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Real Estate Uncensored - Real Estate Sales & Marketing Training Podcast

Get actionable ideas, insight & inspiration to turn your real estate career into a life of freedom. Real Estate Uncensored shows you how to blend the latest high-tech and high-touch prospecting, sales and marketing strategies to grow your real estate business. Featuring interviews with mega agents and influencers like Jeff Cohn, Lars Hedenborg, Greg Harrelson, Jeff Latham, Aaron Wittenstein, James Rembert, Nick Sakkis, Marki Lemons-Ryhal and many more. You’ll learn how to use social media to attract ideal clients, build your personal brand online, use prospecting systems and scripts to sell 500 homes/yr, bring homes to market & actually get them sold, run high-tech open houses & much more. Co-hosted by Greg McDaniel, the "Junior Grandmaster" and a Bay area Realtor, and Matt Johnson, agency owner, podcaster and author of MicroFamous.
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Real Estate Uncensored - Real Estate Sales & Marketing Training Podcast
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Now displaying: July, 2016
Jul 31, 2016

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Focus, commitment and self-discipline are a huge part of achieving success, but why are they such hard concepts to master? What does one do after acknowledging they need a better time and energy management system? Matt and Greg discuss the book The Power of Full Engagement and provide their tips for having productive days and the structure that’s required.

Takeaways + Tactics

Anything in your schedule is a promise, to yourself or someone else and you should refuse to break that promise

If we keep doing what we do naturally, we’re going to keep on failing and we’re not going to reach our goals

Most peoples’ day gets away from them because they don’t have scheduled blocks. They keep their focus shallow and that keeps them from doing the things that will move their businesses forward

The key to real success is not so much time management as it is energy management.The control of your time is in service of your energy levels

Will, self discipline and self-control all draw from the same energy tank and we have a lot less of it than we think. Structuring your life in a way where you have to make these constant decisions throughout the day, draws down that energy tank and makes it less likely that you’ll maintain that level of self-control throughout the day.   -Matt Johnson

Matt and Greg began the chat with a couple of questions, one about a script for a homeowner who’s on Zillow’s Make Me Move, another about how to manage a FSBO appointment where the owner says they’ve sold houses on their own before. Another question came from an agent who just joined a new firm and and wants to know how to maximize his results.

In the second portion of the show, Matt and Greg launched into the main topic of the day inspired by James E. Loehr and Tony Schwartz’s book The Power of Full Engagement which Matt said changed his perspective while he was working marketing. The big point this book makes is how the key to real success is not so much time management as it is energy management. The control of your time is in service of your energy levels and it’s important to match your energy levels to the work you’re doing. One can either try to fight that and try to keep a constant level level of work but realistically that doesn’t work with your natural rhythm.

A big disclaimer from Matt and Greg is not to use managing energy as an excuse not to hustle or work hard, which is a common thing people do. When you’re working, be absolutely fully engaged and when you’re not, be fully and actively disengaged. An important method in energy managing is having structured breaks throughout the day and Matt provided the example of having 90 minute bursts. These bursts require all of your energy and that means putting away and closing any distractions, like phones and social media. If you’re able to work in this way you’ll find that you’ll get tasks done much quicker. Additionally by blocking off parts of your day and creating a schedule, and having rituals in those schedules you will get a lot more out of your day.

Will, self discipline and self-control all draw from the same energy tank and we have a lot less of it than we think. Avoid structuring your life in a way where you have to make constant decisions throughout the day, which will draw down that energy tank and makes it less likely that you’ll make the right decisions, and that you’ll maintain that level of self-control throughout the day and throughout the week. So why not acknowledge that fact and make things structurally easy on yourself, in terms of the way you time manage and time block.

In order to get to your goals there needs to be some behavior change, living on autopilot and doing what you’d do naturally is only going to lead to the same results or failure. Once you acknowledge that you have goals you want to hit, realize you’re not going to get there by doing the same things you do everyday. Matt and Greg then discussed commitment and scheduling. Greg said, “Anything in my schedule is a promise, to myself or someone else and I refuse to break that promise.” Matt added to this by reminding listeners to ask themselves if they have 10 times the commitment they have now because that’s what we need to put in. “I can either try to force myself to reach goals or I can develop rituals that propel me towards success.”

