Rob Sanders and Brent Jackson, Washington D.C.’s award-winning real estate team share their passion and expertise in the DC real estate market.
The Rob and Brent Group was formed back in 2008 by Rob Sanders and Brent Jackson. After working as independent real estate agents for many years, Rob and Brent realized that their personalities, working style and shared passion blend well together and therefore, formed a team. Today, The Rob and Brent Group is an award-winning and well known real estate team in the DC real estate market and community where they have sold over $115 million per year. If you want to know more about the success story of The Rob and Brent Group, check out Rob Sanders and Brent Jackson’s interview with PropertySpark below!
When did you start your career in real estate?
2002 for Rob and 2006 for Brent.
Please also in 2 short lines brag about yourself, if you really had to impress someone about what you do, what would you say?
The Rob & Brent Group have an in-depth perspective on the market with an expert negotiating acumen. We specialize in historic, notable, and new construction properties throughout Washington, Maryland and Virginia. We have a strong dedicated team to serve clients around the clock and on all aspects of a real estate transaction.
What inspired you to start in real estate and how did you motivate yourself to keep going?
Rob & Brent are both passionate about real estate and how it shapes blocks, neighbourhoods, cities, and personal lives. It’s exciting to be part of a city that is going through a major change at the core of so many different neighbourhoods. We are goal driven. We set monthly, quarterly, and yearly goals that we review every two weeks. Keeping the goals ahead of us and tracking them regularly keeps us moving forward. Our group volume has grown every year for ten straight years.
Comparing your business from back then to now, what has been the main thing that allowed you to expand your business?
To start we don’t qualify the definition of success. We set goals and accomplish them every year. In order to accomplish our goals, we have been hiring the right people to work with us in dedicated positions. As an agent, we want to wear all hats of the business and we both did when we first started in the industry. Imagine a doctor checking-in their patients, the initial check-up and questions, the administering of shots and medicine, billing, dealing with insurances, etc. We leverage our staff and certain vendors for certain aspects of our business which allows us to have more face time with clients and prospects.
How do you work? (Do you wake up early, work late, communicate, what jobs do you do yourself, who do you talk to, etc.)
We have different work schedules which basically covers our clients around the clock but it’s the same routine every day. Brent gets up 4:30 am every day and gets to the gym by 5:30 am. 7:30-8:00 am is a breakfast meeting and at the office by 8:15 am. 8:15-11:30 am is emails, prospecting, phone calls, meetings and then a lunch meeting from 12-2pm. 2:00-6pm is out on the field and follow-ups. 6-8:30 pm is family time including dinner. 8:30-9pm catching up on emails and into bed by 9 pm.
Rob’s schedule is slightly different but fits perfectly with Brent’s. Rob is at the office at 10 am. 10-12 he mostly works in the office. 12-1pm lunch, 1-2pm usually involves previewing properties and private exclusive listings around the city. 2-6 meetings and buyer showings. 6-7pm he goes to the gym, 7-9 is dinner and family dinner, 10-midnight working from home and finishing up the day.
When did you realize you were successful/made it and how did you feel/celebrate?
We don’t feel like we have made it. That is up to others to decide. We keep setting our goals higher from previous years and keep moving forward achieving our personal and team goals. We can say we are successful in achieving our goals.
Looking back, what could you of done sooner to of got to that point quicker?
Hired our first assistant. In order to do more business, you have to leverage your time. We saw a 40% jump in our volume after the first full year of our first admin. Having an assistant allowed us to spend way more time on the field, working and meeting with clients and expanding our business.
What should other real estate entrepreneurs reading this be focusing on to expand their own business?
Hire an assistant yesterday. If you have one or two then get another one. That’s where we are now in our business, looking at bringing on another talented and dedicated staff person. Positions that are instrumental for us are a marketing, a contract to close, a runner, inside sales, show person for our listings, and buyer agents. You are the CEO of your own company and you need a staff to run your empire.
What do you consider the main differences between those people who have been successful in your industry and those who have failed?
We see people fail all the time in our industry and I think it’s for a variety of reasons. Our advice is simple, be persistent and consistent in everything that you do. We have a systematic approach to our business plan. Agents also need to find their niche which could be a building, block, neighbourhood, style of home, etc.
How has social media and online marketing affected your real estate business? How much more success have you had now after implementing social media and online marketing efforts?
The use of social media has positively impacted our business. At the beginning of our career, social media was not part of our marketing toolkit but it has now become an essential one. Our main social media platforms that we use are Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. These platforms have allowed us to touch more people, faster, and relatively inexpensively compared to other marketing avenues. The ability to create social media ads and target specific consumers based on location, age and interests have incredibly affected the way we market our properties. We are now able to reach specific buyers and sellers looking for specific properties, in a specific location through a simple social media ad.
We hope you’ve learnt a great deal about becoming a successful real estate agent. Make sure to reach out to Rob Sanders and Brent Jackson for a one of a kind experience in buying or selling real estate in the DC Metropolitan home market!
Check out Rob Sanders and Brent Jackson’s Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/RobandBrentGroup/
Check out Rob Sanders and Brent Jackson’s Instagram page here: https://www.instagram.com/washingtondcrealestate/
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