Hometown: Belchertown, Massachusetts, USA
Joe and Jocelyn, Local Real Estate Agents & Experts in Belchertown, Massachusetts, recently wrote an international best selling book, Referral Secrets, to teach agents how to grow their business through relationships and referrals in their community.
Click here to get the ebook for FREE
Best quote from their story: “Our talents and skills complement each other to a ‘T’. We don’t have assigned roles, but we do manage our strong suits. Today, many of our tasks are blended and our business success stems from our passion for working with and helping clients through their journeys.”
Joe and Jocelyn’s business philosophy: “Our personal mantra is “Success is a byproduct of relationships.” Relationships of all sorts, including business owners, business alliances, and most importantly, our clients help shape our success.”
Testimonials
“Jocelyn and Joe made the selling experience so smooth. When selling was just an idea, they came out to advise us on what needed to be fixed. Then when we were finally ready to list, they were with us every step of the way, from providing up-to-date market analysis, answering so many questions, presenting us with multiple offers, and walking us through the closing process. We can’t say enough good things about Jocelyn and Joe and highly recommend their team for any buyer or seller.” ~Angela T.
“Joe Maggi was the best! He was thorough and professional and great to work with. He kept us apprised about available appointments and always let us know as soon as a new one came on the market. He was honest and forthright, and really cared about us. If he wasn’t available, Jocelyn would step in. We always had someone there to take care of us. Great communication throughout the process. Will definitely work with them again and very highly recommend!” ~Anon
“Selling our home with Joe was a pleasure. He is extremely knowledgeable and was helpful throughout the entire process. Our questions were met with answers at lightning speed. I would not hesitate to work with Joe again.” ~Christopher G.
“Jocelyn and Joe were great to work with, they were responsive, honest, knowledgeable, and reliable. They were also patient with us as first-time home buyers and helped us through the process of buying our first home which is a great house in our desired area. I would highly recommend them.”~E.W.B
“Joe and Jocelyn were professional, knowledgeable, and helped make my first time buying a home a smooth process. I strongly recommend them to anyone looking to sell or purchase a home!” ~Laura L.
More about Joe and Jocelyn
We are a husband and wife-team that was created in 2017. We’re now the managing partners of
the Maggi Realty Group of Century 21 North East! Joe has been an agent for over 30 years in
Western MA. Jocelyn was an agent in the Kansas City area and joined Century 21 when she
moved to Western MA. We assist both buyers and sellers in real estate transactions. Joe has a
great experience in home renovations and construction, and together we have considerable
knowledge of new construction. We work together to provide the highest quality service to our
clients!
Interview with Joe and Jocelyn Maggi
What’s up everyone!
Welcome to another episode of Become A Local Leader!
On today’s show, we have Joe and Jocelyn Maggi, two of the authors of the new real estate business book Referral Secrets.
A book that features stories of 23 top-producing agents who through their stories, share their advice on how to grow your business through relationships and referrals. And simply how to be successful in real estate in a specific geographic area.
Joe and Jocelyn have been in the business together for a long time and they have gone through the journey as the husband and wife duo and are now on the journey of building a team and helping others build their business and teams as well.
How did you both get started in real estate?
Jocelyn: We were both in real estate in our previous lives. I was licensed in another state and moved to Massachusetts, where Joe had been licensed for many years and I also wanted to get my license here. I did so when I moved and then we started working together. We were actually on a team ourselves before we initially started.
Joe: I had my license for over 30 years, then 2008-2010 came and we all know what happened in that market and I let that fade away and I pursued my business which is paint and construction and when Jocy and I got together that’s when it really took off for us.
How do you help each other do well in business?
Jocelyn: Obviously we both have our own strengths and weaknesses. I do the administration and keep our CRM up to date. Joe has a construction background, he helps in those aspects when showing clients houses and giving advice on different repairs that might be needed. It’s actually great. We really complement each other well. We are lucky as I feel that not many couples get to experience that.
Joe: We always say to each other that “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you”. It’s a great thing to be able to have with your spouse, to be able to develop something together. It’s something we are very proud of.
You mentioned being on a team first and then branching off on your own. Did you both together join the team? If so how come?
Jocelyn: After I got my license and we were going to figure out where we were going to hang our license and which company we were going to work for. We were asked by a team leader asking the two of us to join their team. We came on to their team as a team. That’s how we started, we were our own business. When we joined Century 21, it gave us the ability to have the Maggie realty group so Joe and I were the team leaders and have then since formed our team
How come you decided to leave the team? Was it because of Century 21 or were you already thinking about going off on your own?