As the hangout started winding down, the co-hosts discuss their own routines, rituals and the questions they ask themselves. Matt gave a quote from the book, which drives home all the points made in the discussion “to make lasting change, we must build serial rituals focusing on one significant change at a time.”

Set up a structure, where there doesn’t have to be a lot of decision making and make things easier for yourself. Build rituals and routines and let the routines carry you onto success because they will become like autopilot and pull you towards the positive things you want to do, and that will make success a lot easier.

Click here to download your free PDF, Greg’s Favorite Scripts, featuring scripts for buyer and seller lead follow up, price reduction and objection handler scripts and much more.

Jul 30, 2016

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On this hangout, Matt and Greg tackled more sales and marketing questions from listeners and Facebook groups. The co-hosts covered topics like selling prices, sticking to scripts as well as networking for a part-time agents who want to get the most out of the time they put in.

Takeaways + Tactics

If you’re bringing information to the consumer that they have no other way of getting, you become the aficionado of wherever you call home.

This is a person-to-person, belly to belly human business you have to go out there and talk to people - if they don’t know you or trust you they won’t do business with you.

A willing and able buyer is going to dictate the true value of a home.

The best scripts in the world will not solve the problem of the buyer’s need and desires not aligning with either the market or what you have to sell.

-Matt Johnson

The chat kicked off with a question about scripts and whether it’s necessary to use them word-for-word or if it’s advisable to go off script. Greg reminded listeners that scripts are supposed to be guidelines and the key should be to make them conversational and avoided making yourself sound like a scripted salesperson. Once a consumer sees you as a salesperson they won’t see you as a consultant and that can lose you their business. Matt echoed this saying, “it’s more about who are, your confidence than it is the words that you use. It’s about a deep well of knowledge and experience that people can sense when they hear you talk.”

The next question came from a listener who wanted to know the best ways to provide value to customers, and then another question about following up with buyer clients between an accepted offer and closing. Greg said the communication is constant depending on what comes up. Buyer clients are likely excited and nervous so they will need some handholding.

The fourth question comes from a listener who’s currently working full time while working real estate part time. He wanted to know the best ways to lay groundwork and network for the ultimate switch to a full time real estate job. Greg said with $140 he can record four videos which he can promote online for $5 per day for 7 days. The videos should be about buyers needs, a park and restaurant in the area as well as a person of authority who resides there. This will give him the impressions that will allow people to get to know him and if he’s bringing value to them he will be able to start building a database. Greg added methods like giving away 15-25 business cards each day, and Matt stressed the importance of building credibility.

The next question comes from a new agent who wants to know what she needs to do after doing social media and giving cards to friends and family, among other tactics. Greg and Matt both answered the question by stressing the importance of phoning people and talking to them face-to-face. Greg said, “This is a person-to-person, belly to belly human business you have to go out there and talk to people - if they don’t know you or trust you they won’t do business with you.”

The next question the co-hosts tackle is how to deal with a seller whose house is cluttered before it goes on show. Greg offered a script he uses. “We live in our homes one way and sell our homes another way. Once your home goes on the market, it’s no longer a home, it’s a house and a product, and people buy with their hearts and confirm with their minds.  So we need to collect your treasures and put them somewhere safe. We need people to see the home and not your way of living so they see can see their own lives there.” He added that the key to this script is telling the seller kindly.

Next, a listener asks about how he can close a deal when the customer is on the fence. Matt and Greg said it’s important to remember that the goal shouldn’t be to push for the close without understanding why the customer hasn’t made a decision. Greg said, “you’re there to serve and consult. If they’re not buying, you haven't provided enough value.” The last question comes from an agent who wanted to know about property pricing - to which Greg answered by saying “a willing and able buyer is going to dictate the true value of a home.”

The one insight and take-away that echoes in the answers provided by Greg and Matt is the importance of providing real value to the consumer. When you’re able to do this, you open up the doors that make you someone people can trust and from that, your sphere of influence grows. It’s also important to talk to people face to face, allow them to get to know you and let your knowledge and experience shine through.

Click here to download your free PDF, Greg’s Favorite Scripts, featuring scripts for buyer and seller lead follow up, price reduction and objection handler scripts and much more.

Jul 29, 2016

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This episode’s guest is an expert in new construction and land sales who has a lot of wisdom to share about building a construction based business, relationship and team building. Danielle Seifert’s career is a great case study of the power of nurturing relationships and being a resource for clients.

