We were lucky to catch up with Pernicia Jordan recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Pernicia thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. The first dollar your firm earns is always special. We’d love to hear about how you got your first client that wasn’t a friend or family.

The hardest thing about being a Realtor is finding clients & earning their trust. When i started my Real Estate business in 2012, I already had a job that i was working full-time but Real Estate is within the service industry and i have lot’s of service background and enjoy helping people. I am a people person, that is one of the qualifications when working in the service industry. It’s very exciting and a lot of hard work getting your name out there as a new agent who hasn’t quite gotten your feet wet.
During my first year, i tried everything, open houses, cold calling, contacting everyone in my sphere, but my business still was a struggle getting clients. I realized that i needed to step out of the box and do something that not many agents are doing. i decided that i wanted to prospect multi-family properties that have code violations with the city. Sometimes property owners do not want to deal with the challenges of working with the city to correct violations so i figure they may be more motivated to sell their investment property because of the multiple violations.

The information is public record. I went to the City of Long Beach, code violation website department, printed out a copy of properties that has several violations and scheduled my self time to door knock. I was always hesitant to door knock, but once i was out there and actually knocking on doors and talking with property owners, it wasn’t as bad as i thought. Real Estate is a doing job, sometimes just showing up is half the battle. I was down to my last house to door knock on one sunny weekday afternoon and most of the homes that i went to either didn’t answer or said no they are not interested in selling their investment property. One fellow walked out of the main house and i asked to speak to the owner and he said that one of the owners was not home but the other owner was upstairs. He pointed upstairs and i was really hesitant to follow him because the stairs has some loose steps, peeled paint and overall had deferred maintenance. He knocked on the door while ahead of me and introduced me to one of the owners. The owner was a disabled elder woman who was very nice. She said that i may want to come back and talk to her son, which was the second owner. A couple weeks i returned and i spoke to her son, ask him about the violations and whether he was looking to sale his home. He said that he was repairing all of the violation and may want to sell in a couple of years. Well, to i followed up with him for three years. I would visit every six months until one day he called me and said that his mom was in a nursing home and he needed to down size because she needed to be in a one story home. I assisted him and his mom with selling their triplex and assisted them to find a single family story home. I’m happy to know that i helped them achieve their goal, and still to this day, i continue to keep in contact with them and visit them during the holidays.

When meeting people for the first time, it’s important to let the client know that I’m here to assist them achieve their purchasing and selling needs. It’s important to let people know that working with them is all about their wants and needs. During my Real Estate Training, there’s a phrase that stuck with me, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m full-time Realtor and I started my real estate career in March 2012. My current portfolio includes the selling of Single-Family Homes, condos, mobile homes and Multi-family units in the Los Angeles county, Orange County, Riverside County and San Bernardino county. Residential sales is my area of expertise.

From my first successful real estate transaction, I cultivated a growing list of satisfied investor clientele, first time home buyers, return clients and now i receive clients by referrals. It’s important to me to make my clients happy and in return they refer me to their friends, family and co-workers, that to me is the best type of business through word of mouth.

My high quality of service is evidenced by uncompromisingly representing my client’s interests and navigating the unique challenges in each real estate transaction with efficiency, professionalism and good humor. And, as a member of California Association of Realtors & National Association of Realtors, i stays current on Real Estate news, finance, legal issues & market conditions.

The one thing i love about Real Estate is that you can never stop learning. Real Estate is always changing whether if be prices of homes, interest rates, or Real Estate laws, there is always something to learn with every transaction. My goal is to solve challenges if possible with out even alerting my client. That’s what people want, someone in their corner to look out for their best interests and to make the selling or purchasing a home as smooth as possible. People have enough on their plate with day to day to-do’s of work and home. I’m with my clients from the beginning until the end of the transactions. I’m there to alleviate stress by keeping them informed throughout the process and staying on top of things. My clients have thanked me for “staying on top of things” during their time of transitioning.

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

I work by referrals. 90% of my business is generated by referrals from past clients, friends, & family. Word of mouth is the oldest and still in my opinion the best kind of marketing. When you care about your clients and their needs and goals, they will reward you with a referral and in the Real Estate Business, trust is key. Selling and purchasing a home is one of the biggest investments in most people’s lives.

After closing a transaction, I periodically keep in contact with my clients. I mail personalized and written birthday, and holiday cards. Nowadays a lot of mail is generated by a computer and dispersed by some third party company. I hand write all my cards to my past clients.

I also like to invite my clients to a “client appreciation” day where i take them out on a Duffy boat cruise around the canals in Long Beach and i provide food and beverages. It’s my way of staying in touch and showing my appreciation for their trust. I also like to deliver gift baskets during the holidays. i like to pop by and drop off a Christmas basket along with warm wishes for a prosperous new year ahead.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

There are a lot of resources out there to assist Realtors with their business, some you pay for and other information out there for free.

One book that i stumbled upon at a Beverly Hills Association lobby, was a free book called, “Work By Referral,” Live the Good Life.” By Brian Buffini & Joe Niego. It’s a thin paper back book that has about 143 pages. That book changed the way i do business. It’s all about working by referrals & asking my past and current clients for referrals. Doing a great job for my clients, they will be your advocate for getting new clients. Reading that book was the best thing that could happen for my business!

Another book is “Little Red Book of Selling, 12.5 Principles of Sales Greatness” This book i have sitting in my bathroom for many years. It’s nice to refer back to and remind my self of important habits to continuously build my business.

Lastly, “Shift, How Top Real Estate Agents Tackle Tough Times,” Real Estate is cyclical. There are ups and downs in the Real Estate market. This book assist me with how stay afloat in a forever changing market.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: www.instagram/perniciajordan/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/perniciajordantw/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/pernicia-jordan-homesmart-realty-group-long-beach