Success Agent

The age-old struggle that many Realtors have questions about is how to convert leads quickly. It is crucial to have a system for this, but many people wonder how to create that system in the first place. In my opinion, it’s rather simple. The three keys are to time block, make phone calls, and be consistent. If you’re not doing those things, you will not convert quickly, and you’ll have to resort to spending too much money on hot leads without converting your old ones. Make sure to create a habit of doing these things. I recommend spending one or two hours a day on converting leads. This will help you stay top of mind with the people in your database. If you don’t prefer to do that, you’ll need to have a CRM with a lot of automation. Putting things on auto-pilot takes away some of the stress that can come with this process. With all the challenges real estate agents are facing right now, it is important to stay consistent. If you have any questions about how to implement these things, call or email me, I’d be

There are lots of ways to make money in the real estate industry besides just helping customers buy and sell homes. Of course, how much money you can make outside your official duties depends on the structure of your brokerage. At REAL Broker, agents have eight different ways that they can earn extra income, and today I’ll walk you through them. Follow along in the video above or use the timestamps below to navigate my discussion at your leisure: 0:00 — Introduction 0:22 — A generous 85/15 commission split 2:00 — A pre-cap stock purchase plan 2:41 — Stock award for capping 3:00 — Post-cap stock purchase plan 4:09 — Elite agent production award 4:38 — Elite agent cultural award 4:55 — Stock award for directly attracting new agents to REAL 6:01 — Revenue share income 7:31 — Final thoughts If you’d like to learn more about these income options, click here or give me a call. I’d love to tell you about all the ways that you can earn more money by joining our team. I hope to hear from you soon!

Why should you join a cloud-based brokerage? They offer a ton of advantages over traditional brokerages, and we’re one of them. Here are the top six advantages of cloud-based brokerages: 1. More tools and resources. Here at Real, we have Skyslope, which handles all your contracts, Workplace, where you can interact with agents nationwide, and the Real app, which gives you access to your yearly transaction count, total commissions, and more. 2. More tools for advancing your career. In our Workplace, we have a quick-start program for new agents. We have guides on being a successful YouTuber, farming an area with postcards, being a digital president, and other ways to get your marketing out there and develop your brand. Cloud-based brokerages also let you brand however you want so long as you meet certain standards. 3. Working from home. You have no commute, and it’s easy to stay in contact with people from your office with tools like Workplace and Zoom. You get to work without using any gas, which is really impo

There’s been alarming news circulating lately. Interest rates are increasing, gas prices remain relatively high, and the war in Ukraine continues. With so much going on, our market is starting to shift, and agents need to prepare if they don’t want their business to take a hit. Here are some tips to help your real estate business not just survive but thrive in this crazy market: 1. Talk to more people. Do whatever you can to reach out to a wider audience. Go to open houses, talk to other Realtors, visit your church and hand out business cards to let people know that you work as a real estate agent. 2. Hold a broker open at your listings. Invite as many Realtors as you can. You can enjoy wine and cheese as you talk about how you can get through this changing market. 3. Find for sale by owners. Some for sale by owners are likely confused about what’s really going on in the market. It will be to your advantage if you can find them and provide value. 4. Improve your systems. Now more than ever is the time to clea

Have you ever wanted to buy a home from a for sale by owner (FSBO)? If you’re considering purchasing a home in this market, here are a few reasons why you should still get a real estate agent even if you’re planning to buy from an FSBO: 1. The owner may not allow home inspections. When you buy a home from a for sale by owner, they most likely won’t let you do home inspections. A home inspection is an important part of the home-buying process that you should not skip. It’s the chance for you to see if there’s anything wrong with the property. 2. Sellers can become emotional during transactions. Sellers can sometimes take it personally when you point out what’s wrong with their property. This may cause problems for the transaction. 3. You won’t have someone who will look out for your best interests. Real estate agents have the experience to make sure the transaction doesn’t become personal and that you can properly do your home inspections. Without an agent, you won’t have a representative who can look out for

Have you wondered why you aren’t getting any traction or leads through social media? The truth is that you probably aren’t as consistent as you should be. There are tons of social media platforms out there. Instead of trying to be a jack of all trades, double or triple down on the one that you’ll actually post content to on a consistent basis. If you don’t consistently post content, the algorithm will bury you. I recommend using polls and asking your audience questions to get them engaged. This engagement will cause the algorithm to get you in front of more people. I also recommend you create a schedule and stick to it. If some guru tells you to post at least twice a month, you should probably be posting at least twice a day. In my experience, big social media marketing campaigns post between three and four times every day. Think about social media as your free television show. Since it’s free, the more you take advantage of it, the more value you’ll create. Plus, if you post content often, you’ll get better

If you follow my blog, you probably know that video marketing works. If you want to start creating video content for your database, it’s difficult to know where to start. That’s why today I want to go over what equipment I use to create high-quality videos. For my webcam, I use a Logitech HD C920 Webcam. You can find one on Amazon for about $79.99. These are much better than the stock cameras that come with your computer. Some of these make me scratch my head; why do companies bother attaching such low-quality cameras to their computers? Don’t bother with these cheap cameras. If you get this Logitech webcam, you can have quality videos without breaking the bank. My microphone is a Shure SM7B, which is $499.99 on Amazon. That may seem like a lot of money, but this is the industry standard for radio and podcast hosts. It has a dynamic range, so I can speak from a relaxed position or get really close for a radio-host vibe. Usually, I stay eight to 10 inches away so that I retain a warm feel without sounding echo

Why do some agents fail in the real estate business? In my opinion, it comes down to one thing: They are afraid to start. When you’re new to the industry, you don’t know where to begin. You’re afraid to call your family and friends, you don’t know how to start a contact list, etc. At my brokerage, Real, there’s tons of training for new agents. A lot of it’s online, but there’s in-person training too if you prefer that. I’ve seen a lot of agents take advantage of this training but never put it into practice. The truth is that real estate isn’t like a nine-to-five job. You don’t get paid just by showing up and clocking in. Recently, I saw a statistic that said 97% of real estate transactions are closed on the phone. When you’re trying to get listings and work with buyers, it’s your personality and voice that will get you where you need to be. Everything you want is on the other side of fear. Whatever it takes to conquer your fears, do it. Once you take the first step, the next one will be easier. It’s as simple

Let’s talk about the three mistakes that most agents make at listing appointments: Mistake No. 1: They don’t listen enough. When you’re at a listing appointment, you want to listen to what the seller is concerned about, what their problems are, and try to figure out how to solve those. People reach out to listing agents because they have a problem, and they want you to solve it (just like Vanilla Ice). Mistake No. 2: They give answers instead of asking questions. Clients want to hear themselves talk, and the more they do, the more they feel like you care. Usually, they will give you all the answers you need on their own. Mistake No. 3: Not bringing a contract. I know it’s old school, and it’s easy to get caught up in e-signing and virtual contracts. If you’re taking the time to set an appointment, go to their house, and sit there for two hours, you might as well try to close the deal. Time is the killer of all deals. The more time they have to think it over, the more likely they are to go with another agent.

In the real estate business, it’s very important to track what you’re doing, how much you’re doing, and why you’re doing it. Data tells the story of how productive you are as an agent, so be sure to track your calls, your mets, the number of meaningful conversations you have, and the number of appointments you set. That will help you predict how many deals you’ll get this year. By tracking your every move, you’ll be able to see the formula to make a certain income. Then if you want to double that income, you just double your numbers. The data will tell you how good you are. Numbers never lie. Additionally, you want to be tracking your lead sources. Then you know where more business is coming from and what you should and shouldn’t be spending money on. Maybe you’re better at cold calling, or maybe you’re better at managing relationships with the people you know. Once you have the numbers, you can develop a plan to make sure that you’re enjoying what you’re doing and making a better living in the process. If yo

To buy leads, or not to buy? This has been the subject of debate in the real estate industry for a long time now. Today we’ll discuss whether or not the practice has any merits. If you’re trying to build a huge real estate team or a big big business, then running around neighborhoods, dropping off gifts, and knocking on doors to get leads simply isn’t scalable. To get the leads you need to achieve your desired growth, you’ll have to market to a broader audience, and that is something you’ll have to pay for. There are a few different ways to pay for leads. You can purchase pay-per-click leads from sites like Google or Facebook, or you could hire an ad agency to help you learn how to make your own ads. Alternatively, you could subscribe to portal sites like Zillow or Realtor.com. These kinds of leads are more expensive than others because they have to go into the portal and ask to be connected to an agent like you. On the other hand, pay-per-click leads aren’t always even looking for an agent to speak to—they j

Today we’ll talk about how to create a simple referral repeat SOI business. Statistics show that 82% of clients forget who you are within a year after closing a transaction with you. But that’s not what you want to happen—if you can stay top of mind with clients even after you’re done helping them, some of them will send you referrals for more business. There’s an easy trick you can do to keep your name in their minds: Every time you close with a client, mark-down their closing anniversary on your Google calendar. Then, every time it pops up, send out a postcard to them. It’s easy, and I usually get six or seven repeat referral business deals out of it every year. You can either do these as they come in or just batch them by month and send them out at the same time. It’ll stay in contact with your past clients, and they’ll love you for it. If you want to get granular, you can also send out cards on kids’ birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays to help you stay in front of your clients. I hope this was helpful.

Today I want to talk to you about an important topic that a lot of agents don’t understand. Whether you’re representing the buyer or seller, when does it make sense for you to cover repairs? This is something I hear from agents often, but it seems like most think it’s the equivalent of throwing in the towel. This couldn’t be further from the truth. **In reality, offering to pay for repairs yourself can be a powerful negotiating tactic. ** If you decide to pay for repairs, it isn’t about giving up; it’s about communication and understanding. While this is an important tool in any agent’s repertoire, you should be careful about using it correctly. If you default to paying for difficult items yourself, it could cost you in the long run when you get busier. To get better at your job, you should attempt difficult negotiations and only pay for repairs if nothing else works. Don’t be afraid of having hard conversations with your clients. I know it can be uncomfortable, but it’s worth it to improve as an agent. I was

To be frank, if you haven’t received a bad review before, that probably means you’re not working hard enough. You can’t please everybody, and at the end of the day, you have a few options: You can cry about it, you can respond to it, or you can do nothing. In fact, I think you need to get even more bad reviews. I say that because you’re eventually going to get a whole lot more good reviews, which will bury the bad ones. In these situations, if your bad reviews come from a client of yours, I recommend sending out a postcard to address the issue. Don’t let negative reviews get to you. Keep your chin up and keep moving forward. If you have any questions about responding to bad reviews or anything else related to managing your real estate business, don’t hesitate to give us a call or send an email. We’d love to speak with you.