Takeaways + Tactics

There are many ways to improve other than doubling your numbers and doubling your team

It’s easier to become an expert at new construction; because it’s new developments, you can become an expert on what’s inside the walls, what the timeline is and what upgrades are available.

You can’t get momentum with one home. You have to keep the wheels turning

Des Moines agent Danielle Seifert is this episode’s guest. Her speciality is new construction and land sales, an area she went into after deciding to leverage herself after working solo with a closer. She represents two builders and also has built herself up to be able to represent both sides of the transaction. Her typical clients are both residential and commercial. Her process begins with pinpointing an area she likes, then she buys the bare ground and develops on it.  

When it comes to making your services known, Danielle said one should stick with simple tactics and not overthink how to reach clients. She got her first developer by simply presenting herself and her services to a builder and from there she began doing open houses for new properties.

Danielle then pointed out that she favors new construction because it enables her to be an expert on each development she sells which is hard to do with resales. “With new construction I can become an expert on what’s inside the walls, what the timeline is and what upgrades are available. I like to look good and I like to know stuff.

Matt, Greg and Danielle go onto discuss how she prospects for developers, having knowledge on two sides of the fence and who she looks to as resources. She also mentioned how she believes in creating a culture of information sharing in the office, which she benefitted from early in her career. Now she manages her team in the same way and she encourages her agents to develop their own brands. “I always had the desire to mentor. I want to take on agents and build them to be as good or better than me.” Her team consists of 10 agents, and helping them out is an admin who handles the contract to close processes. She said it took 8 months to build her team and she did that through building relationships. Winding down the chat Matt, Greg and Danielle discuss relationship building, dual agencies and social media.

Working on new construction requires a good relationship with builders and developers, and it’s important to be a resource to these people and provide them a pathway to buyers. The key things to be learned from Danielle’s own career is that you don’t have to sell yourself all the time for people to know what you do, you have focus on relationships and being real with the people you want to get into business with.

Guest Bio
Danielle is a Des Moines based agent with over a decade of experience. She is a buyer's agent, listing agent, relocation and home building expert. Real estate is a lifestyle for her and it’s her top priority to have open communication and availability to her clients. To get in touch with Danielle go to https://www.facebook.com/danielleseifertteam.

Click here to download your free PDF, Greg’s Favorite Scripts, featuring scripts for buyer and seller lead follow up, price reduction and objection handler scripts and much more.

Jul 26, 2016

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It’s been proven that agents who put certain aspects of the work in the hands of assistants and transaction coordinators perform better and have a better quality of life, but why is it so hard to put it in practice? On this episode, Matt and Greg chat with Brindley Tucker, a leverage expert on how agents can start to reap the benefits of leverage at every level and size of business.

Takeaways + Tactics

Agents that are leveraging or hiring transaction coordinators are are closing two to three more homes per month and they’ve increased their productivity from $3-10 million.

Make a list with two columns, one with what you should be doing and another with what you’re leveraging. When your TC reminds you to “Stay in your lane,” you have something to refer back to.

Be patient, accountable to the recruiting process and willing to be slow to hire and quick to fire.

Matt introduces us to Brindley, who coaches, trains and recruits in leverage management. She began her coaching business aiming to improve the productivity of agents and impact their quality of life.

 

The hangout kicks off with a question about recruitment tips for adding ISAs to a team. Brindley stresses the importance of committing to the recruitment process by finding the right talent instead of rushing to fill the role. More time spent during recruitment is time saved once you have the person working.

The key things Brindley teaches her clients is that they need to stick to the parts of the job that are the most profitable. “Agents should be focusing on lead generation, lead follow up, scripts, negotiations, and appointments. Nothing that happens after going into contract makes them money so why should they be doing it? They should be focusing on their 20% and money making activities, but what happens is it’s a lot easier to pick up the phone, and get an appraisal than it is to pick up the phone and call a lead.”

She adds that agents tend to get sucked back into contract to close tasks which makes them feel productive, because they are working on a transaction when in reality they’re actually not as productive as they would be if they were out here selling. it. 15:45 - 16:26

Some agents are unsure about hiring transaction managers because it feels like a loss of control and an addition of unnecessary contact points, but the opposite is true. By having multiple contact points during the process, you add value by providing the best customer service. “When you think of a doctor, does the doctor come in and take your vitals? No, he comes in and focuses on the most important thing and that’s surgery - the best thing he does. He leaves the details to the people that are good at it.”

