It’s a varied collection of insights
and ideas that keeps our agents better informed than the competition
and better able to help their clients
make the best buying and selling
decisions. We are very proud of our
new, online learning system, which
provides training modules filled with
succinct and relevant content. In addition, this online learning system
provides each Coach agent with unlimited access to our faculty of nationally recognized trainers. The bottom line is that our agents are the
most informed and the best qualified, and we plan to keep it that way.
BP: How are you retaining your
top-producing agents?
LP Finn: We understand that each
agent at Coach REALTORS® is our
business partner. They are the people who are out there representing
the Coach brand, and our duty is to
provide them with a workplace that
is supportive, fair, friendly and fun.
Also, while many agents outside our
firm pay handsomely for the technology and tools they use, we make
them available to our agents free of
charge. There are many agents who
have been with the company for 20
or 30 years because of these kinds
of commitments.
BP: How does your technology
evolve to meet the changing demands of agents and consumers?
Whitney Finn LaCosta: Technology
is constantly changing, but we’re
always looking to stay ahead of the
curve. We put great emphasis on
providing our agents with the best
available tools to help them excel at
their jobs, such as database management, personalized websites,
and the newest mobile applications. At the same time, we provide
our customers with comprehensive
digital and print marketing programs
that give them the assurance that
their properties are getting the best
domestic and international marketing exposure.
RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE
“I think it is our
company’s ability
to understand the
evolving marketplace
and stay ahead of the
curve that has brought
us to our position of
prominence.”
– Georgianna Finn,
President/General Manager,
Coach REALTORS®
BP: What about your marketing
and promotional strategies?
LP Finn: In the upper tier markets
we serve, it’s all about reaching the
greatest number of qualified buyers
and investors, which is the reason
we are affiliated with the industry’s
most prestigious luxury home networks. Every property we list receives a customized marketing plan
designed to bring it the attention it
deserves.
BP: In your opinion, what do to-
day’s agents need to focus on in
order to succeed?
Whitney Finn LaCosta: For one
thing, they need unwavering dedication to their careers. They need to
stay at the forefront of the information highway and be committed to
providing superior customer service.
But the most dedicated agents cannot succeed today without the best
tools of the trade at their fingertips.
They need a strong, successful brokerage that has the vision and the
funding to provide really meaningful
training, information and marketing
support. That has always been our
family’s vision.
BP: What are your plans for continuing to grow the company?
Robert LaCosta: We expect to grow
in two ways. The first is to grow vertically; that is, to increase the sales
teams in each branch office so that
we can continue increasing our marketshare. To that end, we actively
select and develop new and experienced agents—agents with a proven
track record of excellent people skills
and a sincere desire to learn and
grow as individuals. Secondly, we are
always open to acquisitions that will
increase our footprint in the Long Island marketplace. We’ve made four
such acquisitions over the past few
months, three independent boutique
brokerages and one larger organization that was leaving a franchise. We
do our due diligence, because it’s
important to us that the new people
coming into Coach are a good fit with
our clear objectives and compatible
company culture.
BP: Last but not least, how do you
envision the year ahead?
Robert LaCosta: The landscape of
the real estate industry is moving
at a fast pace, and I think that will
continue fo