Margaret Martin does a little bit of everything from event planning to running an adult day care. After having worked in dentistry, Margaret dove headfirst into association life and inherited her executive position when her boss passed away. Tune in to learn how Margaret adapts, writes a “prenup” with incoming presidents, and talks her members off the “crazy ledge.”

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Time Stamped Show Notes:

• 01:08 – Margaret is in Dothan, Alabama and has a small board of 260 realtors, 400 in her MLS
• 01:30 – Didn’t start out as an association executive, she was in the dental field, got injured, and started working at the association office for an interesting woman
• 02:50 – Her boss passed away in the office, she was always smoking and made it a difficult working environment, but this is how Margaret’s career began
• 03:20 – She is pinned the “black widow” by associates because of how she inherited her job
• 04:08 – She’s been there for 14 years and enjoys her job – she’s an event planner, travel broker, story listener, and is all over the place
• 04:45 – She believes in her members and has a great assistant, Emma
• 05:07 – The biggest surprise moving from dentistry to association life
• 05:30 – You never want to mess with someone’s children or money, but in dentistry you do both
• 06:15 – She said she was running an “adult daycare center” and her 6-year-old repeated it so she had to backtrack
• 06:41 – Being a realtor has difficult times, a boss may have never been a manager, you must be able to adapt
• 07:43 – You go to training and come back feeling refreshed and with new ideas, but people don’t want change because it’s hard
• 08:27 – Kiss babies, shake hands
• 09:11 – AE and incoming president program at Leadership Summit that clearly defines the lines and purpose of each branch of the association
• 10:11 – She writes up a “prenup” with incoming president to clarify needs/wants/preferences and establish a relationship
• 10:35 – The AE must be very adaptable
• 10:53 – What’s the craziest thing an incoming leader has done?
• 11:04 – For the first time, they made a profit off CE and a committee chair wanted to use extra money to rent a condo for a committee party
• 12:00 – She had to talk them off that “crazy ledge”
• 12:17 – Fundraising: Sometimes members must be reminded that they are not a civic organization
• 13:36 – Strategic plan must align with fundraising efforts
• 14:13 – Benevolent fund for realtors in need
• 14:55 – Find Margaret Martin on her personal Facebook, the Dothan Association of Realtors Facebook, or by email at [email protected]

3 Key Points

1. You must be adaptable – change is hard if you aren’t open to new ideas.
2. Establish a relationship with leadership to clarify expectations and management style.
3. Fundraising efforts and spending must align with the association’s overall strategic plan.

Credits

• Audio Production by Chris Mottram
• Show Notes provided by Melissa Valder