If you aren’t a value add, you’re a depreciation. How do you ensure you’re a good client advocate? How do you align yourself more closely with the client’s needs and motivators? On this episode we share thought-provoking questions you should be asking yourself to improve your business, and bolster your value add.
One of the big value propositions of an agent is the absorption of the pain and hassle. -Matt Johnson
Takeaways + Tactics
To avoid that “now what” feeling ask yourself what happens right after a client hires you.
Part of your job is to absorb stress on behalf of the seller. To make that less stressful for you, build systems into your business.
Having three letters after your name means nothing if you’re not working on your business by getting regular training and education.
At the start of the show, we answered a question about the best way forward when a seller dies, and your value prop to a FSBO client. Next, we talked about protecting your commission, and questions you should be asking yourself to be a better service provider. We went on to talk about the importance of partnering with a more experienced agent when you’re new to the business. Towards the end of the show we talked about whether or not it’s necessary to join a team when you’re starting out.
We also shared insights on;
It’s really hard to be a good advocate for your client when you don’t know what you don’t know. - Matt Johnson
A certification comes into play when it helps you understand at a very deep level, who your ideal client is, and what makes you different. - Matt Johnson
The role of an agent is to advocate on behalf of the client. All the training you acquire and the work you do must go towards that. When you don’t have a lot of experience in the industry, partner with someone who does. Work on your business as much as you work in the business, put effort towards knowing your ideal client better, and having clarity on what makes you different.
Being a realtor is the true sense of being on demand. With that comes the risk of always being in selling mode. How do you shift from selling to compelling, and what’s the 3-step process of becoming a friend to a client? On this episode, Shirlene Reeves shares her perspectives on making the sales process easier for you and the prospect.
Know the words your clients want to hear, step in with them, and become a friend before you sell. -Shirlene Reeves
Takeaways + Tactics
Shift out of the script: think of other people as friends and human beings, not prospects.
It’s important to discover your personality type in relation to sales, and use that to relate to other people’s personalities.
When you work with first-time buyers, anticipate the difficulties that will be caused by their inexperience.
At the start of the show, we discussed the power of compelling instead of selling, and Shirlene gave us her background and shared how she developed her course. She went on to share the sweet spot when it comes to who you should sell to. She also gave her insights on scripts and cold calls, and why they don’t always work. At the end of the show, she gave advice on preparing yourself to get interviewed on camera.
Shirlene also shared on;
Agents make the mistake of trying to sell everyone. - Shirlene Reeves
When you get into a script you’re no longer authentic, and you’re no longer a friend. -Shirlene Reeves
Working with heart is knowing exactly who you are in sales, taking what you learn about yourself, and moving it towards working with other people. Do this by taking “I” out of your day-to-day, and constantly pivoting conversations back to them. Being willing to have conversations and make it less about yourself eliminates rejection and limits objections. Become a friend before you try to sell.
Guest Bio-
Shirlene has been working with entrepreneurs and small business owners, with 20 employees or less, for over 30 years. She built her own nationwide business from zero to millions, with 23,000 independent contractors working by her side. As the CEO of Maximize Your Wealth Now, in business, finance, family and lifestyle, Shirlene educates small business owners and entrepreneurs on the intricacies of compelling clients to work with you and shares the secrets to her own business income success by omitting common sales tactics. Go to www.massivevisibilitymedia.com for more information.
Content keeps you top of mind. What medium can you easily leverage to show off your expertise, and inject with personality? How do you go about building and executing your strategy? On this episode, Gene Volpe shares his marketing insights, including the tactical side of Facebook ads, and the strategy for getting your message to the right people consistently.
Marketing is about starting a conversation and turning that into “how can I help you?”. -Gene Volpe
Takeaways + Tactics
It’s good to know the numbers about how often you should post, but it’s more important to know YOUR numbers.
Your social media content has to bridge likability and credibility. Be fun and relatable, but still put yourself out there as the expert.
Realtors either fail to ask for business, or give a compelling answer about why the client should choose them.
At the start of the show, Gene shared some tactics for using drone footage to market an area, and leveraging them with Facebook video advertising. Next, he gave some insights on building a strategy from the ground up, and the importance of being in your own bubble. We went on to talk about the power of video, and why you should be using it to showcase your expertise.
Gene also shared insights on;
Without video you’ll lose future traction for your business. - Greg McDaniel
You have to run your content off of what your audience wants. Push the limit and tailor towards what they're telling you they want. -Gene Volpe
Video content allows you to position yourself as an expert, and an interesting person to get to know. How you craft your content influences how top of mind you are. How you well you execute that content relies on how much you listen to your audience. Follow the viewers - operate in your bubble by letting audience response influence your content strategy. Put things on video, people will be attracted to who you are.
Guest Bio-
Gene Volpe is the founder of GVI Media (formerly Your Real Estate Concierge), speaker and local marketing expert. He has over 9 years of experience in the marketing arena. He is also well versed in the real estate field including buying, selling, renting, marketing and consulting on over 200 real estate transactions. He is an expert in brand establishment and elevation and remains on the cutting edge of real estate marketing with a hard focus on video and social media. Go to http://www.genevolpe.com/ for more information.
Agents can live fulfilling and successful lives on 36 deals. What’s holding you back from scaling up or maintaining? Are you self-sabotaging yourself because you’re bored and unchallenged? On this episode, coach Hank Avink gives us insight into helping agents build a better life with their business as an engine, not a stressor.
Increasing your sales price is a goal based on the types of clients you work with, the areas you market into and the motivation of the people you’re working with. -Matt Johnson
Takeaways + Tactics
Everyone fails - it's only a matter of time. What counts is how quickly you get back in the game.
You’re going to get bored selling real estate. Start building systems in your business so you're not having the first year in real estate over and over again.
Is your default Telling or Asking? Train yourself to ask questions rather than make statements.
At the start of the show, Hank talked about teams and why they aren’t suited for every agent, and we talked about the connection between boredom mastery and success. We also shared on what is needed to increase your sales price by 10% each year, and focusing on what’s bringing in clients. We went on to share insights on the difficulties of partnerships, and using massive action to grow and improve.
Hank also shared on;
Imperfect action is better than perfect inaction. -Hank Avink
It’s difficult to find people that are as aligned values wise, and happen to be in the same part of their life, where you’re going in the same direction. -Matt Johnson
Many agents feel like every year is their first year in real estate, because they can’t predict their business. Without the 3 legs of the stool - a team, systems and controls, it’s impossible to build something sustainable and scalable. Get into massive action, it’s better to make mistakes, and fix them as you learn. Outwork your learning curve by converting your quantity into quality.
Guest Bio-
Hank is the Founder and Head Coach of National Coaching League. He is also a realtor in the Kalamazoo, Portage, Richland and Schoolcraft area. Find him on Facebook to get in touch about coaching.
Building name recognition gets you the trust factor in prospecting. What high-tech and high-touch tactics help you establish it? How do you inject your farming with the right data and knowledge to boost your chances? On the first episode of 2017, we take on audience questions, talk about luxury real estate, feeder markets and Facebook Live techniques.
If you’re going to make an offer to someone, the more things they have to believe in order to work with you, the worse your offer is going to do. -Matt Johnson
Takeaways + Tactics
You must like the area you’re selling in because it will come through in your prospecting.
Start your prospecting with your database, so you don’t have to overcome the personal trust barrier.
Turnover rate = total number of homes in a farm, divided by total number of homes sold in that farm over the last year.
Success in the luxury market depends on your willingness to spend or charge more on the front-end to have great videography, photography and staging.
At the start of the show, we answered audience questions about the legality of referral fees, and handlers for a seller who doesn’t want to sign a listing agreement. We also shared on the high-tech and high-touch methods that are necessary to succeed in geographical farming. Towards the end of the show, we talked about overcoming the trust factor by starting with your database when it comes to prospecting.
We also talked about;
Farming is a process that takes about 18 months to really start paying off. - Matt Johnson
Your database may know that you’re new, but you don’t have to overcome the personal trust barrier with them. - Matt Johnson
Getting a winning offer comes down to building trust so that a client believes in what you say. In farming, you do this by showing community knowledge and expertise. You make that even more successful in a high turnover location that doesn’t have a dominant agent or team. Most importantly, you must like the area so your interest, passion and knowledge oozes in your communication.
When you’re setting up your schedule, why is it crucial to uphold your prospecting time? How do you communicate this to clients for clear boundaries? On this episode, we share insights on these questions, talk about success with expired leads and working with ISAs.
Protect your prospecting time like you protect your listing appointments. That is your money. -Greg McDaniel
Takeaways + Tactics
If you’re not expecting to take the listing the first time, it’s okay to get appointments that aren’t solid because you just want to get face time with the seller.
To succeed with expired leads, you need the skills to make calls. New agents can’t acquire them quickly enough to make it work.
You need to do lead gen to the point where you feel you have a pipeline going, so you’re not roped into overcommitting.
At the start of the episode, we shared on ISAs and how they are connected to an agent’s listing appointment structure. Next we talked about the importance of protecting your prospecting time and communicating that to clients. We went on to share the struggles that new agents can face with expired leads, and lead gen plans going into the new year.
We also shared on;
If you go into listing appointments with the expectation that you have to come out with a signed agreement, you are setting yourself up for failure. -Matt Johnson
The more you fail, the more you will inevitably succeed. -Matt Johnson
The way you deal with clients is subconsciously affected by your lead gen. If you don’t have a steady pipeline of clients, you operate under the fear of rejection and possibly losing a client. To solve this, stick to your prospecting schedule, so you don’t get roped into doing things you wouldn’t do if you had that pipeline. People will only know what you tell them, so the secret to controlling clients is establishing the boundaries that protect your prospecting, early in the relationship.
Seeds of success are planted before action. Are you mentally aligning yourself with achievement? Do you envision success at a high level before you even pick up the phone? On this episode, guest Jonathan Kirk goes deep on the power of positive energy and visualization, and how these filter through to his hand dialing success.
If you’re not psychologically on point, you will not be successful on the phone. -Jonathan Kirk
Takeaways + Tactics
A successful prospecting session is 3-5 nurtures with a goal of 1 appointment set per day.
A good nurture is someone who wants to sell anytime from 30 days to 12 months out.
When the vibe is right on the phone with a prospect, ask for referrals to someone who is LIKE them who might need your help.
At the start of the show, Jonathan shared his background and why he chose hand dialing. He also revealed the mindset that leads him when it comes to making calls. We went on to share how to make it easier to visualize, and how this makes failure impossible. Jonathan also talked about the importance of making your work time as productive as possible, and towards the end, we shared the importance of reading books. “If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have time to succeed.”
Jonathan also shared insights on;
If I get a good inclination that I’m going to list and sell the property, I’m going to dial that person first. -Jonathan Kirk
If you don’t see yourself succeeding, you’re already setting yourself up for failure. -Jonathan Kirk
A balance in all aspects of life leads to an abundance in your business life. Don’t let conflict and stress affect your physiology, because it impacts the mindset you apply to your work. Success starts in the mind, and we make failure impossible when we constantly envision good things. If you have problems seeing yourself succeed, simplify the vision so action becomes inevitable. Remember you WILL succeed, it’s just a matter of which phone call it’s going to be on.
Guest Bio-
The Kirk Home Group is among the fastest growing Real Estate teams in Baltimore, MD because of two things: They listen to clients, and love what they do. Email jon@kirkhomegroup.com.
What is the difference between the engine of your business and profit maximizers? How do you move yourself up the ladder, and do what makes you the most money? On this episode we talk goal setting for the year ahead, and the questions we’re asking ourselves as we gear up for 2017.
When a goal is crystal clear in your mind, it releases the energy to pursue. -Matt Johnson
Takeaways + Tactics
Review your goals constantly and consistently, it gives you the energy to take massive action.
It’s important to feel the pain of not hitting goals, but equally important to celebrate milestones and feel the pleasure of achievement.
Ask yourself what the highest, most valuable and most leveraged use of your time is, and do more of that.
At the start of the show we talked about overcommitting, and how goal setting can help with clarity. We also shared on the importance of having an engine for your business, and how that connects to your lead gen pillars. We went on to talk about leveraging your time and skills more efficiently. Towards the show we talked about rewards and milestone celebrations.
We also shared on;
Make a list of things you don’t want to do, that don’t make you money and start cutting them out. -Matt Johnson
We don’t have a boss kicking us down but that also means we have no one patting us on our backs, and that can be lonely. -Matt Johnson
Clarity is an important factor in goal achievement, and that applies to lead gen and business planning. Figure out your one thing and optimize until you reach the point of diminishing returns. If you build a business around a core, predictable engine you also give yourself room for profit maximizers. Revisit goals regularly and remember to celebrate milestones.
What tactics, skills and practices helped Brandon Fink and Jonathan Tager make 91k in 90 days? How did marketing play into this success, and how do they go about creating, testing and running Facebook ads? On this episode, we go into detail about marketing best practices, tonality and the skills required to attract clients.
People forget that the ability to generate a new client is a skill. -Matt Johnson
Takeaways + Tactics
On this episode we discussed:
Some of the biggest opportunities come our way through identifying annoyances or inconveniences. By acquiring and nurturing the skills you need to attract clients, you can start seeing solutions in everyday problems. These skills will filter through to you how you write for ads. If you’re really good with your words, people can hear your tonality in what you write, and that makes your communication more impactful.
Guest Bio
Brandon and Jonathan focus on quality of service and excellent performance with each and every client. Go to http://viewtriadhomes.com/ for more information or follow Snap-Tag on Snapchat.
What is numerical visualization? How can agents get over the pain of prospecting and focus on the rewards? On this episode of Real Estate Uncensored, we talk accountability and it, not numbers, to stay focused and motivated. Our guests Aaron Wittenstein and Pasquale Scopelliti provide insights.
It is painful to invest and make effort. There is a painful discipline you have to make yourself go through before you get addicted to the reward. -Pasquale Scopelliti
Takeaways + Tactics
On this episode we discussed:
Some people don’t need numbers to smack them on the head because they can keep themselves accountable. Having extraordinary, focused, disciplined accountability comes down to understanding that the activity might be painful, but the joy of the end result is far more attractive. It’s important to analyze everything you do, including your failures.
Guest Bios
Pasquale is a highly experienced advisor and consultant who has worked with some of the world’s most successful businesses and executives since 1993, after starting a business coaching small business owners in 1987. Pasquale is a self-proclaimed consigliori and he specializes in management and recruitment consulting. He has also written a book called The Switch, which is available for download on his website. For more information on his work go to theconsigliori.com
Aaron is a full-time, full-service Realtor, whose expertise as a seasoned real estate agent gives him a well-rounded background that will benefit a first-time home buyer, a home owner veteran, investor, or a returning client. His qualifications include 15+ years of fast-track sales experience in diverse business environments, with 12+ years in real estate. Having been fortunate to work under multi-million dollar producers, he has extensive knowledge of the real estate business which will fully maximize his clients’ satisfaction.
Content is key in building a dominant brand, but why does it give agents a pause? Why do agents need the servant mentality and good personal brands to overcome this reluctance? On this episode, Chris Craft shares his expertise on brand building, and the intersection of front loading content and being transparent.
Show boundless experience and knowledge by front-loading your brand with online content, and letting that be your face. -Chris Craft
Takeaways + Tactics
On this episode we discussed:
A lot of sales problems are solved by having the servant mentality. It’s even better when it perfectly intersects with front-loading brand content and transparency, so people know what to expect. Mentality comes through in everything you say and do, and when your personal brand boosts your expertise, you create a better context for client relationships.
Guest Bio
Chris Craft is a Christian, husband, father, author, speaker, and founder of Nao Media. Craft approaches all things, including his writing projects, from a Christian worldview. He writes on faith, gratitude, marketing, and business. Chris and his team at Nao Media have branded, marketed, and strategized for real estate professionals with much success. His new book, The Foundation: Branding for Successful Real Estate Professionals, is available for purchase now. Go to craftwrites.com for more information or craftwrites.com/marketing for marketing content.
What is the secret to mastering the 18-month lead nurture cycle and why does it lean so heavily on technology? How does it influence the relevance of agents? On this episode, guest Jesse Passafiume gives us insights on digital handshakes and “no lead left behind” platforms. Learn about how these benefit both relationship based agents and portal based agents.
If you want to be a relevant agent you have to get on that 18-month cycle and figure out how to manage it. -Jesse Passafiume
Takeaways + Tactics
On this episode we discussed:
Just because someone isn’t planning to make a move in the next 3 months, that doesn’t mean they’re a worthless lead. To make sure no lead is left behind, you need to leverage with digitization and systems. This will allow you to create multi-platform customer journeys, and harness the magic of the 18-month lead nurture process. Lead with the willingness to provide value and take pride in that, because leads reveal themselves through those conversations.
Guest Bio
Jesse is a real estate finance executive who is obsessed with using technology to improve experiences. His career has provided a unique opportunity to manage, coach and observe over 2,000 originators in the referral and consumer direct markets. He believes that in order for our industry to thrive, consumer direct competency and hyper local service must be combined.