D’Ann Melnick, CRS, says that a successful referral requires communication and respect
When D’Ann Melnick, CRS, first graduated from college with a degree in communications, she had plans to pursue a career as a sports agent. But after landing her first gig working for an NFL agent, she realized there were parts of the business she didn’t fully enjoy . “I was just looking for something different,” she explains. “I had a friend that worked for a [home] builder, and she told me about her experience there.” Melnick decided to give it a try and started working for a builder in 2001. After several years working in new construction, D’Ann fell in love with the industry and decided to get her real estate license and eventually her Associate Broker’s license.
Currently, she works as a residential REALTOR® and listing specialist with eXp Realty serving the Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia area. She’s worked in the D.C. area before and has also lived and worked in Austin and Dallas, Texas. Despite her former nomadic lifestyle, D’Ann feels like she has finally found home just outside of D.C., and was able to achieve her goal of obtaining her CRS Designation this past spring.
Operating around the Beltway
Melnick says that much of her clientele are first-time, move-up buyers that “are selling their first place and buying a new one.” Working in the D.C. metropolitan area, primarily in the suburban Montgomery County, Maryland, has been a unique experience for her because it’s a very transitional market. So many people move in and out of the area all the time, but it is also nice to connect with people that were born and raised in D.C.
Another unique thing about the area though is the high cost of living. “Most places in the country are competitive right now, but we have the added layer of being one of the more expensive markets in the country,” she says. Being successful in this market requires “a lot of preparation and educating clients to be able to get them comfortable with taking that next step, whether it be their first home or something later in life.”
She also says that the proximity to “The District” is, obviously, a bonus. And that proximity has an impact on everyone living in the area. “I think people underestimate how far the government’s reach is in terms of how it affects the real estate market and industry,” she says. “We have a lot of people here that don’t specifically work for the government, but their jobs as consultants or Department of Defense contractors are still affected by the government calendar or which political party is in power.” One of her favorite things about working in the D.C. area is learning about her clients’ unique and interesting careers.
Creating a brand
Personal branding has been a fundamental marketing tactic for Melnick to attract new clientele. She’s found that a lot of her buyer clients are looking for a home that has a yard for their dog—and that’s why they end up in the suburbs. Much of her own personal life revolves around dogs too, as she has a chocolate Lab puppy named Rooney. In her free time, she serves on the Board of Directors for an organization called Hero Dogs Inc., a group that raises and trains service dogs for veterans and former first responders with a disability.
“In 2019, my husband and I started volunteering with the organization. We raised a Hero Dog, Monty, from the time he was eight weeks old to about a year and a half before he went off to his advanced training program,” she says. “It was a great experience. I’ve stayed involved with the organization and I now serve on their Board helping with events and sponsorships.”
Because of this experience, she knows where all the best dog parks, pet shops and dog-friendly restaurants are. She’s been able to successfully brand herself as “the REALTOR® for dog people” in her market.
Be reliable to get referrals
This winter, Melnick will be teaching a class on how to garner more agent referrals—a topic she feels strongly about. While it’s not a primary focus for her business planning, she says that agent referrals do comprise about 25% of her business annually. This number has grown with time and as she’s built relationships within her market. Keeping in touch with people and staying up to date on their life and business has been a great help.
“Recognizing accomplishments, empathizing with them when things aren’t going great or checking in on them for life updates versus just constantly asking for business,” she says, is essential. She also suggests that agents put more effort into maintaining communication with one another during the referral process.
“The biggest thing to me, honestly, is setting expectations and doing what you say you’re going to do,” she explains. “I think a lot of agents are attracted by the CRS Designation, because they know that there’s such a fantastic network of agents around the country. But unfortunately, sometimes they’ll send a referral out and then just kind of never hear from that person again. The relationship is two-way, and you might find out later that they closed—you get a check, but it’s not really keeping you in the loop throughout the process.”
What sets Melnick apart is that she treats her referral partner agent as she would a client, in terms of giving them updates. “If we get a clear to close; if we get through the inspection; if we get the appraisal—I’m going to let my agent partner know so that they know where we are in the process,” she says.
She says that agents who have worked with her and had this level of interaction are usually more than happy to tell other agents how their experience was, because it’s different from what they have experienced before with referrals.
Benefits of being a CRS
Becoming a CRS was very important to Melnick because she knew that it was a network of agents that care deeply about their businesses. Her experience being involved with the Council has been filled with “people that have a dedication to their customers, a commitment to improving their skill set and perfecting their craft.” Getting a real estate license isn’t the most difficult task, so she’s found that many people do it but then aren’t invested in the industry. She feels like people that have joined RRC and have also gotten their CRS Designation have taken an extra step to show how committed they are to doing a great job and taking excellent care of their customers.
Being a part of a group of like-minded people has been very beneficial for Melnick. Lately she’s been a part of a “mastermind group” that meets weekly. The purpose of the group is to help agents to keep a pulse on what’s going on in the industry across the country. “This time of year, people tend to focus on the holidays and get really off track with their business. Then they start 2022 very slowly because they aren’t ready. It’s nice to hear from other people around the country that are also business planning right now, which is a big thing for me,” she says.
She also enjoys the educational opportunities that the RRC provides, participating in many webinars and listening to many educational podcasts on a regular basis.
