I used to think when I started in real estate that it was all about contacting my sphere of influence to grow my business, like I had seen from other successful Realtors.
Let’s face it, once you get started and you have tapped into your family and friends, worked at open houses, put out the benches, bus signs, mail drops and billboards, what is there left to do? I should be successful by now, right? The referrals should start coming in after a few years and the growth of my business should increase, right? I could not have been more wrong.
It’s not just about marketing your face and name in your community. You need to do, you need to be, you need to give, you need to forget about the “sale” to be successful.
You need to invest in your community without any expectations. “Service Above Self” is the motto of my Rotary Club and Rotarians worldwide and those are powerful words. How can you expect to ask if you don’t give? Powerful words. Service… doing things in your community… above self… without any expectations in return.
When you sign up to be a part of your community without expectations, something happens. Become a generous philanthropist, a professional volunteer. Yes, the rewards of giving surpass what money can buy. The rewards of giving will be worth more to you than you know. Giving back to your community through volunteer groups, non-profit organizations, charity or other means does so much to help those in need and contribute to the common good.
This is the road to success in your community. Pay it forward and feel good, because you can make a difference. I have had the pleasure to work with the Elgin Street Mission, my Rotary Sunrisers Club, Soup Sisters, Maison McCulloch Hospice, Salvation Army, a social Facebook group Widows Moving Forward, Coats and Coffee, Nutrition for the Mission… The avenues are endless. Volunteering will not only enhance your drive to be a successful leader in your community, but it will also set an example for others. You’ll grow as a salesperson but also as a compassionate individual making a difference where you live. Why not become a volunteer and pay it forward today?
Liz Spooner-Young is a full-time Realtor at Re/Max Crown Realty (1989) Inc. Brokerage and a member of Cross Canada Referrals for Greater Sudbury. Born and raised in Sudbury, Ont. she enjoys giving back to her community through many volunteer organizations. Liz is married to Jim Young with a blended family of five adult children, five grandchildren and five grand dogs and cats.
