Bobbi Brenna didn’t have it easy in her personal life and career. She had to quit college unexpectedly to take care of her mother, who was struggling with breast cancer. Unfortunately, her mother wasn’t able to overcome this struggle, and Brenna decided to go directly into the workforce and become a saleswoman instead of finishing her studies.
Having gone through two marriages and been a stay-at-home mother for a long time, she worked her way towards entering the real estate business and becoming a highly successful realtor. Learn about Bobbi’s story in this episode of Real Estate Excellence, and find out the secrets of her success and the role that her faith and her community played in it.
Don’t miss out on one of our most fascinating and inspiring episodes!
[00:00 - 08:12] Introducing Our Guest, Bobbi Brennan, and How She Began Her Career in Sales
- Bobbi Brennan is from Florida and grew up in Orange Park.
- She went to college, but her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, and her father decided she should stay at home to take care of her.
- Bobbi had to quit her college studies to take care of her mother, and then her mother died a few years later.
- Bobbi started working in sales at Body Shop when she was 20 years old.
- She then moved on to work at Jared's, where she learned the importance of sales and how to recognize what the customer needs.
- Bobbi is now a real estate agent
[08:13 - 16:25] Why Focusing on the Current Customer is a Better Long-Term Strategy
- The key lesson learned from working in the pharmaceutical equipment industry was to focus on the customer at the moment and to always do what is right, even if it means losing a customer today.
- When you focus on your current customer, that customer will give positive feedback to other potential customers. If you mishandle a customer expecting to get more leads in return, that can potentially backfire.
- This lesson was also applied to real estate, where one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch.
- Bobbi’s company's focus on military relocation and VA loans makes them familiar with all of a customer's needs and protects them legally.
[16:26 - 24:16] How Military Families Embrace Real Estate Professionals
- Bobbi started her real estate career in 2010 as a part-time agent and has since grown to be a full-time realtor.
- She credits her success to her relationships with clients and other agents and her focus on personal connections over sales.
- The author believes that relationships are key to success in real estate and recommends focusing on building relationships with clients rather than selling them products or services from the get-go.
[24:16 - 32:01] How to Build Relationships with Real Estate Agents
- The key to successful real estate marketing is being genuine and engaging with customers.
- It's important to be involved in your community and show up for events, even if you don't have any deals or clients yet.
- Showing up regularly is a key part of the real estate lifestyle.
[32:01 - 40:12] How to Keep Your Business Faithful
- Bobbi has a strong faith that plays a role in all aspects of her life, including her marketing and attitude.
- She lost her younger brother and talks about how this experience has shaped how she approaches life.
- Tracy talks about the book Bait of Satan and how it helped him gain a better understanding of how to forgive and move on from hurtful experiences.
[40:12 - 48:03] We've Been Misjudged: We Were Right
- Bobbi agrees that the world is crazy right now and that everybody seems to be angry with everybody due largely to political tensions.
- She believes that people are able to change through love, grace, and kindness, and these values can help us treat each other better, even in disagreements.
- She recommends writing a book as a way to share your story and get it out there.
[48:03 - 55:33] Why Real Estate Agents Should Encourage Their Clients to Buy Now
- Bobbi’s company, Hover Girl, has been in the real estate business for 12 years and has experience with both property management and sales.
- Challenges new agents are facing include not being from the area and not knowing how to network.
- The gap between what a mortgage payment would be now and what it could have been back then is causing many people to hesitate to buy.
- Nevertheless, this is a great time to buy because inflationary pressures are driving the prices of real estate up, meaning your property could gain a lot of value if you buy it today.
[55:33 - 02:58] The Importance of Education When Buying and Selling Homes
- Right now, rates are low, so it's a good time to buy a home.
- You need to talk to the seller ahead of time because the seller's side of the market is different.
- Education is very important when it comes to real estate because you need to know the forces that drive the value of properties, as well as the laws and regulations that govern each area concerning real estate properties and operations.
[01:02:59 - 01:10:40] Is Lobbying Really as Important as People Believe?
- The key to success in real estate is building relationships with buyers and referring them to reliable lenders.
- It is important to have positive conversations with potential customers.
- There are many ways to break the ice when making these conversations, and it’s up to each agent to use their social skills to do so.
- It is important to stay up-to-date on industry trends and learn from others in order to improve one's skills.
- Knowing important people to lobby with isn’t truly as useful as most people believe because clients choose their agents based on their knowledge and trustworthiness, not on who they know.
[01:10:40 - 01:18:19] Real Estate Agent Tips: Constant Learning is key to success
- It is important to network and learn about the industry, as this will help you build better relationships with customers.
- One of the biggest mistakes new real estate agents make is buying leads, as these leads may not be of good quality and may not lead to successful deals.
- It is important to go to training every time you do a contract, as you will learn something different each time.
- It is more important to have knowledge than who you know, as this will make you a better agent for your customers.
[01:18:19 - 01:22:25] Agents Need to Set Time in Their Schedules for Education
- Every agent should take every opportunity they have to take a class, even if they have little time, because every bit of knowledge counts.
- There are all types of different classes that real estate agents can access and many different resources that can work to improve one’s education.
- Education can also help new agents build more confidence, and knowledge makes clients trust their agents much more.
Quotes:
“If you want to build trust with your clients, you need to have the knowledge to answer their questions and demands. You don’t want to be the one calling someone else to answer for you while meeting with your clients.” -Bobbi Brenna.
“We all need ways to make our lives better and happier, and I do it by having God in my life. I know that being kind, considerate, and forgiving is what God wants me to do, and it makes my life a lot easier.” -Bobbi Brenna
“If you scream and yell at your teammates when they make a mistake, do they do better? No, they don’t. If you tell them it’s ok, we’ll do better on the next one, they’ll do their best not to let you down because they trust you.” -Bobbi Brenna
“When there are people around me, I pay attention to them. If there are things they wouldn’t mind me commenting on, I just comment. That’s how I start a conversation and connect with people. That’s what gets you customers in this business.” -Bobbi Brenna
“The thing I like the most about real estate is the people. I have made some of my best lifelong friends in this business as colleagues and clients. When you take the time to know your customers, you make a wealth of knowledge and beautiful relationships.” -Bobbi Brenna
Make sure to visit Bobbi Brennan’s Instagram if you want to learn more about her, her team, and her company. You may also connect with Brenna on LinkedIn if you’re interested in doing business.
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