#Bethesherpa: Greg Gorman gives tough love in paradise

Adwerx CEO Jed Carlson put a client’s toughest question to real estate agents: “Why do I need you?” His answer was that agents are like Sherpas: they reduce the risk of the transaction, they help carry the load and they comfort the client along the way. With this mindset, no amount of technology or automation can ever disrupt the role of a real estate agent. “Be the Sherpa,” he said.

We asked leading real estates to share a particular moment when they got to #BeTheSherpa. Read more of them here.

Real estate agent Greg Gorman from Team Paradise/John R Wood Properties in Naples, Florida walked into his client’s condo and stopped cold. They’d told him they had just painted. They’d told him they loved it. They’d told him it was reminiscent of Key West and that it was beautiful.

It wasn’t.

High shine paint was everywhere, including the ceiling. Glare from the sunny beach bounced off every surface and blinded everyone in the room. The furniture placement along walls created a tunnel.

Greg took a deep breath and asked his client to sit down with him. Fortunately, Greg had been an interior designer and brought years of experience to the table. But he knew he had to walk that fine line between honesty and sensitivity. There was hand-holding but there was also truth-telling.

The paint had to go.

“You don’t want to insult or injure,” Greg said. “But we’re paid to be honest and be professional. You have to step up and do that and that separates you from the rest of the world.”

Asking his clients for an $8000 budget, Greg oversaw the repainting, reupholstering, and rearranging of the condo. He kept the Key West feel, but took it down a notch. “We took a property that came to us valued about $450K. With the redesign, we listed for $595K and sold for $585K.”

Greg is grateful for his interior design background and how it can serve his clients. “It’s usually called staging, but call it being prepared for the market. We have to have that relationship with our clients. I make sure up front that we say, this is part of our marketing package. It will photograph better and sell faster.”

Digital ads from Adwerx are also part of his marketing package. Team Paradise runs digital ads for all their listings. They also run ads to their sphere of influence and ads to their zip code, with retargeting.

The ads are constantly refreshed, focusing on different agents or different aspects of life in and around Naples, Florida.

“The thing that makes Adwerx effective is that the ads follow people around from device to device and on different sites.”

The seller reports are the most effective aspect of the Adwerx listing ads for Team Paradise. “When people list their home, they want to see action and activity,” Greg said. “Getting the property promoted is up to us. We have to support what we tell them what we do.”

The data from the listings ads help demonstrate Greg’s commitment to his clients. They call it “pro-active marketing” because they really do it. They are proactive, promotional and professional.

“Talent gets you noticed,” Greg said. “Results get you hired.”

Greg has been a resident of South Florida since 1984 and moved to Naples in 1992. Prior to real estate, Greg spent 10 years in the insurance industry as an underwriter. He has also owned his own interior decorating business. Greg has been fortunate to present technology, skills, scripts and real estate systems to thousands of agents across North America and Europe.

Outside of real estate, Greg served as a Director on the Board of the United Arts Council of Collier County; member of the Music Committee and choir with his church; enjoys golfing, running, biking, roller-blading, bowling, tennis, travel, and scuba diving. Greg loves living, working and playing in Naples… Paradise, of course, and voted “The Happiest Place To Live in the USA” for the second year in a row!