients referred to Aronsson from Russia and the Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce.

Carmona and her current advisee, Candy Calvert, also have a two-way arrangement. Carmona is showing Calvert the ropes when it comes to systems and prospecting, while Calvert has shown her mentor how to automatically schedule regular Facebook posts.

For many agents, it is not hard to be a “teacher” and “student” at the same time. “I’m very learning-based,” says Wade. “I’m always looking for new, interesting ways to improve. When you meet smart and savvy people, you have to go along, no matter where they are in their career. Someone doesn’t need to be doing the volume I’m doing to be smart.”

Myrna Traylor is a freelance writer based in the Chicago area.