After a decade in Chicago earning a master’s degree from the University of Illinois and running his own marketing and graphic design studio,
Philip Soo moved back East and joined top producer (and mother) Susy M. Soo, in her real estate business. He is now entering his ninth year in residential real estate.
How did you come to practice real estate after having your own marketing and design studio?
Both my family and my wife Laura’s family are from New Jersey, part of the Tri-State area just north of New York City. We had both been thinking about career changes, and with her being in commercial TV production, NYC was a richer environment than Chicago. For me, I made the change to have greater control over the business. My mother has been a top producing Realtor for decades. I joined her in 2003 and that first year, we did 50 percent more sales.
What do you bring to the team?
I was introduced to technology when I had my marketing company. I was designing various forms of marketing and business collateralpieces in print – but it was clear to me that the Internet was quickly replacing many forms of print media allowing anyone to publish their ideas on the Web for next to nothing. Then I learned the real estate ropes from Susy – mostof the Old-School craftstill applies – nowI’m working with buyers and sellers everyday and marketing New Jersey realestate at the highest level.
I’m a big believer that the Internet is anothersign on the lawn. We need to pay attention how our listings are out there on big sites like Realtor.com– you need find the sitesand activities that bring in your business, and make enhancements to how you and your properties are listed on the Web.
The big marketing no-go zone I see now is between the “macro” and the “micro.” The newspapers are the living proof; you have the super-macro newsprint like the New York Times. Then on the micro side, you have the little newspapers that get thrown in your yard – thevast gap in between is a waste of marketing expense. That’s why so many longstanding middle-market newspapers have disappeared. The big newspapers survive because they have become mega Websites, and the locals survive because people will always be interested in their own backyard. You can’t neglect either.
So how does social media fit into that paradigm?
I have friends on Facebook who are artists and shamelessly promote themselves – what clubs they’re playing and when. But if you’re a Realtor and you do it, then it’s spam. You have to be more organic, you can’t be overt. It’s something I struggle with because I have a limited amount of time. There is a whole emerging industry in blogging and social media enhancement for business. I am looking to hire a local person to maintain that aspect of my business. The lead-generation possibilities are wide open. It’s easy to get distracted, so it important to remember that the goal is still to close transactions.
So that social aspect of real estate is something you grew up with?
(laughs) Well, I guess ever since I drew my first picture of a house, I was a Realtor-in-training. People love my mother, she has dinner parties all the time… I grew up in that world and I’m like that too. But seriously, she’s taught me all the Old-School things that will always be part of real estate. I am lucky to have learned from her. Now, I’ve taught her how to use a market herself in the new media. We’ve both given each other the best of what we have to offer, and together it’s allowed us to market and sell in Web 2.0.
You’re a dad of two young kids. Is there anything special you bring to the table with buyers?
Well, my buyers are my generation – they are coming to my community for the same reason I’m here, because of the schools. They can’t afford to send their kids to private schools in New York. Here, we have really, really good schools, and they can commute easily and still be in touch with the city. It’s just like my folks who moved here 40 years ago, the dynamic hasn’t changed. We have the empty nesters toothat are moving to condos in Manhattan or someplace warm. We have the beginning, the middle and the end of that process driving our home sales. It’s comforting to know some things haven’t changed.
