By Tyler Greenfield
Real Estate Agent

Unless you were born into it, we have all come to this business from somewhere else: college or another career field.

Some of us have sales and/or marketing experience, others have experience in graphic design or may have recently graduated. Wherever you were before, it is important to reflect on those experiences; to understand where we have been in order to know where we are going.

For me, while my academic background gave me an understanding of real estate market dynamics and architectural history, I had little to no prior experience working in sales when I was hired by Starnest. Oddly, it was my experience in the service industry that prepared me most for my future in the rental business.

I spent the last five years in graduate school, where most of my time was spent in the library or studio and working part time in restaurants. When I was waiting tables, I started to notice that the most successful servers had three basic similarities. First, they all knew their product exceptionally well: the wine list, nightly specials, and house favorites. Second, while they certainly had the gift of gab, they also knew how to listen to what their customers wanted and translate that to the kitchen. And third, they understood that each individual customer was unique and deserved to be treated as such.

In many ways, those traits are not unlike those of a successful rental agent. We must, as servers, know our product: our city, our neighborhoods, and our landlords. We must also understand how to listen and determine what will best suit the needs of our client. And, perhaps most importantly, we must be able to adjust our behavior according to other people’s personalities. In a restaurant, a table of 5 teenagers must be treated differently than a couple out on their first date. The same is true in the rental business. Whether you are showing an Upper East Side socialite a 3-bedroom in the morning or an incoming intern an affordable studio that same afternoon, the way that we explain the menu can be the difference between a showing and a lease signing.

So, wherever you were, remember what you learned and apply that to where you are now.

Past experience can be tools to help move us forward – use what you know to grow.

By Tyler Greenfield
Real Estate Agent

Whether you are posting ads using Craigslist, The New York Times, or another marketing outlet, on any given day you are competing with thousands of other brokers and agents. What will set your ad apart from others? How can we as agents ensure that our ads match up to those of our competitors? And, ultimately, how do we get our phone to ring?

In order to compete in the marketplace, first you need to know and understand your competitor; know what other brokers are doing in the same area, study their templates and their advertising techniques before attempting to post your own ad.

You also need to understand your clients. Design your advertisements — your tag lines, pictures, and descriptions — to suit the needs of your future client. If your focus is on students, use words like “share” and “roommates.” If you are trying to attract families, use terms such as “safety” and “children’s playroom.” In all cases, emphasize the amenities a building offers. Moreover, work with landlords and management companies that provide a great deal of marketable amenities to begin with. The more you understand about your client, the better off you are.

When it is finally time to post an ad, remember these four elements: Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action.

Getting a client’s attention starts with the tag line and should really never end. Use creative tag lines as an initial means of enticing a client to click on your ad. Somewhere in the ad or template itself, preferably somewhere at the top, should be a short statement that further keeps their attention. Examples of this might be, “Discover Premier Manhattan Luxury,” or “Live in the Lap of Luxury.”

Sparking a client’s interest is achieved by the use of clean, clear, and professional photos. Good, sharp photos can speak to a client’s emotional sensibilities and help to maintain his attention. What photos you use is sometimes the difference between your ads and those of other brokers. If a building has a pool, gym, and children’s playroom, make sure you show pictures of a pool, gym, and playroom.

On many of my own ads I offer things like a free gift card or free utilities to generate desire. A unique and attractive offer can help distinguish you from your competitors. You may want to offer gift cards from places like IKEA, Home Depot, or the Container Store. Or you may want offer something more general, like a VISA gift card or even cash.

The last thing that all successful and effective ads have is a call to action: a statement or sentence that leaves the client very little choice but to pick up the phone and call. The idea of action is to create a sense of urgency. Using phrases like “limited availability” or “only one unit left” can be effective in doing just that.

Then sit back and wait for your phone to start ringing.

By Tyler Greenfield
Real Estate Agent

With spring in the air, the frustrations and hardships that the winter months often bring are quickly starting to fade away. More New Yorkers are moving; there is an influx of incoming interns, students, and job seekers; and rental agents are taking more calls, showing more apartments, and seeing more people. For those agents who started working in November or December, this is the time we have been waiting for. And for agents starting now, it’s a perfect time to gear up and prepare for the success we will all enjoy in the summer months. That being said, there is no better time to get more organized, more dedicated, and more enthusiastic, and start to set even higher goals for ourselves.

For some, setting goals can be a challenging task in and of itself: Where do we start? What is realistic? And, how do we make distinctions between our personal and professional goals?

I’ve found that the best place to start is with a vision of where you want to be at some point in the future. Once you have your vision, it needs to be framed in general, immeasurable terms. Only from this point can you then develop the ends (objectives), ways (concepts), and means (resources) to achieve your goals and realize your vision.

The second step is to establish goals. Goals can also be stated in immeasurable terms, but need to be more focused. For us agents, goals can be set in financial terms: how much we will make this month, or how many leases we will have signed.

Third, definable objectives provide a way of measuring the movement towards vision achievement. It is the crossover mechanism between our forecast of the future and the envisioned, desired future. Objectives are stated in precise, measurable terms such as, “By the end of the next quarter, I will have grossed over $30,000.” This is the real strategy of turning visions into reality.

The fourth step is to determine tasks. Tasks are the means of accomplishing objectives. Tasks are concrete, measurable events that must occur. An example might be, “I need to meet with at least four people every single day.”

Next, you must set tangible timelines. This step establishes a priority for your tasks. Since time is precious and many tasks must be accomplished before another can begin, establishing priorities helps to determine the order in which the tasks must be accomplished and by what date.

The last and perhaps most important step is to follow up. Goals become meaningless if you are not revisiting them on a daily basis. This kind of behavior validates that the stated priorities are worthy of action. You need to develop an obsession with the process of achieving goals before they will ever become a reality. It demonstrates your commitment to see the matter through to a successful conclusion.

By Tyler Greenfield
Real Estate Agent

My name is Tyler Greenfield. I am part of a new breed of rental agents working with Starnest, Inc., dedicated to service, professionalism, and integrity.

I returned to New York from Denver nearly six months ago, having just completed the graduate program at the University of Colorado’s College of Architecture and Planning, where I earned a dual degree in architecture and city planning. I arrived back in the city with a series of personal, professional, and financial goals in mind, but with limited contacts and a small social network, I quickly discovered that finding work in New York was going to be far more difficult than I had ever imagined. But first things first, I needed a place to live.

After hours spent searching through listings for apartments anywhere from Williamsburg to the Upper East Side, countless phone calls, and a handful of failed outings, I finally stumbled upon a rental agent I felt I could work with. We scheduled a meeting and were set to view several apartments, but within the first few minutes of our introduction my attention soon turned from what apartment we were going to see next to how he found himself working in the rental business. Over the course of the next few hours, I realized that a future awaited me in New York real estate.

I conducted research and went on interviews to decide which company would best meet my needs. During this process I discovered Starnest, Inc.

At Starnest, I have found a place that not only allows me to utilize my past experiences and my academic and professional knowledge, but also gives me the opportunity to evolve and to develop a set of skills that no college or university ever could. In an industry where sound advice and guidance can be difficult to find, Starnest has provided me the tools I need to become a true real estate professional – a better agent and a better person. It is my pleasure to share these lessons with all of you.

We all crave a sense of purpose, but I don’t think it’s what we do that defines us. It’s what we think, feel, and say; how we live; and where we’ve been that define who we are. In this blog I promise you, every week, a glimpse into what has brought me where I am today, the tools and lessons that have helped define me as a professional and as an individual.