Today, Five for Friday showcases Jerry Anderson, CCIM of SVN Florida, where he is the regional developer. He also leads the SVN Accelerated Sales team. Jerry orchestrates, guides and develops relationships for locally owned and operated offices.
1. What advice would you provide to an aspiring advisor who is new to the industry?
I’ve got plenty of advice. First, I’d say be curious and “Lift Up Your Head” when it comes to changes that may affect the CRE industry. For example, a couple years ago, I told our advisors in Florida to contact their clients that own shopping centers and office buildings to investigate installing electric charging stalls for the wave of electric automobiles on the way. This would prove a value-add, and a reason to contact the owner to boot. I provided them the hyperlink to Tesla’s website on how to get Tesla to pay for the installation. Not all advisors took my suggestion, but today electric stalls are being installed everywhere.
Second, take advantage of the Single Family Portfolio opportunity through our SFR/BFR team out of Phoenix. There is absolutely no easier way to get started with SVN today. Turn over a few rocks, introduce the opportunity to the SFR team(Jeff Cline and Michael Finch) and watch them work the deal for you as you learn and tag along being paid handsomely for simple introductions.
Third, listen in to every single product council call and be a sponge! Even if you have no interest in the particular product, the members of the council are the top producers in the industry. Listen and learn!
Fourth, access every single webinar stored on “MySVN.” These webinars are some of the best in the industry, and Solomon Poretsky knows how to deliver information in a logical and proven way.
Fifth, take CCIM courses and learn the analytics of the business. You cannot provide good advice to real estate owners, if you do not understand it yourself. I earned the CCIM designation in 1978. As an instructor for 20 years in the CCIM program, I came away with commercial real estate knowledge that put me far ahead of any of my competitors.
And finally, tune in and/or listen in every Monday to SVN Live. I’ve been in the business over 40 years and I still learn or a thought is triggered every Monday call for me – you should have no excuse to ever miss one. (even if you only catch the recording later in the day).
2. What does the SVN Difference mean to you?
SVN has similar tools, resources and services as our other competitors. Some of our tools are better than our competitors. What is different is the way our advisors collaborate to leverage the expertise of other advisors to give their clients an advantage to bring value far and above what they could do on their own.
Look at any of the Product Council members and their leaders. These are volunteers sharing and collaborating for the success of all and the brand. As mentioned, I’ve been in the CRE industry for four decades, had leadership roles in numerous national firms and consulted or trained in one form or another with most of our national competitors before I joined SVN. SVN’s culture surpasses anything in the industry–embrace it and be part of it.
3. What learning tools (book, blog, website, etc.) would you recommend to your colleagues to further their knowledge and enhance their careers?
I love Rod Santomassimo’s consulting enterprise. For $50 a month, you get access to everything they’ve ever created. They listen to and coach some of the most successful brokers in the country, and then they package up what they learn, which are really “best practices” and sell it to you for pennies. Coaching works, and if you don’t have it locally in your office from a senior advisor or an experienced manager, buy it from Santomassimo.
Mike Lipsey’s material is very strong as well. His video series is powerful, but like all training you have to implement it.
Some of the best and easiest books on the industry are: Brokers Who Dominate and Teams that Dominate, both by Rod Santomassimo, THRIVE by Blaine Strickland, Value Add- Successful Strategies for Listing & Selling Investment Real Estate, by Brad Umansky (ex-SVN by the way), and finally any of Terri Sjodin’s material from SalesSpeak to Mentoring, to her latest, Scrappy.
4. What inspired you to open an SVN franchise? Or, why did you join SVN?
I’ve been with SVNIC 15 years. I had a number of leadership roles at SVN International during our mid-term growth years of 2003-2008. In 2008, I moved back to Florida as an independent Regional Developer to build out the state. I have been inspired by the Kevin Maggiacomo’s leadership ever since SVN was based in Irvine, California.
5. List a fun fact to share about yourself – something that people may not know and that they may be surprised to find out.
I’ve been an aviator for forty years, and have owned over a dozen airplanes from single engine Piper Cubs to pressurized twins. My ratings and experiences include Seaplane, Sailplane Gliders and Aerobatics. In fact, for ten years my SVN Florida office overlooked runway 18. Many days I flew around the pattern in the afternoon for as a stress break. In May 1997, I spent a month at Mt. Everest basecamp and climbed the Khumbu Ice Fall, which is not something I ever want to do again (20,000 feet was plenty high for me as a Florida flatlander!).
Interested in joining SVN? Check out our career page for current opportunities.
