Real estate agent Sylvia Morris' formula for success is commitment, working hard, working smart, having a positive attitude and treating real estate as a business. Sylvia loves what she does and has accomplished in her real estate career what most other Sales Representatives only dream about. She is currently ranked as #6 in Canada by Production for 2005 and #2 Salesperson in the office for Century 21 Leading Edge Realty Inc.

She has been working on this formula for success for 20 years and it has done wonders for her both professionally and personally. The Sylvia Morris Selling Team sold 125 homes in 2005, placing her in the Toronto Real Estate Board's top 1 per cent for units and value of listings sold in the Greater Toronto Area.

In the business for 20 years now, Sylvia is a Century 21 Leading Edge Realty agent who owns and operates The Sylvia Morris Selling Team, based in historic Unionville , Ontario . She's a residential agent who works all price ranges in Unionville, Markham, Stouffville, Richmond Hill and surrounding areas. Her team consists 2 part-time assistant chinese speaker, full-time buyer specialist, a full-time administrative assistant, and a full-time mortgage specialist.

Sylvia maps out her professional and personal goals on a daily, weekly, monthly and yearly basis, and makes the most of her workday by strictly scheduling her time to be highly productive. "I try and schedule everything, both business and personal. That's something I've learned, that a schedule is really important in this business," said Sylvia.

She has the same schedule each day. Her average day starts at 5:30 a.m. with a gym workout and she arrives at her office by 8:00 a.m. Her workday begins with five minutes of affirmations, a motivational exercise to get her started and on track for the day. She practices her scripts everyday with a different partner and her role-plays consist of pre-qualifying, for sale by owner's, just listed's, just sold's, objection handling, listing presentation, etc. After her scripts, it's five minutes on the telephone with her accountability partner, who is also a real estate agent, where they tell each other what they plan to accomplish during the day ahead.

She's on the telephone prospecting and looking for new business everyday. On Saturday mornings she focuses on contacting people who were unavailable during the week, and she takes Sundays off. Although approximately 60 per cent of her business is based on referrals from past clients, Sylvia says getting that additional 40 per cent from new business can be a challenge. Her well- organized routine helps her continually to get new business.

Sylvia has to prospect a minimum of four hours and make approximately 50 contacts to reach her daily goal. Prospecting from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. daily is part of Sylvia's schedule. The afternoon consists of lead follow-up, pre-qualifying and calling past clients. Her evenings are spent going out on appointments and listing properties.

She says her mentor Mike Ferry, cofounder of The Mike Ferry Organization, has helped her achieve her most important professional and personal goals. After she heard Mike speak in Toronto 12 years ago, she was hooked. She than got involved with the MFO, which offers seminars, teaching /and coaching success systems to real estate professionals. \ She's also involved in the organizations one-on-one coaching program. As part of the program, she receives a telephone call from her coach once a week to help keep her accountable and focused.

Sylvia is a life-long learner who is constantly challenging and improving her physical and intellectual abilities. Along with working out everyday, she's an avid team tennis player and loves swimming. She learned to golf three years ago and says she is really starting to enjoy the sport.

She's a member of Toastmasters International,anon-profitorganization dedicated to improving public speaking skills. Through her local club, she's got 15 speeches under her belt and has learned to be a confident and efficient public speaker.

She also advertises in her local newspaper every second week, and has a professional photographer who takes all her photographs, as well as producing a professional Feature Sheet for all her listings.

A few years ago, Sylvia pursued an ambitious and unique marketing project in the form of a book. She funded and developed a book called "Simply the Best", which she gave to all her clients, asking them to pass it on when they were done with it to others thinking of buying or selling. It contained information handy to know when buying and selling a home. Although she's not using the book much anymore since the information is now a little dated, Sylvia says the project was worthwhile and a real hit with first-time buyers and people listing properties and is considering doing an up-to-date version.

Personal service is a priority for Sylvia. "I think personal service is what everybody wants. I have a team so I can concentrate on my clients. I take a personal interest in all my people," said Sylvia. She phones her sellers once or twice a week to bring them up-to-date with what is going on with their listing, whether it's positive or negative. When people hire me to sell their home, they want to speak to me, not my team.

In fact, it was the people- person side of Sylvia's personality that got her interested in a real estate career. Before getting her license in 1988 she worked for The Toronto Dominion bank for 15 years.

At that time in her life, as well, she was ready for a change and very interested in real-estate and confesses she moved homes herself approximately 15 times over a 25-year period. "I had always loved real estate. I loved moving before I was ever a realtor, and I was always moving every couple of years. I'd go to an open house and that would be it, I'd come home and my house was on the market the next day," said Sylvia.

Sylvia also modeled part-time for a couple of years for local stores and at Home Shows in Markham. Part-time modeling worked in her favour because she got to meet a lot of local people who remembered her from real estate.

Sylvia said "they recognized my passion for real estate and supported me with their love and patience". She taught them at an early age that hard work always pays off and to always follow your dreams and love what you do. Sylvia has one sister Dolores who lives in Dunedin Florida who is also a real estate agent and encouraged her to become an agent. She always said she knew I had the potential to be one of the best in the business.

Sylvia is very involved in the community and she sponsors a number of organizations. She is one of the main sponsors for the annual Kids Festival at Markville Mall, the Unionville Gala, and is actively involved with the York Region Breast Cancer Foundation with donations and participation.