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Learning from the Best

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Friday, March 14, 2008

Nearly 200 SILVAR members flocked to this week's Los Gatos/Saratoga Tour Meeting to learn from the best. At the meeting Gino Blefari, founder, president and CEO of Intero real Estate Services; Chris Trapani, president and CEO of the Sereno Group; and Carol Burnett, managing broker of Alain Pinel Realtors in Saratoga shared words of wisdom and tips on how Realtors can be successful in today's market.

Blefaro encouraged Realtors to always have a positive frame of mind. Create a routine, beginning in the morning by walking the dog, working out, meditating on your goals and transforming your fears into positive energy. Perseverance is key to success, he said. "You can't give up. Perseverance does not co-exist with failure."

Blefari then shared the following 11 tips:
1. Be independent and responsible for yourself.
2. Select positive reinforcement in books and people.
3. Live a healthy lifestyle.
4. Seek what's true, not what others say is true.  
5. When getting advice, consider the source.
6. Avoid the "no action" alibi.
7. Identify counterproductive habits and thoughts, then dump them.
8. Willingly forgive yourself and others because a grudge hurts you more than these others.
9. Take reasonable risks. Without risks, there are no rewards.
10. Obtain support for your aspirations.
11. Don't quit. The only time you lose is when you quit.

To these tips, Trapani added three tenets:
1. Be and remain teachable.
2. Be responsive, enthusiastic and have mutual respect for fellow agents in the business.
3. Have a good work ethic. Computers are good, but you need to be outside with clients.

"Over the long run, you cannot dabble in this business if you want to be consistently successful," said Trapani.

Burnett echoed Trapani's words, noting computers are both a blessing and a curse. "It's all about sales, regardless of technology," she stated. Reflecting on successful agents, she emphasized the need to get out and interact with people in order to be successful in the business.

She said, "You won't have enough of a client base to use your wonderful Excel spreadsheet if you don't meet people … We are in a relationship industry."

At the end of the day, she advised Realtors to reflect on the number of people they have talked with about real estate. Thirty to 50 people a day would be a good target, rather than one or two, she said.

Burnett stressed there is a difference between knowledge and data. She said the successful agent knows the data and is able to understand it, interpret it and explain it to clients. The successful agent can analyze and immediately explain to a client how the local market works, what the competition is, the meaning behind inventory in your community, and the prices and types of homes in the market.

"When someone asks you a question about the market at the grocery store, you can't say you'll call them back," she noted. "The top agents will be able to tell them the answer on the spot. The top agents will already have seen the home they are asking about."


The Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® (SILVAR) is a professional trade organization representing over 4,000 REALTORS® and Affiliate members engaged in the real estate business on the Peninsula and in the South Bay. SILVAR promotes the highest ethical standards of real estate practice, serves as an advocate for homeownership and homeowners, and represents the interests of property owners in Silicon Valley.

The term "REALTOR®" is a registered collective membership mark which identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of REALTORS® and who subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics.

For further information, please contact Rose Meily at SILVAR Public Affairs, email , or phone (408) 200-0109.

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