Unplugged: December
From December 2004
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Coming of Age on The John Muir Trail
by Bill RomanelliFew people would consider two weeks alone with a teenager “relaxing.”
Add a face-to-face encounter with a bear, and most people would recount much better ways to relieve stress.
But for 53-year-old Clay Sigg, vice president and managing broker with Lyon Real Estate, two weeks backpacking the John Muir Trail with his 17-year-old son Anthony was a realization of a life’s goal. The trek started with Sigg and Anthony as a father and a son but finished with the two as friends. It also opened Sigg’s eyes to what the thrill of adventure and the beauty of nature still offer the human soul. And for the 120 agents he supervises, it helped prove an important point about work/life balance.
“One reason I went on the hike was to be a role model for the people I work with,” Sigg says. “Real estate is a people business. If you’re tired and burned out, it can be hard just to get through the day. I tell people they need to take a day off every week, and a week off every quarter, and I mean completely off. The ones who take me up on that are fresher and more productive.”
The numbers are proof enough. His office has increased its productivity and dollar volume by about one-third in just the past five months. Last year his office earned $280 million and is projecting to reach $400 million in 2004. Sigg’s goal is to close 125 escrows every month.
“Plenty of things can go wrong in any one escrow,” says Sigg, who in a normal week works about 60 hours; deals with 80 emails a day; supervises the recruiting, training and retention of staff; and serves as mediator, mentor and marketer for the agents working under him. “You’re dealing with buyers and sellers who are under stress, which can lead to conflict, and the Realtor is an easy target. It can result in some real bad days.”
Continued...
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