I left commercial real estate in 2003 when I wrote my first book on women and networking. At the time, I was building a national women's network and soon launched the first social network for businesswomen in the US. From that venture, I dabbled briefly with owning a software company based on the technology we developed. I found my interest was more in using technology to solve business problems and I began consulting on ecommerce and online marketing for businesses, many of which were in retail and the commercial real estate industry. In 2012, Sperry Van Ness International Corp. contacted me about a position they had that would combine all of my legal, commercial real estate, marketing, business development and technology experience. How could I say no to that?!

Globest: How has your interests and job changed over time--for instance, incorporating social media into your work/career?

I've been obsessed with using technology to increase efficiency in sales, marketing and operations, since 1998. I remember back then trying to convince the CRE industry that email and websites weren't silly fads. When I was asked to blog for the Boston Globe back in 2003, I wasn't sure what that meant, but dove right in--which is the only way to learn. In fact, I never intended to launch a social network for businesswomen in 2005. I just wanted to create a member directory that members could update themselves, simply to minimize my overhead.

Based on that experience, in 2007, I authored my second book, The Savvy Gal's Guide to Online Networking (or What Would Jane Austen Do?). The intergenerational research we did for that book spotlighted the coming influence of online networking and social media. Fast forward a few years, and I'm happy to be working in CRE at a company that values my experience building online platforms using social media, cloud-based technology and freemium business models.

Globest: In what ways has the commercial real estate shifted to incorporate women? Has it?

When I came back to commercial real estate I attended a networking event on women in CRE. My first reaction was that we had most of the same women presenting as we had nearly10 years earlier. But as I listened to the conversation, the tone was different. There were no apologies for ambitions or guilt over daycare. That was no longer part of the conversation. It was about capitalizing on strengths and creating opportunities. Unfortunately, the demographics of the industry have not changed that much in the past decade. This is why I was attracted to the Sperry Van Ness® franchise model. Some of our strongest franchisees are women-owned businesses and my goal is to increase that number.

Globest: What has been the most rewarding aspect of your career?

I've gone in a lot of different directions with my career and I have had many people tell me that my choices never made any sense. Yet, now, it's as if I shot an entire quiver of arrows into the air and drew a target around where they all landed. On any given day, I'm using all of my skills, from that corporate tax law class to dialing for dollars as a salesperson, from developing software to blogging and public speaking. The most rewarding has been taking all I've learned and incorporating it into a C-level opportunity at a company in an industry that I truly enjoy. Making the leap to the C-Suite isn't easy for men or women. Sometimes it takes leaving the industry to learn something that you can bring back to the table with you. It also takes existing leadership, like our current CEO & president, Kevin Maggiacomo, looking beyond the traditional candidates and giving me the support and the mentoring I need to take my game to the next level.

Globest: How can commercial real estate make better use of new technology for enhanced communication/information-sharing?

Commercial real estate advisors need to consider technology as new fundamentals. It doesn't replace the basics of building relationships and the groundwork of cultivating detailed market knowledge, but it can enhance those fundamentals with real time research and communication. On the social media front, follow others who share details about what's going on in your market. Learn how to use hashtags on Twitter and carve out your own niche. In my brief stint as real estate salesperson, I learned everything there was about mill conversions. And, I wrote about it in the local press so that everyone would know how much I knew on the topic. Blogging makes that much easier today.

Get a tablet. Mobile technology is changing the way everyone does business. Sperry Van Ness advisors use Google apps and other cloud-based technology. It allows all of us to work together and with clients, no matter where we are in the world.

Finally, don't be afraid to “pilot test.” With all the new technology apps coming out, find ones that work for you and your clients. Many have free trial periods or low monthly fees. It may take some trial and error, but if the tool or resource increases your productivity, that's a win for everyone. The CRE industry is moving towards collaboration and those who use and understand the tools and systems that help them do that, will be one step ahead.