Why do I think everybody should become a real estate agent? Here’s the deal: I worked 30-some odd jobs before I was 30 and had no idea what I was good at. I know a lot of you out there are just like that. I stumbled into real estate back in the day by accident and was basically told to invest in some REO properties (i.e., foreclosures) because I needed rental properties and residual income to get ahead in life. I didn’t even know how to spell “residual,” but I went down that path anyway. I put some money together, took out a HELOC on my house, and bought some real estate investment properties. Now I have 27 of them. I was very green when I entered the business and really didn’t have a clue of what I was doing, but I watched some YouTube videos, read a few books, and followed all the gurus out there. Then my sister-in-law told me I needed to get my real estate license, so I did. For a guy who had already had 30 jobs, I considered this one No. 31, thinking I’d eventually have No. 32. Luckily, I stopped at 31.

Today I want to talk about the delicate balance between cost and culture in the real estate business. Treating your business like a business and knowing when the effort to curate great culture is costing you extra money brings this kind of conflict to the forefront. When thinking about why you are where you are in the business and how the culture of your team is helping you find a place to call home, you’re excited about real estate—but at what cost? The costs can really add up. If you have franchise fees, no cap, office bills, advertising costs, and administrative costs, you’re stuck in a weird spot because the expenses you incur in the name of culture impact your paycheck. Why does it have to be that way? Why can’t you just have a space with great culture and less overhead? That’s what agents love about working with us at eXp. We don’t have those same marketing and office costs. Our agents make more while also enjoying that great culture. If you want to learn more about our team or have any questions ab

What benefits should you expect from your brokerage? What should you be looking for when comparing them? You should take control of your business and treat it as just that—a business. Look at it as a profit and loss statement: The amount of effort you put in will equal the amount you’ll make. Then you need to align yourself with the brokerage that will net you the most amount of money for the effort you’ve put into your business. You don’t want to start a business knowing it’ll fail or that you’ll have to work twice as hard to make the same amount of money you were before. When I chose to align my business with Real Brokerage, I looked at it from the perspective of, “I’m already doing this anyway, so why can’t I net the most amount of money possible?” Also, ask yourself what they’ll provide. Do they provide any technology? Do they provide training? What are the splits? What is the office situation; do you need an office or not? Will it cost you money to have an office? Then look at the other benefits you’ll g

A lot of agents get caught up in the idea that they need a bunch of initials behind their name. In some cases, they end up spending a lot of money to get these designations. Today I’ll talk about whether it’s worth it to get a designation added to your professional title. The reality is that these designations can help you network, get referrals, and further your career. However, having a designation won’t be a defining factor for success in this business. At the end of the day, if you need CE credit and getting a designation along the way is worth your time and money, then go ahead, but don’t get caught up in the idea that having those initials will magically make you a successful agent. If you want more information on how to become a successful real estate agent, feel free to reach out to me via phone or email. I look forward to hearing from you.

Today I wanted to talk about why we decided to join Real. There are four good reasons why we made this transition: 1. They offer a new-age, technology-powered office. We decided that we wanted to be part of a company that’s forward-thinking in the technology they use. Real has a combination of virtual offices and traditional offices. We actually have a few crash offices in Cheyanne where you can stop by and work for a couple of hours. We also know that many brokerages are not keeping ahead of the curve. Real is doing a lot of cool things. For example, they have a dedicated app, and they use Workplace by Facebook. 2. They have competitive brokerage fees. At Real, each agent has a cap of $12,000 per year, and the commission is an 85/15 split. 85% of every commission goes to the agent. Once the agent hits $12,000, they get 100% of the commission, and Real only changes a $225 transaction fee. There are no monthly fees. The only additional fee is $250 out of your first two transactions in the year. 3. They are a p

How should you prepare for 2022? It’s hard to believe, but the new year is just around the corner. As things continue to change, we need to adapt, so today I wanted to go over some tips to prepare for another fantastic year. More people are working from home, and we never know if a new COVID variant will throw us back into lockdown. So we need to become mobile workers. You should include a good mix of remote and in-person work into your routine. This means becoming familiar with social media, Zoom, or anything else needed to meet your customer where they are. One issue we’ve found is that some iPhone apps don’t work on Android and vice versa. If you run into this issue, you can always use Zoom, which works on all platforms. A creative solution we’ve found for this issue is to use Otter.ai. Otter transcribes your conversations for you, so if a client wants notes after a Zoom call, you’ll have them ready. We will all have to use new technologies to keep up with our customers. If you have any questions about pre