The chat then goes into detail about leveraging for a solo agent who has needs someone immediately who will provide the benefit of their own experience. The goal for solo agents is staying in your own lane and for rainmakers it’s building a team correctly and investing in it.

Leverage is increasing value for your customers, it’s all about passing the baton to someone who’s really good at the tasks and detail oriented.  Aim to provide high quality service and value to your clients, which is made possible by leaning on a strong team of capable or individual with the skills to help you manage yourself better. When it comes to hiring, be patient.

Guest Bio-

Brindley Tucker is a Tampa-based coach and trainer focusing on the recruitment and development of transaction managers, operations managers and bloggers. She is the owner of Transaction Management Inc. To learn more about Brindley and her work go to transactionmanagementacademy.com

Click here to download your free PDF, Greg’s Favorite Scripts, featuring scripts for buyer and seller lead follow up, price reduction and objection handler scripts and much more.

Jul 25, 2016

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On this hangout, Greg and Matt talk through various listener questions, covering topics like scripts, staying organized, creating a business and approaching clients by leading with value.

Takeaways + Tactics

Even if the client doesn’t have an exact time frame for selling, get in front of them because if you’re not talking to them, somebody else definitely is.

If you want to be organized, make sure everything goes through your calendar and that it’s color coded

Agents underestimate what needs to be done. To put a system in place, take some time away from the business to concentrate on setting it up

The hangout kicks off with a question from a solo agent who is concerned about staying organized and setting up an organizational system for his business. Greg says a color coded calendar is a good way to know what needs to be done. Matt agrees and adds that it’s important to have the big rocks for the day, and then the smaller aspects of the business can be scheduled around them. The reason many agents struggle with this, is that they underestimate how much time goes into creating a system. Matt and Greg’s advice is carving out time away from the business and using it to create a system that works.

Next, the co-hosts jump to the next question. “What’s the right way to keep in touch with past seller clients who have moved away?” Greg says the intention should be to build a friendship and Matt says there’s a right way to follow up. With a service like Vyral Marketing, one can see who is watching the videos and those are the people you can follow up with.

Question 3 is about dealing with a seller who doesn’t know when they’ll sell and whether it’s a good idea to keep in touch with them. Greg answers yes. “Get in front of them because if you’re not talking to them, somebody else definitely is, they need to be seeing your brand.”

The next question Matt and Greg discuss is from a listener who wants to know what the right script is for an upcoming shift, so that it doesn’t sound like you’re putting pressure on them or sounding too sales-y. Greg says it’s important to quote a reputable source and Matt says it’s important to be fine with not taking every client. If they are not the right fit and you won’t be able to serve them well - let another agent take them.

Finally, the chat winds down with questions about scripts for raw land deals, scripts for converting a client who is dealing with different agents to become your client. The last question comes from someone who wants to know how small brokerages can compete with the bigger marketing budgets of larger firms. The simple answer for these 3 questions is “always lead with value.”

Mastering the marketing game can be a challenge for an agent, but whether it’s scripts, dealing with competitors, or even setting up a system to benefit your business, the key thing is to work with adding value as your main intention.

Click here to download your free PDF, Greg’s Favorite Scripts, featuring scripts for buyer and seller lead follow up, price reduction and objection handler scripts and much more.

Jul 22, 2016

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For an agent to step away from production and focus on profit over volume, a system needs to be leveraged and followed closely. How does this system affect the roles of the people heading up the business? On this episode, Greg and Matt discuss this with Kerby Scurat - whose own business follows the visionary and integrator model built on the foundation of the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS).

Takeaways + Tactics

Ask yourself what your process is and then work on how you can leverage a team to execute on that process.

Get the more dollar productive things on the agents’ plates and the low level stuff off their plates by hiring Virtual Assistants to take on some of the work

The best visionaries have had to do the integrator role at some point.

 

 

You can spend 100k on marketing but if you don’t have any type of efficiency to combat those leads and the bottom line, you’re wasting money.

