The recession did a number on Assist 2 Sell, like it did on a lot of real estate companies. In its heyday, the business supported about two dozen agents at its office on Brainerd Road. Today, it’s down to four. But like a fighter that’s been knocked down but not out, the company is standing to its feet, shaking off the blows, and preparing to take advantage of the reviving health of the real estate industry.
Local Assist 2 Sell owner Randy Finnell drew up a simple plan for bringing his company back to life. After he and co-owner Mitch Everhart parted ways at the beginning of this year, he looked for a broker who knew the real estate business, would work hard, and believed in the Assist 2 Sell model.
He picked up the phone and called Carla Simpson. “She’d worked with us before, so she knew what we did and how we did it. Plus, her philosophies about real estate are a good fit with mine,” Finnell says.
Simpson, who had worked as an Assist 2 Sell agent from 2005 to 2009, wasn’t expecting the call. But she was open to the idea.
“There’s a reason behind every opportunity. Call it kismet, call it serendipity, call it whatever you want. But when that happens, you need to take advantage of it. I don’t want to look back and say, ‘I wish I would have done that,’” she says.
Before saying yes, Simpson, who was operating out of a small boutique, gave Finnell a list of what she’d want if she accepted his offer. To her surprise, he signed off on the whole thing.
Surface changes are evident. Fresh coats of paint cover every wall, new furniture occupies each room, and a newly hired office assistant occupies a desk near the front door. But more than that, Simpson says a renewed optimism is in the air. “People are calling us, we’re going on listing appointments, and sellers are starting to show an interest in Assist 2 Sell again. That’s a great feeling,” she says.
Finnell says he made the right choice when calling Simpson. “She’s been the breath of fresh air we needed. We survived the tough years, and with her help, things are only going to get better.”
Both Finnell and Simpson are with Assist 2 Sell because they “believe in the Assist 2 Sell Model,” which employs set fees typically lower than a seller would pay elsewhere, allowing a homeowner to retain more of the money from the sale of his or her property. Simpson explains:
“More and more sellers are wanting to keep as much of their equity as possible. And we’re able to do that while operating as a full service company. We subscribe to Centralized Showing, we use Supra lock box keys, and we handle all of the paperwork. We also belong to the local, state, and national Realtor associations, which means we follow all of their procedures. Despite our lower commission, there’s no difference in terms of how we handle a client’s listing.”
Finnell says the lower commission rate is behind the uptick in phone calls recently. But Simpson wants even more calls coming in, so she’s looking at new ways of marketing the Assist 2 Sell product.
“Our promotions have slipped in recent years. And now it’s a whole new world. Snail mail isn’t as effective as it used to be. And people aren’t picking up magazines as quickly as they’re going to the Internet. So I’m looking for new ways to let people know we’re here,” she says.
Although Finnell and Simpson are looking to radically increase sales, they’ll be taking a conservative approach to growing the size of Assist 2 Sell. Instead of immediately bringing on several Realtors, they are planning to add agents only once the level of their sales warrants doing so. This time, Finnell explains:
“We don’t want to be in the agent business; we want the agents who are here to be making money. So, as our business grows, we’ll grow our sales force. Until then, we’re not going to have 50 agents fighting over a listing call.”
With Simpson installed as broker, the phones ringing, and fresh paint on the walls, Finnell is pleased. But he has one more component to his revitalization plan to put in place: He wants everyone to have fun. “Mitch was the broker when he was here, and he had his way of doing things. But I want to tweak the atmosphere around here, and part of that will be making Assist 2 Sell a fun place to work,” he says.
Simpson is on the same page: “We’re a great company. And we’re ready to rock and roll.”