Every Day – Making an Impact
Carlos Rodriguez sees every day as a bonus. A native of Colombia, Mr. Rodriguez spent seven years as a Lieutenant in the Colombian Army battling the sweltering jungles of South America as well as the paid gunmen of drug overlords and contraband rebels. “I feel very lucky to be here. I know there is a purpose for my being on earth when so many of the men I went out with did not come back alive,” he explained recently to Broker/Agent Magazine. When asked why he joined the Army he shrugged and provided one of his warm signature smiles, “Yes, I knew it was a risky business. I always was attracted to the discipline of the military and wanted officer’s training. I spent three years at the Officer’s Academy. I was looking for a good future with training and at eighteen, I wanted to test myself.”
Test himself he did. When he reached the end of his military service, he took advantage of the educational program and enrolled in dental school because he wanted to help people. A good friend of Mr. Rodriguez’s had immigrated to the San Francisco Bay Area. He encouraged Mr. Rodriguez to join him. “Not having strong English speaking skills at that time, I was hesitating to take him up on his offer. Besides, I didn’t want to end up in a low paid hard labor job due to my lack of communication. I wanted to do something special with my life,” Mr. Rodriguez mused.
From Emigrant to Realtor
Nonetheless, his friend was relentless and convinced him that Mr. Rodriguez’s assets were his leadership skills and his ability to speak Spanish. So in 1989, he landed at SFO with a backpack, duffle bag, and a whole lot of dreams. He worked for one year for his friend, a paralegal – helping Spanish-speaking understand the law. He did this while attending a local community college to learn English as his second language. A natural salesman and keen student of human character, Mr. Rodriguez found himself selling English language courses to Spanish-speaking families as well as air cleaning systems. What he learned during those years selling and attending English classes was a firm belief in his abilities to make a living on his own terms applying commission as his salary.
He also observed “everyone needed a roof over their heads – whether it was an apartment or a house.” That observation caused Mr. Rodriguez to investigate the possibility of selling real estate. He knew he required more education, so he found through a referral a loan broker in Newark who needed a Spanish speaking loan officer. For the next three years, Mr. Rodriguez received an invaluable education in the fine art of loan origination. He helped both clients and real estate agents get loans approved and processed. When other clients contacted Mr. Rodriguez looking for a good realtor he referred them to one of his realtor contacts. “I loved delivering the good news to all parties involved. But he was also frustrated when Realtors were too busy to follow up with clients. It was that frustration that leads Mr. Rodriguez to his next move as a full time Realtor.
Because of his background in the loan approval process, Mr. Rodriguez was able to help his real estate clients get the best loan possible and understand their risk tolerance factors. He believed his job was to look out for his clients and make sure all parties had their best interests at heart. His Bay Area clients were saddened when they learned Mr. Rodriguez was leaving the Bay Area for Miami, Florida in the summer of 1995. “One of my marketing’s niches in the Bay Area was my ability to speak Spanish, understand the loan process and represent my clients. But in Miami, nearly EVERYONE speaks Spanish and was in real estate – I had no differentiator.” A year later, Mr. Rodriguez was once again in his adopted state of California along with his bride, Kathy.
Success comes in many forms
The Rodriguez family moved to Castro Valley with Mr. Rodriguez working for the local Re/Max office. He became more entrenched in the real estate community. Before moving to Miami, Mr. Rodriguez had been vice president of the Hispanic Association of Realtors in the East Bay. Now, as a full-fledged practicing Realtor, Mr. Rodriguez became President of that organization, helping his board drive the organization to greater prominence in the area. He also aggressively marketed his real estate business. “I did everything from educational radio shows in Spanish to precinct walking and farming the Alameda/Tri-City area.
His bi-lingual team of four full time buying agents and one part time marketing assistant as well as a full time executive assistant is all part of Mr. Rodriguez’s success. He began the creation of the team four years ago. He also credits sophisticated technology as part of this team’s success. Every member of his team uses online collaboration project for the management of all the transactions and lead coordination all in one platform.
Safe is Risky
Mr. Rodriguez motto now is ‘Safe is risky and very good is bad’. What he means by that phrase is that there is always room for improvement of yourself, your business and your life. It’s the way Mr. Rodriguez manages his own life. “I always imagined what if I could change someone’s life in a positive way and he doesn’t even know it (yet). I believe success comes in small packages and it’s given to each of us every day. My ability to spot those moments and live in the present makes all the difference. Making a positive impact in someone’s personal and financial status is what I call a mission accomplished. I’m a strong believer in the law of positive returns.”
Law of Positive Returns
In the past, Mr. Rodriguez participated in “Assets in Action”. It’s part of his belief in impacting positive change. Assets in Action helps parents learn how to communicate with their children. A national program, Mr. Rodriguez trained in teaching this program and taught several classes over the last few years. “I went to schools, brought all the printed materials required and I taught parents how to help inspire their children to be the best they can be. From this classes the “Parents Helping Children Program”™ was born, a network of parents and teachers join efforts to provide the tools necessary to improve children communications and opportunity to grow. Every time I get a referral from the parents, the school of their choice get a donation to fund their after hours activities. While Mr. Rodriguez used to send out letters introducing him to school officials and offering the course, now he teaches by invitation only. It isn’t his goal to obtain clients from these classes; yet already he has helped nine different families find homes through his services. “Kids come without instructions, I know. I was looking for how I could be a better parent and uncle myself – that’s how I found the Search Institute [parent organization],” Mr. Rodriguez explained.
In his spare time, Mr. Rodriguez makes sure to spend weekends now with his family and keep himself fit through comprehensive weight training and cardio exercise. He also keeps up his status as a Military Olympic Sharp Shooting champion by Trap Shooting once a month. He said he liked Trap Shooting “because it’s a lot like my business. You only have one chance to hit the target. I believe the same is true in the real estate business, you only have one chance to make a positive impression and demonstrate that you have the right skills and capacity to get the job done.”
His favorite books include Gary Keller’s “Millionaire Real Estate Agent, is not about the money”, Tony Robbins “Personal Power” as well as Bryan Tracy’s “The Magic of Thinking Big” and Mark Stevens’ “Your Marketing sucks”.
Giving back
Mr. Rodriguez, true to his philosophy of giving back is also involved in The Smile Train. As contribution to the world at large, The Smile Train is an organization that provides cleft surgery for children of any age in developing nations. Mr. Rodriguez devotes a portion of every transaction to The Smile Train.
When asked what his next goals are, Mr. Rodriguez leans back and smiled. “To change people’s lives one house at a time. I can’t see any other way to deliver a message to the families of America that they can accomplish the American dream of home ownership while ensuring a better future for themselves and their families. Every transaction is a way for us, as professional Realtors, to make a positive impact in someone’s life. My goal also includes never stop learning, growing and helping my business to continue excelling and been innovative opening doors for new opportunities.
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