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

Samantha, appreciate you joining us today. Can you recount a time when the advice you provided to a client was really spot on?

Some of the best advice I ever gave to a client was that a real estate agent is not there to convince her to buy or sell a house…they are there to provide the resources and guidance needed for that process once SHE has decided that buying or selling is the right thing for her at this time. So many real estate agents can take the approach of trying to convince or push people into buying or selling a home before they are ready.

The fact is that real estate agents are not supposed to be here to be pushy sales agents, they are supposed to be a trusted resource that provides value and service to help you along the home buying or selling process. They are not supposed to strong-arm or scare you into it.

When I told this to my client (she had just started working with me after having a really bad experience with a previous real estate agent) she said she had never heard another agent say that and she felt so relieved. So we sat down and took a look at her current situation and it turned out that buying a home at that time was not the right move for her. So we made a customized game plan for her and had next steps laid over the coming year while she focused on some matters in her personal life and we would circle back to buying a home the following year.

I know how it feels to have a scammy salesperson pressure you into buying or doing something you aren’t sure about, and I never want make others feel that way. I want to be the trusted resource that people can go to and they know that I will give them the honest truth and advice anytime and for free!

Samantha, 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’ve lived in Phoenix my whole life and I love this city!! I’ve always loved living here, but when I decided to buy my first home in my early 20’s I was nervous, confused, and had no idea what the heck was going on. I wished I could have fully understood the process and felt prepared and informed. But my real estate agent didn’t really provide any information or help prepare me, and I felt stupid asking any questions. So a few years later, I decided that I wanted to change that and set a new standard for the real estate industry here in Arizona.

I wanted to build a business that focused on and prioritized the client and their experience when it came to buying or selling their home. I wanted people to enjoy the process and have fun! Buying or selling your home is a big step and can feel daunting or overwhelming. My goal is to help make sure you understand your options and know what to expect every step of the way.

I work with incredible people all over this city and I understand that buying or selling a home is more than just a transaction: it’s a life-changing experience. That’s why I am dedicated to providing exceptional, personalized service for all of my clients. I’m definitely not a salesperson. I’m a people person! I love getting to build relationships with my clients and colleagues and always work relentlessly on my client’s behalf to help them achieve their real estate goals. My motto is “let’s find a home and have fun doing it!”

The thing that sets my business apart is that I design it in a way to ensure that my clients feel informed and have fun throughout the whole process! Buying or selling a home is exciting but also a big step and I ensure that my clients always know what is going on, what the next steps are, and get to enjoy it. I am there to help and guide, but ultimately the decisions are theirs and I never make them feel any pressure. I want my clients to enjoy the process as much as possible, not feel stressed, and laugh!

Being a native here in Arizona has given me an opportunity to provide the best possible home search experience for the awesome people I get to work with. A lot of the time, I work with people who are new to the city or are relocating here from out of state. All they need to know is what kind of lifestyle and feel they want in their home and neighborhood and I can show them exactly the perfect fit here.

Do you have any stories of times when you almost missed payroll or any other near death experiences for your business?

There have been several times over the years when my bank account has been in the negative and it’s such a frustrating and terrifying feeling. Anyone who runs a small business knows that this is often the reality of what it takes to start and build a business. The first year of being in real estate and trying to build my business and had no idea what I was doing and was throwing my money, time, and energy at so many different things trying to figure out what would work.

There is such a high failure rate in real estate and small businesses in general, and I wished we talked more about the struggle and reality of what it is like. But I know firsthand that talking about and admitting your shortcomings and failures is so difficult. You want people to view you as successful and like you have it all together and know what you’re doing. But the reality is that I don’t know everything and never will. This will always be a learning and growing process and there are several more failures and mistakes I’m sure I will make. But each one is a lesson and I want to make sure I am learning from each one.

It took me over a year to figure out how to make my business profitable and that was one of the longest and most difficult years ever. But it solidified that this is what I want to do and it was 100% worth the hard times and struggle in order to be doing what I love!

How did you build your audience on social media?

Before starting my business I did not have social media. So when I started my career in real estate and everyone told me I had to figure out social media and use it every day, I had a bit of a mini panic attack. But I started taking every free class and training I could to learn about Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube. The first year I made so many mistakes like posting basic stock images, not being consistent, and never posting and photos or videos of myself because I was terrified of the camera and didn’t know how to be myself.

After a while I found out that Instagram was by far my favorite platform, so I decided to focus on that first and start to get comfortable on camera. I started by doing stories here and there to get used to video and slowly got more comfortable with being myself on video. Now 2 years into it, I actually love Instagram and YouTube and have figured out how to show up as myself and be comfortable with it. It’s not perfect or polished, but neither am I.

My advice to anyone starting out in social media is don’t feel like you have to go all-in on every single platform. Find the 2 that work best for you business and go all-in on those 2. The next biggest thing is to be consistent. I can feel overwhelming at first, but set aside time in your schedule on a regular basis to commit to getting out content. Another big thing is to be yourself! I know it can take a while to get comfortable with it, but people connect so much more when you are being genuine and yourself and they will gravitate towards that! And lastly done is better than perfect. I would stress over every post needing to be perfect and it meant that nothing got posted. People don’t care about perfect, they care about the value you provide.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.your-az-agent.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samantha_yourazagent/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SamanthaYourAZAgent/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samantha-sloan-your-az-agent-7890b188/
• Youtube: https://bit.ly/LivingInArizona
• Other: Contact Info: https://dotcards.io/samantha-yourazagent LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/YourAZAgent Zoom Call: https://bit.ly/LivingInArizonaCall Google Reviews: https://g.page/r/Ccz0dwOogJfzEAg/review Amazon Storefront: https://amzn.to/3qbtttG

Image Credits
Alyssa Weeks