The Sky’s the Limit
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Ben Andrews loves running and he’s really good at it. Like in real estate, he’s drawn to the sport because he controls his own destiny. “I gravitated towards both running and real estate because success is all on me,” Ben says. “I’m rewarded for my efforts and get exactly out of it what I put into it.”
Ben’s athletic career took off at the University of Oregon where he received a scholarship for track and field. He went on to qualify for the 1996, 2000 and 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials in his specialty, the 1,500 meter run. Looking back he credits success in athletics to his willingness to take direction from a coach and act on it.
“When I got to the point where I was really good and wanted to take it to the next level, my coach saw things I couldn’t. He encouraged me to focus on one second at a time. We’d set little goals in order to reach the big goal,” Ben explains. Ben ran professionally until 2004, when he decided to start a career in real estate after being inspired by his parents’ success in the business. He wanted a career that would allow him to provide for his wife and future family.
A Portland native, he immediately jumped into the business and focused his attention on the trendy downtown area and working Internet leads. Although he considers himself a relational person at heart, without the structure, accountability and systems that had helped him experience great success as a runner, he struggled.
“I saw a huge change in him spiritually, his focus with work, his focus with family, his ability to dictate his schedule…” – Heidi Andrews
“I’m a relational person by nature, but when you’re showing houses and can’t pay your mortgage that doesn’t make you feel like a rock star. My transactional approach was bringing our business down,” Ben says.
His wife, Heidi, was a big contributor to their real estate business and a few years in, Ben realized she was the reason people were calling them. This was problematic because Heidi was expecting a child and taking a step back from work.
By 2010, life was difficult for the Andrews.
With less than $300 in the bank, a business on life support, and a baby on the way, Ben decided to make some major changes. He quit chasing Internet leads, and borrowed money from his parents to take the Peak Producers® training course.
“I knew I had to find a way to get us out of where we were,” Ben said.
Heidi created a quiet space in their closet where Ben could go through the training sessions uninterrupted.
“We have been able to grow his business in the first year by over 60% and we can continue to grow at a very quick rate.” – Cami Napoli
During his training Ben had an “a-ha” moment. “I had a lot of success with running and always with a coach. I was trying to go it alone and my business was sideways.” It was at this moment he set a goal to make enough money while taking Peak Producers to sign up for One2One Coaching™.
Cami Napoli, Ben’s Coach, explains, “When Ben started with me, he told me he would be buying his mom and dad’s brokerage. We only had three months to prepare, so we spent that time creating a business plan, writing job descriptions for the different roles it would take to run his office, setting recruiting goals, and establishing minimum standards.”
Three months into Coaching, Ben’s mindset and motivation had completely shifted. He had a system in place, was working towards his goals and making progress. “I saw a huge change in him spiritually, his focus with work, his focus with family, his ability to dictate his schedule had shifted in a positive direction,” Heidi Andrews states.
When they first got rolling Coach Cami had Ben master the basics. She’d give him action steps and every two weeks they’d check in to measure his progress. Even though Ben was just doing a few calls, notes and Pop-Bys, he felt a sense of accomplishment because every morning he woke up knowing exactly what he needed to do. He had a system in place.
After he mastered the basics, Ben started throwing client parties. He has enjoyed this part of the Buffini & Company system the most because it allows him to stay in touch with a large amount of his busy clients at once. Not only has it generated a lot of quality referrals for his business, but it has also freed him up so he can spend more time with his family—one of his big goals.
Fast forward five years and Ben’s business and home life are in a much different place. He isn’t working late nights and long weekends, his business is growing each year and he’s closing over $22 million in sales volume.
Cami says, “Going through this process with Coaching and using the Buffini systems, Ben has gained so much confidence that his vision has grown. He is a man of action. I don’t have to go over things with him twice. We discuss a situation and he takes care of it. Because he has so much faith in what advice I give him and always follows through, we have been able to grow his business in the first year by over 60% and we can continue to grow at a quick and healthy pace.”
“Don’t go it alone! I failed on my own and then I got a Coach. Now I’m flourishing in life and business.” – Ben Andrews
According to Ben, Cami has done a masterful job helping him and Heidi identify their unique strengths and weaknesses, and develop a business plan that allows them to have a wonderful work/life balance. “Ben is the ideal client…a Coach’s dream! He never questions, pushes back or refuses to do anything I ask. What I find really great is when he comes to the call with any kind of problem or challenge he always has a solution in mind. He can give me a date and time it will be handled and he is done with it. It frees us up to move on to the next big goal he has in mind,” Cami explains.
We asked Ben what tips he’d like to share with struggling agents and business owners who feel like they haven’t reached their full potential. His advice, “Don’t go it alone! I failed on my own and then I got a Coach. Now I’m flourishing in life and business.”
Ben’s goals have changed a lot over the past few years. At first it was about making enough to support his family, now he’s all about using his success, his story and his business to give back and help others.
“Even though I’ve been in Coaching for years, I keep with it because the platform to grow is so large. The sky’s the limit for my business and my family because of the solid foundation I’ve laid through Coaching,” Ben said.