Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Carrie Palmore. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Carrie, thanks for joining us today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea
I’ve been in real estate for 17 years. In 2021, I decided to put a team back together. I had a team in the past, but I wanted to try a different model. I brought in two new agents who I personally knew outside of real estate. I became their mentor, their coach, their team leader. After they had been in the business for about 6 months, we sat down to identify our mission, our core values and our goals. Then it was time to get to work.
We created a new team brand, developed a new website and ordered all kinds of fun materials, showing off who we were. Bags of popcorn, small notebooks, tumblers, measuring tape, packing tape, etc, all with our brand on them.
This time around, I wanted to incorporate more “fun” into the business and this group of girls were up for the challenge. We started identifying messages we wanted to share with our clients, alternating between funny, humorous postcards (mostly for face recognition) and then sharing our professional side, with a localized newsletter, bringing relevant information to our clients.
Each month, we look ahead to future months to determine our message and identify if there are any special things we will need to get before our photo shoots. We enlisted the help of a photographer for some of our shots and it’s not unusual to visit Amazon or Goodwill in preparation for our fun.
We decided to keep the message on our bi-monthly postcards humorous and we aren’t afraid to put ourselves out there in strange costumes. You should have seen the looks we got from people the day we shot ourselves in our superhero costumes outside the office building! The cornier, the better! Some of our shoots are off-site around town, while others are done in the office. We try to tie in the messages throughout the month on other platforms, such as Facebook and Instagram. We re-use the material as much as possible throughout the month.
Our clients are loving it and they are posting on social media the material they get from us! Some have posted their children using our postcards (i.e. superhero postcard), and other marketing material in scrapbooks, in their rooms, etc. At Christmas time, we released a music video that was a big hit!
Our newsletters are also a hit, with an open rate consistently over 50%! We discuss local events, lifestyle ideas, home trends and market updates.
We have discussed going to every month for both the postcard and the newsletter, but have determined this appears to be about the right amount of communication for our clients.
This team loves the fun, the creative side of things and canva helps us to bring it all to fruition!
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?
We are a team of real estate agents in Yamhill County, Oregon. I’ve been in the business for 17years and have built a large successful business through using a referral based system. We stay in touch with our existing customers before, during, and most importantly, after the sale. We focus on adding value. What do our clients need? How can we help them? We have a large network of people to tap into and consider ourselves “connectors” for our clients.
While we are really good at selling real estate, we go above and beyond bringing the “love” to our clients. When we meet with a new buyer for the first time, we spend a lot of time reviewing the process they will be going through. We take time to listen to them, identify their needs and then set realistic goals. We have a Buyer Guide that takes them through the steps. Then we provide them with a helpful gift. It’s a small box that has a notebook/pen, measuring tape, a flashlight and hand sanitizer. Now they are ready to go look at homes!
Once under contract, they receive a small gift of congratulations, usually cookies or something like that. When the home inspection is complete, they get a moving kit, consisting of packing tape, marker, small knife, room labels, wipes. new address labels,etc. At the signing table, they receive a water tumbler with some candy and once they close, we “wrap” their front door and inside the house provide a crate with all the things you need when you move in….toilet paper, paper towels, garbage bags, front door mat, etc.
On the listing side, we have a similar system that is geared towards sellers. We have a Seller Guide we take them through so they know what to expect when listing their house and a series of small “touches” throughout the transaction.
We stay in front of our clients on a regular basis, with calls, notes and popbys. Little items we can drop off at people’s doors to give us a chance to talk with them and remind them we are there. We create ALL of our material in Canva, from the Buyer and Seller Guides to the small popby tags we put on small items.
What am I most proud of? That our clients feel we care about THEM and not the sale, because at the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Many people think all real estate agents do is open doors and collect a check. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. That is only a very small component of the business. We are each independent business owners wearing multiple hats on a daily basis.
A typical day might include showing homes, meeting with clients, meeting with inspectors and contractors, getting bids, understanding home issues, negotiating either a contract or repairs, ordering signs, ordering additional inspections, picking up supplies, putting on a lockbox, talking with multiple clients and other agents on the phone, writing contracts and addenda, making sure our client is protected. Then, in order to keep your “business” running, you must do the bookwork, order or pick up supplies, prepare popbys to drop off, write notes and make lead generation calls.
That’s just one day. The next day you have to do it again. Regardless of things go your way, if the transaction fails or your listing expires or your client’s emotions are running high, you must put on a happy, calm demeanor and do it again. Day after day after day. Because in this business, consistency is the key to success.
Anyone can do one transaction, or have one business day, but this business takes resilience and tenacity to keep going day after day, even days when you don’t feel like it. To manage multiple transactions, multiple clients, agents, inspectors, contractors, etc, all while building your business through lead generation. This is what separates the successful agent from the “one and done” agent. This is what creates a thriving, growing business with happy clients.
It’s hard, grueling work, but it’s SO worth it!
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
Cancer.
One little word that can change your entire world. Add on top of that being self-employed, 100% commission. Knowing you have a long way to go, a lot of tests, appointments, surgery, chemo, more surgery, and through it all, you have a business that is 100% reliant on you to make it happen.
I was lucky. While I had to go through all this, I had the most tremendous support from everyone. Other agents in my office helped with showings, my broker helped with contracts, my friends and family helped with the household. I was able to maintain my business during this time, but it was hard.
On the days I felt up to it, I worked. Other days I couldn’t. For a self-proclaimed workaholic, it was humbling. I had to rest a lot, take time off and not feel guilty.
My clients were wonderful. I did lose one client when I told her I had cancer. But another agent in my office picked her up, closed the deal and paid me my commission!
I decided on transparency and shared my story with others. This too was hard, as I’m a pretty private person. But I felt that way my clients would have more understanding if I was slow to get to something or wasn’t available.
It took about a year away from my life and my business and then I bounced back stronger than ever. My business grew, my client base grew and I was able to move forward in my life and my business.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.redhillshometeam.com
- Instagram: redhillshometeam
Image Credits
Racheal Fontaine, photographer