-Kerby Scurat

 

Matt, Greg and Kerby kick off the show by discussing a listener question about price minimums and whether it’s a good idea turning down business because it goes below a certain amount. Greg and Kerby are of the opinion that using price minimums can stop agents from being able to build relationships with clients that could bring them even more business in the future. Kerby adds “every client has their own story and their own needs” and while they might not be up to a certain dollar amount, serving them means you retain their business long term. “55% of our business came from nurturing the database and never saying no to anyone who comes from that.”

Matt says being able to serve clients in this way is only possible if you have a team and a system.  “You can do it but a solo operator has to be selective.” If there is the chance that you can hand them off to someone who is more equipped, do that.  Kerby says in the case of having the lead flow problem of too many leads, it’s necessary to start leveraging the system or other people. He gives an example of lead flow as a railroad and the system as the kerosene that gets the train to its destination. “If you have all these leads coming at you, you have more control.”

Kerby goes into further detail about systematizing and how that benefitted his own business. In 2011 he began using Tigerlead, and then his team has layered in Zilo as well, with the aim of deepening the sphere of influence. Currently, Kerby’s team mail to 37 0000 homes and this method works thanks to a marketing budget that can drive these leads. Kerby’s success is build on the foundation of a solid team, led by him and his wife Cristina, who acts as the integrator while Kerby holds the role of visionary. Giving support are the marketing, sales and operations teams as well as 11 agents. Their target for each agent is 36 homes per year.  

Kerby introduces the books Traction and Get a Grip by Gino Wickman which are the basis of their business model. When he and his wife decided that they wanted to get out of production and create more time for their growing family, they invested in the entrepreneurial operating system (EOS) outlined in Traction. The business required “A system that makes it possible to run it at a high level and scale it to the next level.”

They also work with an implementation coach who meets with the team 10 times over 2 years and ultimately the coach steps away so that the company can run EOS on their own. Kerry’s business stays on track with quarterly pulses with company rocks that everyone is responsible for and 3-7 initiatives over 90 days rocks that are overseen by the departmental heads. The system ensures that there is a clear picture of what needs to be achieved every single quarter.

With their focus on profit over volume and balancing it out with quality of life - Cristina, the integrator runs the day to day implementation while the visionary comes up with the overarching strategies. The integrator has to act as the filter for the visionary’s ideas and Kerby and Cristina have managed to achieve this as a husband and wife team, an excellent feat.

One of the most necessary moves Kerby and his team had to make was getting more efficient with the lead flow of the business. While a lot of money can be put into marketing, without efficiency and proper systems all this money goes to waste.

The conversation turns to social media and whether Kerby uses it or sees the need for it in his own business model. He says it’s a piece of the puzzle that he wants to get involved in. He plans to scale down on PPC which is labor intensive, and move towards an attraction mechanism which social media would serve as.

Speaking of attraction mechanisms, he uses Zilo which has a higher cost per lead - but is more efficient. For every lead that comes in, the team uses the follow up structure of 10 calls, 5 voicemails, 8 messages and 10 emails in 10 days. This is only possible because the CRM is powerful, and even though it requires a huge investment it is worth it.

The hangout closes with Kerby giving a quick rundown of his future plans - which include putting more time into a construction company he’s a partner in and getting involved in coaching.

Leveraging a system is a move that kicks the productivity of a business into high gear and it allows for benefits such as improved quality of life. With the employment of Virtual Assistants it becomes possible for agents to pour their energy and attention onto dollar productive tasks. Additionally, a visionary-integrator structure creates order that touches each part of the company. Success is achieved through a willingness to stick with the system, invest in a reliable and capable CRM and being goal and efficiency oriented.

 

Guest Bio

Kerby is a REMAX expert who is one half of a husband and wife team in Minnesota. With over 345 homes sold in 2015, Kerby and Cristina are the number 1 REMAX team in Minnesota. He began his real estate career back in 2006 and he has since began ventures in construction and coaching. To get in touch with Kerby and learn more about his work go to kerbyandcristina.com

 Click here to download your free PDF, Greg’s Favorite Scripts, featuring scripts for buyer and seller lead follow up, price reduction and objection handler scripts and much more.

Jul 21, 2016

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Agents want to reach a point where they are top producers, with solid leads, clients and wealth but so many feel like that circumstances are holding them back. What are the most common things holding agents back from success? In this week’s show, Matt and Greg tackle lack of money, lack of leads and lack of knowledge, and they provide actionable tips to help ambitious agents overcome them.

