Kim Knapp, CRS, Caldwell Banker Vanguard, Fleming Island, FL

Why did you become a CRS?

I experienced quick success in the business by working hard and did $6 million in the first year. Early on I realized the main focus of real estate school is how not to go to jail. Everything was trial and error, baptism by fire, so to speak. It was working well enough for the early years, but when the market turned, I knew I needed better tools. That’s when I became a CRS. Now, I have been in the business for 14 years.

Did you find the tools you were looking for?

Definitely. I look at life this way: You can be good or you can be great. If I wanted to compete, being good was not enough. I needed to learn better ways to service listings and stay connected to my SOI and past customers. It’s like going into a restaurant and ordering a meal — if the food was great but the service was only so-so, you won’t remember it as a great experience.

I’ve always maintained that there is a better way to do everything, and I am always competing with myself. If you keep an open mind and listen to others, you learn things you can apply in any area of life, not only to one situation.

Tell me a bit about your office.

I have a team closing coordinator who has been with me for 11 years. I have a marketing director and a licensed assistant along with two licensed agents. I love and appreciate them. Our culture is very important. We are closing in on almost half a billion dollars in total sales.

What is it about your market that keeps your team hopping?

I have really found my wheelhouse — the people who I can connect with. I identify with the people and families who live in Fleming Island. This area attracts a lot of families; the people who live here are passionate about their neighborhood and schools. I always say they could never have elementary intramural sports in this town because the parents are so fierce about their school being the best! We also have a naval air station nearby, so there is some regular turnover with families of the support staff and officers moving in and out. We help people relocate to the area and sell when it’s time for something new. Sometimes we are hired to manage properties for those who leave for a short while but plan to come back. What is really telling about the area is the number of people who choose to stay, whether moving up or downsizing.

How does your educational work fit into your schedule?

Education is a passion really. Because my team is such a well-oiled machine, it enables me the freedom to teach and travel. I am excited to be doing two sessions at the next Sell-a-bration^®. I just completed my first CRS webinar about using social media. I have done a lot of independent workshops and training for large brokers and brands across the country. Being successful and happy in this industry allows me to be relevant in a time when solid training has never been more important. There is so much mediocrity. The DANGER report [an analysis of negative game changers emerging in real estate] called it out: We need to make it a first priority to be better — I want to equip folks with something they can use right away. If a technique that someone else is using is working, learn it and then make it your own. You don’t have to re-invent the wheel.

Of all the topics that you touch on, what do you feel is most valuable?

The most important things are, first, being a power listing agent, creating fans out of customers, and next, determining the effective role for social media in your business — because not everybody should do it.

Really? Who shouldn’’t be using social media?

If you’re not one who is outgoing and introducing yourself to everyone at a cocktail party, then social media may not be for you. Social media is really like going out in public — you have to interact with people, be genuine and offer something that is relevant!

I find that the people who are resistant to the idea of using social media are the people who don’t want to put their “business” out in the blogosphere. They don’t realize that the appropriate way to have a social media presence is to not always talk about yourself! What if a dentist was always posting things like, “I did two root canals today and a mouthful of crowns,” which is the equivalent of posting how much business you’’ve closed, or you’re at an open house or an inspection. Instead, I tell people to do something like give a shout-out to Rick, who’s a contractor we can count on.

In my classes, I share an anecdote about a writer who wrote about being seated next to Princess Diana at a dinner. The writer was worried that she wouldn’’t be able to come up with interesting conversation for someone who had been around the world and so on, but instead, Diana asked her about her life and her grandkids. By the end of the night, the writer said, “I felt like the princess!” The point is that if you take an interest in other people, they’ll do it in return. But you absolutely have to be genuine because when people meet you, they will know whether your online and in-person personas match up.

What should REALTORS^® focus on?

You have to be engaged. I remind people of the saying, ‘“If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.’” You have to be open to learning how to improve your game. If no one pushed forward with new ideas and techniques, we’d still be riding horses! There are always ways to improve on something. If you could improve your business by 1 percent every week, you could easily improve your business by 50 percent in a year.

Kim Knapp achieved her CRS Designation in 2009. She can be reached at 904.637.0285 or at kim@teamknapp.com.