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

Shoshanna , appreciate you joining us today. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?

In my industry (real estate), I think there are different ways to view success. Many people in real estate look at success in terms of production exclusively (how many homes sold, transactions, gross commissions, etc.). There are others who look at social media metrics to determine success (number of followers, likes and views.) With respect to the former, there are a number of realtors with larger teams who are all about production and systemization, but they often loose the personal connection with clients and their process can sometimes be so rigid that they are not always achieving the best possible results for their clients. Similarly, with the rise of real estate influencers, there is a perception of success based on someone’s popularity on social media channels, but that doesn’t always mean the person is a top producer. For me to be a successful realtor you have to have a unique combination of skills. Specifically, a strong work ethic, great communication skills, the ability to think creatively and of course the ability to understand people and human behavior. It is important to have your processes honed, but equally important to be flexible to adapt to a constantly changing environment and market conditions. Interestingly, I think the most important condition for success is being a nice person and having a good working relationship with others in the industry locally. People may have this perception that you need to be a shark to be successful, but I think the opposite is true. Especially in a competitive market like the one we have in Northern Virginia. No one wants to work with a jerk. I have been able to get deals done for my clients solely because of my reputation and relationships with other agents in the area. I see other realtors as collaborators, not competitors.

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 got into the real estate industry after having a bit of an existential crisis. At the time, I was working for the Federal government as a tax attorney. I had 3 small children at home and felt a disconnect between who I was as a person and my chosen profession. It took my Dad getting diagnosed with a very aggressive form of cancer for me to completely reevaluate my life. He was a real estate attorney in Toronto where I’m from so in a way I grew up in the industry. I also remember him loving putting deals together and his clients with whom he had long standing relationships. I came to the conclusion that I was someone who loved design, fashion, unique architecture and most importantly, working closely with others. I got my real estate license a few weeks later. Initially I did some real estate investing and mainly helped friends and neighbors with their home purchases and sales. Within a short time frame, my business had exploded. I worked harder than I had ever worked, but I felt so much more personal satisfaction than I did working as an attorney. I also felt like my unique skillset in having a legal education and experience as well as being an inherently creative person was the perfect combination to be successful in the industry. Initially my clients said they wanted to work with me because of my specialized experience, but I think now people want to work with me because of my negotiation skills, my resourcefulness as well as my creativity as a marketer. I love thinking outside the box to help my clients achieve their goals. I also enjoy finding a home’s superpower: that one unique feature that is the reason someone would buy the house. After my first year in real estate, I got a staging designation to add even more value to my service package. Though I stopped staging my listing personally (I now use amazing local people), having the certification as well as an understanding for what buyers are looking for in certain neighborhoods enables me to provide guidance to my seller clients on low-cost improvements to make with the biggest ROI. I have definitely evolved as an agent over the course of the 14 years I have been licensed. I have never aspired to have a huge team under me or sell $100million plus a year. It is important to me that I am able to provide all of my clients personal attention since buying or selling a home is often such an important point in someone’s life. I have so many clients that I have worked with multiple times…They are now calling me to help their children buy their first house or help them downsize after all their kids have moved out. In an industry where so many new and experienced agents are hurting for business, I’m so grateful to have so many clients keep calling me. I think it is definitely a testament to consistently striving to do my best for every one of them. As for my “brand”, I have really found power in being my authentic self. Focusing on my health, my hobbies and making the most out of life especially now that I turned fifty. I used to worry about what people thought of me and if what I put out there would impact my business. What I realized is that the most successful people embrace who they are, flaws and all and that is really how you develop the best connections with your clients as well as your community.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

I learned very early on in my real estate career that I wanted to have a business built on relationships and not just transactions. I also felt very strongly that I wanted to grow my business in my local community of Alexandria so I wasn’t away from my family constantly and I could support organizations locally. The majority of my business stems from farming in my area (i.e., sending print materials to my neighbors with items of value: home selling tips, market data and trends I’m seeing in the market) as well as supporting the local schools/sports teams and assisting with community fundraising efforts. The majority of my business comes from my sphere and my intentional efforts to promote my community.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

There are 2 things that contributed to me building my reputation within my market. First, is the result I get for my clients. I don’t think you can have a good reputation unless you do what you say you’re going to do and exceed clients expectations. I’m proud to say that I do both for my clients. Second, I always operate ethically. Many people have a very low opinion of Realtors and equate us with used car salesman. Like any profession, there is a continuum of professionalism within the real estate industry. Unfortunately, the bar for admission into the industry is pretty low. Given my professional background, I have always treated real estate in the same way I treated my career as a tax attorney. Without integrity, you are nothing.

Contact Info:

• Website: Shoshannaandco.com
• Instagram: @novahomestyler

Image Credits
Jamie Sutera Photography, N.O. Photography