Takeaways + Tactics

Anything that requires an investment of time will give the impression that you are active and everywhere all the time. That gives a perception of expertise, competence and activity.

Lack of knowledge isn’t a problem because there’s so much knowledge out there. What agents face is the lack of clarity of not knowing which course of action to take.

Stop comparing yourself to top producers with big budgets and more relationships. You are just where you need to be, so go and be entrepreneurial!

 Wealth is attracted to people who show up on time, so show up on the dot and show up prepared. - Matt Johnson

On today’s show, Greg and Matt answer a very common question - what is holding you back from success? They kick off with a question from Facebook about lead gen scripts and how the co-hosts feel about using scripts that have the clients name. Greg says he favors not saying the customer’s name in case he butchers it and offends them. He prefers something along the lines of “Hey my name is Greg McDaniel I’m a real estate agent in the area” or leading with “Hi is this the owner of…?”

Matt asks Greg what he’d say in the case of lead follow up from an website form, because it’s a script many agents are afraid of. Greg says agents are afraid of rejection and that’s why they are afraid of saying anything. He would say something like “Hi my name is Greg and I’m a real estate agent in the area. We just received an inquiry on one of our sites on the value of your home. We like to get back to people as soon as possible and I wanted to see what I can do to answer any questions. Are you guys, selling refinancing or getting info for a will?”

“We actually have buyers we’re working for. Would you be cool if I came over to have a 10 minute look over the property? I meet a lot of people and I can keep your home in mind. We want to get you on a once-a-month drip. Use us as a resource, we have a team of 7 people and we’re blessed to work with the right families. We are client based not commission based.” Matt notes that the key things that made Greg’s script work is that he didn’t rush and he didn’t try to sound too polished, sales-y or silver tongued.

Greg and Matt dive into the tips to overcoming the things that hold agents back from success, starting with lack of money. The general rule is to have 6 months of money in the bank to support yourself and ideally $1000-2000 to put into lead generation and marketing. Greg points out that the first step is not comparing yourself to the top producers who have the budget to put towards marketing. “You are where you need to be so go out and be entrepreneurial.” Sit down at Starbucks, meet people, have conversations and you will start to widen your sphere of influence.

Matt adds some tips about things that won’t cost money but will bring success.

Positioning. It’s free, set yourself up as an expert in a specific neighborhood, price range or niche and start blogging.
Punctuality: “Wealth is attracted to people who show up on time.” Make sure you get to meetings on time, informed and prepared. Greg adds “if you’re early you’re on time, if you’re on time you’re late and if you’re late don’t show up at all.”
Follow up

Matt adds a bonus note. He says lack of money and lack of leads are tied together. If you want more clients there are free ways to build relationships. Think of how you can build more relationships. Remember that top producers have more relationships and are better at starting new relationships and nurturing them.

A listener pops in a question about order of necessity in terms of what one should spend money on. Greg and Matt agree that it’s

1. Website
2. Paid lead generation
3. Video and email
4. Facebook marketing

Next, the co-hosts move onto leads, ideally, someone who wants to buy or sell a home in the next 6 months. Matt reiterates the importance of focusing on building relationships, that’s how you’ll get referrals. The intention should be to build relationships and train those people to get you referrals.

Matt points out that being active on social media isn’t just about finding leads, it’s about showing your expertise and productivity. “Anything that requires an investment of time will give the impression that you are active and everywhere all the time. That gives a perception of expertise, competence and activity.” One you’ve crossed the bridge of competence and activity, the only question left to answer is whether you’re the right fit, so being active gets you much closer to getting a solid lead.

When it comes to achieving success, it’s all about positioning - putting yourself in the right place at the right time for it to locate you. Positioning is about making yourself attractive to success by showing up on time, always attending meetings prepared and enriching yourself with he knowledge that gets you ahead of the pack. Positioning is also about being clear about who want to attract and repel, building relationships through the people you already know and choosing a course of action decisively. Empower yourself by filling gaps in your day with the knowledge that will change your business!

Click here to download your free PDF, Greg’s Favorite Scripts, featuring scripts for buyer and seller lead follow up, price reduction and objection handler scripts and much more.

