The ability to be a connector is very useful and can help us grow our businesses. How do we find valuable ways to successfully connect with people who can help us level up? What are some of the mistakes people make when they try to reach out to people? How do we find the intersection between what we’re passionate about and what’s valuable to other people? On this episode, we are joined by Justin Zimmerman and Internet Marketing Party founder, David Gonzalez to talk about how we can use connections to build stronger businesses.
You can’t just do something you’re passionate about. You have to find something that solves a problem for someone else. -Matt Johnson
Three Things We Learned
The connection between advice and context
Advice always has to be seen and thought about in context of the person giving it and receiving it. If a solopreneur is being advised by a person with a multimillion dollar business, it’s important to know that the advice is in the context of a large business and it might be very different to the advice the solopreneur needs.
How to test your passion in a certain area
Most people think of marketing in the short-term. When it comes to making a better decision, it’s important to ask ourselves if an idea or strategy is something we’d be happy and comfortable doing for the next 3-5 years. Imagine doing only that and nothing else and be very honest with yourself about whether that’s something you can see for yourself.
A primer on how to connect with successful people
When you’re trying to connect with someone, create a context so that you can have an opening in conversation that isn’t just asking something. You can contact just about anyone if you do it in the right way and they get value out of it.
The secret to being a super-connector is finding a way to talk to people that will actually bring value to them. The biggest mistake we make when we’re reaching out to people is that we don’t understand that value is the currency that drives those relationships forward. Reaching out to “pick their brain” won’t be good enough. We have to deploy whatever assets we have, whether it’s intellectual or social to make them want to engage with us.
Guest Bio
David is the founder of Internet Marketing Party, go to https://internetmarketingparty.com/ for more information or check it out Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pg/InternetMarketingParty/posts/.
Most agents don’t want to talk to For Rent By Owner prospects but they are actually an untapped source of quality leads that are still open to talking to us. Is the dynamic of the call different since they aren’t getting hounded by multiple phone calls? How do we use FRBO leads to build long-term relationships? On this episode, we talk about how to generate high quality leads through For Rent by Owners.
FRBOs are open to having a conversation with you, as long as you’re inquisitive and there for their best interests. -Greg McDaniel
Three Things We Learned
Why FRBOs are a win-win
Whatever answer you get from a FRBO is a win-win. First you’re building a relationship. Secondly, you can help them rent out the property. You won’t make a lot of money but you will build a relationship with someone who can bring in more business in the long-term. If they say no, go in for the real kill and ask them if they are interested in picking up another rental property.
Why FRBOs are less resistant than other leads
There’s a lot less resistance with FRBOs than any other lead type. Their minds are already in the real estate realm so you don’t have to start or restart a conversation with them.
The power of follow-up in the FRBO strategy
FRBOs, if done right, are going to create long-term business opportunities with multiple leads. But if you’re going to talk about a long-term strategy, the fortune is in the follow-up. We have to stay top of mind by scheduling our communication and reaching out.
If you want to build a portfolio of investor clients who are always looking to buy, even when the average consume is scared out of their minds FRBOs offer that opportunity. They will still want to jump into the market even when it’s shifting and they are already thinking of buying and selling so it’s easier to build rapport. Right now is the time to lay foundation because no one is calling them right now. If we can think of it as long-term business, these relationships can be very fruitful.
As we head into 2019, it’s important to prospect for now business, but to also lay the groundwork for future business. What does it take to do both? How can you use market data to stay in touch in a more specific way? How do you create content that helps us get more contacts? On this episode, RedX head of content, Justin Zimmerman, joins us along with agent Ray Stendall to talk about staying relevant, valuable and sharp as the industry shifts.
The criterion for a good agent is someone that can really represent and explain what is happening in the market at that time. -Ray Stendall
Three Things We Learned
Multiple contact produces more detailed data
You really have to test the market out in the area you prospect so you get an idea of the nuances and unique characteristics. That means calling more than once, and calling at different times.
How to create content that’s worth bookmarking
Identify the big problem your market is facing, come up with simple outline structure with a hook to get people interested, and an introduction to establish your expertise.
FAQs vs. SAQs
Frequently asked questions are usually asked by someone who doesn’t know much about the inner workings of transactions and real estate. Should-ask questions are more of industry insider’s knowledge, what a high level agent should know. Create content for both.
The heart and soul of NOW business is being disciplined and consistent in getting on the phone, knowing your scripts and being relentless in your follow up to get people to an appointment. Once you’re in that appointment, you have to line up your tools so you can bring value. One of those tools is our market knowledge and expertise. It is the last bastion of value for real estate agents in an age where we’re being squeezed.
Guest Bio
Justin Zimmerman is the director of content development at REDX and a content strategist with a background in real estate. He started off in real estate at 24 and built a software that took local MLS housing data and transformed it into a format easy to understand both by buyers and sellers. This helped him gain a competitive advantage in a profession where the average age was 47.
His software was so successful that he started training other agents to become Certified Market Advisors and went from being a simple agent to managing 51 people.Today, he uses his real estate and marketing knowledge to help agents create content that eliminates the need for prospecting and builds a strong database.
Read about how to become a listing machine here.
Ray is an agent and the founder of Elegant San Diego Homes. Go to https://www.elegantsandiegohomes.com for more information. Get FREE access to Ray’s tracking sheet for daily prospecting email info@elegantsdhomes.com.
Some people look at things like Facebook ads and video content related to our listings as doing more than what’s required. What is the difference between being active and passive when it comes to selling a home? What is our role as agents in getting a home sold? What determines whether a home gets sold and how much control do we have over it? On this episode, we talk about what every agent worth their commission should be doing and why this stuff makes a difference.
The underlying idea that if we just deliver great service everything will take care of itself is a reassuring lie. -Matt Johnson
Three Things We Learned
Why the best product doesn’t always sell the most
We tell ourselves the lie that the best product is what sells most but this is usually never true. The product that gets to first in our minds wins. The listing agent who dominates the neighbourhood wins, even if they suck.
Why you have to think of the home as a product
Crappy pictures that don’t show off interesting and compelling photos of the features of the property won’t sell the home. You want to make sure people have a good first impression of the home because no matter how good you are as a salesperson, if you can’t make the house look good on the MLS, you’re wasting your time.
How to set ourselves apart
Getting as many potential buyers into the house at the same time in the shortest period of time is one of the things we can do to set ourselves apart in the market.
Being passive in marketing a listing is basically putting it up on the MLS and just hoping someone sees it. Anything you can do to create buzz is going to be active and that means putting on your marketing strategist hat and working with the seller to put that house in the best position as a product and so when you do put it on the MLS it attracts the right people. That’s part of what we’re being paid to do. Not doing this means we just won’t sell anything, no matter how good we are.
If we’re thinking of freeing up more of our time, chatbots are a great way to automate our marketing efforts, but we have to be careful not to turn them into virtual answering machines. What are some of the ways people are misusing chatbots? How do we build rapport, and find the people that are worth talking to and who is really motivated? On this episode, marketing expert Zach Hammer shares how we can get the most out chatbots.
Don’t think of chatbots as automating communication. Think of them as a way more effective landing page. -Zach Hammer
Three Things We Learned
People are misusing chat bots to automate conversations that people aren't interested in having.
Just because chatbots make it possible for us to to automate conversations, that doesn’t mean we should put every single conversation on them. We shouldn’t automate conversations people don’t have or even want to have in the real world because we won’t get results.
Why you don't need all the bells and whistles on chatbots to be effective
Having success in chatbots is about simplicity. If we can take an existing landing page and put the information collecting sequence in a chatbot, we can drastically increase conversion. It’s simple and effective.
You can use Facebook targeting to exclude other real estate agents from your ads
Have available a ready list of interests that will indicate someone is a real estate agent. These could be thought leaders, books they read, things they watch and podcasts they listen to.
In the audience section when you’re setting up an ad, there’s a part that has the option to exclude. You can exclude by interest and filter out 80% to 90 of real estate agents.
The biggest mistake being made in the realm of chatbots is over-complicating them and overthinking what we can do with them. Chatbots can be leveraged as drastically more effective landing page. If you replace your landing page with a chatbox sequence designed to collect the same information, upwards of 70% of people convert. This can allow us to really reach the people we want to and talk to them on a more relevant level.
Guest Bio
Zach is the founder of Real Estate Growth Hackers. He is a real estate marketing consultant, productivity coach, author and lead gen wizard. See a Chat Bot in Action & Get a Free Welcome Bot Template at bit.ly/reubots.
One of the biggest mistakes we can make is being too general about the local areas we serve. How do we go from a more general local area to a hyper-focused area? How small should our local area be? What are the three things we need to do to put this strategy to work? On this episode, Dan Lesniak is back to talk about how to get more out of the areas we serve.
Look at segments in the market and pick the ones you want to target and then come up with a way to position yourself to add more value. -Dan Lesniak
Three Things We Learned
Why this is a perfect time of the year to maximize our business
This window of time just after Thanksgiving is still far away from Christmas that people aren’t tied up in holiday stuff yet and enough time before the New Year that you could still make an impact. And it’s not so far enough from 2019 that you’re still focused on 2018. So it’s a great time to maximize and optimize.
How to find out more about ads on Facebook
You can now go onto someone’s Facebook page and on the left hand side click info and ads and see all the ads they are running. You can counter their strategy with your own or get some ideas. You can even show it to sellers on your own page so they see all the marketing work you’re doing, and how you would market their home.
The importance of choosing your local area wisely
Gary Vee advises us to use social media to become the mayors of our local area. Where people go off course is choosing an area that’s too big to try and be the mayor of. We have to make sure we pick an area that’s small enough for our strategy to work and still big enough for us to actually get business out of it.
In real estate one of the most powerful things we can do is showcase our knowledge of a local area. It instantly positions us as experts. To achieve this, first we have to segment the area we would want to serve, next we have to target our marketing towards them, and then position ourselves by adding value.
Guest Bio
Dan is the founder of the Orange Line Living Team, and author of The HyperLocal, HyperFast Real Estate Agent. Since beginning his career in real estate in 2011, Dan Lesniak has quickly become one of the top producing real estate agents in the country, helping hundreds of buyers and sellers complete over $250 million in sales. He utilizes his unique experiences and backgrounds to create programs for clients that reverse the risk in real estate. The Orange Line Living Team that Dan has founded has specialists and systems in place to make the entire spectrum of the real estate process as seamless as possible for clients.
Dan is hosting the Hyper Fast Sales Bootcamp. Go to http://hyperfastsalesbootcamp.com to book your tickets. Use this promo code to get an exclusive discount: REU25.
Instagram is the perfect medium for showing off beautiful listings. People come on platforms like Instagram to be visually engaged. But how can you advertise a home that doesn’t quite look like it would attract any attention? What kind of content doesn’t belong on the platform? And what is the one question you should ask yourself before you hit “publish”? In this episode, Dustin Brohm talks about the #1 mistake agents make on Instagram and what you should do instead!
If you can’t get clients yourself, you have no longevity in this industry. - Dustin Brohm
Three Things We Learned
Don’t post flyers and brochures
Flyers and brochures aren’t formatted for Instagram, and unless users zoom in, the content won’t be readable. But people usually scroll down when they see something that doesn’t grab their attention, and if you constantly post brochures that nobody is interested in, your audience might unfollow you.
How to make photography work for Instagram
You can make photography work for Instagram even if the home you’re trying to promote doesn’t look top notch. Instead of posting photos with the house, post photos with a nearby park, neighborhood, or other attractions that give your audience an idea of how beautiful the location is.
Nostalgia is an attention grabber
Photos of old toys, amusement parks, or anything that brings back memories from your audience’s childhood will draw attention to your social media content.
Instagram is all about grabbing the attention of the viewer. But if you flood your feed with content that gets ignored, there’s a dangerous side effect: the algorithm and your audiences learn to ignore you. On social media, it’s better to invest your time in fewer but quality posts than to inundate other people’s feeds with information that not even you would be interested in reading.
Guest Bio
Dustin Brohm is a Realtor in Salt Lake, Utah, the host Massive Agent Podcast, and a national speaker and trainer. He is a marketer at heart that used technology to make his brand a client magnet in his area. In the present, he shares his knowledge about digital marketing, advertising, and branding on his podcast and at speaking events.
You can find out more about Dustin here.
Not all agents enjoy prospecting, and some of them aren’t even good at it. What happens when your strength is building relationships as opposed to cold calls? How do referrals work, and why do people give referrals in the first place? How can you flip the script and make the referral be all about how your clients benefit from recommending you? In this episode, Chad Durfee talks how he build his business on relationships and referrals.
Not everyone is going to refer you. So the trick is to identify the potential referral centers. -Chad Durfee
Three Things We Learned
Don’t make the referrals about you
When you ask about referrals for your own interests, it’s very hard to get them, Instead, you should flip the script and make referrals about clients and how them referring you makes helps their sphere.
When you get recommended, you have a big advantage over other agents
Working with referrals is far easier because the trust is already there. Plus, if you’re referred, there isn’t the risk of having your work taken away by another agent who has convinced your client that they can do a better job.
Your clients want to validate their decision of working with you
People seek to validate their buying decisions, and one of the ways they do this is by sharing what services or products they purchased in order to receive feedback. As agents, we have to be aware that in the first days after a new client works with us, they’re in doubt about their decision, so they need feedback from other people. This is the best time to start the conversation about referrals because your client wants their family to give them an opinion about his agent.
Your clients will only refer you if they believe your expertise will make them look good in their social sphere and increase their status. When you deliver an excellent customer experience to a referral, the client who referred you will be seen in a favorable light as well. To make the deal even sweeter for the client who refers you, and to encourage a stream of referrals, encourage your current client to sign a thank you card and send it to the person who recommended you. This way, the client who sends you the referral will feel flattered and encouraged to make a recommendation in the future as well.
Guest Bio
Chad Durfee is the owner of Referral Consulting, Inc., where he teaches individual agents and teams how to put systems and processes in place to maximize their referability.
He created the Referral Academy Mastery Program, R.A.M.P., to teach others how to not only keep their clients for a lifetime but also spend fewer hours on prospecting and more time actually closing deals.
If you want to find out more about Chad’s programs, click here.
Successful teams are built on the shoulders of hard-working agents. But what kind of agents perform best in a team setting? Should you look for top agents or newer agents that need training? What role does having a system in place play in reducing costs and delivering an excellent customer experience? In this episode, Dave Pannell talks about how he leveraged his team to close over 100 deals per year.
The people I surround myself with is my market share. -Dave Pannell
Three Things We Learned
Not all agents are team players
You have to bring in people who want to be part of a team and respect the team’s rules. Many agents choose real estate because they want to do everything by themselves, but this isn’t possible in a team setting.
Why agents need to have a system to plug into right after they get hired
Don’t bring agents on just because you have more leads that you can handle. Bring new agents on when you have the systems in place where you can just plug people and they know what they need to do on a daily basis. This way, there’s less time spent on teaching the agents what to do.
Why we shouldn’t look to build a team with only top agents
The most stable real estate businesses are based on people who want steady, slow growth, not on rainmakers who might leave the team at some point.
One of the biggest mistakes team leaders and business owners make is searching for agents who were just like them in the beginning. But you have to recognize the fact that top agents don’t usually perform well in a team setting, and most of them will end up starting their own team at some point. What team leaders should look for are people who have a more modest goal and are uncomfortable with the idea of working by themselves but can still make consistent sales.
Guest Bio
Dave Pannell is the broker and the CEO of Cities Real Estate. He has served in The U.S. Marine Corps, and in 2005 he started his real estate journey.
Today, he leads a new breed of agents that take advantage of technology and digital marketing to generate leads and close more sales.
You can find out more about Dave here.
Real estate agents can’t sell a property if it doesn't make sense for the market or if they can’t convince sellers to make the needed changes. How can you uncover the hidden motivations of your seller and speak their language? What types of listings aren’t worth your time? And what should you do if you’re just getting started? In this episode, we answer questions about listings, buyers and how to become a listing agent.
Clients are hiring us to lead them to results they can’t get on their own. -Matt Johnson
Three Things We Learned
How putting our clients first leads to lifetime value
Listings can work as lead generators because when we do great job sellers will talk about us. Sometimes we get recommendations from sellers even if we don’t get the listing, especially if we advise the buyer or seller against our self-interests while other agents don’t.
Be selective with the listings you take
You shouldn’t try to get the listing at any price. Some listings are overpriced, and just getting the listing and a sign in the ground with your name on it won’t land you a testimonial if you don’t manage to sell the property.
The splits between the listing agent and the buyer’s agent
The splits between the listing agent and the buyer agent should be dependent on the costs. If the listing agent covers the marketing and advertising costs and the buyer agent doesn't contribute to those, it only makes sense for the listing agent to have a bigger split.
Many new agents make the mistake of saying yes to overpriced listings just so they can gain experience or have a sign in the ground with their name on it and attract buyers. But you don’t need to take a listing and invest money in marketing and advertising just so you can attract buyers. You can attract them by working as a buyer’s agent and actually making a commission instead of investing your time and money on a property that won’t sell or damage your reputation.
The only differences between the average agent and a high achiever are what they know and how they implement it. How can you gain credibility as a new agent? What are the decisions that gain clients for a lifetime? And what routines should you cultivate to get better at selling homes? In this episode, Chadi Bazzi talks about his journey to becoming a top real estate agent.
A lot of people are looking for leaders. The majority of the population is made up of followers. -Chadi Bazzi
Three Things We Learned
How to get instant credibility as a new agent
As a new agent, the best way to increase your credibility is to gather endorsements from the people who already like you. Your mentor (if you have one) can also help you with endorsements. This works even better since now you can leverage their credibility.
Why it’s better to lose a sale than stain your reputation
Agents who only chase the commission and don’t have their clients’ best interests in mind make the industry look bad. You have to do the opposite if you want to build a reputation and stay in the business for years to come. This may even mean that you’ll have to advise your clients against your interests and tell them that it’s not the right time to sell or buy.
To change somebody’s mind, you have to know how they think first
Leads are easy to get, especially in the digital age. But conversion is where things get tricky. If you want to impress during the first meeting, you have to do more than qualifying the potential client for wants and needs. You need to find out how they process information and what their mindset is. Once you know this, you can speak their language.
To become a top agent, you need a routine that keeps you on track. And the routine starts with shifting your mindset and actually working towards your goal even when it gets hard. Writing down your top 3 goals, having at least 4 affirmations, finding reasons to be thankful for your life, and making note of your accomplishments in the present tense are just a few ways you can stay motivated and energized on the daily basis.
Guest Bio
Chadi Bazzi is a real estate expert, podcast host, and coach who uses his knowledge to help other agents become successful as well.
After becoming a top real estate agent, he was approached by a company that was looking for real estate coaches. Since then, he developed one of the best real estate sales and marketing programs in the country while starting his own coaching company, Top Listing Agent.
If you want to dominate your market, sign up for Chadi’s webinar on the 3 steps blueprint to becoming a top listing agent in your marketplace.
Social media and video open the door for many agents to make themselves known in their local community. But why do so many agents fail to build a following online? What type of videos get the most views? How can you use paid advertising to maximize your reach? In this episode, Krista Mashore, a top 1% real estate agent in the United States, talks about how she uses social media for her business.
You are the product. People are buying you. So give them a reason to click and say yes. -Krista Mashore
Three Things We Learned
How to repurpose video content
Each time you create a video, you need to set up a calendar that tracks where the video will be published and in what format. For example, from a single video, you can use a shorter clip for Instagram, a long form post for Facebook, a Facebook video, and a YouTube video.
Short, punchy videos work best
The more entertaining your videos, the higher the chance you’ll reach a larger audience. Length also plays a role. The shorter and the punchier the video, the more engagement.
The tools you need to put up a high-quality video
Putting together a high-quality video doesn’t take much. All you need to make sure is that the audio quality is good, the background of the video is intentional, and that you have good lighting.
Your primary goal should be serving the consumer, not selling to them. The less salesy we are and the more value we bring, the greater the chance of them buying. Put your name and your contact info at the end of the video, but don’t make videos about listings. Anything that happens in your community, you should be the first one to know and put it in a video. Community videos should be your main focus.
Guest Bio
Krista Mashore is a top real estate agent in East County and a social media whizz.
In her first year, she sold 69 homes. Since then she’s managed to sell over 100 homes each year, earning her spot in the top 1% of agents in the nation.
Today, she shares her knowledge and experience with other real estate agents using coaching and courses where she teaches her approach to success.
Feel free to check out her free resources here.
When it comes to the business environment, LinkedIn is king. How can we leverage a social media platform flooded by people looking for business? How can we make sure our efforts reach the right people? And what should our profile look like if we want to attract more clients and get more referrals? In this episode, LinkedIn expert, Tracy Enos is back to share more about making strategic connections using LinkedIn.
At the end of the day, they want to find out what’s in it for them. How can you solve their problem? -Tracy Enos
Three Things We Learned
Create an avatar of your ideal client
Before you start any activity on LinkedIn, find out who your ideal client is and what their psychographics are. Also, think about what you want to achieve on the platform. This is how you can achieve trust as well. Once you know who you’re targeting, it’s easier to deliver a good customer experience.
Build a client-centric profile
Our profile should be client-centric. Everything we write shouldn’t just be descriptive of our experience but it should also provide clues about how we can help others and what problems we can solve. This tactic also works as a differentiator because even though many people have our skills and experience, what the client wants to know is whether we can help them solve their problems.
Don’t invest your time in LinkedIn groups
Linkedin is planning a comeback for its groups, but you’re more likely to have more engagement on Facebook groups. At least for the time being, the groups on Linkedin don’t look too promising.
Because you don’t own the platform, your ultimate goal should be using your content to take the connections you make on the platform off the platform. This way, you have more control over what type of content the people you target see and when they see it. But in order to make your connections interested enough to click on your links and reach them outside of the platform, you must have a deep understanding of their needs and desires. Otherwise, your call to action won’t be strong enough.
Guest Bio
Tracy Enos has over 19 years of experience in sales, marketing, LinkedIn consulting, lead generation, real estate, and mortgage origination.
She is a keynote speaker for organizations and a consultant for entrepreneurs and sales teams that want to grow their customer base using LinkedIn.
You can book a LinkedIn business explosion strategy session here.
Shifting markets put many agents into a panic mode. Why doesn’t value as an agent change in a bad market? What can you do to be among those who thrive in real estate even when the market experiences a slowdown? And how can you get better attracting the right people? In this episode, Jeneen Moretuzzo Masih talks about how a mindset change can make agents transition from survival mode to thrive mode in a changing market.
You are selling your own value, and your value doesn’t go up and down when the market goes up and down. -Jeneen Moretuzzo Masih
Three Things We Learned
Your value doesn't change no matter what happens to the market
During shifting markets, when everyone is chasing a commission, if you give advice that doesn’t necessarily serve your best interests now but is in the interest of your client, you’re making an investment in a lifetime client. Decisions like these will help you stand out and get more referrals.
You are who you hang out with
The people you hang out with impact your self-image and mindset. If you feel like there aren’t any people in your circle that can help you grow, you have to make a list of desirable characteristics and start searching for people who have them. No matter where you start your search, make sure you listen to what others are saying and analyze their body language. This way, you increase your chances of connecting with them on a deeper level as opposed to simply exchanging business cards.
Be kind to yourself
In the journey to success, many agents end up being too harsh on themselves. But joy is a better fuel than bitterness. It’s very hard for you to make progress when you’re constantly putting yourself down and limiting your fun until you achieve your goals.
When you’re working at a high-level and you get tired, working more and disregarding your fatigue will only make things worse. You have to allow yourself to take a step back and find joy in the process. Search for ways to reward yourself and transform discipline into inspiration. In the end, it’s not about making it perfect, but about making it move forward while being happy with yourself.
Guest Bio
Jeneen Moretuzzo Masih is a life coach who focuses on self-actualization, self-love, and leadership. She has over 20 years of experience as a coach, and her mission is to help her clients achieve clarity in all of the aspects of their lives, including business. She is also a former CEO and real estate team leader attorney.
You can find out more about Jeneen here, or you can download her free ebooks here.
Most of us want to work with fewer people and target luxury markets. But what makes the targeting process for higher-end leads different? Based on what do the rich and affluent make hires? And what should be our selling proposition? In this episode, Kelly O’Neil talks about how we can attract and retain high-end clients.
Affluent people are more likely to buy services based on relationships. -Kelly O’Neil
Three Things We Learned
Build relationships and authority in your niche
Many people go to marketing and sales courses where they’re told the same strategies. But anything that’s done by a large number of people becomes ineffective because nobody ends up standing out. The rich and affluent usually hire based on referrals or by searching for influencers. They rarely hire people who send cold emails or share their business card.
Immerse yourself in their world
You don’t have to spend a lot of money to hang out in a place where the affluent go. You can take a Bentley for a test drive, or participate in events. The more money someone has, the more selective they get with whom they choose to work with. This translates into actually knowing and liking the people who they hire. And the best way to make the affluent like you is to meet with them face to face.
Sell convenience
The more wealthy you are, the more aware you are of how much your time is worth. Affluent people look for service providers that provide convenience, save time, and make the whole process pain-free and seamless.
When you market yourself to a crowd that has a bigger budget, you have to keep in mind that they expect a top-notch experience, one that not only solves a problem but also solves it in the fastest and most convenient manner. And in order to even be considered as an option, you must either be referred by someone or be recognized as an influencer in your industry. As a result, networking and branding should be your main focuses.
Guest Bio
Kelly O’Neil is the CEO of Innovate Media Services, a brand marketing expert, multi-award winning entrepreneur, and bestselling author.
She was featured in Entrepreneur Magazine, Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Forbes, and many other publications. Currently, she’s working on her latest book that you can pre-order here and receive a free chapter.
You can find out more about her books, courses, and speaking events here.
Many agents forget that real estate is a people-based business and that the relationship comes before the transaction, not the other way around. How can we make lead generation less stressful? How can send-out cards help us touch the lives of our prospects or database? And why should we look into building several streams of passive income? In this episode, Gayle Zientek talks about how she uses send-out cards to sell more homes and which 4 streams of passive income she’s currently using.
If you are the smartest person in the room, you are in the wrong room. -Gayle Zientek
Three Things We Learned
How to make lead generation more fun
Lead generation can be quite stressful, but building relationships and making somebody’s day brighter isn’t. Send-out cards are a great way to make lead generation more fun because you aren’t asking something from people, you’re just giving.
The card should be about them, not you
When you send a card, make sure you don’t make it about you and your business. Use the card to tell a story and tap into people’s emotions. You can put your name and contact information on the back of the card, but don’t transform the card into a real estate brochure.
Invest in a passive income strategy
Agents are always as good as the last transaction they had. As a result, their income isn’t predictable. The best way to make your income more predictable is to invest in passive income strategies. This could involve teaching a course, EXP shares, and retreats.
The best form of branding is giving back to the community that we’re active in. This way, each time people see the results of our work, they’ll think about us not only as agents but also as people who are willing to walk the extra mile and take care of their community. Pick a charity that resonates with you and make a donation each time you sell a home.
Guest Bio
Gayle Zientek is an entrepreneur, coach, and Realtor at eXp. With over 14 years of experience in real estate, Gayle shares the knowledge she accumulated over the years at Referrals for a Living.
Her mission is to teach others to build a relationship- based-relationship and make lead generation more fun. You can contact Gayle here.
Facebook advertising is often ignored yet is far less expensive than real estate lead aggregators. What can you use to attract attention to your real estate ads on Facebook? Why should agents ask questions about the motivation of the buyer or seller before starting a lead nurturing campaign? And what piece of information can be used to convince online leads to meet you in person? In this episode, Matt Cramer talks about how to convert Facebook ads to deals.
We’re trying to find a few nuggets of gold. We aren’t trying to turn the entire river into gold because not every lead is a winner. -Matt Cramer
Three Things We Learned
How you can keep the cost per lead low
When it comes to online lead generation for sellers, home evaluations still work. But if you want to lower the cost per lead, switch from using a landing page to a lead form on Facebook. This results in lower costs because Facebook likes it when its users stay on the platform.
Don’t nurture a lead without knowing their motivation first
Online leads, like any types of leads, work only when nurtured. The best way to start a conversation is to ask questions about the motivation behind buying or selling. But make sure you don’t mistake your leads' motivation for their goals. To find somebody’s motivation, you usually have to dig deeper.
Don’t make your leads jump through too many hoops
Longer forms don’t ensure warmer leads. Short format forms are enough to get you all the information you need. There are very few online leads who are looking to buy a house right away, so there’s no use in trying to filter out all leads for a rare type of potential customer.
A home list is superior to videos or photos of a listing because it makes people come to your office for exclusive information. When you show a listing online you give people all the information at once without receiving anything in return. If they see it and feel that they aren’t sure whether they like it, they move on. Giving away information about listings causes you to miss the opportunity of getting qualified leads to meet you in person and ask you for more information.
Guest Bio
Matt Cramer is the former Director of Lead Generation at Perna team and the CEO of Relentless Media. His mission is to provide real estate agents who are struggling with lead generation warmer leads using social media at a lower cost.
You can find out more about how he helps agents increase their revenue here.
Online lead generation works but is costly for both teams and individual agents. How can we increase our chances of converting online leads by using online reviews? Why shouldn’t we invest in online leads if we’re expecting an immediate sale? Why do we need to let people know what we do for a living more often? In this episode, Jordan Sibley talks about online and offline lead generation.
Prospecting hasn’t changed in 50 years. You still have to get in front of people. You still have to pick up the phone. -Jordan Sibley
Three Things We Learned
Many buying decisions are influenced by online reviews
Online reviews matter. Just think about it—each time you want to buy something, you probably look at what others are saying about it. The best way to increase your number of positive reviews is to ask satisfied customers for them.
Internet leads are long-term leads
Very rarely do internet leads turn out to be instant sales. Most people who are looking for homes online do so months before they actually buy or sell a property. As a consequence, you have to build a nurturing system and stick around them until the incubation time is over, and you must also be there for them when they finally decide to make a move.
Let everyone know what you do for a living
Don’t let others wonder what you do for a living. Wear a branded t-shirt. Use an email signature that mentions that you work in real estate. Everywhere you go, find a way to send the message that you’re an agent.
Instead of wasting money on Facebook advertising, as everyone else does, go to a place with less competition. The best way to get free leads is to meet with people face to face or make calls. Subscribing to a list of expireds makes it easier for you to persuade the person on the other end of the call because they already showed interest in selling a home. A dialer can help you in your prospecting efforts as well.
Guest Bio
Jordan Sibley is a residential Realtor and the lead Buyer Specialist at The Sibley Group. Her background in marketing enabled her to gain a better understanding of generating leads, both online and offline, for her team. Jordan is currently active in Slidell and Metairie, Louisiana.
Many rental property owners have tenants because they failed to sell the property. But what happens when you run into an investor? Why is it important to start the conversation with questions about why the home didn’t sell? And how many contacts do you need per day to succeed at prospecting? In this episode, we take a tour at REDEX and talk about the success principles of top prospectors.
In the marketing world, what we love doing is building trust with potential customers. -Justin Zimmerman
Three Things We Learned
How you can build trust with rental property owners
Many owners of rental properties wanted to sell but couldn’t and now they have a property and a tenant that they have to manage by themselves. As an agent, you can bring value even if you just help them determine the right price for the rent. When your prospects figure out how little they know about rental properties and how much money they lose by not knowing what to do, they will be more likely to work with you.
How asking questions reveals pain points
Ask questions instead of starting a monologue about how great your services are. When you ask questions, you get to know all of their pain points that you need to overcome. It’s easier to persuade someone when you come up with a specific solution to their problem.
How to flip the script when a rental property owner isn’t looking to sell
Don’t close the conversation if you hear that a rental property owner isn’t looking to sell. If they aren’t looking to sell, it means they’re looking to expand their rental property business, which means they’re always looking to buy.
Top prospectors keep track of their appointments and how many contacts they need to set an appointment. On average, it’s anywhere between 35 to 50 contacts per day, but keep in mind that a contact isn’t just a phone number. A contact is someone you have a meaningful conversation with. If you call a number and the person on the other side doesn’t want to talk with you at all, you shouldn’t count them as a contact.
Guest Bio
Justin Zimmerman is the director of content development at REDX and a content strategist with a background in real estate.
He started off in real estate at 24 and built a software that took local MLS housing data and transformed it into a format easy to understand both by buyers and sellers. This helped him gain a competitive advantage in a profession where the average age was 47.
His software was so successful that he started training other agents to become Certified Market Advisors and went from being a simple agent to managing 51 people.
Today, he uses his real estate and marketing knowledge to help agents create content that eliminates the need for prospecting and builds a strong database.
Gene Volpe is the founder of GVI Media and has over 10 years of experience in real estate marketing. With over 200 transactions under his belt, Gene is known as an authority in his field and is often invited to speak at events. You can find more about Gene at http://www.genevolpe.com/about-gene/#.
During market shifts is when the creativity of agents is put to the test. How can we stand out at times when the market experiences a slowdown? Are face-to-face conversations still effective for generating leads? Why shouldn't we hide ourselves behind social media advertising? In this episode, we talk about creative, random ways to generate leads.
The most random lead generation tactic is saying hi to other people. -Greg McDaniel
Three Things We Learned
Facebook and LinkedIn groups
Local Facebook and LinkedIn groups can serve as a good opportunity for you to get known by other members of your community and establish yourself as “the agent” in the area. You can do so by sharing news or updates about what’s happens in your neighborhood without delving too much into real estate.
Make it a part of your routine to have conversations with people
The less personal your way of communicating, the more time and people you have to connect with. As a result, the most powerful way to connect with others is face-to-face. No amount of social media advertising can replace genuine human connections. Look around you, strike conversations more often, and always carry a business card.
Offer something of value with your brand on it
Having a white label book with your name on it, an ebook, or even a brochure that has information of interest for your leads serves as good introduction. Having something that’s deliverable is your opportunity to establish yourself as an expert and impress.
The most successful business owners aren’t reactive when it comes to lead generation. They look at who they want to work with and get proactive about finding ways to connect with them. Don’t wait for a third-party service to offer you leads. Put together a routine with a goal low enough so you can be motivated to do it every day and become more proactive about your lead generation tactics. For some it may be conversations, while for others it may be door knocking. Find what suits your personality best and chase the people you would like to work with.
Many agents fear getting on camera, not to mention live videos where there’s plenty of room for mistakes. Do mistakes make you look more human and approachable? What type of topics should you choose to speak about on video? Why is it important to have a call-to-action in your videos? In this episode, Ross Brand talks about how you can use live video to engage with your audience.
Live streaming takes video to the next level because people can actually communicate with you through a live chat. -Ross Brand
Three Things We Learned
Timeless content is easier to monetize
When you talk about topics that will remain the same even a year from now, you’re more likely to generate leads than when speaking about real estate trends. An excellent way to find evergreen topics for your live videos is to take a look at popular blog posts and put your own spin on them.
Add a call-to-action at the end of the video
Your viewers don’t want to feel like you’re selling to them, but they do want to find out what you do for a living. A good way to mention your real estate business is to put a call-to-action at the end of the video and let people know you’re available. You might not get warm leads right away, but after you build trust, your viewers will think of you when they need to buy or sell a property.
Focus on the lifestyle people have in certain areas, not about the listing
Most agents choose to use live videos for listings, but only a very small percentage of your audience is interested in buying a house right now. Instead of focusing on a a very niche audience, you can expand it by talking about the lifestyle in the neighborhoods where you’re active. For example, you speak about fun things to do during the weekend or the best restaurants in the area.
Don’t just recycle content on social media. When you re-post your live stream on social media, the content has a relatively short shelf life. Create a website or a social media page where people can browse through your videos and interact with your content. This way, your content is easier to find and will serve your branding efforts months and maybe even years after it was published the first time.
Guest Bio
Ross Brand is a livestream strategist, podcast host, speaker, and On-AIR personality. He was named the number #1 Live Streaming Expert by Klout and was selected as one of the “5 Live Video Experts to Follow” by Switcher Studio. In the present, Ross creates content for podcasts and Alexa Flash Briefings and is the founder of Livestream Universe. You can find out more about him here.
Making radical changes to your routine might sound tempting, but in most cases this tactic leads to burnout. How can you make noticeable progress without going on and off your routine? Why is it important to get an idea of what you’re currently doing on a daily basis? How can you keep yourself motivated with a routine that takes time to see its fruits? In this episode, we talk about the compound effect and why small, consistent choices offer the fastest path to success.
The dip between taking consistent action and getting consistent results is going to be 6 months, and half the battle is just knowing that. -Matt Johnson
Three Things We Learned
Track and measure your productivity and habits
You can’t improve what you don’t understand entirely. Track your behaviors for one week, as this gives you a starting point and a better understanding about what makes you unproductive and what brings clients.
Consistent actions are more effective than radical changes
Find daily actions that can be done even if you have to deal with the unexpected. This way, you get consistent with your work and increase your chances of sticking to a work routine that might remain the same for years, as opposed to making radical chances that will lead to burnout and you quitting a few weeks later.
Celebrate your wins
Radical changes to your routine might sound tempting, but the small changes are the ones that are more likely to stick with you. And because small tweaks take time to pay off, you have to remind yourself daily that you’re one step closer to your goals. You can do so by emailing your daily report to an accountability partner or just write down all of the tasks you completed on that day.
Don’t let yourself believe that small changes aren’t enough to change the big picture. Over time, the small tweaks we make are more likely to bring results because we’re more likely to stick to a relaxed routine compared to a work schedule that we hate. But a relaxed schedule isn’t the only thing that make us more likely to stick with something in the long run. The people we work with have the same effect as well. We’re more likely to feel energetic and motivated if we get more picky about those we allow into our lives.
Networking events are challenging and the room is often filled with people who try too hard to make a sale. How can we stand out and avoid being salesy? Should we have as many conversations as possible, or should we focus on a smaller group of people? What’s the best way to follow up with potential clients? In this episode, Jeremy DeMerchant talks about successful networking.
My secret to networking is being everywhere. -Jeremy DeMerchant
Three Things We Learned
Focus on quality not quantity
When it comes to networking, there are two paths you can take: have a large number of superficial conversations or a small number of meaningful ones. The latter is always the approach that brings the most business.
Schedule the follow-up via phone to avoid wasting time
Don’t set up a meeting at a coffee shop. Instead, set up a call. This way, you’ll find out in the first 10 minutes of the call if you’re a good fit for your lead. It’s harder to leave a meeting early without putting yourself in a awkward situation, but there’s nothing awkward about a short phone call.
Control the experience they have with you from start to finish
Send all the people you want to connect with to one place. For example, send all of your leads to your website or put them in an email drip campaign where you share links to your content. This way, you control the type of information they consume. This is also a good tactic to warm up leads. The more they read about you, the higher the probability they start liking and trusting you.
Constantly fill the funnel. Not everyone has to be a sale today or tomorrow. It could be a sale 2-3 years down the road. Be patient with the people you meet and work on increasing your exposure, making a good impression, and engaging with the people that you would like to work with. Last but not least, be everywhere. The more networking events you go to, the higher the chances people remember you.
Guest Bio
Jeremy DeMerchant is the CEO of Permission To Sell and has over 20 years of experience in the sales arena. His mission is to help coaches, business owners, and professionals increase their sales and revenue. If you want to find out more about sales tactics or want to network with small business owners and sales professionals, join the Permission To Sell Group. Jeremy is also the author of 5 C's of Successful Sales Conversations, a sales cheat sheet that you can download for free here.
The luxury market is not much different from lower-end markets. What do all property owners, regardless of the value of the home, look for in an agent? What are the main motivations of buyers in the luxury market? What role does storytelling play in selling a home? In this episode, Michael LaFido talks about the latest trends in the luxury market.
Success leaves clues. Go figure out how someone else got successful at something and emulate it. -Michael LaFido
Three Things We Learned
Negotiations should be done on both sides
In a market that’s showing signs of slowing down, agents have to build a bridge between sellers and buyers. Negotiations shouldn’t just be on the buyer’s side. If sellers are determined to sell their homes as soon as possible, recommend a small discount on the property price. It’s usually quite convincing for buyers who tend to change their mind when they can save some money.
Sellers in the luxury market aren’t much different
Many agents assume that working with sellers in the luxury market requires a different skill set. However, the same problems are solved. Owners of luxury properties are just as nervous about the investment they made as any any other seller.
Storytelling in the luxury market is heavily focused on emotions and status
Many buyers looking for luxury properties don’t need a bigger house, and in some cases, it’s not even a wise financial decision. What they need is a new lifestyle and a way to feel better about themselves and their accomplishments. Your photos, videos, and all of the storytelling should focus on promoting a certain lifestyle, not just a home.
Luxury listings should tell a story about the lifestyle the home offers. In this market, most decisions aren’t made based on price but on the status and location the home offers. Emotions play a big part as well, because buyers have a bigger budget and they want to walk into a home that makes them feel good. However, this shouldn’t prevent you from trying to negotiate the price point with the seller if selling the property as soon as possible is one of their main priorities.
Guest Bio
Michael LaFido is a top-producing luxury Realtor, podcast host, author, and national trainer. He is the CEO of Luxury Listing Specialist and Marketing Luxury Group. Michael is also the creator of a Marketing Luxury Expert Certification program (LUXE) and has over 1 million listing and sales in his portfolio. If you want to get in touch with Michael, you can do so on his social media account.
Agents are constantly chasing new clients and new ways to make lead generation easier. But what if the answer isn’t in new tactics and chasing new clients? How can you tap into the law of reciprocity with your past clients and get repeat business and referrals? How can local events for past customers actually save you money and increase your conversion rate? In this episode, John Mikesh talks about how he generates up to 40% of his income by holding local events for past clients.
I never wanted my business to feel like a job. My biggest personal motivator is freedom. -John Mikesh
Three Things We Learned
Keep in touch with your past clients
Even if you have excellent customer service and your clients are happy with your work, if you don’t make keeping in touch with your database a priority, you’ll lose repeat business and referral opportunities. Your clients need to be reminded of your existence even if you’ve already made a good impression.
Customer events save you money
Chasing new clients and trying new marketing gimmicks that may or may not work ends up being more expensive than maintaining a good relationship with your past clients. Plus, when you serve the people you already served, you don’t need to prove your expertise with free evaluations, free photos, etc.
Put together a system that can be outsourced
Event planning may have to start one year in advance. Because of weddings, most venues will already be taken if you start planning only a few months before the event. Put together a system that takes care of all aspects of event planning and outsource the work so you can focus on other aspects of growing your business.
When done correctly, lead generation gives you relief. Planning events where your past clients feel appreciated is by far less stressful than always having to chase new clients and spend money on marketing tactics that way or may not work. When you work your sphere, you serve people who already know you and you like you. And because you’re investing money into thanking them for their contribution to your success, it taps into the law of the reciprocity. Every time they attend an event, they are reminded of how much you worked to make it happen. And they’ll feel a need to give you something in return as well. Usually, this translates into repeat business or referrals.
Guest Bio
John Mikesh is the owner of ROOST™ Real Estate, a real estate brokerage in Mooresville, of the Lake Norman / Charlotte, North Carolina area. His company focuses on putting the client experience first and this approach enabled him to become one of the top Realtors on the market for years now.
John was also recognized in multiple issues of Charlotte Magazine as a “5-Star Professional.