EXIT Realty Corp. International is pleased to announce that EXIT Coastal Real Estate Pros is celebrating over half a decade serving their Myrtle Beach community, led by franchisees MaryAnne Dorio and Carol Kelly.
In 2013, MaryAnne and Carol purchased the long-standing EXIT Grand Strand Properties. While this was Carol’s introduction to EXIT Realty, MaryAnne previously worked at the brokerage from 2003 to 2009. She became their number two agent within the two years she worked as a sales representative, after which she was promoted to director of agent development, general manager, and finally broker-in-charge. This experience was instrumental in developing her as an effective leader.
“Our office is lean and mean,” says MaryAnne. “Compared to other brokerages in our MLS, we have fewer days on the market and a higher list-to-sell ratio. And with just 20 or so agents, we closed in the top 8% in 2019. I’m so proud of our team and all that we’ve been able to accomplish.”
A lot of that success is owed to the comprehensive training routine that MaryAnne and Carol have developed. “We do trainings two to three days per week,” says MaryAnne. The content includes relationship training, contracts, listing presentations, geographic and neighborhood farming, and material from the local real estate school where MaryAnne is an instructor. That’s in addition to Live/Interact Training with EXIT Realty’s Kevin Ahearn and Key Yessaad. “It’s through all this training that our agents can confidently offer their clients a bigger market, a better market, and greater know how,” says MaryAnne. “And as Steve Morris says, ‘Good agents are born, great agents are trained.’”
But it’s not just training that differentiates their office. MaryAnne and Carol have developed an office culture that’s more like a community than a group of colleagues. “We’re always looking for ways to get everyone together with their families,” says MaryAnne. They routinely plan outings for everyone to bond outside of the office, whether it’s picnics, bowling, escape rooms, or just recently, axe throwing. “We really think it’s important for the whole family to buy in, not just the agent,” says MaryAnne.
That sense of community is evident in the way the agents interact. “Our top-producing agent went through a rough patch when her dad became very sick,” says MaryAnne. “But everyone in the office pitched in to help with her workload so she could spend time with him. It was incredible.”
MaryAnne offers two pieces of advice to other brokers and owners. First, anticipate the challenges that come with growing a business. “The systems that work for 10 people won’t always work with 20 and onwards. You have to be adaptive and experimental in your methods,” says MaryAnne. Second, get comfortable mediating conflict. “You’ll inevitably have issues between agents, but negativity spreads like wildfire. When you sense conflict brewing, it’s on you as the leader to listen, mediate, and resolve the situation. The worst thing you can do is let negative energy fester in your office.”
Looking to the future, MaryAnne and Carol are excited for what the 2020s have in store for their business. “I was thrilled at the opportunity to buy the franchise and come back home to EXIT Realty. I absolutely love it here. Watch for us, one day we’ll be number one in our marketplace.”
