What if you never got another lead again? What would that do to your business? How would your business change without cold prospecting? Would your warm market be able to sustain you? More than that, can you imagine experiencing an upward trajectory in your business, when only working with your warm market? Most of us spend time capturing leads, building systems to manage the prospects that come to us. We don’t know how serious they are about buying (yet), so we’ve got our work cut out for us. What if there was a different way, in which leads came to us, ready to buy? That already know, like, and trust us, and are ready to buy a home? Alan and Betsy Thompson took a break from real estate, and when they decided to come back, they revamped their approach and strategy. Instead of chasing leads, they decided to focus their efforts on developing relationships. That strategy has paid off, as their business has grown exponentially. This week on the podcast, I’m talking to Alan. I’ve asked him to share his story, and the strategies that he used to build a thriving business working with their warm market. Instead of chasing leads and cold-calling people, they’re able to build relationships that have created not just a sustainable business, but one that continues to grow year after year. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces Alan and how he got into the real estate business. After 6 years in the business, Alan decided that he wanted a break, and took several years off. When he came back to Chesapeake, he and Betsy decided to get back into real estate, and have been working it for 20+ years! Alan and Betsy operate with a very small staff. Ad spend goes down a LOT when focusing on relationships, and you still get results! In the first half of 2019, they closed on more deals than they did in all 2018. Key: build your database, and KNOW it! Know birthdays, favorite sports teams, pets! When you have this data, you can make sure that you are memorable. Did a person’s favorite sports team win? Send them an email and say “hey, I bet you’re really happy today!” Take treats for their pets when you visit! “We don’t call them clients, we call them relationships.” Alan and Betsy have approximately 1100 relationships in their database. Every person in their database is sorted by relationship: some people are more likely to give referrals than others. Use social media, but with a personal touch. Did Facebook tell you it was someone’s birthday? Send them a card in the mail! They can track more than $250,000 in commissions just from Facebook - and they’ve never spent a dime on ads! Know your community - are you in a military community? Take people flags for Memorial Day, the 4th of July, and Veteran’s Day. Do local events: have a barbeque, give away pies on Thanksgiving. Do activities that connect you with your community, and be visible! Greet people and get to know them. Socialize the whole time. Give away door prizes at your events, and use it to get their contact info. You can ask people if they would like an estimation on the value of their house, or if they know someone who would be interested in buying or selling real estate. We work with people who know, like, and trust us. They see us around town living life, not dressed in a fancy suit and tie. The more you invest in relationships, the more your true social network grows. Alan and Betsy clean through their database at least twice a year, ensure that people are classified correctly, and update any information. Don’t take it personally when people you have relationship don’t buy or sell with you. You don’t know what other people they are connected to, and if there was social pressure to use another realtor, like maybe their sibling, or the wife of their boss. If Alan could start over now, he would START his business, focused on building relationships, instead of focusing on just completing transactions. Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with Alan and Betsy: Lucky Homes website Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Today, Tom talks with Nohelia & Francesco Crisafulli about working as a team, breaking into the real estate industry, finding balance between work and home life, and more.

Do you love using social media to connect with people? Are you trying all the new things that you’ve learned, and done successfully in the past? But now, you’re watching your views and engagement drop? Social media is dynamic and constantly changing: just when you start to think you’ve mastered it, it changes and evolves AGAIN. When we record episodes of the Selling the Dream podcast, we go live on Facebook, and share the episode. I find such value in the content that all of our guests are sharing, and want to make sure it’s out there for everyone to find! I’ve invited Chelsea Peitz, a Snapchat and social media guru, onto the show so we can talk about social media, and how you can maximize your presence using these free networks and resources that are available for all of us to use! Chelsea is an expert in using Instagram stories, and shares so many helpful hints and tips that you can implement today in your social media. She shares all kinds of valuable, super helpful information, including connecting your Instagram and Facebook stories (and what kind of accounts you can connect), how much to post per day, what kind of hashtags to use (and how many to use). This week on the Selling the Dream podcast, get ready to see how you can use social media to build those real, authentic connections. You won’t want to miss this week’s episode of the Selling the Dream podcast! Before we dive in: join an amazing network of the best second home agents. Make sure that you create your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces Chelsea and her business. Chelsea says that the biggest thing on social media is anything with “CRM - camera first, real time, message enabled.” Remember: Facebook prioritizes personal content rather than promotional content. On Facebook, live video will perform better than pre-recorded, and one good photo will perform better than multiple photos (or an album). Don’t share YouTube videos on Facebook: upload the video directly to Facebook. They want to keep you on their platform, so won’t share your link as well if it’s a YouTube link. Instagram stories are like reality TV; you can start conversations with real people all over! If you have a personal Instagram account, you can post the same stories to Facebook and Instagram at the same time! If it’s business, you can only post to a business page vs a personal profile. You don’t have to spend a lot of time on these stories: if they are 5 seconds, and you post 10 a day, you’ve only really used a minute of your time! The easiest way to build engagement is to engage on others’ posts. When you’re on stories, you can say “if you’re thinking about buying or selling a second home, send me a DM!” that helps bring the connection to your messages so you can privately help the person. No one else needs to know! Only 60% of stories are watched with sound on. Have good photos, but focus on the captions to encourage people to engage with your content. When it comes to hashtags, think about what people are searching for! No one is searching #realestate or #mortgage. They are looking for practical things, like #phoenixrealestate or #mauirealestate. Make your instagram almost like a blog. Interested in trying LinkedIn? It’s an amplifier of your message, and a great way to connect with new people. If you’re brand new in the business, find an expert in the field, and learn. Learn who your audience is, and how you want to serve them. Identify your unique value proposition. Don’t forget to subscribe to the Selling the Dream podcast so you don’t miss any new episodes! Leave a review: you never know when it will be read on the show! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Sign up for a trial with Bomb Bomb and get a free eBook from me! Just let me know you’ve signed up, and I’ll send a free copy of Ethan Beute’s book! Connect with Chelsea Facebook Instagram Twitter YouTube LinkedIn Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube EXCLUSIVE Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube Have you made your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE. Click here to register, make your profile and get listed today. As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

What kind of credentials do you have? You may have alphabet soup behind your name...but what do you do with those letters? And how to turn those letters behind your name into something practical and meaningful in your business? When you focus on your business, and what you can do to make yourself better, you can use those letters behind your name to help you provide the most excellent service to your clients and leads. See, real estate isn’t just about gaining education: it’s about using that education to help your clients make the best decisions. Your job is to help educate your clients: not make decisions for them! The more educated you are, the more equipped you’ll be to help educate your clients! Julia Ray has turned that alphabet soup into connections, and has built a thriving boutique business. You’re going to be inspired by how she uses that education to connect with her clients and leads! This week on the Selling the Dream podcast, get ready to see how you can use those credentials to build connections. You won’t want to miss this week’s episode of the Selling the Dream podcast! Before we dive in: join an amazing network of the best second home agents. Make sure that you create your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces Julia Ray and her real estate business. Julia chose to keep her business small, so she could give the customer service experience of her choice. “It’s not up to us to decide yes or no, it’s our job to educate and let the consumer decide.” Julia shares what to consider when working in the condo industry. Taking care of an expensive asset like a condo costs money - be prepared to spend money to protect and care for your assets! Julia shares what the team does when they help perform maintenance on condos, and how they keep clients up to date. Referrals bring in a lot of Julia’s business - provide excellent service, and people will contact you! Connect with everyone - you never know who is going to bring in referrals. Julia shares about her credentials, and how each and every one of them has helped her grow her business: from negotiation to investing, she has credentials. “I don’t treat real estate as competition….it’s collaboration.” Julia shares what tools she uses to grow her business, including her CRM. Connect with people, and the business comes! Julia shares her top advice for new agents. Don’t forget to subscribe to the Selling the Dream podcast so you don’t miss any new episodes! Leave a review: you never know when it will be read on the show! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Sign up for a trial with Bomb Bomb and get a free eBook from me! Just let me know you’ve signed up, and I’ll send a free copy of Ethan Beute’s book! Connect with Julia: LinkedIn Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube EXCLUSIVE Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube Have you made your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE. Click here to register, make your profile and get listed today. As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Today on Selling the Dream, we're talking about creating a series of frequently asked questions and turning your pain points into closings

What is it like when you create connections? How are you connecting with your feeder markets, and those who may be interested in real estate in your area? We all know that if you immediately start selling to your leads, that’s not going to work! But if you give them the inside scoop, and help them feel like a true VIP, you’ll find that you build a strong community, full of connections. In fact, you may not even need to market ever again! Taking the time to build those connections and help people feel like they are a true insider, and part of a community, will help you serve your clients on a higher level! That’s the mantra of Sharran Srivatsaa, whose mission is to defend and advocate for real estate agents. His goal is to help agents create raving fans, not just “sell.” You’ll be inspired by his story, and how he went from driven to bed-ridden, and what amazing habits and activities helped him recover and build a successful business! Hint: it has to do with creating connections! This week on the Selling the Dream podcast, we’re digging into the archives and bring up some favorite episodes of the podcast! If you’re ready to dig into what really will make an impact in your business, you won’t want to miss this week’s episode of the Selling the Dream podcast! Before we dive in: join an amazing network of the best second home agents. Make sure that you create your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces Sharran Srivatsaa and his business. Sharran shares about Kingston Lane, his mission to defend and advocate for real estate agents, and how he originally connected with Tom. How do you stay in touch with others, without making them feel like you’re reaching out too much? Sharran gives some tips! Connect with people, and make them feel like VIPs! They don’t want to be sold to, they want the inside scoop on things! Become a curator and moderator of a community, and create connections. Build true fans, and you’ll never have to do any marketing! Keep the tools that you use simple so you can focus on building the connections and community instead. Don’t put people in an uncomfortable position, having to make a decision and respond to a question. Bring up the “big” questions organically! Creating the connections is simple - just bring people together, in a place where they feel a sense of community. Sharran shares about his health crisis, and how he started his five am club! Cadence is everything: that will help you be consistent in creating your connections. Don’t forget to subscribe to the Selling the Dream podcast so you don’t miss any new episodes! Leave a review: you never know when it will be read on the show! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Sign up for a trial with Bomb Bomb and get a free eBook from me! Just let me know you’ve signed up, and I’ll send a free copy of Ethan Beute’s book! Connect with Sharran: LinkedIn 5am club Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube EXCLUSIVE Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube Have you made your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE. Click here to register, make your profile and get listed today. As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Today is a very important day for me on a personal level, and I want to give a special shoutout to my lovely wife, Lori.  Together, we are celebrating 30 years of commitment and plenty of lessons in commitment.

Can you imagine selling houses without your clients ever actually setting foot in them? We’re experiencing that during COVID, and finding that when we market well and effectively, we can sell houses, “site unseen.” But what does it take to get there? We’re used to this stereotype of the scummy salesman, and how they’re always pushing a sale. They’re always looking for that next deal; that next lead. When you feel like a number to an agent, you’re not going to respond well to their efforts, and you’re definitely not going to want to buy a house from them without checking it out in person! But now, things are starting to change, and this is something that us second home agents know well. People are willing to buy homes without ever setting foot in them. It just takes the right agent to accomplish that - someone who has put forth the effort to build trust, and build those relationships. They’ll tell their clients everything that they need to know about the property: the good, the bad, and the ugly. They’ve built that trust so that when it comes time to sign the papers, clients will sign them with confidence. It’s all about that trust. After all, the core of real estate isn’t really selling houses: it’s a relationship business. This week on the Selling the Dream podcast, I’m talking to my producer Kenny, to get some outside perspective on what we do as real estate agents! If you’re ready to dig into what really will make an impact in your business, you won’t want to miss this week’s episode of the Selling the Dream podcast! Before we dive in: join an amazing network of the best second home agents. Make sure that you create your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces Kenny, and this week’s episode of the show. How do you connect a client with their dream home when they can’t physically be there? After COVID, it’s become more normal for people to not be able to go places and see things! So how can real estate agents, especially second home agents, connect people with the perfect home? How in depth can you go with a client, especially through Zoom? Creating the relationship with the client is far more important than knowing what kind of doorknobs they want. The most important thing that a client needs is trust: if they trust you, they’ll be willing to take your advice and listen to you! When I’ve sold properties site unseen to clients, we’ve spent at least two hours on the phone before I ever even showed them any virtual tours! Think of the realtor/client relationship as being similar to a dating relationship - you have to earn their trust! Point out the good and the bad - that way, people know you’re going to be realistic with them and not just say that everything is good. Pro tip: when you’re showing houses on Zoom, keep a bottle of water close, cause you’re going to have to do a lot of talking. You are their eyes, ears, and legs - you have to show them everything! When you get new leads, send them a video, not just a call or text! Get your face in front of them fast. Real estate is not the business of selling houses, it’s a relationship business. Trust and inventory are what you need to be successful setting homes site unseen. Don’t forget to subscribe to the Selling the Dream podcast so you don’t miss any new episodes! Leave a review: you never know when it will be read on the show! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Sign up for a trial with Bomb Bomb and get a free eBook from me! Just let me know you’ve signed up, and I’ll send a free copy of Ethan Beute’s book! Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube EXCLUSIVE Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube Have you made your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE. Click here to register, make your profile and get listed today. As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Ep. 212: Speak Your Mind

How much time do you spend developing your relationships and common interests? If you’re only posting pictures of houses for sale, or talking about open houses and business, you’re not going to attract the kind of people who are going to do long-term business with you! What if instead, you connected with people over mutual interests and shared passions? Here’s just a few ideas: Pets Old cars Your neighborhood Hobbies And the list goes on! When you connect with people over the things that they love, that connection turns into trust. That trust means that when you do have a “sales” message, or you reach out about how you can help them, the connection is natural and just makes sense! It’s easy to get caught up in technology, and think that you have to have everything all perfect, but at the end of the day, it’s always all about the relationships. Technology is just a tool to bridge the gap between those relationships and serving your clients. This week on the Selling the Dream podcast, I’m talking to Leo Chen, who worked in the startups and tech world for 15 years, and made the transition to real estate. His secret to success? Relationships! If you’re ready to dig into what really will make an impact in your business, you won’t want to miss this week’s episode of the Selling the Dream podcast! Before we dive in: join an amazing network of the best second home agents. Make sure that you create your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces Leo Chen, and his business. Leo worked in tech for years, and then joined the real estate industry: there are no ceilings, you can join now and make money! Use the relationship first, and then use technology as a tool to bridge any gaps. Real estate isn’t a technology business, it’s a people business. Tap into the emotions of finding people what they want - it’s not just about finding the features that they are looking for! Leo shares about how he’s used a Facebook group to develop relationships. Your important relationships aren’t just clients and leads: always be developing relationships with anyone, so you can connect anyone to exactly who they need! Leo shares why his Facebook group is named the Wisdom Club. These connections aren’t to talk about real estate: they are to connect over things that people are passionate about! Love and connections are a gateway to trust. Find ways to connect people with information that is important to them. Leo shares how he uses social media, and what platforms he is focusing on. Get to know where a person is in the process, and provide value to them. Leo shares how you can connect with him. Don’t forget to subscribe to the Selling the Dream podcast so you don’t miss any new episodes! Leave a review: you never know when it will be read on the show! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Sign up for a trial with Bomb Bomb and get a free eBook from me! Just let me know you’ve signed up, and I’ll send a free copy of Ethan Beute’s book! Connect with Leo: LinkedIn Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube EXCLUSIVE Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube Have you made your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE. Click here to register, make your profile and get listed today. As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!   TRANSCRIPT: Tom Tezak  0:00 Everybody, Tom Tezak Today on Selling the Dream we're gonna discuss the wisdom of relationships. Welcome to Selling the Dream, a podcast created for and by second home and resort realtors on Tom Tezak. And each week my goal is to bring you a quick real estate tip along with an infopath interview with an industry Rockstar. My mission is to bring you cutting edge marketing tried and true sales techniques and information about the latest technologies. Thanks for tuning in. And remember, we're not selling real estate, Selling the Dream. Everybody Tom t Zack today with Selling the Dream. And today I'm so excited that we've got Leo Chen with us from Newport Beach, and Leo is with Coldwell Banker, global luxury Newport Beach. And we're going to have a great conversation today. Leo, welcome to the show. Unknown Speaker  0:51 Thank you, Tom. I'm so excited to be on here. I've seen your show off and on for so long now and I know you're doing such a great job. When I, when I think about like the perfect host voice and perfect personality like that, that is like, Tom Tezak  1:07 Oh gosh, cut the crap. Oh man, Hey, thank you for that. I appreciate it. So, Leah, let's, um, let's talk a little bit about where you come from what your market is. You do mostly luxury market in the beach cities south of LA, or Orange County. And so tell us a little bit about that market and you know how you've evolved in that in that world? Unknown Speaker  1:33 Yeah, great question. Um, I have been born. I was not born here in California. But I was raised here in California in the suburbs of La in the Torrance Redondo Beach area. And growing up that's all I knew was the beach when people asked me I just tell people like you know, literally sprouted from the sand you know, so those that the beach so much and with my complexion, literally within a week into the summer, I'm like Completely panned out and blacked out. And so I've just always been around the beach my whole life. When I graduated high school we moved down to Orange County, and more specifically South Orange County, which were initially just about 10 minutes from the beach from Laguna Beach from Newport Beach, from Dana Point and all those cities that Orange County's very, very famous and well known for. Laguna Beach is an art town that's known all over the world internationally. So we get a ton of tourists there. And I just, you know, I've always been around I worked in tech for 15 years but then transitioned into real estate because I wanted to you know, have no ceilings and do the things my do my own business and build my own business and so that I love Tom Tezak  2:46 that I'm gonna cut you off for a second there are no ceilings and that's the beautiful part about real estate for you agents that are coming into this market, the resort second market, any real estate agent or any real estate market. It's so important to realize there are no ceilings, you can make So much more money in real estate if you work hard, work smart work efficiently. So I love that that concept because it's so easy. It's not so easy to do. But it's so possible to do it. So I'm sorry to cut you off Leo, but I just wanted I didn't want to miss that. Oh, no, it was a great mental position to be in. Unknown Speaker  3:20 Yeah, absolutely. And just a tiny bit about that, as I worked for corporate and I in it and technology for over 15 years. And I hit the ceiling for so many years. Within those 15 years. I was just trying to find something else to do. And I'm very, very fortunate and happy that I'm in real estate, I'm doing exactly what I want to do. I couldn't be happier. And so just going back on the markets I've so I've lived here in Orange County for just about 35 years now. And so I've known all the ins and outs of the entire county in Southern California in general. And so I'm very happy to be here. I would not choose to be anywhere else in the world. No, I would love to have a second home in Hawaii. Tom Tezak  4:05 That sounds like a great idea. I happen to have a second home in Southern California. So I understand. Yeah. So Leo, let's use you were in 15 years in tech would you do in tech, I love to understand what people did before they got into real estate, what part of tech? I mean, it's a huge become a huge broad space. So what were you doing in tech? Unknown Speaker  4:24 Yeah, thank you for that question that. So I started out working for a startup, and they were interactive agency. And for those who don't know what an interactive agency is, is basically a modern day full blown full service ad agency, as you think about is traditionally so traditional ad agencies do branding, do campaigns to print to TV to radio, and kind of layout that whole thing to cater to the clients of what their need. And we usually only work with companies our fortune 500 and above companies and so They always have large campaigns that are laid out three to five years ahead. So interactive agency would be same as that except we do everything digital. So while all the new stuff online, in the latter years of me being there, we had a full blown film production team that was doing video. Nowadays, it's become more and more prevalent, but we were doing it from from day one for those companies. And what I did was I worked in the trenches behind the scene, basically running the entire operation. And that includes in house support, client, technology, support, network and connectivity, communications, storage, like you name it, everything that Tom Tezak  5:47 you have. So he so we brought with you into your real estate career, so much of the technology background that really is helpful for marketing and creating that digital pathway into consumers. And what what's the number one tool that you've taken away from that, that's helped you in your real estate business? Unknown Speaker  6:07 Well, I just been in technology so long, and it's almost second nature to me now. And you know, technology continues to move, new software's come up all the time. But I am pretty, pretty adaptable, adaptable to any technology that comes up that I need to do as a tool to really do what I need to do to communicate. But then, is my business. I'm always focused on relationship first, and then use the use the technology as a tool to bridge any kind of Unknown Speaker  6:43 gap and what needs to be done. Tom Tezak  6:46 And the relationship, the technology is secondary, it all comes back down to relationship and that's what you took away is that technology is just a tool and I love that it says people say oh, I don't know how to do this. I don't know the technology. It's like eight It's a hammer, you take the hammer upon the nail, it's the same difference with Facebook, or Twitter or whatever it is. You just need to learn how to use it. And it's a tool. It's the relationship. While how powerful I mean so simple, but people get hung up on it, or don't know how to do technology. Not a big deal. Unknown Speaker  7:18 Yeah, I love to share a quick story, if you will. I used to hire staff into work under me, and that they usually come in with in their early 20s or mid 20s or, you know, kind of a younger age and they are just like, technology whizzes. They can do anything. They can take apart computers, they can do this, they can do that. All the stuff was software, they can install the uninstaller. They can fix, they can do all this stuff. But the very first week, what I tell them first is that I know that you can do anything you want in technology. Okay, but I'll tell you, this is not a technology job. This is a people job because You can fix anything you want perfectly. Okay? If you don't manage people and if you can't satisfy that person, then to them nothing worked. Right? So I always say like, this is the people job, not a technology job. I know you can fix anything you want but unless you fix people, you can't get any anywhere with it. Tom Tezak  8:25 So did you see that that the people that would progress through your company would be the people that had the the employees that had the people skills more than the technology? The if they're all in a technology they they had a struggle getting through the the ceilings, I guess you would say? Unknown Speaker  8:41 Yeah, and and really that that is a lifelong lesson is is working with people on you know, being able to fulfill their needs, solve their problems, but then they have to walk away satisfied. You can't just fix everything if they're not satisfied like you did. You know, you have Somebody who, who asked you for for an apple and you hand them an orange, right? And they're like, Hey, what's the problem? How come you didn't fix my thing? How come you didn't give me what I wanted? Right? And I can give you more apples. And though I want an orange, right, Tom Tezak  9:16 so it's true, but it's not the right through. Right. Unknown Speaker  9:19 Right. Right. And that's the same with in, you know, relationship wise with real estate. You know, somebody want a certain thing you got to really hone down on what they're looking for. And if we can get down to the nitty gritties of what they want, you know, the basics of course, you need how many bedrooms in size and location, but there is a feeling there's an emotion attached to what they're looking for. We got to tap into that emotion and be able to feel it, feel it through with them along the way. And when we can hit that emotion, like there's just fireworks like everything. Oh, you know what, Tom Tezak  9:53 Leo? That's so I mean, I didn't I what I'm really hearing is that we can have all The tools in real estate that shouldn't want, you can have CRMs. And you can have the Facebook pages, you can have all that stuff, which is all important. But it still comes down to being able to pick up the phone and call your client or see him in the street and ask the right question and give them the answer they want. That's what they want. They don't care if you're got a CRM, they don't care if you're savvy and in 3d tours, they just really want what they want. So I love that. So but let's talk about how are you connecting with those clients that are out there? What has been you? I know you we were talking earlier about Facebook groups. And before the show, we might have talked touched on a little bit earlier. So you've developed or evolved our Facebook group. Can you tell us a little bit about your group that you have and how you're making that work? to really connect the dots and create that trust with your clients? Unknown Speaker  10:54 Yeah, so I had started out in the group, giving value Giving inspiration which I automatically wanted for myself. So one of the rule of thumb I have is that I, if I want something for myself, other people must want it too. So I wanted to be inspired when I get up in the morning. So I had inspirational, positive, thoughtful quotes that I want that I want in my life. And so I decided to share that with other people. And that's how the group was kind of born out of that. And so the fundamentals of that is really just give people inspiration. And then as we continue on, I wanted to add another piece, which is a community aspect of it. People want it to know what's going on in their community. They wanted to know what's being developed in the area, what our city council members are doing, and especially now in COVID, what's happening in COVID, what rules are coming down on a local level, not necessarily in the statewide level or a national level. Because it can be translation and things can get really lost. So we're really, really hyper focused on what's happening in our beach cities in Irvine in Newport Beach, in Laguna Beach, and how everything, everybody's handling everything. And then we take that community we go one level deeper, more personal with people. And whenever there's an opportunity to connect with them, say, Hey, how are you doing? I was just thinking of you, anything I can do for you. How's how's your home? Have you been thinking about refinancing because this is what's happening. So we kind of lead that conversation through from the bottom up, meaning from the people up and then real estate always comes up as a afterthought because everybody has to live somewhere. And so all that stuff, you know, eventually comes out so we don't really have to do any kind of selling, which is kind of looking for need, what kind of need you have, and I pride myself on building A large network of people, not just in real estate or in mortgages and lending, but also vendors of all kinds just so that I can, you know, refer them to my clients and be able to take care of them. Because when they know they care, they will, the business will always come back to you. Tom Tezak  13:18 I love it when they know that when when they know you care that they're always going to come back. So I want to step back a little bit because you we talked about something earlier and you just grazed over it. The name of your group is the wisdom, the wisdom club, and it's on Facebook. And it started you were just talked a little bit about the inspiration but you said something a while back, and you how you started it and that was you will love photography, and you took your the inspirational quotes that you loved and you were putting them together and posting them and that's and you and you had a what tell us a little bit more in depth about that because I think it's when people say oh, how do I start a group or how do I find people and I think you did something so cool here that brought people to your space because It was appealing. So just share with us what you did. Unknown Speaker  14:03 Yeah, I just want to encourage people to to identify something that they love in their personal life. Anything. So I had a agent that I that I'm with an our master of art, our small mastermind group, and her passion was gardening. And so I said, that's great, you should start a group about gardening. And so she did, she followed some some tips and instructions for me to help her start the group. And then her group is called a garden and good vibes. And so she invited all her friends and her friends invited their friends, because they all love gardening. So that's a really, really great way to start a group because then you have a commonality around the subject gardening and very easily you can see now very easily that gardening transitions in the real estate because without real estate, you have no God right? So it goes hand in hand. And so many people have so many so much passion that they do that somehow are related to real estate that they don't know about. And that really is a gateway to people's hearts and community and you can build a virtual community that way. And from that community, you can serve them, not only with their passion, but you can also serve them in real estate. Tom Tezak  15:25 Leo, man, you have just inspired me. So I'm excited today I'm picking up in a little while I'm picking up my brand new old car, and I'm an old car fan. So I think I'm gonna start an old car club. I mean, there's plenty of them out there. But you know, I just love what you said, because most people who have an old car have a garage to put it in. So it's all about real estate. It all comes back doesn't it? Right. What a great idea. You know, you it's that let's not talk about real estate. Let's talk about things that you're passionate about. Because that will bring people in because they're passionate about it, not because you're trying to sell them and the selling and the real The state happens naturally out of that, because there's this commonality. What a great, great idea. Unknown Speaker  16:05 Yeah, for most people, for most people, buying and selling real estate, unfortunately, is kind of a pain in the butt. You know, and it's not something that they wake up in the morning, say, like, I'm going to go out and write an offer. Like it's not, it's not a, it's not a thing that goes in their minds. And I've just been reminded lately because I am in the process of getting a new puppy. And I've been posting some pictures about the puppies on Instagram and Facebook, and I'm looking at all the amount of views and everything on on on it that that I am getting twice as many engagements, twice as many views or more on my puppies than I am on all the real estate and granted those real estate, photos and videos. Like I put high quality videos and stuff in there, and they get, you know, pretty good views but you know, damn, you needed a puppy. That's what that that's just that just highlights what I'm saying is like, that's what people want, like people want. And because of that you have a common thread to build rapport off of, and then you really don't have to do much selling real estate is Hey, I know you're a real estate agent. You know, we, we, our puppies are friends, you know, like, Hey, what's going on in real estate and they actually asked you, they reach out to you, they want to know what's going on, as a part of, you know, their lives because they're thinking about the future. They're thinking about upsizing downsizing, buying a second home as a after effect, but they have to know you to that to some degree, so you have to give him a gateway. Tom Tezak  17:37 I love is the gateway to trust, right? It really is because they're gonna they're in especially today during COVID and everything else. It's so hard to connect with people, you know, in person and all those things. So that first step is that gateway to trust and it's now becoming digital and I love I mean, I have to tell you, when I was getting ready for the show, I was you know, scrolling through your page The one picture that I remember most was the picture of the dog and it was something like he's mischievious or something like that. So it's really powerful way as you connect with people on a level that is not I'm trying to sell you But hey, I love gardening or Hey, I love photography or I love old cars, and creates that that's that smooth, easy gateway in and I don't I'm not trying to say that you should be deceitful or you know, get excited about something that you're not truly excited about. But everybody has passions outside of real estate as realtors and you know if you live in a ski community it might be that your you love to ski or you ski a certain part of a mountain or whatever that is. There's so many opportunities out there for that. Unknown Speaker  18:43 And I just want to say you know that when you when you lead with that in mind, you know, you attract those people that are similar to you that they love puppies and they love cars, they love gardening so you automatically build a lot of rapport and trust, because they're basically your tribe, that prior to you guys having, having that connection, they had no, they have no prior experience with you, you know, and so once they do, then you can build that relationship. And then as you continue on, you just continue to build this relationship. And of course, they're gonna, you know, use you as a real estate agent because they know you so well. Tom Tezak  19:25 I love it, you know, and I think I want to touch on something and we're gonna switch gears a teeny bit here. But one of the other things you said was you're providing information about what's happening on a, on a local level, through your club, through your Facebook page through your group. And I have to say I started doing it a bot a month ago during COVID. And just telling people what's happening right here in Maui. And we have so many owners that live all over the country that I'm now getting this amazing input and I sort of throw the politicians under the bus a little bit so which is a little dangerous, so be careful. With that, but I do it with love and grace. And it's been so powerful that people are now reaching out and saying, well, I Thanks for letting me know what's happening in Maui. I'm not there. And I want to know. And so that's the same thing for all of our resort communities. You're there's a lot of owners that are somewhere else. And if you can connect with those owners, and share with them what's happening in where they own their second home, or where they want to buy their second home, there's a lot of value in that because you become their resource. And then you become their trusted resource, which is even more important. So sorry, I wanted to interject that, Leo, because you inspired me so much with that, that I think it's important for us to share how we take these opportunities, that the technology that tool and translate it into personality and to what it's what our business is really about. It's always been about and that's personality. So, if somebody wanted to jump on to the wisdom club, they would just search the wisdom club with Leo Chen on Facebook Unknown Speaker  21:02 yeah with the if you search the wisdom club and you'll see the group it's called the wisdom club with Leo Chen so that that would be easier to find with my name on it, you know, okay, realize that because there's other I think there's other wisdom clubs too but there you can sound a little bit different so want to put the put the name out there Tom Tezak  21:23 perfect. And for all of us, this is a great time for a sell but talk about it normally I put at the end but if you're also looking for if you're listening to this podcast and you're not in the resort, Second Home Agents group go there to become part of that community and that's resort and Second Home Agents from all around the world. Used to be from all around the country but we have such an international base in this in our resort club or community. It's really been growing and it's really cool. So definitely go on there join if it says Where did you hear about it say put on heard from the podcast. So Leo, I'm going to again, change gears. We've been talking a lot about Facebook. Are you doing anything else besides Facebook in the technology world like Twitter or LinkedIn or Instagram? Unknown Speaker  22:09 Well, I have this philosophy of growing out of so I started with Facebook, and then started getting heavily into Instagram. And regarding the growing a lot of followers there, I think over the last four months, we went from about 2000 followers to, I think we're right about 7400 right now. So we really, really, I'm really focused on trying to reach out to as many people as possible on Instagram. And that's continued to grow with we're starting to put that a little bit more on autopilot in a way that we can continue to know what what to provide for them on Instagram. And then after that, we I am working more and more on LinkedIn and to some degree Tech Talk. So those are really the four main platforms that I am going after as far as social media is concerned, Facebook for groups Instagram for, for for more engagement and followers and then we can go more into the business side of things which your show here is more geared toward you know, with agents and things on LinkedIn. So I'm trying to connect to as many agents, people in the industry as much as possible and on LinkedIn on a professional level. And, and then Tick tock, you know, I think my puppies afraid, just by puppies probably going to be the star of that show there. Tom Tezak  23:35 You know, and I have not, it's, my daughter said, Daddy, she said don't go to tik tok unless you're really good and you got a plan and said, Okay, I won't go. Unknown Speaker  23:45 Yeah, Tom Tezak  23:46 and my daughter is 20 years old. She still calls me actually she calls me papa. But anyway, so I want to go back to Instagram because I heard you say something you went from 2000 followers to 7000 And followers, which is a great jump, what do you do to get there? Unknown Speaker  24:03 Well, it's really about networking with other people who are influencers and getting connected with them and kind of cross pollinate followers with them. They may not be in the same profession, they may not be in the same space, per se. But I view everybody as a potential client, just because I know that I have a lot of value to give them. And at some point, they need to list they need to live somewhere all the time. And one thing that I always think of when I'm going about that for everybody who enters kind of my network of space, is that if you are everybody starts out, everybody starts out living with their parents, right? Right, everybody, right? And then when they kind of move out on their own, they have to rent so they become renters. So they go from their parents home to being renters, from renters, they become potential buyers. And then from potential buyers, they become potential sellers. So there is this progression that all of us go through, right? from, from living with our parents to be on our own in a renter, we get a good job, we can marry, we purchase our first home, and then maybe we want to upsize as our home kit as our family gets bigger. And so then they're become they become sellers and buyers. And so Tom Tezak  25:32 they also become buyers of second homes in the process somewhere. Unknown Speaker  25:35 Exactly. And then they want to invest as well, you know, second homes as well as investments to build their real estate portfolio at the same time. So I always look at that whole progression. And I when I meet somebody, I want to know where they are in that progression and how can I serve them in the position that they're in at that time. So I have a client she just bought her first home. We've been working together for about a year, and she finally pulled the trigger and bought the home, we got them closed and everything and she's a single mom of one daughter and the daughter just graduated and just got her master's degree and is looking for a job and right away as soon as they purchased their first home right away, she was telling her daughter like, Hey, now we have to work on you next. And so he's really carrying on that legacy of being a home owner and building wealth and building equity through through real estate and have a safe and, and stable a secure place within to live in. And as her daughter grows up, she's carrying that torch forward. And so I love that story because I was able to take them from literally nearly knowing nothing knowing that I don't want to pay rent anymore. I need to purchase a home to purchasing the home and then to cute to pass that on to their daughter and I am sending them books on you know how to manage money to save money and also to To know how to really plan out when she can buy a home next. Tom Tezak  27:04 And I love that I love what you said just at the beginning of that story is is I try to understand where they're at in the process so that I can provide the proper value or the right amount of the right information for them to help them through. It's not like, if somebody's never bought a house, you really can't talk to them about buying a second home. They're not there. It's like, how could you talk to me about buying a second home when I haven't even bought my first house yet? But So I love that understanding where they're at speak to them at that space. That's a great, that's a great tip. Leo, I just want to tell you that you've been so much it's so much great wisdom that you brought to our show. Sorry for a few technical difficulties there but I think we worked through it and just want to tell everyone how did they find Leo what markets you serve? If so, somebody's got a referral for you. How did they track you down? Unknown Speaker  27:52 So I primarily work all of South Orange County here in the Southern California area, but I always Tell people I will I will go wherever my client needs to be, needs me to go. And so I've been recently I've been driving up to Beverly Hills to help one of my buyer, luxury buyer clients, they want to buy about a two, two and a half million dollar condo up there. And so it's an hour drive, and I'm happy to do it. They're lovely people and they don't live here in Southern California, they're out of the country. And so we're doing a lot of virtual things. So I'm helping those people as well. And my other client that was a first time homebuyer they bought in San Diego, which I'm happy to provide as well. So really where the needs are is where I will fulfill but the luxury market is kind of my jam, because, you know, people who have their dream home by the beach, and also people have second and third homes by the beach that they come, you know, during the summer during the spring and whatnot to their families. Those are those just, you know, make money. Hearts sing because I love delivering, you know, those gorgeous homes to people because it really is a dream come true. Tom Tezak  29:08 Yes. And so how did they find you though? What's your phone number your email? How would you like to get connected with you? Unknown Speaker  29:13 So first the easiest way you can you can find me on my website Leo Chen re calm. You can always find me on Facebook if you want to keep up with all the things that I'm doing@facebook.com slash Leo Chen r e. My email address very easy Leo at Leo Chen ri.com. My number is 94933848 to seven. Text me anytime I'm happy to help Tom Tezak  29:42 and where do they see pictures of the puppy yet? Because that's what everybody really wants. If you Unknown Speaker  29:47 really love pictures, I usually come on you scan the Instagram instagram.com slash Leo Chenery. Tom Tezak  29:54 I love it. Everything is easy Leo chin, Leo chin Ari. All right. Lia, thank you so much. And I just want to say we sure appreciate everybody listening. And remember, we are not just selling real estate, we are Selling the Dream, please join us on our website. Second Home agents.com. Join us on our Facebook page, resort Second Home Agents. And if you have any, any, if you like what we're doing here, please leave us reviews on whatever platform you're following us on whether it's YouTube. iTunes, wherever that is whatever podcast platform we sure would love your input. And let us know what what you think. So we appreciate that everybody have an amazing day. Leo, thank you so much for being part of our show. Unknown Speaker  30:37 Thank you so much, Tom. My pleasure. Tom Tezak  30:45 Hey, everybody, I'm so happy that you're with us today. And I just want to encourage you to please, there's nothing that makes me happier than when I get reviews and subscriptions from all of you out there. whatever platform you listen on, please go In and leave us review, give us a rate us, give us whatever many stars that you think are appropriate. Send me an email. I love getting emails from from you with any questions you might have that I can address or feel free to call me. I'm so available 882802055. And the other things I'd love for you to do is join our network group in Facebook resort and Second Home Agents. It's only for real estate agents or industry influencers and I would we've got a great group going on lots of activity. And lastly, go to Second Home agents.com become a member join us on that site. We put all of our information on that site, and we're creating a network for agents to share and help other agents out as well as do referrals. So for Selling the Dream. Please help us out, be part of the party and join with us  

Do you ever find yourself taking the easy way? Sometimes, it’s just easier to do things the “easy” way: not spending money on a particular marketing campaign, or taking the time to try something that may not work. Well, I’m here to tell you that it’s time to take some risks! Try something new! Do something different! Take advantage of this time to do things differently! Coming out of COVID, there are quite a few agents who have learned some new tricks and are incorporating new techniques and technologies into their business. It’s ok to try something new, and find out that it doesn’t work - if that’s the case, leave it behind! But don’t be the person who never took a chance, and never tried something new! You never know when you’ll be missing out on rewards. This week on the Tip Tuesday episode of the Selling the Dream podcast, I’m here to challenge you to calculate risk vs reward: don’t be afraid to take chances and try something new! Thanks for joining us on Selling the Dream - we wouldn’t be where we are without you listening, and giving your feedback! Make sure that you give us a rating and review on iTunes: that would mean the world to me, and will help us get even more amazing guests on our Friday episodes of the show. Highlights of this episode: Do you ever take the easy way? Say no to things that are risky, or maybe would cost more money than you’re looking to spend? Don’t be afraid to take risks! In fact, you have to take risks in life! Try new things, and don’t be afraid to fail. You may find that you take a risk and fail. But you may also find that you take a risk and succeed. Don’t be left behind by those who are out there taking risks and taking chances: they will receive the rewards of those risks! Join our 2nd Home Agents Facebook group and create connections! (link below) Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. If there’s ever a topic that you’d like to hear us cover on the podcast, just send me a message: my contact information is below. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling real estate: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Are you interested in surprising and delighting your clients? You may want to look into giving better gifts! And we’re not just talking about getting some cheap swag, and putting your logo on it! Everyone gives swag or logoed items for anniversaries, birthdays, and Christmas (we call those ABC gifts). But if you want to be like Seth Godin’s purple cow, and stand out, you’re going to want to be completely different! Gifts surprise and delight your clients, and make them feel special and noticed. It’s not about the transaction, or even the item itself (although you need to be strategic about what you choose!), but it’s all about making the recipient feel special and valued. The relationship is the key: make your clients feel like their relationship is worth investing in, and they’re going to remember you! If you can get your clients selling for you, and bringing in those quality leads, you’ll be amazed at how the money invested into good gifts pays off: and fast! So stop giving crappy gifts, and tune in this week to hear about how you can give better gifts, even if you’re just starting out, and don’t have a big budget! This week on the Selling the Dream podcast, I’m talking to John Ruhlin, author of the book Giftology, about how you can strategically give gifts! If you’re ready to explode your market and surprise and delight your clients and leads, you won’t want to miss this week’s episode of the Selling the Dream podcast! Before we dive in: join an amazing network of the best second home agents. Make sure that you create your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces John Ruhlin and his business, Giftology. Most businesses rise and fall based upon relationships with their employees, clients, or centers of influence referrals. John shares his experiences with people giving gifts when he grew up. It was never transactional, it was relational! Gifts aren’t just about the gifts: it’s a delivery of emotion! There’s a huge difference between some cheap swag and something that’s going to be treasured for years. You can’t just slap your logo on cheap items and call that a gift! John tells the story about how his wife worked in gifts, and encouraged him to give better items that people will actually like. “I don't care if you're a billionaire. We all crave to feel like our life matters. We all crave to be treated like a human being, not a number.” Swag is fine, but don’t confused it with a gift. Treat your employees just as good as you treat your billionaire clients! Get to know the gatekeeper for the person you want to target, and treat them like gold! Take a look at the impact of your gifts, and then it only makes sense to invest in giving good gifts! John talks about what to do if you don’t yet have the budget for really high level gifts, if you’re just starting out in the industry. Be a purple cow: stand out! Pick a category, and go best in class! Your goal is to be the first person that others think about in your industry. “ If you can turn your clients into sales reps for you, it's game over.” Sometimes we’re very generous as humans, but lose that in business. Look for ways to give and invest in those relationships! John talks about when not to give gifts. Avoid giving ABC gifts: anniversaries, birthdays, and Christmas. Give at unexpected times! Don’t forget to subscribe to the Selling the Dream podcast so you don’t miss any new episodes! Leave a review: you never know when it will be read on the show! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Sign up for a trial with Bomb Bomb and get a free eBook from me! Just let me know you’ve signed up, and I’ll send a free copy of Ethan Beute’s book! Connect with John: LinkedIn Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube EXCLUSIVE Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube Have you made your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE. Click here to register, make your profile and get listed today. As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

If you’ve been listening to this podcast, you may know what’s going on! But today, I’m taking a moment to step back and just tell you everything that we have going on, and how you can access these resources that we’ve put together, and how you can use them for your business! From our inspirational tip Tuesday episodes to our monthly Mastermind meetings, we’ve got something to help inspire you on your real estate journey! This week on the Tip Tuesday episode of the Selling the Dream podcast, I’m here to challenge you to dive in and use the resources we have created here for you, and network with like-minded agents! Thanks for joining us on Selling the Dream - we wouldn’t be where we are without you listening, and giving your feedback! Make sure that you give us a rating and review on iTunes: that would mean the world to me, and will help us get even more amazing guests on our Friday episodes of the show. Highlights of this episode: What are we doing? I’m here to tell you! Tip Tuesday episodes - short, inspirational episodes Friday interviews - from Tom Ferry to industry leaders all over the country, there are many things to learn! Listen to the Friday interviews to learn different perspectives and ways of doing things! We have a Mastermind community that meets monthly - if you’d like to join, reach out to me at tom@tomtezak.com. Join our Facebook community (link below) and connect with like-minded agents all over the world. Our Second Home Agents website is a great place to get listed and connect with agents in other markets! And if you think you’d like to be a guest on the show, reach out! I’d love to hear from you! Join our 2nd Home Agents Facebook group and create connections! (link below) Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. If there’s ever a topic that you’d like to hear us cover on the podcast, just send me a message: my contact information is below. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling real estate: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Have you ever looked at other real estate agents and wondered how they were getting the sales numbers that they have? Sometimes, you see that you’re doing the exact same things: Open houses Direct marketing Advertising But there’s just something about them that is skyrocketing their sales! Every wonder what that key difference is? They are known. When you are known in your market, you’re going to be the person that people call. You’re going to be the one that they want to work with. You’re the one that they have connected with - sometimes without ever even meeting you! How can you do that? It’s all about how you network with people, and build your reputation. Take time to create relatable content that wins people over and makes them feel like they know you, like you, and trust you. You don’t have to be the smartest real estate agent ever: you have to be known! This week on the Selling the Dream podcast, I’m talking to Ben Belack about his key to success: being known! If you’re ready to explode your market and be the top choice in your area, you won’t want to miss this week’s episode of the Selling the Dream podcast! Before we dive in: join an amazing network of the best second home agents. Make sure that you create your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces Ben and his business. Ben was pursuing an acting career, and ended up in the world of real estate. One of the best things you can do when starting out is find a mentor, and make yourself indispensable to them! Ben shares his affirmations, and how he uses them to help himself be better. Tom shares his perspective on scoffing at what successful people are doing: if a top seller is using affirmations, there just may be something to it! If you don’t emotionally capture your clients, it will impact the bottom line. Tom and Ben discuss some of the implications of new selling rules. Ben shares how he got into video marketing for his sales, and how he uses video. You have to be known in your market to get results! You may be around agents who may not seem “as good” as you, but what sets them apart? They are known! Ben shares that he uses his iPhone 11 for all of his recording, and makes day in the life videos. People expect and want to see transparency, not a perfectly produced video! They want to know that you’re real! Not all content is pushed out at once. Ben shares how they slowly release content. Know your numbers and what is bringing in your income! You may find that your most profitable leads come from free sources (hint: referrals)! Video walking tours of your listings can bring in quite a few views and leads! Ben shares his DiSC profile, and how to connect with him. Don’t forget to subscribe to the Selling the Dream podcast so you don’t miss any new episodes! Leave a review: you never know when it will be read on the show! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Sign up for a trial with Bomb Bomb and get a free eBook from me! Just let me know you’ve signed up, and I’ll send a free copy of Ethan Beute’s book! Connect with Ben: LinkedIn YouTube Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube EXCLUSIVE Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube Have you made your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE. Click here to register, make your profile and get listed today. As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!   TRANSCRIPT: Unknown Speaker  0:00 Today on Selling the Dream find out if you're the known entity. Welcome to Selling the Dream, a podcast created for and by second home and resort realtors on Tom Tezak. And each week my goal is to bring you a quick real estate tip along with an infopath interview with an industry. Unknown Speaker  0:19 My mission is to bring the cutting edge market insight into sales techniques and information about the latest technology. Thanks for tuning in. And remember, we're not selling real estate, Selling the Dream. Unknown Speaker  0:35 Everybody, Tom Tezak with Selling the Dream and today I'm with Ben bellick. With the agency and he works from the city to the water in LA he does a bunch of business in Beverly Hills, Unknown Speaker  0:48 Hollywood Hills and off to Malibu. Ben, thanks for joining us on Selling the Dream. Thanks for having me. I'm excited to be here. Thank you. So Ben, how long you been in business? I've had Unknown Speaker  1:00 Had my license, uh, almost 10 years, 10 years. What do you do before selling real estate? I was pursuing a professional acting career in Los Angeles for nearly actually over a decade very seriously and enthusiastically I was an actor as a kid. And, but, you know, kind of really, the core of what I was doing at the time was hospitality. I worked in hospitality, ultimately for Wolfgang Puck at spargo in Beverly Hills. Wine was my interest. I became a sommelier and was blind tasting wine five days a week for five years. Wow. Yeah. So you know your stuff when it comes to that and you know, I think that speaks to, well, what a great background so it's we as realtors, so many realtors come from different places, and they take and they draw off of what they used to do to be successful at what they currently do. You know, my back my backstory was I was a deputy coroner. So you know, you talk about customer service. Unknown Speaker  2:00 It's a little different for that. But sir, being an actor and also being able to understand how to speak and how to be clear, that's one of the things we're going to talk about today is what you've really evolved into as far as your marketing strategy. Unknown Speaker  2:15 But with with your business 10 years, how long? How recently, have you seen success that's been beyond your imagination? Unknown Speaker  2:25 Um, that's, that's a great question. Um, you know, I was working with my mentor who I, you know, I was given advice in the beginning to find a mentor. It doesn't matter what company you hang your license with, for the first three years or so. And then I made myself indispensable to him and then he kind of brought me into his business, I got a piece of everything just to kind of run launches and run escrows and then when I grew out of that role, I ended up selling 12 million my first year on my own, and I was pretty excited about Unknown Speaker  3:00 buy that. Unknown Speaker  3:01 And then the next year, I sold 24 million. And I was acknowledged by my company at our holiday party while I was still small. And literally, I was like, I'm never How am I going to ever do this again? And then I sold 36 The next year, and then I sold over 50, the next year and then 65. And when I actually sold about that last year, and I thought to myself, like, man, had I been running my business the way I do now, at the beginning of the year, I would have sold over 100 Wow, amazing. That's that's quite always been on my imagination. Actually, I will say like, in the mornings when I say my affirmations, I have to like convince myself this is all supposed to be happening because in my market. So it's some of it's so crazy to even understand you know that you are, you know you if you're going to ask for that kind of business, you have to believe it. You have to believe you're worthy of it first and qualify. Unknown Speaker  4:00 Right. And I think that's so important. And you hit it right on the head. First of all, you said, when you say your affirmations, can you share an affirmation with us? Um, yeah, I mean, one of the ones that I, that I think about all the time is like, I say to myself, like, I am a Jedi. Unknown Speaker  4:16 I am a Jedi. And I, well, and I want to point that out is because, you know, affirmations or if you I say affirmations every morning as well. And so, if, if you, you know, you gotta believe in yourself, and that's where it all starts, you've got to believe that you can do these things. And I know people look, they like, oh, affirmations, it's, that's bullshit. It's like, now it's, it really frames your your space in your brain. And everyday when you get up and you say these things. It's amazing how that stuff just comes together. And you become that person. Right? You know, so one of my aspiration one of my affirmations every morning is I want to help secondary market agents be the best agents they can possibly be. So it makes me focus on Hey, who can I get? Unknown Speaker  5:00 Get on the show to help. Hey, Ben's a great guy, let me you know, so I'm always trying to figure out how I can do a better job. And by helping him by having you on the show, you know, all the people that are out there listening, it helps me more than the rest of them. Because I'm learning stuff every time I do a show. And so I just love that you're, you're big on affirmations. So $65 million. What does that mean, in units in in your marketplace? I would say that previously. Or, you know, my sweet spot is generally around 2.2 to $3 million per transaction about big, so that's big money for most people that a lot of people that are listening. So um, yeah, I mean, the thing is, is that because I do so much CO listing because people bring me into things because, you know, they want me to help them close the listing appointment, or they kind of want to peek behind the curtain the way I deploy a listing. Unknown Speaker  5:59 I think Unknown Speaker  6:00 Two years ago, I sold nearly 40 homes but so you know that that my average is, you know, probably was closer to 2 million or but I'm but I'm not making the equivalent of that because I did so much sharing and colas, collaboration which is, which is a core principle of our company. It's only eight years old now and we team up on things all the time, literally with all the time. You're with Mauricio, and is that with the agency, right? So yeah, Kelly? Yeah, he and I, we've co listed several things. We have something right now for 20 million that we just brought on. He and I were talking actually 10 minutes before you and i, you and I connected here. Unknown Speaker  6:39 Now one thing I'll say really quick, since even then the one thing I'll say is since you mentioned affirmations, I would caution anyone Unknown Speaker  6:48 to criticize or judge things that other successful people are doing. One of my closest friends Unknown Speaker  6:56 who I met through real estate was last year on the Unknown Speaker  7:00 1000 he was number four. Wow. And he says affirmations every morning. And he doesn't have like some massive team, where they're doing like, all these transactions, his average transactions like north of $10 million. So I love it. You know, and I'm a fan. And that's but you know, there's people out there that mean I run a company, I've got 55 agents, and you know, I go to the company and I say, hey, you should do this. And you can just see him roll their eyes. It's like, you know, guys, there's something to be said. And I love what you said, if it shouldn't knock what successful agents are doing because it makes a lot of sense. Yeah. So you said a peek behind the curtain. Give us a little peek behind the curtain when you deploy a listing. What are you doing? Well, my goal, you know, and I want someone that you know, well, um, you know, he said that most agents have a three point plan. They take some photos, put it on the internet. Wait for everyone. Unknown Speaker  8:00 show up, right? Because nowadays and this is kind of a script that I use in my own listing appointments. You know, I literally will pull up my phone and I say, you know, people are now swiping through homes with attention deficit disorder on consumer base sites like Zillow, Redfin Trulia. Unknown Speaker  8:18 The same way they're swiping through life partners on Tinder and restaurants on Yelp, and their own photos, think about how you swipe through your own photos very fast. We're looking for that dopamine release of what is new. So if we don't emotionally captivate buyers, and I don't care what it is, what you're selling, because there's a buyer for everything. Unknown Speaker  8:44 We don't emotionally captivate them at first contact, particularly on something that has an emotional or status attachment to it like a home or a car or a boat, then we're going to lose them and that's going to negatively affect our clients bottom line, their time on the market, and potentially Unknown Speaker  9:00 any future referrals that we get from them so my launch is meant to create a ton of momentum, excitement and enthusiasm prior to the days on market clock ticking, but specifically to truly diagnose who the buyer archetype or archetypes are and emotionally captivate them Unknown Speaker  9:20 to the house to engage it and then of course, to stay engaged through inspections when they find out the house is falling down the hill. Unknown Speaker  9:29 Allah mela boo Hmm. So are the wood hills, I built my business selling hillside and you know, most people just have a general inspector lockbox on day one of our inspections we have a general Inspector, right everyone has that sewer line mold chimney, a structural engineer someone to come look at the Foundation and the drainage and make sure water is flowing away from the property. Someone look at the roof. So, I mean, I just received the request for repair in the form of a credit of Unknown Speaker  10:00 $60,000 yesterday. So we're negotiating that. Well, you know, and I think some agents say, well, geez, that might kill the deal. It's like, Great kill the deal because the last thing you want to do is end up in court because you didn't disclose or you didn't do your job is due diligence. That's, that I think is so key and important to what what we do is doing the best right job for the best job for our clients when we're doing that. Unknown Speaker  10:25 So with the new rules of the National Association of Realtors and the clear MLS policy, did that affect the way you you bring your listings to market? Believe it or not, I'm at the heart of that. Unknown Speaker  10:41 Because in my marketplace, there are many people who want to sell their homes off market because of privacy because of the press. Unknown Speaker  10:51 Sometimes people just want to historically test the price. They're like, Ben, I'll let you sell my house if you can get me x but Unknown Speaker  11:00 have an opinion on this, we could do a separate podcast on this. But in short, I think that the consumer in this case, the seller should be able to sell their house any way they want. And if someone feels that they can get a premium by being off market and the seller decides to take that advice, so be it. If the seller decides that exposing to the marketplace and letting the market value the property is is the best and they decided to take that advice. So VA but I think for Unknown Speaker  11:33 the National Association of Realtors to step in and say all markets have you know, this one rule applies everywhere is pretty short sighted and I think they're doing their membership as well as our clients a great disservice. Believe it or not, some of the guys in my office who I travel with who are well established agents, they own the pls, the private Listing Service, okay, and it was obviously you know, putting their business model Unknown Speaker  12:00 out of business. And Unknown Speaker  12:03 it's for us, you know where I would let's say I had a seller who said, look, I think my house is worth four and a half million dollars. And I'm like, this needs to be a 3995. Right? Unknown Speaker  12:17 I could go test it at four or five without days on market. And I go, No, I, Unknown Speaker  12:23 I get it. I get it. And we deal with that in our high end markets here in Maui. And I understand the other side of the coin. I understand the reason why is Unknown Speaker  12:33 what he's calling me right now. Oh, Mario, Rifai. rusi. I mean, yeah, just funny that we you brought him up and he's calling but yeah, I'm so sorry. As you were saying. Yeah. So so I think though, I do understand the other side of the coin in these small markets where these were agents are just not exposing the products that should be exposed but there is the other side of the coin where the we have high visibility high profile clients that have 10 Unknown Speaker  13:00 In 15, and $20 million houses that are celebrities and it's like, I don't want my house publicize, I don't want people to know about it. I'm going to a small network of agents, because they have the buyers. And yet will I miss a buyer? Maybe, but will I protect my privacy? Absolutely. And I saw I get that I understand that. So it is a nine to walk. I think you're you really hit it something that I didn't mention, which is people people sometimes have a value, a psychological value of privacy, which basically doesn't exist anymore. Unknown Speaker  13:35 Not the truth, you know, instead of a potential for it and some people, some people are like, if I get this, I'm okay. It's not going to destroy my net worth. It's not my only thing I was in a house today. Were with the architect and he said that this that the owner has like seven houses in the US only Unknown Speaker  14:00 So if that house trades for like a little bit, it doesn't mean much. Right? So anywho and I think it's, there's, there's a lot of debate between that I know that when they brought it into our MLS, and they had a meeting about it, there was some there was a lot of people that work in the high end markets like this is gonna really make it challenging. So I'm with you on that. But I think we beat that dead horse. Unknown Speaker  14:27 Let me talk to you about your video marketing sales. So we were together at an event it was a Tom Ferry private, very elite coaching group. And we were actually sitting next to each other and it was when sort of this this this epiphany went off and he said, I'm gonna take my acting skills and my career and my knowledge and I'm going to become the video master of creating new kinds of video. Is that about accurate? men? Yeah, I frankly, to this day, I can't believe I was allowed into that. Unknown Speaker  15:00 The one thing he didn't add was that we had to apply and open up our books and all that, like, all you guys were serious you 50 some. There's guys there that have like four offices in Atlanta total of 100 agents. And I'm like, I just sell in LA I. So anyway, I was so grateful to be in there. And who knows if Tom actually ever does that again. I mean, and it wasn't cheap, but it was incredible. What I look back on that event, and we're talking about it was a it was a Tom Ferry private event that he had been it's a you had to apply for you have to be part of the coaching group. Unknown Speaker  15:34 And it was it was what I found the event and the the Tom and j were great. But it was the experience and the people in the network that I made. Yeah. Oh my gosh, that that was invaluable. I reach out to all of this crew that we got together with on a regular weekly basis. So that speaks to networking and mentoring. But anyway, back to the story. So you decide you're going to reinvent Unknown Speaker  16:00 Your video stabbed me with my epiphany was because Jay had at we Google j on the screen. Jay made us Jay Abraham by the way guys, it's like, you know it kind of like built Tony Robbins. He's a master is a marketing guru if there ever was one. He's, he's an incredible thinker. He's a master of language and communication when it comes to advertising and marketing and looking at it objectively. I don't know that you'll find a smarter mind and more interesting person to listen to. And he'll admit he can rant and go on forever. And it's hard to not be transfixed. He's He's a brilliant human being. That said, we Google j, and not because of any egotistical thing around j, but we googled him to make an example and he had like, you know, millions of results or something. And then he googled one of the agents in the room who's still very successful in our marketplace, there were like 35 results. Unknown Speaker  16:55 And what he and Tom were really talking about was being known being Unknown Speaker  17:00 No being known, it doesn't none of the other stuff matters. It just matters that you're known. And then of course, it matters that you're light. But when I started to think about was, I have built my business on grind. I'm not from LA I was door knocking, I've sent out letters and cold calling expired to still do it today. And, you know, I didn't have the kind of nepotistic benefit of growing up here. So with that, I started to think about how good of a job I do, you know, multiple offers selling over asking homes on the market for two years, not selling with agents that are on TV, I get it and sell it in a weekend. Right? I'm sending out 10s of thousands of dollars worth of postcards to my farms per year and no one cared. And when I tell you, we have a 25 person creative team at the agency in Beverly Hills. The collateral was very sexy and very captivating. It was great, but no one cared. And when I started to realize the Epiphany, I had there Unknown Speaker  18:00 Because I was thinking Wait a billion Mauricio, they make they're great agents. They have incoming calls. You know, they're but are they that much better than me? Yeah, maybe they are through experience. There's some gradations, but are like they that much better that they're getting the lion's share of these mega listings? And I was like, No, but they're known. And then I started thinking about all the agents that are been in the business for a short time that are on TV. I know they're not better, but they're known. So what I really took away from that mastermind was, how can I make myself known? Unknown Speaker  18:36 Once I really, really understood that because I was reluctant to doing video, I didn't want to do it. Unknown Speaker  18:44 But once once, the way those guys explained it, I realized that I did not have a choice. If I wanted to get to where I wanted to go. There was no other way there. I had to be known. So that's why I started my videos. So why did you Unknown Speaker  18:59 so what's Unknown Speaker  19:00 concept in your videos, I've seen a bunch of different things. It's just as simple as you're just going on tour. And you're, you know, but all different things. So what's your inspiration for creating your videos? And let me let me stop right now and say, we are not talking about, Hi, this is a bedroom and this is a bathroom. These are not house tours. This is everything. But house tours. Now we still do house tours, both Ben and I, and don't get me wrong. But what I want to focus on is all of the other kinds of things. And it's you're all over the board. I've seen stuff that you've done, it's like, you got to be freaking kidding me. You made that into a video and I and I watched it so awesome. So tell us a little bit about your your concept of how you're creating that. That How are you owning the minds of the people that are watching how are you being known that entity? Well, I just dumped a ton of money into YouTube advertising and then they just I'm just kidding. Um, so basically the goal is Unknown Speaker  20:00 And I will admit, transparently that I don't have a ton of time to produce these right to sit in think of them. I often wonder if I did, how insane it could become. But generally speaking, yes, we do some house tours, because those get a lot of placement in the search, right in the search algorithm, right. So we do some of those, especially in my market, right? So we do some of those, then I try to also do things that are motivational because I really do enjoy being a mentor and teaching newer agents. And that's a platform for me to do that. And as if everyone hasn't already realized, like, I'll keep talking if you don't stop me so that it works for me. Unknown Speaker  20:46 But I do again, I did build my business completely from scratch. I knew zero about real estate, my parents, you know, had single family residences growing up, but they weren't. They never shared anything about that a passion for like, you know, when we move we move that was Unknown Speaker  21:00 it. Unknown Speaker  21:01 So I really enjoyed that. And then Unknown Speaker  21:04 I also like giving people Day in the Life stuff. So we'll do videos beginning to end where we're like, this is how you create a multiple offer scenario. This is how you counter. This is how you segregate each of the groups based on their terms and price. This is how we finish this is what it became. So we try to get people like true Day in the Life stuff to love it. peek behind the curtain, right? And then are you Unknown Speaker  21:32 are you filming this stuff when it's actually happening? And they're talking about it or you recreating it? We've only done one recreation because we thought that the conversation was so good that it was would be such a good video that we should recreate it. The thing is, my team was so like conscious of it when we were recreating it that it didn't have that thing. So the goal now is just to Unknown Speaker  22:00 Shoot as much authentic as we can. So do you have somebody that's following you around doing it? Or is it just say your your teammate or your assistant? It's like, hey, grab, grab the phone and start recording, or are you using a phone or what are you using? Okay, so I actually pay a videographer to film me once a week. And we usually he and I will talk. We often brainstorm and when we're when we're with each other, we make good sense of our time. We have a great working shorthand. He's a great partner, what we're trying to do, he's invested in it because he wants to have other clients like me where he can build their brands. He personally has an incredible following online on tik tok, Instagram, YouTube. His niche is camera stuff, or camera tech, but he follows me around. He attaches a lot, which is the mic right here, everyone. And we film usually on like, a Wednesday or Thursday he shows me an edit Friday. Unknown Speaker  23:00 I give them notes and then it's up Saturday morning and then we space out the marketing of it. Sometimes if we have to pepper things in, we'll shoot with my iPhone 11 the front facing mic is an incredible tool for sound as long as the environment isn't like a jackhammer construction site. Right? And the camera on it is is fantastic. Right we use we use our iPhones for me right now we're recording the podcast, I use my iPhone because we get the best quality with a with a mic ported in. So what I guess the point is, for those people that are watching, good, don't need a photographer, you don't need somebody following you around. You just need to think about what you're doing and how to create something that's good. And then once you start to create it, you can progress in that if you want a photographer you can get a video wedding videographer, they're not very busy right now. I mean, those are great, great ideas to put it in place. So when you're when he's following you around, it's so it's every Wednesday. It's sort of whatever happens that Wednesday and that's what you're putting out Unknown Speaker  24:00 For so long what we were doing was we were like, putting stuff in the can meaning like shooting a bunch of episodes in advance. So we had some some, like leeway, or runway I should say, but I've been doing this now for well over a year and we just, we we ran, we ran out of footage, you know. So we just kind of all all think of wood, basically we'll talk about like, Okay, this month, let's make sure we do at least these themes I wanted to to home tours, because I just got these great new listings, and I want to do like a motivational thing we can do in the office. And then um, I feel like I work best, you know, the night before. I'm like, Alright, what am I going to cover today? And then generally what we do is for YouTube format, I'll be like, Alright, here's the quick intro. Unknown Speaker  24:49 Right, the first like five seconds. I'm like Ben Belloc from the agency. Today I'm going to take you through a $25 million house where they use a dinosaur Unknown Speaker  25:00 fossile stage it. That's it, then we'll cut to a longer intro, you know, so there's a beginner, there's a quick hook. Yep, hook beginning middle end. And we try not to have them go on for too long, but I'm sorry, back to the process. Unknown Speaker  25:18 I wish I could say that I had more time to, you know, plan these things out and stuff. But the truth of the matter is, is that the shooting video costs me money. I have to pay my guy, I have to pay him to edit it right. And then I have to spend time doing it, which takes away from prospecting, calling my soI. So sadly, I don't spend as much time as maybe I should producing it. I just want to get the video up and out. I think though, Ben, I think that's really the key is you know, I don't think people expect realtors to put out cinematic production pieces. I think they want to sort of see that fumble that flub a little bit. Unknown Speaker  26:00 That real transparency that's what makes you know Ben bellick a realtor and not a movie star. You know what I mean? And that they don't want to work with. I don't think a movie star they want to work with a realtor who is really good at what he does and hey, yeah, I say the wrong thing sometimes and I stumble on my words sometimes but I'm just your average guy that is helping you to be successful. That's your goal. You know when someone like drops a line in a play when you're watching and then all of a sudden everyone leans in. Yep, that moment they're not acting watching them authentically find the line or gather it right. So it's okay to not be perfect on there we do we have all sorts of funny stuff happen and we just roll with it. And that's it and that's what I think people love to see that stuff you know, if you if you do any research on videos and what what gets the most views. I've heard it more. So many times. Our blooper reel gets the highest amount of views Unknown Speaker  27:00 That when anybody who's doing a lot of video, that's the number one. Because people want to see that reality people people, not that they want to see you flub or make a mistake. But it helps them to realize you're just as much of a person as they are. And it's this comfort level that we just need to, to be in that space with people. So I love that. What's your favorite video that you've done? Unknown Speaker  27:24 Actually, I've done two videos with my friend Zack, who's actually an agent and our biggest competitor. He and I golf together, and we shot one where he thinks he's coming to like preview a property and I'm actually teaching him how to blind taste wine, and he's naturally very, very funny. He's like, is this a date? Like, what are you doing? And then, um, we went to our golf club, and we shot one where we literally brought our videographer and we shot something gorilla late in the day. We're like, none of them. Unknown Speaker  28:00 Marshalls were out or anything. And Unknown Speaker  28:03 we talked about how we grew our business and how golf kind of has many parallels to real estate. And, you know, I asked him about, like, how he feels about delegation and all that and I really had a lot of fun with my close friend shooting those episodes, but they're all fun honestly, they're all fun. And now and I've seen him and i and i think that's what it is when you're out there having fun and you're just doing what you do that shows through how do people find your Unknown Speaker  28:35 your YouTube channel it's I assume that your YouTube channel or your Facebook or both are everywhere? Well, my it's just youtube.com slash Ben Benllech because once you get to a certain subscriber base, they let you choose your URL. Right so it's not just so you guys know it's Ben bn VL A ck Yeah, so definitely go subscribe and get edge get get the experience. Unknown Speaker  29:00 And get inspired because I think it's he does such a great job. And then I assume you're pushing it out on Facebook as well. Yeah, I mean, we we push it out all week long. I'm Unknown Speaker  29:13 like we that it's kind of like when McDonald's comes out with the McRib. They don't just advertise it all in one place at one time. And I even have a seller right now who's like, Well, where's this? Where's that? I'm like, Well, no, no, we just pushed it out on Instagram. Let's let that resonate a little, then we'll hit them on Thursday with Facebook, then we'll push into YouTube ads, then we'll push into Google, then we'll follow people around while they browse, just to keep that brand recognition going. So yeah, I mean, you definitely want to space it out just to keep reminding people over and over because at the end of the day, it's not about views. It's about being known. Right. It's about being known. I agree with you 100% Unknown Speaker  30:00 And do you have people that reference it to you all the time when you're on listing appointments or going for showing appointments? and What to do? What's the conversation like with that? And how does it help your business? More importantly, okay, yeah, so let me tell you, Unknown Speaker  30:16 let me tell you, what became of it that I didn't realize was going to happen. I've always felt that the people that I have sold homes to or for are just going to call me because I do a good job. I mean, for granted, it's not rocket science. It's not rocket science. But I'm thoughtful and delivered in such a way and that I audit my process so much that we're we're performing at a high level and we we defer risk really well. Unknown Speaker  30:46 But so with that philosophy and confidence, I was never really engaging my network that much. And one year, I was going through my numbers, and my assistant turns to me and she's really great with tracking Unknown Speaker  31:00 and stuff and she's like, you know, you made something like a quarter million dollars last year from Zilla and I was like, okay, cool, but how much did I spend? And she was like, Unknown Speaker  31:14 I don't know, like $60,000 something like, but then she was like, she was like, that wasn't your number one source of income. And I was like, Oh, she was like, I was like, What was she was like, actually referrals was number one. You know it, like, whatever it was 300 or something like that. And I was like, cool. And she's like, I was like, what I spend she's like, it's your sphere zero. He spent nothing. So wait a second, guys. Did you just hear that I just, I just I want I don't want to blow through that. I want I want everybody who's listening to this to hear that. I use Zillow. I mean, I get it. But Unknown Speaker  31:53 the number one resource you had was your sphere and it didn't cost you anything. Wake up everybody. Thank you. Unknown Speaker  32:00 It didn't cost anything. So what I started what's so crazy is is right around the time I started really getting kind of my sea legs with video and kind of the identity of the channel. Unknown Speaker  32:14 I had, we were crossing over New Year's and I was making new business resolutions for that year. And I was, I was thinking to myself this year, I'm going to commit recommit myself to engaging those that know me already. Yep. And so aside from all that, and all the cool things that we that we initiated, what I realized was, is that the video was serving as a passive brand reminder and rapport builder. So I have people texting me saying, like, hey, this guy Zack is hilarious, or I am loving the videos and then all of a sudden Unknown Speaker  33:00 I get a referral call and they're like so and so who said they were loving the videos had referred me, because every week they're getting this reminder. They're clicking play. Sometimes they watch it, or sometimes they don't. Unknown Speaker  33:13 But it was a great brand reminder. The other thing is because I do a lot of cold solicitation, if someone would give me their email, they'd be like, yeah, let's meet Tuesday. And then life happens. We don't meet for a month, but because they gave me their email to do the initial follow up. They've gotten four episodes from me by the time I show up. They already know me so well, because of the way I speak about the market. The way they've seen me show homes because of the way I tour them. It's like a showing right there already if ahead. So you use the term cold solicitation as an cold call, or you're just dialing or Yeah, I just wanted to be clear. I had heard cold solicitation, I assume that's what it was. Yeah, go out. So how powerful is Unknown Speaker  34:00 That is just being out there and and being in front of people and you just keep doing it and I know I were like you I'm on video we do Facebook Live, we do videos, we do all this stuff. And some days you just wake up and like, Man is anybody even watching you know, because you know you see that there's been so many views but did they view through but I just have come to realize by doing this show that it creates this space you become the expert, you become known people think of you and it's so valuable to create that that referral network I mean, from doing this, I've can say that I blast your did 18 inbound realtor referrals as incredible work, which is no they didn't close them all. But still people are thinking to me all over the country because they are saying oh, this guy knows what he's doing. He works on Maui. Just like you bet. It's your this is your world. You're doing the videos in your space. And it is I mean, is it hard to do it Unknown Speaker  34:58 um I think Unknown Speaker  35:00 It's much easier than people think. I think people are very busy judging themselves, my own team and like this is LA. And like, the people, my team that they happen to be pretty attractive. I just I made because it's LA. Yes. And they're, they're highly intelligent. And they're really good at their job. And they're pretty good looking. And they are so judgy of themselves on camera. And I forced them one week because of this challenge, and we did to be shooting things. And one of them who kind of ran with it. I was like, hey, so can you share with us on our team meeting? How it was it was like, oh, after I just literally the first four seconds, I was fine. It was just hitting record and being okay with not being the best at something, whatever your measure of it is, I mean, you could do something and it could be awful in your eyes and someone else could be like that was incredible. You just have to give your give yourself permission to not be like the best thing. Unknown Speaker  36:00 Video person ever? You know, while you're making, okay? Unknown Speaker  36:06 And you know and I think to for the folks that are out there watching and if there isn't anybody in your market area right now doing video. Unknown Speaker  36:14 Boy, is it an opportunity for you because the first person in what my experience was years ago, when you're the first person, it scares the crap out of everybody else. It's like, Oh, I could never do that. It's like good, don't you start to own that space, which just catapults you even faster? I mean, a lot of people. Everybody talks about video for the last two, three years. So I'm assuming that most markets have people but not necessarily. And I think that what I really wanted to talk about, it wasn't necessarily talking about the house, but it's about the process. It's about the experience. It's about what you do. It's about the restaurants you go to, it's about going golfing, and you know, whatever those things are is so there's so much that you can put on video and create and wrap it around your personality and just create that space because people hire people they Unknown Speaker  37:00 know like and trust. And that's Yeah, that bottom line. I did one video where I walked people through this tour. And as I was walking them through it, I was and there was this like $5 million. Unknown Speaker  37:14 And it was a very important client of like a billionaire. And I wanted to continue working with him. And as I was walking people through the house, I was telling them how I was being fired. And how I had brought the the seller three offers, two of which were sight unseen based on my collateral. And, Unknown Speaker  37:34 you know, it's been a busy street, which makes it tough. And then one someone bought, they bought it and then once they inspected it, the house wasn't as ready as we had thought, because there was a contractor changeover and I was getting fired after I'd spent a ton of money a ton of time and I'd actually done a good job I was being fired. And I just that episode was really just about like, how to take a loss Unknown Speaker  38:00 On the chin, you know how to take that loss. And that video got a tremendous amount of feedback, even just from agents in my firm, saying like, this is really special and really cool for you to share, especially in a market full of egos. Unknown Speaker  38:15 So, you know, I just, I think, the authentic part, people are so concerned about looking a certain way when they just need to be concerned with just being themselves. That's because, Unknown Speaker  38:28 yeah, because when when if people get in your car with you, so to speak, or if they're showing up at a listing appointment, or you're going to be that person, so just, you know, be who you are, and just be real. And that's the biggest, most important thing that what I think you're saying then is and it shows who you are, so they know what to expect. And it shows like the depth of your character how you approach it. Unknown Speaker  38:51 You know, I feel so late to the game with video, actually, you know, I actually feel so late. I wish I had had that mastermind so much sooner because I think it's Unknown Speaker  39:00 It's such a critical piece Unknown Speaker  39:03 of, of growing my practice. The one other thing that's cool about it is, we promote it right? We place it and other similar channels. And as the views go up, let's say I cold call someone and they are in Venice Beach, for example. And they just had an expired listing. And if they become warm, like they're willing to talk to me, they're not telling me to die as so many in my market. Unknown Speaker  39:27 Right. And then I text them me doing a walking tour of a listing I have, which, by the way, was an expired at one point for $10 million on Abbot Kinney, which is one of the most famous streets in all of California, you know, let alone Los Angeles. And I just text that over to them and they see that it's got 6000 views, and I tell them I say like look, agents are in the interview business. They're going to mesmerize you and the higher the price goes, the better we aren't mesmerizing. You but the numbers don't lie. Can you can someone show you Unknown Speaker  40:00 These, this, this audience in a verifiable way, not just my company's number one and because every company is number one, right? Unknown Speaker  40:10 Yeah. So the videos become not like, let's say I have rapport with them kind of on the phone, we start to lose touch, then I send them a link to a video. They can watch it on their own time without the intrusiveness of another call, or the pressure of me being on the phone asking for a meeting, they can watch it. And then that can be a rapport builder. I mean, the videos are so they're so useful in so many ways. I love it, then, man. We could talk for a week because I'm so passionate about creating video and all different kinds of video. And you've brought so much to the table to make, hopefully our viewers think about for me to think about because I'm going to I'm going to be beating up on our producer Kenny to say we kind of start doing some of that stuff too. And, and you know, we create the very simple frequently asked questions, but I love the fact that you put more personality into it and that Unknown Speaker  41:00 Really what is so cool about what you're doing? Thank you want to change the topic? Just a little bit? You are a fan of the disc profile. Yes, I am anyone that I interview or bring on my team has to take it. Just real quick. I like to put this in my shows If so, what's your disc profile? Just curious. I'm a high D, high, high D Go figure. All right. And how do you use that for when you're doing your business? I mean, look, the truth of the matter is I care more about attitude than I do personality type. I'll hire someone with no experience as long as they have the right attitude and they have a good command of the English language. So many people today, there, they don't know how to communicate intelligently. Unknown Speaker  41:46 They say the wrong words as descriptors and all that and I just I can't have that representing my brand. Keep in mind I get direct messages every single day of the week, people saying Please be my mentor. Let me work with you. I want to learn from you. We should connect all this Unknown Speaker  42:00 And the thing is only one person ever in a decade got through that he works with me still to this day. But for me it's more a combination of attitude I do before I set out interviewing based on the position what may want a certain type of personality. But honestly, for me, the thing that I use the disc profile for the most is to inform my management style and mentoring style. Some people need me to be tougher on them and hold them more accountable. Others need me to be more coaching and fatherly, you know others need understanding that. Unknown Speaker  42:35 Yep. I love it. Ben, thank you so much for your time. This has just been such a great journey. I really appreciate it. How does somebody has a referral for you in Unknown Speaker  42:45 Beverly Hills, LA area, Malibu, any of those markets, Hollywood Hills. How do they How do they track you down? I mean, all you do is type Ben back into Google and many results will come back. You can find me anywhere. I'm literally everywhere. Unknown Speaker  43:00 I love it. That's, that's the power of being known. So for Selling the Dream, Tom Tezak with Ben bellick. Thanks so much for joining us on the show. If you if you haven't done a review, we sure would appreciate it. If you do a review on YouTube or on iTunes, wherever you, whatever platform you listen to, we would love your reviews and your input. Go out to our Facebook page. resort Second Home Agents join that become a member. We've got a lot of stuff going on there and also sign up on our website Second Home agents.com and be part of that network as well. Ben, thanks so much for being on the show today. And I just love what you had to say. And I'm great. I'm great one and remember everybody we are not just selling real estate. We are Selling the Dream. Yeah, Selling the Dream.

