Gay Pinson used to display her grandchildren’s pictures on her office desk. Her awards used to hang on the wall behind her. Today she can still put up those photos and awards, only it’s in her home office.

If you’re like most brokers, this year you’ll spend more than 15 percent of your company dollar on advertising. Picture all that money going down the drain. That’s what happens when salespeople who answer your phones don’t know how to turn calls into appointments.

In the seven years since Frank D'Ostilio, president and broker in charge of William Orange Realty Inc., bought his company, he's increased sales eightfold. D'Ostilio's experience has made him a strong proponent of buying used--companies, that is.

When Ed Willer, president of York Residential in Raleigh, N.C., signed up at North Carolina State University for workshops on quality control, he quickly realized he was the only real estate practitioner in the classes. As a result, Willer developed his own program.