An Interview with Meryl Brown
Meryl Brown
Broker
United Real Estate
I had the pleasure of interviewing Meryl Brown. Ms. Brown has an interesting story seeing that she changed careers from being a school nurse to a Real Estate Broker. She was innovative enough to become one of the top Brokers for her company Locally and Nationally. This really inspires me and let’s me know that you can always achieve greater heights. Please enjoy reading this interview and let me know if you have any follow-up questions.
Tell me a little about yourself?
I am a native of New Jersey and moved to Ahoskie, North Carolina in 1991 from Florida. I am proud to call the Roanoke Chowan area home. I am a graduate of Duke University and am an avid supporter of the Blue Devils. I have two grown children, Meredith who lives in Rochester, New York and is pursuing a PhD and Tyler who lives and works in Richmond, Virginia. I am a member of the Ahoskie Garden Club and the Ahoskie Women’s Club, and currently serve on the Ahoskie Planning Board. I also served on the Ahoskie Beautification Commission, serving as chairman for three years. I have been working at Joe Murray Realty since 2005 and was the #4 listing agent in the nation for United Country and the #1 sales agent in North Carolina and South Carolina in 2013. I have learned that service and honesty keep my buyers and sellers confident in my ability to satisfy their real estate needs. I find it very rewarding to meet nice people from all parts of the country and assist them in the purchase or sale of their property.
How did you get involved with business?
I have been in real estate since 2006. I was interested in starting a new career (I am also a nurse) and Joe Murray asked me if I would come answer the at his office while the receptionist was out. I did that for about 6 months and then got my real estate license.
What motivated your decision to go into business for yourself?
I decided to go into business for myself to have some flexibility in my schedule. With both of my grown children out of state, I wanted to be able to make time to go see them. I don’t mind working long hours but I like the flexibility that self-employment allows.
What advice would you give to a person thinking about starting a start-up?
I would advise someone who is going into business for themselves to do their research and be very organized. The costs involved in doing this can surprise you and you still have to eat. Make lists and budgets. Set realistic goals.
What is innovation to you and how have you implemented this into your business?
Innovation in business is coming up with something that sets you apart from the competition. I try to come up with something that no one else in the area is doing. One example of this is riders for my signs with pictures on them. I purchased 25 of these and took a half day and rode around and put these riders on listings I had that were in highly visible locations. In the next few days, I had people telling me that I had so many listings that they couldn’t believe it. I had no more listings but because I had done something to make them more noticeable, it got new attention. I have done several things like this and often see those ideas getting copied by competition.
What has been your greatest Success/Failure?
I work a lot of hours and I work hard. I try to work smart too. I don’t want to work more hours but I would like to see my efforts produce more sales. One of the big keys to success in real estate is getting listings and I have tried to focus on this. Once you list a property, all the agents in town are trying to sell it. I hope to see my listings grow by continuing to do little things to set myself apart from the other agents.
One of my greatest successes is being in the top 5 listing agents for United Country nationwide for the last four years. There are 500+ offices across the county. I try not to think too much about failure.
What innovative tools have you used over the years to become such a great Realtor?
Some of the tools I have used include postcard mailing programs and data base searches. My goal is to treat my customers and clients the way I would want to be treated. If your customers and client knows you value their business and you treat them right, they will stick with you most of the time. I have gone up to people who have used multiple realtors, looked them in the eye and said “I want to be your real estate agent.” They come back to me time and time again. I don’t think this very innovative but in today’s world, valuing your clients and customers and treating them right may be rare and “innovative.”
