Jordan Boyes is motivated to move you. Whether it’s something brand new or a little older, commercial or urban, rural or condo in the city, he’s comfortable and adept at finding a home for each of his clients.
“I met Jordan in 2007. He phoned me up when he was still pretty young, wanting to know what it would be like to be a real estate agent,” says Hallmark Realty broker Don McIvor. “Last year, Jordan surpassed our all-time high for company profits in real estate sales.”
In his first year, Boyes made $30 million in sales in a part of the country – Saskatoon, Sask. – where the average house prices are in the $300,000 range. Last year, to make the all-time list, Boyes sold more than 150 houses.
“When I wanted to start out I researched it, talked to other people to find out what it would be like to be a real estate professional and then decided to go back to work for four or five years first,” says Boyes. This foresight meant that starting out, Boyes could afford to be focused on the big picture and not just “the next sale” for his next cheque. Though his first months were slow, Boyes used the time to build up his clientele.
He had up to six open houses a weekend for six months straight when he got licensed and began his career. He says the move was as much to meet people and learn from other sales reps as to sell a place.
“I’d get up early on a Saturday and get out to see the buyers and just get my name out there. It can be quite difficult to get sales when you are first starting out. It helps if you have family and friends who are interested in buying or selling, because this is a business where people are reluctant to go with the new guy versus someone who’s got years of experience.”
But you don’t get experience without pounding the pavement and learning the ropes. “On my first open house I did end up selling a place, and that’s just how I kept doing it – I basically got my start with buyers,” says Boyes, “I actually sold (a place to) the first person I ever met at an open house about 10 days later.” He kept up the pace for the rest of the six months, not wanting to rest on the adrenaline rush of the last sale but to build his real estate portfolio of clients and contacts.
After almost four years, Boyes’ focus has switched. He is now selling for a lot of developers. Now the focus at the open houses is on selling houses more than networking.
He has a passion for it all. Boyes says that in Saskatoon you can still drive from one end of town to the other in about half an hour, so the concept of specialising in one area of real estate doesn’t apply to him. He prefers to leave his options open.
“I am incredibly competitive with myself,” says Boyes, “The first year I don’t think I took a single day off. The next couple of years I had a four-day vacation once per year. I’ll always be excited about real estate because I still wake up in the morning ready to go and eager to see what the day will bring.”
Behind the successful agent is a top support team. “I give a big thanks to my wife Brigitte and co-workers Sam, Alyss and Mandi,” he says.
A top producer after only six month in the real estate industry, and a top company producer ever since, Boyes shares some tips:
- Choose your company well. “I chose the company I work for because of the people. It was a more relaxed atmosphere and my broker and the other agents are very friendly in our office.”
- Be tireless in networking. “To get started I emailed and contacted pretty much every single person I knew, whether an old friend, ex or co-worker to try and get going as soon as possible.”
- Have a success mindset. “Never did I think I was going to fail. I did three open houses per weekend day, 12 to 1:30, 1:45 to 3:15, 3:30 to 5 pm. I wanted to get to the top fast.”
- Organise and optimise your working hours. “The first couple of hours I work on emails and getting organised for the day while at home. Then I go into my office, meet with the other agent I brought on and go over things. I generally don’t eat lunch unless it’s meeting with a client. The rest of the day will consist of listing appointments, showings and other meetings. I get home around 8 pm and try not to do a ton from home in the evenings as I prefer to get up early.”
- Delegate and work to your strengths. “My wife and team are a huge part of my success. Briggitte is a fitness instructor working a lot of weekend and evenings – she gets the lifestyle. I’m getting better at handing things off to other people. At first I was often handing stuff out, then taking it back to re-read. That wasted a lot of time that I could have used in selling.”
- Know what success looks like. “Surround yourself with successful people and try to mimic what they are doing. Offer to do open houses for them in return. I’ve found it will pay off. The agents who phone to help with my open houses are going to be the first ones I send leads to in return.”
- Do right by your client and never be late. “Leave early and wait if you have to. Treat your clients great and they will look after you in return. It’s a lot easier than constantly trying to find new business.”
Yvonne Dick is a contributing writer for REM with two decades of experience in journalism.
