At the end of February, our office traveled to the West Coast to participate in the annual SVN National Conference in San Diego, California. Over a three day span, the eight of us took part in numerous seminars, networking events, and team building activities. In total, there were over 400 attendees from SVN who brought expertise and experience from all over the country.
As a new commercial agent with SVN, and someone who is just beginning their career at 22 years old, I cannot say enough good things about the conference. I met incredible people from places I have never seen and stayed in one of the most beautiful places in the country for a few days.
Coming from Pennsylvania, I tend to associate February with below-freezing temperatures and short, dark days. When I boarded my plane in Newark, New Jersey I was fighting through freezing rain and waves of sleet. I was dressed in jeans, a flannel long sleeve shirt, and a jacket and baseball cap. When I arrived in San Diego around 6:30pm I was sweating the moment I stepped outside. I can assure you that was the best feeling in the world.
After getting my bearings on the first day of the conference, I met with my fellow council members for various product types, learning so much from so many great CRE professionals.
Some of the highlights from the conference were the networking event held at Barra Barra in Old Town, COO Diane Danielson’s Industry Trends presentation, John McDermott’s 10 Things I’ve Learned from Brokerage, and finally the “Yes And…” improv activity held on Friday.
Upon returning from San Diego, those of us who attended sat down in our conference room and discussed three things we found most valuable from the conference. Here is my list and reason why:
- Create a system and stick to it every day.
There were countless industry veterans at the conference who swore by their daily system. They know exactly what they’re going to do every morning when they arrive and every evening before they leave. Without this system they wouldn’t be the top producers they are today. Everything you do must be done with intention. - Leverage the SVN network.
From the first event to the very last hour of the conference, I met so many people who were all too willing to help me as a new agent. Coming from a secondary market in suburban Pennsylvania, it was amazing to see how valuable the network truly is. I will always remember that help is just a phone call away. - Trust your system and be patient.
So now that you have developed a system for your daily rituals, you must now stick to the system! If you follow it for a few weeks and don’t see the results you want, you must continue to trust it and move forward. The results will come, it’s only a matter of time and consistency. Again, everything you do must be done with intention.I can honestly say I am already excited for next year’s conference! If you’re curious to see what else people are saying about the 2016 SVN Conference, check us out on LinkedIn and Twitter!