Show Notes

During this episode, host Dan Lesniak speaks with Adam Collins, a commercial real estate broker. Adam shares how he sees the future of office space, why he thinks it’s important to be a  thought leader in your field, and how to build your business through a commitment to providing value.

Episode Highlights: 

  • Real estate has always been one of Adam Collins' passions. As soon as he started this career path, he instantly fell in love with it.
  • Adam has been having many exciting conversations about the future of office space.
  • There are some people who think of remote working as part of their business but also see a need for a collaborative space.
  • Employees are looking forward to getting back into the office space for socialization.
  • Adam shares some of the reasons why he is excited to get back to the office.
  • A benefit of this time is that it has shown people where they've been inefficient.
  • Video interaction is going to be a large part of many businesses going forward, even if it doesn't replace in-person interaction.
  • Architectural firms are starting to put out new floor plans to offer new strategies for office spaces.
  • To redesign an office space, you have to consider your company culture.
  • Talk with the future leaders in your organization who you want to feel heard.
  • Adam shares what has changed about his business during the pandemic.
  • Historically, a lot of Adam's business was referral based. At the beginning of the year, he decided to start diving into other ways to generate leads. He is trying to utilize all of the avenues he knows.
  • Adam wants to be the first person people turn to when they think about real estate. Having a strong presence on LinkedIn is helping him achieve that.
  • It can be helpful for Adam to tell his clients what their peers are thinking.
  • Dan emphasizes that being the expert is a long-term strategy.
  • It's not just about selling on LinkedIn. Use it to share information. Try to be a thought leader.
  • Adam thinks it's too early to know where supply and demand in commercial real estate is going in DC. There's already a bit of an oversupply. It's a very tenant-friendly atmosphere.
  • Real estate is the #2 expense for most organizations.
  • Co-working spaces are not in expansion mode.
  • The people who can provide the most value right now will come out ahead in business.
  • Adam’s biggest advice for a new agent or entrepreneur is to keep pushing through and take notes of your little successes.
  • His biggest advice for an experienced agent or entrepreneur is to be consistent.
  • His biggest challenge has been facing all of the little challenges added together.
  • Adam shares his vision for the next five years.

3 Key Points:

1.   There are exciting conversations going on right now in commercial real estate. Some people think working from home is the true future. Others are talking about how to capitalize on the market uncertainty to fuel an expansion of their office space. Others see a need for collaboration space.

2.   LinkedIn can help you provide value in your space and help you establish yourself as a thought leader. 

3.   Right now it's not about selling your services. It's about helping others. 

Tweetable Quotes:

  • “I think businesses will find that employees do want some place to go into the office every day and that's a big driver in company culture.” – Adam Collins
  • “My goal is to be the guy the leaders of our business community turn to when they have a thought or they have a question.” – Adam Collins
  • “Just putting out information, asking questions, getting people's opinions, learning about their needs, and developing relationships...I think if you can do that there's this huge long-term benefit.” – Dan Lesniak
  • “You've got to refocus your mindset to be more relationship-based right now.” – Adam Collins
  • “We all know what to do, but knowing isn't doing.” – Adam Collins

Resources Mentioned: