The team at Anvil Real Estate in Laguna Hills is having no trouble working deals and selling homes, contrary to a market that’s seen inventory plummet amid soaring rates and prices.
The key, says principal Dan Smith, is putting each team member first, ahead of the profit.
Smith, who’s Anvil’s co-founder and captain of culture, decided early in the 2023 sales slump that keeping his team on the calls would help everyone.
“If we can help our agents make more money, we’ll be more profitable,” Smith says, rather than “how can I make more money off of my agents.”
To make it so, Smith and his wife and co-founder, Melody Smith, started a profit-sharing plan at Anvil.
“Here’s a piece of the company profit back to the agents for participating,” he says. Increased productivity, Smith suspected, would actually make the whole team more profitable.
That combination has put Anvil back in the winners’ circle for the second time, a coup for a company that’s just two years into the 16-year-old Top Workplaces program.
Employees in the survey commended Smith and the management team for helping everyone feel part of the team.
“Anvil knows we’re human, have our own lives but also pushes us to be the best Realtors we can be,” wrote one employee. “No company is perfect but Anvil really makes me feel like I’m in the best place, and I’m not leaving!”
“The captain of culture gives it his all to make sure every one of his agents succeeds,” wrote another.
Smith spoke to us about what has helped keep Anvil’s work culture positive and moving forward in a time when sales are at their slowest pace in 36 years.
Q: Is your market pretty specific to South Orange County?
We’ve actually expanded really, but yes, our market is very specific to Orange County. We have grown and we are in north Orange County as well. And we’re opening an office in Los Angeles, too. And we have an office in San Diego already.
How are you able to expand when so…
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