We were lucky to catch up with Nicholas Altomare recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Nicholas thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Was there an experience or lesson you learned at a previous job that’s benefited your career afterwards?
My previous job and career was in advertising as a long-form television media buyer, I was in contact with television stations and national cable outlets across the US and Canada to negotiate and purchase thirty-minute blocks of time to slot in my client’s direct response ads. It is a career I had for almost thirty years, the last twenty-three running my own media buying company appropriately named Nick’s Long Form Media.
The lessons I learned were varied and many. I had to be self-motivated, I had to listen and understand my client’s motivation and goals and find media to purchase that would suit their needs. I also had to adjust the media schedules to make sure their goals were met. I had to maintain good relationships with the media outlets I would purchase time on. I had to properly manage time, budgets, and people that I worked with within my office.
Every day offered new opportunities to learn and grow…
Perhaps the most important thing that I learned from the media business is to have a more intuitive understanding of people and their needs. That each person is different and there is no boilerplate way to get to know someone or work through a difficult situation. That there is usually a way to come to an understanding or a meeting of the minds that will benefit everyone.
In my career, I have worked with so many people from different backgrounds and varied life experiences, I have learned that to fully understand someone is to be fully attentive and open to what that person is telling you, in words, in tone, in body language, etc.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I started my real estate career after an almost thirty-year career buying long-form television ad time.
I realized several years earlier that the onset of handheld devices would eventually change the way people get their information and buy product which would make the long-form media buyer obsolete.
While going through a divorce, I decided to study for my Colorado Real Estate license and was proud to easily pass it on the first try. A few years later I passed the exam for my Florida Real Estate license as well.
I decided to build my real estate business by connecting with people authentically and not through the cold calling, script reading, and constant salesperson badgering that are taught by the real estate industry leaders.
Real estate is not a people numbers game like it’s taught to be. It is relationship building, based on a foundation of trust and understanding of the people that partner with you to purchase or sell their home. My goal is to fully understand my client partner’s needs and give them exactly what they want from their home buying or selling experience, truthfully and honestly. I always tell it like it is.
The way to maximize your profit when you sell your home or buying the home that best suits your needs it to use a real estate professional that has an in-depth understanding of the market, its current conditions, and the unique characteristics of the home that you are looking to buy or sell. I do that with every client partner.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
Being myself and doing business as it should be done…This is really pretty straightforward and does not need a long explanation.
I am who I am. I’m a blue-collar, jeans and t-shirt professional, I work hard and smart. I am personally invested and tell it like it is. I communicate and don’t play games.
Most people resonate with that. Most people are happy with the experience they have with me and are happy to refer me out to others. Word of mouth is the best way to grow my business!!!
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
I’ve been through plenty of high and low points in my life, but there is nothing that compares to the resiliency shown by my sixteen-year-old son, Ethan.
Ethan was born eight weeks early with E-coli meningitis. He fought with all his heart just to survive his first two weeks of life, only to be faced with many weeks in the hospital and over twenty brain surgeries to make sure the fluid in his brain drains and is reabsorbed properly by his body. He has cerebral palsy, hydrocephalus, epilepsy, walks with the help of a walker, yet faces every day and every person he meets with a smile and great conversation.
His resiliency is my motivator and why I do what I do. Being a real estate agent allows me to be there for him more than if I had a nine-to-five job. He is my big why!!!
Contact Info:
- Website: nicholasaltomare.exprealty.com
- Instagram: naltomarecofl
- Facebook: @NAltomareOFL
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/naltomarecofl
- Twitter: @NAltomareCOFL
Image Credits
Headshot by Julie Rand Kruger Hiking Pix Suzanne Stache Bartlett Others by me