Team Building: Finding Success In Numbers - Matt Garrison Group

The Matt Garrison Group
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage
Team Building:
Finding Success In Numbers
by Debbie L. Sklar & Penelope Biver
More and more Realtors these days are “teaming up”—and finding success in numbers. Building a team of
agents within a brokerage is a growing trend through which some top-producing agents are increasing
their business. Whether it’s a pair with an assistant or a group of 20, working with a team provides many
benefits—for both team leaders and team members.
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FRONT ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT)
Doug Altschul, Matt Duhig, Jamie Stanfa,
Eric Plotkin, Luke Fonash, Brad Court,
Adam Simon
MIDDLE ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT)
Lance Wyatt, Paul Stolzer, Matt Garrison,
Suzie Wolkoff, Tom Bakrites
BACK ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT)
Tony Lio, Mike King, Jason Jarchow,
Bob Kohler, Adam Walsh, Brent Hall,
Mark Urkovich, Dave Sheble, Gary Siegel
FRONT ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT)
Amber Christiansen, Michael Sato,
Christine Sato, Stephanie Biederman,
Lindsey Small
BACK ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT)
Melissa Stasio, John Ketner, Robert Munds,
Amy Kisielica, Greg Vollan
NOT SHOWN: Adam Savick, Rye Thompson
Matt Garrison, managing director of the Matt
Garrison Group, part of Coldwell Banker Residential
Brokerage in Chicago, embraced the team-building
concept three years ago. “I realized early on that there is
only a finite amount that a single agent can accomplish
in this business, and I needed to create economies of
scale,” he said. “I knew that to continue growing [my
business], I would have to find a way to keep giving clients
the attention to detail and follow-up they require.”
Looking at the competitive landscape, Garrison
asked, “How do I differentiate myself? How do I rise to
the top of this market, and do it quickly?” His answer
was to create a system that emphasizes the traits that
make individual agents successful and apply them to a
group dynamic. So in 2002, he decided to seek likeminded
individuals and build the Matt Garrison
Group. In 2004 his team reached $59 million in sales
with 12 agents, and Garrison expects to finish out 2005
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at $130 million. Today, his group includes 21 licensed
agents and three back-office support staff, and he’s in
the process of splitting his team up into five sub-groups
to accommodate even more expansion. “We believe
that we can generate up to $1 billion in annual volume
with 50 to 100 agents,” he added.
“We believe that we can generate
up to $1 billion in annual volume
with 50 to 100 agents.”
- Matt Garrison, Managing Director, The Matt Garrison Group
Richard Brzezinski of Baird & Warner in Naperville
felt that with 20 years of experience in the business, he
and his wife could mentor agents who are in the beginning
stages of their careers. He began building his team
five years ago, and currently has four full-service agents
Team Sato
Koenig & Strey GMAC
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working for him. Like Garrison, he also has plans to
continue augmenting his business this way.
“[We] wanted to offer unparalleled service to a
growing sphere of influence, which meant being available
seven days a week at all hours and having little
free time to enjoy our families,” said Michael Sato of
Koenig & Strey GMAC, who, with partner Robert
Munds, has an 11-agent team that started four years
ago. “Growing our team has allowed us to sharpen
our expertise in the many neighborhoods and sub-
Montes/Fowler Team
Prudential Preferred Properties
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markets of Chicago, creating innovative marketing,
and giving our clients—especially developers—maximum
exposure and service for their projects,” he said.
Sharon Fowler of Prudential Preferred Properties in
Libertyville started a team in an effort to handle larger
amounts of business without compromising service
standards. She and partner Matina Montes are independent
agents working as a joint S-Corporation; their
18-month-old team consists of themselves and a soonto-be-licensed
assistant.
Leading a successful team has also been rewarding
for Esther Zamudio, a multi-million-dollar sales associate
with RE/MAX Horizon in Elgin who has been
leading seven licensed agents since 1995. “I like the
team approach, because while broadening your customer
base, as a team leader you can also be in more
than one place at a time,” she said. “However, as a
team leader, you also need to make sure you are being
well-represented by your team, taking responsibility
for everything they say and do.”
To Team Up Or Not To Team Up
In an industry traditionally made up of individual entrepreneurs,
one may wonder why an agent would want to
become part of a team, where there may be less autonomy.
Most team members cite the camaraderie and
input of fellow team members as a primary advantage.
Brent Hall, director of the Matt Garrison Group for
three years, said he has been given the opportunity to
become involved in many facets of real estate that he may
not have had otherwise this early in his career. “You will
learn as much vicariously through other agents as you do
on you own during the first year, probably more,” he said.
