After 45 years in the real estate industry, J.B. Goodwin has witnessed extraordinary change—and has thrived through it all. The secret to his brokerage’s longevity and incredible growth? It all comes down to people.
“From day one, our mission has been helping people,” says J.B. Goodwin, broker/CEO at JBGoodwin REALTORS®. “It doesn’t matter who walks through our doors, whether it’s a buyer, seller, tenant, landlord or an agent new to the business, we will always do the best we can to help every individual we encounter.”
That mission statement isn’t just window dressing. It’s been a way of life at JBGoodwin since the beginning, fueling its industry-leading retention rate and extraordinary growth rate. Over the past decade, they’ve grown from 250 to 700-plus agents, earning the status as the top independent brokerage in Central Texas.
“Whether you’re helping someone rent an apartment for $800 or selling their home for $5 million, every story is unique. An agent has to understand that story—the client’s motivations, needs and wants—in order to help them,” Goodwin shares. “Life events are what stimulate real estate transactions, not trends or campaigns. We know life events because our clients are our friends. We’re there for them because we want to be there for them.”
This people-focused approach is woven into JBGoodwin’s culture, from local charitable initiatives to nationally recognized coaching and development programs.
“You need to train and support your people in the best, most professional ways possible,” says Goodwin. “This means standout training, ongoing coaching and mentoring, and top technology.”
Nobody knows that better than Erin Cestero, San Antonio Division vice president at JBGoodwin. Before landing at JBGoodwin in 2012, Cestero interviewed at 23 brokerages (“Yes, I am that person,” she laughs).
“I’ve worked with a lot of different sales and marketing departments in a wide range of industries. I can definitively say the JBGoodwin approach is the best one,” she says. “Investing in the best platforms and tools available ensures our agents can provide exemplary service to their clients. That includes a top website, CRM and lead generation.”
(L to R) Morgan Carey, J.B. Goodwin, Erin Cestero and Deirdre LePera at Real Estate Webmasters’ Campus in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada
Goodwin believes a strong relationship with your technology vendors is paramount, giving a lot of credit for the growth of JBGoodwin to Real Estate Webmasters, the firm’s website and digital marketing services provider. Their relationship goes beyond a typical vendor-client connection.
“We’re fortunate enough to have a relationship with Real Estate Webmasters where the owner of the company is glad to spend time with us and our staff to help us program, strategically plan and implement the technologies that will help us reach our goals. It’s very unusual for a vendor,” Goodwin says.
The future looks even brighter for 2019. JBGoodwin’s focus for the upcoming year is all about the expansion and integration of the top-of-the-line tools they provide to their agents and customers—a recipe for sustaining exponential growth.
For more information, please visit jbgoodwin.com and realestatewebmasters.com.
Zoe Eisenberg is RISMedia’s senior content editor. Email her your real estate news ideas at zoe@rismedia.com.