Does the world ever feel out of control? It’s easy to see all the things that are outside of your control, and learn how to adapt. But there are a lot of things that you can control! You can control what you do as a response to fear. You control your actions, and your choices. The more that you take action in the things that you do have control over, the more you will emerge as a leader during these times where the world sometimes feels out of control! This week on the Tip Tuesday episode of the Selling the Dream podcast, I’m here to challenge you to take control of what you can and be a leader! Thanks for joining us on Selling the Dream - we wouldn’t be where we are without you listening, and giving your feedback! Make sure that you give us a rating and review on iTunes: that would mean the world to me, and will help us get even more amazing guests on our Friday episodes of the show. Highlights of this episode: Today, we’re going to talk about control! Are you a control freak? Or are you controlled by others! There are a lot of things that are outside of our control! You have to learn and adapt to those things that are outside of your control. However, there are many things that are under our control, and that we can do something about! We don’t have to be controlled by fear, or my others - we can make a decision! When you take control and make choices, you become a leader! Join our 2nd Home Agents Facebook group and create connections! (link below) Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. If there’s ever a topic that you’d like to hear us cover on the podcast, just send me a message: my contact information is below. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling real estate: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

What is your primary market? If you’re listening to this podcast, there’s a high chance that you are working in the secondary home market, or helping people find the home of their dreams. But what happens when a pandemic like COVID hits, and some resorts are completely stalled, and no one is traveling to these areas and buying homes? This week, I’m talking to one of my fellow real estate agents here in Hawaii, Erin Evans. She works in the Oahu market, and roughly 80% of her business comes from military home buyers. These people may only be in the area for a short time, and they may not be looking to buy the home of their dreams. But they have a powerful tool that makes them a strong buying candidate, and she’s here to tell us all about it! If you’re thinking of ways to connect with a new market and build a strong nation-wide referral network, you won’t want to miss this week’s episode of the Selling the Dream podcast! Before we dive in: join an amazing network of the best second home agents. Make sure that you create your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces Erin and her business. Tom and Erin talk about how they met, and how they use referrals in their business to bring in new leads. Almost 80% of Erin’s clients are military: this means that she ultimately gains connections everywhere, and her clients are always looking for a trusted agent for a referral! Be your own advocate: own the space in other realtor’s minds! When they think of your market, you want them to automatically think of you! Social media is a great place to build relationships - you can find so many networking groups. Always be ready to help other agents that you meet, it will pay off. Erin shares how the VA loan works, and how her clients are using VA loans to purchase homes. Always be on the lookout for opportunities to help people get the best value whenever possible. Understanding the options and limitations can open doors for your clients to buy their dream home. Tom and Erin talk about the state of the market during COVID, and how that’s impacting business. Don’t just build a resort market: build a residential market. Erin talks about tools she uses for distance connections, including Marco Polo. Tom and Erin discuss the DiSC personality tool, and how their tendencies have changed over time. Tools such as the DiSC test help you understand your clients, so you can perfectly market to them and their specific tendencies. Don’t forget to subscribe to the Selling the Dream podcast so you don’t miss any new episodes! Leave a review: you never know when it will be read on the show! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Sign up for a trial with Bomb Bomb and get a free eBook from me! Just let me know you’ve signed up, and I’ll send a free copy of Ethan Beute’s book! Connect with our panelists: Anne Eliason Dennis Hanlon Angela Zampino Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube EXCLUSIVE Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube Have you made your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE. Click here to register, make your profile and get listed today. As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!   TRANSCRIPT: Unknown Speaker  0:00 Hey everybody, Tom Tezak with Selling the Dream Today we're going to talk about how your buyers can move to your market area in the resort districts using a VA loan. Welcome to Selling the Dream, a podcast created for and by second home and resort realtors on Tom Tezak. And each week my goal is to bring you a quick real estate tip along with an info pack interview with an industry rock shop. My mission is to bring you the cutting edge marketing tried and true sales techniques and information about the latest technologies. Thanks for tuning in. And remember, we're not selling real estate, Selling the Dream. Unknown Speaker  0:38 Hey out there to our live audience. Tom Tezak here with Selling the Dream podcast and today I have Erin Evans from Honolulu on the show with us Unknown Speaker  0:49 are Oahu actually her offices in in Honolulu, so it's a little different. But Erin, welcome to the show. Thank you so much. What can you share with us about life in in a Oahu Unknown Speaker  1:00 Well, thanks for having me, Tom. Great to see you. And life in Hawaii. I mean, I don't know you're on now you sent me. I think it looks pretty good over here, isn't it? The weather's always beautiful and can't complain. I love it. So and let's, let's, you know, we both have been in this business a long time. We're both broker owners. So we have some similar kind of experiences. You were on a century 21 office, I run a windemere office. So friendly competition in that regards. And we've gotten to know each other through networking throughout the world, and referrals and just so much opportunity exists in the networking world. Especially for realtors. Yeah. And you know, you know, one of the reasons I spoke to you this morning, I called them just said, Hey, Erin, thanks so much for letting Shawna know on your Facebook group for military real estate agents that I was an agent to us in Maui. And we put her clients under contract today or yesterday, huh? Unknown Speaker  2:02 Thank you. And but what I, you know, I think the value in that is I met Erin through a networking through Tom Ferry coaching, got to know her. And then she was on Facebook and said saw somebody say, Hey, I'm looking for an agent in and Erin said you need to reach out to Tom. And then she reached out to me. And we connected and I got that referral now it was a year ago. And that's the way sometimes that happens. But I just so much appreciate that. And I think, you know, let's talk about that referral opportunities that you create and how you do that, Erin, and the value in that for your business. Unknown Speaker  2:42 Yeah, absolutely. Tom. So I mean, I feel like we Facebook is a great way to really connect with a lot of realtors and people worldwide and we're actually starting to see a lot more popularity with them as well because as you know, different groups and like you mentioned there's a little meat Mark Unknown Speaker  3:00 And mine for example is military so with over 80% of our clients will be military when it pops up you know we have our pocket full of people that are go to in different areas so I specifically if you're looking outside of military bases, which of course they didn't particularly have in Maui however being on this you know, you're my go to in Maui like Tom's the best I've got to give a shout out Tom feedback, you have to go with him. He's amazing, right? Unknown Speaker  3:25 So when you have your people, you're welcome. Of course you can eat no and you keep those people in your database. And afterwards, I always like to do a follow up to say okay, like if we have somebody going out to Virginia, for example, we have our go to in Virginia, and follow up that they have a great experience. You know, there's something you promote, and like you said, being a broker owner, this is something internally within your office as well that you can share with your agents because they may be in the same position. And if you have somebody reputable, ethical, that you know provides a great service. Unknown Speaker  3:58 Keep them close. Unknown Speaker  4:00 And you know, and I think that it's important, it's, you know, sometimes we just think about, I have a buyer or seller and I want to refer them to an agent. And agents only think about that connection, but the fact that you're a third party, third person outside of this relationship, and you connected me to another agent, and you don't really get anything out of this, I mean, there's there's no referral fee, there's nothing like that. You get great appreciation for me. But what you do get that's the underlying thing is is now I know whenever somebody says, Hey, I want a Oahu I'm reaching out to Erin because Erin's Thinking about me and connected me with other agents. And that's the way I think our agents out there in these resort communities actually all over the world. When you're out there networking you need, it's so important. I've said this before you need to own the space in the other realtors mind, for your market area, whatever that is, whether it's a Oahu or a Maui, or Dallas, Texas or Vail and I think that's the important part so that the agents can Unknown Speaker  5:00 Be Your advocates to other agents and and in the last year, Unknown Speaker  5:04 I think there's been seven realtors that referred other realtors to call me because of that networking that we do and all that the time we put into that. So as agents that are listening to this, spend some time I know it's really hard right now to be out networking, we're still in the midst of COVID I think I've been saying that for way too long. Unknown Speaker  5:27 But spend some time figuring out how to be part of that world go on Facebook, especially now join some groups debt that are real estate driven. There's some great groups out there that Unknown Speaker  5:40 connect a lot of agents. Just search on YouTube on Unknown Speaker  5:46 Facebook and you'll find stuff for realtor groups. Unknown Speaker  5:49 Man, it's a great place or and then we we started our major networking through the through the coaching organization. So there's a lot of places that you can do it and the other places through your event. Unknown Speaker  6:00 You're affiliated with a brand new century 21 Windermere, they all have networks as well. So just explore those and be part of the party. Don't Don't just be the Voyager that's looking in. If somebody asks a question, comment if somebody needs help help, if somebody you know, just it's so that's what's so important. I'm sort of soapbox in here. Erin, what are your thoughts? Unknown Speaker  6:21 Well, my thoughts you know, just to piggyback on that, because like you said it came from a third party and there's really nothing in it for me besides you know, I want you to take great care of them because for us, it's very much this is still a relational business. This is not just transactional, next, next I the people that I put my name and my referral attachment to, they have to be quality and they have to be taken care of those those customers. You never want them to feel like another number. You want them to have a really great customer experience so that they remember you and they're referring you and saying tell him the best comes about you know you have to use him because it these are let's be honest, you can Unknown Speaker  7:00 some pretty big purchases that people are making, you know, and you want to make sure that everybody's in the best hand, like I said, you always want to stamp your name to something of value. It doesn't want to be Next, Next Next, I'm all about the transaction, the relation, the relation that's involved with it. I love that. I love what you just said, you don't want to be that next, next next because people I think people read through that in a heartbeat. They know that you're just sort of, you know, putting them through the system and on to the next one and and our clients are pretty sharp, they get that they feel that we just don't want to have them feeling that way. So great point. What exactly and I mean, a lot of the clients you're dealing with this isn't necessarily their primary residence because it is their second home. This isn't their first go around. You're right. They'll read right through that. It's Yeah, it's exactly true. So just freedom freedom, like you care about him because you should. Absolutely. So we were again so you do mostly in military business, which is a completely different animal. You do some of your businesses and resorts secondary market business. Unknown Speaker  8:00 How does how does your military business? How does? How is that different? I'm curious about this because I have never worked in the military market and you're in a military market that's also a resort market. So you've got this dramatically different clientele base correct. So what's the military market? How's that work? And how do you utilize those skills in through your out your whole business? Unknown Speaker  8:24 I mean, ultimately, I'm going to share with you about 80% of our clients are still military and the other 20 is more second home investment properties resort whatnot. So primarily when military coming in it doesn't have to be their their primary residence. So they do have to live in it, at least a minimum for the first year at that point, you know, if they choose to ever have the capability to purchase another and turn that into investment properties, you know, that's a minimum one year timeframe for them to use a VA loan, correct? Correct. Yeah, now they can Unknown Speaker  8:57 do most of your V military buyers Unknown Speaker  9:00 VA loans. Yes, yeah, absolutely. And even right now, the interest rates are even even slightly better than conventional. So if you have the option, even with money down, you have the option to use conventional and put 20% down or use your VA. And you can still, of course, put money down, you may not want put the full 20%. But they don't have to pay a VA funding, or they have to pay VA funding fee, they don't have to pay the PMI, there's no private mortgage insurance with a VA loan. Unknown Speaker  9:28 So that's huge. You don't have to put down the 20%. So even up until January this year, the VA loan limit was $726,000. Actually 726 and $50 is kind of an odd number. But as of January of this year, they finally lifted it so every year that number would shift just a little bit. So just for simplicity sake with the math, let's just say a property costs $826,000. So your loan limits or your VA loan limits 726 you end up purchasing at 826 at 100,000. Unknown Speaker  10:00 Knowledge difference, you come up with 25% of the difference, which is $25,000. So VA buyers had the capability to buy a home for $826,000 with only $25,000 down, which is significant than your 20% over 160,000 plus dollars for a conventional loan. So, you know, really great feature for them. But then just as of this year in January, they lifted that loan limit. So now that we don't have those restrictions, it's going to be based off of your debt to income ratios. And it's going to be based off of your credit scores, and whatnot. So they're in a new playing field where we're actually able to buy higher end homes and even look into that luxury market more as a result. So fantastic news. That's great. So they don't have to qualify, they have to qualify, they just there's no restrictions which that makes a world of difference. And so are you getting a lot of military buyers that can afford a million plus dollar home? Are they higher end Unknown Speaker  11:00 Military or I guess they have to be right. Yeah, yeah. Well, what I'm seeing is, Unknown Speaker  11:06 you know, I would say a little, little bit older, maybe more experienced or have, you know, they've sold their home on the mainland, let's just say they've started when they were in the early, early 20s or mid 20s and started building their wealth that way using their VA loan. And, you know, they come out here and they have a down payment, and they just kind of keep rolling that money into every time they sell it their next duty station, for example. So I'm finding a lot of dual military or higher enlisted or Unknown Speaker  11:35 maybe your spouse has another job if they're not doing military but yeah, the affordability there as long as like I said, their credit scores and their finances are are squared away, they're good. So which is great for people might be listening to this thing home, why are we talking about VA loans and the resort market show but the reality of it is a lot of our buyers, our VA have B VA benefits and if they're coming into our markets, and they're saying hey, Unknown Speaker  12:00 Especially today with the world changing and people COVID freaking out. And they're saying I'm leaving wherever I'm at. And I want to move to my favorite resort district, ask them if they're VA qualified, because there could be an opportunity for them to be buying their primary residence in their in your resort district with a VA loan, and you'll be doing them a solid because they might be 50 or 60. And don't even think about that anymore, that they were in the military for two years or four years when they were young, that that would be an option for him. And so that you really should be exploring those possibilities, because you may, you know, it's the loans or if the rates are cheaper, and the there's no PMI and they can get into something for not a lot of money. I think that's a great opportunity that we may be missing. I know I have met a VA loan officer a couple years ago and helped me to understand it as we started helping more VA buyers over here in Maui. So it definitely is worth looking at. And it's good knowledge to have that now. There's no limits. Unknown Speaker  13:00 So, I love that. And is that across the country? Or is it just in Hawaii? across the country? Yeah, so every state in the past that used to be based off of they had different limitation. So say for example, what was affordable and Unknown Speaker  13:15 Virginia or you know, California or Hawaii, every market was different. It was based off of your your bH, which is your housing allowance. And it would go by rank as well. Got it. So now it's a whole new world, which I love it. Yeah. Cool. So over in a Oahu right now, and in Maui, we're experiencing some weirdness. Let's talk about the resort market a little bit weirdnesses may be an understatement. So we're under quarantine. And I think something that Unknown Speaker  13:45 has been interesting is that our vacation or resort buyers are not showing up. Unknown Speaker  13:52 And Unknown Speaker  13:54 we that was a big part of my business Lester part of Erin's business, but what are you doing or what do you Unknown Speaker  14:00 Realizing and all of this that's you're saying Okay, I need to step back and reevaluate where I was getting my resort business and what I'm doing with that time and energy now with with your, with your Unknown Speaker  14:13 the way you're marketing to clients and the clients that you're working with. Yeah well that's what I'm seeing right now. So even here in a Oahu is very you have two different worlds because if you're out here on the west side, like ever beach khopoli, etc, where it's very much residential single family home Of course there are townhomes and condos but where we are more likely to have or be a buyers it is a seller's market, complete bidding war. A lot like the rest of the us right now in the past month, it has done a complete 180 and it is it shifted so dramatically homes that were sitting on the market for 234 weeks, you know, and let's just say an average price point, perhaps you know, 606 50 all the way up to almost 900 so 850 plus multiple offers. Unknown Speaker  15:00 10 1520 offers over asking price appraisal clauses, escalation clauses and buyers are getting very creative with their financing. So you heavily heavily competing in those areas. Whereas I'm seeing like Waikiki condos, for example, are now taking a lot longer to sell. So that second home market that we were seeing down in Waikiki, where you have this great walking distance down to the beaches and the shops and the resorts, which I'm sure you may be feeling a little bit Maui as well, is different. Our I think our tourism is down, I want to say like, 98% like, it's significant. And it's, you know, it's really, it's tough on the economy, and it's tough. So now we're looking not so much as the investment properties that people want to rent out short term, but they're gonna have to put long term tenants in there because of the vacancy rate. Unknown Speaker  15:52 And you know, and that's the thing too, is and what I was where we were talking Erin and I were chatting earlier is, you know, we have these markets that we build if Unknown Speaker  16:00 We don't have a secondary resource or a secondary part of that market as Second Home Agents. You know, some are I know there's a bunch of second home market areas that are just exploding right now. And they can't, they can't get inventory, they can't find enough. But this kind of stuff happens. You know, there's events in the world that changed the dynamics. So my whole goal and what I, you know, inspired by Erin is, make sure you're building the other side of that market. If you've got a resort second home market, be sure that you're taking care of the bartenders, and the valets and the and the Unknown Speaker  16:31 hotel managers, because there's a market there that continues to move forward. in Maui vets our world right now. We are killing it with the residential, and any agents that were out actively in the market are still really busy right now. If there were agents that were solely in the resort, part of the market, they're dying. So one of the things that I always encourage our agents in my company is don't just build a resort market, build the residential market. We almost Unknown Speaker  17:00 Every resort area has a traditional market within it. And those are the opportunities and those are the moments that keep people alive in the downturns. And this is a perfect example of why you should be working on that and have a farm specifically identified to your traditional residential market that are the service side of the, of the community that you're in. So I think that's so important. Do absolutely for sure. You have to you have to balance it out. And I'm finding that you have to almost your marketing efforts in regard to those second home markets are really going to have to be ramped up and you're gonna have to get creative. And, Unknown Speaker  17:40 you know, the nice thing is we have, you know, companies that we can affiliate with that we can advertise globally where there are some companies that don't necessarily have that so they're going to have to get creative and how do I market these to overseas China, Japan, Korea, and those particular buyers that still may be looking or Unknown Speaker  18:00 I don't know about you, but I've been getting more calls from people in New York lately that are just looking to get out of New York. They're tired of COVID Yeah, it's like, they're just getting beat up over there. And they're like, I want to be so far away from here like, I don't know, we can't get much further than why but, you know, they're, they're looking for their second home. So I've been trying to get a few more of those calls lately as well. You know, hopefully it comes back sooner than we hope. Yeah, and I think we're doing more with the sight unseen and the virtual tours and the virtual showings yesterday I was bouncing from condo to condo and and different houses, showing properties virtually and getting comfortable with that knowing you know, it's, it's also interesting, knowing the different tools that are available and finding out before you walk into a property. Oh, crud, this one's not gonna work. Like FaceTime is great. If you have an iPhone and your client has an iPhone. If you don't, then you know you need to zoom with I've been using zoom and it works out Unknown Speaker  19:00 I think better than FaceTime. Because you have it just, you just have a little bit more flexibility with it. It seemed like for me, and it seems like it needed less bandwidth. So just tools to use we checked another one. And then Marco Polo is another one that it's like a video walkie talkie. So it's another way that I didn't know about Marco Polo. Okay, I recently had a client that on Instagram, their Instagram, their like their they added me on because we weren't friends on Instagram at that point. And we just went live from there. And it seemed to work really well. So that was me. I never thought about that. But yeah, the Marco Polo is like a video walkie talkie. So it really uses way less bandwidth. So if you sign up for Marco Polo, and you're out there listening, find me and just friend me on that. And it's a it's it's like when you're a kid, you had a walkie talkie, it's like, hey, Erin, this is Tom, how you doing? And you'd let go and then and then it's but it's video. So I will I could walk through a property in that and then I'd let go Unknown Speaker  20:00 And they can be watching it. But they can't respond until you stop and then they'll send you a video message back. It's really fun. Oh, very cool. So, Marco. Unknown Speaker  20:12 Polo, you got it. Unknown Speaker  20:16 So, yeah, it's it's so fascinating being on two different islands and having them be such dramatically different places. A lot of times people say, Oh, it's just Hawaii. It's like, No, we've got a lot of different things going on. How long have you been selling real estate in water? 11 years. 11 years Unknown Speaker  20:35 flew by. I don't know how we're getting older Tom. Not Me. Me. Unknown Speaker  20:42 So, Erin, I wanted to talk about something else. This is something I've been trying to bring up into most of my shows because I think it's fascinating and I think a lot of people I always assumed a lot of people knew about it. Unknown Speaker  20:52 And I just did a Tuesday Tip on it. And that's the disc test, understanding disc personality testing and Unknown Speaker  21:00 You were just saying people think I'm this and people think I'm that so what is your disc profile? I just profile So interestingly enough like I shared with you read like oh you're you're a D for sure I'm like I'm actually not I am a high I Unknown Speaker  21:17 with slight S and shades of D and zero c like zero no analytics no data no Unknown Speaker  21:26 more the marketing the big picture I guess because I'm very much the customer centric provide the experience type of mentality you know i'm not i guess because I'm not aggressive enough to really like push, push, push. I'm more of a educator. God no I love it. So share share with me what are you? I am well, so it's interesting 15 years ago or 1012 years ago when I took it and I was just an agent working for a company. I was a Hi, Heidi, and virtually no SRC Unknown Speaker  22:01 And then when I changed over became the owner of a company, I took it again because somebody says you should retest because very often, your working role and your position will change the way you test. And I thought, that's interesting. So I took it again, and I went from a high i, d to a high D. I, and what when I analyzed it, when I talked to people, they said, you now have taken on the role of making more decisions. You're, you're responsible for that. And so, because of that, you've sort of simulated over more to the D side. And I found that that was really true. I didn't there was I make a lot more decisions based on a lot of other things than I used to have that I had to before. So if you if you're a fan of the disc profile, I would recommend take it again because it is fascinating to see the results. Unknown Speaker  22:53 And the other thing I was just mentoring a young gentleman the other day and I said he's 20 Unknown Speaker  23:00 All I said you should take the disc profile so that you know how, where you're at, and it will help you to understand Unknown Speaker  23:08 how to connect with people besides just work and clients, but, you know, spouses, partners, Unknown Speaker  23:17 school teachers, you know, because when you understand where what the disc profile is just in sales and where it helps me to work with a client, and I'll share with you what I did with a client yesterday. Unknown Speaker  23:28 You and it's not that you're trying to be I think covert. You're just trying to be able to talk on their level. Unknown Speaker  23:36 And so yeah, yeah, I didn't have to adapt to them. Unknown Speaker  23:41 And then you create the trust, right? Yes. When they they know that you understand them and hear them. And if if you only hear from your, from your lens or your your, the way you see the world, you're nowhere near as effective as you can understand what they want. Unknown Speaker  23:56 But yesterday I was talking to some clients and they're looking Unknown Speaker  24:00 At a pretty substantial purchase. And they're looking at doing it sight unseen. And they're both really analytical. And so I sent them 50 listings 50 sold listings from the past, because I knew they were analytical. And they asked me for some data, it's like, oh, man, you can never give an analytical enough data. And they came back to me yesterday and said, Well, we've analyzed all these and we threw out these and we did that. And, and it was when I was listening to him, it was like, Nah, I just, I really couldn't hear him because he was just processing through all of this, I let him process and he said, What do you think I said, I think that you can't quantify a view. Unknown Speaker  24:39 You there's no way that you can put a value on a view this is a legacy property and it's so important for for you to go through this process, but I will tell you, the sellers in our market are going to sell when they get the amount of money they want, regardless of what your numbers say. Unknown Speaker  24:56 I said so if you want to buy a piece of resort, luxury drink Unknown Speaker  25:00 property, sometimes you just have to get over the analytics of it. And they both just chuckled and they said, yeah, we both are really analytical. That's the way we see it. totally understand. But if you want this dream property, you've got to give some of that up. And you know that we worked through it. And it was really amazing. But I would have never been able to have the confidence to say that to them, if I didn't understand where they were at. And I also find that when you tell when you say to an analytical, you're really analytical, aren't you? And they'll just say, yeah, Unknown Speaker  25:35 yeah. Unknown Speaker  25:38 And I'll just say, Look, I'm not, but I understand him that is really important to you. So let me give you all you want. Just tell me what you need. And I find that this really helped me a lot to get to the finish line with those analytical buyers. Because if you try to pretend to be that way, again, you can't connect with them. But if you just tell them the truth, if they're super, especially the super analytical ones, I think Unknown Speaker  26:00 That they know it. And when you just confront them and say you're really analytical or Yeah, yeah, it's like okay, to do this this way. So, so what do you do Unknown Speaker  26:11 about this test? Right, that's the great thing about the disc test, especially if you have two that are very different after meeting them. Like let's just say maybe perhaps the husband's analytical one and the wife is more you can tell she's already an INFJ. That's very good. You're going to tailor all your your marketing and how you present things to them. Because one's going to want the graphs and charts the data and analytics where that one is going to be I want the pretty pictures. I want to Wow, I want to feel it, you know. So that's the great thing about the disc test and starting to analyze the people you know, because they always say, whoever you're encountering with you want to speed up to match their pace or you're going to slow down and that's how you're going to connect with them and it's very much the same with the disc testing once you identify what they are. So what are you doing and when you're identiv how are you identifying somebody on the when you're Are you are you consciously saying Unknown Speaker  27:00 Oh, there and I, oh, they're a C or an S? or How are you? Do you have a process for that? Unknown Speaker  27:06 I think once you just start identifying, like when they say like, I feel a certain way, or you know, but but data shows this or the numbers show that you can you can identify with them or, you know, more of the emotion part. That's where you're gonna go for the eyes and the acids. And somebody's like, just tell me what to do. Or just give me the Give me the point the bullet points and that's, that's the D that driver so yeah, well, for example, like even some of like when you're in the listing presentation you're trying to explain Okay, well, we have these electronic lock boxes that we put on, you have somebody that's an ion so we're putting electronic electronic lock boxes on for your, your safety and we're ensuring we know who's in the property at all times and what time they've been there and whatnot. Whereas when you see the DS in the, the C's, this is for speed and efficiency, we put them on not just for your safety, but so that you can they can call we can set up showings and get Unknown Speaker  28:00 In and out, yeah. So it's how you word it to where you can tailor your business to it. I love that you know that you're identifying those things. And I think if you're doing a listing presentation in print, you need to, you know, if you've got multiple top urba a point you're trying to cover with what you just said, you want to speak to the analytical, you want to speak to all four of those personality styles in your presentation so that it's not like all bullet points. And it's not like all touchy feely crap, because you're gonna lose somebody, but if you can connect them occasionally throughout the process, I think it's really important. That's a great tip. Thank you. So Erin, if people are looking to buy some real estate in Oahu or they need help with a luxury property, a resort property or anything on the on the island, you cover the whole island, right? We cover the whole island and I say we because I mean, we have agents all over the island. We have exceptional agents and you know, some really identify with other markets more than others. Unknown Speaker  29:00 And we have our experts wherever you need answers we are you have questions, we have answers. Perfect. How do they get ahold of you? Unknown Speaker  29:09 They can call me on my cell phones 808-292-5722 or I don't know I guess if he knows easier as well. Would you like my email address? Let's give it up. All right, Erin e ri n at sea to one as in century 21 b two, one island. home.com. Perfect. Thank you, Erin. And if anybody's got any referrals going out to Oahu, by all means give Erin a call center several folks and she just does an amazing job with customer service and customer care, which is our number one concern always we want our clients in the care of if anybody is out there listening for the first time if you would just be so kind as to review our show. If you're listening for the 10th time and you haven't reviewed our show, I would appreciate that. It means so much when we get reviews on whatever Unknown Speaker  30:00 Channel you're listening on, iTunes tends to be the most popular, or on YouTube as well. So please, that means it really helps us out with our ratings and our exposure to get those reviews. Also, if you're on Facebook, Unknown Speaker  30:15 go to Facebook search resort and Second Home Agents. We've got a group for a resort Second Home Agents on there, I'd love to have you join us on that group. We are growing rapidly. Also, if you are a resort, Second Home Agents go to our website resort. Second Home Agents calm Again, that's Second Home agents.com, two nd home agents and sign up there, create your district and be part of that group. As we start to build that site out. We sure appreciate it. And thank you so much for joining us today on Selling the Dream. And we hope to see you in Maui someday or in a Oahu Mm hmm. Well, thanks, Tom. I appreciate it. And you know, as soon as I hang up, I'm going to do my disc test again because I haven't done it about four years. Unknown Speaker  31:00 But since we opened the brokerage about two and a half years ago, I know I guarantee some things have changed. So I'm going to text you later with my results and be like Unknown Speaker  31:09 I'm still the same. Unknown Speaker  31:12 Everybody out there who says this is what I am if you had life changing, the other things that will change discussed, we're going back into the show here. having kids Yeah, kids eating you because it changes your perspective. You know, and, and I think they say take your disc test as if you're at work or at home. There's two different kinds of personalities that exist as well in your disc. So knowing the difference in that I just find it to be such a fat fat. Yeah, fantastic tool. The other thing I've been hearing a lot about lately is the enneagram. And I haven't done that yet. Unknown Speaker  31:47 But so that's the next thing. I'm that I'm going to take a look at. So anyway, I have an agent in my office that she's a coach for it either keep up with her because she's been reading every gram yeah for enneagram since she did a session Unknown Speaker  32:00 With our agents in our office, so it's interesting how you can relate it back to your business. So she her contact info. Yeah, that would be great. Unknown Speaker  32:08 So everybody out there again, thanks for keeping insane with us on Selling the Dream. We sure appreciate you joining us and we'll talk to you next week. Take care. Oh Ha, lo hi Erin.

