Fun & Being Number One!

Even though last year Ron Wynn was the number one agent in North America from a network of 37,000 agents, Ron Wynn's real passion is to make his client number one. He does that by paying close attention to detail, by providing excellent service, by communicating with his client continually and by staying very focused on the market. Advanced technology marketing attracts more buyers to Ron's properties. More buyers considering your property over others that are for sale, puts you in number one position. That is exactly what Ron's goal is: to make you number one.

Most homesellers would think that choosing to go with one of the highest volume real estate agents in the country would mean sacrificing individual contact, in exchange for a higher selling price for their home. Ron Wynn's clients would disagree. Systems and organization enable Ron to handle the volume of business that he does, and still pay attention to each and every detail. He has a car phone and a 24-hour pager, so he is always available to take your phone calls.

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Fun & Being No. 1
by Russ Nichols
Daily Commerce Staff Writer

Ron Wynn is a hometown boy who made good. He grew up in the real estate business on the West Side, following in his father's footsteps. He went on to become one of the top real estate agents in the U.S., and he is waiting this year to find out if he is No. 1 or 2 in the country for the entire franchise last year. His competition in 1996 was 38,000 other agents. His goal was 150 transactions for a total sales volume of $41 million. He did much better than that.

After his father retired in 1980, he ran Wynn Realty until 1989, when he sold the business to The Prudential California Realty.

"I wrestled with selling, and Rick Merrill (a top-level Prudential executive) got me excited about the idea of association with a major network recognized throughout the nation," said Wynn. "He [Merrill] spoke of the opportunities to meet and network with people at conventions I would otherwise never have the chance to meet. And there would be the opportunity to speak on panels and gain nationwide recognition."

Wynn said he went from "being a small fish in a small tank to being a big fish in a big tank."

Then Wynn and his organization experienced yet another change as Prudential merged with The Jon Douglas Company. But Wynn has remained steadfast in his commitment to two major factors that have contributed to his success: marketing and community involvement. Sometimes it is difficult to define where one begins and the other leaves off.

"It is important for business people to make their successes known, to let the community know about their accomplishments. I spend a lot of time keeping in front of the public. I support local schools, charities, neighborhood groups."

For example, Wynn said he would be speaking some evening this week at a homeowners meeting about traffic problems that have become a serious concern for residents of Holmby Hills.

And his own clients are important to him. He said 74 percent of his business in 1996 came from referrals or repeat clients.

But he doesn't do all this by himself. He's like the driver of the Indy car with a full complement of backup people he can rely on during pit stops.

"We are so tight-knit. We have respect and admiration for one another. We are a seamless organization."

Wynn doesn't put up signs or send out mail or fax or copy or do any of the routine office chores.

"I'm the rainmaker. I'm working with buyers and sellers. I prospect [for new business], present [buyers to properties and offers to sellers] and preview [properties]."

And his team has a coach-Steve Schull, a performance guru who helps keep the group on track and reaching for ever-higher goals.

"He dwells not so much on improving areas that are weak, but he examines our strengths to help us get stronger. He refines job descriptions and goals. He's a brilliant man."

It was Schull who helped steer Wynn in the direction of leaving the details to others and maintaining close ties with former clients.

"He believes your best contacts are your past clients."

Wynn maintains a Web page on the company Web site, but finds that by having his own personal site he can provide a higher quality of service to his clients.

On technology: "We rely on computers for everything. They have simplified the job. We can communicate better and faster now; but I'm still a little afraid of it. I am not personally good with computers. I am more idea-oriented."

Wynn leaves the nuts and bolts of the technology to the experts on his team.

Wynn deals with a lot of young workers in the new world of entertainment technology. He said the demographics of the West Side has changed from aerospace workers to people in the arts. The entertainment industry has invaded the West Side in a big way, said Wynn.

"There are so many people in wardrobe, makeup, computer graphics, and they want to live at the beach. They like privacy and quiet in low density neighborhoods," he said.

They don't punch time clocks. Instead they work long hours into the night during week. And they won't give up their weekends to go look at houses. Instead, they prefer to take time off in the afternoon during the week to look.

"They work hard, and they play hard," he said.

And they buy fairly expensive houses. Wynn said the average sale price of homes he sold last year was around $500,000. His territory is from Beverly Hills to Santa Monica and from West L.A. to Bel Air.

In 1996, Wynn actually did 174 closed transactions for a total of $48 million in 1996, far outstripping the goals he set for himself. In 1997, his sales volume rose to $58 million and in 1998, placing #3 internationally, Wynn sold $70 million worth of real estate.

The secret of his success?

"You have to have a passion for the business. I love what I do. It's fun."