A new breed of broker

John Ryan has a master's degree in organizational development and is a former management consultant with PricewaterhouseCoopers. Janet Cramer worked her way up the corporate ladder at Polaroid to become a divisional vice president dealing with licensing, manufacturing, and global logistics. Tam Tran has a bachelor's degree in nuclear engineering and a master's degree in chemical engineering and was a vice president for mergers and acquisitions at Ionics Inc. in Watertown.

Now, all three are selling residential real estate.

Once an attractive career for women who needed flexible, part-time hours while they raised their families, the field is now a magnet for business-minded professionals lured by the prospects of lucrative commissions in a market that is seeing record high prices. Even as single-family home sales show signs of slowing, former corporate executives with an entrepreneurial spirit are entering the field with confidence that hard work and careful planning will bring financial rewards.

''I don't see this as a retirement job," says Cramer, 54, who signed on with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage-Concord in August. ''I intend to hit the ground running. I expect to earn a good salary in a competitive environment."

While she has no direct sales experience, what she brings to the table is 27 years of leadership background.

''Polaroid trained me to be a leader, and a leader is always selling," she says. She also has a practical knowledge of sales operations and forecasting and of technology. ''Real estate is a technical field these days," she says, ''understanding how to use technology can bring a lot of value to the transaction."

Jennifer Reichenbacher, director of public relations and marketing for RE/MAX of New England, says that people with corporate business experience entering real estate sales ''is something we've been seeing a lot of, not only among sales associates but among people buying our franchises."

Tam Tran, 53, is a good example. He doesn't consider his lack of experience in residential sales a drawback.

''I don't know anything about real estate," he says, ''but I have 30 years in business. I know how to make money." He sees a move into the housing market as a multifaceted business choice. His ultimate goal is to open a bank to serve the Vietnamese population in and around Boston.

''But I want to start from the ground up," he says, and a good way to establish a customer base is by selling and financing homes. So his RE/MAX office on Hancock Street in Quincy also offers mortgage services. His target clientele are Vietnamese, Chinese, and Cambodian immigrants who are moving beyond the Boston city limits.

''I felt I needed a franchise name in order to attract the sales staff I wanted," says Tran. ''I had to compete with 10 or 15 other people to get it." He won out, he believes, on the strength of his niche-market approach. He is now recruiting sales agents, offering them stock in the company as an incentive, which he says will add stability to the venture.

People who enter real estate sales with a strong business background come well-equipped, says John Dulczewski, director of communications and professional development at the Massachusetts Association of Realtors.

''Consumers expect rapid response," he says, ''These folks have a strong understanding of both customer service and technology."

According to a 2003 survey of members, a full 70 percent have at least some college education, says Dulczewski, but 16.6 percent have a law degree, MBA, or other advanced degree. He says that since 2001, consolidations in other industries such as high tech, finance, and insurance have contributed to more people in their 20s and 30s coming into real estate as a full-time occupation either directly from school or after a few years in another field.

John Ryan, 41, left the corporate world, where he'd been logging 120,000 air miles a year, because he wanted to start a family and stay closer to home. But, he says, ''I wanted no less income. I wanted something entrepreneurial with growth potential."

That was four years ago. After stints at RE/MAX and Prudential offices, Ryan became an independent real estate broker, opening Real Estate Consultants in Milton where he also sells property in Hyde Park, Roslindale, and Dorchester. He says he is ''making more, but working more" than he did as a consultant, but his new career affords him the flexibility he needs as the father of two.

He also knew there would be some anxiety involved in leaving the security of a corporate job for the uncertainty of working strictly on a commission basis.

''I was looking for an entrepreneurial opportunity," says Ryan. ''I knew that whatever I chose it would be a lot riskier." Even with predictions that the housing market might be slowing down, he says, ''The more work you do, the more you can see the system works."

That system involves taking the management approach he used as a consultant for PricewaterhouseCoopers and applying it to his real estate work. Beyond organizational advantages, he also has found that his business background gives him an unexpected edge with today's sophisticated buyers.

''We speak the same language," says Ryan. Just as he did with his corporate clients, ''I start with a needs assessment. What, when, and why. Then draw a conclusion." As the search for a property proceeds, he and the client continually use their original assessment as a point of reference. It is an approach that puts business people at ease.

Wayne Lopez, a 1996 graduate of the MBA program at Bentley College, finds a similar connection with his customers as director of sales and marketing for Otis & Ahearn Real Estate Inc. at Parris Landing at the Navy Yard, a condominium development in Charlestown. Certified in property and assets management, ''I didn't think of a sales direction, I was more interested in assets development and marketing," Lopez says.

However, since coming into sales three years ago, specializing in urban condo complexes, he has sold 500 units. His business background has served him well. His clients are sophisticated, educated, and comfortable with what he calls ''the brand-based experience."

Purchasing property in a complex like Parris Landing or Strada 234, a project on Causeway Street in Boston where he has also sold property for Otis & Ahearn, means buying into a package of amenities.

''What I do is more education than sales," he says.

When hiring sales staff, Lopez says he is interested in people with brand-based experience and a positive attitude. One of his top sales agent had no real estate experience but came from a solid business background at Fortune 500 companies. How to sell real estate, he says, ''is something we can teach."

Gail Ravgiala can be reached at ravgiala@globe.com.