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It’s surreal that the little boy<br />
who once sat on my lap now sits<br />
across the hall from me as an<br />
accomplished land professional<br />
and business partner in whom<br />
I have full confidence.<br />
The Family Business Takes Root<br />
Allan: I started this business in 1995 after nearly 20 years as a<br />
farm manager for area banks. I’ve been blessed to watch what<br />
began as a small operation in the spare bedroom of my home<br />
grow to become a local leader in a variety of land services.<br />
We’ve expanded our offerings and broadened our reach, now<br />
serving landowners not only with farm management but also<br />
farm and recreational real estate brokerage, auctions, licensed<br />
appraisals, and land investment consulting.<br />
In family-owned businesses, it is often expected that the next<br />
generation will continue in the footsteps of the founder. That<br />
wasn’t the case for our family—I would have never forced the<br />
business on Luke. But ten years ago, quite unexpectedly, our<br />
father/son team was formed at Worrell Land Services when<br />
my son Luke, who had been working in a sales and marketing<br />
capacity in professional baseball, moved back to Central Illinois<br />
and reconnected with his ag roots. It’s surreal that the little boy<br />
who once sat on my lap now sits across the hall from me as an<br />
accomplished land professional and business partner in whom I<br />
have full confidence.<br />
I tell you this background to give some context to our following<br />
commentary regarding the next generation of land real estate<br />
professionals and how the industry has evolved over time from<br />
our perspectives. Oh, and I should give you advanced warning<br />
that we are land professionals, not professional writers. So if<br />
the transition from one writer to the other feels a little awkward,<br />
that’s because it is!<br />
Across the Generations: Then and Now<br />
Luke: Not surprisingly, the most significant change from<br />
when dad started in the land business nearly 40 years ago is<br />
technology and the way it allows the quick flow of information.<br />
In dad’s arsenal of communication tools in 1977 as a young<br />
land professional right out of college, he had a typewriter and a<br />
rotary phone. Now, we communicate with our clients in a variety<br />
of ways including email, text, video conferencing, and social<br />
media to name a few–we don’t simply have to rely on phone<br />
and mail marketing. We have learned the unique way each client<br />
wants to communicate, and are therefore more relevant to them<br />
because we are speaking their language.<br />
The internet has played a huge role in redefining the ways in<br />
which land-seekers and land-sellers can connect with one<br />
another. This has created a shift in the characteristics of land<br />
buyers. Buyers are now more sophisticated because they have<br />
access to so much information! Modern technology allows<br />
buyers from all over the nation, and even the world, to learn<br />
about land for sale thousands of miles away without leaving<br />
their screen.<br />
Gone are the days when a buyer almost exclusively came from<br />
within the same county as the land being sold. Certainly, many<br />
buyers are still owner-operators but in the last decade or so, we<br />
are seeing more investor-type buyers coming to the table from<br />
outside the traditional ag world. Buyers now come from a wide<br />
range of backgrounds and with broad investment knowledge.<br />
To reach this wide-ranging group, land professionals must<br />
stay current with the times. For example, Worrell Land Services<br />
maintains an active voice on various social media platforms,<br />
we advertise listings nationally not just locally, and we are<br />
intentional about building professional relationships all over<br />
the country.<br />
Additional technological advancements include advanced<br />
mapping software and aerial drone imagery. Being able to show<br />
potential buyers a bird’s eye view of the land they’re considering<br />
has been a huge advantage and has made our marketing much<br />
more effective. All those hours of playing video games as a kid<br />
(when dad wanted to wring my neck) have paid off in the form<br />
of smooth drone piloting!<br />
Timeless Tips<br />
Allan: As I look back at how the land industry has evolved<br />
over time, change is certainly apparent. However, the<br />
foundation upon which a successful land business is built is<br />
largely the same. So, here are some “Timeless Tips” from an<br />
industry veteran…<br />
It still comes down to the people and earning their trust. Be<br />
honest. Don’t backstab. Your clients have to believe in you<br />
as a person before they would ever want to do business with<br />
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