If you’ve been following my story and sharing in the SamSpeaks! series, you know that real estate wasn’t my first career. Growing up, I’ve had a number of jobs–mainly in the hospitality industry. Making a transition into an entirely new industry is never easy, but if you can figure out a way to correlate the two and offer something fresh and new into an industry, you will be able to set yourself apart and grow in a different direction. (more…)

Mark Spain doesn’t care how smart you are — he will outwork you. If you show up at 6am, he’ll be there by 5am. If you work until 5pm, he’ll work until 6pm. He’s one of the most competitive people I’ve ever met (and freely admits this in this episode of SamSpeaks!)! And while being competitive is a key ingredient to success, there are so many other factors that you must have and endure; persistence, consistence and hustle to name a few. (more…)

He’s smart. He’s a risk-taker. He’s fun to talk to. He’s open. And he built his brand up much in the same way I did — he busted his butt writing and using social media to expand his audience. He totally gets the hustle that comes with being a young agent — or a young business person in general. Although some real estate reality shows (we all know which one I may be talking about) portray luxury agents with a glam and easy life, creating a brand and actually making money from it, is far from a cakewalk. (more…)

Hospitality. You can pretty much incorporate it into any business but you can DEFINITELY always incorporate it into sales. And no, hospitality in the real estate world doesn’t mean bringing out a notepad and taking down orders, but rather taking the time to really listen to your client’s wants and needs, learning about their likes and dislikes and providing them with a service that will ensure that they never want to go to any other real estate agent again (and of course, refer you to everyone they know). (more…)

No matter what industry you’re in, sales is about understanding people–how and why they spend, what they’re thinking and how to provide them with what they need. For me, the hospitality industry helped shape how I would take care of my clients in real estate. For Leigh Brown, it was selling chainsaws (true story…). (more…)