 

Jul 20, 2016

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Real Estate journalists and websites have an eye on the industry and are wealthy source of the trends and insights that make Realtors better at the work they do. There is spades to know about technology, building a strong business and serving customers and Brad Inman is here to tell it. The founder of Inman news provides details and information that you can put into action now and start seeing results!

Takeaways + Tactics

Create owners and not workers, but don’t give away equity just to get free work. There is a sensible and logical way to give away equity, without hurting the business in the long run.

The concept of hiring underlings is an old concept. Your first hire is more likely to someone that is equal to you who can completely revolutionize your business.

There will be a point when a business has to scale and become efficient. Investing in technology and hiring an experienced operational person will become necessary.

“There’s no robot that can replace the Realtor but the Realtor that doesn’t use technology will be impaired.” -Brad Inman

Kicking off the Hangout, Brad introduces himself and gives a bit of background on what he does and how he started Inman News and grew it to the news organization and industry resource it is today. He began as an activist and became a consumer writer, covering real estate. He says that the concept of a home has always been important to him because outside of work it’s where we spend the most time. What he does with Inman News is what he calls “raising the IQ of the real estate industry.”

Digging deeper, Brad goes into detail about running a news organization virtually and how he’s able to create the culture of a office for writers spread across the country, working from home. He relies on Slack, which he calls “IM on steroids” and Trello for project management. The second thing that makes virtual possible is who you hire and he’s all about hiring independent, responsible people who are accountable and business minded. He believes that the hiring mentality has changed because people don’t just want paper pushers who handle administration. Entrepreneurs are excited by the chance to hire someone who is an equal so that they can revolutionize the business. In terms of what roles to staff, Brad says finance, technology and strategy are the first roles for a growing business to staff and then sales should follow.

The sophistication of the consumer is overwhelming for many Realtors and that means that team structure continues to morph significantly. People want to work with people they can feed off and exchange knowledge with. To put it simply, Brad says “try to get five smart people around the table.” To truly benefit your business you need someone to complement your weaknesses. It’s also important to hire people who act like owners and not employees because owners will take you further. A lot of teams today consist of a visionary and implementer partnership and not hierarchies.

In the final minutes, the hangout then turns its focus onto machines and how technology is keeping today’s Realtors on their toes. Machines are much better at information processing and that’s something people can leverage to better serve their customers. People won’t be able to work like machines but they can learn something from a machine’s ability to provide important data. On top of that, it is necessary to invest in technology that makes life easer for the consumer. Brad ends with a scoop on how messaging platforms are going to explode and bring great benefit to Realtors. He believes that these platform will promote communication and collaboration in the industry.


Remember that value is what you’re meant to bring to the customer, and today’s customer is a lot smarter. Arm yourself with the information they need about a house, its history, the area and the history of the area. Buyers want the details and they want the Realtors’ interpretation of data so make sure your answer to a question isn’t “I don’t know.” You might have to go back to school to gain some of the information but as our knowledge depreciates quickly, it is necessary to become a lifelong student of the industry.

Guest Bio


Brad Inman is an Internet entrepreneur and founder of several online and offline companies, including Inman News, HomeGain.com, TurnHere.com and Vook. Brad’s been interested in real estate for years and he wrote on the subject for the San Fransisco Examiner. He is also the author of Livable Neighborhoods of the Bay Area. For more information on Brad and his work go to inman.com

Click here to download your free PDF, Greg’s Favorite Scripts, featuring scripts for buyer and seller lead follow up, price reduction and objection handler scripts and much more.

Jul 19, 2016

Watch the On-Demand

The database is an all important asset and resource that impacts a Realtor’s ability to list successfully. Why is the database so elusive for many and what tactics can one employ to make sure they are connecting with the community and making themselves relevant to buyers and sellers? This hangout details the tried and tested methods employed by Hauer Homes’ founder Chad Hauer and how they can be used to build strong databases and stronger community ties.

Takeaways + Tactics


Immerse yourself in the community, give time and energy on something people will remember fondly.


People in your community need to know, like and trust you.


There is no tipping point, remain in action, don’t lose momentum and you will do well.

Be the main point of contact in the community and make sure people are aware of your presence. -Chad Hauer


We jumped right in with a listener question from someone just getting started in the real estate industry. He wants to know about starting a referral business in real estate and how it can be done. Chad explained that he should work on building a strong database, starting with a list of 100 people. The key people to build relationships with are CPAs, financial advisors and lawyers who meet with people in the community regularly.

