Follow the Leader: Hoby Hanna

Our leader to follow this week is Hoby Hanna of Howard Hanna Real Estate Services (www.HowardHanna.com). Hoby is the third generation to lead the largest family-owned real estate company in America. We chose Hoby as our leader to follow for several reasons – specifically for his Internet savvy, branding strategy, and overall management philosophy.

While many family real estate brokers have been usurped by third-party listing websites or consumed by franchises, Howard Hanna has not. So, we wanted to know, what’s their secret? Hoby enlightened us.

The Howard Hanna “Special Sauce”
Howard Hanna Real Estate Services has achieved success on many levels. Of course, our first thought was about the technology aspect – their extraordinary success with online marketing is certainly of note. However, it’s also their overall branding strategy and management philosophy that keeps them on top. We spoke with Mr. Hanna about each.

Online Marketing
“The traffic to our website stays up and we stay competitive with third-party sites and other brokers for several reasons,” Mr. Hanna explains. “The first key is listings. As a company, we focus on gaining listings so that we can remain the listing leaders in the markets we’re active in. After all, listings are what consumers want to see when they’re online.”

“We’re also constantly improving our website,” he says. “And the consumer clearly likes it, because our traffic is so much higher than our competitors. The feedback we’ve gotten is that people find our website to be reliable, quick-to-search, and rich in inventory and other valuable content.”

As the final facet to Howard Hanna’s online success, Mr. Hanna cites their strategy in partnering with third-party sites. The thought and analysis that goes into their listing syndication strategy is rivaled only by their approach to branding. He says, “We carefully monitor third party sites to see if they’re really sending us traffic. Our data is an asset, and we do not share it unless it will benefit our agents.”

Branding
Howard Hanna takes a very conscientious, purposeful approach to branding. “We’re ‘brand police’ about our offices, signs, lapel pins, letterhead, logo, and everything else,” Mr. Hanna explains. “No detail is too small. We know that, as a regional company, our name might not be recognizable in – say – California. But, in our regional footprint, our goal is to have solid brand recognition.” (Side note: they have achieved remarkable brand recognition.)

Mr. Hanna continues, “We even branded our website as HowardHanna.com, not ClevelandRealEstate.com or another keyword-driven address. Of course, we take care of SEO on-site to cover our top search terms.”

Mr. Hanna also sees that the fact Howard Hanna is an independently-owned real estate company as a strength. “As an independent real estate company,” he says, “our brand doesn’t get diluted like national franchises do.”

In the Family Since 1957
We were a little curious about what it must like to lead a company with people who, most likely, bounced you on their knee as a child. “There’s no doubt that family businesses have an interesting dynamic,” Mr. Hanna says. “But, at Howard Hanna, there’s a philosophy that, ‘Just because you’re a Hanna, it doesn’t mean you’re given a role of responsibility.’ You have to come in and work from the ground up; you have to prove yourself. I started as an agent, then worked as a branch manager.”

He also mentions that there’s no one leader at Howard Hanna. Everyone takes an active role – aunts, uncles, brothers, parents, and grandparents. And everyone gives 120%. Give it your all – or don’t show up.

The resulting multi-generational debate has certainly contributed to Howard Hanna’s success. Older generations maintain timeless standards (such as handwritten thank you notes) while newer generations push the envelope with technology. And the team has brilliantly decided to enrich their offerings. They’ve expanded into mortgages, title insurance, and commercial real estate. “We’re always trying to find new ways to serve our agents and our customers,” says Mr. Hanna.

About Hoby Hanna
As President of Howard Hanna Ohio, Hoby knows and understands every aspect of the real estate industry through first-hand experience, gained beginning in childhood as the member of a family that owns a dynamic, nationally recognized real estate business.

Hoby is also in charge of land development, works with Howard Hanna Mortgage, and Barristers of Ohio Title & Escrow Services and Howard Hanna Insurance. He is a member of:

• The Board of Governors of the Northern Ohio Multiple Listing Service (NORMLS), which works with 750 member real estate companies and over 8000 real estate agents.

• Realty Alliance, a network of North America’s most elite residential real estate firms.

• The Board of Trulia.

• The Board of Directors for North Coast Community Homes, which develops and maintains housing for individuals with mental retardation and developmental disabilities in Cuyahoga, Lake and Stark Counties in Ohio and for individuals with severe mental illness in Summit County Ohio.

• The Cleveland Chapter of Young President’s Organization (YPO). The organization brings together more than 11,000 members in more than 100 nations to exchange ideas, share strategies, and address the challenges of leadership.

Hoby is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and the Leadership Development program at Yale University. He is a licensed Broker and is active in numerous other professional, civic and community organizations locally and nationally.