Once upon a time, at a middle school in southern California, two women would meet after recently moving to the area and enrolling their children. Administrator, Erin Parsons’ and Franchisee, Shawn Sorensen’s fledgling friendship was born out of a shared and strong passion for serving others, which they fed through several community volunteering opportunities together, developing a strong bond over time.
So, when misfortune fell upon Erin, and her husband suffered a severe and debilitating back injury that required repetitive surgeries, she knew who she could turn to for help when they were facing possible foreclosure on their home.
“I remember calling Shawn in a panic asking her advice on what to do,” Erin explained. “She calmly walked me through how to call the mortgage company and what to say. During that conversation she mentioned she needed someone to help clean her newly opened office and asked if I might consider it. In many ways, she created an opportunity that helped me make ends meet while preserving my dignity during a very hard time.”
Months later, the opportunity to help Shawn’s office administrator with some basic bookkeeping tasks presented itself, which Erin gladly accepted, and then one day the administrator announced she was moving across the country to pursue her dream of living on a farm.
“I’ll never forget the moment Shawn looked at me and said, ‘Would you consider becoming my administrator?’ to which I immediately said yes, and the rest, as they say, is history at EXIT Alliance Realty,” Erin recalled.
Erin knew what most do about administrative professionals: they often work quietly behind the scenes making sure everything runs smoothly, and so it can sometimes feel like that work goes unnoticed. But what she was about to find out, as her story was just beginning, is that EXIT Realty does things differently.
“When I first learned about the Administrative Bonus built into the EXIT Formula, I was honestly surprised. It was remarkable to me that a corporation would intentionally recognize and reward administrative professionals who technically don’t work directly for them,” Erin said. “I felt incredibly humbled when I received my first Administrative Bonus. I remember holding the check and feeling emotional because it represented something much bigger than the dollar amount. To know that the corporate leadership at EXIT cared enough to create a system that recognizes administrative professionals made me feel like a true part of the EXIT family.”
And for the past 12 years, she has been that and so much to Shawn, who truly appreciates the Administrative Bonus, because it recognizes people like Erin who she says has been an incredible asset to her brokerage’s success.
“She’s not only highly organized and dependable, but she also genuinely cares about the agents, my business, and the clients we serve. She keeps our office running smoothly behind the scenes and plays a huge role in creating the supportive, service-focused culture we strive for,” Shawn said. “I know that these annual checks have been a huge blessing in Erin’s life and that the program has been very meaningful to her. It reinforces that the work she does matters and that she’s part of the growth and success of our brokerage. Programs like this are one of the many reasons EXIT stands apart, because they recognize and reward the entire team, not just the agents.”
Erin has received just shy of $16,000 in bonuses to date enriching her life, at times helping to support her family or even allowing her to do things she may not have otherwise done for herself. The Administrative bonus has provided her with a deep sense of appreciation and is a big part of her happily ever after with EXIT.