If you have a small sphere of influence, call the people you know and let them know about a free service program. For Chad, that meant forming a concierge service that provides people with assistance for different things around their home, whether this was home decor or laundry. By building relationships with the vendors, you create a chance to grow the database and work with the community. Also take advantage of your community by talking to people in coffee shops and other public places, be bold enough to give people your business card. Put yourself out there and you’ll start to see results.

Chad shared more about himself in the second part of the interview. He was born and raised in Tacoma, Washington and joined the industry after working as a firefighter and then assisting his father’s real estate business. After juggling real estate and firefighting, he realized that he had a passion for property and he took on the niche market of waterfront properties. While his father worked on the bank owned side of real estate, he decided he preferred the relational side of real estate, and he focused on building relationships and a solid database.

In his own work, Chad’s referrals actually came from the passion he has for his own community, where he set up an annual fireworks display at Mason Lake. The community has rallied around it and it has been a great success. While he was doing the fundraising for this fireworks display, he ended up collecting email addresses. People liked what he was doing and that gained him the trust of the community. People began reaching out to him to buy and sell their houses. His signs started popping up on the lake and it was a real trickle down effect, starting from that community contribution and going all the way to the successful business he has today.

The interview closed with a chat about about what helped Chad get through the crash. He pointed out that mindset is important as well as the ability to keep one foot in front of the other because there is no such thing as instant success.

Don’t be afraid to cultivate strong relationships with your community to expand your sphere of influence. Make yourself available as a resource to make life easier for people and you’ll gain their trust. Once this is established, you will be able to build a strong database and impact your surroundings while you impact your community.


Guest Bio


Chad has been a full-time Realtor for 13 years, after getting a start at the age of 21. He has specialized in lakefront properties and he is passionate about being there for his clients beyond the times they are buying or selling a house. Chad has also developed the Signature Client Care Program which allows him to be a resource that meets clients’ needs and helps them get the most out of working with him. To read more about Chad and get in touch go to hauerhomes.com


Click here to download your free PDF, Greg’s Favorite Scripts, featuring scripts for buyer and seller lead follow up, price reduction and objection handler scripts and much more.

Jul 1, 2016

Watch the On-Demand

How do you sell 359 homes and become the top agent in your city? Misty SOLDwisch of Des Moines, IA shares her story of becoming a great listing agent, and how she leveled up with radio and TV.


Takeaways + Tactics

Use a two-stage listing consultation process - Going through the home first before recommending a list price

If you’re a strong listing agent, radio and TV might be the catalyst to dominating your city

To be a great listing agent, you must be a great listener. That side of the business is where all the expectations are

Sellers form an opinion on your expertise based on your presentation and the information you put together on their home...I go into the home without making any presumptions. -Misty SOLDwisch

First we covered Misty’s background as an agent, team leader and broker/owner of a RE/MAX office. Misty was always a strong listing agent, and she explained her two-stage listing consultation process at the top of the show. By going into the home without any presumptions of the value, she was able to build rapport and listen to the seller’s needs and motivations, then come back with an informed presentation and price opinion. This built her credibility and trust with the sellers.

Misty explained what it takes to be a great listing agent, “You must be a great listener. That side of the business is where all the expectations are. The buy side, that’s the fun part!” Because of her listing process, her listening skills and regular communication with seller clients, she built a reputation as a great listing agent.

From there, she started in internet lead generation, which is still part of her overall strategy. However, the catalyst for becoming the top team in her market was moving into radio and eventually television. The name recognition and lead generation from those two sources feed her entire team.

To prepare yourself to dominate your market, focus on becoming the best listing agent possible. Use a two-stage process to build rapport, trust and credibility, and capture great testimonials. Then you can level up into mass media marketing like radio and TV for massive lead generation.

Guest Bio

Misty Soldwisch is a RE/MAX broker/owner and leader of the Misty SOLDwisch Homselling Team in Des Moines, IA. In 2015 Misty’s team sold 359 homes, making her the the top producing agent in her market. Learn more about Misty’s team and send referrals atwww.soldincentraliowa.com or misty@mistysold.com.

Click here to download your free PDF, Greg’s Favorite Scripts, featuring scripts for buyer and seller lead follow up, price reduction and objection handler scripts and much more.

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