In the following interview, Scott Gibson of Gibson International weighs in on building a prospect database, opening an honest line of communication, and more.

Scott Gibson
President
Gibson International, a member of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World®
Los Angeles, Calif.

Region served: Greater Los Angeles
Years in real estate: 38
Number of offices: 4
Number of agents: 153

Key to staying in touch: Pay attention to how clients and colleagues prefer to communicate, and adapt.
Top tip for finding continued success: Don’t undervalue the importance of broker-to-broker relationships. Strong relationships and a good reputation can be incredibly impactful.
No. 1 tip for building a prospect database: Meet four new people a week. This will help you build a network that may generate clients or future business partners.

When it comes to time management, what’s your best tip? Everyone has their own way of doing things, but it’s critical to keep in touch and utilize some type of contact management system on a consistent basis. We use Contactually here at Gibson International, but there are many other contact management systems out there. Find the one that works for you, implement it, and use it often.

What are two fundamentals you feel are essential to your company’s continued success? While it’s a combination of factors, I truly believe that a strong company culture and foundation are key to Gibson International’s success. We encourage our agents to be bold and ambitious and ask themselves every day what they would attempt to do if they knew they couldn’t fail. The second fundamental that is key to our success comes in the form of strong management, an amazing support team and a culture of collaboration that creates a positive and open environment. Our agents feel comfortable reaching out to others for assistance, whether it’s for scheduling individual coaching sessions or sitting in on weekly mastermind sessions.

Do you find that keeping an open line of communication with clients is critical to a successful transaction? The key to working together is open and honest communication. I don’t think there’s a better way to put it. The only way for a business relationship to grow is through consistent communication, on good days and bad. When you find yourself in a rut, you tend to stop communicating, something we try to minimize as much as possible by providing an environment where agents feel comfortable to ask for help when they need it.

What’s your advice to new agents who may be facing challenges when establishing new client relationships? After 38 years in the business, it’s still difficult for me to pick up the phone and say, “Hi, I’m Scott, I’d love to meet you.” I don’t know if that nervous feeling before a cold call ever wears away, and I’m grateful for that energy that pushes me to overcome a challenge. What has served me most in my professional career is to believe in myself, stay the course and know that there is no shortcut to success. Stick with it and your hard work will pay off.

For more information, visit http://www.gibsonintl.com.