We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ron Zimmerman a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Ron, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So, let’s start with trends – what are some of the largest or more impactful trends you are seeing in the industry?

Some of the biggest trends I see in the Real Estate industry is a lack of understanding from the ground up as to what it takes to build a successful business and maintain it. At some point, the industry turned into a self-promoting, influencing type mentality and what this has done is it’s caused newer agents, or agents looking to build and expand their business to bypass what’s truly important. Posting videos of you showing someone else’s listing is not going to do anything for your business unless it’s already been established. The proper way is to prioritize all clients by making them your number one priority and then continuing to create and nurture your in and out of network relationships. If you’re not getting in front of people and finding a way to show them your value, then you’re doing yourself a huge disservice.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I got into the real estate profession back in 2017. I was on the verge of purchasing my first home and thought I would help myself out by saving a few bucks in the process. That didn’t happen but what it did was it made me realize that it was certainly a process that interested me a ton. I decided to continue on with the licensing process and it started to become a more significant part of my life with each passing month it seemed. Fast forward to 2025 and I’ve been able to grow year over year for 7 straight years helping lots and lots of families work through some of the largest transactions of their lives. It’s been a win-win for me as I get to do something I’m extremely passionate about and also get to help people in the process.

From day one, understanding the situation and my client’s needs have always been priority number one. I make it a point to never try to minimize how significant buying or selling a property is. While I go through a portion of the process practically on a daily basis, everyday people do not and I make it a point to never forget that.

Another key point is to ensure that it’s never about a sale. Clients need to feel comfortable with you and they need to trust you. Your market knowledge is key and you must be able to guide them appropriately, but at the end of the day, if people don’t like you then they’ll never work with you. If you don’t come off as genuine then it’s a red flag right out of the gate.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Always doing right by people and always acting like a true professional. Real estate agents can get a bad wrap, and sometimes it’s certainly warranted however the ones who go about their business the right way are as valuable as they come. In this industry, we interact with so many different professionals and people throughout a single transaction. From attorneys to real estate agents to title companies, bank appraisers, mortgage professionals, etc. It’s very easy to tarnish your reputation. In fact, it’s probably harder not to, but with that said, always treating people with respect, honoring your fiduciary duties to all clients and being an honest straight shooter is what has allowed me to build and maintain my reputation here in the Long Island real estate market.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

I go a little bit out of the norm with this one. I of course have my CRM which allows for multiple touches throughout the year. That’s imperative, especially as you’re trying to scale your business. With that said, I’ve always been a personable and hands on real estate agent. I don’t secure agreements only to pass people on to my team and never hear from me again. People hire me for me and I respect and appreciate that so you get me to the end. With that comes a relationship that doesn’t just dissipate when the transaction is complete. I become friends with my clients. We connect on social media which allows us to stay in touch with regards to what’s happening in each other’s lives but most importantly, I make it a point throughout the year, whether it’s anniversary or holiday time or just randomly, to text them directly to ensure that personal touch remains. We continue to always stay in touch.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ronzimmerman_re/
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/ron.zimmerman.543

Image Credits

EPM Studios