The January 2006 issue of Broker Agent Magazine honored me as their cover feature. The following is the article which appeared in that magazine:
I arrived at the Realty Executives location at Kolb and Sunrise having never met Mitch Canin. I had spoken with him briefly the day we set up our interview and was able to glean that he is bright and engaging. A couple of times he even made me laugh out loud. Prior to the interview, I accessed Tucson Board of Realtors Multiple Listing Service statistics which revealed that over the past 10 years Canin has ranked among the city’s top 1% both in number of sales and total dollar volume, no small feat in a city of over 6,500 agents. He welcomed me with a firm handshake and genuine smile. Once seated in the conference room, we exchanged the usual pleasantries, but his questions had a ring of sincerity as if he was genuinely interested in my answers. I liked the guy already. Just as we were about to begin the interview, Canin’s cell phone rang. He politely explained that it was a call he needed to take, answered it and after listening to the caller, in a calm but firm voice stated his position on the issue raised. I got the impression that whatever the issue, it had been resolved. He turned off his phone and apologized for the interruption.
Canin feels strongly that the best Realtors bring to their client relationships a unique blend of analytical, legal and interpersonal relationship skills. “I believe I bring high levels of skill in each of those areas to every client relationship. I’m grateful to possess these skills because they enable me to both impact the lives of my clients and be the master of my destiny. When you think about it, how many people are fortunate enough to flourish in a career that satisfies both of these basic human needs? Don’t all of us seek to play an important role in another’s life? Don’t all of us yearn to conduct our daily lives with the highest level of autonomy possible? I’m grateful for each client who aligns themselves with me, and I express that gratitude by deploying all of my skills on their behalf...and that makes me the best Realtor I can be. So, again, it’s all about gratitude.”
Canin is emphatic that the two most essential interpersonal relationship skills a Realtor needs are personal integrity and compassion, believing firmly in the adage, “Say what you’ll do and do what you say.” “Unfortunately, too many Realtors - in fact too many people – only practice the first half of that sentence and, to me, that strikes to the heart of personal integrity. If I tell a client I’m going to do something, they can depend on it. I follow through and it’s something I’m proud of.”
As to the essential role of compassion in his client relationships, Canin understands that the primary emotion encountered in the process of buying or selling one’s home is fear. “Life’s transforming decisions made within a backdrop of fear typically result in poor judgment at a time when sound judgment is most needed. I feel a responsibility to de-stress this inherently stressful process by being the ‘rock’ my client can depend on. I compassionately present choices or options designed to help the client override any fear that may sabotage their stated objective. Compassion and dependability engender trust. Whenever there is trust in a relationship, positive outcomes are a natural progression. There’s a phenomenal synergy to the entire process. It doesn’t get much better than that.”
Canin believes there exists a link in the way a person conducts their personal and professional life. “Though, like all of us, I’m a work in progress, I strive to embody integrity and compassion in my life and feel that who I am as a person naturally plays itself out in my work. I think that’s true for most Realtors. If a Realtor is honest, focused, disciplined, organized and dedicated to improvement in their personal lives, those attributes will manifest in their professional lives resulting in plentiful and rewarding client relationships.”
A focal point of Canin’s personal life is his son, Max. “His mom and I co-parent from different houses. He’s 8 ½ and more than any other person, Maxie has taught me about what is really important in life, and for that I am eternally grateful.” Despite his decision to pursue a career path frequently associated with extroversion, Canin describes himself as “fairly introverted. I prefer small intimate dinner parties to large boisterous settings, so you’ll never see me at a real estate convention.” Canin enjoys cooking and has managed to become a pretty good chef, which also means he is dedicated to working out virtually every day. He enjoys spending time with a small core group of friends, and loves to travel, managing to get away three or four times a year. “I’m always striving for balance. My son, family and core group of friends help me keep everything in perspective. I’m grateful to have these people in my life.”
Canin also values his relationships with the other two members of “The Canin Group,” Kathy Miller and Michele Boyer. “Without question, Kathy Miller is the best assistant I’ve ever had. Frankly, she’s a little obsessive like me. We can pretty much finish each other’s sentences.” Miller has similarly positive comments about Canin. “I appreciate his wit and humor, his intelligence, his passion for the profession and his compassion for his clients. I greatly respect his knowledge of the business and his particular attention to detail because he really does know his stuff.”
Michele Boyer is Canin’s Buyer Representative. It’s Michele who painstakingly birddogs the market and ensures buyers have every opportunity to see a new listing the day it hits the market. Canin observes that “the highest compliment I can pay Michele is that if I was interviewing Realtors to represent me on a purchase, I would want her in my corner, no question. Overall, I have an exceptional crew.” Canin is considering expanding his team with a fourth member to support his ever-growing volume of business.
Canin and his team generate most clients through two sources: referrals and his monthly newsletter. Each month, he writes and distributes over 9,000 newsletters in various Tucson neighborhoods. Each newsletter is customized to include statistical data relevant to the neighborhood that receives it. “I write most of the articles and oversee the analysis of the real estate activity. I believe doing so naturally makes me the most knowledgeable Realtor in that neighborhood.” On of the reasons Canin gravitated to the newsletter concept is his characterization of himself as a “voracious reader,” and says Canin, “readers typically write well.” The newsletter is also his vehicle for staying on top of the market. “To devise content, I keep abreast of trends in my focus neighborhoods, and I am continually analyzing statistical data from the preceding 30 days, i.e., sales, price reductions, market times, etc.”
For Canin, the newsletter serves as a powerful yet “passive” vehicle to convey his acquired knowledge.” As a consumer, I’ve never responded to the high pressure tactics typically employed by commissioned salespeople. It’s my contention that the best salespeople acquire clients by demonstrating knowledge about their product or service in a genuine way. The content of the newsletter is simply a sharing of knowledge. There’s no overt soliciting. At the risk of appearing too spiritual for a real estate magazine, I believe that, in life, we get by giving. So, each month I invest or give my time, knowledge and money to provide newsletters to over 9,000 people. I do so without any expectation of a reward other than the personal satisfaction I receive from knowing I’m providing a service to each person who reads the newsletter.”
Does he hope the newsletter will lead to opportunities for him to facilitate the real estate objectives of the recipients? Absolutely, but he derives satisfaction knowing that the catalyst for any client generated by the newsletter was a result of the service he provided initially. “I give them the newsletter in the hopes I’ll have the opportunity to help them at some point in their real estate lives.”
Though employing a newsletter as a primary vehicle for generating clients is somewhat passive, Canin has gained a reputation as being “tough in the trenches” when it comes to advocacy on behalf of his clients. “I think we need to delineate between my philosophy in obtaining clients and my philosophy in representing them. I’m a tough but fair negotiator. I don’t tolerate sloppily written contracts from other Realtors. We work with legal documents, and I am appalled at how many Realtors have so little knowledge about the implementation or interpretation of the very documents that control the rights and obligations of the people we represent.” So, if that makes him hard to deal with at times, he is happy to plead guilty.
Judy Lowe, Chief Operations Officer at Realty Executives Southern Arizona, respects Canin’s dedication to his clients. “Mitch has been with the company for almost fifteen years. I have admired his skill at counseling his clients through the stresses of the real estate transaction. These clients always come back for more or refer their friends. Counseling - just one of the reasons he’s successful year after year.”
Canin’s advice for a new Realtor just entering the field: “Face your fears. Learn how to handle rejection. Tell the truth. Be creative. Think outside the box. Forget about 40-hour weeks and talk to Realtors who are where you want to be and learn from them.” Mitch Canin can be reached at www.gotucson.com/mitchcanin, 520-907-6526, or caningroup@aol.com. For Canin, the interconnectedness of impacting a client’s life while conducting his own life with a maximum of personal freedom and autonomy creates a kind of inner peace or, as Canin says, “as much inner peace as a Type A personality deserves.” And for that he is grateful.
By Dana Bos
January, 2006