Hawaii Life Worthshop #2 at The Modern Honolulu – A Look Back

On August 30th, agents from all around the state gathered at The Modern Honolulu for the second installment of Hawaii Life’s Worthshop Series, a learning event for brokers and agents in Hawaii with a focus on the luxury market. The event went from 9am to 5pm and saw a handful of valuable guest speakers sharing their experiences with the world of the affluent.

Roni Marley delivering her message in front of her peers, and a photo of her Valley House Estate listing

Worthshop Presentations

John Jacobson, a senior analyst for Prudential, started off the day with a presentation on the current state and latest trends of Hawaii real estate, specifically as it relates to the high-end markets. If there’s one thing we learned it’s that while certain sectors of the real estate market have taken more of a hit than others in the past few years, there are still eager clients out there, on both sides of the business, hungry to find what they’re looking for.

After a presentation on Finance and Wealth Management and another on Architecture came the highlight of the day for me. Representing Hawaii Life on the Top Agent Panel was our own Roni Marley, there to share her experience and contribute to the collective pool of knowledge the event offered. I’d like to give a brief breakdown of her presentation as I think it serves as a great analogy for what it is we do, or would like to do, as agents.

A Brief Breakdown of Roni Marley’s Presentation

As proof of the effectiveness of putting her own principles to practice, Roni currently represents the historical and epic Valley House Estate on the east side of Kauai (pictured below). As well, I was seated next to Roni before she took to the stage and as anybody who has given a speech in front of a crowded room of peers can attest, these are the moments where anxiety can redefine itself.

One of many prized features of the Valley House Estate…

As the minutes approached and her presentation grew near, Roni was extremely nervous. However, when it was her time to shine she collected herself, took her place among three of the state’s top-producing agents, all with a wealth of experience and well-developed Rolodexs, and delivered with charm and grace.

Wearing a beautiful understated block dress and her “lucky black heels,” she came in with a message to give and stuck to her principles. As she fielded several questions, the idea she kept returning to was simple and time-tested…

“Regardless of what level of real estate you are in, answer your phone and do it with a level of customer service that you would personally expect.”

Sounds simple enough, but we all know life’s little frustrations can get us off our game at times. Centering ourselves with the fact that we are here to serve our clients may very well make the difference in our day-to-day interactions, which may then lead to bigger-scale successes.

The aforementioned ‘lucky shoes’…

Another point she wanted to focus on was the idea of a fortuitous moment — being in the right place at the right time and seizing the opportunity. While there’s a certain x-factor that goes into being in the right place at the right time, what Roni drove home for me (and I think many others) is that being prepared to act on those moments is completely within our control, and very well may influence our success as agents, or in life.

We have a say in our own successes, and whether we’re on stage in front of hundreds of people, one-on-one with a potential client, or fielding a cold-call late in the afternoon, being prepared, having a game plan, and having a goal in mind is what will help us through these experiences. As (I believe) William Shakespeare said, “all things are ready, if our mind be so.”

In my opinion, that is most definitely Roni Marley and is what success is all about.

Aloha,
Miriam