“New agents on our team are involved with everything
from building their own resale business to assisting with
$100-million-dollar developments.”
“If I have a scheduling crisis
and can’t be in two places at
once, my teammates will
be there for me.”
-Greg Vollan, Team Sato
Sato said as his team grows, so does his sales
volume, and he owes it to his “quality over quantity”
team philosophy. “Our sales abilities, experience,
market knowledge and diverse approaches give us
ultimate versatility to exceed our client’s many different
expectations,” he said.
Greg Vollan, a Sato team member, said he has found
many benefits to being on a team, including the ability
to bounce ideas off fellow team members. “Also, if I
have a scheduling crisis and can’t be in two places at
once, my teammates will be there for me.”
Zamudio concurred with the advantage to being
able to “be in two places at the same time” when
working as a team, as well as having a broader customer
base from which to draw. “Leads are handed
to you rather than you looking for them,” she said.
In addition to the sharing of ideas, Fowler said
members of a team have a competitive edge on marketing
and client development/market share, as well
as the potential for increased production and income,
and flexibility of lifestyle and schedules.
Matina Montes,
Kim Delforte,
Sharon Fowler

FRONT ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT)
Brenda Puga, Esther Zamudio,
Araceli Castillo, Maribel Sanchez
BACK ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT)
Saul Martinez, Dave Jakubauskas,
Bonifacio Mondragon,
Juan Carlos Dominguez
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“The opportunity to be part of something great
attracts people to our group and keeps them a part of
it,” Hall said. “The friendships we develop keep us
grounded and remind us that we’re supposed to be
having fun.”
These team leaders warn, however, that while they
may offer members an endless source of experience
and success to draw from, being part of a team might
not work for some (regardless of the business they’re
in). Fowler said being part of a team sometimes means
an increased workload, and that can be difficult for
some to manage. “[Team leaders] run the risk that
after you have invested the time and money in train-
Esther Zamudio Team
RE/MAX Horizon Elgin
ing an agent they may branch off on their own after
the initial agreement expires,” she said.
Zamudio’s team members don’t get to advertise on
their own, which may be a deterrent to some.
“The only disadvantage might be a budding superstar
that needs individual recognition and the ability to
negotiate the best commission splits,” Brzezinski said.
The Numbers
Brokerages seem to be embracing the team-building
trend as it catches on, and why wouldn’t they? More
bodies mean more sales under their moniker.
Commissions within a team for the most part are
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Naperville Real Estate Team
Baird & Warner
Rich Brzezinski,
Alison Brezezinski
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treated the same way a brokerage treats them; agents
have an agreed-upon split with the team leader. In
Matt Garrison’s group, members’ commissions are
based on the volume they close in a given year, as well
as whether the business they closed was generated
individually or by Garrison. “The more volume, the
higher the split,” he said. “I’ve been told by my agents
that have worked other places that our system is more
than fair. My main goal is to keep my agents incented
and competitive in the marketplace.”
Fowler and Matinas, however, split their combined
commissions 50/50 and pay their assistant an hourly wage.
Are You Team-Worthy?
Choosing the right team members depends on the priorities
of the leader and best interest of the team as a
whole. For example, Brzezinski selectively adds new
members who might benefit from being under the
team umbrella to take their career to the next level. “It
is important that they have a high energy level, a
desire for success, a personality that will mesh, and [be
able to] add a new dimension to the team,” he said.
“New agents on our team
are involved with everything
from building their own
resale business to assisting
with $100-million-dollar
developments.”
-Brent Hall, Director, The Matt Garrison Group
“We need self-starters who can learn quickly and
are willing to work in a charged environment, 60 to
70 hours a week,” Garrison said of those who are
worthy of joining his team. “We need agents that can
handle opportunities quickly, because when business
is good like it is now, we do ‘battlefield promotions.’”
For Fowler, team members need to be ready to
pitch in whenever the need arises; they must also have
a positive attitude and have integrity in their work
ethic; while Zamudio looks for people who love what
they do, are energetic and enthusiastic.
If you’ve got business coming out of your ears and
see yourself performing well in a leadership role, maybe
team building is in your cards. Likewise, if you’re an
agent who finds security in numbers or a rookie looking
for added support and mentoring, perhaps you’d thrive
within a team rather than going it alone. “If [the team]
is a good one,” Garrison said, “what you lose in individuality
you gain in the growth—of your own business
and in realizing your full potential.” c.a.