Welcome to Agent Inner Circle’s Agent Spotlight! This is where we feature agents with innovative, savvy and progressive ideas that you can take and apply into your own business right away!

As part of our mission, we’re committed to infusing Agent Inner Circle with real-world strategies that are truly effective for managing and growing your business. We’re so fortunate to have a huge community of creative professionals to draw from, where members can inspire, educate and challenge one another to overcome the obstacles we face in the real estate industry each and every day.

Our Featured Agent

Last week, I had the pleasure of interviewing Keith Furrow, a long time friend and broker from Pensacola and Gulf Breeze, Florida who’s built his business on the principle of serving others. Keith, as always, was fantastic to speak with, full of positive energy and a bright outlook on the future of his market.

What really stood out to me about Keith was the fact that he’s been in the business for 37 years, weathering a variety of market conditions, and is still going strong today. I wanted to share his most valuable strategy for riding out a storm like the one we’re in – the strategy he’s used to get 5 new listings this month alone!

Let me just say that Keith is a powerhouse agent. Fun fact: he sold his first home the 4th day on the job, and 4 homes in the first month! Keith recalls being so young in his early days that he had to grow a beard so folks would take him more seriously. Keith now averages more than 100 homes a year (some years he’s even sold between 300 and 500 homes!!), without the beard!

I asked Keith how he felt about the current real estate market, with the looming effects of COVID-19 on the economy, and he replied, “I feel great – here’s the thing, I’m a straight up guy. This kind of market tends to show the weak ends of the spectrum, and what it all comes down to are the relationships you’ve built, day in day out, over time. We’ve got 5 new listings… albeit harder to get, I’ve also lost listings though, and had deals fall through but I’ll be fine. I just did a video update and we’re up 3% overall, and sales are up 1%.”

What The Best Do

It seems like we hear about prioritizing relationships all the time, from the top players in real estate and almost every other industry, but it’s a lot easier said than done. Luckily, Keith shared his outlook on how to build lasting relationships, and even discussed a very specific strategy he uses in times like this.

Real Estate isn’t about building relationships with absolutely everyone. It’s about building strong relationships with a community of people who match your set of values, because those are the people that you can truly help. 

As Keith says, “building relationships is easy when you put honesty and values first.” An interesting conversation ensued, but I’ll spare you all the details and jump right to the cliff notes.

The REAL Change

Keith wakes up every day and asks himself 2 questions:

1. How can I help?
2. Who can I help?

While these questions might seem simple, they reveal the root of how Keith has been able to adapt and diversify his business for nearly 4 decades – and do more than 100 transactions every single year along the way!

By asking yourself “How can I help?”, you identify which unique values, skills and contributions you can make to the world. This further reveals a list of things that you’re passionate about helping with, and have the skills to do so.

Then, ask yourself, in relation to those specific skills, “Who can I help?”. This combination of “How” and “Who” gives you the set of people you can help the most, which also happens to be your best audience for finding those ready, willing and able to do business with you.  

The best part is that these 2 questions allow you to adapt your business to every market. As the World changes and you learn new things, and your sphere of influence grows, your “How” and “Who” might change too… but doing this exercise is the best way to stay in line with what you can provide your community when you have no control over circumstances.

Keith said that he’s already doing virtual tours and videos, so right now he’s focused on trying to reach people. Recently, he implemented 2 referral tools into his business: The Faces Of community-based website, and Service For Life! monthly lifestyle newsletter, which have been very successful – already he’s had multiple people reach out, and even a sale! 

A Message from Keith

If you’re struggling right now, Keith says you need to do one of two things: change your behavior, or change your goal. Real estate is simple, but it’s not easy. You can’t control the market, so adapt to what’s possible and grow from there.

The stuff Keith talks about is not going to bring overnight success, but it’s part of his business model no matter which type of market he’s working in. According to Keith, it all comes down to basics – ask questions, tell the truth, actually care and you’ll build those relationships.

Keith’s message to agents working in the industry right now is this: it’s difficult in these times, but you have to understand it’s not a sprint it’s a marathon. Stay in the moment, keep your heart open, and realize there are opportunities that will come forward.