Olivia Somsel is determined to lead her Caerusnet517 referral team to greatness! The young and professional full-time real estate agent facilitates a Lansing area Caerusnet team and is helping her Members begin to Master The Art of Referrals. She’s not one to shy away from a challenge, knowing that personal growth and development are keys to success. And while Olivia’s husband Eric is a financial advisor, they would both likely agree that one of the best investments one can ever make … is in their own personal development.
How long have you been in your profession and how did you get into this field? This is my 4th year in real estate. I decided to get into the profession as a career when I got married and had to move. With the help of the book, “What Color is Your Parachute?” by Richard Bolles (pictured), I reviewed what I liked and didn’t like about my job at the time and looked for professions that would fulfill what I liked. Real Estate was one of them. It was risky, but I dove in head first!
What is the best thing about your business/career? I believe the best thing about my career is helping people and making them happy. I enjoy putting a smile on people’s faces. When a buyer gets so excited that we finally found the home they love and they close on it, their smile makes me happy; And when a seller finally sells his/her home and gets to move on to their next phase in life, their smile and excitement is contagious!
What is it about the Caerusnet model that you like most? I like the Trust Builder Meetings and relationship aspect of Caerusnet the most. You really develop trust and can get to know people on a personal level. By doing so, you can really touch and change people’s lives for the better.
Share a success story about why giving referrals and bringing visitors to the meeting is beneficial to you. When my husband invited a new mortgage lender I had not yet met to the team meetings I was hesitant because I preferred and was working on getting a different mortgage lender. 
However, the invite and introduction was well worth it! The lender on our team and I have a great working relationship. He is always out and about promoting Caerusnet517 and inviting visitors! This is very beneficial to Eric (my husband) and I as we cannot be in as many places promoting Caerusnet517 as 3+ people can be. Strong ‘CORE’ Members are very important!
Any tips on learning how to find situations where you can create a referral or invite a visitor? Be out in the community! Go to an event and talk to people. Have the mindset of helping others versus just helping yourself. When you are out doing business and your clients mentions other needs they have, think “who do I know that can address this need?”
What is your strategy with your Member Minute and your Spotlight Presentation? My strategy with the Member Minute and spotlight presentation is to change it up once in a while. Yes, be consistent in a way that helps Members understand what you do and what your focus is; But if you have multiple target markets maybe switch between them at different meetings. I also like providing snippets of information that people don’t know in my Member Minutes and spotlight presentations as well.
Tips on how Members can be more successful in Caerusnet? Show up! Practice your Member Minute outside and inside the Caerusnet Meetings. Caerusnet is a safe place to network. We want you to practice with us! Some Members may not be really good at elevator pitches and showing confidence with public speaking, we as Facilitators (or other Members) can help. Pay attention and listen to your teammates. Don’t just play on your phone, check emails, and text messages. It’s only an hour! Basically it’s a sales appointment where you are making yourself available for referrals. A fantastic way to grow your business!
What is it about facilitating a referral team that you hope to accomplish, professionally? As a Facilitator I hope to add value to my Members businesses. Everyone wants referrals whether they know how to grow by referral or not. I hope to teach my Members at every meeting at least one thing they can take with them that will help their individual business grow, and the team as a whole. I want to give back and give each of my Members referrals, growing myself as a referral master as well! I try to take one thing from every meeting to help grow their businesses. We all have room to grow. If we’re not growing … we’re falling behind!
Want to visit Caerusnet517 and/or connect with Olivia Somsel? Click here for her info.
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ork was small, so I focused on having Trust Builder Meetings with other Members and on bringing guests (people I met networking in the community). I loved it! You see, I love getting to know other professionals better, what drives them and then finding out how I can help them connect with others to reach that next level. When I found myself at a crossroads with my job, I chose to follow my passion- supporting and encouraging people to grow their professional lives while connecting them to others who can help them achieve their goals.
opportunity to meet many quality professionals from all around. They also gave me the ability to expand my own personal network that I can tap into and refer to as needed. Caerusnet teams only take 30 Members and then they are considered full. However, there are hundreds of possible professions in the business community and I wanted as many chances as possible for other professionals and small business owners to enjoy the advantages that come with Caerusnet Membership. Membership gives them the opportunity to be part of and contribute to the much larger Caerusnet network, stretching far beyond just their home team. Having more than one team gives me a larger foot print, and also provides a direct connection for my Members to more than one area.
As an active professional in the fields of health and wellness, Steven Bebber, of Bebber Health Pro, knows how important it is to be well known in the local business community. Armed with a killer smile and and an abundance of positive energy, he’s been strategically networking for over a decade in Washtenaw County. He is currently a Member of the Caerusnet Ann Arbor Tuesday mid-morning team. Not only is Steve a Caerusnet Member, but he’s also the Facilitator of the Thursday morning Saline Caerusnet team, right in his hometown. We recently had a chance to interview Steve and his advice is spot on.
There are many things I can think of. Probably the most valuable part of the meeting is being able to bring people together and help them make connections that create more business for the Members. Seeing Members have more business come their way is a great feeling because then you know they are very possibly benefitting from being part of the team, which is good. But also HAVING FUN is a big one because we are always laughing about something and if it isn’t enjoyable to be with a group then the group won’t last very long. You have to enjoy what you’re doing or otherwise why do it?
It is very simple to be successful in Caerusnet by following a few simple points.
by Steven Zyskowski, Founder of Caerusnet