By Susan Doran
It was those brutal early years of dating that crystallized the concept ‘failure is not an option’ for up-and-coming Toronto sales rep Dave Elfassy.
“Being 5 7″ and balding, I experienced rejection at an early age (when) dating,” he says with a laugh. “A lot of people can’t handle rejection.” But he quickly came to realize that dating – and much else in life, including sales – is “a numbers game.”
If you make enough approaches to enough different people, eventually it will pay off.
Now married with two children, 34-year-old Elfassy’s never-say-die philosophy has helped him become a top contender on Toronto’s real estate scene, after just over two years in the business.
Asked how he managed to get off to a running start (he’s in the top one per cent of Ontario real estate salespeople, and is projecting 60-70 transactions for this year) he cracks himself up by answering, “It’s a fluke!”
I think not.
The truth is that he gives “110 per cent,” he says. “I went into real estate with everything I have. You can’t do real estate part-time. It’s a commitment. A lot of people coming out of real estate college are not coming in guns blazing – they have a fall-back job,” he says. “Persistence is the key, especially in the first year. It’s a cliché but true – you are guaranteed to be successful in this business if you stick with it.”
As for his future plans, they include starting a team.
A graduate of Toronto’s York University with a Bachelor of Science in kinesiology, before entering real estate Elfassy worked in the health and fitness industry for close to a decade. He began as a personal trainer and rose up the ranks to general manager of a large health club.
When he decided he’d rather be in business for himself and chose the real estate industry, he discovered that his previous career had given him a leg over the competition, in that selling memberships had taught him a lot about promotion and self-marketing.
He interviewed with four different real estate brokerages, and wound up hiring on with Right at Home Realty – at the time, “one of the lesser players,” he says. Today, with 1,600 agents in three offices in the GTA, it’s the fastest growing brokerage in Toronto.
“I had five pages of questions and (Right at Home) was able to answer every one,” says Elfassy. The company offers low per transaction and monthly fees (currently $275 per transaction and a monthly fee of $79 for basic main office support).
“The savings can go into investing in my business, and that made sense,” Elfassy says.
He speaks highly of Right at Home founders Arthur Bartram and Howard Drukarsh. “My first deal was done in my first week of being licensed. I didn’t have a clue what I was doing,” Elfassy says. “I called Arthur, who spent four hours talking to me on a Friday night…I thought that was a testament to the company and the person.”
As for Howard Drukarsh, “he’s given me tons of advice about branding myself,” says Elfassy. Drukarsh and the young hotshot agent appeared on a local television show about market conditions. Drukarsh also talked Elfassy into auditioning for an HGTV show called Agent versus Agent where two top sales reps compete to find one couple a home. Elfassy was chosen for the show, and he says the exposure has been “awesome” for his career (although he didn’t end up winning the commission).
“Arthur and Howard were the nucleus of the cell. The building block of who I am, who shaped me on another level, is real estate coach/trainer Chris Leader,” says Elfassy. “His last name is synonymous for who he is… He speaks with passion and purpose. His business examples hit home for me.”
Elfassy’s tips for new and struggling Realtors:
1) “Hire a coach,” and go to training and motivational seminars.
2) Leave no rock unturned. “Do open houses for other agents. Cold call. Call FSBOs and expired listings…One thing a lot of agents don’t do but should is work with renters.”
3) “Invest in a good website and customer relationship management program. There are companies that produce such programs, whose purpose is to enhance customer relations through the computer…Over 80 per cent of buyers shop for homes online. Top agents do a lot of online marketing. The basis of my business is this and referrals. I invest heavily in search engine optimization.” Computer social networking (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube) should be part of the picture as well, he says.
4) Don’t waste time with time wasters. “I wish I could take back all the time I invested with people who weren’t qualified to buy,” says Elfassy.
5) Join a networking group.
6) Be persistent and have fun.
A big believer in the benefits of “surrounding yourself with positive, passionate people,” Elfassy decorates his office walls with photos of top sales reps lofting awards, as well as a picture of a huge house he’d like to own.
“It keeps me focused,” he says. “If you live it, breathe it, eat it, surround yourself with the things you want, it’s difficult to fail.”
