Arlene Reckson

I think I'm probably lucky I didn't know anything when I started, because I really didn't know who anybody was in the industry. I still don't know who people are here either - I have to Google my own clients to find out what they do or that they're a billionaire. So I tended to treat everybody exactly the same, because I really didn't come with any preconceived idea of who they were, or what they were worth, or any of that. I just treated everybody as well as I could. I think that not knowing, and treating everyone with the same level of personal service, has been key to my success. It's really about giving personal service - boots on the ground, even if those boots have stilettos. Every client is important to me because for most people, this is the biggest purchase they're making in their life, and they're really buying a new lifestyle. They need somebody to hold their hand, encourage them, feel supported, make sure all their questions are answered, and shepherd it to closing. I'm there with them afterwards for years as a source of information indefinitely.

If you're going to start in real estate today, you have to join a group or work with another agent who's successful and have them basically feed you customers. You usually do that by doing open houses for them. If an agent has multiple listings and wants to do multiple open houses, they can't man them all by themselves, so they put an assistant in and have a deal with them - anybody who walks in, you get a certain percent of that, and if you help them and drive them around, you get a percent of that. Every company or team has their own way of financially compensating newer agents, but that's really the only way for a new agent to start - to work with another agent or in a team. The industry has changed so much that I don't even really know how a young person gets a job anymore. When I was younger, you could walk into an office, hand them your resume, they could take a look at you, and if they liked you, they'd bring you in and talk to you. But today, everybody is just basically an email or a click away, so how do you stand out? When we did it, people literally walked into the office and we'd have a rotation system, but people don't do that anymore - they go on the internet. So unless you have listings or a family looking to buy or sell, how do you get a customer? It's nearly impossible if you just go in on your own and walk into an office.

I take everything personally, and that's pretty much how I've always run my little business within the business as a little boutique operation. It's always been about giving personal service, which is really the key. I know they're trying to automate everything and want AI to write copy and do things, but to me, I'm old school - it's boots on the ground, even if those boots have stilettos. It's really about personal service. Every client is important to me because for most people, this is the biggest purchase that they're making in their life, and for so many people, it's really buying a new lifestyle. They really need somebody to hold their hand, encourage them, feel supported, make sure all their questions are answered. There are no dumb questions. I'm there to shepherd it to closing, and I'm there with them afterwards for years. They're still calling me to say who do you get to fix your washing machine - you're going to be a source of information for them indefinitely. I try to have a personal life too, and I try to do other things. I'm always trying to think outside the box and come to the table with something creative if I can.