Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sarah Church. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Sarah, appreciate you joining us today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.
It is no secret that when you say “realtor” most people think we are unethical salespeople who cannot be trusted. Unfortunately, some realtors in the industry operate their business as such, making a bad name for us all. Very few people know that roughly 80% of realtors sell less than 5 homes a year. This leaves the vast majority of business to the other 20%, the true professionals. With an industry that is grossly overpopulated and saturated, standing out is difficult. When purchasing quite possibly the largest investment of your life, trust and empathy are huge factors that can easily be overlooked by agents desensitized to what it feels like to buy or sell a home. I make it a top priority in my business to look at things in the eyes of the buyer or seller and meet them where they are. This is business is emotional, this can be a scary purchase, and it is a lot of money. Oftentimes, people just want to know you are walking through this with them, and that you’ve got their back. That is where I would say my approach is a little bit different. I offer an empathetic side to clients but have the ability to be the fierce advocate they need during negotiations, or if we get thrown an unforeseen curveball. When everything is said and done, it is so important to me that my clients not only feel like they had incredible representation but that they were treated like real people and that our working relationship did not feel transactional.
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?
I am from Cedar Falls/ Waterloo, Iowa. I always knew I wanted to work in real estate! I am not sure why, I just knew that is what I wanted. I got my license when I was 19 and I have been full-time in the business ever since. I started my career in Waterloo working for a large team as their inside sales agent. My job was to make phone calls, check in with past clients, prospect for the agents, and meticulously follow up with the people who had reached out directly to us. I was in this role for just under 4 years. I was ready for a change after those 4 years, so I moved to Minneapolis 3 years ago to work in a bigger market and try something new. I truly believe having this experience under my belt was pivotal to my success as an agent here in Minneapolis. My role as an ISA taught me from the get-go that rejection is part of the job, and not to be afraid to pick up the phone and make calls. These are two of the most fundamental parts of having a successful real estate business. This is a people business, not a sales business. People only work with those they know, like, and trust. It takes a lot of late nights, weekends, and sacrifices to make it in this business. I promise if you ask any successful realtor, they have given up a lot to be where they are. However, this is the most rewarding job and I would not change a single thing about what I have done to be where I am! I love mentoring young agents who are just starting in the business. I made many mistakes when I was getting started, and it brings me tremendous of joy to guide others through some of the common pitfalls of beginning in real estate. I am so proud to be a realtor, and I truly believe that we bring so much value to our community and have the ability to navigate families through both the most exciting, and hardest of times. Who you work with matters, and I love being a consistent professional for my clients to lean on.
What’s been the best source of new clients for you?
Since I moved here from Iowa without knowing more than a couple of people, the best lead source for me personally has been open houses. When I got started in real estate in Minnesota, I knew I needed to meet as many people as possible, what better way to do that than an open house? To my surprise, I quickly learned that there are a lot of realtors that don’t like hosting open houses for various different reasons. This made it pretty easy for me to find opportunities within my office and that quickly became my thing! I recently did the math, and more than half of my business this year came as a direct result of an open house I hosted. I now teach an open house class to different offices and brokerages, and it brings me so much joy to share with others how I have been able to find success this way!
How did you build your audience on social media?
Social media is an amazing platform to show your followers what it is like to work with you and share who you are as a person outside of real estate. In my experience, others love to see your hobbies, faults, how you spend your time outside of work, what pets you have, where you like to travel, etc. If you are just getting started building your social media, one thing I would encourage you to do is be authentic as possible. Using social media as a highlight reel feels disingenuous to others and is not very relatable. It is easy to only post exciting things, but the real connection happens when you share more vulnerable parts of your business or yourself that others can relate to.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: heysarahchurch
- Facebook: Sarah Church
- Linkedin: Sarah Church
Image Credits
Jordan Wagner.