Joe: It was Covid. One of the good things that came out of Covid and being a business owner, we got recruited by Century 21. Basically, Century 21 North East reached out to us because there was a void as there were no Century 21s. They reached out and made an offer we couldn’t refuse. It was a difficult decision more so for Jocelyn, I am a bit more business orientated. We were friends with our team leaders. It was a tough move to make.
Jocelyn: We were presented with an opportunity that we couldn’t say no to and it opened up so many doors for us.
Have you ever been presented with opportunities and said no to them? And why? What was some of the reasoning you said yes to this one?
Jocelyn: At the same time we were interviewing with another company as well. We did say no to that one. For us, we feel like we have gut instincts and we like relationship building, so when we were interviewing with Century 21 North East, we got along great with the broker, and we felt good about it. With Joe and I, when decisions need to be made we feel like it’s either right or it’s not. We have said no to others before or they didn’t feel right or didn’t fit how we like to conduct business or different programs we need.
Joe: We have been very fortunate in our relationship where things have always happened for us when we have needed them to or at the right time. The opportunity was good, what we liked about Century 21 is that they are family-based and the owner of the company is easy to reach, the cousin is the general manager. They are a huge company with over 900 agents currently across a bunch of states, yet they are very family orientated and very approachable and that’s very important for me, to be able to reach out.
What do you recommend agents value ahead of the compensation plan with that brokerage, so that they end up having that they have their career in the business and lifestyle they want?
Jocelyn: For me it’s training, I feel like no matter if you are a brand new agent or a seasoned agent, you should be constantly learning. Our company offers training every day of the week, so you can be involved as you want to be. Everything is changing every day, so I feel it’s important to be ahead of the curve in terms of technology or marketing ideas.
Joe: Our company is based in the eastern part of the state towards the Boston area, which is a little more suburban, so we get a lot of what’s trending and what’s new. You could get paid a huge compensation percentage, but if you don’t have the support, you don’t have leads, and don’t have the training, it doesn’t work. It’s about becoming successful because at the end of the day once you build your business, you are the one that is building it and not the company you are being hired by.
Jocelyn: One thing that always sticks in my head is that on January 1st every real estate agent everywhere is at zero. Unless you have something pending that’s going to close in January, we all start January at the same time and level. If you aren’t constantly learning and moving and shaking and working your business every day, you will never get to your end goals.
You talked about confidence and consistency being two pillars of being successful in real estate. Why do you think agents aren’t consistent with the things they know they need to do to get the results they want to get?
Joe: I think a lot of it is they don’t stay consistent. The real estate business isn’t one phone call, text, or email. You have to do your work. Every day is a work day. You may have spoken to someone three months ago and they finally get a hold of you but if they forget about you and you don’t stay in touch and be consistent with them you are going to fail. Another thing in our business, is you don’t get paid until you sell, I think people get frustrated and they don’t want to work for free so to speak. In reality, you aren’t, you are building your business, it’s a five-year plan.
What do you find lowers the frustration so that stay in the game and continue to do the work?
Jocelyn: By making sales
Joe: It does happen, where you are throwing that line in the water over and over again. Even if you are showing somebody property, it’s a win. Or you get to go on a listing appointment, if you don’t get the listing, you have still had a chance. You just have to believe in yourself. Why not me or why not us? Why can’t we be a million-dollar salesperson or top ten in your office, if you do what you are trained to do, there’s no reason why you can’t.
What about consistency for you? When you weren’t why do you think you weren’t? And what has allowed you to be more consistent on the stuff that you need to do?
Jocelyn: Consistency is the key. Life throws things at you all the time. There are going to be things that come up that take precedence over something you should be doing. I feel like putting it on the calendar and making that time and nothing comes in place of that time. It’s on the calendar, we are going to do it. You have to do it, on that day, at that time. Just stay consistent with your schedule.
If you guys were to describe your days and chunk them out into buckets of things that you do. How do you guys spend your time?
Jocelyn: The first thing that we do is block off our mornings and work out every day. Exercise is a huge part of our life. We block off time for weekly meetings with our marketing director, same time, same day, every week. We have team meetings first Monday of every month. This time is blocked off for everyone.
Have you seen what people tend to not schedule and not put in their calendars?
Jocelyn: I invest my time into the company, that’s a huge part of it.
Joe: Scheduling leads to organization and organization leads to success. We have multiple balls up in the air. We have commitments with different things, so everything is pretty much on the schedule. You tend to follow through if it’s on your calendar. Let’s face it, real estate agents make excuses for not having the time to be able to do things that will make you successful.
How have you built your self-confidence over time? How do you help your agents build their confidence? How do you think agents should be building their confidence? What are the fundamentals for you around this topic?
