I’m looking forward to Inman Connect.
It took me awhile to get to this point, I have to admit.
I’m Zoomed out, I miss hugging people and putting my head on someone’s shoulder in a crowded conference room, and running into an old friend in the lobby, and jumping in an Uber for an impromptu adventure. I miss all of the things, and I’m sure you do, too.
But I actually think that the Inman team has some pretty awesome timing with Inman Connect coming around the corner while we’re all simultaneously yearning for and dreading having to adapt to life with one foot sort of back in the Real World, and the other foot firmly planted Safer at Home.
Today, three industry leaders shared how they’ve been dealing with both the quiet and the chaos, including my gal Chavi! What she said made me both smile + think, as is typical in any convo with this superstar!
Chavi M. Hohm
Team Lead and Content Manager, Team Diva Real Estate with Coldwell Banker Bain
What’s the biggest change in the way you’re managing your business now?
Life now is about managing feral cats and trying to tame them to be house cats. Anyone who is parenting a teen and manages people in real estate understands that both of these creatures are downright feral. They only come to you when they need to be fed but generally want to be left alone to do their own thing. Schooling a teen at home and teaching adults how to move their business online is forcing feral creatures to enjoy being a house cat. Sometimes you get scratched in the process.
How do you find new business in a time like this?
Team Diva was really well-positioned for this market before the stay-at-home order came through in Washington state. We were already doing a lot of videos and online content. All we had to do was up the heat and make sure we were staying connected to what the community really needs right now. Frankly, stats about the market are irrelevant when your neighbor is having to go to the food bank. How do you help your neighbor? Creating paths for our clients to help other people is really what is the most important thing right now.
How do you keep morale up, for you personally, and for your team?
Early on in the process, all of us adopted the Brooke Castello Monday Power Hour. One of the items that really works is prioritizing personal items first and than working the other items into your calendar. Having the calendar really helps to keep me and the team focused on what we need to do for the work at Team Diva and at home.
Who in the community has impressed you or helped you most during this time?
Frankly, it takes a village to stay in a winning mindset, have support to be vulnerable about your insecurities in this market, and overcome huge personal and professional obstacles. My village includes Marguerite Martin, Stacie Staub, Anne Jones, Andrea Geller, Kim V. Colaprete, Greg Fischer, Heather Ostrom, Jay Thompson, Sharon Steele and Vanessa Jones Bergmark. There are more people than this. And all of them have sent me an article, suggested we apply for the PPP, had a phone call or just said the right thing at the right time. I love them all!
What’s your outlook for the rest of this year?
At the beginning of 2020, we changed our goal-setting from gross commission and ranking within the company to net income.
Can you share a few words about how Inman has helped you grow your business, in bull or bear times?
Inman opened an entire new world to me back in 2012. It introduced me to a realm of people who were on the same path that I was at the time. That path had led me to be in a really secure space now where I can innovate through this coronavirus crisis, keep my team together and help others.
To find out what other folks had to say, keep reading on Inman News.
And, if you’ve ever wanted to attend an Inman event but couldn’t afford it, didn’t have time, or didn’t know if it would deliver what your Real Estate business needs, this year is the perfect time to give it a go!
Inman Connect Now connects virtually June 2-4, 2020. The digital event offers standout speakers, incredible networking opportunities, and the chance to forge business breakthroughs and build new relationships to last a lifetime. Don’t miss out — register today.
