Kevin & Fred's Next Level Podcast: Quick Tips for Realtors and Interviews from the best in the real estate business

In this special roundtable edition of the Next Level Agents podcast, host Kevin Kauffman brings together four industry powerhouses – Chelsea Wright, Brittini Bowers, Katie DeWitt, and Erik Kelly – for a candid conversation about what truly separates consistently successful agents from those caught in cycles of mediocrity. This episode challenges conventional wisdom about real estate success, exposing the uncomfortable truths about why some agents perpetually struggle while others thrive regardless of market conditions. From the counterintuitive education habits of top performers to the relationship crisis plaguing modern agents, this discussion offers both philosophical insights and practical strategies for breaking through to your next level. Key Points: The paradox of education: Why the busiest, most successful agents prioritize learning opportunities that struggling agents claim they're "too busy" to attend The relationship foundation: How many agents seek new lead sources because they've failed to build genuine connections with people already in their sphere The "comfortable complacency" trap: How achieving just enough success to maintain your current lifestyle can prevent you from reaching your true potential The authenticity challenge: Why being honest about your real motivations (including financial goals) creates more alignment than claiming "I just want to help people" The boundary mastery of top performers: How strategic unavailability and energy management enable sustainable success The "Golden Retriever Principle": Why some seemingly unlikely agents succeed through sheer enthusiasm and consistent action The living legacy perspective: How viewing daily decisions through the lens of legacy transforms your approach to business and life Whether you're a new agent seeking the right foundation or an experienced professional looking to break through your current ceiling, this episode provides the uncomfortable truths and actionable insights needed to elevate your business to its next level. Listen now to join the conversation that's challenging industry norms and creating a new standard for real estate excellence. Connect with our hosts: Chelsea Wright: Instagram | Helping overachieving realtors escape burnout through coaching and keynotes Brittini Bowers: Instagram | Co-leader of a top real estate team in Arizona and host of Other Ambitions podcast Katie DeWitt: Instagram | Real estate coach and industry leader with experience in all facets of the business Erik Kelly: Instagram | Host of Live Your Legacy podcast and relationship-focused real estate veteran Ready to take your real estate business to the next level? Visit Next Level Agents to learn more about our community of growth-minded professionals. ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla

In real estate, being a broker is the ultimate dream we're taught to aspire to, but for most people, it's a nightmare. If you put the ego and bragging rights aside, you'll find that most brokers aren't happy.  They work 80+ hours a week, get very little time with their families, and at the end of the day, have very little to show for it financially. People often say a restaurant is one of the worst businesses to own, but a real estate brokerage isn't all that different if you really dig into the numbers.  What if we could aspire to a business model that gave us freedom, leverage and more money? What if you could do away with the things that make owning a brokerage so difficult? Mitch Riback did just that and created a model that allows owners to keep more income, have less overhead and responsibility over agents and way more freedom.  You could go from working 80+ hours a week to 30 hours, and sell more homes with less headaches. Ultimately, what most “successful” brokers don't tell you is how much they hate what they run. By taking a different approach, you can sign up for a business, and not a trap. Today, I'm joined by the Realtor, coach, speaker and author of The Big Lie: Are You On the Real Estate Hamster Wheel? Mitch talks about what drove him to build a different business and how it's allowed him to pour into what truly matters.  People think working 80+ hours a week is a badge of honor, it's a badge of stupidity. -Mitch Ribak  Guest Info Mitch Ribak is a Realtor, Broker, Coach, Speaker and author of The Big Lie: Are you on the Real Estate Hamster Wheel? Most Successful Realtors, Team Leaders and Brokers never truly build a business, they build a crappy job. Mitch teaches agents and brokers how to create a business that not only increases their profits, but also creates a life of freedom. To get the book, get https://a.co/d/1T0qWAt or send an email to Mitch@mitchrealty.com.  CTA ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla

In an industry that celebrates making rain, GCI, units and volume, it's really easy to lose sight of why we got into real estate in the first place. Most of us got into this for our families and for freedom to spend time with them. Unfortunately, somewhere along the way, we forget and find ourselves working too much, prioritizing the next meeting,  appointment and commission check.    It's only when we have a smack-in-the-face moment that we realize that we're running our businesses all wrong, and that we have to refocus on the original goal. A lot of what we hear from the stage doesn't share this truth, and what the road to refocusing on what matters looks like.    The great thing about this business is you can build it, find out you built it all wrong, burn it all down, start over and build it right. You can regain the vision and start doing it in alignment with what matters to you. It's certainly not an easy thing to do, but following through on it is worth it. It gives us a business that puts pressure on the things that really move the needle and nothing else. Shonna Ruble shares her own path through this process, from realizing it was built wrong to building it right in a new city and becoming the top team there.  Smacked in the face What led Shonna Ruble into real estate was making sure her children could get what they needed, after her son needed a $700 nebulizer she couldn't afford. Again, her children are the reason she ultimately decided to build a business and stop working all the time. Sometimes, we get so lost in rain making we forget what matters, but a slap in the face moment got Shonna to refocus.    Prioritizing what matters It's crazy how much real estate you can do when you're sitting in your car while your kid is at dance or swim class. Shonna learned how to work while her kids were doing something so that she could be there for them. Then after time with her family in the evening, she'd go back to the office. That level of focus is what allowed her business to grow.    Great people, not-so-great systems  We can have really amazing people on our teams, but if we don't have systems, everything falls apart if those people aren't there anymore. It's so important to take the time to document what has made you successful because that's what will keep you going through staff changes. From how we do client events to how we celebrate birthdays on the team, you need to have everything written down.    Focus on profit  Leading with profit is something we're not taught enough in our business. We get caught up in the numbers, awards, units, GCI and volume, not net worth statements, bank accounts and profitability and it gets us in trouble. Shonna learned how to make focus the priority and it gave her staying power while everyone's business tanked.    Put pressure on the things that matter most  A lot of team leaders think you get a new agent ready by teaching them the CRM. The truth is, we have to put pressure on things that move the needle. The onboarding doesn't end when they sign a contract, it ends when they get their first deal. We have to get them into production and get them to understand the importance of being prospecting-based. That's what gets them paid and gets them into a deal.  Even if we have the best recruiting system, it's impossible to predict who will be great in the long-run. Even the people who interview well can end up just being all talk and nothing more. No matter how detailed your process is, you can never really tell or predict who will be successful. That means we have to open the door for more people, let people prove who they are by their actions, and then also keep the back door open so that the wrong ones get out the door quicker. For more information, connect with Shonna on LinkedIn or find her on Facebook.  CTA   ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla

If you got into real estate 5-6 years ago, you might be forgiven for thinking this business is easy. We didn't have the low inventory, high interest rates and the commission changes we're dealing with now.  For any agent who started back then, the 2024 market might as well be a whole new industry you have to learn. It was a great time to get into the business, but in order to stay in the business now, you have to learn how to generate deals in this current environment. Many people are failing to do that, and that's why we'll continue to see agents throwing in the towel and leaving the industry entirely.  Mastering the basics of running a solid real estate business is the only way to outlast all the shifts and changes. If you came into the business and immediately started taking shortcuts, you just won't be able to hack it in the skills-based market we're in right now.  If you're an agent who invested in coaching, and found a way to go out and get business, you'll never have to complain about any market conditions - even the ones that are taking other people out of the industry.  I recently sat down with an agent who built his business the right way, and developed skills that create success under any circumstance. Sammy DeStefano shares how he went from car sales to real estate, and what's allowed him to do so well.  Why learning the fundamentals matters in this profession The personality type of most real estate agents is high D, so that means we're an industry of people who like to do things their own way. Also, real estate is a second or third career for a lot of people, and most of those people don't like being told to do so they are going to riff and find their own way. That's why learning the basics is so important.   For a long time, Sammy felt more comfortable cold calling strangers than calling his sphere. That's because as a new agent he didn't feel like he had any value, so it felt like he was just asking family and friends to find someone who wants to pay him. Let's face it, we're under-competent in our first deal, we just find someone who agrees to work with us. After working an expired and selling it, and earning the social proof, it was easier for Sammy to feel like he's bringing value, and he could confidently ask his sphere “do you know anyone who wants to use my level of service?” You need a coach You're an idiot if you're not writing a check to a coach every month. That's not to say you wouldn't have figured things out without a coach. But something has to be said for having someone wise who has been there and done that and also has a feel for what other people are doing around the country. It provides a massive amount of value and insight, which makes business easier. It's really easy to get into our own bubble or just talk to people in your own brokerage and limit your possibilities. Getting exposed to what other people are doing is what helps us grow the most both personally and in business.  Guest Info Sammy DeStefano is a Realtor in Arizona. After spending 6 years in car sales working for BMW in Phoenix, Arizona, Sammy got accustomed to not only sales but more importantly rain making and prospecting. Initially he got into real estate because he had reached his ceiling at my BMW dealership as a business development center caller, sales guy, and ultimately a finance director. After leaving the dealership and getting his license, Sammy joined Mike Ferry Premier coaching within 90 days and was off to the races. In his first year, Sammy sold 30 homes (all expired and canceled listings that he cold called). In his second year, he sold 35 homes from January to June with a goal of 60 homes sold for the year. The rest is history...  Sammy is proactive and finds his own business, calling and door knocking, and there are more than enough clients to help out there. For more information or to connect with Sammy, call or text 919.454.6482.  CTA ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla

Whether we like what's happening in the industry or not, we have to learn how to embrace change. Turbulent and uncertain times aren't as difficult if we can adapt quickly. It allows us to get into movement and momentum a lot quicker and that sets us up for success.  When it comes to embracing change, there's one formula that can guide us. Intention + mechanism = results. If we're not happy with the results we currently have, we can reverse engineer the process to figure out what intention led to it or what mechanism (or lack thereof) led to the outcome. We can talk about doing great things all day long, but time and results have a way of proving who had the right intentions and who was doing all the right things.  In order to get this formula to work in our favor, we have to get really comfortable with critiquing ourselves - not out of blame but out of responsibility. If we're living in a place of constructive self-critique, reflection and asking ourselves the right questions, turbulent times can create massive opportunity.  How do we give ourselves feedback without beating ourselves up? How do you show up 100% when you set an intention?  Speaker, coach and author, Ronnie Doss returns to talk about his new book Colossal Considerations and the formula for success.  Use your past as a university, not a home. Treat it like a tent - don't build a temple there. -Ronnie Doss  How to create momentum  You can't get momentum without movement, and you can't get movement without a positive intentional mindset.  Time reveals the truth about your intentions  Time always has a way of separating who was truly committed from who was just talking and posing. Don't commit for compliance's sake A lot of people use compliance as a way to blame someone else when they don't end up getting the result they want.  The power of self-critique If we're trying to move forward, professionally or personally, we have to search our own hearts, check if we're giving our best, and self-reflect to figure out what we need to do.  How to inspire in uncertain times  In times of great turbulence, tension or uncertainty, we have an opportunity to make a contribution that inspires people, lifts them up and makes their lives better. Guest Info Ronnie is a speaker, coach, author of Colossal Considerations: 101 Thought-Provoking Insights To Move Your Life Forward, and America's #1 Teamwork and Performance Specialist. Ronnie trained for 5 years in the realm of human behavior and personal development. His understanding of why people think, feel and behave gives him phenomenal insights into what may be holding an individual back. Ronnie believes the key to building successful organizations begins with building empowered individuals. Over the past decade, Ronnie has led leadership training in countries around the world including Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands. To buy a copy of Colossal Considerations go to https://a.co/d/88AbDW1. If you're interested in Ronnie's Tribe mastermind, send an email to Tribe RonnieDoss@me.com. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CTA ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla

One of the key skills of a great salesperson is negotiation, but for the last decade, real estate agents could get away with no having it. Deals were so easy to put together, we didn't have to fine tune our persuasion and communication abilities. Many agents have never had to do deep negotiation. Even veteran agents who came up in tougher markets need to brush up on that skill too.  With the way commissions structures are changing, understanding negotiations at a high level has never been more important. We have to understand human psychology, collaborate more closely with other agents, handle tough situations, understand the art of communication and resolving conflict.  That's why the team at Forward Coaching developed a course on negotiation and why they are working on getting this course in front of agents ASAP. The market might look a little different, but take it from an agent who has sold through some really rugged markets: there'll always be a seller and a buyer looking to make a deal. In order to get to those sales, we might have to change what we do to match what's currently happening.  If we want to continue to feed our families, give the best service and get the best results right now, becoming master negotiators is non-negotiable. Co-founder and CEO of Forward Coaching, Debbie De Grote joins us to talk about the new course and what it takes to succeed in this tricky market.  Quotes  People think being a master negotiator means playing hard ball. The best negotiators actually have a collaborative technique. -Debbie De Grote Don't panic, this will become normal to us one day. -Debbie De Grote I started in a really terrible market so I really don't fear markets that change. I'm quick to react to them. -Debbie De Grote Guest Info Debbie is the co-founder and CEO of Forward Coaching. She began her career in Real Estate at the age of 18 and within a few short years was one of the top agents in the nation, closing over 156 units annually. At the peak of her career Debbie was awarded the Hall of Fame award by Century 21. In fact, Debbie was the first agent in the Century 21 system to achieve this award. In addition to her sales career she also managed a large office, assisted in recruiting efforts, and wrote strategic plans and launched new office locations for two large brokers in the Orange County area. Debbie's extensive background attracted many opportunities to speak, train and consult with others, which is how she discovered her passion for coaching. Over the last 20 years, Debbie has been considered one of the top Coaches in the Real Estate industry, coaching some of the most elite salespeople and brokers in North America, as well as mortgage, title, escrow, and insurance professionals. She has conducted over 80,000 private coaching calls, hundreds of webinars and live events, and is a sought after speaker at many national conventions. Go to forwardcoaching.com/negotiations to sign up for the course.  CTA ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla

Selling real estate in 2024 isn't at all what it was between 2010 and 2022, and a lot of agents are feeling the squeeze. Most of us built and ran our businesses in low interest rate environments, so this market is completely unfamiliar to us. Running a real estate team is a lot more stressful than it used to be. Deals are harder to put together, we have stricter and newer rules to get compensated, and the costs of running a business and paying our people is so much higher.  All of this has left a lot of real estate leaders frustrated and even resentful. The fact is: what made us successful in the last few years won't work in this current market. Due to all the pressures the market is facing, just being good at putting deals together isn't good enough anymore. We also have to be really good at bringing people to those deals. What that means is an exceptional sales skill set will have to make a real comeback. Right now, everyone is trying to get their sea legs after all the changes, but when things normalize, you'll either get out of the business or have a bigger opportunity.  What factors are making real estate so tough? How can leaders navigate these challenges? In this episode, multiple guest Frank Klesitz returns. The CEO of Vyral Marketing and Klesitz Direct shares what he's hearing from agents across the country, and why it's harder to sell homes right now. Marketing doesn't create motivation, it just finds it. -Frank Klesitz  Guest Info Frank is the CEO and founder of Vyral Marketing and Klesitz Direct. He is an intellectually curious artist with experience in business, entrepreneurship, sales, marketing, and real estate. Frank started Vyral Marketing in 2009 after successfully implementing their marketing plan for a real estate agent in Omaha, NE. Frank also runs Klesitz Direct, a new business mailing personal, authentic cold letters to homeowners to generate phone calls from those thinking about selling their home. Go to https://getvyral.com/ and https://klesitzdirect.com/ for more information.  CTA ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla

In today's episode, I'm joined by Bob Stewart of community evangelist at Place Inc, and Active Rain before that. Bob's got a cool story - he's been in and around real estate for many years. He was a pioneer in real estate blogging, and community building, and also understanding how to drive traffic to websites in the days before Google dominated everything. Bob comes from a place of contribution, and I even remember the days he'd call ActiveRain clients to help them out with marketing, 14 years later. He's truly a genius at building and growing communities around businesses and now he's brought his skills to PLACE.    Bob has been involved in the real estate industry since 2002. He co-founded and was responsible for managing operations for a 150 agent real estate company, and also co-created one of the very first online referral networks. Since 2006, and the beginning of ActiveRain, Bob has been educating, motivating and training real estate agents and brokers around the country. Through live appearances and webinars, Bob has taught thousands of agents the intricacies of online marketing and how to engage online leads and turn them into clients and closed transactions. Bob has successfully instructed agents on a wide range of topics, from the fundamentals of successful agent websites to using social media to enhance an agent's online profile. He is also well known for his engaging interviews of real estate industry thought leaders. Bob brings his wealth of knowledge and contagious enthusiasm to every seminar, and delivers to his participants the necessary performance skills, the latest, most effective online marketing strategies, and practical lead generation and engagement methods.   Real estate has become so dominated by tech and AI, it's easy to get confused about what delivers results. Fact is, to extract more deals from our database or any lead source for that matter, the basics still ring true. You just can't replace calling your database and actually adding value to them.     The team at PLACE have collected data that drives this home over and over again. One crucial stat we need to be paying attention to is database turnover - how quickly you can call your entire database. Unfortunately the database turnover rates of most teams are abysmal, and it's costing us money. Instead of buying more leads, we could be doing the work to get more deals from relationships we already have.    To find out more about the podcast, head to https://winmakegive.com/podcast-2/.    To do the Wealth Series, go to https://winmakegive.com/wealth/.  CTA   ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla  

