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

Alex, appreciate you joining us today. How did you scale up? What were the strategies, tactics, meaningful moments, twists/turns, obstacles, mistakes along the way? We’d love to hear the backstory the illustrates how you grew the firm

Laying a foundation from the start was my priority as a real estate agent in Greenville, SC. This business is full of people who “try it on for size” and even have early success but the most important thing to stay in business in real estate is consistent lead generation. I knew from the get go I want to be fishing and not hunting when it came to keeping my pipeline full. The easiest and most rewarding way to do that was working by referral. I don’t spend my work days cold calling and door knocking but instead I provide continuous value to past clients and people I know and because they appreciate my dedication to them, they refer me to their friends and family. I knew that if I could do an amazing job for my clients and continue a strong relationship after the sale, I could create walking talking billboards for my business and continue to serve their referrals for years. This has created a compounding effect in my business allowing me to work with people that appreciate my level of commitment and who I get to stay in contact with regularly.

Alex, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I got my real estate license in 2021 after graduating from Bob Jones University in Greenville, SC. I was born and raised in the area and have always loved architecture, investing and building relationships so real estate seemed to be the perfect fit. I tell people that I am their Realtor before, during and after the sale because I want people to know that I don’t treat them as a transaction but truly seek to develop a relationship that will last way beyond the sale. I cover the entire upstate of South Carolina and work with residential buyers and sellers. My specialty is helping investors, people relocating to the area, and first time home buyers.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

When I did my first real estate transaction I had the assumption that it was me versus the Realtor on the other end of the transaction and we were fighting to get our respective clients the best terms. This is often how TV shows and movies will portray real estate agents but I had to realize that the other agent in the transaction was my partner in getting the property towards closing. This dawned on me during a transaction where the buyer and seller could not come to terms on necessary repairs. In the past I had this experience but the agent on the other end was rude and threatening and emotions were high. This time however, the agent was emotionally detached from the situation. She did everything she could to keep the deal together and kept a positive attitude throughout the process. We ended up having to cancel after we could not come to terms but I know that we both walked away knowing we had done everything we could and we both appreciated each other and looked forward to working together again.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

I love staying in touch with my past clients and I have a host of ways I do so. I have a monthly newsletter that I send out via mail and a corresponding email report. This often covers trends in real estate and what is going on in the market on a national level. I then record a market update once a month to keep people updated on what our local market is doing. I enjoy checking in with them every so often whether I write them a note or give them a call to see how they are and ask if I can help in any way and occasionally I will pop by their house with a gift usually around a holiday. Lastly I like to include a couple client parties throughout the year whether its free family portraits in the spring, an ice cream truck in the summer, or a pumpkin pickup in the fall. It’s a great way to show my clients how much I appreciate them and their referrals.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://alex.livegreenville.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alex.greenville.realtor/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100071238510650
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-darst-greenville-sc-realtor%C2%AE-0173b0194