An inside look at what makes The Ernst Team special from Lisa Williams, Director of Growth & Partnerships
The Ernst Team enjoying their 5th Annual Bengals Client Event
When people hear “real estate team,” it’s easy to think about houses: listings, showings, contracts, and closings. Those things are part of the job. But since joining The Ernst Team, I’ve realized that the work behind a transaction tells a much bigger story, and it’s mostly about people.
It’s about a team investing in one another so they can better serve their clients, about relationships with local businesses and community organizations, and about the fact that buying or selling a home happens in the middle of people’s lives. That’s the part of real estate I’m most interested in.
Starting With Allen
If you want to understand the Ernst Team, a good place to start is Allen Ernst. One of the first things I noticed was how often he asks for input. He’ll ask what you’re seeing and how the team could do something better, and he means it. As the team leader, he could simply make the decisions and expect everyone to follow, but he has set things up so people are encouraged to contribute.
Allen also invests heavily in the team. Some of that is easy to see: technology, marketing, lead generation, training, and systems that help agents work more effectively and give clients a better experience. The investment that’s harder to put a dollar amount on is his time. He coaches his agents, works through challenges with them, and shares what he knows. Giving someone the tools to do a job is one thing, and investing in the person using them is another. Allen does both.
But culture isn’t created by one person, even the one who sets the tone. It’s created by what everyone else does with it.
The People Who Make It Work
One of the things I appreciate most about the Ernst Team is that we aren’t all the same. We bring different backgrounds, personalities, experiences, and strengths to the table.
Lauren, our lead agent, keeps reminding us what all those systems, tools, and training are there to support, which is the client. She understands that while we deal with real estate every day, our clients don’t. Buying or selling a home can be exciting, stressful, and emotional, sometimes all three before lunch. Whether she’s helping someone buy their first home or handle a much bigger move, Lauren has a way of absorbing some of that stress and making sure the client knows someone is firmly in their corner.
Kyle brings another strength. He’s an agent who also works heavily on our technology and marketing, so he’s often the bridge between the tools we’re rolling out and the people who have to use them. I’ve said more than once that Kyle has the patience of a saint. He’ll explain something, demonstrate it, troubleshoot it, and explain it again when one of us inevitably needs a refresher. He understands that technology should help us serve people better, and he makes that happen.
Then there’s Tabby. Officially she’s our admin, and unofficially she’s Supergirl. She keeps track of the details and keeps the rest of us moving in the right direction, somehow with a smile and a sense of humor. Every organization has people whose work isn’t always visible from the outside but whose impact is felt everywhere inside it. For us, that’s Tabby.
That’s only part of the team. Brittney Holland, Robyn Gosbee, Abby Cronin, Denice Koenig, and Marcie Smith each bring their own experiences, personalities, and relationships to the work we do, and that matters because our clients aren’t all the same either. Some are buying their first home. Others are selling the home where they raised their children. Some are relocating, investing, settling an estate, or trying to figure out what comes next, and those situations don’t always call for the same approach.
A team isn’t strong because everyone thinks alike. It’s strong because different people with different strengths can learn from one another while working toward the same goal.
Where I Fit In
My role looks a little different. I’m a Realtor, but my title is Director of Client Experience & Partnerships, and much of my work begins with conversations. I spend time getting to know business owners, community leaders, organizations, and the people serving our neighborhoods. I want to know what they do, what they’re working toward, and who they might benefit from meeting. Very often I find myself thinking, I know someone you should talk to.
Sometimes those conversations lead to real estate, and many times they don’t. I’m perfectly okay with that, because I don’t think strong business relationships start with “What can you do for me?” They start with “What can we do together?”
That’s one reason organizations like the East Side Business Alliance matter to me.
Lisa Williams
Why Community Matters
A business alliance gives us a chance to know one another beyond a logo, a title, or a business card. We learn what other people are building, discover resources that already exist in our own community, make introductions, and share knowledge. Sometimes we spot an opportunity for two people to work together who might never have found one another otherwise.
I’ve attended several of the East Side Business Alliance’s networking events, and The Ernst Team sponsored The Gather on Main. We’re also a sponsor of the Alliance’s upcoming Chocolate Walk. Events like those are what build a community and help local businesses thrive, which is why I said yes when I was asked to join the Board. I’ve brought new business members to the Alliance myself, and I want to make sure I am always a part of getting the word out.
That kind of connection makes individual businesses stronger, and I believe it makes communities stronger too. When I think about it, that isn’t very different from real estate at all.
More Than Houses
At the end of the day, the Ernst Team helps people buy and sell homes. That’s our business. But homes don’t exist by themselves. They’re part of neighborhoods, and those neighborhoods are filled with people who need lenders, contractors, restaurants, healthcare providers, attorneys, accountants, schools, nonprofits, small businesses, and countless other resources.
Real estate touches almost every part of a community, which gives us a chance to be more than the people you call when you’re ready to move. It gives us a chance to know the people who make our communities work.
That’s why relationships matter to us, and why we get involved with organizations like the Eastside Business Alliance. We don’t just want to do business in this community. We want to be part of it.
Learn more about The Ernst Team: www.theernstteam.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theernstteam
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauren_theernstteam/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-williams-15862850/
Take a look at Lisa’s weekly newsletter Opening Doors which discusses Growth, Partnerships & Community. Subscribe on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow
Thank you to Lisa Williams, Director of Growth & Partnerships, for sharing this look at The Ernst Team. Teams like these are why we started the Eastside Business Alliance. Our small businesses and nonprofits aren’t just members of a directory, they’re neighbors doing work that makes this community stronger, one kit, one customer, one conversation at a time. If that sounds like the kind of place you want to grow your business or your cause, come find your people with us. Business Growth. Rooted in Community.