Susie Martindale has had more than a few challenges along her road to success. Twice in her real estate career, she has had to relocate her family and her business, virtually starting over from scratch each time. When you consider the fact that her original expectation of the real estate industry was simply to provide a part-time job, her accomplishments are all the more remarkable. "Selling real estate was really my husband's idea," Susie tells us. "I was in the hospital delivering our youngest son, Brandon, when Ken suggested that I focus what he calls 'my excess energy' on selling houses." At the time, the couple were both working at Smith's, but Ken had been urging Susie into another career. "I was studying business administration at the University of Utah and working nights as a checker and a trainer. Ken was a district manager and got tired of talking about the grocery business every night at home. So with two young boys at home, I thought I would just work part-time out of our house."

Her initial clients came from contacts at work, she explains. "Friends that I had known at the various stores I had worked in became my first customers. Although there was not a lot of business, these early sales taught me a great deal about the emotional sensitivity of buying and selling a house. These transactions helped me focus on the importance of personal service, really attending to the human side of the business. That's the real key to my career." With those first few sales came new referrals, and Susie was on her way to something more than part-time work.

Susie's rookie years were spent with Webber Realty, until that company merged with Coldwell Banker in 1985. She remained with Coldwell Banker until 1989, when she joined Mansell and Associates. Susie was awarded the prestigious Salt Lake Board of REALTORS® Salesperson of the Year in 1989. She didn't have much time to enjoy the limelight, however, due to Ken's promotion and subsequent relocation to Southern California in mid-1990.

Although Susie was coming off several very productive years of selling in Utah, she feels that the experience of relocating both her family and her business gave her an edge over many other agents. "When I went to Southern California, I had to rebuild my business from scratch, you know, ground zero. While I expected new business development to be difficult, I underestimated the emotional stress that the move would place on my family and me. I think that the first year or two in California really sharpened my people skills. I learned to see and feel my clients' needs from their perspective and to have compassion and understanding for all the changes in their lives."

Several years later, buy putting her years of experience and heightened customer service philosophies to work, Susie had developed quite a niche selling in the beach community of Laguna Niguel. She elaborates, "We were living in the dream house that we had just built, and the kids were settled. I was working with RE/MAX, and business was great. It finally seemed like home." However, as another new opportunity at Smith's arose for Ken, the family packed up and headed back to Salt Lake City in 1995.

"I thought returning to Mansell was a natural fit. They had always been so supportive of the 'long distance transactions' that I closed in Utah while living in Southern California. They are really a great bunch of people." Upon returning to Mansell and the booming Utah market, Susie decided to take her business to the next plateau. By combining her commitment to personalized, dedicated service with many of the creative marketing techniques she had observed while in Southern California, she was able to once again rise to the top, attaining recognition as 1998's highest volume agent in the entire Mansell organization.

Susie realized, "The Utah market had become much more competitive and sophisticated since I left the area. My ability to effectively market both myself and the properties that I represent would be a key driver in my future success here."

"My clients, both buyers and sellers, seem to really enjoy our Web Site. Site navigation is very straightforward, and it has user friendly links to the Utah Travel Council and the State of Utah information web site, to name a few. I've had everything from gardening tips to local points of interest in Salt Lake City represented online. A potential client can view my listings, read about my philosophy on selling real estate and get to know other members of my team. We even provide tips on moving and will send out a great relocation package if you e-mail us your name and address," Susie adds.

Susie reminds us, however, "No amount of creative marketing or fancy technology is a replacement for personal attention and contact, even if it is over the phone. Once that phone rings and we make a contact, our job begins. My goal is for each client to have access to someone from my fantastic team at all times. One of my biggest frustrations as a real estate professional is not always being able to contact other agents. It's tough when you want to make an appointment to show a home Friday night and can't reach the agent all weekend. I don't ever want my clients to experience that frustration with us."

Most people would think that maintaining the hectic lifestyle of a successful REALTOR® is more than enough to keep them busy. But two years ago, Susie took her career even one step further by developing into commercial and residential development. "Development and building a project from ground-up has always intrigued me. Now that my children are both teenagers, I have a little more time to devote to this aspect of the business. Developing has actually forced me to stay more in tune with the current trends and demands of today's home buyers. This experience has really helped fine-tune my skills with my major focus, selling homes," she elaborates.

Susie Developed a business relationship with Dan Stewart of Tri-City Construction early this past year. Susie tells us that "Working with Dan has been a dream. He is so focused on quality and customer satisfaction, I know he realizes that word-of-mouth can make or break a company, and he is so committed to growing and expanding his business. A lot of people talk the 'quality' story, but he really lives it!"

In talking with Susie, it becomes quickly evident that a major key to her success is her outgoing personality. If irrepressible energy were the main qualification for a successful career in real estate, one might suspect that she played with lockboxes as a child. But Susie's direct manner and her skills with people have come not only from success in the real estate industry, but also from prevailing over some trying circumstances. Her ability to achieve new levels of professional success despite challenges along the way is something which led her to become a contributor to the Homeless Youth Resource Center, which supports at-risk and homeless teens.

Experiencing what she describes as a "turbulent childhood," Susie feels an affinity for kids in difficult life circumstances. She notes "that the existence of homeless teenagers was something that barely registered as a public concern until a few years ago. Knowing that your efforts can make a difference in the life of a troubled child is more rewarding than words can express. I am hoping to become even more active as time allows. Currently in Salt Lake City, there are no overnight facilities for homeless teens at all. The Homeless Youth Resource Center is a larger facility with a few beds in the near future."

Susie is not someone who seems at a loss for words about any subject. In fact, she jokes, "Everyone is always telling me to talk more slowly. When I meet a new client, I try to remind myself to slow down, at least until they get to know me. But I just can't." This leads to an interesting confession. "Sometimes," she says laughing, "I become so concerned about my clients that I can't even sleep some nights. But what the heck, I get some of my best work done at 4 a.m."