Lisa McCormack in her office
Baseball legend Leo Durocher once said nice guys finish last. No one told Lisa McCormack that.
A sales rep with Re/Max 3000 in Miramichi, N.B., McCormack treats everyone with care and kindness, and that’s the real secret to her success, says her assistant Tanya Sturgeon. She emailed REM to suggest a story about the boss she says “is an inspiration to work for.”
McCormack got her real estate license in 2003, first working for a local firm and then joining Re/Max 3000 in 2006. Her achievements include top producer in Miramichi and Northhumberland County in 2008-2012 (based on MLS statistics); top producer for Re/Max 3000 from 2007-2012; Re/Max Hall of Fame inductee in 2011; Re/Max International Platinum Award winner in 2011 and 2012; and Re/Max’s 100% Club from 2007 – 2010. She was also Miramichi Young Professional of the Year 2009.
Born and raised in Miramichi, at the age of 24, McCormack and her husband, Cory, opened a health club, where she worked as a personal trainer for eight years.
After they sold the business, McCormack explored real estate as a career. The couple had dabbled in real estate, buying and selling houses, and she says she liked the negotiation process and the excitement of the transaction. Real estate is an ideal job for McCormack, a “people person” who enjoys being independent and self-employed.
Over the years, McCormack has concentrated on building her business. Her years as a personal trainer taught her to stay focused on her goals, to be driven and to always do her best. She says she’s not competitive and doesn’t like that aspect of the real estate business. Instead of competing with others, she competes with herself, working to achieve higher goals and to focus on what’s important, she says.
Her personal trainer experience also benefits her clients. She encourages them to follow their hearts when making a real estate decision. “I enjoyed being a personal trainer and helping people achieve their goals. This is a strength that I still use today in my real estate business.”
With a “facilitator personality,” McCormack says she works to create a win-win situation. “Everyone can be comfortable in a transaction. I think my competitors respect me because I’m honest and never a vicious negotiator.” That said, she does get deals done for her clients. “You can never be wrong if you’re honest. Loving and caring bring results.”
In 2009, she hired Sturgeon as her “wow co-ordinator” – someone who would help add the “wow” to her business. Sturgeon, who earned her real estate licence last year, is one of McCormack’s biggest fans. The feeling is mutual, McCormack says. McCormack’s husband Cory, who chose not to become a Realtor, is McCormack’s “sign guy and driver.” The high school sweethearts have been together since 1987. “We’re different but we have the same goals in life. We have different strengths. I couldn’t do this business without his support. He is my rock,” she says.
McCormack with husband Cory, who she says is her rock.
McCormack also makes fans and friends when she meets people through her many community activities, including work with the Miramichi Chamber of Commerce, Women’s Network Board of Directors, MYPIE Board of Directors, mentor for the Junior Achievement program and president of Miramichi Toastmasters.
Looking forward, McCormack says she is looking to hire a buyers’ agent and over the next year plans to expand her business. She’ll do that by sticking to her tips for success:
1. Focus on what’s important and pursue it with all your energy.
2. Prioritize. Real estate is such a busy business, it’s important to put important things, including family, first.
3. Treat people with love.
4. Never work for your paycheque. Work for your client and the paycheque will come.
5. Remember what is important. – Connie Adair
