The "Fastest Hour" leaves you wanting more and here is why

Oh my goodness, where do I begin? I usually let all the information after every call sink in a little bit before diving into the call summary but in this case, I could not wait. There was so much to be said by so many women, that our monthly call went well over an hour and for a very good reason. So where did the inspiration in the title come from? Jan Gibbons, real estate advisor and tenant advocate for REATA Commercial Realty, Inc. in Plano, Texas. Gibbons took to Twitter right after the call and posted, "Fastest hour of my month."

It was a fast hour, indeed. The call extended for some of those that stayed another 15 minutes of our normally set time, which is one hour. So where did the time go? Let me start out by thanking Sarah Ledbetter, Account Executive with The CoStar Group in Atlanta, Georgia. She presented some great information about CoStar, reports that can help CRE women, and she also explained a little more about the differences between CoStar vs. LoopNet for those that are underutilizing the platforms. It was also great to hear that your account reps can also help with pulling reports, help planning a meeting, and you have free support with your account. For more information, you can contact via LinkedIn. Ledbetter stated, "Data is power." Yes Sarah, I agree. CoStar Regional Director, Michael Poole added, "This is my 3rd or 4th time on the call, and I am a better person every time on I am call." I really loved his statement after he outwardly thanked me in front of everyone (I was surprised at that), then he mentioned that he has learned a lot by listening to all the women too.

In every call, the women (and men) are the speakers. Though I lead the call and present discussion points, our guests are the ones that share insight and feedback to help one another. We heard some great information from Judi Butterworth, Senior advisor from Orion Investment Sales in Scottsdale, AZ. She has been working in the CRE industry for decades and shared how women were always seen as the "helpers" of the business, not people who would represent the business. In another statement during the call, Butterworth also said, "You have to look at ways to improve your skills" in regards to being a lifetime learner in the business. Times have changed and it is getting better, but truthfully, we need more men to be intentional about giving women more opportunities. Another seasoned advisor, Lynn Ritcher who always shares invaluable wisdom from the 4+ decades she has been in the business and how she had to speak up to be heard. "Women have brains," she said, which stirred up a little laughter and also made a good point that "there's no excuse of women not wanting to apply yourself." Which is definitely what happens when Berkshire Hathaway's, Georgia Properties National Advisory Chair, Dotene Stephens speaks up. I say she has "no filter" because she speaks exactly what is on her mind. "Either you love me or hate me," she said but Dotene is truly one of the most honest and supportive role models and mentors in the business. She also mentioned some of those golden nuggets in my book, One Yellow Brick about "Tweet, Tag, Your It" that covers social media; how to use it, how to engage with people, and how to grab people's attention.

If you are a women in commercial real estate, service provider, or decision-maker that help create change, then I encourage you to please join our next call. Our vision is about connecting more women in the business so we can get to know one another, support each other, inspire, motivate, elevate and celebrate our wins together. Which is how I start every call; sharing our wins and letting others share their awesome industry news too. Like Denine Attride, Associate Broker from BHHS Georgia Properties who just recently closed on a $1.3M deal, which got a round of applause as you could see everyone clapping for her. Our #womenincre platform provides a safe place to feel welcomed, to be heard, and provides an opportunity to get your name out there by having the ability to post freely on our Facebook group. With almost 600 members, we are not just building a recognizable brand and network, we are building genuine and heartfelt relationships with each other around the country.

Case in point, Christina Brooks from CORE Properties, BHHS company in Gainesville, GA. has been attending the BHHS annual conference in Kentucky with Joey Abercrombie. It was so awesome to see her sharing photos of her with Janet Moore, from Towne Realty out of Williamsburg, Virginia. Brooks stated, " .........." And it is no surprise that Janet Moore has also been seen in photos with another one of our #womenincre members, Carol Schillne, Vice President at Orion Investment Sales last December at the ICSC event.

Here are a few key words that came up during the call.

CARE

NAI Vista's, Information Strategist Frankie Hermosillo also went to LinkedIn following the call and posted her biggest takeaway was by Amanda Godsey, who said, "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." That is truly a powerful statement because there are tens of thousands of people in commercial real estate, but the ones clients are looking to work with are the people that show compassion; people who care about them and their investments. Again, relationships matter! No matter how well educated and diverse you are in this business, it always come down to the human connection. Always!

COLLABORATION

I brought up in the beginning of the call to celebrate all those Women OF Commercial Real Estate that were named to the honoree list, by OTSO, a top rated insurance for Commercial Real Estate Leasing designed for tenants. Co-Founder, Marissa Limsiaco and partners have created this list of women CEO's, founders and top executives and I mentioned that I was named to this years 2022 list, with 24 other women across the country. The point I wanted to make in our call and in general, is that collaboration is an intentional effort to uplift and empower the people in your circles. If you are a wonderful person and truly care about others, then I believe everyone means it 100% in their heart when they are in a crowded room discussing how we can support each other. However, it also has to be 100% in mind to make it a priority to support those same people. Not in the room together, but when they have no idea you are doing it. So here are some ways to collaborate:

• Write an industry-related blog, then ask a few women to contribute to that blog. Send them a couple of questions to answer and then include them in your post so every one of you can share your blog and contributions to each other's network. Simultaneously, you are all helping each other.
• Create an event - while that sounds BIG, it does not have to be. Find the people on our interactive map, and get to know them in your area. Bringing 3 or 4 women together for coffee, lunch or happy hour to bounce ideas off each other can positively impact each other. You just never know what the future holds until you start with the present.
• Special Podcast - Not everyone is camera-comfortable, but if you have Zoom, then it is much easier to record a special podcast series from your own environment. Choose 3 other women in our #network, from our Facebook group, and talk about a specific topic that you are all privy too. For example, you all do tenant representation. Create the discussion to help people who are watching. What advice could you all talk about that would help them? It does not even have to be a full hour. (but trust me, it goes fast) Or for those in brokerage marketing roles, get your colleagues together and empower each other. Share with people what you do 'Behind The Scenes' to empower all the advisors. Believe me, you will have people watching.

OPPORTUNUNITY

I brought up the song by artist, Eminem's 'Lose Yourself' lyrics:

If you had one shot, or one opportunity, to seize everything you ever wanted, in one moment, would you capture it...... Or just let it slip?

• Opportunity is not always what people can do for you, but how you position yourself to create your own opportunity. And though, our mission is to spread awareness for people to empower the women in commercial real estate, I also hold women accountable too. Empower Yourself - You have the power and will to make this happen but you just want to want it bad enough for you to take those initiatives. Pick up the phone, introduce yourself, share the value you can offer, provide them with credentials, and empower yourself to have a voice! Speak Up!

I will leave the summary on that note because these are strong words to live by. Remember, you have already done the work. It is time for you to be recognized for it. So let's be intentional about supporting each other on social media, engaging with our members, posting to our Facebook group (click here to join), creating opportunities to work on collaborative projects together and most of all, build new relationships!

We are strong - We are talented - We are Amazing - We are the #womenincre (Get your shirts & merch to promote yourself here)

Thank you to everyone who attended and thank you to The CoStar Group for presenting. - Be empowered, Melissa

If you are interested in becoming a call sponsors, please visit our website: www.womenincre.com by Founder, Melissa Swader Ruby Red Media