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Lauren Bowen’s shift from healthcare to actual property might not be unprecedented, however her process-oriented mindset has fueled her success in each fields. As a pure chief, Bowen sought a profession that provided independence, in the end discovering her calling in actual property.
Bowen joined Robert Slack, LLC, in 2014, rapidly rising to group chief in Ocala, Florida, the place she expanded the agent roster and led the group to prime efficiency in conversion, transactions and quantity. Now, as Chief Working Officer, she oversees 12 group leaders and holds actual property licenses throughout 5 states, with 10 years of trade expertise.
Presently, Bowen is targeted on adapting to NAR rule adjustments, which she describes as “the most pressing issue” her group faces. By devoted coaching and clear communication, Bowen has ensured her group’s clean transition.
In a dialog with Inman, edited for size and readability, Bowen mentioned these challenges, the true property trade’s current shift within the wake of fee lawsuits and what she’s trying ahead to at Join Austin subsequent week.
Inman: Have you ever narrowed down the instruments that you just’re planning to debate throughout your Inman Join Austin session?
Lauren Bowen: We’re going over a couple of totally different tech instruments that we make the most of. We’ve a large database, and we will likely be going over Comply with Up Boss for our CRM. We’re additionally going to be referring to RealScout, Fello and CallAction. We’ll additionally throw out some others that we use like Digital Maverick and Ylopo.
Is tright here anything that you just stay up for on the convention? Is there anybody specifically that you just’re excited to see?
I at all times love the worth and the audio system that Inman brings collectively. We have been at Inman New York, Las Vegas, and Miami, and we’ll be going to Austin. They cater to the realm fairly nicely by bringing related audio system to every of the areas. We’ve brokerages in Miami and in Austin, so bringing audio system and what’s relative to that market has at all times been a powerful level.
I haven’t seen Tracy Tutor communicate in individual, and I’m trying ahead to seeing her communicate. Ryan Rodenbeck from Spyglass Realty will likely be there. I do know what he and his group do, and we’ve been in a position to decide his mind a bit. I’m excited for a few of these audio system who may not be as heard-of on the market with the ability to present the worth that they’ve been in a position to assist us with.
I noticed that you just used to work within the healthcare trade, so I used to be very interested in how that transition from healthcare to actual property occurred.
I don’t assume it’s that unprecedented that individuals know that I got here out of the healthcare trade, however you’re truly the primary one which has requested what that transition seemed like, and why it occurred.
I labored within the working rooms for 10 years [as a certified surgical technologist and first assist], after which I bought married and had a child. Once I had my son, my coronary heart truly stopped, so I wanted the pacemaker, and at the moment, we weren’t positive if I might be ever in a position to resume working within the place I used to be in.
I began different careers the place I could possibly be my very own boss and dictate whether or not I used to be working or not. I discovered actual property and bought my license and went from there. I assume I’ve been doing operations my complete life, whether or not it’s working subject or operations for the corporate.
Are there any expertise that you just discovered within the healthcare trade that you just discover helpful in actual property?
I do. I used to be educated to be very process-oriented. Workplace surgical procedures are all distinctive, with totally different variations of what happens, however they’re process-oriented. I labored generally OBGYN, podiatry and main cardiovascular. From begin to end, you’ve got a process that you want to comply with and a way you want to comply with, and that helped me with actual property.
I used to be very methodical and really process-oriented once I got here into actual property. I like individuals, so it was straightforward for me to construct that relationship with the shopper, get them to showings, get them by means of a deal and assist them of their largest monetary resolution they’ll ever make. It actually remains to be a course of, and it’s a must to study it.
You need to discover what you’re good at doing, and it’s a must to discover what you’re unhealthy at doing as nicely and tweak that. The method is behind each fields. I do assume that studying that within the healthcare subject did assist me achieve the true property subject as nicely.
What’s been essentially the most urgent to you latterly out there?
Probably the most urgent factor that we’ve needed to give attention to is the lawsuit — the adjustments and challenges of the NAR lawsuit that took place, and the procedures that we needed to put in place. 4 out of the 5 states [that we operate in] have been absolutely operational and already utilized BBAs, however our largest state, Florida, didn’t have BBAs.
Within the states that we did have them in, I can’t say we have been at all times doing them earlier than the displaying like we should always have been. So actually needing signed agreements previous to taking purchasers out to the home was essentially the most urgent factor that we’ve actually been specializing in for in all probability the previous three or 4 months. Our brokers wanted to have the ability to articulate the worth of what they’re doing, why purchaser’s brokers have been wanted, in addition to with the ability to get the purchasers to belief them, as a result of this wasn’t one thing purchasers had ever been used to.
Whereas there have been loads of brokers who wanted training on what was happening, we needed to educate the purchasers as nicely, so we’ve actually put an immense period of time into all of our coaching, our purchaser displays and our Robert Slack Details. We’ve scripting, we’ve got role-playing and we opened up Zoom rooms day by day the week it went dwell to verify we might reply any questions.
To substantiate, you mentioned that 4 of the states already had BBA’s?
Florida didn’t make the most of BBAs previous to this. Idaho, Colorado, Texas and Georgia did make the most of them, so we have been fairly fortunate in that occasion, however we’ve got to verify we’re getting them signed previous to showings now. Typically, it was the second, third, or I hate to say, I feel we had some happening when the provides did, which was not what we should always have been doing.
How have you ever helped group leaders that you just oversee navigate the adjustments, and is there anything that has been working rather well for you because the adjustments took impact?
We realized fairly early on that we couldn’t do it as a generic or normal session between all of our group leaders, as a result of every state was so totally different, even within the paperwork that they’d. We needed to break this down into state-specific programs, state-specific classes. Texas and Florida have been in all probability two of the most important teams that we had as a result of Florida gave us our kinds very late. Texas modified the kinds the day earlier than.
The largest worth that we’ve had is consistency, and that’s within the coaching we’ve held. We’ve a NAR Version, Slack Information is what we name it, that goes out each Thursday which incorporates: state-specific kinds, clean kinds that the brokers can print out and crammed out copies in order that they know what data to place the place with descriptions subsequent to them. We do that for the entire states we’re in in addition to the scripting and function enjoying.
What’s our stance on a few of the gadgets that got here ahead? Numerous it comes right down to dealer degree. What’s our stance in terms of listings? How is the fee being paid?
Having the ability to be very clear to our brokers and our group leads, being constant within the data we’re giving them, was in all probability one in every of our largest strengths we had. When the time got here to launch this, I’m assured to say, it was a little bit bit smoother crusing than what I anticipated as a result of we’ve got been engaged on it for therefore lengthy with all of our group members.