Jocelyn: It is super important. I feel that confidence goes hand in hand with support. If you have a support network you tend to feel more confident. One of the things I love about having a team and our team is that we help build each other’s confidence.
Joe: I totally agree. I think sometimes people look at the negatives. Look at the wins. Look at what we have done. Look year over year. You don’t win them all. I desensitize myself a little bit. You can’t be friends with everyone, not everyone is going to be your client. Look for the people that you can connect with. When you find those connections they become lasting relationships and referrals, more business, and more friends.
Why do you think someone should build a team? What are some of your lessons?
Joe: Building a team is something we wanted to do. It’s a great form of residual income for when we decide to slow down a little bit. Still, be able to have an income and be able to give support.
Jocelyn: I agree. You get to a certain level in your business where you are very busy and need help. We are fortunate enough that with Century 21 North East we are given a lot of company-driven leads and we want to be able to serve as many people as we can but as one or two people you can’t do that by yourself, so that was a big part of it. I love teaching people and sharing my passion. When I have new agents it’s exciting and I want a team that is as excited and passionate as I am about real estate. For us, it’s about relationships. We try to get out into our community as much as possible. Having a team gives us a bigger presence.
Joe: It’s all not about business, you do the right things and the right things will happen to you. When we bring agents on and build relationships, there’s nothing better than bringing new agents on and watching them get their first sale.
What do you find you and agents make things worse than they really are? And as a team leader as well?
Jocelyn: How about making these videos?
Joe: Talk about being outside our comfort zone!
Jocelyn: We went to our Century 21 convention in Vegas earlier in the year and one of the biggest things was, to stop posting and start prospecting. Video is the new thing. That is so out of my and Joe’s comfort zone. Now that I am doing it I am getting more confident with it.
Joe: It’s believing that you are doing the things that are going to make you successful and along the way to help people by doing some of these things. A few years ago I used to dread making phone calls. People used to ring me about my construction business. Then you start doing it and it becomes easy.
What do you find makes it easier to not take things so personally?
Jocelyn: Not too long ago we went for a listing appointment and we found out we didn’t get it. We were confident that we were going to get it, and were both really low about it. But then we turned it around and decided that it just means that something better is coming. You have to have faith in the future.
How has your working relationship evolved? How have learned to work better? What advice do you have for other couples working together to do it better?
Jocelyn: Communication. You have to communicate with your spouse and know each other’s expectations. It’s important to set expectations from the beginning.
Joe: We have learned a lot from each other since we have been working together. We learn each other’s roles so we can help each other if necessary. We do separate transactions. I have clients and she has clients, we also have mutual. It’s not like we are together all the time.
Have you reflected on the reason when things weren’t jelling well?
Jocelyn: As I said, it’s about communicating, you have to talk about things.
Joe: Sometimes you have to take a step back. You have to realize what’s important. We are important to each other and that is honestly number one for us.
Jocelyn: We do have different senses for things. He likes to do things one way, and I like to do things another way but we end up at the same point in the end. You have to respect each other.
There’s a fear of working with your significant other. What do you feel you have benefited the most by working together?
Jocelyn: It’s great because we feel like we are able to experience the same happiness and joys or lows in our days. We are able to experience it together and help each other through it. It’s great because we will go on a listing appointment and then go on a dinner date afterward together.
Joe: If you enjoy being with the person that you are with, why wouldn’t you want to spend as much time as possible? It’s also having the successes and the losses together. I think it keeps the relationship strong because we are able to support each other.
The book is really interesting. You guys are part of it. There are 21 other agents who are part of it, it’s a different type of book than other real estate and marketing sales books out there. If you were to talk to an agent and say to them that this book would help them out, why would you recommend an agent to pick up Referral Secrets?
Jocelyn: We are all sharing our secrets. I feel like each chapter is going to give you something different to take away. In our company when we have the training, we tell people to take one nugget from each segment and then use that. Why wouldn’t you want to hear the good and the bad from experienced agents? I would have definitely bought the book if I was a new agent myself.
Joe: You also get so many different perspectives. Not every perspective works. Everyone has a different way of doing things, somebody else might have a more relatable way.
Jocelyn: There are different types of markets. We are all in different markets and I can’t wait to read everybody’s story.
If agents want to get in touch with you because they have some questions about how to make it work with their significant other or they want to start a team or they want to join your team, how can they get in contact with you?
Joe Maggi: (413) 530-4657
Jocelyn Maggi: (413) 461-5042
Shared Email: [email protected]
Website: www.maggirealtygroup.com
Instagram: https://instagram.com/maggirealtygroup
