When you move into a new market there are many ways to establish yourself. Can you leverage the credibility of your old database to get jump started in the new market? How can you prep yourself mentally for a listing appointment? On this episode, we answer questions on handling objections and holding yourself accountable to be active on social media.
Three Things We Learned
Ask the prospect questions to help ease their doubts
When a prospect tells you they want to interview more agents/brokers, start asking them questions like important aspects they are looking for in an agent.
Prep your subconscious before you go into a listing presentation
Success is all about mindset, and you have to prepare yourself for the listing presentation beforehand. If you show up mentally in state, ready to rock and roll and you own it, you will be able to get the listing.
The lack of productivity is what’s killing your business
You may think you have 30 things that all need to be done at once to grow your business, but that’s the worst thing you can do. Instead of going a mile wide and an inch deep, go deep on one thing because that will move your further a lot faster.
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The fundamentals of starting a real estate business whether you’re new or moving to a new area are relatively the same. It’s all about building relationships, and doing something as simple as building your Facebook page to be transferable. Remember moving to a new place is a powerful opportunity, it gives you a chance to rebrand and market more intelligently.
Most people in the industry talk down to people who want to focus on buyers, but our guest has a different perspective. Is it possible to scale up the buyer side and home showings? What value does it bring to both the buyers and the agent? How can scaling up a buyer business allow you to kill many birds with one stone? On this episode, Lauren Taylor answers these questions and shares her winning strategy.
Three Things We Learned
Play to your strengths
Most people try to be jacks of all trades in business and spend time trying to get better at their weaknesses instead of doubling down on their strengths. It’s so much better to excel at one thing than it is to be mediocre at many.
There’s a difference between a virtual showing and a virtual tour
Remember that people don’t want a super-edited, high quality video, they want the nitty gritty. They want to get the authentic and actual showing which would feel like it would when they are with an agent, viewing the house in person.
Think virtual listing presentation and save time
Agents have so many things happening at once. What if you could create a video of your best listing presentation, how would that save you a lot of time? If you did that, by the time you’re showing up to the prospect’s house you’re just converting, conditioning and putting a price on the house.
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If 30 seconds of video is worth 1.8 million words, this tells you just how powerful the medium is. The consumer is ready for virtual reality, and it can actually be implemented easily. Video walk-throughs and virtual viewings are a powerful way to leverage video and save time. The first actual walk-through that you do with the client will actually be the second time they see the house, so it will more likely be what they really want. You will also be creating something that can be used multiple times vs. an in person showing that is only for that one time. All this saves time and makes life convenient for everyone involved.
Happy New Year from Real Estate Uncensored! Have you made your New Year's resolutions yet? How do you go about keeping them, and how do you gain a positive mindset to achieve your goals? In this Live Q&A, we discuss the benefits your business can gain when you have a positive outlook.
Three Things We Learned
Focus on your strengths and ignore your weaknesses.
You cannot expect to do everything the way you do what you do best. Focus your abilities and don't try to stretch yourself too thin, that way you can ensure that your best is truly your best. Enhance yourself in one area rather than five areas, and you will see that your productivity and satisfaction levels will grow.
Make your own routine.
Find when your peak is - morning, afternoon, or evening - and structure your day around it. You can't copy someone else's routine and expect it to work for you. You know your own body clock best and once you work out what schedule fits you best, you will find yourself getting more productive.
Be consistent.
People often underestimate the power of consistency. It means a lot to anyone you're working with - be it clients, teams, or other agents - if you're consistent in what you've promised to do. Deliver content consistently over Facebook and you will make a great impression.
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Consistency is key for any successful business. Avoid "pivoting" - jumping from one thing to another without making full use of the experience you have already gathered. Identify the best time to start something new and find out what works for YOU because that's how you'll reach success. Have fun doing whatever it is that you're doing. Calls are not the only way to network successfully and if you're not enjoying what you do, people will know. Find your tactic and make it successful with determination and consistency.
A lot of individual agents get themselves into trouble by not having a way to generate new relationships, and they get swept away by teams. Why are teams making it so hard for individual agents to compete? Is 2018 the beginning of the end of the individual agent? What is the bigger trend behind the movement towards teams? On this episode, we are joined by Dale Archdekin to talk about the value of teams.
Three Things We Learned
Count on your database shrinking every year
Whether it’s relocation or death, your database is going to shrink by up to 15% each year. If you’re not able to continue building more relationships to expand your sphere, your actual business is going to shrink too.
Teams offer a lot more value
Teams who are developing entire sales teams around receiving and converting leads
at a high level, are offering a lot more value to the market. They are buying up massive space in online advertising, their footprint is larger because they have many people under the same brand, and they have the ability to handle paperwork in a professional and consistent way.
Teams make database communication easier
A lot of salespeople that are really good at talking to people and fostering relationships, are very bad at creating and managing repeatable systems. If you plug into a team that’s dialed in with a consistent touch plan to keep you in front of your sphere, that communication is taken care of with a repeatable system.
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The stress levels in this business can be astronomical, and a team can help you shoulder that. By handling the admin side of things in a professional and consistent way, providing accountability and automating things like database communication, teams offer value that individual agents just couldn’t compete with. A team allows you to leverage a repeatable system, cutting a lot of the worry out the job. Teams are also a vehicle for specialization, where you can leverage the abilities of other people. It’s all about plugging into a team that gets you more business and also helps you get better and better.
A 30 minute open house can be more effective than a 3-hour one with the right tactics. How can you use open houses to protect the value of a home? How can you make the open house an event that brings in crowds? On this episode, we are joined by our good friend and marketer Glenn Twiddle, to talk about open house mastery and making yourself a household name.
Three Things We Learned
The saturation geographic marketing tactic
When you do an open house, do a 5-minute video version of it on Facebook Live. Boost it to a targeted geographic area, and let it run long enough for people to see your acitivity and your effectiveness in your market. You’ll have sellers calling you, wanting you to take the listing, and you will guarantee future business.
Shorter open houses are more effective
Instead of a 3-hour open house where people show up sporadically, make it 30 minutes or an hour so that more people show up at once. This gives the home more of a buzz, and people will assume there’s competition to buy the house.
Invite people for reasons other than buying the house
An open house doesn’t just have to be about the house. You can make it a community event with fun activities and giveaways. Partner with local vendors or brands and invite people from the neighborhood. It’s a powerful way to market yourself.
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The saturation geographic marketing method will make you a household name in a short amount of time. That’s because people get to see what you’re about, and that you’re a serious contender in the real estate of that area. If you can make an impact by making people feel respected, and giving a solution to their specific problem, you will blow all your competitors out of the water because people will see the value and want to work with you.
A lot of people set goals for the whole year, but find it hard to hold their motivation for that long. What is the right way to go about setting your goals? How do you overcome resistance to doing what you need to do? How do you test if a lead generation method is really working? On this episode, we talk about these topics as we prepare for the new year.
Three Things We Learned
Use journaling and the Sedona Method to overcome resistance to what you need to do
Sometimes we find ourselves resisting the tasks and actions, and we just can’t seem to figure out why. The best thing you can do in this case is to write out all the possible reasons for the resistance so you can free yourself from it. Additionally, you can do the Sedona Method.
Stop riding the instability of emotional highs
Emotions just won’t be a good enough fuel to take you towards your goals, that’s why it’s so counterproductive to base your work and activities on how you feel in the moment. To stop riding emotional waves, get a solid rhythm of daily behavior and commit to systems and schedules so you can follow through.
Shorten the time span of your goals & have consequences
When you set a goal for a whole year, you will very likely lose momentum. Shorten the time span of your goals into more bite-sized pieces, and have an idea of the nitty gritty of your day-to-day. Have rewards and consequences for when you meet or fail to meet your goals.
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It’s a lot easier to take an action where there’s a physical, mental or emotional pain you’ll inflict on yourself if you’re going off track. Decide how long you’re going to commit to doing something and have a clear criteria for success. You have to have a bedrock of systems, processes and schedule that you can fall back on to keep momentum going.
It’s hard to get a person to open up, unless they feel like they have rapport with you. Why is empathy the secret to building a genuine connection with someone? Why is it so good to ask “what” questions, not “why” questions? How do all these points improve your relationships? On this episode, Dr. Debra Dupree is back to share more brilliant verbal ninja moves that will improve your emotional intelligence.
Three Things We Learned
Think empathy, not sympathy
Sympathy comes from having the same experience as someone, but empathy is showing that you understand what they’re going through. It makes people feel heard, and that you recognize where they are. This is a powerful way to connect.
Ask what questions, not why question
You put people at ease when you ask what questions. Why questions can easily make someone defensive. You can very easily reframe your question by asking your question as a what and not a why. You are going to get a better answer that way.
Go from being unconsciously incompetent to unconsciously competent
At any given time, we’re unconsciously incompetent, we don’t know what we don’t know.
We want to move towards being consciously incompetent so we can continue to build, and lead and grow. Ultimately we want to be unconsciously competent.
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As individuals we all feel like our experiences are uniquely our own, so when you empathize you are acknowledging that, and also making them feel heard. Building rapport is all about building trust, building a connection and giving them the space to share their feelings and thoughts. If you can bring empathy, integrity, sincerity, compassion, and reliability to the table, you can get people to open up and that will create a very strong relationship and business.
Most agents have no idea what sets them apart from the rest, and they are conditioned to not differentiate. Why is it so important to know what makes you a uniquely qualified service provider? What is the most powerful tactic you can use to build rapport? How do you finish the year strong and hit the ground running in 2018? On this episode, we are joined by coach Don Cunningham, who answers these questions and other questions from the audience.
Three Things We Learned
When you’re competing with other agents use questions to stand out
If a prospect tells you they’re still interviewing other agents, use this an opportunity to ask questions about whether there’s something they want in another agent that you haven’t covered in the conversation. Better yet, empower yourself right from the start by asking what you would want them to cover in the presentation.
Build rapport first
Want to avoid putting the prospect off? Try building rapport before you go in for the kill. Rapport building gives you the right to have the conversation about why they should hire you, and you will be able to provide information that actually resonates with the client.
Use this time wisely
The natural instinct at this time of the year is to take a more laid back approach but this is actually a good time to nurture relationships and set yourself up for some leads next year. It’s more acceptable at this time of the year to make connections with your past clients and sphere of influence so send a festive-themed card or communication.
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No matter what position you’re in, you have to find a way to differentiate yourself, and it can’t be that you’re better because that just won’t work. One way you can set yourself apart is by building genuine connections with people. As things get more technologically advanced and individually customizable, the personal relationship has become more important. It’s much easier to execute the search and the transaction, but that doesn’t mean you should put relationships on the back burner. Remember, it’s the people that understand how to quickly build deep personal connections that are killing it.
A lot of people who hire ISAs do it because they couldn’t find success with it themselves. How does this do more harm than good? Is prospecting by making calls the avenue for you? What mistakes do people make when it comes to turning a call into an appointment? On this episode, we answer these questions and tackle other questions from our audience.
Three Things We Learned
If you’re not willing to exclude, you won’t attract
As a business owner, it’s important to be clear on who you work best with. The whole point is to build a system that can help a certain person get certain types of results. If you’re trying to serve too many types of people, you won’t be able to carve out your own lane, which puts you at a major disadvantage.
Get comfortable with the process of making the calls
There’s great value in sitting down and making calls for an hour. You learn so much more about your prospects, and when you do eventually decide to hire someone, you can train them more effectively. If you don’t have the time to do this, you might as well get out of the business.
Don’t put people off by being too salesy too quickly
A big mistake people make in their prospecting is not providing enough value before they make a big ask. Always tell people what’s in it for them before you try to pitch them on meeting with you. Focus less on what you want and more on what helps the prospect.
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The people who do very well with the ISA model are the ones that were able to pull it off successfully on their own before they hired more people. They understand that ISAs will help them take their business to the next level and they commit. They are good at training people and holding them accountable because they’ve gone through it and overcome the hurdles, and that’s what makes them unstoppable.
A lot of real estate agents will accept working with people who treat them badly. What drives this mindset and how does it delay your success? How do you raise your standards so you filter out the bad? How do you start attracting the clients you actually want? On this episode, we are joined by Amy Broghamer who shares how she is able to close 95% of her prospects.
Three Things We Learned
Facebook is always going to boost Live video and native content more
When you upload on Facebook, remember that Live video performs way better than pre-recorded video. It’s also important to avoid making people click outside of Facebook because native content is what the platform encourages.
Set your parameters upfront
Your working relationship with clients is greatly determined by the standards and boundaries you set right at the start. That’s why it’s so necessary to be clear and firm about what works for you. Don’t underestimate the power of pacing and setting expectations.
Setting Standards is how you get to abundance
Most newer agents feel like they need to work with anyone and everyone to get their business up and running. The problem with this is you will stay where you are because you’ll be distracted and tied up with the wrong kinds of clients. Setting standards from the start will nip this problem in the bud, and create abundance.
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People hire a real estate to guide them to success, and you stepping up and leading them is a huge part of the process. If you keep finding yourself dealing with the worst clients, it’s time to reevaluate your process and start setting higher standards right from the start. You’ll never get to a place of abundance until you stop distracting yourself with clients that don’t get you paid and don’t help you get to your goal. Your initial encounters with a client will set the tone for the whole process, so set up higher standards and adhere to them.
People tend to use to-do lists as crutches to avoid actually getting into action. How do you stop this from happening by reducing your list to essentials? How do you become more specific about getting referrals? Why is it so important to build celebration into your process? On this episode, one of our favorites, James Colburn is back to talk about generating referrals.
Three Things We Learned
There’s a difference between stated goals and subconscious goals
The reason people tend to rebel against themselves and the goals they set is that the goals don’t align with the goals they set subconsciously. In this case the subconscious will always win.
Ask yourself how you’re going to build celebration into your routine
The celebration aspect of our business is lacking, but it’s something that you should install in your process. Your job isn’t just toil, and if you can have celebration in your life, it becomes the carrot that pushes you forward.
Don’t Base Actions on Feelings
It’s a massive mistake to live your life based on feelings, because they are fleeting and can be affected by so much. Your feelings have nothing to do with reality, so learn to get outside of them so your routines aren’t affected.
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The entire job of being a real estate agent is one thing, and one thing only. It’s being in front of people that want to buy or sell or know someone that wants to. This is what you should focus on, and it’s powerful to put your skin in the game and commit to the process. When it comes to getting referrals learn to be specific about what you’re looking for, and be bold when you ask. You will be surprised by how much business you can generate this way.