We recently caught up with our good friend and longtime Portland home staging client William Gilliland of Windermere Realty Trust to learn about his process through listing in COVID-times. It's always great conversation with William. We knew he would offer some reassuring insight of translating people's needs during the pandemic, but we found ourselves discussing the deeper truth of building strong relationships and how they serve a time-tested bigger picture.

William grew up around real estate as his father was a commercial agent, but before following his father's footsteps, he actually began working in luxury car sales. That experience was great training for being a real estate agent. "A good car guy sells around 15 cars a month," he told us, and he was successfully doing that and then some! William recognized later on when making the career switch, that car sales entailed essentially fast transactions but that, for him, it related so much to real estate. That's because, with every account, he treated clients like he'd see them again and built a connection which catered well to referrals and creating loyal relationships.

In episode 4 of Behind the Yard Sign Justin M. Riordan and Kelly Hanahan of Spade and Archer interview Windermere’s William Gilliland about the power of relationships in real estate.

There were other things, too, relevant to car sales and real estate. In car sales, you often think of mainly working with buyers, when in fact, as William explained, it's much more varied than that. Similar to real estate where sellers are needing to sell their current home to buy a new one, a car sale often involves a trade-in where there are still concerns of updates, maintenance, and getting the best value. You have to take something that's used and make it shiny and new again for the next buyer. The two fields translate almost seamlessly.

When asked about his talent in networking and relationships William said, "I think it's a skillset and a gift. A lot of the time you have to figure out -- how do I talk to this person? You have to figure out who they are, how they are, and what they like. I've always been able to do that." How might you ask? He thanks his grandmother. "She taught me a whole bunch of things that I still use everyday. She always found something that she could talk to you about, even if she had no idea what it was, and I think a lot of times you have to just do that."

As we recognize all the challenges that we've had to face with Covid-19 and the level of alterations we've made in the way we operate and sell in real estate, William reflected briefly, pointing out that he was actually really busy through it all, and he has his relationships to thank for that. "I'm really lucky ...I think it's just because I've been really consistent in talking to my 368 person sphere and 1448 agent network that I regularly reach out to, and I've done that from the beginning."

William also truly understands the investment that his clients are making with these large property transactions. "It's their real money. If they're crazy enough to hire you, then you need to be respectful of the fact that... That is their real money, that's their budget... They deserve the same treatment, consideration and diligence that anybody does." For every ounce of care an agent might have over a property detail, you can bet that the client cares ten times over. We as professionals in this field, cannot overlook the concerns of the client, because the price is huge, and even more important -- it's emotional.”

William has no problem staying realistic when it comes to people liking you or not as an agent. "This is a really easy business to get your feelings hurt in ...you're not going to be everyone's cup of tea. It's why there are so many agents out there!" He noted that with all the little nuances and needs for each buyer or seller, every agent will help accomplish those goals differently, and he realizes that he's not always going to be that person. William noted that he doesn't trust anyone without the courage of their convictions which is so motivating in this world of many.

"We've had many downs and big ups in the last ten years, but it looks so easy right? It's really not, and you do have to have some skills in this business to do it well," William reiterated. He's not suggesting that you start off in car sales, of course. There are plenty of ways to learn and understand the power of relationships, so it's just a matter of how you look and listen beyond yourself to grow that skill and make it your own.

William and Spade and Archer’s most recent home staging partnership in Portland.

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