Understanding the industry, caring about your client relationships, and being active in your community are just a few ways REALTORS® in Naples, FL can develop sales success. Toby Cloutier, Sales Executive for London Bay Homes, and Lawrence Middleton, Sales Manager at Mediterra, know a thing or two about these important goals and have refined their skills to create the ideal home buying experience, propelling themselves to becoming London Bay Homes’ two top producers in Naples, FL.
Toby and Lawrence’s multifaceted approach to real estate sales is an embodiment of London Bay Homes’ Private Label Living process, which is a promise to deliver the true luxury of a tailored fit for every client to ensure their new home will be as unique as they are. Private Label Living is key and paramount to their approach to selling because it represents a true level of commitment, dedication, and personal service to make the process as easy and smooth for the homeowner. They take this promise one step further by working together with other REALTORS® in Naples, FL to provide a blended and professional team ready to exceed their clients’ expectations.
"They care very much about the REALTOR® community and they’ve had success by reaching out to them and sharing the upscale design and superior quality of a London Bay home,” said Mark Wilson, president and CEO of London Bay Homes. “By reaching out to their peers, they have opened the lines of communication and have been successful in working together to sell homes.”
Toby and Lawrence’s sales approach, industry and community knowledge, and relationships with REALTORS® and clients have allowed them to achieve more than $92 million in new home sales in 2019. Let’s delve into the details of their success to learn more about how they have achieved their sales goals.
Toby Cloutier, Sales Executive with London Bay Homes
Toby Cloutier is also one of London Bay Homes’ top producers in Naples, FL and he attributes his success to the fact that he has a good product to present with sophisticated designs that help homebuyers envision themselves in the home of their dreams.
His dedication to London Bay Homes’ promise of Private Label Living allows his clients to feel comfortable with him and the home buying process through which he is guiding them from design, construction, completion, and beyond. As with Lawrence, Toby shares that promise with the REALTOR® community in Naples, FL. He remains actively involved in the local real estate community and stays in touch with local, regional, and national trends so he is able to help clients identify the elements of their dream home.
Toby believes that people want to work with people and companies they like and trust, and that being completely honest with people is the best sales tool of all. Being transparent about the sales and building process, and exhibiting sincerity and honesty about the possibilities – and then following through on those promises – is what earns client trust and loyalty.
Establishing rapport and building relationships is also a key element of Toby’s approach. For instance, he knew a couple who were seasonal residents for years. When they were going to transition to full-time living in Naples, they were considering renovating their home. Toby was able to work with the couple to identify their needs and instead work with them through a complete rebuild. He also successfully leverages selling renovation services to potential clients who visit London Bay Homes’ model homes, but who are not in the market for a new home to help them envision the possibilities.
Beyond selling, Cloutier truly enjoys being involved in custom home design and staying actively involved, and in contact with clients throughout the process, which dovetails neatly with London Bay Homes’ philosophy of a process and a personalized approach to homebuilding where the client’s ideas, experiences, and desires lead the journey.
Toby plays a key role in London Bay Homes’ commitment to customers that encompasses a complete understanding of who they are and how they want to live. By helping guide clients on their journey – from concept to completion. This commitment has allowed him to achieve more than $39 million in sales in 2019 through a combination of spec homes, model sales, and custom rebuilds from seven transactions averaging nearly $5.6 million each.
Lawrence Middleton, Sales Manager at Mediterra Realty
Lawrence understands that, when a homebuyer walks into Mediterra, they are often focused, educated, successful, and knowledgeable of their lifestyle and community preferences. By displaying a clear understanding of the product and community and providing clear and concise responses to the homebuyers’ questions, Lawrence has built a trust that has allowed buyers to feel comfortable and at ease during the home buying and building process. For the last 12 years, Lawrence has focused on providing that assurance and knowledge to each client – from the first visit to the community and follow up communication utilizing any method with which the client is comfortable (including the instantaneous and direct text message approach) through to when the client receives the keys to their new home. He’s focused on providing an organic feel to the relationship he builds with each client that is based on trust, communication, and confidence.
Those organic relationship building techniques extend to the REALTORS® that join their clients in the home buying experience. Lawrence values his relationships with fellow Naples REALTORS® and understands that a teamwork mindset allows a greater understanding of the clients’ needs and greater success in finding or building their dream home.
Another facet of Lawrence’s success has been the ability to concentrate on one community, allowing him to be a true expert on all that is Mediterra. He has built a vision and a clear understanding of our luxury home community that has resonated with buyers. However, by always keeping the focus first on the client, he’s been able to craft the story to cater to the individual needs of each person.
“Many people hear, but few listen. You have to listen and respond; present and give a clear statement of response,” said Lawrence. “My work is never complete until the client’s needs are met.”
This mindset, plus the confidence homebuyers have in the Mediterra community, has allowed Lawrence to achieve $53 million in home sales in 2019 and an average of at least $25 million in annual sales in the last five years. Lawrence has even helped one homebuyer purchase not just one home, but three homes in Mediterra and has sold their prior homes as well. Two of those homes were sold via text message and two more were sold via video; the same homeowner on the same street.
Overall, the success of the community has been a factor in Lawrence’s sales success. He’s found that, once a homeowner is in, they want to stay. Mediterra has a phenomenal reputation, fabulous amenities, and gorgeous luxury custom homes, and Lawrence has the knowledge and confidence to share that with his homebuyers. These reasons are what makes Lawrence Middleton and Mediterra a great team.
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