Time is finite but so many of us are just not purposeful with it. People plan how they go to a movie better than they plan their life, the relationships they have. It's amazing how calculated we are about our movies and vacations but we don't do the same thing in our personal worlds.     Hard work is a key to success but what's the point if there's no true balance? So many of us say we work hard for our families but do we really? Start defining achievement a little differently, you can't let your work define who you are.     If you count how many winters, Fridays, ocean swims, football seasons, beach days you have in your life, it really puts how finite time is into perspective. If you've got 20 years left in your life, and you go snowboarding once a year, you probably have 20 of those days left.    Think about how many more Halloweens you get with your kids when they are little. How are you taking advantage of those moments?    The average kid and parent spends 300 days per year together from the time they are 0-18. Over 18 they spend an average of 30 days with their parents, 10 days a year if they don't live in the same town. Depending on how old your kids are, you might have spent over 50% of your total time with your kids already.   You have to cheat the system and get more purposeful to get more out of those days.   The key thing is becoming aware that time is finite.    We go through our lives not being purposeful about these things that we deem most important. Cheat the system - do it differently. Think differently to what we usually do in our normal programs of life.    How do we maximize the moments that we have? When you work hard, think about what you're giving up in its place.     We all have things we care deeply about and we neglect them. The good news is: you can do something about it now.    Now that we know this - what should we do?  Write your own eulogy: connect the dots and design the specific commitments you want to make to leave the impact you desire to leave. What are the things you could be doing better so that you influence that outcome?  Truly start life planning: how do you want to be remembered by your kids, how do you want people to speak about you, think about these things and be honest about where you stand.  Take no days off: every single day you can improve something, whether it's yourself or a relationship. You can deal with a pain or challenge, and get healthier and smarter.    Get a Memento Mori calendar. It's sobering, but also inspiring to see how much time you have.    Think about your life accounts: health, relationships, wealth, business, friends, social, siblings, spiritual, travel etc. Some of your accounts have really positive balances and others are overdrawn. Prioritize those accounts accordingly    Health should be number 1, you can't honor any of the other accounts if you're not feeling great and alive.    You are going to outgrow certain things and certain relationships as you grow, accept that.    Life is about counterbalance - there are times we'll have to be in the extreme in certain areas, the key is not to stay in the extreme too long. How long can you be in something until other areas start to suffer and/or deteriorate?    CTA ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla

A lot of people who would be exceptional recruiters don't do it because it feels like too much of a burden. The idea of building tens or even hundreds of relationships and nurturing them just feels like too much of a logistical nightmare.  And it would be…which is why it's the wrong way to do it. If you had a recruiting strategy that was based in building community, it would be so much easier.  A recruiting strategy based only on yourself is taxing and unsustainable. It's like inviting 100 people to dinner and having to make all the food yourself. If you had a community, it would be like having a potluck where everyone brought in a dish for everyone to enjoy.  Instead of having one-on-one relationships, a community-focused approach leverages relationships and takes a huge burden off of you. This is how we were able to build a rev share group of 2400 people. It was about building a room people want to be a part of and allowing everyone to do their part to build and nurture those relationships. That will continue to pay off.   What other misconceptions keep people from the wins of recruiting? How do we bring leverage to our recruiting? Today, I'm joined by Chris Bowers for an in-depth conversation on recruiting and the easiest way to recruit.  Quotes  Don't take advice from people who don't have the life you want. -Chris Bowers There are a few things that are absolutes in my life, everything else is negotiable. -Chris Bowers  You can't make people change, but you can make them do something different. -Kevin Kauffman  Guest Info Chris Bowers is a Realtor, Investor and owner of the Bowers Team, and the host of The agentXcel podcast. Chris has been in real estate for over 16 years, but he has been an entrepreneur since his teens. Today, Chris and his wife run a successful team selling over 140 units with half of those being Chris' personal production. He has also built a solid rental portfolio that continues to grow to this day.  Follow @chrisbowers_realestate on Instagram and listen to agentXcel on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.   CTA ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla

As driven entrepreneurs and hungry investors, we're always searching for that big idea or once-in-a-lifetime deal. Then we find ourselves in a bunch of random businesses and investments in a bid to increase the odds of success.  More often than not, that only leads to a loss of focus and ultimately, a loss of wealth. What if getting to that billion dollar idea is as simple as picking something and concentrating on that? There's a ton of different things we could be doing, the real challenge is learning to focus and be patient.   For Andrew Abernathey, concentrating on one idea allowed his business to ramp up to $250 million in a very short space of time. At one point, he was involved in a slew of random areas. It took losing a ton of money for him to realize that he didn't know who he was or what exactly he was good at, and that's why he was trying everything. That was the major turning point that made him think about his billion dollar idea and let go of everything else. The effect of his concentration can be seen in his results, and it's something all entrepreneurs should think about.  The urge to do everything will never go away for entrepreneurs. If you follow that urge, it might just rob you of the big idea you're looking for. Instead of searching for the perfect idea and trying to do everything, think about what you can be great at and just focus on that. It's hard and goes against every instinct we have as investors - just like the instinct to never sit on cash. Ultimately, putting your hands in too many pies and doing a deal for the sake of doing a deal is how big mistakes are made.  Guest Info Andrew Abernathey is the founder and CEO of Abernathey Holdings (AH), a leading real estate holding company driven by a passion for business and inspired by the value investing approach of Warren Buffett and the simplicity approach of Gary Tharaldson. His investing journey began at the age of 13, exploring a diverse range of public securities. Established in August 2012, AH initially pursued a diverse investment strategy. However, in 2019, they strategically shifted their focus to developing and owning class-A self-storage facilities across the sunbelt region, while also owning the operating companies to ensure vertical integration. This streamlined approach has not only enhanced their returns but also propelled AH to achieve remarkable market-beating results, elevating their assets under management (AUM) to an impressive $250 million. For more information, go to https://www.andrewabernathey.com/,  https://abernatheyfoundation.com/ and https://unseen.org/.  CTA ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla

This year, for the first time ever, I went to the Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting AKA Woodstock for Investors AKA Coachella for Capitalists. Warren Buffett is by far, the world's most successful investor, and I was keen to hear what he had to say about the economy, his investing strategy and his mindset in the wake of the death of his business partner, Charlie Munger. As usual, Warren had a lot of insightful things to say - things that I've been thinking about in my own business and my approach to building wealth. Berkshire Hathaway has made a few surprising moves over the last year, but hearing Warren Buffett talk about the governing strategy, a whole lot made sense. Today, I share the most powerful lessons I took away from the meeting and how we can apply them to our own businesses. Key Points   The right way to evaluate a stock  Look at stocks as a business and realize that the market is there to serve you, not to inform you. When Warren Buffett is evaluating whether or not to buy stock in a company, he's evaluating it the same way he would if he was buying the whole company. Whether you're buying a piece of a company or the whole thing, you should be evaluating the decision the same way. The market tells you when it's a good time to buy or sell, and you should follow that. If you don't listen to what the stock is saying, you're going to make a lot of mistakes.  It's interesting how many mistakes you can make if you just keep going If you're in business, mistakes will always be part of the game. If you're not making mistakes, you're probably not doing a lot of things. If you're intelligent and reflective, you'll learn from those mistakes. Do what moves the needle  With the recent passing of Charlie Munger, Warren Buffett has been thinking about what happens to the company when he passes away. He provided a simple but powerful blueprint for Berkshire's management team after he's gone - increase operating earnings, decrease shares outstanding and have a sizable cash investment for the occasional big opportunity.  Cash is king  There was a lot of buzz around Berkshire selling some of its holdings in Apple. Warren Buffett said his approach is all about reducing tax and increasing cash. It all goes back to the succession plan - having a sizable amount of cash so they could make an investment when there's a great opportunity. This is how I read deeper into this: Warren Buffett doesn't foresee things getting a whole lot better in the economy, and he foresees some more sales or good deals being available over the next 2 years. Look for good deals, not just any deal  When asked why Berkshire Hathaway's cash hasn't been invested, Buffett said, “I don't think anyone sitting at this table has any idea how to use it effectively, and therefore, we don't use it”. He then added, “we only swing at pitches we like”. If you're sitting on a lot of cash, knowing where to put it is a big question and it's really easy to get antsy when you want to put the money to work. But when the world's most successful investor says “we only swing at pitches we like”, it's a good reminder to stay patient and look for great deals instead of just putting cash into any deal that comes your way.  Navigating the noise  The world that we live in is full of noise 24/7. When you go on social media, watch the news and read the economic reports, it's hard to make sense of all the information coming your way as an investor. Warren Buffett's insights and approaches are very simple. They cut right through the noise. This is not to say that none of the noise matters, but the key to investing is focusing on the things that matter the most.  CTA ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla

There are a lot of stupid people who have been massively successful in real estate. This isn't an insult, just the reality of how uncomplicated it can be to build a beautiful business. But if you lack in intelligence, there are a few things you can't lack if you want to succeed.  You can't be impatient, inconsistent, undisciplined and undetermined. There's a reason why the most successful agents came up in the toughest markets. It forces you to do all the right things in order to survive and live to sell another home. It forces you to pay attention, become a true student of the industry instead of burying your head in the sand or being stuck in your ivory tower.  When you've learned how to do things the right way, it doesn't matter what's going on, you'll always win. High inventory, low inventory, great rates or challenging rates, it doesn't matter. If you have the right behaviors in place, your business will be market-proof.  Today, I'm joined by real estate industry leader, Dave Fanale. We talk about what it takes to survive and thrive in this business Quotes  Never put your head in the sand, no matter how successful you are, never sit in the ivory tower. -Kevin Kauffman   Don't go after the business with the money in mind. See how you can help people and the money will follow. -Dave Fanale  Don't listen to someone on Instagram just because they have Reels that look good. Actually look at the fruit of their labor. There's too many people out there that sound like experts but don't have any results to speak of. -Kevin Kauffman Guest Info Dave Fanale is the founder of Real Estate Skill Builder, a new type of coaching company. Focusing on accountability, production, and focus. He has been in the real estate business his entire professional life, spanning actually 6 decades. David has experienced many different markets, from 20% interest rates to the mortgage crisis to the 2022 Shift. Dave's real estate career has included Realtor, Property Manager, Leasing Manager, Home Builder, Mixed Use Property Developer/Builder/Designer, Developer, Broker/Owner of a Century 21 Franchise Company and Real Estate Coach.  Dave believes the most important thing a real estate agent has to have is adaptability. He has helped many agents build businesses as well as reinvent themselves over the years. Go to https://www.reskillbuilder.com for more information and subscribe to the RET YouTube channel.  CTA ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla

Ever since hedge funds started bundles of single-family homes, institutional investors have been demonized. They've been blamed for ruining affordability, taking homes away from innocent consumers and killing real estate entirely. Reality isn't quite as dramatic - that narrative is drastically overblown. In fact, many real estate professionals are missing out on massive opportunities by buying into this narrative.  Here's the truth: single family has become a huge asset class and it will continue to be one over the next decade. That's why so many investors are getting into it, but that doesn't mean that it's killing real estate as we know it. Ben Riehle saw the opportunity and shifted his business model from a traditional broker/property management operation to asset management in single family rentals.  As a real estate agent, you actually have a huge advantage because of your local knowledge, that's what these companies are looking for. You could easily add this offering to your business and earn a lot more.  How do you get into a conversation with these companies? Why is the current state of single family decades in the making? Are institutions destroying real estate? In this episode, Ben Riehle returns to talk about the pivot in his business and why he's bullish on single family rentals. He also gives us the lay of the land in single family investments and how agents can use it to be more valuable.  Guest Info Ben Riehle is a real estate investor, entrepreneur and managing partner of First Floor Capital Management, a company building institutional grade SFR portfolios across the Midwest and Sunbelt. With 12 years of single family rental experience and over $250MM deployed, and $45 Mil. of assets under management (mostly SFR and a few legacy multifamily assets). Ben and his team are in the process of launching their next fund that will buy quality homes in great neighborhoods in Louisville, Kansas City, Phoenix and Tucson and hold them for the next 10 years. Follow @SFR_investor on Twitter/X, go to https://www.thesfrinvestor.com/ and https://www.ffcm.com/ for more information.  CTA ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla

Whatever industry you're in, marketing is something we all have to worry about. It's our job to deliver eyeballs to whatever it is we have to offer. The challenge is, the rules of marketing and the platforms that can get us traffic are constantly changing, it's hard to predict what will work in a few months.  What we have to be aware of is that people are using these marketing platforms to do their due diligence before they even think of hiring us. We have to be authentic and tell a story that connects because that attracts the right clients and repels the wrong ones.  As much as we use marketing to connect with people and build a relationship, we have to take the emotion out of it. To succeed at the marketing game, you have to focus on the math - the numbers and the dollars behind the strategy. If we get too emotionally invested, it can be hard for us to make the shifts and pivots that give us the results we want.  What are the critical boxes our marketing content has to check? How do we succeed when the marketing landscape is always shifting? In this episode, I'm joined by CEO and Founder of Ezzey Digital Marketing, Michael Hamburger. He talks about the mentality we need to have about marketing, and how working in MLMs prepared him for the industry.  Quotes  Be who you are at all times, whether you're on camera or not. -Kevin Kauffman   Try to remove all the emotion from the marketing side of things when it's decision making time. Make it about math. -Michael Hamburger  You have to be authentic to who you are, inauthenticity has a stench people can sniff out real quick. -Michael Hamburger  Guest Info Michael Hamburger is the CEO and Founder of Ezzey Digital Marketing. He's dedicated over 20 years to innovating the field of digital marketing. Ezzey Digital Marketing, based in Scottsdale, AZ, is renowned for crafting bespoke digital strategies that drive search engine rankings, generate leads, and amplify revenue across diverse sectors. At Ezzey, they take pride in being a mainstay of full-service marketing. Their forward-thinking solutions enable businesses to excel in the complex and competitive digital environment. Beyond these services, Michale also indulges his passion for coaching and training business owners, corporate leaders, entrepreneurs, and sales teams. Empowering others with tools and insights to navigate the digital age is a mission close to his heart. Go to https://ezzey.com/ for more information and follow Michael on Instagram.  CTA ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla

There's a reason people keep gambling even though we know the house always wins. There's a reason we compulsively open apps on our phone without realizing it. Human beings are prone to falling into the trap of behaviors that feel good in the short term but hurt us in the long-term.  It's the scarcity loop, and some of the ways our world has changed make it easier for us to get caught up in it. From food to slot machines and social media, there are whole industries pouring billions into keeping us stuck in the loop.  In order to escape the trap, we have to embrace short-term discomfort in different ways so we can live better and healthier lives. The good news is, the scarcity loop can be leveraged to work another way - to get us to install and maintain positive habits. Sneaking the broccoli into the Mac and Cheese, if you will. We're naturally attracted to the scarcity loop. If we can find a way to leverage it for good, that's the ultimate hack for doing the right things.  Why can't we escape the things that are bad for us? What can we learn from other parts of the world about doing what's good for us? In today's Book Club, we're joined by speaker, professor, and New York Times bestselling author of Scarcity Brain, Michael Easter. He talks about the book, the research that inspired it and interesting insights about habits - good and bad.  The faster and easier you repeat a behavior that's rewarding to you, the more likely you are to keep repeating it. -Michael Easter Use the scarcity loop to your advantage  There are 3 parts to the scarcity loop - the opportunity, the unpredictable reward (with a crazy range of outcomes) and repeatability. Once we know what's going on, we can leverage this loop for our benefit. Humans are naturally attracted to the scarcity loop. If you can find a way to leverage it for good, that's the ultimate hack for falling into a positive habit. One way we can turn the scarcity loop on its head is to slow down the repeatable behaviors. With phones and apps you use too much, you can use an app like Clearspace to delay the gratification we get from them. Research has even found that having grayscale on your phone reduces your screen time by 40 minutes because colors direct behavior.  Don't underestimate the insights of experience It's easy to do research on the internet but if you're researching everything that means someone else already figured that thing out too. Experience is one of the greatest teachers that can lead you to experiences that aren't already out there.  The truth about happiness  There's no perfect path to happiness, though it often gets communicated to us that there's a formula. The commonalities happy people have is they figure out what brings them deeper satisfaction, they focus beyond the worldly trappings like possessions, titles and money in the bank. They also have a bigger reason and higher purpose that will help other people. The promise but also the peril of living is you have to find that path for you.  Guest Info Michael Easter is a speaker, professor, and New York Times bestselling author of Scarcity Brain and The Comfort Crisis. He has made a career of traveling the world to uncover practical ideas that help people live healthier, happier, and more remarkable lives. Michael's research has taken him everywhere – from war zones to the Arctic to the Bolivian jungle. He's interviewed thousands of experts, from Nobel laureates to world-class athletes, and pored over countless studies to find the best science-backed tactics you can use to optimize your life. His goal has always been to take these insights from the edge and make them accessible and actionable for readers. Go to https://eastermichael.com/ and sign up for The 2% Newsletter.   CTA ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla

A real estate transaction isn't just a financial process, it's an emotional one too. And we're not just talking about the emotions of the seller and the buyer on the other side. From loan officers and appraisers to inspectors and other agents, there can be up to 35 people involved in every real estate sale, and all of them have their own emotions.  That's why emotional intelligence has to be part of the skillset we bring to the table as agents. Our success is directly connected to our ability to manage our emotions and the emotions of everyone involved. It eliminates issues before they arise, allows you to be a better problem solver, and ultimately makes for a smoother (even enjoyable) path to the close.  How do we increase our emotional intelligence and how can we apply it to the transaction more effectively? Today, Houston top producer, Nina Patel shares the power of adding a high EQ to your toolbox as a real estate professional.  Key Points   EQ starts with you Before you can begin to manage the emotions of the people around you, you have to get good at managing your own. There are many ways to heighten our own EQ, but self-reflection and self-awareness are non-negotiable. The better we get at those two, the more intune we become with the emotions of others. EQ gives you foresight Emotional intelligence elevates the client's experience and makes it way more enjoyable because you can anticipate issues and deal with them in advance. It empowers you with foresight on what could go wrong so that you are proactive instead of reactive.  Become an active listener  When we meet people, it's easy to talk about ourselves in an effort to convey our expertise and credibility and accolades. The problem is, the more we talk, the less we're actually listening for what our clients need. Allow people to speak and listen actively, not just to what they are saying, but what they aren't saying. This allows you to create the right solution for them, instead of throwing out your value proposition to see what will stick.  Use silence to your advantage Many people believe silence is awkward, but it can actually be advantageous. It allows people to process what's being said mentally and emotionally, so they respond instead of react. In a negotiation, silence shows confidence and strength in the position you've taken, which can be huge in setting your client up for success.  Emotional intelligence makes you a better problem solver As agents, we're constantly solving problems, no matter how many deals we've done. With EQ, you can look at things objectively, and see them from a higher perspective which allows us to see all the available options. Instead of being myopic in your decision making, you instantly open up more avenues of solutions. A key part of EQ is the ability to step away so that you can get that higher perspective. When you offer clients options, they feel more in control of the decision they are about to make which boosts their experience.  Guest Info As a top-producing agent, Nina Patel has earned accolades for her outstanding performance, including the prestigious Icon Award and Top 250 Teams at eXp in just 7 months of joining eXp. But Nina's expertise goes beyond selling homes. She's also a certified yoga and meditation teacher, incorporating mindfulness into her daily life and professional practice. This unique blend has honed her emotional intelligence, enabling her to connect deeply with buyers and sellers, understand their needs, and guide them through the real estate journey with empathy and grace. Her approach with real estate has always been to connect authentically and create a joyful memorable real estate experience for her clients. Follow @ninaandneel on Instagram or call or 281-773-5372 CTA ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla

There are two sides to growth, achievement and success - strategies and tactics as well as mindset and self-work. You can know what to do, but not be emotionally, mentally and spiritually prepared for it. This is why the real conduit to business growth is knowing yourself and what makes you tick.  The problem is: people tend to camp out on one or the other, overly focusing on the tactics or overly focusing on mindset. In order to really take off, we have to marry the two sides and work on them simultaneously. It's often easier to focus on the strategy side of things, because the term “inner work” can be daunting, but it doesn't have to be. Ultimately, we all have things that get in the way of how we show up in the world. Becoming aware of these areas and working on them is what will drive growth in every corner of our lives.  That's why Lindsay Fricks created Legacy Agents - a container that combines the tactical strategies with the inner work piece. She discovered that growth, setting boundaries with clients and getting the right opportunities was easy once she worked on herself. Today she shares her journey and how she's paying it forward with her new book.  Quotes  Setting boundaries and learning yourself and what makes you tick is the best thing you can do for growing your business. -Lindsay Fricks You can wire your brain for the success you're looking for, but it's the beliefs that drive the thoughts which then drive the action which drives the results. -Lindsay Fricks   Key Points   The truth about this business  Coming into real estate with a nest egg is one key factor that set Lindsay up for early success. A lot of people come in without the stability of a good runway and that's why they struggle. They have a lack of financial finesse because they got into this thinking it's just about selling houses. You are, in fact, a small business owner and a CEO, being a Realtor is just a job within the business.  Friends with professional benefits  When Angela came into this industry, she had no database to speak of. So she did 100 open houses in a year! That allowed her to build a ton of relationships, but she still has a standard of who she's going to work with. Because she talks to so many people, she's able to be more selective about clients, and create friendships that happen to have a business component.  Self-work and business growth go hand-in-hand  You can only grow your business to the extent that you're physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually prepared for it. It's not enough to be around the right people or do the right strategies. Until you figure out who you are, what makes you tick, and why you do things, you'll never be able to grow your business because you're trying to do what someone else is doing.   The ultimate power of self-work  You can wire your brain for the success that you're looking for, but the beliefs drive the thoughts which then drive the action, which drives the results. It's about closing the gap between who you are inside and who you show up as to the world. Once you do that, you radiate at a magnetic level where you just end up calling in the right people and opportunities.  Guest Info Lindsay Fricks is an Arizona Realtor, Agent Success Coach, founder of Legacy Agents and author of Becoming a Legacy Agent.  Legacy Agents provides hands-on, practical guidance on navigating the complex world of entrepreneurship and real estate investment. Whether you have been in the industry since you stepped out of the womb, or you're just starting, their mastermind and workshops are tailored to meet you at your unique stage, providing you with the tools and strategies to reach new levels of success. For more information follow @lindsay.fricks and @legacy.agents on Instagram.  ------------------------------------------------- CTA ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla

The real estate industry has always given people the ability to build a business on their own terms…unless you're a solo agent who wants to remain that way.  Individual agents who want to grow without starting a team or joining a team have always been left out in the cold. There have never been models, structures and supports that allow them to scale without getting away from what they're good at.  Their only other option is to stay where they are, stagnate and remain in the shadow of the business models that are hyped up from the stage. Nikki Miller found herself at this crossroads. She was a solo agent who wanted to scale or earn more without taking on all the overhead of starting a team. She also didn't want to give up her own brand for someone else's. After being told there was no solution, she decided to build it herself, and The LEAD Syndicate was born. After being told it wouldn't work, the platform quickly grew to 160 locations and recently got acquired by OJO Labs (now Movoto).   It goes to show that not fitting into any industry boxes, can actually be an advantage. A new idea based on your own pain point is worth chasing down because often, you're not the only one with that problem. Yes, you'll get resistance  and even pushback, but that doesn't mean it won't work. In this episode, Nikki shares the story behind LEAD Syndicate, and why serving individual agents should matter to the entire industry.  Quotes  If you build well and show up correctly day-to-day, the success will show up. -Nikki Miller   When you're coming up with something new, you're probably on the right track if people don't think it's going to work. -Nikki Miller   We're never solving problems in a vacuum, if we have a problem, someone else does. -Nikki Miller   Key Points   The truth about intentionally solo agents  Solo agents who want to stay solo are every brokerage's biggest pain point. They are the biggest revolving door, the biggest time suck, and also a growing group. The challenge is they've always been underserved in this industry.  Why solo agents are often left in the cold There are many solo agents who want to remain solo, but also want to have systems, leverage and economies of scale. They just want to focus on what they are good at and nothing more. The LEAD Syndicate was created as a plug-and-play solution for this group of agents. It provides them with consistent support in coaching and training, database management, marketing, transaction management and supplemental lead generation. The agents don't have to figure anything out, the platform takes that off their plates so they can focus on what they do best.  Focus on what stays the same When it comes to innovating, most people think about what will change and what will be new in the near and distant future. But sometimes the most innovative things come from focusing on what's never going to change about the consumer - that's exactly what Jeff Bezos did.  Your “weakness” is an advantage  If you think there's something wrong with you because you aren't behaving the way everyone else is or you don't have the strengths everyone else does, think differently. That thing you're resisting is actually your strength so lean into it and figure out how to use that in order to achieve what you want. Guest Info Nikki Miller is the founder of The LEAD Syndicate and the VP of Lever and Agent Programs at OJO Labs. Lever is a first-of-its-kind platform specifically optimized for individual agents. It gives all the support, economies of scale, infrastructure, accountability, and training of a team without having to give up your personal brand. Follow @the_nikki_miller on Instagram and go to https://lever.movoto.com/ for more information.  CTA ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla

Most of us got into real estate and running our own businesses because we craved freedom and autonomy. The problem is that freedom can be the very thing that leads to us losing our businesses.  In order to have both the freedom and the sustained great results, we need to build constraints around ourselves. If we don't, at any given moment, our businesses are under the threat of four killers.  No matter how long you've been in the game, you can still fall prey to these problems and find yourself going backwards or completely derailed. Our businesses aren't just in danger when the market is hard, they are in fact most prone when everything is going well and you get complacent.  Today, we're going to discuss the 4 business killers, how they manifest and how to prevent and address them.  Quotes  When things are good, it's easier to spend money, to say yes and to not hold standards.  We lose discipline in the things that got us to where we were. -Kevin Kauffman  A lack of discipline shows up in not us not repeating the same activity day in and day out. -Fred Weaver  People are assigning hope to an external activity to fuel their business. You can't do that for that many quarters in a row without finding yourself out of this business. -Fred Weaver  Key Points   The danger of inconsistent discipline  In this industry, it's really easy to be disciplined when you desperately need the next deal, but what happens when things start going well? We take our foot off the gas. We're disciplined enough to go out and hustle for the next deal, but not in the long run. Many of us are undisciplined - a good month is based on deals happening and having money in the bank. We have peaks and valleys in our income because it's a direct reflection of the inconsistency in our activity. When things are good, it's easier to spend money, to say yes and to not hold standards. It's really easy to lose discipline in the things that got us to where we were. Being overly optimistic  We have to accept that fact when the market's good, our results are going to outpace our effort. Some of our great outcomes are just pure luck - we were at the right place at the right time. The problem is: if we believe that things will stay good, that easy deals will keep flowing in and that rates will stay low, we'll miss market changes that are obvious. Assigning hope to an external activity to fuel your business isn't sustainable.  This is a boredom management business  The truth about this business is boredom will creep in the longer you're in it. If you're not bored, you haven't been in business long enough and/or you're not consistent enough with your activities. The problem is boredom can sabotage our business because we fall into the trap of trying new things, creating chaos and taking our eye off the ball. This  ultimately crumbles results in our core business.  How to combat impatience  Impatience is lethal in business because there might be a bigger gap between our effort and results than we expect. So many business owners sabotage themselves because they start thinking whatever they are doing isn't working. Successful people have mastered the art of outlasting the impatient people.  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CTA ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla

The secret to growing a real estate team can be summed up in 4 words: people move the money. If you're a team leader or broker owner looking to add more transactions to your bottom line, you can't avoid adding to your agent count.  You could pour more into the agents you do have and try to squeeze more production out of them, but if you're relying on that for growth, you're going to be disappointed. Of course, it's critical to keep developing our people, but there's only so much more we can get out of them. Even if we give them everything, people will inevitably hit a ceiling, so we have to get more people in if we want to increase our results. You may get out of production to grow your team, but that doesn't mean you stop lead generating. Now your lead gen efforts need to be put toward building your agent pipeline, having recruiting conversations and treating agents like your new listings.  A business vs. a job  There are two types of people in real estate: agents who love selling houses and agents who want to build businesses. The ones who want to build businesses grow by bringing more agents on, instead of trying to increase their transactions. The reality is: we could go out tomorrow and start making listings and we'd probably make more money, but we don't want a business that relies on our effort to grow. We want leverage through people.   Agents are your new listings  Team leaders or broker owners who want to grow their agent count may step out of selling homes, but they still have to lead generate. You have to channel the energy you put into real estate into recruiting people to your team. The activities are the same: you have to get on the phone, set appointments and convert those appointments into closings AKA an agent joining your team.  The good news about the proposed NAR settlement  If you're a team leader looking to grow your agent count, this NAR settlement presents a huge opportunity. A lot of people aren't prepared for the changes in the industry and their businesses are suffering. This is a perfect opportunity to step in, have an honest conversation and provide much-needed guidance by offering to bring them on your team.  8 million opportunities So many people in real estate believe there's no opportunity in this market, but the numbers don't lie. In 2023, 4 million homes sold, and that means there were 8 million opportunities. There's still plenty of transactions to be had for the agents doing the right things.  Guest Info With a North Carolina Broker's License acquired in 2005, Noah embarked on a remarkable journey in real estate. Selling over 1400 properties and personally listing more than 100 homes in a single year, Noah's expertise became evident early on. Beginning his career with Keller Williams Realty in 2005, Noah took the bold step of founding George Real Estate Group in 2019, an independent brokerage serving Western North Carolina and Upstate South Carolina. Notably, Noah transitioned away from active sales, redirecting his focus towards building the business through training, mentoring, coaching, and recruiting. Starting with 12 agents in early 2023, the brokerage has flourished, growing to 25 agents by the onset of 2024. This expansion has notably propelled productivity even during a challenging real estate environment, boasting a 100% increase in production during the first quarter of 2024 compared to the same period last year, directly attributed to the emphasis on team development. To date, Noah's career at KW and the collective efforts of George Real Estate Group have facilitated over $346 million in real estate transactions. Connect with Noah on LinkedIn. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CTA ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla

When we look at someone making and posting great content, we tend to overlook one thing. They all had that first crappy post or clumsy video. It doesn't become polished overnight - it goes through a ton of iterations until it looks amazing. You don't see the 100 steps the content creator had to go through - the period of being bad at it first, figuring it out, learning new things and applying them.  Most people will never get to great because they aren't willing to go through this part of the process. They are afraid of looking silly and afraid of the discomfort of looking like they don't know what they're doing. They don't want to screw up in order to do it better next time.  The journey of getting better as a business owner, and a person for that matter, involves a lot of humbling moments, learning curves, curiosity and a ton of improvements. As soon as we become okay with that, we unlock our next level of growth. We're ultimately in the self-improvement business disguised as a real estate business. How do we commit to constant growth and improvement? Today, fellow Phoenix agent, Angela Gordon talks about how she's growing her business by improving herself.  Key Points   Give fear a seat at the table, not a vote One of the things that holds us back from taking action is the fear of not getting results or looking silly. Fear is a natural response to trying something new. We can still have the thoughts, but we don't have to give them power by not taking action. Give fear and doubt a seat at the table, but you don't have to give them a vote.  How to handle the results lag of real estate As agents whose business results often lag behind the action we take, we don't have the benefit of instant gratification. If we let our emotions control the day-to-day of our business and what we do, we can easily get off track. We have to believe that as long as we're doing the right things, business will be okay, even if we don't see the results right away.  You're not in the business of selling houses If you're a business owner, you're really in the self-development business especially if you're working with the public and dealing with customers/clients. Working on yourself is your number 1 job because if you don't overcome your BS, you'll never get to where you want to go.  How to tap into your creativity  One of the most powerful things we can do is be more creative. It benefits us in so many aspects of our business. But how do we lean into creativity and get ourselves into a creative space? By getting out of our usual routines, taking a break from work and getting out of our element. Whatever our hamster wheel is, we have to step off it to get those creative juices flowing.  The power of curiosity  Curiosity and the ability to be uncomfortable are some of the most powerful qualities a person can possess. Most people aren't willing to try something different, but even if you discover that the new hobby wasn't for you, you still get to learn something about yourself, and that's great if you want to keep growing.  Guest Info Angela is an investor and top 4% real estate agent in Arizona who focuses on the east valley cities. With an emphasis on cultivating community, connecting people and supporting local businesses. Angela is also committed to personal development, constant improvement and building a life on being your authentic self. Follow @angelagordon_ on Instagram.  CTA ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla

Real estate may have had its stormy period, but things are really close to being good again. Knowing all this, why are both real estate and mortgage bleeding over 40% of agents and loan officers?  Anyone you see leaving the industry right now has learned a brutal lesson - your results can only outpace your effort for so long. If you get used to cashing easy checks, in an easy market without the effort, you'll feel invincible, until you get a rude awakening. If you don't pick up the effort to deserve your results, you won't have them anymore.  There's a better approach… Anyone who has stayed in the industry, and is set to grow when things get good again understands the power of frontloading the work. They would rather work at 80 to 100% capacity in less time instead of working at 30% capacity for 20 years. The more you front-load the work and effort, the longer it has to cook and the more you get out of it.  The result: an impact and return on investment that compounds exponentially. Most people would call it a sacrifice, but Colby Steel sees it as something different - an investment in future flexibility and ultimately, freedom. Today, he shares how he made the switch from real estate to mortgage, how he was able to ramp up fast, and the reason so many are leaving the industry right now. Quotes  The more you front-load the work the longer it has to cook. -Kevin Kauffman  There's an opportunity to serve more people by expanding your arsenal. -Colby Steel If you do all the things you need to be doing, and you're a person of integrity, you earn the benefit of the doubt. -Colby Steel  I've actually done the math on what actually moves the needle and I don't feel bad about the things that don't. -Kevin Kauffman  The best way to learn is by doing more of the thing. -Colby Steel  An inflated market will cover up inadequacies in your business. -Colby Steel  If your results start to outpace your effort, that can only last for so long. -Kevin Kauffman  Guest Info Colby Steel is a Loan Strategist who has lived in Mohave County for most of his life. Since joining the world of finance with Chase Bank and JP Morgan Securities, he allowed his passion for customer service to shine through and began building his clientele.  In 2016 he opted to switch over the mortgage industry and hasn't looked back since.  His forward progression in home lending is a direct reflection of that focus. Colby has helped 100's to reach their dream of homeownership by being a trusted local resource and always putting his clients first. Follow @steelcolby on Instagram.  CTA ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla

As agents, building a database and adding value to our sphere has been drilled into us. We took that same mindset and strategy, and applied it to our peers and agent relationships. Just like we're told to host events and send gifts to our top clients, we do the same for the agent community.  We can attribute getting into this business and succeeding in it to the different agents and entrepreneurs who advised us. Now we get to give back to the same community and show people that there are many different ways to succeed in this business.  We also have to attribute our real estate business and successful partnership to dumb luck and many things that just fell into place and put us in the way of luck. Today, I sat down with our good friend, mortgage industry leader, business coach, and VP/Branch Manager of Nova Home Loans, Greg Gale. We talk about our business journey and all the things we've managed to build.  Quotes  We've never once fought over a dollar. We disagree, we have different opinions but we never fight over it. What's more important is where we're going and our end goal. -Kevin Kauffman   The word mastermind has been bastardized by our industry. What many call masterminds are actually classes. -Kevin Kauffman   If you do your business towards what you're built for, it's going to be way better. -Greg Gale Guest Info Greg Gale is a mortgage industry leader, business coach, and VP/Branch Manager of Nova Home Loans. Greg joined the mortgage industry in 2005. Prior to that, he was a personal trainer and martial arts instructor for 17 years. Greg notes that 20 years of martial arts, where persistence, honor, and integrity are the heart of daily practice, was a perfect lead into his role as financial advisor in the mortgage industry. The Gale Team at NOVA Home Loans is a full-service loan origination service, committed to providing innovative mortgage solutions and real estate strategies. In his role as team leader, Greg stresses the importance of integrity, a positive attitude, patience, creativity, and respect for all things.  This team defines communication as one of the single most important elements in a successful loan transaction. They are committed to returning calls promptly, providing regular status updates, and being available as needed throughout the process. Greg and his team really listen to clients' needs and then seek the best possible solutions, more often than not exceeding their client's expectations. The team's priority is to provide exceptional and memorable service. On a personal note, Greg is absolutely passionate about helping other people and is a regular contributor to the American Heart Association and Susan G. Komen Foundation. Greg is also a member of the National Association of Mortgage Brokers and the Arizona Association of Mortgage Brokers.  Follow @greg_gale_ on Instagram.   CTA ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla

Human beings are an aspiration and progress-based species, and money is the currency of this game. We're always going to chase growth and success, and that comes with a lot of social debt and expectations, but if we're not careful, that will get us in big trouble. We might find ourselves making decisions based on what impresses others, not what makes our lives better, and that's the wrong way to go about things.  Many people would rather buy an entry level BMW, for the bragging rights, not the driving experience. The better decision is to aim for the high-end Toyota - it's not too expensive or flashy, but it's filled with things that actually enhance your life.  We can apply this mindset to homes, careers, and vacations. If we learn not to play the expectations game, we can be happier and we can also have a better relationship with money.  Today, we're joined by the bestselling author of The Psychology of Money and Same As Ever, Morgan Housel. He shares money mindsets that get us in trouble and how to shift away from them.  Books Mentioned  No Ordinary Time: Franklin & Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II ​​April 1865: The Month That Saved America Book by Jay Winik 1944: FDR and the Year That Changed History by Jay Winik Guest Info Morgan Housel is a partner at The Collaborative Fund. He's the New York Times Bestselling author of The Psychology of Money and Same As Ever. His books have sold over five million copies and have been translated into more than 50 languages. He is a two-time winner of the Best in Business Award from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers, and winner of the New York Times Sidney Award. In 2022, MarketWatch named him one of the 50 most influential people in markets. He serves on the board of directors at Markel.  CTA ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla

When you look at high performers, it's hard to tell exactly what they do differently, but what's clear is that their results aren't the same as ours. Many people try to mimic them on the surface - eat what they eat, read the books they read, go where they go, but it doesn't work.  You know what you're supposed to do, you've got the tactics, the information and you spend thousands on coaching and masterminds, but you're still not doing it. What holds us back, and how can we adapt the mindset of high performers to get what we want?  What separates us from the high performers aren't big leaps, it's actually 2mm shifts that make all the difference. What creates growth, success and results are small, tiny tweaks to what everyone does, not the huge changes we assume lead to success.  If we're looking to level up, implementing these 2mm changes can lead us to everything we want in business and life. Today, peak performance coach Kamille Rose Taylor shares the small shifts that can change everything.  Quotes  Turbulence hits most when you're pushing for growth. -Kamille Rose Taylor   Understand that you can't be fearful and grateful at the exact same time. The brain does not have capacity for it. -Kamille Rose Taylor If you suck at something, that means you're willing to grow. You're trying. -Kamille Rose Taylor Guest Info Kamille Rose Taylor is the #1 Peak Performance Mindset Coach to Entrepreneurs and Leaders and Member of the Forbes Coaches Council. She is an entrepreneur, transformational speaker, and Peak Performance Coach to entrepreneurs, leaders, and executives. After completing two years of premed study at UC Berkeley, Kamille hit a critical turn around moment when she realized that she was not destined to be a doctor but rather to help people in a totally different way. Kamille knew she wanted to support leaders in reaching their ultimate potential in life by removing the psychological patterns that blocked them from doing so. So she completed a double bachelors in Psychology and Mass Communications. Today, she is the CEO and Founder of The Ultimate LYFE, a leadership mindset training company that helps entrepreneurs and leaders achieve ultimate success in their personal and professional life. She is also a keynote speaker for Fortune 500 companies, national conferences, and continues to expand her research on human peak performance as a member of the Forbes Coaches Council, The World Class Speakers Alliance, and travels around the world speaking to diverse communities and companies on how to master their mindset.  Follow @imkamillerose on Instagram and text NEXT LEVEL to (818) 583-7068.  CTA ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla

The NAR buyer's agent litigation has been a huge topic and concern for agents across the country for months. Now that the lawsuit has been settled, there's a lot of panic, knee-jerk reactions, assumptions and worries about what it means.  Are we in trouble? Should we be worried about our future? No.  It's just too soon to make a final conclusion on the matter. Everyone's thinking that this is bad news, but it's just too early to believe that. Nothing is final, and there are definitely more questions than answers at the moment.  What isn't a question is what we have to do (and what we've always had to do) - provide value. As long as we're leading with value and being consultants who are in for our clients, no ruling will change anything. In many ways, this settlement is actually good news because it forces us to raise our standards as an industry.  Today, we're joined by eXp's Chief Growth Officer, Michael Valdes to discuss what this settlement means and why the sky isn't falling, like many people think it is.  Guest Info Michael Valdes is the Chief Growth Officer of eXp Global. He is currently one of the very few Latino C-suite executives of a publicly traded real estate company in the country (Nasdaq: EXPI). He has led a team which has opened 23 countries in 22 months without ever getting on a plane which is a feat that has never been done in the industry. This model has successfully touched the lives of thousands of people across the globe and given them an opportunity to change their lives. Michael was the former Senior Vice President of Global Servicing for Realogy Corporation. In that role he oversaw the international servicing platform for all Realogy brands including Century 21, Coldwell Banker, ERA, Better Homes & Garden, Corcoran, Climb and Sotheby's International Realty in 113 countries. He had been with Realogy in a variety of roles for 15 years. Prior to that, Mr. Valdes was Director of Private Banking at Deutsche Bank for a decade where he oversaw a book of business of just under $1 billion. He has the distinction of being the first Director in the United States of Latino descent. Connect with Michael on LinkedIn and  CTA ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla

In today's market, most of us are coming up against the same problem - belligerent sellers who think their home is worth more than everyone's saying it is. Under normal circumstances, that means no deal, but there's strategy for these kinds of leads, creative finance.  Creative finance is an incredibly simple strategy that many in real estate treat as illegal or wrong. The truth is, the people who do creative finance, make the water muddy so you think it's deep, it's actually something a lot of us can easily do.  We have thousands of creative finance deals sitting in our database, and there's an easy way to go after them. Pace Morby has built a portfolio of 2132 doors, worth $450 million without using his own money or borrowing a single cent. Today he shares why every agent should be using this strategy and how it works.  Change your identity  Pace worked as a contractor for many years, and one day a real estate investor he was working with said, “you're not in real estate, you're a slave to my business - you're a simple Google search away from being replaced.” As agents, we are service providers to the people who own the real estate. Just because you helped someone else facilitate a sale in real estate, doesn't mean you're an investor.  Investing and Taxes  The IRS wants people to solve affordable housing for the country, and they'll incentivize investors to create more housing and offset their income so they don't have to pay taxes. If you make millions of dollars in cash flow, why wouldn't you want to use your own money? If someone can lend me their own money at 10%, it's a lot better.  A Huge Opportunity  50% of investments bought in 2022 were back on the market in 2023, because people think owning real estate is easy and when they discover that it's not, they want to get rid of the home.  How to explain seller financing to a seller   Most sellers think their home is worth more than everyone is telling them. When you use creative financing, you actually want the sellers who want too much money because you can offer them payments. Let's say you're trying to sell a car for $10k, and you don't get any bites until you offer payments.  There's More to Real Estate Than Listings Real estate agents are only focused on the listing, that's like playing 18 holes of golf with a putter. You should have more than one golf club.  Low inventory isn't the problem, low affordability is, and creative financing is how you solve it. In this scenario, everyone wins - buyer, seller, agent and investor. Where can you find creative finance deals - through expireds. You can approach them and say, “I know buyers who are open to paying the price if you give them terms.”   Go to Propstream and filter for homes purchased between 2019 and 2022, VA or FHA loans, homes bought with almost no money down, sellers with low equity and homes on the market for over 100 days.  Guest Info Pace Morby is the host of A&E's most popular TV show ‘Triple Digit Flip' and one of the most creative real estate investors on the planet. Using dozens of non-traditional strategies called Creative Finance, Pace has acquired 1,000's of doors nationwide and built a portfolio totaling over $450 million in assets. Each week, Pace teaches tens of thousands of students in his online communities which is becoming the #1 source for anyone looking to get started in real estate utilizing Subject To, Seller Finance and the Gator Method! Go to https://pacemorby.com/ for more information and follow @pacemorby on Instagram.  CTA ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla

In a good market, the gap between great agents and average agents is virtually non-existent - it's anyone's game. When the market turns, the gap between the good and the great becomes so wide, it's the difference between earning money and leaving the business entirely. Doubling your business in a down market is possible, but it's not by chance.  You and your team have to be so different that sellers believe you're the only way they can get top dollar for their home.  That comes down to marketing - the best marketers won't just outlast the market, they'll win outright. The market assumes your ability based on your visibility - so we have to win the conversation before we even get into the room with the seller.  The wealthy are paid for their expertise, the lowest paid are compensated for their time. How do we position ourselves as experts? How do we use marketing to craft the unique home selling offer that makes domination automatic?  Curtis Johnson shares the key strategy to winning in this market.  Guest Info Curtis runs a highly successful real estate team at The Curtis Johnson Team Powered By eXp Realty having sold nearly 5,000 residential homes in Arizona and a BILLION Dollars in Volume. The Wall Street Journal ranked his Team as one of the Top 50 out of 1.2 million REALTORS in America. He is one of the most connected and sought after real estate minds in the business. He and his team were singled out as a finalist in Inman's Most Innovative Real Estate Teams in 2018. His extensive knowledge of the real estate market makes him an in demand speaker and real estate expert. He constantly analyzes current market conditions and trends to stay one step ahead of others in the field. Curtis holds several advanced professional designations including GRI, ABR and CRS. Curtis has been featured nationally on the cover of REALTOR Magazine, prominently in CNN Money Magazine as well as interviewed locally on virtually every TV station and newspaper. Curtis and his selling system have been featured on the 60 Minutes equivalent in several countries internationally.  Follow @curtisjohnsonrealestate on Instagram.  CTA ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla

Adults don't need to be instructed, they simply need to be reminded.   Pain will always be the leader in the lessons of our lives. If you chase the pain, you learn the lessons quicker. Chase the pain of growth, the pain of the next level. The things you have avoided will always show up on your doorstep like a bill collector.  The better you get in your life, the better your business gets. How can an organization provide everything people need to succeed and they still fail? One person can take a strategy 100 miles and another can take the same strategy and only push it for 2 feet. That's because the majority of success is based on our psychology.  There's only going to be 2 agents in the marketplace this year - the drama agent and the growing agent.  Signs of a drama agent;  They are the victim  They need a perpetrator (the market, NAR or another agent - something to be after them. They need something external to justify why we're not doing the things internally)  They're not looking for help they are looking for a hero  These are the symptoms of someone who will fail.  Signs of a growing agent;  Someone that takes personal responsibility and owns it all  They ask for help  They contribute  A lot of leaders make shit happen, get comfortable and then expect everyone around them to make shit happen.  What do you want, specifically? The reason the brain likes to make it vague, foggy is so it doesn't set up conditions for failure. When you get specific on what you want, now you know if you're failing or succeeding.  Success can be a really terrible teacher. It can teach you that you don't need to keep going. You may not need more money but your spirit needs more growth.  Guest Bio    Dustin Runyon is a real estate team leader, speaker, coach and connection specialist. He is a stimulant for change, helping thousands find their truth and their path in order to create a life they can truly be proud of. Helping guide companies and individuals break into their power!    Dustin believes we need the truth in order to move forward and that your truth lies inside of you waiting to be faced, waiting to be confronted with arms of openness and readiness.   Runyon dreams of a world where we are filled with joy, fulfillment and a deep need to give and serve those around us. A world where we are excited about who we are and are moving towards becoming more of who we were destined to become. A place where we help instead of hurt, give instead of take and love instead of hate. His mission is to create just that. He hopes that you decide to take part. Head to https://www.dustinrunyon.com/ for more information. To sign up for Fired Up Fridays visit https://firedupfridays.com/.  CTA  ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla

In our industry, owning a brokerage has always been seen as the pinnacle of success. But for many owners who love what real estate offers but not running a brokerage, it's a necessary evil.  Owning a brokerage is a doorway to many great things, but what happens when that starts to hinder your excellence in the areas you really care about? That's where Keith Riddle found himself. After becoming an indie brokerage owner, almost by accident, he realized he didn't have to control everything to be successful.  It's like a saw mill. Back in the day, saw mill owners put all their focus on the trees and planks, and gave away the wood chips and sawdust for free. Today, saw mill owners realize that there's actually a ton of money in the wood chips and sawdust, so why not let someone else run the mill? In real estate, Keith kept the brokerage for the ancillary benefits, but he came to realize that he doesn't have to run the brokerage to get those benefits.  Many of us think we make more by controlling the entire process, but that's not the case.   That's why he has chosen to move his brokerage to eXp. He can get the wood chips without running the brokerage out of obligation. Today he shares how he came to this decision, the trap many business owners find themselves in and the mindset shift that will set you free.  Guest Info Keith Riddle is an investor, Saas & iBuyer Software Developer and the CEO and Designated Broker at Synergy Properties & Development.  CTA ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla

Making a change, whether it's to a belief system, a business model or brokerage is something many people won't do, even if it would benefit them. Only people who think critically and aren't caught up in ego are willing to shift how they see things when presented with new information.  Being willing to change our beliefs publicly means people reminding us of what we believed or said before, or even being labeled as a flip flop. There's a huge difference between an emotionally intelligent person and someone who changes with the wind. In real estate, too many people hold onto a belief or business model simply because they can't take the ego risk of being seen differently.  The problem is, that keeps us in places that might not be beneficial to us anymore, even if we're seemingly being rewarded for it. The more accustomed we get to constantly re-examining and reconciling what we believe, the more we grow as people and as business owners.  Today, Chris Bowers and I discuss this and the power of challenging our thoughts and mindsets. Guest Info Chris Bowers is a Realtor, Investor and owner of the Bowers Team, and the host of The agentXcel podcast. Chris has been in real estate for over 16 years, but he has been an entrepreneur since his teens. Today, Chris and his wife run a successful team selling over 140 units with half of those being Chris' personal production. He has also built a solid rental portfolio that continues to grow to this day.  Follow @chrisbowers_realestate on Instagram and listen to agentXcel on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.   CTA ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla

Profit - it's the whole entire point that we run businesses. For such a critical, and even fundamental topic, agents will talk about everything else but whether or not they are making a profit, and there's a reason.  Staying on top of your numbers requires a scary level of maturity. Whatever financial decision we make has an impact on the bottom line, and that level of responsibility is so uncomfortable, we'd rather avoid it altogether. It's the equivalent of stepping on the scale and knowing we have to make lifestyle changes to take care of our health.  If we ran a publicly traded company, every decision would need to be justified to a board, a CFO, and a whole horde of people. In real estate, we can get away with not doing that, but it's something we must force on ourselves if we really do want to be profitable.  How do we overcome the Fear of Finding Out? What's so powerful about getting in rooms with smart people?  Chris Bowers and I continue our deep dive conversation on real estate, curating relationships and the power of masterminds.  Guest Info Chris Bowers is a Realtor, Investor and owner of the Bowers Team, and the host of The agentXcel podcast. Chris has been in real estate for over 16 years, but he has been an entrepreneur since his teens. Today, Chris and his wife run a successful team selling over 140 units with half of those being Chris' personal production. He has also built a solid rental portfolio that continues to grow to this day.  Follow @chrisbowers_realestate on Instagram and listen to agentXcel on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.   CTA ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla

In the conversation about scaling our real estate businesses, systems come up a lot, but that's not the first and most important thing. Systems come a distant second to people, because ultimately, how can we step out of specific roles and tasks if we have no one to hand them off to?  Because we don't put the necessary premium on hiring and people, we don't get to fully experience their effect. Like cold calls, scripts, and negotiation, hiring is a skill we need to nurture, focus on and master. In this business, agents will have one bad experience with a hire, and tell themselves “hiring sucks”, instead of thinking that they hired the wrong person, or that they hired the right person, but didn't set them up for success.  A lot of agents don't know when it's the right time to hire. The simple answer is: when you're doing all you can and you can't do more. It's not about hiring when someone says you should from the stage or when your real estate buddy hires someone with a fancy title. Hire based on your goals, and what you want to step out of. We have to master the art of recruiting way before we need the hire, because that's the secret.  How did we approach our own hiring? Why did we hire probably long before we were really “ready”? Chris Bowers and I talk about the power of treating hiring like a skill (because it is).  Guest Info Chris Bowers is a Realtor, Investor and owner of the Bowers Team, and the host of The agentXcel podcast. Chris has been in real estate for over 16 years, but he has been an entrepreneur since his teens. Today, Chris and his wife run a successful team selling over 140 units with half of those being Chris' personal production. He has also built a solid rental portfolio that continues to grow to this day.  Follow @chrisbowers_realestate on Instagram and listen to agentXcel on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.   CTA ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla

Intro Paragraph/Email  Without a doubt, Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger are 2 of the greatest investing minds of all time. Because they've been at it for so long, they've seen market highs and market lows,  and built a massive holding company where the main share trades at $538k.  These guys have got to know a thing or two about how to build and keep wealth. That's why thousands go to their annual shareholder meeting every year. But you don't have to go to Omaha to get the benefit of their brilliance. Every year, they publish a shareholder letter and it's absolutely packed with nuggets that apply today.  In a volatile market like the one we're in right now, maybe some of the greatest wisdom we can gain is from the past. That's what led Brian Gubernick to go digging into Berkshire Hathaway shareholder letters from the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s.  There's got to be strategies we can learn from these investing greats to better our own portfolios…well their advice will surprise you. It's not as flashy as you think, but considering what Warren and Charlie built, it's worth paying attention to.  Today, Brian goes through his top takeaways from taking a deep dive into these investor newsletters. Guest Info Brian Gubernick is a 15+ year residential real estate industry veteran, having held the roles of real estate investor, sales agent, sales team owner/leader, expansion (multi-state) team owner, brokerage operating partner, coach/trainer, and corporate executive. He is the co-founder of the Metrix Mastermind, Chief Real Estate Officer at PLACE and host of No Days Off. Listen to No Days Off on your platform of choice.  CTA ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla

Anytime an agent gets an appointment from a cold call, it's like walking into a war zone. They don't know you, like you or trust you, so they aren't exactly warm and fuzzy when you go and meet them…unless they've already viewed a ton of your content online.    Having a YouTube channel can take people from not knowing who you are to rolling out the red carpet for you. It warms the lead up before you even meet them, and when it comes to signing a listing agreement - it's nothing more than a formality.    Chris Igoe's YouTube channel has become a solid source of business, but that took weeks of figuring it out, understanding the algorithm and months upon months of consistency for it to pay off.    Today, he shares his journey into real estate, discovering his superpower and how he is making YouTube work massively well for him.  Quotes    The great thing about this industry is you can just copy someone and get results to a varying degree. The problem is it might not be the best result for you. -Kevin Kauffman    The best thing anyone can do in any industry they're in is build up their brand on YouTube. -Chris Igoe    There were people having success and generating leads through YouTube, if they could do it, I can do it. -Chris Igoe    If someone was going to hire me through a cold call, they would probably Google me and I wanted them to know I was real. -Chris Igoe    Many of the things that used to work on YouTube have been obsolete for a very long time. The only thing that matters is pleasing its audience. -Chris Igoe  Key Points     Good mentor vs. great mentor  The great thing about this industry is you can copy someone and get results but that is a double-edged sword because that might not be the best  for you. Good mentors will show you how they did it and create a path to follow. Great mentors will take time to ask questions, and find out whether the activities line up with who you are as a person.    Find your superpower and double down The advice new agents get is to blindly follow whatever model works. The truth is: whether you choose cold calling, social media or referrals, all the models work, but everyone has their own unique superpower. The key is figuring out what that is, playing to your strengths and consistently hammering at it until you have success. When Chris realized that cold calling was his superpower, he went from making $25k in his first year to millions in volume.    Warm up the lead before you meet  When you get an appointment off a cold call, you're going into a war zone. They don't know, like or trust you and they are getting hounded by other agents. Before you even show up to their door, they will Google you so having a deep catalog of content on YouTube starts the process of warming them up.    What works on YouTube  Many of the things that used to work on YouTube have been obsolete for a very long time. The only thing that matters is pleasing its audience. We have to understand our ideal viewer/customer and get really specific so we can craft and create that right-fit content.     The metrics don't matter  When you're creating YouTube content, it's really easy to get caught up in the vanity metrics - how many views, likes, subscribes and shares you're getting. If you're doing YouTube to get more leads and transactions, the vanity metrics don't matter. What counts is how many leads this is generating, and how it's leading to more buyers and sellers.    Guest Info   Chris is a real estate professional, investor, and retired stockbroker providing current housing market analysis with financial and economic market commentary. He empowers people with the truth to make the best decisions for themselves, their families and the financial bottom line.   Subscribe to Chris' YouTube channel.  CTA   ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla

In real estate, agents, teams and business models don't fit in one box, but we constantly fall into the trap of doing things one specific way. People start teams because it's the next indicated step, what everyone else is doing or an ego boost, not because it's what works for them. If ego, identity and emotion weren't part of our decision making, the paths we'd take would be more authentic. If we treated our businesses as if we reported to a board of directors, we would make decisions differently.    That's why it's so necessary to get into environments that pull our businesses apart so we can make them better. Whether you're a solo agent or a mega-team leader, we need to be in rooms that force us to pivot in the direction of what's right for us.    Most agents won't take this step because their identities and egos are wrapped up in where they are now. Ultimately, the decisions we made before are the tuition we pay to get to the destination we want. Today, fellow Arizona agents, Angela Gordon and Trevor Halpern join me to talk about the decisions we make, what we're looking forward to in 2024, and choosing the right model for you (even if it goes against the status quo).  Quotes    Caring about people and learning about them is a great strategy for business. -Kevin Kauffman   If you can get a room full of givers, you're winning. -Angela Gordon   When you strip down a team and the revenue model often times, team leads aren't making that much money. -Trevor Halpern   We're always being sold the next shiny object, but most agents aren't focused enough so we're really easy to take advantage of as a community. -Kevin Kauffman   The only person that's going to give you a plan, structure and help you implement is you. -Trevor Halpern   Key Points     The brokerage problem Most people that own or run a brokerage haven't been in the trenches, if ever, for a long time. The disconnect happens when they're trying to talk to an agent and identify what their problem is. It's a lot easier to help them when you have recent, first-and experience.    The board of directors test  In this industry, many people struggle to change brokerages and business models because their egos and identities are wrapped up in where they are now. One of the most powerful lenses through which we can view our businesses is acting as if we have a board of directors. How different would our decisions be if we answered to a group of people and not just ourselves?    The courage to make a change It's okay to say that something doesn't work for us and pivot. If you put a lot of time, effort and money into something that failed, it's only a failure if you don't take lessons from it. You can use the lessons from that to make more money or better decisions going forward.    How brokerages can shut down innovation  In the traditional brokerage model, a company is often good at one particular thing. That knowledge base attracts more of the same thing, and that runs the huge danger of the mindset and practices in that company becoming insular. That means any new and innovative concepts don't make it in because it doesn't fit the model that exists.    A time for ideation, a time for implementation  Our businesses take the biggest leaps when we get around other people and learn from them. There's a time to hunker down, but there's also a time to get ideas, insights and pull apart our businesses to make them better. The problem is, most people do one or the other - both pieces are necessary, they aren't sufficient alone. We have to find the balance between taking in information and taking action based on that information.    The consumer doesn't care As agents, we get so caught up on the brokerage we're at and how our clients might react to us changing. The truth is, the consumer doesn't care what brokerage you're at, it's not that big a deal to them. Ultimately, the relationship they have with us overrides their relationship with our companies.    Guest Info   Trevor Halpern is a Phoenix based Realtor with over a decade in the business. As the founder of Halpern Residential, Trevor takes pride in delivering high-level strategy, efficient negotiations and precise tactical execution. He conducts his life and business by simple rules: treat people with respect; lead with honesty; put more than he gets out; and do the right thing 100% of the time. Follow @halpernresidential on Instagram.    Angela is the host of Ponderbox and a real estate agent who focuses on the east valley cities of Phoenix, Arizona.  With an emphasis on community impact and support of local businesses.  As an agent who finished 2022 in the top 1% in Maricopa county, rest assured, the experience you have with her will be one you will rave about. Follow @angelagordon_ on Instagram.    CTA   ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla

We may not see it this way, but real estate isn't as risky as we think. In fact, in many ways, we're conditioned against taking risks, and that's why leverage is such a hard concept for the majority of our industry. Think about the restaurant business - leverage is built in from day 1, you know that you'll need a manager, front of house, chefs and servers so you take loans and do what you need for the business to succeed. In real estate, leverage is a line we cross kicking and screaming, and that actually harms our businesses in the long run.    There are many reasons why we won't invest in leverage - we don't think we have the time, the money or even the ability to let go. All these reasons are barriers we can overcome. With the right strategy and roadmap, leverage is something we can implement. What are the roles that can propel out businesses if we hire them? How do we overcome our limiting beliefs about leverage?    Today, founder and CEO of Rocket Sphere VA, Justin Nelson shares how VAs can make your business more valuable.    Quotes    Being a solo agent's not a problem but being a solo agent with no leverage can be a big problem. -Justin Nelson    Key Points     Why you need leverage  There are only 2 things virtual assistants can leverage, personal activities and business activities. When people start with VAs, the first thing they want leveraged is things like cold calls because they don't want to do it themselves or they aren't having success with it. Your goal when it comes to hiring a VA is to buy time back so you can invest it where it truly matters, like cold calling.   Comparison isn't always bad for you Comparison is a thief of joy if you're emotionally immature. If you don't beat yourself up afterwards, you can learn from other people, and that can bring clarity and propel your business.    Reinvest your time wisely  The first thing we need to do is look at things in our lives we can leverage. If we leverage personal activities that gives us more time in our businesses so we can reinvest that time. The problem is, most people that hire VAs and fail get time back and reinvest that time in crappy things.    How to seamlessly integrate VAs into your business  Don't operate VAs like computers where you send them a task and wait for them to send it back. You'll have more success if they sit in a Zoom room for 8 hours a day.    If you had $50k to spare, this is how to build out your leverage; Executive Admin  Marketing VA  Client care manager Video Editor   Accounting VA   Lead Manager    VA hiring order for agents;  Marketing VA Client Care Manager  Executive Admin  Video Editor  Lead Manager  Accounting VA Team Recruiting and Onboarding  Marketing VA #2 Interaction and Shipping VA  VA #1 for lead agent  VA #2 for lead agent  VA for client success recurring income program    Use leverage to retain the best people  If we want to build a team that retains talent, we have to make agents see a path to having a forever in our world. One way we can do this is to provide a VA for the top agent on our team. That's something that keeps them in our world longer.    Why you hate leverage  There's no such thing as business problems, only personal problems that affect your business. So some of the reasons we have limiting beliefs about leverage go back to our mindset and emotions, and that stuff can be sorted out through coaching and therapy.    The biggest barrier to implementing leverage  Most people don't hire a VA because there were 2 extreme options before; hire a huge, expensive company or do it yourself. Both options can make it hard to take action. Sphere Rocket VA is the perfect middle ground.    Guest Info   Justin Nelson is an entrepreneur, leader, coach to Top Producers and CEO of Sphere Rocket VA, an 8-Figure Company with 5800 VAs.    For more information, head to www.sphererocketva.com.    To get access to all the files and documents mentioned today, head to sphererocketfiles.com.    CTA   ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla

“The road to success and the road to failure are almost exactly the same.” On any given day, we're walking a tightrope between success and failure, but when we're in a good market and a time of abundance, we don't see how thin that line is. Right now, we're in a time where our bad decisions, bad business practices and bad habits are being exposed.    With what the last year has been in real estate, we haven't seen this many people hurting in business in a long time. For many of us, this hard time exposed that we haven't been doing the right things all along. Success in real estate is 3 things: what we say, saying it enough times and who we say it to. These are the variables we have to apply pressure to. Even at a time like this, if we're not getting the results we want, we need to work on one of those 2 things.    2024 promises to be better - but only for the people who do the hard work in the lead up to the end of the chaos. Today, Ben Kinney talks about what it takes to keep our businesses and our minds solid through a challenging market.  Quotes    Leadership is a constant conversation of caring. -Ben Kinney   We get paid to help humans make good life decisions with their most valuable asset. -Ben Kinney    If we're struggling in our businesses today, that means you're not having enough empathetic conversations. -Ben Kinney    Many of us are in the home purchase business. If we want to own the industry, we have to be in the homeownership business. -Ben Kinney   The goal should be to have a model for everything. -Ben Kinney   The number 1 killer of a business is optimism. -Ben Kinney   Key Points     Why we quit  Quitting is easier than plugging away at something when it gets hard. Whenever you start something new, there's this unfounded amount of optimism, but ultimately, reality will set in and we sink into the pit of despair. This happens with every new thing. Real happiness comes from digging out of the pit and enjoying the journey.    The undisciplined pursuit of more  As human beings and business owners, we tend to think that if we're doing great in one thing, we can take on something else. We think that more will solve our problems so we add a bunch of stuff to our lives. It's fine when things are going good, but when things start to go pear-shaped, it collapses on us. We have to master boredom if we want success.    Treat leadership like parenting  Every real estate leader has found themselves frustrated because their agents aren't calling leads. Instead of putting it on your agents, point your frustration back to yourself because it's a leadership problem. How many times do you have to tell your kids not to touch something hot? Why do we expect adults to be different? You have to have the conversations over and over, find different ways to say it and even find other people to say it.     Homeownership vs. home sales  Many agents are struggling right now because they are in the business of home purchases. If we want to own the industry (and stay on our feet during hard times), we have to get into the business of homeownership. The homeownership business happens every single day, it's hard and it should be our role to make it easier for people. That way, we can get paid in other ways outside of the transaction (something that's really important right now).    Doing the two  When the market is tough, it's important to find ways to bring yourself back to par. If you're a team leader, do as many deals a month as you need to take care of your personal expenses. Additionally, you'll need to recruit 2 agents a month, and meet with the key people on your team often.    The variables you need to put pressure on  There's only 3 things that guarantee success in real estate Saying the right things (scripts) Saying it enough times (activity) Enough people to say it to (leads) If you're not succeeding, you need to fix one of those 3 things. If you have a team, you need one more thing: enough people saying the right things.    The good news about 2024 (and the huge caveat) Expect 2024 to be filled with great opportunities for 50-75% of the year, but in the first couple of months, we should be filling our hopper with people that would take action if rates drop 1 or 2%. We have to spend the first 2 months making sure the entire year is kickass instead of feeling bad for ourselves. At the same time, don't have rose-colored glasses that it will magically happen in 90 days. Optimism can be deadly in our business, so we have to maintain a healthy balance.    The simplest leverage model  Leverage is simply increasing our hourly rate. We do that by giving away things that we could pay someone less than we believe we should be making. If you're doing 0-2 transactions a month, you don't deserve leverage. If you can close 3-4 transactions a month, you can get leverage in the form of light admin or a showing assistant. When we create leverage, we have to remember to create it for our agents too, or else they'll leave. We have to show that we're a pathway for them to accomplish their own goals.    Guest Info   Ben Kinney is an entrepreneur, professional speaker, author, real estate agent, and CEO of Ben Kinney Companies. He owns and operates one of the top 25 producing real estate teams in the nation from all brands. He also owns and operates multiple Keller Williams Realty Franchises that includes 1200+ agents across multiple locations servicing all of Washington State. In 2015 he opened his first international brokerage in London, UK and in 2016 he purchased the KW master franchise for all of the U.K. Those offices sold over 10,000 units equalling over 4 billion in closed sales volume. Ben is also a nationally recognized author, trainer, and speaker. In the last few years, he has personally trained over 100,000 business owners via conferences, classes, and webinars.  Ben Kinney Real Estate Team is ranked by the Wall Street Journal and Real Trends as one of the top 25 real estate teams in the nation.    https://www.youtube.com/BenKinney   CTA   ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla

2023 was rough for a lot of people. Agents and teams were selling less homes. Pending transactions hit their lowest number in 2 decades, and most pipelines were drier than ever before. On top of that, the NAR lawsuit verdicts shook things up for the entire industry, so many agents feel like they are getting hit from different directions.    There is good news on the horizon though. If you've managed to stick it out through these challenges, and your business is built on the right foundations, 2024 will be a lot better.    There's still fear around the market and NAR's legal issues running people out of the business. In real estate, very few people fail because of bad luck. Most fail out because of bad habits and not doing enough of the right things. You might look at the lawsuit as an existential threat to agents, but just like with market downturns, those who are doing the right things, and approaching business with the right attitude will never lose. Ever since being a Realtor was a thing we've needed to be able to articulate our value. If we do that people will want to work with us through hell, high water, industry lawsuits and slow markets.   What does the NAR lawsuit tell us about our industry and where we're headed? How do we perfect our marketing?    Agent, social media coach, speaker, trainer and host of the popular Massive Agent Podcast, Dustin Brohm shares his predictions for 2024, and why he's optimistic.  Quotes    I do know people that are successful that don't work their sphere but they are such outliers I don't want to teach other people to do that. -Kevin Kauffman     Very few people fail out of this industry because of bad luck. Most fail out because of bad habits. -Kevin Kauffman     97% of agents surveyed think NAR is completely worthless, and they'd cut them off in a heartbeat if they could. -Dustin Brohm   With social media, you don't want to do too much of any one thing. -Dustin Brohm   Ever since being a Realtor was a thing you needed to be able to articulate why they should hire you. -Dustin Brohm    Some agents need to do a much better job of selling the buyer/broker agreement, and how it is good for both parties. -Dustin Brohm   Key Points     Why agents fail  There are a lot of agents failing out of real estate not because of bad luck, but rather because of bad habits. There are people who say they tried everything but didn't really and that's why they've left the industry. There are some agents who are doing all the necessary activities, and following through on everything coaches tell them to do. They fail because they don't have the confidence, or feel like they deserve success. It's hard to do the work if you're not showing up as the person who believes in it, so you have to grow into that person.    Setting new agents up for success  Teaching agents the buyer's consultation before they start contacting buyers solves a lot of problems. If someone is afraid to get to the consultation, it might affect how they are on the phone - it might make them afraid of getting a positive result. By getting them to know and get comfortable with the outcome, it increases their chances of success.    The ultimate one-two punch  One challenge agents have is they are either content marketing focused or cold calling focused. If you combine both activities, one practice benefits the other. Content will make calling easier because they've seen you before, and your content marketing is a lot better when you have a database of people you can call directly.    How Dustin would grow his podcast if he was starting over  There's a lot of value from recording a video podcast and taking clips from it. Clips will get more exposure and reach for your show, and help you pull in an audience. If you think about it, a 20-second clip can get you 40,000 views, and that's a lot more than a full episode can get.    Just take action When it comes to podcasting or content creation, never let the lack of fancy equipment stop you from taking action. Once you have the basics of being clearly seen and heard squared away, what you're talking about is the most important thing. It's more crucial to have something worth listening to than having all the tech, but nothing of substance to say. You don't have to be in a professional studio with foam on the walls to make a good show.    The NAR lawsuits might work in our favor  The NAR situation is actually a good thing for both agents and consumers. It will create more transparency and weed out the mediocre agents. Ever since being a Realtor was a thing, we needed to be able to articulate why they should hire us. The truth about the best agents is they are already doing the right thing when it comes to the buyer-broker agreement. They have the conversation upfront, know how to talk about the value they bring, and deliver an exceptional service. The agents who are nervous about these rulings, might be having an issue articulating and delivering their value.    NAR's biggest problem  A huge portion of the agent population thinks NAR is completely worthless and they'd cut them off in a heartbeat if they could. NAR does have a lot of value, but they don't articulate it. NAR is a powerful lobby for homeownership, tax advantages, property rights and more. They lobby better than any trade organization in the country. It's also important for our profession. The problem is they've never done a good job of telling the industry what they bring to the table, and people want to get rid of them because they don't know what they do.    Guest Info   Dustin Brohm is an agent, social media coach, speaker, trainer and host of the popular Massive Agent Podcast for Realtors and Mortgage Loan Officers. He is also the founder of the Massive Agent Society, a comprehensive Facebook Ad lead gen training and coaching program, and the Industry Syndicate real estate podcast network.   The Massive Agent Podcast is meant to help teach real estate agents and mortgage loan officers to get more leads and ultimately sell more homes. Dustin has spoken in front of 1000's of Realtors and mortgage professionals at real estate conferences all around the country. He co-founded the Snappack Real Estate Marketing FB Group. His content has been featured in Housing Wire, Inman News, RIS Media, Zillow's Blog, Homelight, FitSmallBusiness, and many more.   Dustin calls it like he sees it, gets straight to the point, and has been known to step on some toes from time to time. His no nonsense approach, combined with his social media & marketing experience, is why his Massive Agent Podcast is one of the fastest growing podcasts in the industry.    Follow Dustin on Instagram, and listen to The Massive Agent Podcast on your platform of choice.    CTA   ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla

At this time of the year, people tend to get more reflective about the last 12 months. December 31st hangs over our heads, and this imaginary finish line forces us to really think about what we've accomplished, and what we want for ourselves next year. This is especially true in real estate, considering what the market has been like and how it has affected a lot of people's businesses.    As we take stock of the last 12 months, it's really easy to blame our challenges on the market, but some of the results we've had could be attributed to our activity. Did we put in enough effort? Did we grow in our skills and competence? Did we follow through on what we said we'd do?   These last few days of 2023 are the perfect opportunity for us to get clear on our goals, and most importantly, what we need to do to achieve those goals.    Today, mortgage originator, executive coach, creator of Win By Noon and co-founder of First Home IQ, Todd Bookspan returns. Today, we reflect on the last year, lessons we've learned and how we're preparing for 2024.      Quotes    You know you've hit a home run when there's a handful of speakers who were the top speaker vs. just one person. -Todd Bookspan    I think there's so much to learn from getting outside your comfort zone of the same handful of people you hang out with at events. -Todd Bookspan    We all get more reflective this time of year because we have this imaginary finish line known as December 31st. -Kevin Kauffman    The people on the other side of the argument are just as adamant that they are right as you are. -Todd Bookspan    There's lots of things you can glean from not just result tracking, but recording of activities - which to me is more important. -Todd Bookspan    If you can't understand the other side's argument as well as or better than they do, then maybe you're not into this game as much as you think you are. -Kevin Kauffman    Key Points     It's not just the market  There are a lot of people who are victims of what's going on in the market, some to the extent of leaving the industry entirely. Though the market has been tough, it might be down to us not doing what we were supposed to do. It's easy to track our results, but tracking our activity is key because it shows us if we're on track, and also gives us an indicator of how the market is doing. If we're not getting the results we want, it means there's something in our actions that needs to be changed. Maybe we need to improve our skills, or we need to follow through on what we said we would do. We need to ask ourselves if we're working hard enough, or if we're avoiding what we need to do. It might be hard to hear, but it is what a lot of us need to think about.    Be careful what you believe about the market Many people believe interest rates will go down and when they go down, there's going to be a lot more opportunity for buyers. They might be right, but it's important that we get clear on why we're so adamant about that view. We could be regurgitating views that aren't our own without realizing it, and we might be parroting these opinions because we desperately need them to be true. We have to get curious and stop listening to people telling us what we might want to hear.    Be willing to hear what the other side thinks There's been a lot of uproar in the industry about the lawyer for the NAR lawsuit being invited to a real estate event. Even though they are coming after our industry, we have to know what they are thinking. We have to know where the other side's head is, and there's nothing wrong with hearing from them.    Finding middle ground in a divided world In a world that's driven to make us fight and pick a side, taking the time to understand the “opposition” is key. Social media and traditional media are focused on dousing the flames of division. Whether it's politics, religion or any other topic, the more polarized we are, the harder it is to understand each other. Ultimately, we'll discover that we have a lot more in common with other people, and it's easier for us to find middle ground.    Guest Info   Todd is a mortgage originator, executive coach, creator of Win By Noon and co-founder of First Home IQ. Todd has 25 years of experience as an entrepreneur and a business leader. For the past fifteen years, as a mortgage originator, Todd has proven successful in cultivating both teams and branch offices. Working alongside his wife Tara, Todd successfully helped grow the Arizona region of a mortgage bank from five to eighty-five employees at four branches. Now he has designed the Win By Noon Planner as a tool to help increase productivity.   Join Todd's Life Planning class here.    CTA   ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla  

With most of the people I see who have over 30 years in the business, it shows on their faces. I'm excited everyday, I look forward to my day, I look forward to meeting great people in the business everyday. -Rick Geha    I'm reminded of how exciting life can be if you're willing to do the boring basics and the things that are uncomfortable so you can have the things you want. -Rick Geha    People want to work with exciting people. Wake up everyday excited out of your mind about what you do, and with a willingness to share with people whether they want to do business with you or not. -Rick Geha    In today's special episode, we're honoring our good friend, the late great, Rick Geha. Back in our Short Sale Power Hour days, Rick was a guest on the show many times, talking about mindset and pulling from decades in the real estate industry to share what it takes to succeed at a high level. Here are some of the most powerful insights from Rick.  Quotes and Key Points   Mindset is the biggest part of absorbing anything you might learn and deciding what to do with it. We have to believe in being bigger and better than ourselves.    We enrich other people's lives by sharing.    Everyday you're doing something that creates major, drastic differences in your life and moves you in the direction you'd like to go.    How big of a life would you like to make for yourself? Who in your life sees you much bigger than you see yourself? Surround yourself with these people.    If God is one of the 5 people you surround yourself with, it brings your average up significantly.    You don't want to be around people who want you to succeed but are holding onto your ankles saying “don't leave us behind”. You want people who say “go, succeed and we'll be here if you need us.”     The money you make is how you fund your mission and your dreams. How much time do we waste not being productive and not moving towards the dreams we've created for ourselves? Figure out what you're doing everyday that's getting you nowhere, and what you can be doing everyday to get you somewhere.     In our hardest moments, we're capable of 20 times more than we're capable of in our best moments.  Look, see, move. We have to make a conscious decision to not be in a reactive state.     In the book “Fish: A Proven Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results”, the author talks about how easily we can snap our fingers, and make a choice to feel different, and act excited and be happy.    If your work is what brings you down, stop doing it.    You're not just doing short sales because they're fun. You need to have a passion and desire for the people you're trying to help. It's not just wanting to close short sales because that's the only listing you can find.    A carpenter said he used to hate his job until he realized that the nail, hammer and wood represented the dreams of someone who was going to live in the home he was building. From that day on, he loved his job.    Information will only help you when you make the choice to use it.    You'll only improve your business if you take the stuff that's being shared and use it to create a difference.    What does an attitude of abundance have to do with your real estate sales business? A mindset of abundance means “I'm enough, you're enough, there's enough.”    How often in your day are you worrying about where the next deal is going to come from, instead of consistently making the assumption that there'll always be enough?   Look towards abundance instead of looking towards scarcity. If your mindset is abundance, you'll always create more leads, and when one falls apart, you can just move on. Of course, you'll be disappointed, but you can acknowledge that and then make a purposeful decision to focus on abundance and move forward.    What you do today will set your path for the rest of the week.    Many people are suffering because they don't truly know what's happening in the real estate market. You need to be the local real estate resource. People are listening to national negative news, reading negative national newspapers and postings on the internet. Your consumer needs to know that what they're reading nationally has nothing to do with what's going on locally. What matters is they know that you're a resource for what's happening on the ground with them.    Lead generation is at the core of what it takes to exist in our business. If you want to be productive, think abundantly all the time.   The biggest part of lead generation is mindset - it's what keeps you from doing what you're supposed to do. Whether you're a brand spanking new agent, or you've been in the business for decades, we all know that creating some sort of daily lead gen activity will get the results we want. But there's such a big gap between people who know this and the people who actually do it.    That action piece - moving from what you know to actually doing it starts in your head. Working on becoming a better you is the most important thing you can do for your business.    I want to surround myself with people who see me bigger than I see myself, not people who see me as smaller.    Be around people who say “I love you exactly the way you are and here's how you can get better,” not people who just say, “I love you exactly the way you are”. The two are very different.    “I'm going to take care of me for you” - when we work on being better versions of ourselves, we become our best for everyone else.    Lead generation comes from moving into action. What gets you into action is being so dedicated to what you want that nothing will stop you.     Lead generate from a place of contribution. When we're helping our clients, we have to remove ourselves from the equation and focus on doing what's best for that person.    You might not think focusing on doing what's best for your clients helps your lead generation, but it has everything to do with it. When your whole life is spent making sure the people around you are well taken care of, your life will open up.    When you become a lean, mean, talking, knowledgeable real estate machine, people will throw leads at you.    CTA ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla

Whether it's a traditional real estate team, an investment portfolio or a fulfilling life - building anything great is a process of constantly asking ourselves big questions and challenging whatever we believe. It's really easy to copycat our way to success until we find ourselves up the wrong mountain. The only way to combat this is to take everything we believe and pierce holes in it - play devil's advocate to our own beliefs, if you will.    Our business might be good now, but what if changing the model and our identity could make it better? Flipping homes sounds sexy, but it's actually not investing. The market is tough right now, but what if getting a tiny bit better, or even staying the same is a sign that we're crushing it?    When you get really good at asking these questions, and become okay with being wrong about what you believe, pivoting and moving through changes gets easier and faster. When we get clear on what we truly want, and lose the fear of going after something completely different, we're able to build something we'll be proud of today and years from now.    What kind of questions should we be asking ourselves all the time? How can we walk through chaos without it impacting us?    Today, I'm joined by friend, collaborator, coach, trainer, and CEO of Guaranteed Home Buyers LLC, Matt Chick. We talk about the ultimate cheat code to make anything happen.    Quotes    Our model has changed many times over the years. We've never been afraid to go after something completely different to what we've been doing. -Kevin Kauffman    One of the great things about this industry is it's easy to copycat and find success if you're willing to put in the work, but that's also a curse. -Kevin Kauffman    In my hierarchy of what I need from my business, time is number 1, money is number 2 and I'm very clear on that. Of course I want to make money, but time is first. -Kevin Kauffman    Running flips is not an investment, it's a business. -Kevin Kauffman    I'm a big proponent of taking my active income, no matter where it comes from and using it to create my residual income by buying assets. -Kevin Kauffman   If you can walk through chaos and not experience it, you can print money. -Kevin Kauffman    Look at real estate investments through 3 lenses. Cash-flow, future appreciation, and taxes. -Kevin Kauffman    Flipping is just a business, just like wholesales and commissions from transactions. It's how we create active income, the passive income is the true investing. -Matt Chick     As your portfolio grows, your reserves have to grow too. -Kevin Kauffman    Key Points     Redefining success in a tough market  There's a lot of people we know who won't be surviving this market, or even this calendar year. That means crushing it looks different to what it looked like 3 years ago, 2 years ago - even a year ago. There's a certain level of business maturity you've got to have to realize that sometimes not going backwards or only going backwards a little bit is actually a win when people are going backwards a lot.    Poke holes in your deeply-held beliefs  Question everything you think you're right about, and assume what you're currently doing is wrong. Take every belief and try to see the opposite of it. Even if something is working, ask yourself if it might be preventing you from getting the results you really want. With anything you believe, ask: “is this really my opinion or am I repeating something I heard?”   Not afraid to be wrong  No one is a perfectionist, we're just afraid of looking wrong. Our egos are fragile to how other people perceive us when we fail, get something wrong or fall flat on our faces. But when we're willing to make mistakes, be wrong or fall flat on our faces, we can get closer to what we want.     Don't copycat your way to success  One of the great things about this industry is how easy it is to copycat and find success if you're willing to put in the work, but that's also a curse. You can look at someone else and copy them, but the reality is, we all have different wants and priorities. For some people, time matters more than money and for others, it's money over time. Knowing what matters to you allows you to build the right thing and climb the right mountain.    The ultimate win-win of cost segregation  Because agents have 1099 income, it can be challenging to qualify for a traditional mortgage. The lower your income looks on your tax return - regardless of how much money you actually make - the harder it is to get a loan for another property. The great thing about cost segregation is, while it takes that income out when it comes to paying the taxes, your mortgage lender will add that back into your income. You get a high income for qualification purposes, and a low income for tax purposes. It's the best of both worlds.    The biggest misunderstanding about flipping We call flipping homes investing, but it actually isn't. Flipping is a business, just like wholesales and commissions from transactions. It's active income that we should turn into passive income. Wherever our active income comes from, the ultimate move is to use it to create residual income by buying assets.    Guest Info   Matt Chick is an agent, flipper, wholesaler, coach, trainer, and CEO of Guaranteed Home Buyers LLC. If it has to do with real estate he's all about it. His agent relationships have paid dividends such as putting off-market deals together in a low inventory market.   For more information, visit https://mattchick.com/ and follow @iammattchick on Instagram.    CTA   ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla  

The gift of real estate is that we can generate leads the way we want, as long as we systematize it. Not everyone in real estate wants to cold call, door knock and have a business that relies on speed-to-lead. Some agents don't want to do open houses because they treasure weekends with their kids. Laura Griffin found herself in this predicament, and the perfect solution presented itself - starting a Facebook group for moms.    6 years later, that group has 10,000 members, Laura does $22 million in volume and 90% of that business comes from the group. Many agents would love to have a lead generation method that fits their personality and lifestyle, but turning it into a real system is the challenge.    There is a way to grow a community and nurture people without jamming real estate down their throats. Laura found the perfect balance. She shares how she runs her group, the kind of content she posts, and how she's successfully grown an engaged, hyper-local community.  Quotes    You need to have a good description of what the group is, where it's located, who you are and a freebie at the bottom like a relocation guide. -Laura Griffin    Start a group, make sure it's set up right and make an effort. It's not an overnight thing. -Laura Griffin    Through your group, you're going to learn things about your members and be able to identify clients before they know they're ready to buy or sell. -Laura Griffin Key Points     Balancing community with marketing  If you're an agent running a Facebook group, no one wants to have real estate jammed down their throats all the time. At the same time, you don't want to be a secret agent. A blend of value-add content, questions and less overt real estate content works really well.    Protecting your community  When you build a large Facebook Group, you're always at risk of the platform changing something on you or locking you out entirely. Putting the members of your group into your database and emailing them monthly helps you protect your community.   Make it evidently hyper-local  When you create your group make sure a town, city or county is attached to its name. You can't be hyper-local if people don't know what locale you serve. Having a location that people know and recognize allows you to also pull in the relocation crowd, and that will bring in a lot of leads.    How to get found  You need to have a good description of what the group is, where it's located, who you are and a freebie at the bottom like a relocation guide. If you don't have those pieces in place, it's going to be hard for people to find you and for you to grow your group.    How to advertise your group  You currently can't run an ad for a Facebook group, but there is a workaround. You can create a business page, run an ad to a landing page, capture their email information and then direct people to join the group.    No real estate people in the group  Laura chooses not to have other agents and lenders in her group. It might sound controversial, but at the same time, would you invite another agent to your open house and risk them poaching your clients?   One question, many leads One post Laura constantly uses is the question “what's the one thing you'd change about your house?” Of course, some people will talk about minor decorative things, but others will share that their yard is too small, or that they wish their house was bigger. You can take those people's names down and start marketing to them because you know the wheels are starting to turn. You'll learn things about your members and be able to identify clients before they know they're ready to buy or sell.    Guest Info   Laura Griffin is a Northern Virginia agent, brand influencer, coach and owner of the highly successful Facebook Group, The Loudoun Moms. The Loudoun Moms was created in 2017 as a safe space for Loudoun mothers to connect with other moms to ask questions, get advice, offer and receive support. Today, the group has over 10,000 members and Laura gets 90% of her business from it. Laura now coaches other agents to start and grow their own successful groups.    To find out more about Laura's coaching and to watch her free webinar, go to https://groupstoleads.com/webinar/.      CTA   ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla

To have staying power in real estate, mindset and the ability to pivot is key. We have to be willing to make big changes to our models, and have the courage to do things differently. The problem is: many business owners get their identity so wrapped up in what they've been doing that making such a change is too hard.    We get so caught up in what we've done for the last 2,5 or 10 years that we won't budge from a model, even if it isn't serving us or our agents.    Daryl Owen has always been committed to where he wants to go, not where he's been. That has meant shifting from the brokerage model to the team model. His mindset on his real estate business was forged in his early days, where a serious head injury nearly destroyed his dream. His ability to outwork hardship quickly paid off, and this mentality has been instrumental in his success.    Daryl shares his story, how he got started, the struggles of running an indie brokerage and the power of pivoting, identity be damned.  Quotes    You want to have ancillary businesses when you have a brokerage firm to make it worth it because there's a ton of liability and overhead. -Daryl Owen   Most agents underestimate how relentless you've got to be with the follow up. -Daryl Owen   No matter what your issue is, you can outwork the problem. -Daryl Owen   Any problem, any level of knowledge in the industry you have, you can outwork it. -Kevin Kauffman     Most of us aren't willing to be bored long enough to find the kind of success that would actually excite us. -Kevin Kauffman    Key Points     Leaning into the team model  The turnover rate of agents joining and leaving the industry is high. No matter what a brokerage does, you'll be burning through money and resources, pouring in as much as you can, but still not moving the needle. A lot of people underestimate getting into this industry and what it means to be successful. They think it's the Million Dollar Listing Lifestyle, but the truth is, you spend the majority of your day drumming up business.    You can always outwork the problem  Daryl went from thinking his real estate dream was over after suffering head trauma in an accident to being the top agent in his office. He was cold calling 500 people 7 days a week, and even though he couldn't speak well, no one was doing as well as him in his office. What facilitated his breakthrough was a massive perspective change, the realization that it could have been worse, he was saved for a reason and he was going to make the most of it.    How to take an agent from 0 homes sold to #1 in the office You can't make an agent productive, you can only provide an environment that facilitates growth. But if you're dealing with an agent who has the drive, but just needs the structure, standards and handholding, that's something you can provide. You're giving them the scaffold to succeed, but not the fuel.    The indie brokerage challenge  In an independent brokerage, there just isn't enough money to go around to get everyone the tools and support they need. It's hard to service agents with the way the splits are structured. You can be an independent brokerage with 1000 agents (one of the biggest ones), but even at that point, you're still not big enough to make it work at scale. In a team, the financial model is set up so it benefits the owner as well as the individual agent.    Commit to where you're going, not where you've been  Real estate agents and business owners in general get in the way of their own growth because it's in a new direction. Many of us have our identities so wrapped in what we've been doing, we're not willing to budge even if it would be better. By untangling our identity from our business models, we're able to pivot effortlessly.    Guest Info   Daryl is the Founder, CEO and visionary behind one of America's largest independently owned real estate firms. At 19, he acquired his first rental property while attending college and never looked back. In 2010, I founded Nationwide Real Estate Executives, which boasts a team of nearly 1,000 sales executives. Thanks to his success in real estate, Owen Companies now owns and manages companies in the real estate, education, technology, construction, and eCommerce sectors.   For more information, head to https://www.darylowen.com/ and follow @darylrowen on Instagram  CTA   ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla

In today's special episode of the podcast, we're bringing you into two episodes of No Days Off, Brian Gubernick's show. If you care about getting better, there's no such thing as taking time off from the things that allow you to grow and reach your dreams. Every new day is an opportunity to get better, and today, Brian shares how we can become better real estate investors.    Brian Gubernick is a 15+ year residential real estate industry veteran, having held the roles of real estate investor, sales agent, sales team owner/leader, expansion (multi-state) team owner, brokerage operating partner, coach/trainer, and corporate executive. He is the co-founder of the Metrix Mastermind, Chief Real Estate Officer at PLACE and host of No Days Off. Listen to No Days Off on your platform of choice.   First: Brian Gubernick shares how to get comfortable with doing hard things.    Not hitting snooze when the alarm rings, making your bed or jumping into a cold plunge every morning. These activities may not be fun, but they are necessary.    That's because doing hard things breaks through barriers, creates momentum and it creates the appetite to do other challenging things throughout the day. By doing that initial hard thing first thing in the morning, you've won your first battle, and that win will supercharge your results.    Then: if you're a real estate investor, maximizing your revenue is one of the most important things you can ever do. Of course, you can do so by cutting expenses, but there are a few key strategies you can employ to get your rental properties to earn more money.   Brian Gubernick has discovered and implemented several strategies that have increased how much his property earns by up to $3400. From extra parking to upgrading appliances, he shares 6 ways you can earn more from your rentals.   CTA ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla

When you look at successful and influential authors like Robert Greene and Ryan Holiday, it's easy to think they are geniuses whose greatness comes easy to them. This gives us an excuse not to put effort into achieving what we want. In order to write their books, they have to enhance their identity, put a lot of work and intensity into that project, and have freakish commitment to accomplishing that thing. They may look like overnight successes, but if their lives look easy now, best believe they did the hard things over and over for a long time.    We're no different. Whether we want to thrive in this market, achieve a bigger goal in our businesses or write a book ourselves. We don't have to be geniuses, we just have to apply work and intensity to what we do. We have to commit to being the people who deserve the higher thing we want.    Dustin Runyon and I recently got to see Robert Greene and Ryan Holiday speak in LA. Today we'll share what we got out of the event, what we learned about achieving great things and other insights from the last few months.  Quotes    If someone's life looks easy now, they put in a lot of work. -Kevin Kauffman    People are eager to help especially if you're willing to notice the work they've done. -Dustin Runyon    To survive right now, you've got to be good. In order to do well right now, you've got to be great and in order to thrive, you better be outstanding. -Dustin Runyon    If someone's got a singular dominant message, that's the thing they struggle with. -Dustin Runyon    Your results in your life will find the level of your identity. -Dustin Runyon    Key Points     48 Laws is a warning, not a how-to manual  Many people haven't read the 48 Laws of Power because the concept of power itself makes them uncomfortable. People look at power the way they look at money - it's taboo, but power is very important. It's why you want to have the right people in power. It's why we want to be successful - it gives us the power to do what we want to do.    What living through history feels like When people are going through historical moments, they don't realize it's historical, they're just tackling what's in front of them in the moment. When you think of defining moments in your life, it's the same thing. It won't feel pivotal in the moment, but the moment after is what makes it feel important. It's your behavior after said moment that makes it historical or not.    History is also made by what didn't take place History isn't just about what happened, it can also be about what didn't happen. If you think about the fact that the Mongols were about to invade Austria but didn't because Genghis Khan died, you realize how powerful something not happening can be as well.     Be the person who deserves the higher thing you want  When you look at authors like Robert Greene and Ryan Holiday, it's easy to attribute their accomplishment to genius. Of course, they are brilliant, talented and intelligent people, but they are also hard workers. You have to write and read the equivalent of 100 books to produce that 1 great book. To get their results, they've had to enhance their identities many times over. We're capable of putting in the same level of commitment and work.    Talk to an expert in an avenue you're exploring We have to enhance our identity if we want to achieve something new or bigger than what we have now. Sometimes that enhancement is through gathering information from people who are experts in that field. Dustin will pay for time with an expert in the avenue he's exploring. You'll discover that people are eager to help if you're willing to notice the work they've done. Investing in event attendance  There's tremendous value in putting ourselves in rooms where people are doing better and differently than us. We can go to an event because of who's speaking at it, or who is going to be attending or both. Sometimes it's swing and miss, but it pays off more often than not. There are a lot of successful people who will refuse to go to an event unless they are speaking, but that means you cut yourself off from a lot of learning opportunities.    Dustin Runyon is a real estate team leader, speaker, coach and connection specialist. He is a stimulant for change, helping thousands find their truth and their path in order to create a life they can truly be proud of. Helping guide companies and individuals break into their power!  Dustin believes we need the truth in order to move forward and that your truth lies inside of you waiting to be faced, waiting to be confronted with arms of openness and readiness.   Runyon dreams of a world where we are filled with joy, fulfillment and a deep need to give and serve those around us. A world where we are excited about who we are and are moving towards becoming more of who we were destined to become. A place where we help instead of hurt, give instead of take and love instead of hate. His mission is to create just that. He hopes that you decide to take part. When you look at successful and influential authors like Robert Greene and Ryan Holiday, it's easy to think they are geniuses whose greatness comes easy to them. This gives us an excuse not to put effort into achieving what we want. In order to write their books, they have to enhance their identity, put a lot of work and intensity into that project, and have freakish commitment to accomplishing that thing. They may look like overnight successes, but if their lives look easy now, best believe they did the hard things over and over for a long time.    We're no different. Whether we want to thrive in this market, achieve a bigger goal in our businesses or write a book ourselves. We don't have to be geniuses, we just have to apply work and intensity to what we do. We have to commit to being the people who deserve the higher thing we want.  Head to https://www.dustinrunyon.com/ for more information. To sign up for Fired Up Fridays visit https://firedupfridays.com/.  CTA   ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla

In an industry that celebrates making rain, GCI, units and volume, it's really easy to lose sight of why we got into real estate in the first place. Most of us got into this for our families and for freedom to spend time with them. Unfortunately, somewhere along the way, we forget and find ourselves working too much, prioritizing the next meeting,  appointment and commission check.    It's only when we have a smack-in-the-face moment that we realize that we're running our businesses all wrong, and that we have to refocus on the original goal. A lot of what we hear from the stage doesn't share this truth, and what the road to refocusing on what matters looks like.    The great thing about this business is you can build it, find out you built it all wrong, burn it all down, start over and build it right. You can regain the vision and start doing it in alignment with what matters to you. It's certainly not an easy thing to do, but following through on it is worth it. It gives us a business that puts pressure on the things that really move the needle and nothing else. Shonna Ruble shares her own path through this process, from realizing it was built wrong to building it right in a new city and becoming the top team there.  Quotes    It's crazy how much real estate you can do when you're sitting in your car while your kid is at dance or swim class. -Shonna Ruble   If you make the recruiting door wider, make sure someone on your team can kick them out the back door or you'll lose so much money on that. -Shonna Ruble   We're always going to be fighting battles, but I don't like to fight somebody on their playing field. I want to fight it on my own. -Shonna Ruble   There's no secret sauce, programs that I bought or shiny objects that I found to make me successful, other than my phone. -Shonna Ruble   Leading with profit is something a lot of us don't do. We get caught up in the numbers and the awards. What we award is units, GCI and volume, not net worth statements, bank accounts and profitability. -Kevin Kauffman     Life is always going to happen, but you can't slow down when life happens. -Shonna Ruble   Life is going to happen and it will get in the way, but we have to focus on the big picture of things. -Shonna Ruble   Run your own race, don't be running someone else's. -Shonna Ruble    There's so many shiny objects in our industry - there's more people selling picks and shovels than there are people actually mining gold. -Kevin Kauffman  Key Points     Smacked in the face What led Shonna Ruble into real estate was making sure her children could get what they needed, after her son needed a $700 nebulizer she couldn't afford. Again, her children are the reason she ultimately decided to build a business and stop working all the time. Sometimes, we get so lost in rain making we forget what matters, but a slap in the face moment got Shonna to refocus.    Prioritizing what matters It's crazy how much real estate you can do when you're sitting in your car while your kid is at dance or swim class. Shonna learned how to work while her kids were doing something so that she could be there for them. Then after time with her family in the evening, she'd go back to the office. That level of focus is what allowed her business to grow.    Great people, not-so-great systems  We can have really amazing people on our teams, but if we don't have systems, everything falls apart if those people aren't there anymore. It's so important to take the time to document what has made you successful because that's what will keep you going through staff changes. From how we do client events to how we celebrate birthdays on the team, you need to have everything written down.    Focus on profit  Leading with profit is something we're not taught enough in our business. We get caught up in the numbers, awards, units, GCI and volume, not net worth statements, bank accounts and profitability and it gets us in trouble. Shonna learned how to make focus the priority and it gave her staying power while everyone's business tanked.    Put pressure on the things that matter most  A lot of team leaders think you get a new agent ready by teaching them the CRM. The truth is, we have to put pressure on things that move the needle. The onboarding doesn't end when they sign a contract, it ends when they get their first deal. We have to get them into production and get them to understand the importance of being prospecting-based. That's what gets them paid and gets them into a deal.  Even if we have the best recruiting system, it's impossible to predict who will be great in the long-run. Even the people who interview well can end up just being all talk and nothing more. No matter how detailed your process is, you can never really tell or predict who will be successful. That means we have to open the door for more people, let people prove who they are by their actions, and then also keep the back door open so that the wrong ones get out the door quicker. Guest Info   Shonna Ruble is the Owner/Broker/Auctioneer/Freedom Real Estate & Shonna Key Team.  She launched her career at the age of 23. In 2008, she opened her first brokerage, Freedom Real Estate. In 2009, Shonna Graduated from a worldwide auction school. Freedom Real Estate has grown to include offices in four states, as well as Freedom Auction Services. In addition to being a broker for her own firm, Shonna has also had the privilege of being the principal broker for two additional real estate firms. In 2018, Shonna and her team founded the Shonna Key Team. She has worked tirelessly to be one of the most respected real estate offices and dedicates her time and energy to improving the lives of each agent and client. Shonna holds a spotless real estate record and so does every agent that has been under her brokers license. In her spare time, Shonna enjoys spending time with her family, watching movies, and enjoying a slow-paced, simple life. She is a passionate and honest person who loves that her job allows her to constantly change the lives of others for generations to come. For more information, connect with Shonna on LinkedIn or find her on Facebook.  CTA   ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla

Real estate and mortgage are businesses where we can earn more by doubling down on the thing we know (production) or force growth through other people. Agents and LOs often choose the former, so they take steps away from buying back their time, experiencing freedom and making room for other opportunities.    Though doing more production pays us in the present, forcing growth through other people ultimately pays a much higher dividend. The sooner we take that step, the better off our lives will be.    Greg Whitmire has grown through other people and dialed in his schedule so much that he's able to be CEO of 2 successful businesses - a mortgage company and a title one. That's a lot of moving parts, but Greg manages it effectively.    It takes a lot of discipline and effective self-management to run and grow 2 businesses, have a great family life and do everything else you aspire to do. Greg shares his incredible approach to life and business and how he's able to work 2 high level jobs simultaneously.  Quotes    It's just easier to get someone to buy into a system when they don't have other systems they are used to. -Greg Whitmire   Everyone started as a new agent, all of the greats were brand new at one time. -Kevin Kauffman     Boredom is the devil for me. I have to keep myself structured, if not I'm all over the place. All the moving parts work when I'm dialed in. -Greg Whitmire   If you're going 10% forward every year and the market's going back 10%, you don't realize how big that really is. -Kevin Kauffman    Key Points     Outlasting winter in real estate As far as seasons go, this is definitely winter in mortgage, title and real estate. For those who are able to grow - even marginally, are the ones who will benefit when things swing the other way again. They'll get all the deals by default because there'll be no one else left. During the winter of 2008 and 2009, it felt like it would last forever, but it ended. You don't even need to be growing right now to benefit in the end - even staying stagnant is as good as growing if everyone else is shrinking.    Don't knock a newbie  Sometimes hiring a new agent or LO and training them is better than teaching an old dog new tricks. It's just easier to get someone to buy into a system when they don't have other systems they are used to. Schools are always spitting out new agents and LOs. Everyone started as a new agent, all of the greats were brand new at one time, so don't overlook brand new folks just because you think they lack experience.  Whether it's the agents on our teams or the clients we help, it can be hard to empathize when people are struggling to live up to their potential. It's frustrating to see someone not do what they need to be who we know they can become. To overcome this: we have to not hold people accountable to what we think they're capable of, but rather what they're own goals are.    An entrepreneur who is too tightly scheduled can't transform  In order to do what needs to get done, it's important for us to have deliberate time blocks and schedules, but there's a caveat. Sometimes we can have so many boundaries,it keeps us from what we want so it's necessary to loosen up and give some leeway. Even the most dialed in calendar needs some white space    Guest Info   Greg is the dual CEO at Summerlin Title Agency and Summerlin Financial. Greg's passion lies in helping others. One way he moves through that passion is by helping people achieve the dream of homeownership. Greg has been a loan officer for over 20 years and in 2016 along with a group of investors launched Summerlin Financial, Inc. Another way he navigates his passion is through fitness coaching as he is a USA Weightlifting Sports Performance Coach and has his Level 1 CrossFit Certification. In his spare time, he coaches CrossFit and Olympic Lifting, enjoys paddle boarding, vacationing, and hanging with family and friends.    https://www.summerlinfinancial.com/ CTA   ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla  

In real estate, whoever controls the leads, controls the business - they call the shots. The rise of online lead sites like Zillow Flex means another way to generate leads, but also another entity making a claim on our earnings. The fact that a marketing company can come in and do something we can be equipped to do says a lot.    Our understanding of online leads and what the process of generating them needs to be corrected. Generating leads and taking them from the top to the bottom of the funnel is something we're all capable of with the right tools.    If we want to future proof our businesses beyond next month's and next year's deals, learning to leverage tech and generate our own leads is a must. It's how we stay relevant in the consumer's mind, and how we defend ourselves getting disrupted out of business. If not, we're doomed to basically become Zilow's showing assistants.    For Syed Mohsin, teaching agents how to become their own Zillow is his mission. He shares how technology became such a driving force in his business, and why that's key to our survival and continued success.  Quotes    The biggest brokerages and teams who are doing big numbers are leveraging technology, online lead gen and automation. -Syed Mohsin   The company that spends the most amount of money to acquire clients will always win. -Syed Mohsin   Buying leads from aggregators is only going to get more expensive, it's never going to be cheaper. -Kevin Kauffman     It's almost like Zillow is the big team and the agents who take leads are their showing assistants. -Kevin Kauffman     People quit when the person doesn't want to sell or buy right this second, but that's not the life cycle of a lead. -Kevin Kauffman     You have to be willing to play the long game with them to make the money. -Kevin Kauffman     Key Points     How tech became Syed's superpower New real estate agents are taught to generate business from the people who already know, like and trust them. When Syed dropped out of college a lot of people who already knew him didn't like or trust him. That meant he had to learn to generate business from people he didn't know, and that's how tech became such a huge factor in his business.    Real estate agents have online leads all wrong We think a lead we bought from Zillow was generated just yesterday, but they attract and nurture it for months before handing it to an agent. That would be no different if we generated the lead ourselves and nurtured it until they were ready to sell. The problem with agents is we think if a lead isn't ready to do a deal right this second, the system isn't working. The life cycle of a real estate lead is long, and the people who make money are the ones who are willing to play the long game.    Work the whole funnel  In real estate, we're either taught to work top of the funnel leads or bottom of the funnel leads, but not both. We actually have to learn the art of generating a lead and moving it from the top of the funnel right down to the bottom when they are ready to sell.    The best way to approach online leads If you're going to generate business through lead aggregators, you better not be transactional about it. Once you've done the deal, you have to put that person in your database. If not, you won't be able to get repeat and referral business, and you'll never get off the hamster wheel of buying leads.    The fight to stay relevant in the eyes of the consumer A lot of consumers don't think real estate agents add as much value as technology does. In fact, technology has left a lot of them feeling like agents aren't necessary anymore. Not only are tech companies making a claim on our commissions, they have the pieces in place to make us look obsolete in the eyes of the consumer.    Guest Info   Syed Mohsin is an agent, coach, consultant, technology expert and host of Real Estate Junkies. He helps agents and brokers 5x their business by booking appointments with the power of AI. For more information, head to https://bossagents.co/. Watch my episode on his podcast here.  CTA ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla

“Our past determines our present and our future” - that's what most of us have been taught and what we believe. What if this concept is entirely wrong? What if our future determines our present and our present determines our past? We frame time based on our past, but it's much more powerful to frame time based on our future, that's what the people who achieve impossible goals and unreasonable success do.    10Xing is a whole lot easier than 2Xing. When we're operating in the 2X version of ourselves, we're just doing more of what we've already been doing. When we 10X or set the intention to 10X, we unlock more growth and put ourselves in conditions that will completely transform our lives.    How do we master our past, and learn how to operate much more powerfully in the present? How do we set a 10X goal and how does this propel us further than a 2X goal?    Renowned organizational psychologist and author of many books, including “10x Is Easier Than 2x”, Dr. Benjamin Hardy talks about the concepts of the book and how we can apply them to master time.  Quotes    Instead of letting the present determine the future, you let the future determine the present and you let the present determine the past. -Dr. Benjamin Hardy    These books teach you how to operate so powerfully in the present because of what they teach you about how to handle your past and your future. -Dr. Benjamin Hardy    The past is a skill. If you're not very skilled with the past, then you're not going to grow very much and you're not going to gain a lot from your experiences. -Dr. Benjamin Hardy   Your quality of life in the present is largely based on the level of meaning and purpose you're striving for in your future. -Dr. Benjamin Hardy   We're living in the present, but our present is largely based on how we frame the past and our future. -Dr. Benjamin Hardy   The future is a draft, right now have your best current approach and over time you might shift the goal. -Dr. Benjamin Hardy   Key Points     Understanding the trilogy  “The Gap and The Gain” teaches you how to have mastery over your past. “10x is Easier” teaches us how to have mastery over our present and future. We're all in the present moment, but everyone is having a very different experience because of our past and our future. Everything happening in the present is based on how we're filtering our past and future. These books teach you how to operate so powerfully in the present because of what they teach you about how to handle your past and your future.    A more masterful approach to the past  We assume that the past actually comes before the present but that's not the only way to look at time. We say who we are in the present is because of the past. We can look at this completely differently, rather than having the past cause the present, we actually have the present cause the meaning of the past. The past is a skill - if you're not very skilled with the past, you're not going to grow very much and you're not going to gain a lot from your experiences.    Squeeze meaning out of small increments of time  In this present moment, we're not who we were even 24 hours ago, we're already different. The more juice we can squeeze out of a small amount of time, the more empowered we'll be in the present and future. Recognizing the difference between our present self and past self and appreciating that difference is powerful. It also gives us the opportunity to turn our past into more of an asset rather than a liability. Even our biggest traumas or failures can be turned into our biggest gains and they can be things that pay us in the present and future. For a lot of people, their past is a liability, meaning it's draining their present and future and they are blaming their limited present and future on the past. On the other hand, we can turn the past into something valuable that helps us instead of hindering us.    Why it's easier to achieve impossible goals  Impossible goals are easier because they force you out of your current assumptions.  If something is possible, you believe you know how to do it. If we change the goal and make it truly impossible, that means we don't know how to do it. That's actually the best place to start because we're no longer operating from our past. If it's impossible, then we really can't access it from our past. We can't go about it in a similar way to get to the goal. If we look at our goals, chances are we'll discover that we're dogmatic about how we'll go about achieving them. Setting an impossible goal forces you out of your current fixed mindset of how you have to do it.    2X vs. 10X 2X means you can keep 80% of your existing life. If we keep 80% of what's in that present, we change our future only by 20%. In the 10x model, the future is so high and impossible but also so intrinsically exciting and motivating that we can only keep the best 20%, and 80% has to go.    Who Not How  What can make an impossible goal possible? The answer is usually a who. In the 10x model, who not how becomes more important because you need better who's to do it. Whether it's handing off the 80% so you can focus on the 20% or collaborating with people, your goal shapes your process.    What 20% looks like and what 80% to let go of  We're living in the present, but our present is largely based on how we frame the past and our future. What if we started to view both the past and the present as a draft, and not be so tied to either of them? The future is a draft. Right now, you have your best current approach and over time you might shift the goal. If you think about it like a book where the first draft sucks and you continue refining, you can work on getting a clearer and clearer view of yourself.    Defining your 10X Goal  A 2x goal is us just continuing more of what we've been doing. A 10X should be intrinsically motivating and maybe even feel a little impossible. It's going to be personal to you. It's not going to necessarily be linear - it might be in a completely different space to what you're doing right now. It's the goal you might be afraid to admit to anyone.    4 major reasons why people waste their time Doing the wrong things Not doing the right things enough  Doing the right things ineffectively Not learning from their experiences so they repeat 1,2 and 3   Guest Info   Dr. Hardy is an organizational psychologist, keynote speaker, author of MANY BOOKS, and the world's leading teacher on transformational psychology. Dr. Hardy is known for his work in the fields of productivity, motivation, and personal development. He is the author of several books, including “10x Is Easier Than 2x: How World-Class Entrepreneurs Achieve More by Doing Less”. His work focuses on the importance of personalized approaches to productivity, motivation, and goal-achievement, and he has developed several frameworks and strategies for improving performance and achieving success.   Subscribe to Dr. Hardy's YouTube channel and buy the book here.   CTA   ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla