Interview with
Ann Folan,
Top Sales Leader
Jim DeSena, salesleaders.com
Editor's Note; Ann Folan has been the number one agent at an agency with 70 salespeople for 8 years in a row. She sells 100 homes a year with $20,000,000 in production. Jim DeSena from salesleaders.com talked with Ann about her ideas on sales leadership.
sl: What do you do that
distinguishes you from other salespeople in your
industry?
AF: I have myself, an unusual work ethic. I come into work
every day, and I get right down to business. I do what I
have to, and I'm very focused in on my job.
sl: Being the top producer
in an office of over 70 agents for the last ten years, what
have you learned about success?
AF: I have learned that success doesn't come easy. Every day
is a struggle, but you got to keep at it. You got to fight
it, and you got to do what you have to do.
sl: What type of
struggle?
AF: I might come in to work in the morning, with a plan for
the day and then a buyer, in what I thought was going to be
a sale, might call to say he changed his mind. I don't let
it stop me. I just keep going.
sl: What is the toughest
sales situation you've ever run into? How did you handle
it?
AF: Nearly every sales situation is different, and each one
of them is tough. There's no such thing as a easy sale. The
most difficult is when you have a seller who's looking to
sell at top dollar. They're also looking to buy at the
cheapest price. All within a time frame.
sl: Do you see any decision
you made in your career as being especially helpful to your
success today and why?
AF: I invest a lot of money in marketing.
sl: Did you have any self
doubts on your first day in the field and how did you
overcome them?
AF: I was a little nervous [on] my very first day
when I came into real estate. I wasn't sure if this was what
I wanted. However, it was a matter of breaking the ice,
really, and then just getting down to business. I started
calling expired listings to get myself started.
sl: What common mistakes do new salespeople make, and do you have any rules that can help people avoid them? AF: I think a lot of new salespeople don't do what they're supposed to do. They're not focused. Sometimes they come in [to work] in the morning, have their coffee, go look at the board. They'll do anything and everything to pass the time, and they'll go home at night and say, "Gee, I worked hard today."
sl: Any advice for the
person who wants to be a sales leader?
AF: You just have to be yourself. Be ethical, honest and
stop complaining.
sl: You work long hours. How
do you keep your energy up?
AF: I get tired like everybody else, but I'm focused, not
complaining and not letting things distract me. Maybe one
day, I'm down, but the next day, I would be up again. It
still doesn't stop. The secret is to stay focused, stay
positive, and do what you want to do because the sky's the
limit.