February 7, 2020

Real Estate Profession | Success Through Authenticity, with Shelley Zavitz

Episode 78:

Real Estate Profession | There’s No Magic Bullet

Shelley Zavitz made the leap to relocate from Vancouver to Portland back in 2015. After fifteen years in the broadcasting industry, the start of this new chapter prompted Shelley to reexamine her professional life as well. Shelley had some experience on the investment side of real estate and knew she could use it to help people make informed decisions when purchasing a property. So, she wiped the entire slate clean and dove head first into the real estate profession. Shelley experienced rapid success in her first year, building an almost entirely referral-based business, after starting with a network of only four friends! Because the learning curve was so sharp, and the initial guidance minimal, she went on to write and publish “Your first 365 days in Real Estate: How to Build a Successful Real Estate Business (starting with nothing.) It’s her mission to help others learn and implement, far easier and faster than she did!

Get Out There and Meet People

Shelley’s quick success in real estate was exceptional, but we all know there’s no magic bullet. As she says, “you do not have a referral business without a database.” And she spent a lot of time building her database in the early stages of her career. Shelley set a goal of eight client-facing meetings per week to grow her list of prospects. Then, to win actual business, she was boots-on-the-pavement for any free time that remained. Everything Shelley did was intended to build genuine relationships, operating solely from a position of authenticity. Just because you are doing sales activities doesn’t mean you have to be salesy about it! So get out there and hustle, in a way that is true to you!

Show Your Prospects What Kind of Person You Are

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; this is a people business, and people only work with real estate agents who they know, like, and trust. If you want to build relationships around those pillars, Shelley recommends shifting your focus away from real estate entirely. It seems simple but nerves and insecurity can make us overthink human interactions. Focus on getting to know your prospects; show them why they should trust you—everything else will fall into place! If you are always operating with a servant’s heart and your clients’ best interests in mind, they will pick up on that. This business is a lot more fun when you can experience success just by being yourself. Shelley’s story will help you understand how to do it!

About Shelley Zavitz

Shelley brings an award-winning marketing background to real estate in Portland. With a client-first attitude teamed with a calm demeanor and fact-based analysis, Shelley takes the guesswork out of market values by offering clear and concise statistics so you can buy and sell with confidence.

Born and raised in Canada with a previous 15-year broadcasting background under her belt, Shelley approaches real estate with strong and gritty negotiating skills, complete transparency, and expert marketing capabilities that are bar-none.

What You Will Learn:

  • How Shelley got into the real estate profession and what the journey has been like
  • How Shelley quickly built a thriving real estate business almost entirely by referral
  • How to overcome insecurity when you’re new to the industry
  • How to build lasting client relationships by practicing authenticity
  • How Shelley chose to overcome failure and rejection
  • Shelley’s experience with mentorship, coaching, and accountability
  • What it means to be the CEO of your business

Additional Resources: