Our Agent First Summit guest for this week was Chrissy Mallouf. Chrissy is a Denton realtor with tons of experience in building a strong local community through community involvement. Chrissy is active in so many things, but here are just a few: a member of the Chamber of Commerce, a member of Denton Benefit League, Keller Williams Leadership Council, Denton Parks Foundation Board, and creating local events as she sees a need.
Our Agent First Summits happen every Tuesday morning! It’s a perk for all our real estate team members and any of their guests who want to join us. To get an invitation, RSVP here: Save Your Seat!
In this session, Chrissy shares with us how to build a strong community of leads and clients by community involvement.
Being a Servant of the Community
Chrissy grew up with a lot of difficulties stacked against her. She was born with epilepsy, and she was still young when her mom was diagnosed with MS. But Chrissy used the struggles she faced as a child to spur her to focus on helping people in her community.
From a young age, she started helping by volunteering at local charities and events to support those who were struggling. Through the years, she continued to pursue this passion, even as she became a REALTOR®.
You too can serve out your passion as both a real estate agent and an active community member. You just have to take a few simple steps to get started.
The first step to community involvement is to find your passion. Whether it’s animals, kids, specific holidays, activities…whatever you love, get involved.
As a business owner, you have to focus on both serving and building your personal business. You can’t use your service merely as an opportunity to get leads or it will mean nothing. But you also need to maximize your time in a way that helps your business in the long run.
Though it might seem impossible to serve your community while building your business, it is possible. All you have to do is show up and be yourself. Show other volunteers and community members your passion for what you’re doing to serve and your passion for your real estate business.
When you convey that you are passionate about everything you do, people will be more inclined to work with you. They’ll know from your personality that you tackle everything with passion and that you’ll do what you can to make their real estate experience as amazing as every community experience they’ve shared with you.
Being a Successful Servant and Agent
It can be hard to keep up with family when you’re working full-time on your business and trying to maintain community involvement. But you can’t wear yourself out. Instead, be sure to take the necessary steps to stay healthy and prioritize both your work and your service.
First, make sure you have enough support to keep up with all your projects. Build an admin team to help you with paperwork tasks in your job. Or hire housekeepers to help with your house so you have more time for what matters most to you.
If you need, you can also hire showing agents to help you and pay them per house that they show. These helpers will give you the support you need to keep your business going when you have too much on your plate with your family, community, and other clients.
If you find you can’t volunteer everywhere you want because of your work schedule, you can still help. Set up a Facebook group where people can come and ask for help. There, you can point to resources that you aren’t in charge of but will still give them what they need.
Of course, it can be hard to have other people do your work for you. When building a team to help you, make sure you pick people who reflect your spirit and care for others.
Stay as involved as you can by communicating with your clients and letting them know when you need someone else to show homes for you. That way, they know you do care about them, but can see that you’re also passionate about your community and family and need to balance all of the above. Clients who know you from the community will understand.
You’ll find that you do pick up plenty of clients by serving through community involvement. People who get to know you will usually be delighted to use your services or recommend you to friends when it’s time to move. Always give your best to these clients and your community of leads will continue to expand.
While you’re out there serving, don’t be afraid to share your business. It will show people that you’re passionate enough about your community that you’re willing to balance it with your work.
In some cases, you’ll want to serve without advertising your job, especially if you’re involved in a big community drive of some kind. That’s fine–people will still get to know you.
But at other times, use the opportunity to share what you do. If you’re just handing out water bottles or snacks, don’t be afraid to put a sticker on them that advertises who you are. That way, you can get the word out without being overly pushy.
Finally, don’t be afraid to take breaks if you need them. You will only be able to live your best life and do your best work if you can engage in constant support, friendships, and time off. Encourage and help other REALTORS® as well as your community to build a strong foundation of support for those times when you need to get away.
In whatever you do, always keep your mind on what and who you love. Serve where your passion is, involve your family, and get the help you need to make your business happen. You’ll soon find that you’re living a fuller and happier life than ever before and that your business is expanding in great ways.
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