Realtor Paula McDaniel makes selling houses look easy. But she’s had to work hard to get there.
“These last two years have been my best two years in the 22 years I’ve been selling real estate,” she says. “But I attribute that to having worked harder than I’ve ever worked. I’ve worked longer hours, skipped vacations, and spent more money on marketing than ever before.”
While McDaniel was willing to sacrifice things she enjoys – skiing in Utah, going four-wheeling with her husband, and volunteering in her community – she wasn’t willing to give up what she considers to be the heart of her business: customer service.
“You have to step up your customer service each year. People are expecting more, so I try to put myself in their shoes and give them the best possible service I can,” she says.
To McDaniel, success is not just about numbers, but also about the difference her work makes in someone’s life.
“I believe in achieving a balance between going for more sales and being available to your customers. I would not sacrifice customer service for more transactions,” she says.
McDaniel’s determination to deliver solid customer service goes back to one of her primary reasons for becoming a Realtor: to help others.
“I love making a difference in the lives of my clients. They’re making the biggest investment of their lives, so I take what I do for them seriously. For me, the most gratifying part of a transaction is running into a couple after I’ve sold them a house and hearing them say they love it and are happy living there. That’s my reward,” she says.
To get to that point, McDaniel makes follow-ups a priority: she makes sure lenders are doing what they’re supposed to be doing; she checks with other Realtors to inquire about what she can do to make a sale happen; and she stays on the phone until late in the evening.
“I have a very understanding husband,” she says of her companion of 16 years, George Luttrell of Luttrell Development.
McDaniel, who lists and sells residential properties, also arms herself with as much knowledge as she can. To date, she’s earned the Certified Sellers Representative, Accredited Buyer’s Representative, Graduate Realtor Institute and e-pro designations. She also attends conventions in an effort to “get educated.”
While the real estate profession can be exhausting, McDaniel’s drive to succeed has kept her going. “I’ve always been determined to work as hard as is necessary,” she says. “And I do.”
Despite the long hours and the personal sacrifices, after more than two decades in real estate, McDaniel still loves her job. “Every day, I still look forward to coming in to work. It’s nice to still be able to say that,” she says.
McDaniel was born in Chattanooga and has remained in the Scenic City, save for a brief detour to Georgia Southern University in Statesboro. There, she met and became friends with a woman who eventually quit school to sell real estate in Atlanta. The friend encouraged McDaniel to do the same in Chattanooga.
“I was selling phones for Cellular One on Shallowford Road. This was the late ’80s, so the phones were huge,” she says, laughing.
McDaniel had “a peace” about real estate, so in 1990, she earned her license and went to work for Gloria Sutton. Although McDaniel did not sell a house until her 12th month in the business, she knew she’d found “her calling.”
Sutton learned everything she could while with Sutton and then switched to Better Homes and Gardens, which eventually became Prudential. She’s still with the company today, working out of its East Brainerd and Hixson offices.
While McDaniel has made a name for herself locally in real estate, she will not take sole credit for her success. In addition to commending her husband for his patience, she also praises her two assistants for their skilled work: Shelley Talton and Abbey Cahill. Talton has been with McDaniel for seven years, and is responsible for “dotting the I’s and crossing the T’s.” Cahill, who recently celebrated her third anniversary with McDaniel, handles marketing and other sundry duties.
“I couldn’t do this without them.” she says, turning her head to look at Talton, who’s sitting in another room at the Hixson office, her nose buried in paperwork.
Talton looks up and says what McDaniel, a humble person who doesn’t like talking about herself, won’t: “Paula has one of the most giving hearts I know. She always goes beyond what people expect of her, whether it’s a client, or Abbey and me, or her family. And she always puts other people before herself,” Talton says.
The waterworks start immediately, and both women reach for tissues and begin to dab their eyes.
McDaniel says she’s simply trying to emulate her late father, Paul, a car dealer and a man she clearly loves and respects a great deal.
“He would make time for people even if he had 50 calls come in. I’ll never forget going to his office at Infinity, and the operator would be saying, ‘Paul McDaniel, line one,’ and ‘Paul McDaniel, line 2,’ but if you had something going on in your life, those lines could continue to ring, and he would sit there and talk with you instead. He had a heart for people and for helping them,” she says.
McDaniel also has a heart for helping people. She previously volunteered at Teen Challenge and Big Brothers Big Sisters, although her current schedule is too demanding to allow her to continue. McDaniel is, however, an active member at Dallas Bay Baptist Church.
McDaniel is living proof that hard work pays off. But she also serves as an example of the importance of the human factor in the brass tacks world of business. Achieving one’s goals without also helping others would be self-serving, and that simply isn’t in McDaniel’s blood.