“If you want what you never had, you must do what you’ve never done!” A fortune cookie’s missive, taped eye-level on her computer, conveys the heart of a most remarkable client of Margo Geller and Associates. Her name is Laura May. She’s an award-winning commercial real estate agent, a leader in Cobb County community development, and an avid supporter of the arts. But this former Californian’s success belies an earlier gritty reality – one marked by a layoff, a life-altering career change, and dead end choices.
Until three years ago, Laura had enjoyed what, for many, is the American Dream. She worked making six figures as a marketing director for a high tech software firm. Then tragedy struck - like many in the post-dot-com era, Laura’s company downsized, displacing the bulk of their workforce with little more than a handshake and small severance. Laura admits, “I saw the writing on the wall, but wanted to last as long as possible.” It was after the axe fell when she realized, “Three percent raises and being an employee were never going to get me where I wanted to go. My firm actually did me a favor, and it was time for a change!”
And what a change – after some serious soul searching, Laura took “a leap of faith” by diving into commercial real estate. But why commercial – isn’t that a game for high-rollers, old moneyed families, and (mostly) men? “Yes and no,” she acknowledges. “Like medicine, the military, and other industries today, the playing field is changing dramatically. But what never changes is, relationships and solving people’s challenges.” At the time, the field seemed to offer the perfect opportunity to meet those needs by exercising her networking skills and creativity. “I saw commercial real estate as a puzzle. My job was to determine the highest and best use for property or land, and then find the best fit for buyers and sellers.” And right up there in importance, she confides “The earning potential was limitless!”
Laura’s leap into limitless earnings, however, soon turned into hurdle after frustrating hurdle. She had saved a little money and reduced her major expenses, giving her breathing room to obtain her real estate license, support Georgia REIA (a local real estate group), and look for a firm with which to hang her license. So far, so good – she hooked up with a small local firm, but unfortunately, the sales were slow, frustrating, and insufficient to keep bread on the table and her fears at bay. “After all was said and done, I wound up with even fewer dollars in my pocket than what I expected. 12 months in the business, and I earned less than what I paid in taxes before my layoff.”
Watching her finances dwindle, Laura reached out to a new company, Bull Realty, after meeting the owner, Michael Bull, at a commercial real estate professional organization. Michael revved Laura up, but despite her renewed enthusiasm, another year passed with little success. Instead of selling, she spent her time tackling unfruitful leads, driving all over the city to show property, and struggling with an ever-widening work load of difficult, non-productive customers.
Dejected and losing hope, Laura heeded a co-worker’s suggestion to meet Margo Geller. It was in their first conversation where Margo provided insight into why Laura was good at staying busy with customers, but failing to close sales. “Basically, Margo made me take a hard look at my clients, designating who were 7 – 10s (i.e., keepers), and others whom she advised I release.” Laura’s the first to admit that when you’re starving, the last thing you want to do is give up a potential customer. However, “Counter-intuitive as it seemed, the moment I “fired” my bad customers, I freed up my time to focus on the truly value-added clients, and it made all the difference!”
Laura was hooked. Feeling she had nothing to lose, she rigorously applied Margo’s advice – weeding out her non-productive customers, defining a single market she knew well and could work effectively, and obtaining new customers who fit her “ideal client profile.” The result was transformative. Laura soared from virtually zero sales, to winning “agent of the month” six month’s later. During her first year with Margo, Laura sold over $5 million in commercial property, enabling her to apply for the coveted Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) certification. “I’m thrilled,” she exclaims, “It signifies credibility and success, not just with clients and other brokers, but for me, as well.”
“In a nutshell,” Laura says, “Margo broke old habits, sidelined my fears, and gave me tools to tackle my new endeavor. I’m obtaining now what I never obtained before, because I’m doing now what I’ve never done before.” And it’s just the beginning for Laura. She’s currently an active participant in Margo’s group coaching and networking parties, where she meets many of Margo’s other clients. “The magic of Margo is that by orchestrating client meetings and gatherings, she compounds her coaching effect through our interactive synergy. It’s a win for everyone!”
When not pursuing commercial transactions, Laura enjoys a variety of exciting indulgences. Among them are wine and art – “Preferably at the same time,” she adds. To facilitate her passion, Laura hosts a quarterly wine and art party, where guests not only enjoy fine wine while viewing a featured artist, they receive “dance cards” (a Margo idea) with names of others at the party who they may enjoy meeting for business and/or personal reasons. “That way,” she says, “people have a reason to interact, and as I’ve learned with Margo, in business, as in life, good things happen when we open ourselves to new possibilities.”
|
