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Forbes Councils Gives Stephanie Arnett a High-Quality Network of Nationwide Experts

Building Brand Equity |

In Stephanie Arnett’s hometown of Starkville, Mississippi, there are just 15,000 full-time residents. But there are 300 realtors! The numbers are a bit jarring until you consider the presence of Mississippi State University, which accounts for more housing turnover than one might expect in such a small town. “We'll get professors and faculty who will stay here for about three or four years,” says Arnett, the founder of Mississippi Magnolia, a RE/MAX affiliate. “So as far as real estate goes, it is actually a very good place to be, because there's so much turnover every few years.”

Arnett has been in the real estate industry for more than 20 years. “I started out with a brokerage, worked there for a year, and realized it wasn’t the right culture fit,” she says. “So I went to a different brokerage and stayed there for seven years, and now I’m at my own place.” Real estate, she says, gives her the flexibility to “make the income I want while working the hours that fit me best.”

With so much competition in a relatively small market, Arnett works hard to differentiate herself by providing exceptional customer service. “We do a ton of marketing that other agents don’t do,” she says. For instance, she and her team, which consists of one other agent and two support staff, started doing professional photography and uses videos to market their properties. The also pioneered the use of twilight open houses. Because her area is rural and home to many farmers, Saturday and Sunday open houses simply didn’t work. Twilight open houses start at 6:00 p.m., just as it’s getting dark. “Everyone’s getting off work, so they’re able to come by,” she says.

As a member of Forbes Councils, Arnett says she values “being able to network with other agents across the country, see what works for them, what doesn't work, and to get ideas from them on how they handle issues, transactions, and team setups.”

To ensure that she was staying up to date on real estate trends, including new technology developments, Arnett signed on with Tom Ferry, a real estate coaching company. After being coached for four years, she then went through training to become a Tom Ferry real estate coach. Ferry, she says,  “does his best to keep us up on technology trends. So we learn about new apps that may be good for creating your own videos, editing, doing podcasts, doing different maps, and advertising. And so we'll take those, use them ourselves, and then teach clients about them.”

As a member of Forbes Councils, Arnett says she values “being able to network with other agents across the country, see what works for them, what doesn't work, and to get ideas from them on how they handle issues, transactions, and team setups.” Recently, she participated in an online forum discussion initiated by Los Angeles realtor Michael Polk, who asked fellow members for their best advice to share with other agents. “Everyone told their story and their one thing they would recommend a new agent and how it impacted their business,” says Arnett. “So just seeing different views and ideas that you may not have thought of is a great asset.” Information that comes from fellow council members carries weight, she says. “With the name Forbes Councils you're thinking prestige, you're thinking of quality information, accurate information, and educated opinions. It’s definitely a great asset to have, to be able to promote yourself.”


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