Introduction:
Move to the Perfect Calgary Home with Ben Sweet, Justin Becker & Associates
The "Don't Stop. Can't Stop." Key to Success;
Q & A With Ben Sweet, Team Lead at Ben Sweet, Justin Becker and Associates
...failure, when used correctly, often becomes the impetus for change. That change is required to reach the goal.
Q & A With Ben Sweet, Team Lead at Ben Sweet, Justin Becker and Associates
What services does your team offer?
We help people buy and sell real estate in Calgary and surrounding area.
How did you come up with the idea to start Ben Sweet, Justin Becker and Associates, and what purpose did you intend to serve with the concept?
This team is my baby. I came up with the idea many years ago to create an organization that would truly help people with stress-free real estate assistance and top-notch guidance. Whether it's helping our clients get into the best home for their needs, aiding and sourcing the best investment real estate for their portfolio, or ensuring they get 100% top dollar for their home, we have committed to doing it better and more effectively than other agents in the business. The focus was to be stand-out agents and I feel we have certainly achieved that.
Which milestones have marked meeting benchmarks towards the fulfillment of your personal goals/ the company's vision and goals?
Honestly, this is a bit of a tough one, because we keep moving our targets - often, before we get to them. However, we have won many awards for sales and service, and we just keep doing our best to add one success on top of another. When I was younger, I could not ever seem to be able to stack a success onto another one, and things just kept falling apart or failing. So, I only had intermittent successes, and never strings or stacks of them. Stacking successes on top of each other is what truly has made a massive difference in the long run for us.
Which steps have you taken for the company to achieve the level of consumer trust that has been nationally recognized?
This is such great question. For a very long time, we have always asked for feedback. If things go well, we ask for feedback; if things go bad, we ask for feedback. Over time, this feedback - especially the less than ideal feedback - became the points for improvement. So, we focused on our weak spots, as this is where people were unhappy. Over time, we just got better and better and had happier and happier clients. Now, it is extremely rare that we have unhappy clients. But, if something happens, we still ask for feedback.
What part of your education or other experiences do you feel was the most helpful in preparing you for success?
I am firm in believing that everything is always conspiring to help us, so anything and everything is some sort of aid in getting us to where we want to go. It is easy to say that a failure prevented us from getting to our goals faster, but the truth is that failure, when used correctly, often becomes the impetus for change. That change is required to reach the goal. Without that change, the goal wouldn't have been possible. So, everything is always working towards helping us all get to where we want to go. There is no one thing in my mind.
Which strategies have you found the most effective in growing your audience/ bringing awareness of your service to a larger consumer group?
I find it is a bit of everything; taking a multi-pronged approach to getting our message out is the only way to truly reach a large and broad audience. I know some people that only use one media platform/ channel for getting their message out there, and they are good at that, but I also believe that one is the worst number in business. So, to be stable and make it through tough times, you are better to have a multi-channel approach to business. This has served us very well. I do find, though, that it is important to keep expanding into other channels, and to also achieve success in one channel before going and building out another one.
Which partnerships, if any, have been the most constructive in bringing your goals closer to becoming a reality?
Well, first off, these would be those with all my team members; these one-to-one partnerships are critical to our stability and success. Without them we have nothing. Then there are our customers / clients, and this is very much the same. We have business to do with them, so we see our clients as our partners, also. Also important are the online platforms that we partner with to help get our message out. Those are true success multipliers that help us to scale up and reach more people to serve.
Are there any challenges that made it difficult to continue operation and that you managed to overcome? What was your approach to get past these?
Yes, definitely. A number of years ago, I had crippling anxiety - like the kind where leaving the house required tremendous effort and preparation. I had some general anxiety, then panic attacks, and then it blew up into agoraphobia. It was terrible and very debilitating. I figured out how to get over it all, but that was a time that I didn't know if I would ever make it through. My approach was to consistently look within to find out what my big struggle was in that moment, and then come to terms with the issue and then move on. This took years, but it worked well, and it was also one of those things that helped me to get where I am now. The tools I developed during that time were applicable for everyday business challenges, as well.
How do you balance work, passions/hobbies, and relationships?
Honestly, I am not very good at this, and I struggle a lot with this concept. I just keep trying to unplug and relax. However, sometimes, I get so passionate about a project or idea that it takes me over and other things suffer a bit for the time that I am hyper-focused.
What are your future plans to build on your personal/ company achievements and fulfill your vision for success/ what developments can your audience or clientele look forward to expecting next?
Well, we are at a very important juncture right now, where the question is: do we expand or do we focus on doing more with what we have in hand? The expansion, so far, has been fully organic, and roughly 90% of our team have come to us vs us recruiting. We don't really recruit. People just find us and we chat about if it is a good fit and go from there. From a marketing perspective, we are really excited about building out a YouTube library of super helpful videos for our audience.
What advice would you like to give readers that hope to achieve success in your field?
Don't stop. Can't stop. LOL. But seriously, in real estate - especially in your first few years - you really need to stay moving; you have to create a perpetual motion machine by doing all the right things to launch your career. Be intelligent about what things you go after, and do some research before you jump in with both feet. But when you do jump in, stay in and keep showing up.
Is there anything else you would like to share with Winner Magazine readers?
We are truly the best choice for all your real estate requirements. We will treat you like family, and you will know this when you meet us.
We thank Ben for sharing these insights and experiences with Winner Magazine's readers. If you are looking for Real Estate in the Calgary Area, we would recommend reaching out to Ben and his team at Ben Sweet, Justin Becker and Associates!
