The same character that put “Raiders of the Lost Ark” on the map also gave Season II’s Real Estate Apprentice Winner Katie Wyatt the inspiration for her lead generation activities, working the residential sections of Wichita, Kansas in her kaki outfit.  Branded with a compass “Guiding You Home” and her earthy multi-pocket vest filled with all sorts of secret Realtor® tools and treasures, one could easily envision her as reminiscent of the swashbuckling archeologist – and that’s exactly the way Katie likes it.

In an area where Katie Wyatt’s colleagues are dressed to the hilt, glittered to the max, and shining in glossy perfection, Katie – a former electrician for a nuclear power plant – was uncomfortable with that kind of a costume.  “It’s just not me,” said Katie in a recent exclusive RISMedia interview, “I’m a down-to-earth, average person, and that describes my clients as well.  Why would I want to dress up in clothes that don’t express who I am?  My customers would be uncomfortable with that, and so would I.”  So Katie took a good look at her own wardrobe and developed a new, fun, much more comfortable and recognizable style.

“Rather than marketing glitz and glamour, I wanted to market my unique real estate approach”, explained Katie.  “My clients here in Wichita are salt-of-the-earth types, and it’s a waste of time to try to impress them with anything other than honesty, integrity, and excellent service.”  Indeed, according to the Wichita Area Association of Realtors® 2,190 agents are registered in the Wichita MLS.  There are 3,594 active existing homes for sale; 810 of which are newly constructed.  The average price for a three-bedroom home is roughly $134,000, and only 7% are sold within 1-30 days.  The highest percentage of homes (35%) takes more than 120 days to sell.

As the Grand Prize Winner for Season II of the Real Estate Apprentice competition, Katie knew that she needed to do something unusual with the $75,000 worth of real estate educational products and services she had won.  One of the most valuable grant items came in the form of premier advertising and marketing from real estate gurus Hobbs/Herder.  Masters at branding and recognition, Hobbs/Herder is notorious for being willing to surmount the “Temple of Doom” and journey through “The Last Crusade” in order to help their clients achieve their intended marketing goals.  Katie created the slogan House Scouts™ (www.yourhousescouts.com), and formed a new company, integrating the high-profile Indiana Jones theme to stand out from the crowd and reinforce her branding efforts.  Katie quips, “Now, when people see me or my Indiana Jones outfit, they say, ‘Aren’t you that House Scout™ lady?’  I say, ‘That’s right.  Do you need me to scout down a treasured home for you?’”

Another blockbuster tool offered to Katie came from the cast and crew of McLean International Consulting, platinum Real Estate Apprentice Grant Program Sponsors.   “I could just talk forever about the good things that McLean has provided for,” said Wyatt. “Linda McLean and Christina Beavis, my personal coach, have each helped me so much that I hardly know where to begin.”  According to Katie, Christina Beavis exemplifies all the positive services that McLean has to offer. She characterizes Christina as very knowledgeable, personable, and a gal with a great sense of humor.  “Christina took the time to get to know me and understand my personality,” Wyatt explains. “She helped me to understand the D.I.S.C. personality behavior profiling system, and showed me how to better communicate with others.  She didn’t just throw out the usual cookie-cutter stuff.”  

Beavis discovered Wyatt’s passion and helped her focus on her dreams, personal strengths and available resources.  “She helped me to see the limits I was placing on myself by gently correcting areas of my understanding that were previously incorrect,” said Katie.  By taking the time to develop a relationship with her, McLean International helped Wyatt see new and powerful ways of possibility thinking.

According to Dr. Martin Oliver, Executive Deputy Director of the Real Estate Apprentice Foundation, McLean International Consulting is known for taking the time to patiently explain the processes and expected outcomes of all the activities being performed on what Katie refers to as “Planet Realtor”. Katie explained, “When I first started out I referred to this as navigating on the ‘Planet Realtor’, because I really did feel like an alien in a strange world.”   Moving into the world of residential resale can be overwhelming, mainly because of the sheer quantity of information to learn, not to mention all of the possible approaches to the same results.  Many agents speak an unfamiliar language and have ideas, habits and systems that would make no real sense to an outsider.

According to Beavis, “In the beginning Katie was so new that she didn’t even know the language of real estate, but Beavis explained the motivations behind the activities Katie observed, and thoroughly explained the real estate process, its intended purpose and outcome,” said Dr. Oliver.  “As a new home agent, I had no idea why people were doing what they were doing.  I didn’t even know what I didn’t know about being a successful Realtor®, but I was very grateful for what McLean International is providing it has given me a quantum leap in my big screen-style of business,” said Katie. 

Companies interested in their own treasured adventure and in helping make the industry stronger by placing their products and services into the hands of rookie agents as a Real Estate Apprentice® sponsor should email Dr. Martin Oliver at Dr.Oliver@RealEstateApprentice.com or call 949-600-7188.