You may have heard this quote from John Maxwell: “Change is inevitable, but growth is optional.” This is such a great quote, and so applicable as we’re all changing and adapting in response to this global pandemic! Growth is absolutely critical through this process! How are you growing? What steps are you taking to make sure that you don’t just change, but that you grow through this? Take advantage of this situation to stretch yourself, and challenge yourself! Learn new skills, master new technologies! Use this time to embrace growth! This week on the Tip Tuesday episode of the Selling the Dream podcast, I’m here to challenge you to take time to grow in the middle of change! Thanks for joining us on Selling the Dream - we wouldn’t be where we are without you listening, and giving your feedback! Make sure that you give us a rating and review on iTunes: that would mean the world to me, and will help us get even more amazing guests on our Friday episodes of the show. Highlights of this episode: Change is inevitable, growth is optional! During COVID-19, we’ve all had to change! But are you growing during that change? I’d like to encourage you to take time to grow! We can’t change things, but we can make the choice to grow! We can be better spouses, parents, and even grow in our knowledge and abilities! Take advantage of the time that you have to grow! This is going to be a long journey, and we can equip ourselves to be successful! Join our 2nd Home Agents Facebook group and create connections! (link below) Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. If there’s ever a topic that you’d like to hear us cover on the podcast, just send me a message: my contact information is below. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling real estate: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!   _______________   Tom Tezak  0:00 Today on Selling the Dream, change is inevitable. Growth is optional. Welcome to Selling the Dream, a podcast created for and by second home and resort realtors on Tom Tezak. And each week my goal is to bring you a quick real estate tip along with an infopath interview with an industry rock shop. My mission is to bring the cutting edge market insight into sales techniques and information about the latest technology. Thanks for tuning in. And remember, we're not selling real estate, Selling the Dream. Everybody, Tom Tezak with Selling the Dream and today's Tuesday Tip inspired by a famous speaker john Maxwell and his quote is, change is inevitable. Growth is optional. And I think it's such a great quote to use today and coming out and coming through COVID-19 and seeing people during the course of their careers and their lives and their business. and their families face changing because we have to we don't have a choice to change right now. It's inevitable, as john Maxwell said long ago, before COVID-19 hit. But growth is so critically important through all of this. It is up to you to take this change, figure out how you can do better things. Take advantage of the situation and the opportunity, the scenario and maximize that to make yourself a better person to make yourself a better realtor, to make yourself even more importantly, a better father, husband, wife, whatever that is through the course of these changes, and embrace it, because we can't change it. But we can work on our growth and learn how to make the best out of a situation if you're challenged with showing real estate because your clients aren't in here, then figure out how to show real estate digitally figure out how to get online and do it. We have All the technology that we need to show properties to do what we need to do as realtors to list properties, take advantage of it. And if you think oh my gosh, it's hard or I'm afraid, you just need to embrace it. Spend some time, do some research, follow some podcasts, follow some tech seminars, and learn how to do this. You've all been working on it, I know. But you just need to realize it's not going to go away. Things are not going to change overnight. It's going to be a long journey. And we need to be prepared to be on that journey. To do the best job we can. Your clients are out there, they want to buy real estate, they want to sell real estate, be the resource that says, I'm here for you in this crazy time. And I'm embracing all new technologies to help you be successful. So, for Selling the Dream, remember we don't just sell real estate we are selling the dream and embrace change and don't be afraid to grow.

Are you working in a resort market? If so, then you probably have seen the division in a resort market: there’s your typical real estate, and then there’s the high end luxury real estate. It’s hard to break into that “club” of realtors who work in the high end luxury market, but this week, we’re hearing from three people who did! Not only did they break into the luxury markets, but they also were able to be excellent at it! This week, we’re going to hear from three people who: Were able to create an “in” to the market Became experts in what it takes to make 7 and 8 figure sales Understand the mindset of their clientele These are huge, and once you start to understand how you can do those three things, you’ll be able to break into the ultra high luxury market in your area! Join us this week for our replay of our monthly mastermind meeting, where I talk to some of the top agents working in resort markets. We’re talking to Anne Eliason, Dennis Hanlon, and Angela Zampino about how they broke into the market! Not only are they dominating the regular markets where they work, they have broken into the top-tier luxury markets! If you’re missing get-togethers with industry leaders, and thinking about breaking into the ultra luxury market, you won’t want to miss this week’s episode of the Selling the Dream podcast! Before we dive in: join an amazing network of the best second home agents. Make sure that you create your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces the August mastermind group meeting, the topic of discussion, and who will be sharing this month. Anne shares how she got into the market in Kauai. Anne leveraged her relationships to help make her big break: you never know when a person will decide it’s time to buy! Because of trust, that buyer purchased a 10 million dollar home, sight unseen. Mail marketing was another part of Anne’s strategy. Talk about your success! When you’ve earned the sale, talk about it! Show people that you are the one to pick. Dennis shares how he got into the luxury real estate market. When Dennis started selling real estate, there wasn’t a luxury market in his area! Angela broke into the market when she reached out to one of the top agents in the area and connected with them. The group talks about knowing your market, and what’s most important to your potential buyers. Pick an area, and learn the ins and outs of it. Make yourself the go-to expert! You can’t be an expert on everything, so pick something and become the expert! Each of the experts talk about what market they serve best, and how they allocate marketing efforts. Ultra high end real estate isn’t about marketing dollars: it’s about building relationships. Go where your ideal client is: be at the golf course, the country club. Get to know them well, and understand them. Anne shares how she uses tools like the iPad Pro in her business to help educate clients. Don’t be intimidated by all the high production content - just get out there and make it happen! If you do need to get into high production media, look at it as an investment into the sale of the property, whether it be a video, or drone footage! Other agents serving other areas aren’t competition: look at them as coworkers. Build your network so you can send referrals! Make sure that you build that network authentically and personally. Understand the perspective of those who buy in the ultra luxury market: money doesn’t matter, they want what they want, when they want it. Everyone shares what they did when they got their first big check and their best advice for breaking into the market. Don’t forget to subscribe to the Selling the Dream podcast so you don’t miss any new episodes! Leave a review: you never know when it will be read on the show! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Sign up for a trial with Bomb Bomb and get a free eBook from me! Just let me know you’ve signed up, and I’ll send a free copy of Ethan Beute’s book! Connect with our panelists: Anne Eliason Dennis Hanlon Angela Zampino Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube EXCLUSIVE Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube Have you made your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE. Click here to register, make your profile and get listed today. As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream. See you next time!   TRANSCRIPT: Unknown Speaker  0:00 Welcome to Selling the Dream, a podcast created for and by second home and resort realtor on Tom Tezak. And each week my goal is to bring you a quick real estate tip along with an infopath interview with an industry Rockstar. My mission is to bring this cutting edge marketing tried and true sales and information about the latest technology. Thanks for tuning in. And remember, we're not selling real estate selling. Unknown Speaker  0:28 And good morning, everybody, Tom Tezak and with Second Home Agents, and we're doing our resort our mastermind for how to bust into the luxury resort market. So there's a lot of us that are in resort markets. And then there's a luxury part of that resort market. And I just think it's fascinating to see the difference even within a resort market, how you tap into that luxury place. I know in my world, there were a few agents that sort of dominated that market and it was hard club to break into. So I want to do bring in some different agents one agent Angela is MP No, she's from Scottsdale she was in it is a team but now she's trying to re enter it on her own brand. And any Ellison is in Hawaii. She moved to Hawaii about eight years ago and quickly made her way right into the luxury market. And everybody started looking and saying who the heck is this chick? And she's made a great name for herself in the high end market. Dennis Hanlon. Dennis handlin Hanlon is in Salt Lake City. And I just heard somebody heard Unknown Speaker  1:32 parkson, not Salt Lake City Park Unknown Speaker  1:34 City. And he is been in the service industry and been in the resort market for years and years, created some resort groups through the mountain states, and just really has done some great stuff for the resort industry, real estate industry as well as in the ski resort marketplace. So give you an overview. But why don't you take it from the top. Let's start with Annie and he's got to bail off the call in a little bit. So let's start with Annie and sort of what you did to bust into the, into the resort luxury market. Unknown Speaker  2:09 So my big move in the resort luxury market was that I reached out to a guy that I had worked for was very successful. And I said, I'm on kawaii now selling real estate. And because of our relationship, I sent him a card that said that because of our relationship, he immediately called me back and said, I've always wanted to buy on Hawaii. I just never knew anyone I could trust. And with as a lot of you know, that work in resort markets. I mean, you can work with your clients for 235 years before anything happens. But within a year, he had bought a home a beachfront home on Hawaii, sight unseen for over $10 million. Unknown Speaker  2:57 So that was a party Unknown Speaker  3:01 That, that that has never happened on Hawaii for someone to buy in that price point, sight unseen. But it was really based on our relationship of trust and an opportunity, right? There was an opportunity that I sought by the house. I mean, he really sold it a few years later, I made it almost $3 million on it. So, Unknown Speaker  3:26 right. Yeah. Unknown Speaker  3:29 So it's always good to cultivate relationships with people who like real estate, and who like to buy and sell. Because they understand that opportunity, as well. So if you can, if you find an opportunity, and you can present it to someone like that, and they know they can trust you, then they'll act on it. So the more of those relationships you can have, the more business you can do. How did Unknown Speaker  3:56 you capitalize on that first big sale in the first year because I think That's part of the key is that's just it's just not doing the sale. It's then how do you manage that? Unknown Speaker  4:06 Well, within a few years, I think it was maybe two or three years later, I did heavy mail marketing to people who owned oceanfront properties. And I think it was within two years. I was the number one agent for beachfront property on quite so I did a lot of mailers and I did a lot of phone calls. Unknown Speaker  4:33 Or how would you find them Unknown Speaker  4:34 because as you know, you can do something really tremendous. But if you if everyone doesn't know about it, then it doesn't matter. Unknown Speaker  4:43 Right? Because I remember you think I think you told me stories. You're all excited. It's like Hey, everybody, look at me I did this. And it was like what nobody was looking at me. Right? So All right, cool. Angela. How about you can What can you tell us about your you know, that going into that first big sale, whether it was with your teammate or how you guys pulled it off, and then what you capitalize and how you did it. Unknown Speaker  5:04 Okay. Yeah, sure. I actually came out of the corporate world, I have a whole nother career behind me. I was in the corporate world for 18 years, I had a security clearance worked for the US government, NASA projects at the International Space Station astronauts. So to come into real estate seemed really simple. I mean, I'm just going to sell a house compared to the things I was doing. But what I discovered is I was the worst realtor ever. Because I came from a world of everything's black and white. It's all about the numbers. And what I very quickly learned is that we're dealing with human beings, and we need to have more of a psychology degree behind this. And so I through a lot of stumbling, and a lot of mistakes, found myself to be tremendously better today. 15 years I started on April Fool's Day 2005. So I've now been in it 15 years and I feel I'm in a much better position and much better at working With the people. And my first deal came similar to me. I sent out cards, five parts. That's all. I was so nervous about being a realtor who's going to buy a house for me, I'm a brand new realtor. And I had a coach at the time. And he said, just write five cards, handwritten, saying, I'm new in real estate and some of your closest friends because they're the ones that are most gonna love and care about you and want to help you get started. And sure enough, right away I had I think my first one was maybe 1.6 million. And then I was at a $5 million horse ranch. And then I listed you know, a few more things and then I ended up with a $25 million mansion. So it just, it just happens through just net for me it was just all natural, going through friends going through referrals and people that authentically wanted to help me and connected me. So I was very fortunate that way by having good relationships. Unknown Speaker  6:54 What did you do to parlay that initial success? Unknown Speaker  6:57 Again, a mistake. I'm going to tell you all my mistakes I love it. Exactly. Like any said, you can do something great. But if you don't tell anybody, how are they going to know? And so my biggest mistake is when you do sell that first one. announce it, share it, you know, it's embarrassing. You don't want to just talk about yourself and brag about yourself. And that's, I think, a barrier A lot of people have, especially in the luxury market, you think Who am I? But it's really important that you start showing that you've earned your stripes shirt starts showing some kind of record of your successes, and I was far too quiet about it. So that was a key thing I would say is when you get your first one, make sure to talk about it. Unknown Speaker  7:39 I love it. Dennis, what about your face in there? Unknown Speaker  7:43 Well, as you alluded to, I started out in the skiba since I was a ski instructor in Deer Valley. I'm in Park City, Utah, the HOMO two World Class ski resorts, Deer Valley and Park City. I started in 1989 before we had million dollar sales, I'm a very entry Because listening to Angela and Andy talking about their first sale, the multimillion dollar sale. Park City didn't even have a billion dollar sale until the later 90s. And everybody was astounded at that point, somebody would pay a million dollars for a home. Wow, what is this all about? And now, of course, is just off the charts. So I was fortunate, as I said, I came from the seed business. So I relate to my ski clients. Much like what, what Angela just talked about is I sent out letters to them, Hey, you know, I'm in the real estate business now. And he had hit rock bottom bottom. I've tried every other business. Now back in real estate, you know, out of the gutter. Yeah, right, like the next step because hopefully not that, but now I'm doing this and fortunately you know, with that They were interested in key properties. As we talked about a few weeks ago, when I was a ski instructor, I would help people find properties, I'd advise them, Hey, this is a great new project on the ski mountain, this just developed, why don't you take a look at it. And so I was able to parlay that into my real estate career. And like everybody else is saying, then you have to let everybody know about it. My brokers got a saying, Here's as if you don't tell anybody about it, it didn't happen. So you've got to know that you've got to let everybody know that. And that's how I that's how I got sorted into it. Unknown Speaker  9:42 Perfect. Thanks, Dennis. And, you know, again, it's very common, it takes that one per first opportunity. You know, for me, it was crazy. I, I was new to the market. I was sitting floor duty on a Saturday afternoon our office wasn't even open on Saturdays. They said if you want to go there and work it was a terrible location but it was next to a Denny's and thinking I had work to do. So I went and sat for because I was, you know, hungry for opportunity. And it was three months when I was into the market into the business in Maui. Now I was. I've been doing well for 10 years in Illinois in a true blue collar market. And when I got there, I'm sitting this floor duty and this guy walks in with this gal with this ginormous hat on and he's got a jam shirt, which is a Hawaiian really colorful jam shirt on and he knows what that is. And he walks in Unknown Speaker  10:32 and he looks at me go Unknown Speaker  10:34 if you can show me something on the ocean that I like, I'll make your day and it was like, This is not for real. Well, it turns out that he was for real. I showed him property we negotiated we got beat out on a $4 million condo. Got sideswiped learned a lot and then ended up selling them a $7 million house a year later, but it was a great experience and you know, taking that experience and then just working my butt off and keeping in touch with them and making that happen. And that was my first foray into the market. But something else weird in the same time happened. I have run an ad right when I moved to Maui, ironically with that house that I sold that was listed with somebody else in our company. But I ran this ad and it was called castles magazine out of Naples, Florida. And they it was it was an $11 million house. And they ran the ad and they miss printed the copy and price for my listing with somebody else's. And it had it for seven $650,000 on this amazing ocean front house. And this guy calls me up and I had gotten four phone calls. And I was so apologetic, like oh my god, it was a mistake. I'm so sorry. I'm the fifth phone call. I realized, hey, these people are looking for oceanfront when they call me. So I said, Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. But what are you looking for? And so that turned into a client who flew out he says, Well I've got 13 properties in Naples. I buy ocean front. And I usually don't spend more than $5 million. And I'm going to come out and look. And he came out. And I showed him every single piece of real estate on the water in Maui. And I had no idea. But by doing that, every agent that had the listings, got to know who I was. So that allowed me at least exposure into that market, which was pretty, pretty amazing to that to this day. He's still my client. 20 years later, 19 years later, I've got he's got $18 million worth of real estate on Maui. And it's all for sale if you want to buy some. So anyways, Unknown Speaker  12:35 story like that, Tom. And I think one of the things that we're going to come up with a lot today is this, the big thing is show up is just to be there. And it was a Christmas Day 2000 I was I would see up on the mountain in my office happens to be right on the resort. And I had come down and I was sitting on my desk Christmas Day or offices close. But since we're right on the mountain, I kept on My ski equipment was right there in the office. Perfect workout. Take a couple of runs at lunchtime, come back. So I'm sitting at my desk just relaxing about two o'clock in the afternoon after a ski day. took up my ski suit. I'm sitting at my desk in my turtleneck, longer underwear. And this lady walks in. fortunate enough, I kept the door open. She comes in from Mexico City. happens to be her family is Corona beer. Oh, wow. No idea at the time. And she starts talking to me about real estate. Here I am in the turtleneck, long underwear. Talking to this lady found real estate Five days later. Have you owned a $5 million home with your family? I love it. Unknown Speaker  13:43 That's it just being there is is the key is being able to talk about the inventory too. And that's one of the things I don't have in our question list. But I guess that's a great, let's segue right into that knowing the inventory. Angela, Annie, what do you guys do to keep on top of the inventory? I think Angela, you're in a way bigger. marketplace in an era or dentists. But so what are you guys doing to to know the product? Unknown Speaker  14:07 Well, in our area, we're very similar to Los Angeles, I'm in Phoenix metro, and you can go from town to town to town and not even know you're crossing borders. So for me, it's very important to know who the specific client is and where they're focused. Because for me to pull the numbers can be drastically different from one town to the other one price point to another. So I think the first conversation is the most important because we need to be to show our knowledge, we are the market experts, but what's the market? That's the question, what is the market for that specific person? And Unknown Speaker  14:42 that's great. You know, I'm in a tiny, tiny market. And so one of the things that's really important is knowing the history of every property, right, especially now, so many people have pulled their homes off to the market and on quiet because of COVID and visit are unable to come here right now without doing a 14 day quarantine. So it's knowing every house that whether it's officially on the market for sale or not, what is for sale I am working on three different off market deals, right. One is one is with my own listing and two are not but they were properties that were on the market so I know they're probably still for sale. So really knowing the history of every property and knowing what it has to offer your your buyer clients if that's who you're looking for. Because then you can go back and you can say, I know they're not going to see anything online they like but I remember that house that was for sale a couple of years ago, and they would love that house. So I'm going to I'm going to find out if that house is still for sale. Right. Unknown Speaker  15:52 Dennis How about you? What do you what are you doing this? I mean, I don't I think your markets relatively small sort of like our Hawaii markets. Unknown Speaker  15:59 Very versatile. Right We are permanent population is 5000 people. Unknown Speaker  16:04 So what are you doing to grab the grasp of the inventory? Do you guys have caravans or dam broker opens? Or Unknown Speaker  16:09 what do we definitely have broker open houses? And you know, for somebody breaking in, I gave you a lot of thought to your topic here of how do you break into the market? And you have to know the inventory as everybody is talking about. You have to know the inventory. But what I did, and I think, if I was to counsel somebody, how do you get into the luxury market? And I would give them this advice. This is what I did. I picked an area neighborhood and I became the expert in that neighborhood. I became the go to person. I knew all about the HOA I knew what the issues were the HOA as Andy just talked about. I knew about homes that were on the market a year or two before but had come on. What is sold by for sale by owner. agents were calling me Hey Dennis. I have a plan looking at this neighborhood, you're the person to go to on this, tell me about it. And I think that that's how that's a really a great way to break into it. You can't know you're, you can't become an expert on everything. So pick something become the person that everybody wants to talk to about it, including the owners. And then you can expand. Got Unknown Speaker  17:26 it. And you know, and I think that are on this call that are on in bigger cities, these things that you're talking about, we could never do here. I mean, when we have every property, so like right now, for example, there are 882 Homes For Sale over a million dollars, just in my area. There's no way you could about 882 homes, and of those 45 of them only have two bedrooms. So we're just so for us to break into the luxury market. We are not super competitive. I can tell you I work in one of the best offices and We have the top agents and we are not fighting against each other, we're actually helping each other, there's a lot there's plenty to go around. So it's just really a matter of for the person that you meet, are you the best, most informed person that you can be for that person standing in front of you? I don't worry about the other agents. You know, it's really not it's not really a factor. Unknown Speaker  18:22 I love it. I you know, and that's a different and everybody is in different markets. And that's why I'm glad we have Angela in here because you're seeing it from like, wow, this is a totally different path. You know, one of the things that I did when I first got here and I told my my broker at that point is like, Look, I want to break into the luxury market. He said, it's really hard to break into the luxury market because it's a it's at that point, it was this little old boy and old girl network. And they were five agents that just dominated it. And you they didn't want anybody else in at their party. But what he said was, and I love this idea and it worked, he said, pick up the phone and call the top Agents and tell them you would love to take them to lunch. He says, because once you know them and they know you and they know that you're smart, and you're a great agent, even though you're new to the market, when you need help when you need to find out what's available, like Annie was talking about, we have so much property that is off market, because the clients will say, hey, if you can find me a buyer and it's not even it's not this clear, you know, the new rules we have for MLS, it's these are clients that have a relationship with it, just say, Hey, you know, if I got the right price, if I was, if you had somebody I'd be interested in selling it. But there's, you know, I can call now a dozen agents and say, What do you have, and when I make that phone call, I'll find another eight properties that nobody knows about. But, but they won't tell you unless they know you. And so I think that that's so important to just take that leap if you want to bust into the resort market, Unknown Speaker  19:50 get out there. You know, Unknown Speaker  19:53 get to know the agents that are really doing that market and and treat them the lunchroom to dinner, whatever. It is what They are passionate, take them out golfing, and pay for everything. Because it will make a difference. And he is that what are you thinking about? I think it's the same thing in your world, right? Unknown Speaker  20:11 It's just going to add, you know, I love what everyone has said. And part part of what we've all said is you have to know your market. So you know, what works on a tiny market is different than what works in a huge market. So know your markets. That's, you know, pivot to where, like Tom went, and he went to lunch with all the top agents to pivot to where your market is figure, figure out, what's the best approach in this market, Unknown Speaker  20:40 and know that some agents won't talk to you so they won't give you the time of day, but some of them some of them are super gracious and super helpful to do that. And, you know, you just work with whatever you can work with. So let me let's talk about marketing, because I think that I know my marketing for my luxury is substantially more elaborate than My marketing for my traditional market let me actually let me step one back place back. There are some agents that only work in the luxury market and there are other agents that have kids in college after pay for that work any market they can get. That would be me. Let me ask Angela Do you work all range of market are you work strictly luxury luxury? Unknown Speaker  21:18 I work everything. And yeah, all price ranges and I'm going back into luxury at this point in time. So Unknown Speaker  21:26 any of my marketing dollars are always targeted towards luxury, but I do a lot of referral business. And those relationships are so important to me that if it's if it's something if it's something that comes to me naturally or through a referral, they get everything I have, but my marketing dollars are specifically for luxury business. I love Unknown Speaker  21:47 it. Dennis Unknown Speaker  21:49 yfc think my marketing dollars go towards the high end properties. But like Annie, I have big referral network and also a $50,000 A $200,000 condo, happily is a $10 million house, Unknown Speaker  22:04 God and I do I actually market it. And I have a marketing plan for my online business. And I have a marketing plan for my luxury business. two totally different plans, and two totally different systems. But I do both. So. So anyway, back to marketing for looks for luxury. What do you guys, Angela, what is your plan to do or what are you doing? Unknown Speaker  22:27 So I'm in business coaching with Tom Ferry group. Unknown Speaker  22:30 Let me interject. Somebody asked who's in coaching and how long have we been coaching? So I'm Unknown Speaker  22:34 with Tom Ferry, I've been there. I want to say it's three years now. And right, it's a great to have someone that you're talking to weekly, that is going to help you stay focused on a path. You know, it's very easy in our business to get distracted, you know, 20 days from Sunday, right? So, I've appreciated having him in my court. But yeah, it's a very different thing when, for me, I have to say my numbers are 90% Repeat referral clients I have not been advertising at all. Like, like, at all. So so but Unknown Speaker  23:08 so your marketing plan then has been to Unknown Speaker  23:10 to work your sphere Unknown Speaker  23:12 100% Okay, that's the plan. Well, yeah, but I'm not as far as going after new business. You know this is going to be I'm gonna be starting a new a new tactic for that. But of my past I was like, similar to Dennis and Annie is because my network is so strong. I'm going to weddings, I'm going to funerals I'm Unknown Speaker  23:33 anybody's wedding. Unknown Speaker  23:34 Anybody know. Unknown Speaker  23:36 I mean, I just mean we become friends like I am. Family, you know, you sell the kids a house and now the parents want to buy a house from you. And now they're 10 sending you to their cousin. And that has been my business honestly. So I you know, as far as the topic of marketing, I have not really been doing that. So I've been doing more of constant in touch past clients, very personal and very authentic. For me Unknown Speaker  24:01 I would this is about new marketing, what Unknown Speaker  24:05 are your What are you marketing? How are you doing your, your marketing to get listings. So Unknown Speaker  24:11 this has been that I do spend a lot of marketing dollars, but in the ultra high end, it really is more about relationships and personal referrals, whether you know, wherever those are from they can come from agents, they can come from people that the person knows, but a personal some kind of personal connection Trumps anything. in marketing, when you're spending your marketing dollars, you're kind of, in my opinion going for like the one off like the person who opens the magazine and says, Oh, yes, that is the house I want and calls you up and buys the house. But usually, they've been there for a while, or they've been visiting the place for a while. They talk to someone and that person says oh you should call me because of ABC and then they and then you get the call. That way. So it's really about your relationships and your customer service. How, how good are you how good your clients know you are, you know, it's really about working your referral and your your sphere of influence. Yeah. Unknown Speaker  25:17 That is about Yeah. A lot of marketing to a golf course community to see and golf course community in the area here. And part of the thing that I did, I joined as a member. And one of the things that helped me the most is just going to social events being out there. They have a component on the ski area, or lounge area, we go in for breakfast and lunch and I make a point of going into The Breakfast Club every day. The people the members who are there get to know me, and then they're having breakfast they go, Hey, Dennis, what's happening in the market, usually from out of town, what's been selling, what's not selling. I become the person that they want to talk to that they want to see. And I do A marketing piece to live and tap into. But this is what it's you see, it's a real estate market and its quarterly. And on the inside, I do a little blurb about what's happening in the market, what's happening with the area. And then I do a comparison of sales this year to last year. For the same time period, now I have a map and I've marked where all the sales have them. And of course, on the back is my advertisement. So what this is, is this is information to the people. It's not just, Hey, I'm Dennis Hanlon, I'm the greatest agent in the world, universal parallel universes, use me, but here's something that's information informative to you. I see people having this and they come in and go against I really liked your piece there. Talk to me about that home that sold recently. It was in my neighborhood. And I think the best The biggest thing that you can do in marketing is gifting information. And I'm sorry, go ahead. I said you give them something that's useful. They a lot of more out account owners, they're not here, they sure want to know about their area. Unknown Speaker  27:13 Right. And I think that's really great. I do a similar product where the pictures and arrows and pictures and information on a map. And what I think it's hard for, you know, in a traditional market, everybody knows who lives next door knows where the next street over is, but in a, in a resort market, they know right where their houses that, and they don't necessarily know the other locations, even though they're around the corner. So giving them that overview and a map, most most of them are 67% of Americans are visual learners. And by putting it in, in a map format, they can see why that house was more money, why that condo was less money because of the location and the orientation and the views. So by doing that, it's a huge benefit. And I agree with you I've had a lot of people say I still have every map you've ever sent me, you know, and I do. That's what I'm saying I do the maps for my traditional market. But then I do a much more elaborate map with photos of each of the houses on on the entire ocean front in the South Melbourne marketplace. And let me let me know, Unknown Speaker  28:15 it's gonna add one thing I have to leave early, unfortunately. But one thing I've done in real time with maps is I bought an iPad Pro, it's largest iPad. And so when I'm working with buyer clients who aren't familiar with Hawaii, and they're like, well, how close is this to this so that I can just pull it up on a satellite view, and show them exactly where they are exactly where the grocery store is why this house sold for this much, but this house right over here sold for twice as much. You know, it gives them a real time information and it really does. I've closed at least three deals of doing this. Unknown Speaker  28:54 Because when you're when you're sitting with them in person or just on screen sharing, Unknown Speaker  28:58 when we're when we're sitting They're in person, sometimes even when we're out looking, and they're just trying to get have a better grasp of where they are, you know, if you if you have your iPad with you and you can just pull it up. You know, it answers questions they don't even know they have, but they're trying to like, process the information. Unknown Speaker  29:18 And I think that's great because as we said, they, you know, they they know they come on to these places on vacation, they go to their favorite hotel, or their favorite condo, they go to their favorite ski hill, but they outside of that they're, you know, they just don't do that much traveling. And so they giving them that information, how far the grocery stores how far the airport is on, you know, that's part of my schpeel is, well, the grocery store, you know, Home Depot, Target, and Costco, those are the three things that become important when you live here when your guests matter. And you need to have that information I think is is helpful for them to get comfortable with what they're buying. Any I know you got to chat with your mayor, because you're Unknown Speaker  29:57 so cool. Unknown Speaker  29:59 Thank you for joining That's right. And if anybody has any questions for anybody, please chime in. We'd love to have you ask any questions you might have of anybody except for Annie because she's leaving. But we'll get the question to her if you've got or. So let's, let's go to, you know, then we're talking about marketing. One of the thing that I wanted to share is when I get a listing, and it's a high end listing, I look at that as an opportunity. Even if it's an opportunity to let all the other owners know the kind of marketing I do that's far more elaborate than anybody else. So when you're doing marketing, my attitude is always you should know what everybody else is marketing or whatever everybody else is creating. So have your clients be sending you the information that they're getting in their inbox, or in their mailbox. I always have one of my clients who sends me every email he gets from another agent. It comes to me so I see what they're saying. I also have clients that will give me all of their print marketing when it comes in the mail so that I can see how everybody else is marketing to the luxury market. My attitude is my stuff doesn't need, I don't need, I only need to spend as much money to be better than everything else. So you can spend all the money in the world on media and marketing. But you need to be use some kind of budgeting. One of the things that I do is share with is, it's a luxury. It's a 16 page glossy brochure. And inside of it, we create a video, and we put the video on a CD. Now that's old school. So now, what we'll be doing is putting it on a jump drive on a credit card that'll go inside of this, and it just tells the story of the house. And I think when we're marketing, we need to create the story. We need to create the avatar who the buyer is going to be and then design our marketing or video all around who we think is going to buy it. Because if we market to everybody we market to no one. So there was we have a narrow list of talking about video and who's doing video and so that's where it's leading me is creating a video on where I've just listed a real estate high end property, but it's got some, as every property has some shortcomings. It's not a family house. So when we do the video, we've decided we're going to do it just a couple, and we're just going to show it like how they would live in the house so that somebody because I think it's going to be just a couple buying it or a single person. So we're going to create that video all around that buyer. And if it's grandma and grandpa with 27 kids, they're gonna look at this video and said, that is not a house that I want to buy and we're gonna say great, because we don't want to try to appeal to everybody. So Angela, dentists are you guys doing video? And and if so, what are you guys doing? And how are you marketing it in utilizing it? For you, Unknown Speaker  32:41 Angela? Yeah. Unknown Speaker  32:43 Okay for me, I have. I think a lot of people get intimidated. There's some really high production incredible videos out there. I don't know how much money some of these people are spending. Especially if you're in Tom Ferry, you see some pretty incredible, incredibly talented, talented people out And I would just caution, it's better to do something than nothing. And the iPhones now are so good. I'm sitting here with one of these, you know, ring lights in front of me right now you can buy some very simple things on Amazon. There are a lot of great groups on Facebook that you can, if you contact me separately, I can connect you with some that'll help you and say, what kind of microphone should you buy? What's the good thing that you can attach to your iPhone that has a little ring light on your iPhone, there are lots of great products and lots of great realtors in other markets that are completely willing to share the information. So I would encourage you to be very networked with your Facebook groups online with agents and other cities just like we're doing right here. Unknown Speaker  33:40 Right. And you know that one group that I'm familiar with is art. tv. Yes, they're fantastic. does a great job. Great. Unknown Speaker  33:47 Amazing. Thank you. It's fun. Love you. Yes. Unknown Speaker  33:52 So Dennis, how you doing video and what are you doing? Unknown Speaker  33:56 Definitely doing video trimming do video of all the list scenes that we have. And then our company does a lot of signification of that as well getting it out yourself with this company with this network. That's been very, very effective. I love to do that. Unknown Speaker  34:12 Yeah. And I know Sotheby's has some rules and what Cindy what Unknown Speaker  34:15 the very Unknown Speaker  34:17 finite rules on how they syndicate some of their stuff. So you've got to be careful if you're going to start going into video, check with your brokerage, check with your franchise if your franchise and if you want it to get the kind of exposure that they can give you. It's got to fall within their guidelines. So I know that's an issue and how that works. And different markets have different, you know, qualities and levels of videographers and cinematography. I know that because we have an amazingly beautiful place. We do a lot of really great video in our market. And I'm a big fan of it. And like I said, we actually wrote, my videographer and myself wrote a story we wrote the entire storyline created a storyboard so that we can do the process and that is That's probably going to cost, you know, between photos and videos, five or six or 7000 bucks, but it's a $17 million listing. So, and it gives me a tool. And that's what I like to point out. It gives me that tool that I can put in front of the other couple hundred luxury owners that lets them see that, wow, this, this agent is marketing much differently than everybody else's. Unknown Speaker  35:23 I don't know if you guys use drones, I would think Tom and you're probably in both of your areas, when you've got a view is very worthwhile to spend that extra something to get a drone up there. And there are tons of people doing it. You can hire for a very reasonable price. I don't do it on all my properties, but on the ones that truly do have something worth showing. It's worth spending that extra time and money doing that. Well, you know, Unknown Speaker  35:47 that's what, Unknown Speaker  35:48 go ahead. Don't we do the drones also, not only for the view, as Angela was saying, but also to show the proximity to the resort. Yep. I think that's important. Yeah, that's really an important. Unknown Speaker  36:02 So yeah, I know that we'll be doing and in fact, for this new listing, I've got my, my high end videographer is not available right now. And I need to get the paper to stuff on. So I'm actually going to do two photo shoots, I'm going to do a young new kid who's just coming in with a drone and do all of that that's going to happen on Thursday morning. And then I've got my architectural photographer coming in probably at the end of the month with my, my models and my talent. And we'll we'll just do it all over again. Because I think it's in the more content people say, I've got one video and I'm done. My attitude anymore is, man, create the video. For the big picture, create the picture, the video just about the stove. It's a $45,000 stove in the south, I'm going to do a video just about the stove. Because so the person who cares about that, it's going to be something they don't see anywhere else. So don't, don't you know, videos are so powerful, but they can be such a waste of energy. And if they're long, nobody will watch them. That's my other take, you know, on the whole process. What are your guests any other thoughts on other marketing ideas of what you're doing Dennis that just clicked like boom do this do this. Yeah. Unknown Speaker  37:10 And again again you know, with our topic of how do you break into this into the luxury resort market network and it NAR NAR has a resort committee resort forums at their conventions. Your your brokerage lobby if you happen to be part of a national brokerage went to their conventions has so much business from other agents from out state. Get to know them. Hey, Dennis, I've got a clan movie The Park City Can you help them that's a fabulous way to get into it. And it's so overwhelming. Unknown Speaker  37:50 And and Dennis I think this group right here the second home resort and Second Home Agents have created it because of that I felt that the RSP s group in nr was They really didn't do anything. And that's why my goal was to create this second home resort group independently and create those opportunities for for all of us to network amongst us, because I know that most of my high end I mean, I'm so you know, million dollar properties, that's my average sale, but that's just the nice property. But most of my four or five 610 $15 million clients, they, every single one of them owns more than two properties, they own three or four. And they the their primary residence is where they live. But the other three properties are in ski areas, resort areas, you know, urban areas. So, us as a group, we should be talking to our clients saying, Hey, are you thinking about buying a third or fourth or fifth home because I have got a huge network of, you know, hundreds of people all across the country and I use this all the time when I'm talking to my clients now, to let them know that I'm resource and with this group, we are a resource and that's what's so, so positive in this and it's not just For our super high end Lux clients, but for all of our clients that wouldn't want to have a ski resort, they want to have a beach resort or Golf Resort or golf property. And Unknown Speaker  39:09 Janice as well, when I was saying I don't do a lot of advertising of myself, you know, out to the public, it's through things like this. I am ncrs I am envy and I and Tom Ferry. I'm in groups like this, you know, it's all about this network of realtors more than anything. Unknown Speaker  39:27 Right. And yeah, go ahead. Exactly. You know, when I started the resort Alliance back in the 90s. I got to know everybody in the hotel resorts I can call. If I have somebody who wants to find a home in Breckenridge, I don't go to person that Jackson Hole, Lake Tahoe. I know somebody who should want to lose resorts or somebody comes to me and says, you know, hey, I'm thinking about buying a home in Park City but I also want to take a look at Aspen or Vail or Jackson. All right, let me put you in touch with Somebody there that I know personally that can help you. That just gives more credence to you. We're not competitors to each other. We're, we're co co workers. Unknown Speaker  40:11 Right? And that's important, you know, to work together and have your network. And I think it really helps when you are talking to somebody, and immediately they say, Oh, I'm thinking about Maui. I'm thinking about Koi, I'm thinking about Phoenix. You can say, Oh, yeah, I know, Angela, she's an amazing agent over there, boom, just like that. So I think that really helps to be that have that ability to know people and being involved in that whatever network it is, whether it's, you know, rsps whether it's Sotheby's has got a group, in the resort, second home group, whatever that is being active in it is so important to keep that to build your network and to build the people you know, and be able to talk. Unknown Speaker  40:55 Similarly, but different would be more on a personal level. Once you have this. potential clients sitting in front of you to make being able to make a personal connection with them is key. The authenticity is key. They're not just sell, sell. Use me use me. I'm the best realtor ever. It's more of Where are you going on vacation this year? Oh, you've been to Vail. I've been to Vail and you start talking about the restaurant on such and such Street. I can tell you because of my past career, because of the past places I've lived because of traveling to these conferences, to me, nine times out of 10 if I've got someone sitting in front of me, I don't care how much money they have or don't have, I'm going to be able to connect with them in some way for something very personal. Because I'm educated, I have been well traveled, there's going to be something something that you're going to be able to connect with them. So the more questions you ask about them and less about you less about you and just listen, and that you're going to find something and then there's going to be a natural connection with them and they're going to be this the whole key of this is that they will trust you. Once you build trust. You know if they tell you what their ideas are in selling their You may completely disagree with this idea that they have in their head, but just once people to trust then circle back around to that, and start tackling these things that they told you that you didn't necessarily agree with because now they're going to listen to you. Unknown Speaker  42:15 I think that trust us, it's all about trust. Unknown Speaker  42:18 You know, one of the one of the things and I was just as an add him think about this earlier boat, look, think about what, where your head's got to be at to bust into the luxury mindset. And I'm talking ultra luxury. I'm not talking about somebody who works hard, and they're buying a property. I'm talking about talking to that millionaire billionaire and being able to be on their level and as a realtor, as the guy who grew up in a blue collar community white, you know, worked and lived in a family that was a service industry. And everything about money was important. I had to justify and rationalize everything and I the early in my career in Maui, I was talking to a guy and I was trying to rationalize and justify being a member of the Golf Association because He could golf 28 times. And it would be essentially that every every golf game from there was free. And he put his hand up in my face. He said, Tom, just stop, and I couldn't I just kept wanting to talk and talk and talk, tell him why he should do this. And, and he said, Tom, you don't get it, Tom, when I want to you, what you don't understand is when I want to golf, he goes, I belong to two country clubs in Denver. And each one of them cost me around $60,000. And I might golf at each one of them two or three times a year. What you need to understand is, when I want to golf, I don't want to have to wait. And it took me two days to really understand what he was saying. what he was saying was, the money is not relevant to me. I just want what I want. And I think that's the biggest takeaway I've ever had in my luxury career is when you're talking to that buyer. we so often focus on the dollars because that's what's important to us. But it's not necessarily what's important to them. For those buyers, those billionaires who can buy whatever they want, or those millionaires who can buy whatever they want. It's really about, I don't want to have to wait. I don't want I want what I want. I don't want to have to deal with it. I don't want the headaches, where's the easy button, just take care of it, tell me what I should buy. There are buyers that are like that out there. And you need to be able to hear that when they're talking to you. So that for me, that's been my biggest takeaway in my career. Because when you can change your attitude on how you talk to them, and you can connect with them and understand and you'll make, I think you'll you'll that's one of the most powerful steps get into busting into that market. Unknown Speaker  44:39 You know, I'll give you another plug here because that said is so absolutely perfect. Neither friend was she was a buyer for for the club, you know, the ski shop, very, very good ski shop here. And every fall she would have to train her new salespeople and these people, these kids We're just working for, you know wages. And you could buy you could buy a North Face jacket for $500. Or you could buy a boat your jacket for $5,000. And she had to train them to stop shopping with their wallet. Yep. Don't worry about what how much money it is. That's crazy cute. Why would anybody pay $10 million for a house, you can buy a lot of great hotels, a lot of great vacations for $10 million. It's not that it's the convenience. I want to get on the plane with my toothbrush. Unknown Speaker  45:38 And getting in there where their heads are at not. Where you know, the other thing that I've learned in this, in this resort, the high end luxury market is when we work all the values we ask the question, you know, how much money do you want to spend or what can you afford? That's not a question I believe you should ask a luxury high end buyer. My question I love to ask that really worked well for me is, what's your threshold of pain? And then I chuckle a little bit. And it's amazing that when you ask the question, what can you afford? You'll never get an answer. But when you ask, what's your threshold of pain and you laugh, they'll just look at you and say, Well, you know, I can afford it. Or they'll say, I'd like to buy something around 5 million, but if you found me the perfect house, that was eight, I'd go for it. And now you're really getting information you can work with. Unknown Speaker  46:26 So as we're getting closer to wrap it up, I Unknown Speaker  46:30 I have one question that I thought was fun, because I know what for me it made a difference. But the question is when you got when you got your first big check, I mean, like the check that was way bigger than the other ones that you had ever gotten. Did you do anything special? Did you go out and buy anything? You know, what was your What was your behavior pattern? Because it was exciting for me. I know.

What have you learned from this pandemic? All over, we’re redefining our jobs, and what it means to be a real estate agent. Many of us are still working constantly, grinding away to be the number one producer, the number one agent. I’m one of the worst of those: I’m driven, and constantly looking for ways to innovate and succeed! Then COVID hit, and I found myself with some opportunities to take a break, and focus on being number one in some other areas, like being the number one dad to my daughter, and being the best husband to my spouse. Instead of focusing on all the missed opportunities to be the top producer, I’d like to challenge you to take advantage of these missed opportunities! I mean, after all, what does it matter if you’re the number one producer, but you don’t enjoy your life? Or if you don’t enjoy time with your partner and family? This week on the Tip Tuesday episode of the Selling the Dream podcast, I’m here to challenge you to learn lessons from this pandemic! You may be driven, and you may be constantly pushing to be number one, but don’t forget that there are some areas where being number one matters so much more! Thanks for joining us on Selling the Dream - we wouldn’t be where we are without you listening, and giving your feedback! Make sure that you give us a rating and review on iTunes: that would mean the world to me, and will help us get even more amazing guests on our Friday episodes of the show. Highlights of this episode: Do you feel like you’re always grinding, looking for the next sale, taking time to constantly work on your business? One thing I realized during this pandemic is that sometimes, you just need to stop! If you don’t take time to focus on enjoying your life, spending time with your partner, or with your kids, then all the work that you’re constantly doing is a waste of time! I love what I do and am highly-driven to do it! But I need to make the choice to spend time enjoying my life! I want to be the number one agent, and number on producer, but more than that, I want to be the number one dad, and number one husband. Don’t lose sight of that in the midst of the grind! Join our 2nd Home Agents Facebook group and create connections! (link below) Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. If there’s ever a topic that you’d like to hear us cover on the podcast, just send me a message: my contact information is below. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling real estate: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!   TRANSCRIPT: [00:00:00.680] Everybody today on Tuesday Tip selling the dream? Sometimes you just gotta take advantage of missing an opportunity. [00:00:09.970] Welcome to Selling the Dream, a podcast created for and by second home and resort realtor from Tom Tezak. Each week my goal is to bring you a quick real estate tip, along with an info packed interview with an industry rock star. My mission is to bring this cutting edge market driving through sales and information about the latest technology. Thanks for tuning in. And remember, we're not selling real estate. We're selling. Hey, everybody, today and Tuesday is Chip. [00:00:40.430] Sometimes you just got to miss an opportunity. You know, I just. [00:00:45.950] We are always grinding, grinding grind and trying to get as much business as we can, trying to get everything done that we can, trying to sell, sell, sell. [00:00:53.650] And what I realized through the course of the pandemic is sometimes we just need to stop. We need to re energize. We need to enjoy our family. We need enjoy our partners. We need to enjoy our kids. [00:01:07.460] And if we don't focus on that, everything else is sort of a waste of time and energy. So I just want to share with you that every once in a while. Turn your phone off every once in a while. Say I'm not available. Every once in a while. Say. A honey. Hey, partner. Hey, kids, let's go out and have fun. Let's not be focused on. Oh, I got a Zillo call or oh, I got to take care of this thing. [00:01:33.810] You need to be planful. You may need to schedule it. But don't forget that we do all of this. Enjoy your life. And I get it, I am I'm sort of sadistic about it. I love real estate. I love what I do. But you know what? My kids and my wife are so much more important, and I need to keep that at the forefront. I forget that sometimes because I'm so driven to try to get the next deal. [00:02:00.000] But through the pandemic, what I've realized is it's been so much fun and so enjoyable to hang out with my kids and given an opportunity. [00:02:07.440] And this is where it all comes from. My daughter is 20 years old. I never really thought that I would have the opportunity to spend so much time with her like I have and I have embraced it and cherished it. She is a great, great kid, but she is OK. She went off to college and now said she was forced to come home and I just have had time to reflect on all of that, that that's what we do all of this for. [00:02:30.770] We we. I know no longer do I care about being the number one agent or the top producer. I mean, those things are important. I want to be the number one dad and the best husband. Those are the things that are really important. So, Paul, you guys out there that are busting your butts, you're trying to figure out how to make it work. [00:02:47.370] You're trying to be number one. I get it. Enjoy it. Do it. But you also need to recharge and re energize. You need to be number one. At home, before you can be number one in the real estate community. So remember, everybody, we are not just selling real estate. We are selling the dream. But don't forget about your own dreams and your own firm. Everybody, I'm so happy that you're with us today. [00:03:16.210] And I just want to encourage you to please there's nothing that makes me happier than when I get reviews and subscriptions from all of you out there. Whatever platform you listen on, please go in and leave us review. Give us a rate us give us whatever many stars that you think are appropriate. Send me an email. I loved getting e-mails from from you with any questions you might have that I can address or feel free to call me. I'm so available right away to ATO, to 055 and the other things I'd love for you to do is join our network group in Facebook Resort and second home agents. [00:03:55.990] It's only for real estate agents or industry influencers. And I would. We've got a great group going on, lots of activity. And lastly, go to second home agents dot com. Become a member. Join up on that site. We put all of our information on that site and we're creating a network for agents to share and help other agents out, as well as do referrals. [00:04:17.830] So for selling the dream, please help us out. [00:04:20.770] Be part of the party and join with us.

What can you do with a podcast? Last week, Matt McGee and I talked all about what it’s like to have a podcast, what you learn from it, and how it can help shape your business! This week, we’re talking about the process of creating a podcast, and what we do for our podcasts! With the Selling the Dream podcast now at more than 200 episodes, I’ve learned a thing or two about the process, and since this is Matt’s main job, we’ve both learned a few things that we’re ready to share! But it doesn’t have to be complicated: it can be as simple as just recording a voice memo on your phone and uploading that! The key is providing value to your community, and knowing what it is that they want to learn from you! Whether it be stats, or the best hidden food secrets in your area, you’re the expert, and they want to learn from you! Join us this week for part two of my interview with Matt McGee, a content creator with Homelight! I’ve listened to his work on The Walkthrough Podcast for hours, and can’t wait for you to hear from him! Ready to hear Matt McGee’s insights on creating content, and what he would record to promote a specific market? If you’re thinking about ever creating a podcast, you won’t want to miss this week’s episode of the Selling the Dream podcast! Before we dive in: join an amazing network of the best second home agents. Make sure that you create your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces part two of this interview with fellow podcast creator, Matt McGee! What kind of content can you create? Help people get to know your community! Help them get to understand more about your market, and what they can expect! A podcast is a lot of work! You don’t just have a conversation with a guest, and get a polished hour worth of content! Tom shares about his process, and how he works with his producer to create regular content. Outsource if you can! Get help for the time consuming parts, liked editing audio and creating the written content! Kenny, Tom’s producer, shares how long it takes to edit the audio for the episodes. Tip: use the Headliner App to create video content from the podcast episode for promotion. Matt explains his process, and how he edits the show with his team. If you’re thinking about starting a podcast, don’t get scared! It’s just creating valuable content for your audience! Starting a podcast can literally be as easy as recording voice memos on your phone - it doesn’t have to be complicated! Tom asks Matt how he would structure his show if he was trying to promote a particular real estate market. Do interviews with your potential clients: their perspective on buying a home will be incredibly helpful for the rest of your audience! Tom shares that his episode from the perspective of being a second home buyer was very well-received by his audience! Take time to get to know your audience, and what they want to hear! Not sure what to share about your community? There are so many things to share! Talk with local business owners, go on restaurant tours, go on walking tours - if you enjoy doing it, your audience may enjoy hearing about it! Figure out a “template” for your format! That will help make things easier! Get out there and find resources! There are so many opportunities out there for you to be on podcasts as a guest, or to find guests for your podcast! Find Matt’s podcast, The Walk Through wherever you listen to podcasts! Don’t forget to subscribe to the Selling the Dream podcast so you don’t miss any new episodes! Leave a review: you never know when it will be read on the show! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Sign up for a trial with Bomb Bomb and get a free eBook from me! Just let me know you’ve signed up, and I’ll send a free copy of Ethan Beute’s book! Connect with Matt: LinkedIn The Walk Through podcast Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube EXCLUSIVE Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube Have you made your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE. Click here to register, make your profile and get listed today. As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream. See you next time!   TRANSCRIPT: [00:00:00.180] Everybody today and selling the dream, more about podcasting. What ideas can you use to do podcasts for your own show? [00:00:08.810] Welcome to Selling the Dream, a podcast created four and five second home and resort realtor from Tom Tezak. And each week my goal is to bring you a quick real estate tip, along with an info pack interview with an industry rock star. My mission is to bring these cutting edge marketing, driving through sales techniques and information about the latest technology. Thanks for tuning in. And remember, we're not selling real estate. We're selling. That's the other thing that I think with Cauvin, I was listening to another podcast and he said something, I've been doing this for a year or for two years or three years. [00:00:48.230] This is the podcast. In the real estate sphere. Now, all of a sudden with Koban, all of these agents are out there creating these new spaces and these new platforms. And and he's right. They are. But there's plenty of room right there, especially if you're creating a space for your your neighborhood or if you you want to move to Maui or you want to move to the tri cities. You know, why not do a blog on that? [00:01:14.750] You know, for for the agents out there, create something that people are listen to and want to know or what's happening in the community. There's plenty of things to do. We do videos as well, like little restaurant videos, which you can take that into a blog. [00:01:28.640] So I'm totally, totally it's just time and everybody's the commitment for time, which I think is the next question for for you and I have answered. What is your time commitment to doing your blog? The podcast, I'm sorry, is for you. Yes, you're right. Yes. The. It's like for me, it's pretty much I would say, you know, 90 percent of my 40 hour workweek, there's, you know, all the crap out of everybody. [00:02:00.050] It is. Look. Seriously, Tom. And you can attest to this having done two hundred shows and doing it twice a week. That's remarkable to me. But if you're thinking about doing a podcast. It is a time commitment. Like, it's it's it's not the kind of thing that you're just oh, I think, you know, tomorrow I'm gonna have a conversation for a half hour with somebody and let's publish it and and expect results. It's you know, and then I might not do another one for another month. [00:02:23.950] Like, you know, you need to be consistent. You need to put time into research and prep and record. And, you know, it doesn't have to sound perfect. Nobody expects it to be, you know, 100 percent. All great audio quality. But it needs to be listenable at least. Right. So you have to have put some effort into that. It is it's very much it very it's a time consuming thing, I think, to do well. [00:02:48.640] And when you do it well and when you show that that effort and that time commitment, I think listeners recognize that. And so so I would like I I would love for you. As you know, I'm like on Nepsa 22. You're at 200. I would love for you to sort of talk about your time commitment, because that's like that blows my mind that you've done it that long and twice a week. [00:03:09.520] So, you know, for us and for those agents out there who are right now saying there is no way I'm going to spend thirty five hours a week working on my. I know that that's what Matt does. [00:03:19.270] His show is edited. They're tweek. He's really refined. Our shows are a little bit looser. You know, I have Kenny who works for me. [00:03:26.170] And and Kenny, I want you to jump on that because I have a question because I can't answer it. But, you know, I'll record I'll set it up. I'll find the guests, which takes time. I'll reach out and then we bring them in. And then Kennedy will Kenny will monitor. Kenny is my producer. And then he'll tweak the show. He'll chop the bad parts out and then put the beginning and the ends on it. And I don't know how much time he's spending, but I would recommend get somebody to help you do that. [00:03:56.020] There are services out there that exist. If you want to do a podcast, you can go off short to do it. I've seen I know there's a company that just opened up in my world that's I think it's a Loha pod and they're doing podcasts for local people. I mean, local residents that want to create a podcast. So there is an opportunity for you to get those services. But I'm probably spending. I'm probably spending about if we take an hour to record. [00:04:25.160] We probably did a half an hour prep work between texting and e-mailing conversation, and then I'm done because then I give it to Kenny and then he just knows what to do. So a lot different. I couldn't have done 200 shows if it wasn't making it that simple. [00:04:42.840] You know, I know I've done shows in person where I'll go to events and I'll engage with people and we do it and we set it up. [00:04:48.170] I find doing the zoom so much easier than what. Yeah. Yeah. So that's that's what we're doing. [00:04:55.080] I'm no Kenny. Must be must not be listening to us. [00:04:59.170] I'm here. Oh. Here he is. So Kenny. Well how much should you put into creating the show from the start to the finish because you're uploading you doing all that other crap too. That I don't have a clue. [00:05:13.290] Yeah. So. So anybody listening knows we do that. The Tuesday tape shows on Tuesdays and then the interviews on Fridays. The tips are there really quick. I have at this point almost 200 episodes in. I've got basically a template in my video editing editing software where I just drag and drop. And then my trick is usually I speed it up to like two hundred percent speed and I preserve the audio quality so it doesn't pitch. And then I just listen to it at that speed. [00:05:45.020] So a tip I can get done edited in in a ten minutes X boarded and then converted and then posted. So a tip is probably an hour of work start maybe an hour and a half start to finish. The interviews are a little bit more time than zooming, but I have found that what's really useful and really helpful is I'm always listening during the interviews. So I know there have been one or two where I had an nap when I slipped up. [00:06:17.990] But generally speaking, I'm paying close attention and I'll actually keep a little notepad that says that, you know, around, you know, 40 minutes in. [00:06:28.820] I need to edit whatever, because so-and-so said what they did or something they didn't want on the air. So then I know going back. But if it's one that I sat and I listened to the full interview and it was smooth and it was easy. That's a really easy editing process because I'm like, OK, there's not too much. I'll clean up the star, I'll clean up the end, maybe pull out a little bit of something if it gets draggy. [00:06:52.950] But for the most part, we. I've got to go. And then after we have the show and Matt and both you guys, Matt and Kenny, then you're promoting it. So I know our biggest challenge is getting consistent promotion on the show. But we go we have a service gal in there on the West Coast that she does our translation or transcriptions on our show notes and then writes a blog. [00:07:21.300] And then also someone writes an e-mail so that we can use for marketing. [00:07:25.710] So that's a service that I pay for, Matt. What? And then what do you do? Can you just take the the audio and push it off to her for her to do that with. [00:07:34.560] Yep. So I keep a folder to folders on Google Drive on for the tips, one for the interviews and she has access so she'll check those. And then she will usually the day before of release, send me the show notes and then I get everything uploaded. We use blueberry. Is the service that we use for for hosting. And they they allow a lot they have a lot of tears. So you are allowed a certain amount per month. But then I take everything that she type. [00:08:05.670] I put that into the show notes and then also into the YouTube. And then from there I pull usually Monday the following week. I like to give a little forum for organic growth and better organic listenership. And then that following Monday, I'll send out the email that she has drafted up and I'll pull photos of the guest and I link to the audio and I link to the YouTube. I have like a standing template that again, is really simple at this point for me to just plug in the new info and I'm good to go. [00:08:41.010] And I hit send and that goes out to our our whole database of listeners. Oh, and then the blog. Sorry. Rambling on the blog as well. [00:08:50.640] Yeah. What about you, Matt? What are you doing with all of that. I actually wrote this out in a dock somewhere because over time more of the responsibility has shifted to me as some of our team members have been pulled off to different projects. So I used to have there used to be someone else who was responsible. After each show, I would send the audio to them and they would go and they would pull clips out for sharing on social media. [00:09:16.110] So that's now on. So that's now on me. And which is fine. I think it makes sense for me to do it because I did the interview and I remember the good clips that will probably make for more interesting social media content. [00:09:28.020] So I have. I actually was OK that that tells me all the stuff I'm supposed to do just cause sometimes I get scattered and it's like 20. It's like twenty four. Twenty five steps long. And so. So yeah. So, so. [00:09:39.870] So I use a tool called Headliner Dot app and it's an online tool. There's a free version that sort of limits how many videos you can make per month. And then there's a paid version where it's unlimited. And so you just upload your audio there and you slice and dice it and add your graphic and put the way for money. So there's a lot of that. There's you know, there's a promotional email that goes out that we take the audio and turn it into a YouTube version for our YouTube channel. [00:10:06.450] There's a blog post that gets written with the full transcript. So, yeah, all that stuff for me, Tom. I think what I spend the most time doing with each show is listening back to it's like as soon as I if this was me interviewing you for our show, as soon as we're done today, I would upload the master file to a transcription service, get the rough transcription back. Then I'd start going. All right. This sounds good. [00:10:34.290] Now, this wasn't good. And that's where I start doing the writing and the cutting to get it to get it down, you know. All right. This part here, here's kind of the kind of conversation load. So I'll edit that out and I'll do my own voice over here to cover what we talked about. So that tape like that takes almost, you know, four, five, six hours, depending upon how much writing and editing is required. [00:10:58.500] And then so then send it off to Chris, who is my version of Kimie, and he sends it back to me. Then I have to listen again to make sure he got all of the edits and inserted all the everything all the production elements incorrectly. Then we send it off to get the final transcript done of the actual show. Then I listen back to make sure the transcript is correct. So there is a lot of just I would call it quality control, a lot of stuff that goes on outside of the actual conversation. [00:11:26.370] Right. And that's what I wanted to share, is as we all have a different system, you create the system, first of all, is create that working list so that you know what you're doing. [00:11:35.220] If you're going to create a podcast, if you're thinking about doing a podcast, don't get scared. It is involved, but there's a ton of value in being the voice, the voice of your community, the voice of your neighborhood, the voice of your town, the voice of whatever it is. It has great value. It has been a huge resource for me to be the voice of. The second home market. I have so many people that now rely on me that send me business and it's just another marketing approach, right? [00:12:06.240] I mean, it's just creating content and then getting that content out there is so important. [00:12:11.310] Yeah. And I would say to this, because we probably did scare some people off with all the discussion about the intricacies. There is a service called Anchor, which is super easy. [00:12:22.050] I haven't used it in probably three or four years, but I did use it back then. And it's it's an app on your phone. They have a Web site that you can use as well to create the show. But literally it's as easy if you want it to be this easy. Just get the app on your phone. Start talking into your phone, you know, record and you're done. And it gets published as an episode of your podcast. [00:12:43.170] Like it can literally be that easy. [00:12:44.970] If you want to do it now, then there's all the other stuff we've talked about. Right. You have to know the promotion and all that sort of other thing. But the actual recording process doesn't have to be as involved as what is what. I agree. [00:12:57.450] And we've used the anchor for some other stuff, so I think so. Ken, you mentioned blueberry. That's our host. I'm not sure who you use. And then there's anchor who is also a host at their free blueberry we pay for, but we have control over the creative content anchor. You don't have control over the creative and. You're just doing a local show. It probably doesn't matter. Who are you using that? [00:13:22.110] Our host is Transistor Dot F.M., Transistor Dot F.M.. [00:13:26.310] So I hadn't heard of them. So. So there's plenty of choices out there. It's just finding, you know, do some research, figure out what you like. I would tell you, if you're just thinking about you want to start doing a local podcast anchor, it's free. It's easy. You can transition out of that. [00:13:41.010] And none of your listeners will know because they'll just reposition it into your same title on iTunes or Stitcher or whatever, whatever platform people listen to. Well, Matt, I you know, I was afraid that we would just continue to chat and chat for a week because there's so many things to talk about, anything we didn't cover that you want to cover. Besides how wonderful you are. [00:14:08.550] Definitely more about that. OK. Do you want to talk at all about potential ideas for local agents to do shows? I think that's a great idea. [00:14:19.560] I think we're going to this is gonna be a two part show, by the way, just so you know. But I'm good with that. Let's do it. Because because, you know, obviously your your target on your show and my target of mine is other agents. [00:14:31.440] But let me ask you so if you were trying to sell and reach buyers and sellers in Hawaii, what would your show be like? [00:14:41.420] Oh, man, it would be. I've thought about creating another another show for that, because I think there's a lot of value in that Facebook world and the people that are searching online and Google. [00:14:54.050] So what my show be about, my show would be about living here and what it's like to live in a resort community engaging with people that have moved here and the journey. So people are like, oh, who am I going to interview? Your clients tell you interview your clients. A, what was the experience like when they were living in some urban community and they finally decided, I'm going to quit this and I'm going to move to the ski hill or I'm going to move to the beach or I'm going to move to the golf course and I don't care. [00:15:27.600] I'm going to do this because it's where I want to be. And the journey that they went on from the get go. I think, you know, speaking about that, my one of my favorite show is not to be self-serving. [00:15:38.630] In my podcast was the show where I talked about being the second home buyer. That experience in and of itself was so phenomenal that I was able to do a 35 minute conversation about what I myself and my wife experienced. It was it was so I had so many people reach out and say, wow, what a what a great show, because I saw everything from a different perspective. So bringing that perspective of your consumers, of what they went through when they made that huge leap into a second market or, you know, that you if you're not in a resort community, if you're in a traditional market, what it was like to buy your first home and everybody's different. [00:16:22.170] So you can bring in four different people that had completely different experiences buying their first home. You know? So that would be my path is sort of talk to your clients because it's not unique. Most of our are our experiences. You know, I'm in the midst of working with the clients that are in a divorce. That's not unique. It happens. So maybe have have your what are your clients that's willing to get on the show with you and make sure to let them know, look, I'm not going to embarrass you. [00:16:51.760] This is this is something to help other people. This is not, you know, 60 Minutes. And we're gonna do it, you know, an investigative undercover report. Just tell that. And I think that would be the thing. What would your thoughts on that with your. Yeah. Life is in it. Yeah. [00:17:07.370] It's actually a conversation. I would, you know, a couple of years ago when I started doing marketing, directing for her. That was one of the conversations we had. Like, what do we you know, she hasn't had a blog and still does. And, you know, should we be making videos? Should we do a podcast? And we sort of talked about it. And at the time, you know, we decided not to do it. [00:17:24.080] We actually did a survey so that, like, left. So if I were a local agent, that's probably where I'd start is like, you know, if you have an audience already on Facebook or email us or whatever, like ask them there's no harm and say, hey, if I did a podcast, would you listen? What would you want to hear? We did we did that survey. This was 2017. And, you know, you know, like Keri's. [00:17:45.300] It was like Carrie is going to be creating more content, you know, how do you want to receive this content? It's going to be, you know, about the tri cities. It's gonna be about buying and selling. And, you know, blog articles, social media and videos where the topic, I think podcasts, we're no force. We decided not to do it. [00:18:01.890] We did the same thing with home light. And when we asked agents, they were like, yes, we want to podcast. [00:18:05.730] So that's why we're doing it. But if I would think that that would probably be a little different if we did the same survey now, because as we talked at the beginning, I think podcast listening has really started to take off in the last couple of years. [00:18:18.070] So, so, so. So I would think we live. So, you know, speaking of knowing your audience. Right. Like know your market, too, because we live in an area in eastern Washington where there's a lot of government jobs, there's a lot of engineers, there's a lot of P HD level type people at WSU tri cities. [00:18:36.540] So we know from our audience. Go, there you go. [00:18:40.440] Okay. We know from our audience that they're really into data. So Kari does a really detailed monthly market report. Right. It's boring. As you know what, you're an agent, but her clients love that stuff. They love seeing, you know, what's happening in their town. You know, in terms of inventory and how many homes sold. So I. So so in our area, I would have her probably do one a month, one episode a month, just covering what's going on in the market. [00:19:08.430] Maybe once a week, even if she had the bandwidth for that. I would do shows exactly like you just tried. Tom, write the stories of buying and selling because that's can be really interesting. I would love you mentioned your dick. [00:19:21.540] Did you say you're doing like local restaurants and business type stuff? [00:19:25.770] We do a a show. Totally different. We do a taste of paradise on YouTube and on Facebook. And it's just a five minute just to go in and experience a restaurant. So, yeah, that's another. [00:19:37.110] You could do a whole I mean, we could we could take way longer if we wanted to, but that the format of the show is three to five minutes. [00:19:44.100] So that's what we do. But you could go in an interview and a restaurant tour. You could talked about their journey and their experience. I mean, right now during covet moment, God, there's so many things that you could. Oh, yeah. Down that road. [00:19:56.490] And there's people that are sitting around right now just looking. They have the time, I guess. Yes. Yeah, they do. Yes. I mean, so that I mean, that's an idea that you could do for a local podcast. You know, interviewing business owners and what's their story? Why did they start that restaurant? Why did they start this business over here? [00:20:13.840] And then I think the other thing I would do that that we have an area, the tri cities is somewhat historical in that it was built around the city of Richland, which was a city that the government created in the early 1940s during World War Two. And we have the Hanford plutonium plant, which is, you know, the plutonium was used in the bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki. So it's a. So there's a history there. [00:20:40.270] And Carrie and I have gone on like walking tours. Like a lot of the homes that were built 70 years ago are still up, still being occupied. And you can, you know, his local historical society. We'll take him to tell you the history of that building there. You know, that used to be, you know, used to be a secret nightclub that the you know, the people used. And so, like, I would love a show about the tri cities, like the hidden history of the tri cities. [00:21:07.310] Right. Like, what's the bet? Like what? We're all this stuff. What did it used to be 50, 60 years ago? I would assume that most areas have something like that, like some sort of history, history of your area that would capture people's interest and attention. [00:21:21.550] Yeah, I think there's so many different paths you can go down. I think one of the things that I listened to, I listened off when I said I'm going to do a podcast. I listen to five books, two of them. I always tell people that they should listen to before they start. And one was Amy Schmitt. Tower was vlog like a boss. And it was really conceptually, how do you create a format for a show that your audience then knows what to expect? [00:21:49.510] So we've talked about a lot of different things. [00:21:51.580] It might be overwhelming to go down all those different roads. But it might be perfect if you frame the show with what the consumer is going to expect as as part of the guidelines. And, you know, it's the time. It's the release. And I don't even want to get into that. And then the other one was John Lee Domus. I think it is a podcast launch, Jale D. And again, that was the technical part about it. [00:22:18.250] So you know how many shows you have ready before you ever start and launch. So those are, I think, some good tools. But getting focused on what your shows could just don't. I don't want my listeners or our listeners to say no to your podcast. [00:22:33.250] Amina, record one today and deliver it to figure out your plan. Figure out your format so the consumer knows what to expect. And you can tell them what to expect. And that's on a lot of work is just you know, I think it was 10 hours worth of audio listening for me. So did you use utilize any resources? I know you mentioned, Jay, a console with three clips. Was there anything else that sort of helped you to. [00:22:56.820] Lay out your format. Not not I would say probably not. Our format is not that unique. Right. Like there's a million interview shows out there. The premise is not, you know, there's there's a you know, there's a million shows that are. Let me let me re answer that. Kenny, Kenny. OK. So you ask whether whether other reasons other than J. Kenzo. Gosh, yeah. Oh, I can. OK. [00:23:32.240] So to answer that question. There are probably, I don't know, Tom, four or five different Facebook groups that I'm in that are related to podcasting that are pretty helpful. One is called podcast movement. That is really good. There's some groups of men that are find a guest to be a guest kind of stuff that is not always appropriate for me because, you know, you and I are really dedicated on real estate. There is a Web site. [00:24:03.010] There's a company that produces a lot of brand podcasts. I think they're called Pacific Content. [00:24:09.310] They have a good blog that once a week has a really, really good article that talks about podcasting and has advice and tips and sometimes some landscape type stuff, things that are going on. [00:24:20.470] So there are I mean, I think there are some really good resources out there. [00:24:24.460] If you look for them and if anybody like wants to connect with me or whatever, I'd be happy to like I there's a bunch that I follow on Twitter and Facebook. I'd be happy to just put a list together or something like. Yeah. [00:24:35.170] Could you send it to me? Because, see, that's I'm not there. So there's so many resources and I think that's what it comes down to. There's so many resources for content. You know, I from my path, Matt and I crossed path, I think, because of maybe second home agents and with through your wife and we connected. So there's so many different places. And I think just being out there and letting people know what you're doing and that you want to you any need to really do it from a helpful heart, not how can I make money off of this? [00:25:05.620] Totally. Yep. Totally, totally. Totally. Because that's where when I started my journey, I was like, how do I make money? And this was before even podcasting. This was before I was doing something else. I just said, you know what? I'm going to. I'm going to win because I've become such an expert in stuff. And I've learned so much from my guest that it's just been and it's fun. You know, I love meeting Matt, you know, and talking to people. [00:25:29.560] Yeah. I mean, I look at him as the host of Homeless podcast. I look at my role as a guide for our listeners to learn about this topic, this topic, that topic. I'm sure you look at your role as the host, as a guide for second home agents. And so if I would say if a realtor is thinking about starting a locally focused podcast. Think of yourself as a guide to your town. Tell the stories of your buyers and sellers. [00:25:53.920] Tell the story of your town, of other business owners, that sort of stuff. If you come from it, you're right. You know this the service, not sales, that will make people more attracted to your content. Nobody wants to. I'm going to go listen to somebody pitch themselves for 30 minutes. Like nobody's going to listen to that. [00:26:09.850] Well, and that's it ending. That takes me to one of the Matt Farnam who, as I mentioned, he is on one of my favorite shows. He talked about the book Building a story brand. And that's really you know, this is such an amazing way if you're a fan of that concept. It's creating a podcast is such a way to build that. There you go. Bill, you see it's right there on the desk. I mean, on my desk. [00:26:36.280] Great book. I would love to get him on my show. I just don't know how. Yeah, I buy. I would love to also. And I have started it and it is really good. I highly recommend that. Highly recommend. [00:26:48.350] Man, I so much appreciate it. I think we're gonna be a couple episodes here and it's just so great to chat with you. [00:26:55.290] I can't wait to meet you in person and and hang out now. Have a as I like to say, a coca coffee, a coke or a cocktail of the three the three C's of networking. [00:27:10.620] Top of the minute, the minute that we can get to Maui, you're the first call. [00:27:14.920] I love it so much. So for everybody out there listening. I know we rambled on and I hope it was a helpful, enjoyable show. And if you're thinking about doing a podcast, please, please reach out to me. I am happy to help. I've had several people, several agents called me up and said, how do I do this? Trying to help you out. I am by no means am I an expert. There's so many different paths you can go. [00:27:38.940] Matt has already said if you have questions, reach out to him. He's happy to help. We just you know, that's really where it all comes from. Is that being helpful and being a guide and. Yeah. So, Matt, how do they get hold of you? Well, first of all, once you give us the overview of your your podcasts where they can listen. [00:28:00.250] Sure. So it's called, as you mentioned earlier. Thank you for that. It's called the walk through. And you can find it on Apple, Spotify, all the platforms if you go to homelike dot com slash podcast. [00:28:11.200] That will take you right to where it describes the show and all the episodes and all that stuff. [00:28:15.820] And if anybody wants to connect with me directly. Probably fate. I have. I have a real estate dedicated account on Facebook. Just search for H. L for homelike HL Matt McGee. That should come up. It's one where you and I chat and I would be happy to connect with anybody. And likewise, if anybody has questions about doing a podcast or whatever. Just reach out anytime. I'm glad to help. [00:28:38.830] I love it. And remember everybody, as I end the show with most of the times, almost every time we are not just selling real estate, we are selling the dream. And thank you for joining us on our show or shows today, whatever it might be. We really appreciate it if you have an opportunity to leave us a review. We really appreciate those reviews. See Matt shaking his head. Those reviews on any other platforms you're on. They just do so much in helping our show to get more exposure. [00:29:08.170] If you have friends that are in the resort real estate business in the regular real estate business. Sure. Sure. Our show, our showing that this in this case with them, we would so much appreciate you sharing the wealth. We do this for a lot of people, not just for you. Don't be greedy and piggy share this stuff. It will help you in the long run. I've had just recently met. It's been really cool. I've had several people reach out to me and literally just pick up a phone and call me and say, I just want to tell you thank you. [00:29:36.310] It's like, oh, that's somebody who's listening. Right. That is that is so awesome. That is the that's the best feeling in the world. [00:29:43.510] So we do appreciate that. You know, we because on the podcast where you just know very much of what's happening out there once it's released. [00:29:51.820] So please you that go to second home agents dot com, sign up. It's your free site there. And join us on Facebook Resort, second home agents. It is a closed group. You need to get authorized. And if you're not a realtor, we typically don't allow you unless you're somebody like Matt who brings value and knows that he doesn't get to promote. So that's what we're up about. And it's just thanks so much for joining us. Have an amazing day. [00:30:16.360] And know out there and sell some real estate, as Matt says, and do it safely. Hey, everybody. I'm so happy that you're with us today. And I just want to encourage you to please there's nothing that makes me happier than when I get reviews and subscriptions from all of you out there. Whatever platform you listen on, please go in and leave us to review. Give us a rate us give us whatever many stars that you think are appropriate. [00:30:46.900] Send me an email. I loved getting e-mails from from you with any questions you might have that I can address or feel free to comment. I'm so available right away to Aido to 055 and the other things I'd love for you to do is join our network group in Facebook Resort and second home agents. It's only for real estate agents or industry influencers. And I would. We've got a great group going on, lots of activity. And lastly, go to second home agents dot com. [00:31:15.910] Become a member. [00:31:16.810] Join up on that site where you put all of our information on that site. And we're creating a network for agents to share and help other agents out, as well as do referrals. [00:31:28.180] So for selling the dream, please help us out. Be part of the party and join with us.

Back in 2008, I was really struggling. The market had crashed, people were struggling to keep their business, and I was right there with them, trying to figure out how I could stay on top of things! I happened to pick up a book titled, “The Ultimate Sales Machine.” One of the concepts that he taught was the Dream 100. That would be 100 people that he wanted to connect with. Well, you know me, I didn’t stop at 100, and I made my dream 150. I marketed intentionally to those people: I made sure that they knew who I was, and that I was there to serve them! I committed to higher quality marketing, even as high as $10 per print item! It was consistency that got me noticed, and that helped me build a business that I benefit from, even today! This week on the Tip Tuesday episode of the Selling the Dream podcast, I’m here to challenge you to create your dream 150. Pick out who you want to work with, and focus on doing what it takes to make that happen! Thanks for joining us on Selling the Dream - we wouldn’t be where we are without you listening, and giving your feedback! Make sure that you give us a rating and review on iTunes: that would mean the world to me, and will help us get even more amazing guests on our Friday episodes of the show. Highlights of this episode: In 2008, I picked up the book, The Ultimate Sales Machine. He challenged readers to create their Dream 100: people they wanted to connect with, and would be a dream client! I decided to focus on my Dream 150, and focused on marketing to them! I picked addresses that I wanted to target, and made sure to intentionally market to them. Because they were in a the luxury market, I spent money on higher quality marketing materials, including tube mailings - sometimes even spending $10 per item! Don’t be afraid to be creative - people will take note! You will stand out. Look at your marketing as an investment in your presence. You don’t just want to sell one house, you want to build the relationships! When you invest into breaking into the luxury market, the reward can be giant! Join our 2nd Home Agents Facebook group and create connections! (link below) Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. If there’s ever a topic that you’d like to hear us cover on the podcast, just send me a message: my contact information is below. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling real estate: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!   TRANSCRIPT: [00:00:00.390] Today. Learn how to tap into the ultra luxury market in your backyard. Welcome to Selling the Dream. A podcast created four and five second home and resort realtor from Tom Tezak. And each week, my goal is to bring you a quick real estate tip, along with an info past interview with an industry rock star. My mission is to bring this cutting edge market five through sales and information about the latest technology. Thanks for tuning in. And remember, we're not selling real estate. [00:00:29.160] Selling the dream. Everybody today on Tuesday, top selling the dream. Let's talk about busting into the luxury resort and second home market. So, you know, a couple of years ago, when the market tanked in 2008, I was really struggling and I picked up a book by Chuck Holmes called The Ultimate Sales Machine, and they're in there. It was it was an older book. And he was it was an amazing book, one of my favorite books ever put in there. [00:00:58.420] He talked about one of the techniques that he used, and he was his dream. One hundred. And I found it fascinating that it was such a great idea. So we market regularly. We go out and we try to connect with people in our in our neighborhoods, in our communities and our resort second home communities. But what I took out of that was I want to create my dream one hundred. And for me it was my dream. One hundred and fifty. [00:01:22.180] And that was all of the ocean front and ultra expensive properties. I gathered all of their mailing, all of their addresses, and I created a completely unique and elaborate marketing plan to try to bust into this luxury second home market. And I know in my market that luxury market was very much protected by a handful of very small handful of realtors who dominated and controlled it. And I kept thinking, how am I going to bust into that? And so I created the Dream 100 or Dream 150 for me. [00:01:57.520] And with that, I developed a very intense marketing plan where I would send much more elaborate marketing pieces to each one of those owners in that district. And over the course of time and I found that I kept getting notoriety. People were noticing me. And then I got my first listing, which then allowed me to do more elaborate marketing for that listing in that community. And that elaborate listing and that marketing piece, that was a 16 page for sure with a video and DVD, just a little bit old school today, but it was able to then be put into everybody's mailboxes and they were then able to see, wow, this this agent is doing marketing in a different way, in a more aggressive format. [00:02:45.640] And it was just consistency. How did I do it? Well, what I did was actually went out and found a promotional products company and started to buy bigger items. And I committed to ten dollars per address for every mailing, which you might be thinking, wow, that's a lot of money. [00:03:02.230] But when you look at the value of the homes and the commission checks that are generated in my particular market with six million, 10 million, fifteen million dollar property, it's not that much money. And so I devised and developed a plan and I would do some corny stuff. But it worked because, again, for the for the owners that were marketing savvy, when they would get the pieces in the mail, they laugh, maybe throw it away. Some of them gave it to their realtor that they worked with and said, well, look at what this guy is doing. [00:03:36.720] And so I knew it was making an impact. So just think about how can you be in front of those high net worth owners and pick a small market area and just create a unique marketing campaign. I'll share a couple of things with you. I sent a yo yo and I said no matter if the market goes up or down, I always have my finger on the market, you know, just silly stuff. I sent a what was a leather man type tool with the players and the knives. [00:04:05.530] I said, and I sent it in a mailing tube. And so it is noisy, heavy and big. And in that letter, I said, if you're going to hire an agent, make sure they have more than one tool in their tool box. Because I found that a lot of the. Luxury agents really didn't do a lot of marketing because they figured they didn't have to. So by keying in on those owners that may have not been enamored with their agent, their agents may be gone. [00:04:35.980] It was such an opportunity to connect with them and have them at least give me a look. And one of the things I would say is I know you may have a primary agent that you've worked with, but please put me on your list and get another opinion. That second choice, that third opinion. That was what I was looking for because I knew that once I got in front of them, my style and technique was going to be much more elaborate than what everybody else was doing because I had a plan. [00:05:03.340] So you've got to create that plan to connect with them. And then once you do connect with them, then you really need to amp it up and blow their socks off with all the stuff that you're prepared to do. So just keep that in mind when you're trying to bust into that luxury market. It's tough to get there sometimes, but when you get that one opportunity, it's so important to capitalize on that. My marketing campaigns, when I first started in the luxury marketplace, were I spent a ton of money, not with the you know, I always wanted to sell the home, but it was more than that. [00:05:39.310] It was an investment in to my presence and to my brand to show those owners that while this is a new agent in our industry. One last tip that I want you to think about when you're selecting that top 100. If there's only one hundred or one hundred and fifty homes, you do a mall. But if there's maybe 500 and it's just not cost effective and you want to go through go through your MLS, figure out who sold the house to them, if that agent is no longer in your marketplace, maybe they've passed away. [00:06:07.990] They've moved on. They've retired. Look at that and maybe focus on that list of homes and homeowners, because they don't have an agent anymore. And, you know, they may not be ready to sell. But if you continue to keep in touch in front of them, putting your face and name your chuch keys in their hands when it is time for them to sell, you may have a fighting chance to be the agent that at least they call second or third or hopefully first. [00:06:36.740] So anyway, some ideas on how to bust into the luxury market. It is a tough spot to get into and it is an expensive place to play. You have to have the financial ability to invest in your listings, in your marketing. But the rewards are giant. So keep that in mind if you want to. If you have any questions, please post below or send me a message. You can always reach me at Tom at Tom Tezak dot com. [00:07:02.030] You can feel free to call me at a wait to Aido to 055. I've had several people call me just to chat about their resorts, condo markets, and you can't imagine how happy that makes me feel to be able to share with you guys what I'm thinking, how I can possibly help. And I'm there and available. I do live in Maui, Hawaii, so a little bit of a time zone difference. You can also fruit. Feel free to text me at that number. [00:07:24.660] So remember, everybody, we are not just selling real estate. We are selling the dream. Go out there and do it to your dream. One hundred. Everybody, I'm so happy that you're with us today. And I just want to encourage you to please there's nothing that makes me happier than when I get reviews and subscriptions from all of you out there. Whatever platform you listen on, please go in and leave us review. Give us a rate us give us whatever many stars that you think are appropriate. [00:07:58.000] Send me an email. I loved getting e-mails from from you with any questions you might have that I can address or feel free to call me. I'm so available. Eight oh two oh five five. And the other things I'd love for you to do is join our network group in Facebook Resort and second home agents. It's only for real estate agents or industry influencers. And I would. We've got a great group going on, lots of activity. And lastly, go to second home agents, dot com. [00:08:27.010] Become a member. Join up on that site where you put all of our information on that site. And we're creating a network for agents to share and help other agents out, as well as do referrals. [00:08:39.280] So for selling the dream, please help us out. [00:08:42.190] Be part of the party and join with us.

I love podcasts. I mean, after nearly 200 episodes of my own, you know that there has to be something amazing about podcasts! I firmly believe that podcasts are an amazing way to connect with my audience, and build a stronger network. Through nearly 200 episodes, I’ve had to change to interview nearly 100 different agents, and share my tips with my listeners! That why when I started listening to Matt McGee’s podcast, I know that I had to have him on the show! As a fellow podcast creator, it’s always a delight to talk to someone else who is doing similar work! After binge-listening to Matt’s work on the HomeLight podcast, I knew that I wanted to have him on the show to share his experiences with you! We’re talking about creating content, interviewing guests, and keeping focused. Matt McGee is a content creator with Homelight, and has been the main person working on the HomeLight podcast! I’ve listened to him for hours, and can’t wait for you to hear from him! Ready to hear Matt McGee’s insights on creating content? If you’re thinking about ever creating a podcast, you won’t want to miss this week’s episode of the Selling the Dream podcast! Before we dive in: join an amazing network of the best second home agents. Make sure that you create your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces Matt, and his career path. Tom and Matt discuss their podcasts, and how they come up with content. One of the fun things about a podcast is that you create a plan, but you really never know how an interview is going to go until you’re recording! Matt shares how they find focus for each episode, and help get the best out of each guest on the show. As the podcast picked up, and more people listened, Matt started getting lots of questions from listeners, and what they wanted to hear! You learn as you go: your style will change as you gain experience, and you will become a better interviewer! Matt shares his process. He starts with a pre-planning call with the guest so he can set expectations and learn more about their unique value. Tom and Matt share how they find quality guests to appear on the show. Learn how to really listen to people while you interview: don’t be so focused on your next question that you miss any gems or major takeaways they have given! Matt shares about his favorite episode of his podcast. Catch part 2 next week! Don’t forget to subscribe to the Selling the Dream podcast so you don’t miss any new episodes! Leave a review: you never know when it will be read on the show! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Sign up for a trial with Bomb Bomb and get a free eBook from me! Just let me know you’ve signed up, and I’ll send a free copy of Ethan Beute’s book! Connect with Matt: LinkedIn Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube EXCLUSIVE Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube Have you made your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE. Click here to register, make your profile and get listed today. As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream. See you next time!   TRANSCRIPT: [00:00:01] Everybody today, Tom Tezak with Matt McGee and sharing, how do you get out of a bunny hole when you're recording a podcast? [00:00:09] Welcome to Selling the Dream, a podcast created four and five second whole and resorbed realtor Bontemps teaser. Each week. My goal is to bring you a quick real estate tip, along with an info past interview with an industry rock star. [00:00:22] My mission is to bring this cutting edge marketing finding true self. And information about the latest technology. Thanks for tuning in. And remember, we're not telling her what she was telling the truth. [00:00:37] Good morning, everybody. Good afternoon or good evening, wherever you're at, whatever time it is, and you're listening to the show. Welcome to Selling the Dream. [00:00:44] And today, I say this every week, but I'm always excited to have guests. But today I have been listened to our guest for hours on his podcast, and he's just started doing a podcast. Not too long ago. I was guest on a show and I just really connected with with him. Matt McGhee from our home light. And he does the walkthrough. And Matt said, Don't. You don't need to be an advertiser. For me, it's like, well, it's not, but you're just so much fun. [00:01:11] You're a great, great guy to listen to. And you bring so many great guests in the big so far in your show, which is twenty two shows, long or thereabouts. Matt, welcome to Selling the Dream. [00:01:21] Tom, thank you so much for having me on. It's great to I loved having you on our show a couple months ago and it's it's a pleasure to return the favor and be on your show. [00:01:30] Cool. Thank you so much. And you know, I you know, usually we go into these shows with like an idea and a plan. And Matt and I were talking yesterday. It's like, you know, I just want to have a conversation that because you've been doing now 20 some shows and I've been on this will be probably at my two hundred and first two hundred and third episode. And I just wanted to chat with you in so we can share with our audience who are out there listening to podcasts. Obviously, if they're listening, they're podcast fans and their agents. So they're thinking about creating content. And so many of them are saying, oh, I should do a podcast. And, you know, I think I just wanna have a conversation with you about should they? And then also, what have you learned in the first, you know, 20 or so episodes and sort of have that conversation? So what did you share, what your thoughts are with all of that? And welcome to the show. [00:02:21] Thanks again. Thanks for having me on. And it's a pleasure. And I love having you on our show. And yeah, I think it's I do see. I wonder if if you would agree, I, I sense and I you know, I see a lot of the headlines related to podcasts, and it seems to me that there has been an increase in listenership just over the last couple of years. And I would assume 200 are. You're your weekly. So we're talking a couple of years. Couple, three, four years for you. [00:02:46] So now we're we're we're twice a week. So I do a show. Yeah, I do one on Tuesday, which is a very short, like, inspiration, a tip. What pissed me off this week kind of thing. And don't do it or and then on a Friday show is like this is more of an interview style where I bring in a typically it's a real tour, but it's an industry rock star like, you know, a variety of different people coming. Well, last week's show probably was Lawrence Yun from the National Association of Realtors, which was like I was thinking, oh, this is going to really be a tough show to listen to. He was amazing. So because he's a statistician and, you know. They're different than realtors. [00:03:28] So that's what I mean. That's one of the fun things, though, about doing the show. Right, is that we get ideas in our head on, what it's gonna be like and what direction it's gonna go down. And then it's wonderful when it goes down an entirely different direction. And, you know, you explore something together and it just turns into something that you know much better than you ever thought it would be. [00:03:45] So, yeah, I agree. And, you know, and the the shows that I remember most are the shows that I thought. Before I did the show, that was gonna be, oh, this is gonna be a yawn. And it's like, oh my gosh, this was like the best guest ever. I never really knew who he was. And and there's one guy who's become an incredibly good friend out of this process. And Matt Farnam out of Las Vegas, just he's just one of those people. He's in the real estate industry his sophomore year. And, you know, you go back and I think he was in the 50s or 60s in my shows and just, wow, what a great guy. But I would imagine you had shows like that in your 20 some shows that were you were sort of like, OK, what's this going to be like and what's your experience been with that? We'll talk about doing a podcast, but I want to hear what your thoughts are on. [00:04:36] Yeah, it's I mean, you sort of have expectations built in with with what each guest is going to bring to the table and what the topic is gonna be like and where it's going to go. And, you know, sometimes for me, like one of my big concerns with each episode, like we try to we try to keep our episodes to be somewhere between 30 and forty five minutes. And so, like, sometimes there's topics where you're like, how can we cover all this in thirty to forty five minutes. Right. Like it's like we're gonna be doing one soon on Facebook ads for real estate. Like wow that's a really heavy topic. Right. That you could do like four or five distinct episodes on that. And so that's one of the challenges that that that I find with putting our show together is just having this situation where you've got this limited time and there's so many different directions where you could go somebody different things you could ask and talk about. And how do you sort of condense it and boil it down, though? Episodes that we are recording right now was supposed to be just one episode. Tom was going to be about online lead conversion. And we had Jackie Soto and Elmer Mirrorless, who are agents in Southern California, and they're part of the homelike elite program, which is that's what we that's what we call the top one percent of agents on our pilot and also best of the best of Zillow. [00:05:55] Right. So they know what they're doing with online leads. And so I was planning to have them on four thirty five, thirty to forty five minutes. We did the first interview and it went so well and we talked for like the full hour and I was like, I can't edit any of this. I just can't cut this out. It's right. And like if I cut this out then we were missing, like then we're leaving a lot of good stuff on the table. So we did. So we turned it into two episodes. And then as soon as the two episodes went out, people started emailing me. Hey, can you ask them this? They start leaving voice mails. Can you ask you know, I'm an agent in New York City and I have a question about this. And so we just did this week. We just recorded part three of the series just just based on listener, you know, on listener questions and feedback. You've had Tom Faery on your show. I had Tom Fair on my like Tom Ferry did not even get three episodes, so we broke Tom into two. And so, like like you said, sometimes you just you never know where things are going to go. And I think, like, I, I think that's one of the joys and one of the really fun things about doing this kind of show. [00:07:01] And I think you need to you know, it's an art and it's the interview style. And I listen back to my first, second, fifth, tenth show and it's like, wow, did I suck? Right. Yeah. Well, same with me. And and, you know, it evolves. Your process, your style evolves. And I know that you've been doing more editing inbound or Encho editing, which I'm like I sort of like that because you take out some of the ums and Ozz, where our show is sort of as raw as it gets. We don't edit stuff out because we want to be conversational, but then that takes time. So I love listening to it. And I told Kenny, I said I don't know if he ever did. Kenny's my producer said, Kenny, you need to listen to this show a couple of times because Matt is doing some fun stuff with the way he's editing. And I would just listen to one. [00:07:47] I don't even know who it was the other day, but you just stop the show and you started talking in-between. It's like, hey, I just wanted to stop the show right now. Did you guys hear what he just said? And it was like, hey, that's pretty cool. I like the way you're really sort of going back in. [00:08:08] And it's almost like you're in a book club and you're doing this and then you're going in and you're, you know, pinpointing some of the stuff. So I found that really helpful. But it's a lot of work. I mean, that's where I wanted to share with with our agents and our audience. If you're thinking about doing a podcast, we know Kenny and I did a podcast about the dynamics and what books to read. But I want to sort of bring you in and say the the art of this, because it's it's one thing to learn how to. To do the podcast and recorded and upload it and figure out your format, but there's so much of a skill in that interview process and keeping your client engaged. I mean, start keeping your guests engaged and keeping them going down the road to a degree that you want, but at the same time keeping your audience engaged. And I think you're doing a great job with that. And I just you know, and I every time I listen to other podcasts, sorry, I'm rambling. Every time I listen to other podcasts, I get stuff. It's like, oh, I want to start doing that. Hey, Kenny. Yeah, me too. And so being a fan and a student of other podcasts I think is so helpful. So that's why I wanted you on. And so how did you get your your path? How did you come up with your ideas or how was it evolving and what do you do to to do that? [00:09:24] Well, I'll, I'll tell you who I've been really influenced by is a guy named Jay, a Kenzo, and he's fairly well-known in digital marketing content marketing circles. I would encourage anybody that wants to learn about podcasting, be a better podcast, or he has a show called Three Clips and I'm writing it down on my board. So. So, yeah. So. So I should give a little bit about about his background first. So he he runs a company called Marketing Show Runners. And this company that him and I believe a few other people, they help primarily big brands, from what I understand, create shows, primarily podcasts. But it might be video shows or something like that. So, you know, and there's a there's a growing number of big brands that have shows like RCI does podcasts. They've been doing podcasts for years. Trader Joe's. Right. A lot of Red Bull, that sort of stuff. There's a lot there's an old growth, growing trend towards big companies, big brands sort of saying, hey, you know, we're gonna have a show and create content for our audience and hit. So his company exists to sort of serve and enable and improve that content. And so he started this. This podcast is called Three Clips. And it's a really clever idea because what he does is he breaks down a podcast by a brand or a person, whatever might be by just pulling out three interesting clips from one of their episodes. They play the clips and then he talks about this is, you know, listen for this and listen to this other part over here and listen to how, you know, they did this. [00:11:01] And that's been super educational for me, Tom. So, so. So I need to give credit first and foremost to that, because I discovered that I think back in December, November, December, which is right when he started that podcast. And that's right when at home, like we were diving knee deep into let's launch our own podcast. So, like, the timing just couldn't have been perfect. And his thing. I mean, there's his thing. I mean, he's got to like a lot of things that I've learned, but like the main thing that I've learned is the idea of doing a podcast is. You want to get the listener to the end of the show, right? Right. It's a podcast is so unlike everything else. Right. If you're if if, you know, an agent is reading an article that Tom Tesuque wrote. They can scan ahead. They can see certain words are bold. Know you might have some sections or some bullet points. It becomes easier to digest that way with TV or video shows. There's visual cues like, you know, somebody watch now sees that I am talking with my hands or whatever might be. But there's other vision, a podcast. There's nothing. It's just me or you. And the listeners ears. Right. It's your mouth. And it's it's incredibly intimate. Most people are listening in their car at the gym. Out on a walk. Something like that. So they have other things going on. So you have. How do you keep their attention? Right. And like, that's that's sort of been the whole thing, the whole kind of focus that I've learned to concentrate on with our show. [00:12:40] And you've been doing a great job, and that's what I was gonna interject the name. I get all excited. But I listened to you for, like I said, two hours when I was out on my walk. I walk the golf course in my neighborhood and I just like E-Trade picking up golf balls. So I'm listen to the math and I'm doing that. So you're right. People are doing other things when they're listening to their podcast that they can be engaged in. So I think keeping them part of the conversation is important. And it is it's intimate and that's a great word. So you create that space. How do you. Know where you're going in the conversation. This is something that people said to me and I said, well, you just you just drive the train sort of seamless. So how do you find your way doing that? [00:13:27] Are there you know, how would you feel if I ask you this? How would you feel if I ask you what is your you know, I want to get an idea. It's almost like the same questions that we're going to ask. But I want to know from the guest where their responses are going to be so that I can start to say yes. I think that's a good avenue that we should explore in the final version or now that's kind of a dead end. Let's not even worry about that in the actual currency. So that's really important. Is. For me, at least, is doing sort of a preplanning call and figuring out exactly what we're going to talk about. I put together a rundown of questions and topics, do a lot of research on every guest just to sort of figure out. I remember before we did before you came on, I listened to several of your shows, and I remember that one. You did this the short version. You had one where you talked about being the lighthouse. Do you remember that? I do. And I loved that so much from listening to your show. And I remember asking you about that at the end of when you were on ours. And it made for a great moment because it was such a great message at that time. Like that was that was like I think you were like show number nine. And that was like right in the middle of all the chaos of the piano. [00:14:42] I knew it happened. And it may you know, as a as a guest, it made me feel like, wow, I felt so special that you had one listen to my stuff and to ask me about something that I was passionate about. [00:14:53] So it really does it does make a difference. [00:14:56] The other thing that, you know, for man, I just want to just share with you something about your show that I really like it. You know, when there's somebody out there looking for more podcasts because I know I burn out. I mean, I it's like, OK, listen to Matt for three shows I listened to that had been for five shows. And it's like, OK, I'm done listening to that voice. I need something else, but I binge please in. [00:15:21] I lost. I was going mad. That's what happened. It's it's it's your show. [00:15:29] I know there is. Your show. What I like about your show is I would say it's a brand show. It's a home light, which is a lead service company. But you what I love about it is you're not talking about home light on your show, even though you touch on it every once in a while. You have a strong home light person. But it's not about that. It's about. You were bringing so much value to the audience. And that's what I'm what I'm enamored with on your show, which I really love. [00:15:59] So I would change gears now because gave you a little bit. Attaboy there. [00:16:02] But thank you. I appreciate that. How do you find your guests? Oh, that's a you know, that's a good one. And it's a lot of for me, it's a lot of reading, a lot of watching videos, attending conferences. More recently, virtual conferences. Right. Because we're all sort of locked into a degree. A lot of time on Facebook. Real estate agents, a lot of real estate agents are on Facebook. So I'm in, you know, all the big Facebook groups, the lab coat in men, et cetera. And so it becomes a matter of just keeping your eyes open, I think, and seeing who's saying what and who has an interesting opinion that you think can be expanded upon to, you know, an interesting 30 minute show or something like that. I think that's a big that's probably Tom for me. When I when we started this show, that's probably the part of it that I didn't appreciate the most, how much time it would take us to start to sort of figure out who should be on and where those people are. Been your experience as well? Because you I mean, you've been doing 200 episodes, so you had one hundred guests there abouts in the show. [00:17:16] And it's it's interesting and it's scary. We're were touched on this earlier as you invite a guest on. And for me, I'm inviting predominately realtors. And I've had some realtors that have been on the show that it's like I need more than a yes answer. And there is so and once you're in it for for me as a as a host, I don't want to not air a show. [00:17:40] But then the challenges, what do I do with the show that I don't think was as quality as it could have been. And I don't want to tell my guests that they saw it. Yeah. You know, because it's because they took a bunch of their time. And so it's really having. I would recommend to anybody who's listening if you're going to do a show and it's going to be a show for a local community, which I think that's what a lot of people, a lot of agents. There's a great opportunity. There is before you invite somebody on your show, have a conversation with them. Right. Follow what they're saying. And I love what you said. Do they have an opinion that you can work with? Because if they don't, you want to rethink that. But there's you know, your local politicians will love to get on your shows. [00:18:26] Yeah, I think that I think the opinion point there is important, too, because because, you know, I look for opinions and stories, because facts and figures, people can Google that. Right. Right. I want our show to have stuff that you can't get just on. It's simple Google search or by reading some listicle article on, you know, who whoever's Web site. So I think that's really important. And you're right, sometimes sometimes it doesn't go well. And and. Yeah. I mean, I've I've had that I had that same exact experience with with one of our with one of our shows. But I had sort of a built in excuse because we shifted into our sort of our coded mode. And by the time we got out of that, if I recall correctly, by the time we were ready to sort of get back to, quote, normal, like a lot of the information in the podcast was out of date. And we're like, all right, let's just try and connect again at a later date. It wasn't the best. It wasn't the best show anyway. [00:19:25] So then, you know, what I will do is as we try, we go the same thing, 30 minutes ish, 20 to 40 minutes. I'll tell clients and I build in time. And if I have a show that I'm struggling with and I share this again, not to throw anybody under the bus. But for those people out, there's agents out there that are thinking about doing a show. Use your editing. You know, there is a way to clean them up and create dissension points and and and do that. The other thing I wanted to go back to, you said something about the questions and what you talk to people. It's important to know what you're going to talk about, but it's even more important to know the questions you don't ask, because when you ask some questions, you either lose control or you get an answer that makes everybody look like, didn't you have an idea about this? Right. So so laying out the groundwork for those questions of how you. How you go about that path and keeping them and the other thing like I like to ramble sometimes, is Soto clients, I guess being able to gracefully grab them, put a big hug around them and pull them back on topic. Yeah. Yeah. How's your. What do you do to try to wrangle, so to speak, clients? [00:20:38] I think probably the thing that I do most often and that situation is just I think of ways, you know, because you can hear the guests and they're kind of going off down this other path and you're like, oh, that's not where I thought you were gonna go. And this is where we should go for our listeners. Right. And so I, I probably start to to think, all right. I need to reword that same question in a different way to make them understand what I was hoping they would say. That's generally what I do. I think to one thing that we should talk about, Tom, and I'll go first. As a host, it's incredibly important, right, to listen to what they say and pay attention and sort of when they're on point. Let that guide the conversation and I'll give you an example that like the thing that you mentioned about five minutes ago, about the moment where I jumped in and cut the person off and said, did you hear that? That's actually example. Like, I had to do that because I screwed up. Right. That that was that, if I recall correctly, that was an episode where it was Brian Boléro who works at Thousand Watt, which is right. [00:21:43] Thousands there, the Portland based agency that they work with, real estate teams and brokerages and big brands. And he I don't remember the exact quote, but he's a I mean, he's a quote machine. He's really good. He's a great guest. And he made a quote that if I had been paying enough attention during the actual conversation, I would have said, hey, Brian, stop. Can you repeat that for our listeners? That's a really important point they should hear. I don't know what I was doing, Tom. I must a bit in like off. You were thinking about the next question I was thinking about. Right. Yeah, I was thinking about the next question, and I totally missed it. And then when I was listening back to the interview was like, oh, my gosh, that is gold right there. So I thought, I need to. I just need to interrupt at this point in the show. And that's so we record I recorded that that video, that soundbite of me saying, all right, stop. I need to interrupt. So it right. And you have I'm right. You know, you appreciate the value of actually listening to people. [00:22:41] So I want to cut in right here and just say so you guys are all probably dying to know what that quote is. And I can remember it, but I'm not going to tell you. You're going gonna have to go listen to Matt McGees show, walk through and listen to Brian Boiro from 1000. What, because it was gold. So sorry, everybody. [00:22:59] But, you know, we've got to give Madelin most of your your your mean. Yeah, I know. I like to be mean every once in a while. [00:23:08] So you were saying you're going to start something about and then we got those funny holes. That's the other thing. We get into bunny holes as a as a podcast. How is she. Just like it's like oh give me out or get them out. So I think you're right, it's redirecting the question read and hearing where it's going to happen for a podcast that I'd love to listen to. They are not scripted. They eat. They evolve based on where the conversation takes you. And that's what you were saying. So and as as you guys are listening, just know that it's it's an art. And I don't think I'm very good yet at podcast hosting, but know that you've just got to go in and start doing it. And as you do it, you'll figure it out. You'll learn. And if if you don't, then you stop doing it. [00:23:56] And I mean I mean, it sounds I mean, I can tell just from listening to you, like your. Like I I'm self-critical, like I listen back and I say, how can I get better? And I'm sure you do the same thing, right? Absolutely. [00:24:09] Yeah, and that's what you gotta do, because it's like, oh, all right, they're very often like, oh, what an idiot talking about myself all the time. [00:24:17] And you know, but we just love talking about me, not you. Bye. I'm agreeing with you that I call myself that all the time. [00:24:24] Like that. Tom, he's dumb. So we didn't really prep on this, but I want to change it up a little bit. Like, I always use my term as well. But it change gears because I when I want to. [00:24:33] When I want to. When I said, OK, we beat that horse enough. Let's start talking about something else. And having those segue ways. And sometimes you don't get a Segway, you just gonna make it up. [00:24:42] And so in your show, you're twenty two shows. What's your favorite show that you've done so far? If you're willing to share. [00:24:51] Oh wow. That's a great question. I would say I mean, I would I would say probably there's I would say to two different ones for two different reasons. Number one is the most recent one that we did that I already mentioned with the online lead conversion with Jackie and Elmer. And that's a favorite because. They look like they have a really great system, time for online leads, and they were. Like there was nothing off limits, like there was no point in the conversation where they said, no, we're not willing to share this. No, we're not willing to give this information away. And that just makes for just golden information. Right. Because sometimes. And I totally respect like someone just like I you know, I'd rather not, you know, give away this tip or secret. OK. I can respect that. But they they were just like an open book. Like, here's our scripts. Here's exactly what happens when a leak comes in. The automation clicks in the personal call like so they were super, super detailed. And so that I thought was really, really great. And then I think probably the other one was the Brian Gweru episode. That was a fair one, because I agree, like, they have a very definitive viewpoint on marketing and and branding and agent messaging. And I agree with a lot of the way that they that they approach things like how agents need to separate themselves from the crowd and stand out and be different and be unique. So that was that was a favorite because I really identified with the message that that that he was one of the things I heard. [00:26:28] There are several things in that show. But one of the things I will share about that show that I was like, yes, because I respect Brian. He's I mean, their company is they're great. But when he's when you are talking about branding facemasks and I me, that is just the most asinine thing anybody could ever do. [00:26:46] And I know there is a lot of realtors out there doing that. And he said, why would you want to put your name on something that everybody hates to wear? [00:26:54] And I thought. A man. [00:26:57] And it's dense and it's a sensitive subject, too, right? It's like that's a lot less like a life. That's like a piece of lifesaving. It's not like writing your name on somebody is cast when they break their arm or whatever that's, you know, like. But yeah, that's. Yeah, that was. [00:27:12] So, yeah, I'm with you on that. So now what were the what have you. What are your takeaways. I don't. Let me let me give some context because we didn't say that. So Matt, you are a podcast or you are the homelike part of the marketing team. [00:27:25] But and your wife is a realtor in Wisconsin, Ohio and Oregon. Washington, Washington. See that? Anyway, you're I I a real turn in eastern Washington, correct? Yes. And so you sort of come into this area by first helping her with her marketing and her content creation and then got into home light. So just giving context for everybody where you come from. So my question for you. That it's been very hard to get out so far is. What's what were your takeaways from your shows? Those little nuggets that because there's always a bunch. [00:28:07] Yeah, I think so. So one of the one of the early shows that at all, I'll mention that because we actually put it into play with Kerry's business, because I still do help her in my spare time, I think was episode number four. We had Karen Carr on and she's and it was all about YouTube and YouTube, SVO. And she if you do a search for just go on Google and search moving to Savannah, she pretty much owns that search result page. Chances are you're going to see a big YouTube thumbnail with her video. And it's, you know, this this. I think it's it's not a super long video or anything. I think it's like five or six minutes maybe. And she just talks about, you know, ten things that you need to know if you're moving to Savannah, Georgia. She's got a blog post that's underage. She's got some other like she just owns that search word. And she told the story of, like that one video has led to in the three years that's been online has led her to, I think she said, over one hundred thousand dollars in GCI. Right. Like when one video. [00:29:11] That's that's incredible. So she told the story of how she came up with the idea and what she did and how she optimized it. And so so that that I thought was really interesting and something that anyone should be able to learn from. I know, you know, as somebody that deals with a lot of second home and relocation, you know, your audience may be of particular interest to that. So we created a video for Carrie. She did a video about moving to the tri cities. And it's just starting to get, you know, some of that, you know, that kind of thing doesn't happen overnight. Right. But it's so it's just starting. Yes. So she's had, I think, one or two people say, hey, I saw your video. You know, can you I have questions about moving to the tri cities. And so, like, I thought that was really cool that like we had this person on the show and then we tried it ourselves and it started to work like, that's pretty crazy. So that was one of my. That's like one of my favorite ones that I would say I love it. [00:30:05] Yeah. So it is it is it is great for me as an as a host. [00:30:10] I have people on and I'm taking stuff away from this show. All right. [00:30:13] The time, because I'm interviewing agents from all over the country and resort communities and it's just being willing to listen. Sometimes we just got to shut up and listen and learn what's out there. And sometimes it's like, oh, that won't work in my market. And I want my guests and say. Ask yourself that question again. [00:30:32] Are you sure it won't work? Because sometimes we have to reinvent it or redevelop it. [00:30:36] But there's some great concepts out there that we're presenting to the audience that, you know, they're working for people. Sometimes people say, oh, that's old school. It's like, well, well, old school still works. [00:30:49] Yeah, yeah. And let me just add to to to give you credit, because one of my other favorite nuggets from the shows was from your episode when you talked about that idea, I think you called it the hidden referral. Is that right? Where is it? Which is exactly sort of like the opposite of what I just described, because you said it's not about advertising to buyers and sellers in your feeder markets, but it's about connecting with other agents. Right? [00:31:15] Right. Absolutely. Because they I mean, if I can't connect, there's one or two buyers and sellers in the market that I can possibly reach. [00:31:22] But if I can hit, you know, 50 agents and they ask their client or if I had two agents and they ask their client, they've got a you know, between them five hundred or a thousand clients, it exponentially expands the opportunity. [00:31:36] And so referrals have become a huge amount of my business. [00:31:39] Right before I jumped on this call, I got a referral through one of the online portals and it was like, boom, it's there and it's a seven hundred thousand dollar referral. So nice just being connected and being being engaged, doing stuff like this I think is so important. [00:31:53] That's the other thing that I think with. [00:31:58] Hey, everybody. I'm so happy that you're with us today. And I just want to encourage you to please there's nothing that makes me happier than when I get reviews and subscriptions from all of you out there. Whatever platform you listen on, please go in and leave us to review. Give us a rate us give us whatever many stars that you think are appropriate. Send me an email. I love getting e-mails from from you with any questions you might have that I can address or feel free to comment. I'm so available anyway to Aido to 055 and the other things I'd love for you to do is join our network group in Facebook Resort and second home agents. It's only for real estate agents or industry influencers. And I would. We've got a great group going on, lots of activity. And lastly, go to second home agents dot com. Become a member. Join up on that site. [00:32:52] We put all of our information on that site, and we're creating a network for agents to share and help other agents out, as well as do referrals. [00:33:02] So for selling the dream, please help us out. Be part of the party and join with us.

Have you ever worked with someone who wasn’t the best at their job? Maybe it’s the other agent you’re working with, or the seller of the house you’re showing to buyers. It’s tempting to throw them under the bus when things aren’t going as planned … but don’t! Instead of throwing people under the bus, be proactive and be kind! Speaking negatively about anyone else never works out for you, even if they are frustrating you! If you’re not saying encouraging words about the others that you are working with, it’s not going to bode well for your business. Make a point to always speak positively about others involved in the transaction, even if they are making it tough! You’re going to find that it pays off in the end! This week on the Tip Tuesday episode of the Selling the Dream podcast, I’m here to challenge you to not be a jerk! Thanks for joining us on Selling the Dream - we wouldn’t be where we are without you listening, and giving your feedback! Make sure that you give us a rating and review on iTunes: that would mean the world to me, and will help us get even more amazing guests on our Friday episodes of the show. Highlights of this episode: As we’re working with clients, there will be some people who make it tough! Maybe the seller isn’t budging on the price, or someone isn’t communicating with you! Don’t throw them under the bus! Always speak positively about all of the parties you’re working with, even when they are frustrating you! It’s easy to throw others under the bus, but you never know what they have going on! They may just be trying to represent their client’s best interests! It will not make you look good to say bad things about others! This is a small world: we all know each other! When you negotiate, do it professionally and don’t take it personally. Join our 2nd Home Agents Facebook group and create connections! (link below) Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. If there’s ever a topic that you’d like to hear us cover on the podcast, just send me a message: my contact information is below. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling real estate: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Have you ever looked at an aspect of real estate, and thought, “I’ll never do that!” Maybe it was rentals, or certain locations. Maybe you didn’t want to sell condos, or houses in the suburbs. Whatever it was, you knew that you wanted to do anything but that! For Lyndsey Garza, it was vacation rentals. Or at least, she’d never wanted to do vacation rentals, until one day, she found herself unemployed, with the opportunity right in front of her to dive in and start managing vacation rentals. Lyndsey and her late husband started working the rental market in Galveston, Texas. At their peak, they were managing at least 60 properties! Over the course of several years, Lyndsey put her head down and did the work. She invested in tech to help herself be one of the first people using a website to book vacation rentals in the area. She was so busy that she realized that she wasn’t even able to sell real estate anymore! Eventually, her company was bought out, but I’ll let her tell you the story! You’ll be inspired by her story, from being a leader in managing rentals to selling to second home buyers in Texas! If you’ve ever wondered how to look for opportunity, you’re going to be inspired by her story! Ready to hear from Lyndsey Garza? You won’t want to miss this week’s episode of the Selling the Dream podcast! Before we dive in: join an amazing network of the best second home agents. Make sure that you create your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces Lyndsey, her career path, and some of the hurdles she has overcome. Lyndsey shares how she got into real estate after the market crash, handling vacation rentals for owners who lived out of state. Jumping in and taking chances helped Lyndsay learn so much about the market, and what it would take to be successful. It also gave her incredible connections! The rental market helped boost Lyndsey’s career: she treated rentals just like they were a sale, and built rapport with people! When they wanted to buy a house later, she was the one they trusted and called! Provide white glove levels of service: your clients will see! Because Lyndsey was an innovator in the rental industry, she was able to lead! Investing in tech helped Lyndsey stand out among others doing similar work. Eventually, Lyndsey sound that there were people who liked her business more than she liked her business, and were interested in buying it! When he husband died, Lyndsey had to make tough choices so that she could provide for her family. Tom and Lyndsey talk about the process of selling the business. Lyndsey did not have a lawyer, but she would recommend it if you’re considering selling your business! You may think that you don’t need one, but selling a business is an emotional experience, and having someone to help is invaluable. If you don’t own the URL for your location + vacation real estate.com, you need to go buy it! Getting leads from sites like realestate.com can be like a bouquet toss at a wedding: you never really know who is going to catch it! Lyndsey shares her secrets to connecting with clients. “The number one rule of sales is not to sell, but that people buy from people they know, like, and trust.” Tom and Lyndsey go through rapid fire questions. Don’t forget: there is opportunity out there, no matter your level of experience. If you’re brand new, or been selling real estate for years, there is opportunity for you! Don’t forget to subscribe to the Selling the Dream podcast so you don’t miss any new episodes! Leave a review: you never know when it will be read on the show! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Sign up for a trial with Bomb Bomb and get a free eBook from me! Just let me know you’ve signed up, and I’ll send a free copy of Ethan Beute’s book! Connect with Lyndsey: LinkedIn Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube EXCLUSIVE Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube Have you made your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE. Click here to register, make your profile and get listed today. As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream. See you next time!   TRANSCRIPT: [00:00:00.480] Today and selling the dream. Learn a little secret on what you are, El, that you should buy. Before the show is over. Welcome to Selling the Dream. A podcast created four and five second hold and resort realtor on Tom Tezak. And each week, my goal is to bring you a quick real estate tip, along with an info past interview with an industry rock star. My mission is to bring this cutting edge marketing, fighting through sales and information about the latest technology. [00:00:27.540] Thanks for tuning in. And remember, we're not selling real estate. We're selling the. Hey, everybody. Tom Tezak with Selling the Dream, a podcast for second home agents. And today, I'm so excited to have Lindsey Garza with me. And Lindsey has had such a crazy path through her career. She started companies got laid off, her husband untimely, passed away. She's raised kids by herself and she's been doing this all while Solyndra resort real estate, creating businesses. [00:01:01.860] And just what a trooper. And I mean, we just chat a little bit and you will be so inspired by Lindsey. Lindsey, thanks for coming on the show. And my favorite line is I would never sell a traditional real estate. You're my hero. [00:01:16.980] Thanks. I know that I. I love second hand market. I love the resort market. And I would never I mean, I do sell primarily and I need to. But it's not it's not my passion. Right. [00:01:28.710] Is that what you're you're not going out knocking on doors, trying to sell traditional market? No, I'm not getting fired up about it, you know. So. Yeah. [00:01:35.700] So Lindsay does, you know, we sure. We were talking a little bit. You've had a really challenging career. I mean, you're challenging path in your career and you work for a developer. You were selling resort homes and then things just went to hell in a handbasket with two thousand, seven, eight, nine and all of those crazy time. [00:01:54.540] So once you just give us a little brief background of what happened, sir, and. [00:02:00.150] Well, I actually I moved to Galveston. I got a marine biology degree, which I do have, and taught high school chemistry for a couple years and then in 2005, got sucked into the real estate market, integrated many rich community. That was geared toward second homes. And it was Syntex Destination Properties. That was their second home portfolios that they would do in Hawaii and Florida. And they brought one to Texas and then they diversified. When the market started, you know, they got back to what they were good at, building tract homes and doing neighborhoods and sold off to a developer out of Dallas who unfortunately bought in 2008 and which was also the year of Hurricane Ike for us, which was a direct hit that we got. [00:02:40.200] It was the day before the markets fell out, as we had heard. And so I had no idea what kind of impact that was going to cost me. But it wasn't, you know, it was a good impact. You just get really good at what you do and you diversify. You know, you get a foreclosures and short sales and you just adapt. [00:03:00.410] You know, there's always been that separation, I feel, between the realtor and the rental, you know, like it's like almost like a division. And I fell into a great opportunity that I did not see as an opportunity then. But what did they say when another door opens, a window closes or whatever? You know what I mean by that? [00:03:18.860] A door closes and when one door closes, a window or another door opens, something opens. [00:03:24.380] But, you know, my husband, Mark, my late husband would send hate. He was a builder and we were both heavily invested here. And they they resort to the Endi that I specialized in, went into foreclosure and their front desk where they handled their rentals was left empty with about 30, 40 absentee homeowners that did not live in the state, did not know what to do. And that's is 2012. And he the one thing we've got to go into vacation rental management. [00:03:48.470] I said no way. No, not touching that. I'm too good for that. You know, like think like I honestly thought that. And, you know, that's sad. And because I realize that, oh, I was not good. You know, I got it. It was great. It's a very lucrative business. And this just back in the dinosaur age of 2012. And I am so thankful that we did that and took that risk. [00:04:07.790] We didn't know anything about it as it what I had heard about it, you know, when they would return our clients over to be a rental team to talk about that part. It was it was a whirlwind, but one year. [00:04:20.510] So you were in a specific community, but the greater area is basically Galveston, right? [00:04:24.770] Yes. I'm all over Galveston now. And I was known as the Point West girl, but I'm an island wide. Perfect. So. So then what happened? So you're laid off. You're sitting on your living room floor. I think you said and it's like, OK, we got to figure out what to do because we got to work. And so you said, let's go into the vacation rental business. And you're saying, I'm too good for that. [00:04:45.530] I'm like, no, I sell real estate. Yeah, I don't do the rentals, you know? And and it was I loved it. I loved everything about the vacation rental industry. And, you know, I didn't want to clean. And Mark, you and I were cleaning together. We went from like two units and we needed software spring break. And I mean I mean, I ended up when I and I end up with 60 units at the end of the day. [00:05:07.610] That was my max number and about three years. But it was. I'm so glad that I looked him and I said, OK, we'll do it. I trust you. And we would clean together and yell at each other, you know, and hurry up, get that wife I connected. We couldn't. The funniest story was we didn't know how to operate a car lock. So we just took it off and put a regular lock on, you know, for spring break. [00:05:25.880] So you're our guest. Then we learned it all very quickly. And I met some fabulous people in that industry that allow me to transform my real estate capability, to my knowledge. [00:05:35.240] So let's start with let's go to there. So you jump into this resort or the rental market, the vacation rental market. And you said you didn't realize how much you would learn from it and how it helped you to sell traditional Riverside. Let's talk about that before we go into your next transition or the sale and everything. [00:05:54.860] You know, what I realized is that when you have when you start small like this, you know, and you and you build it, it's all about the experience for the guests. And the scenario I as the property management company owner, your you're worried about your guests or about your owners, but those guests that they're treated correctly and given that that right level of customer service. And you give them experience and given that local knowledge, you really talk to and become their you know, their friends and they trust you. [00:06:20.780] People wouldn't book online back then with photos. So we did video back in 2013 and boom, boom, boom. You know, they could really see it. They didn't trust it yet. But I saw that these guests were the buyers. You know, I was like, huh? And, you know, with that life-cycle, it's really a unique proposition, the way that people would go into wine to purchase a vacation rental before it was just to offset ait's away fees. [00:06:44.160] Well, now they're cash flow and it's great. It's a great way now to buy a second home. It's like test driving the car. Runners will come in, they go, Oh, so somebody owns us. And I remember they like how much I pull out a rental history. And I show I mean, they were all kind. A lot of them are condos. So they were like units. And I could show them histories and. And they would if I showed him the numbers they bought. [00:07:08.780] And I realized the relationship between that it was almost a different transaction because things were more important to them. And that's evolved through mass times, gone on with the industry. [00:07:19.250] What things were more important to them, the location or the price or the experience or what was it that was? What did you determine? All of a sudden, as now you're representing. Owners that are renting to now, people that are buying and you said something was more, what was it that's more important? I think well, it depends on it, you know, with the. It depends on if you're looking at from the gas perspective, with the guests perspective or the buyer perspective. [00:07:41.780] Say that, you know, they'll rent three times and they'll be like, well, maybe we should buy one. You know, we just. And it's showing them the actual. Because I was very transparent. I printed out an understatement. You know, profit sensitive information. And they saw everything black and white, the income and the revenue and the expenses and whatnot. And I think with me being transparent with them and explaining how the process worked and what to expect and understanding it from both ends really, really changed the way that that film was made. [00:08:10.470] So you were in involved with each one of these guests that was coming into the. They were re reacting with you and you said you strike. You strive for white glove service and that the concierge level. So you are. There was this ongoing connection with them. And so those conversations, I assume, would just evolve, too. Well, what's it look like to be an owner instead of a renter or would you? [00:08:31.140] Were there questions or reserve script that you had that you would say, OK. [00:08:36.740] Susie and Bill are coming in. It's their third trip here. I probably should have the conversation. I mean, was that something that you consciously thought about? [00:08:45.270] You know, we had a lot of repeats because I loved booking reservations. That was like my favorite thing to do. And you would still catch me trying to grab the fan, even though we had, like, three reservationist in there, you know? And it's really you get a feel from them and they they love it there and they have the experience and they're kind of in for their anniversary. Leslie, some champagne or for Thanksgiving we would offer to bring in, like, you know, a Thanksgiving turkey and get the reservation, things like that. [00:09:09.680] But we but I know this works the most. A lot of my reservations for timid about it. You know, they were younger and they were learning how to sell over the phone and they weren't license, so. Really, what they did was they would put like men under their surveys or if they did a review, I'd say, would you like information on real estate sales? And almost six out of 10 of them said yes. And we all know that these people are they don't have to buy any of these things are discretionary product properties. [00:09:35.740] They don't need it. The sky and blue and change of mind. I don't want it. [00:09:39.910] I mean, I don't need it. I like the big difference between need and want for our for the resort market. That's what brought me to do these shows, because helping agents from across the country to understand we sell to the want, not to the need. And I think just doing it a little bit differently. I was one of the first people to actually take online reservations in 2012 with my software. I had a great website. I invested heavily in that. [00:10:06.620] You know, being tech friendly was good for them and taking a max, you know, that cost me. But they wanted to. And I got our business a little things like that. But really like listening to them and I like the reviews were such a key part of our industry. And they still are real estate and vacation rental, especially vacation rentals. And we had TripAdvisor back then. That was a big deal. And and it was it was really good. [00:10:28.110] People would come down and have an experience. They created memories. They truly were coming down. It sounds cheesy, but they were truly creating memories. And I wanted to give them that best experience. One day they call us again, and they always did. And I think once they realized how much money they were spending on vacation and that somebody owned it, you know, the more that because no one really knew much about there wasn't an error there wasn't there being, you know, as there was Hemingway and Barbeito and or Verbier or whatever they are now. [00:10:54.430] But, um, you know, it was really educating them on what is and why would you stay in a vacation rental over a hotel? And people thought it was strange then. But you find them and they love it and it's at home that they can come to you and they can afford it and they can supplement it, you know, by renting it out. Right. [00:11:10.870] And it's interesting. We've had and I'm in Maui, Hawaii. We've had vacation rental condos for 40 years. I mean, I've been doing it for 20 years. And it was just part of the thing. And then we saw V.R., BAEO or Verbal come out and it was like, wow, this is all new. And then BMB just blew everybody's socks off. So it has been fascinating. So how did so you started with the vacation rental company. [00:11:34.670] You were a licensed agent. Were you by yourself or did you have other real tours that were selling out of your team or did that just morph into the business? How did that all work? [00:11:44.020] What I did, I really had to stop advertising for real estate because I was focused, you know, I had 50 plus units that we were running and I had a small team. And it that's intense work. I had I had at one age and I was a broker or I am a broker still. And I had an agent basically that I gave my referral business to anyone that was in our rental program. If they wanted to sell, you know, and they would typically sell with us because they could sell more value out of it to that particular buyer. [00:12:08.650] So I had an agent I didn't have time to sell and it broke my heart because I was running a hotel, you know, I was running a hospitality business. [00:12:15.560] So a hotel with 60 units scattered across town. Yes. [00:12:20.540] And. Oh, yeah. And the emergency found with a flip phone that we passed around. [00:12:24.070] And I mean, it is a great experience. So so that evolved. And then you somebody approached you and said, hey, we like your business more than you like your business. What was like? [00:12:37.900] Well, I was like, what? What do you mean? You know, I was I was so shocked. I actually had a couple people approached me and the first couple and was there ever. Everybody was great, but I didn't understand, you know, I was like, what? Why did you want to buy my business? Like, I didn't it did not make sense to me. And then I realized what was going on, you know? [00:12:59.440] And I was like, OK, here I am. You know, I was working my tail off. And because, of course, I'm a control freak, I want to be in. But I'm trained and I'm doing it. If I want to make sure we have got three young children that also lost their father and I lost my husband. So it was a tough deal for me. The time I was losing, I was realizing that, hey, I was going to point my business where I needed to grow or I need to cut back quality quality 20 properties and just take it down a notch because my quality of life is not fair. [00:13:28.110] And I just don't understand why people would want to buy my company. And I that's it was it was a great fit for me because I didn't sell real estate again. You know, I missed that. [00:13:39.120] And I want to I want to step back. We skipped over something. And if it's OK with you when you started your company. Because I want to I want people to hear it. [00:13:45.850] You know, right now we're just coming out of this pandemic and everybody's oh, woe is me. Like, that's so hard. But for I just want you to share that story. You started the company with your husband and then what happened with. He passed away. And then. So guys who are people. Ladies gentlemen. Who are listening to this. You can work through all of these things that are in front of you that have just you've come out of. [00:14:09.010] Yeah, you definitely can and, you know, I feel like I consider myself and this may sound awkward or weird, but less in a sense, because I know that I can get through things that I shocked myself. You know, I'm looking back. I did some things I never thought I was a little doing, going through a hurricane, going through a market crash, losing my husband, running a business. I had a marine biology degree. [00:14:29.410] I didn't even know an LLC really was. I mean. He did. But and. You asked me, like I said, you're getting started. We're talking. Yeah, so. So. So you had your marine biology. We're going to Kenny. We'll cut that out. I'll pick it up from here. [00:14:49.170] So you had the marine biology degree and then you went into this business and you started this business on the floor and then. A few months later, her husband passes away. What? What I mean, how did you deal with that? How did you survive? I mean, I know so many people would have just rolled up in a ball and said, I'm done. [00:15:08.080] There were times that I wanted to do that. But you know what? I knew I could. I had a three year old. I had a seven year old and 10 year old. And I was self employed. And it was off season. So there were times that I didn't pick up that emergency phone. But it was January. I had like two guests in the house. So I call him back next. I'm so sorry. And I really would like remote batteries, you know? [00:15:29.500] I was blessed, too. I think it's kind of a. I'm so glad that that opportunity was put in front of me by Marco when he suggested it, because I was able to pour my grief into that, you know. And you can call me a workaholic. Most of us are in this industry. But it was something that I could really. Go through. I agree that company was like my plan, you know, and it became my heart and soul and it was a very I was very emotional to sell it to. [00:15:56.640] You know, it was kind of our baby that we had created. And then the day. I just had it. I had to get up every morning and put on my face and go. And I think to do well in adversity, like when things get harder. That's my thing, to step it up. I don't know why. [00:16:12.410] And I wanted you to share with. I poured my grief into my new passion. And it was hard and it was helped me to refocus. [00:16:19.400] And I think that's what for so many agents right now that, you know, Tom Ferrey uses the term they put themselves on it on a 12 week furlough through Cauvin, and they're unemployed themselves. And you know what? You can't do that. And you just need to take this frustration, this grief, this aggravation. Just put it back in and figure out how to make it work. So let's jump back now to. People want to buy your business. [00:16:42.920] I didn't want to miss that because I think I was so powerful for people to know that shit happens, man. [00:16:47.750] And you just you gotta keep your head on your shoulders. [00:16:51.490] So so somebody comes. Couple of company coming. They want to buy your business. What do you do? [00:16:56.320] So I remember. This is great. We were at a Vermont vacation rental management Mansmann like, nah, basically. And the association and I was an active member of that association and. And one of my I made I networked with a lot like great people in the industry. [00:17:10.460] And there called me and one of them said, Lindsay is here and I want to talk to you. And I said, why call me? And I'm like. And I had heard of the costs of that, you know, because I was within the industry. And I was like, oh, my gosh. And I realized what was going on. And I had to give my employees with me. And they didn't get it. Do you know what I mean? [00:17:28.400] And I'm like, okay, well, we got to get this cabin, go here and sit down and meet. And it was really overwhelming. And it's funny, I was getting phone calls for people that want to sign on to my program, and I haven't excuse myself from the table to go outside and talk to the new owners that want to. They'd be in the program and, you know, it felt good. It felt good that that someone that I, I guess, recognized that that I had something good to go. [00:17:50.960] And I mean, because it was frustrating and it was lonely. It's like they run a business by yourself sometimes. [00:17:56.030] And for everybody out there, I mean, a lot of us knew what Bokassa and who've Acosta is, but they've become one of the biggest vacation rental conglomerates of rental management across the country. [00:18:06.350] So if they're not in your area, they're probably trying to get there. And I just read an article I came in this morning that said, you know, they were quoting the one of the people in Bokassa saying that there's their rentals are going through the roof and they brought nearly everybody they laid off back on because vacation rentals are so active. [00:18:25.790] So you sell the business then? What I mean or is there a story about that? [00:18:31.410] I we didn't really talk about. So you want to share anything about how their experience went in and what the transition was like? And then what did you do. [00:18:38.260] It was it was while they were it was it. I definitely would think about I need to write a book one day or write it down for myself, you know. But I didn't represent myself, which is what which is or I did. I'm sorry. I did represent myself. I didn't have a lawyer because I didn't feel like I needed one. I didn't think I understood it. How that how that transaction would go down with what was on the books and, you know, the things like the properties and how much they were worth and a lot of them didn't. [00:19:03.740] So I represented myself and I don't represent myself. And I buy like real estate. I'm too emotional. So and this is my baby was you know, the the constant team was so great to me. And and they really they the people involved and they were awesome. And I that was probably I never bought and sold the company sense, but that was a very good experience for me. Granted the emotions that were involved with it. And and then I had to kind of figure out who I was again, because, you know, I'm going to step back. [00:19:31.370] If if you were to do it again, would you recommend to somebody who may have a vacation rental company or a real estate team or business, would you recommend that they hire counsel or somebody to represent them? [00:19:43.120] Yes. Because you did it by yourself. Pardon? [00:19:46.370] Just the emotions. You know, it's just like with real estate, you know, when you work with another agent that represents themselves, they act like the buy that seller. You know, that we all that we all revert to that, I think. Or at least I do. So, yes, definitely get representation. [00:19:59.660] So now you've got a pocket pocket full of money, we assume, which you won't talk about that. And now you say, OK, crud, what do I do now? Found the real estate. Well, I wasn't supposed to work with my broker's license for a little while or the vacation rental industry, so I took a stab at new home sales because I was like, what else do I do? I've been in real estate for 14 years, you know? [00:20:22.030] So that was not my. I mean, I worked for a great homebuilder and I was. But it's that primary home stuff. And you're limited to this certain inventory you hired was not me. And I could not go back to a corporate world. I was not a good employee again. I like to think outside the box, you know? And so I decided that I would go at it again. And I had come up with the LLC Galveston Vacation Real Estate in 2014 when I saw that there was definite relationship in that type of transaction that that people still aren't really taking notice of, I think. [00:20:55.150] And I just opened that back up and went for it. And it just so happened my favorite words that I ever base now on realtor dot com. Do you know anything about vacation rentals? You know, and I feel like I do, you know, and I really did. And I get the knowledge and experience I have as a property manager has really allowed me to create trust and expertise with my clients. [00:21:17.290] So, you know, I want to go right back to your name. You do super detailed N-E right into it. So we are Galveston vacation, real estate and not resort. I mean, not second. I mean, not primary residence that Galveston real estate, but vacation, real estate. Because you just wanted to deal with people that want to vacation property so super. And I love that. [00:21:40.380] And when they're looking through realtor dot com, you're saying you like real true.com. [00:21:46.860] Now we're seeing that name and they're saying, hey, this is who I want to talk to. So powerful. [00:21:51.430] I like the SVO word. That's kind of why I picked it out, too. And plus, Galveston real estate was born. So, you know, it's like I'm from the vacation. And that worked and. You know, it's just it became the coolest investments that sliced bread in those two years that I was gonna Galveston really took off. Galveston is an amazing and amazing place for opportunity in terms of investing in the real estate market right now. It always has been. [00:22:17.300] I used to call it Houston, Hamptons back when Houston didn't like Galveston so much, you know. And it's you know, Galveston is really set it up. And just to see the evolution of the city from 2008 when Hurricane Ike blindsided us and and to what it is now. I mean, we've got the biker rally in November, which is a holiday weekend now. It's right. Undersurface slides. Mardi Gras is huge. And then we've got basically, you know, we've got the winter Texans, our snowbirds come in because the airport's 30 minutes up the freeway and that's the international airport. [00:22:51.150] So your art hobby. [00:22:52.990] Houston Hobby. Oh, Houston, OK. And you just come straight down I-40. Forty. [00:22:57.250] We're talking to people all over the world here. We don't know what the hell how do you know what a huge icon is? Why it's just a hobby. Sorry if I became the second international. [00:23:06.360] But Lindsay, I got to tell you something. I don't want everybody to hear this right now. So when I do these shows, I do these for the people that are out there listening. But I do them more than anything for me because I learn more and get more ideas and opportunities from listening to the people that I have on the show. And I want you to know that, Kenny, when we are done recording this, Ken, he's my producer. [00:23:27.450] We are going to go right on to go, daddy. And we are going to buy my Maui vacation real estate dot com. [00:23:33.430] And if you guys are on. I'm just kidding. [00:23:35.940] I turn out there right now thinking yourself, I need to own the you are l for whatever town I'm in vacation real estate dot com. You are missing an enormous opportunity. So I might be gone. [00:23:51.070] Getting out right now. Opportunity buyer to be gone. It might be, but I am not. [00:23:56.980] Pardon. I'm a weird domain person. I own about a hundred and sixty domains. And you know, that's another matter. Maybe not that much. [00:24:04.780] So if if if that mall if your vacation real estate portal or your URL is gone. Call Lindsay. Maybe she'll sell it to. I'm trying her not to butt in here, but a massive vacation real estate dot com is available. [00:24:21.600] Bye bye. Right now. So you guys listen to this. This is for real. Should happen. And right now, just go ahead and buy it. Can you know what to do? Do it. It it done before anybody else on it. [00:24:32.470] Destinations are all islands by all by Hawaii. [00:24:36.580] Hawaii. Vacation, real estate. Dot com as well. I am telling you, this is one of the best takeaways that I've had on my show. So. So like I told you earlier, sometimes we go into Bunny Hills and it's just the way it is. But this is super, super valuable. [00:24:53.410] So you start your company and now you're you're starting to sell real estate. And now you're really connecting with people because you can answer the questions. And that's what I loved about when we filled out your interview. Like, I know what people want to know. I just. Besides how many bedrooms it hasn't. How many square feet? How is it going to rent? What kind of money is it going to generate? So tell us how you now evolve that conversation, script, whatever you would call it, into your sales yourself. [00:25:21.190] I'm really you know, I'm a big person on. You got you know, we buy leads because my sphere of influence is buying a house. So that's just from it is what it is. And it's more of a sales deal. So we invest heavily in it. It's definitely worth it. And it's really about the why. There's a lot of emotion behind these purchases. I think more so than primary residence sometimes and getting to know what they want, why they're buying. [00:25:46.810] What is it that they're trying to fulfill? Is it straight investment? What's their strategy? Half. And they're going to use it. You know, I asked them the questions that they don't even know they have yet, and they mean sister. And I keep it on the phone and I get. I sell them. I tell my agents all the time. I sell them. You sell. I'm Donna. First they got to trust you. They got to remember you because they're three other agents on same time deepen. [00:26:08.410] And you didn't get fast to that. [00:26:09.760] You know, the bouquet toss. I call that the realtor dot com throws it out. So I learned about that. There's flex leads and fast leads. That one. Yeah. [00:26:21.090] But by the flex leads, those are the those are the ones where you don't have the bouquet toss. I call it the bouquet toss because you got three agents diven for a lead. [00:26:29.050] So anyway, it's got to be so annoying that the consumer I play that game too. I'm like I just got annoying. How many people have called you? I just got cussed out the other day by somebody and maybe just a brutally cuss me out. It's like call realtor dot com and tell them what you think of the system. [00:26:43.110] Don't be yelling at me like you gave me your phone number. Yeah. So I'm sorry. Again, I'm bouncing all over the place. You get me all excited. So how are you? So you're you're using realtor dot com. Let's talk a little bit about that. [00:26:56.140] And because you're right, we I live in Maui, Hawaii. You live in Galveston. Our sphere of influence, our people are coming from all over the world. They're researching what? Why do you like real true.com better than Zillah? I had a conversation that can go a different direction with any. You know, I didn't like that. Like the rush into the phone thing. Like you had to rest. I guess I get to see the rest of the film. [00:27:22.220] But it was always like when I was in a not a place to answer the phone, it would rain. And that bothered me, you know. I mean, and I didn't necessarily I just like the real dot com means to me. Were they? I was getting a higher close rate on, you know, just looking at the numbers through our CRM. I mean, those are the ones that were that were bringing in the money and they just seem higher quality. [00:27:43.390] And I and I get it. I mean, and I said both. I mean, I spend about the same amount of money on both Real's recombinant zillo, and they both piss me off and I get frustrated. I yell at my reps. But, you know, right before our call, I was late for four hour recording because I just got a five million dollar lead. And it's like, but you're right. [00:28:01.830] It's like the phone's ringing. It's like Zillo bouquet toss. [00:28:04.110] That's what I have on my phone. I mean, it's like I shit, I got to take this right now. But they work and it's it's that conversation. So what is that. What do you ask those people when they're just randomly calling? You know, my goal is to keep them on the phone as long as possible and not really talk about real estate. You know that much because it's a different sales pitch, right? So when they call us, they're just starting they're not going to buy tomorrow. [00:28:28.390] You know, some people worked with for a day, some people I've worked with for three years. Nurturing process is different. They want you know, we all know them better. Am I really try to get to know them and deliver or and stand out from. I know that there's other realtors that they're calling because they're not really sure what's going on. I make sure to explain them that I'm not the listing agent, you know, that they probably don't want to talk to them unless they want to talk to the seller. [00:28:49.300] You know, that they want their own representation. That is the rapport with people. You know, that's that's a lot of my agents are shocked. Like you talk about that with them, I'm like, well, I mean, you know, I talk to them just like I talk to you. And I'm very honest. And and I'm I would never read them. I'm just very. Do the right thing. And I. I'm honest and I care about my clients and their well-being and, you know, I mean, I do everything I need to do to take care of them. [00:29:18.670] It's really about the service, the clients that somehow I think I think, you know, the number one rule of sales is is not to sell, but to people buy from people they like, know, like us, trust. And that that getting that rapport, building, that relationship, having them remember who you are because they don't know. What I've found out is they call up through Zillow, through real True.com. You introduce yourself within 30 seconds. [00:29:44.140] They have no idea who they're talking to. [00:29:46.820] You know, I know I like the finished conversation with I know you probably don't remember my name, but I'm going to send you a text as soon as we hang up with my name and my phone number and my contact information. I'm going to send you my E card. And then I also and then I also send them a video that says, hey, this is Tom. We just got off the phone. I just want to put a face with the name. [00:30:09.940] And when you combine those three things, you then create that know, like and trust. And I think so. That's some of the stuff that I've been doing. And it's been just incredibly powerful. And it's just. But it's all starts with that report. Right. [00:30:25.450] Are you using Bonbon? No, I'm not. [00:30:28.440] I well, I do have Bambam, but what I've come to find out is that I have gone straight to text text with 15 seconds or less, because what I what I realized bom bom is great and lets you know if they open it and how many times they look at it. I do use bom bom for other things, but for this immediate kind of thing I want them to get it right into their text. I want to not have to jump through hoops to open it up. [00:30:54.280] I wanted to see my face and a little arrow sign and my. And then I'm sending them my contact information so they know it's coming from me immediately. And it's literally if it's more than fifteen seconds, I delete it rerecorded and it it's just been really, really easy to work. [00:31:12.210] I we've got a great I mean I, I believe that the biggest tool, the matzo ball is going to be my CRM, you know, and it's business and that's I mean that's right in the show. That's where I'm going to get the best bang for my back. [00:31:22.600] And I love. Follow it boss. Let it. Let it. Let it. And I find on it then gosh. Four years ago and I just they've just it's such a robust system and I text from there, you know, I think call, text, email. If you can't get it from you know, from like rotate please leave. That's my agent. So. Right. I know that fellow bus is great. [00:31:43.390] I've, I've worked with real Volvo and they they've reinvented their front page of their page so that it includes second home, third home, fourth homeowner. If you've seen that now, I like to think that. [00:31:54.580] Take a look at that. Thank you. [00:31:55.690] That was me. I, I, I made them do that and that made them I encouraged them to do that. So if you're thinking about a CRM real, I'll follow buses. Great. Real love. If you go there, please reach out to me because I got a little relationship with them and I can maybe get a little Speth out of it. And then another one that I just got exposed to. And it's a Canadian company, but they have resources in the US. [00:32:17.950] Pardon. Sorry. And it's kids. [00:32:21.340] And you know what? So I'll talk more about that because there's some cool stuff that I'm going to probably bring them on the show to chat with. [00:32:27.330] Anyway, Boyum, you're just ask me a question. It's you're not doing the podcast, not me. So thanks for that Segway. [00:32:34.810] So let's talk about you. What do you got going. Anything new and exciting that you're involved with? [00:32:39.660] Yeah. You know, I'm always trying to think that tech is important, you know, obviously. And I think being on the up and up on that and and really what I found is that you just give these people the information they want, like the numbers. And Nakhon, you know, I started I met and do some incredible networking. I have a great guy. I actually met in person yet. And we've only seemed like twice that. We've been friends for over a year now. [00:33:04.330] Colin Harvey is an ex V.P. for the Cossa and he gets that the investment vacation real estate concept. And he's more of a numbers guy and he's helped me really with his company. We're looking at, you know, we've been doing he's been consulting with me on helping me learn how to present cap rates and say, well, you know, some great things, some great tools that really it late and it's right there. Why wouldn't you buy it? [00:33:31.630] You know, and my hair, DNA and things like that. Doing projections. And then we also have and I think that's really it. It's finding these people. But there's so much emotion, too. And I think that kind of surprise calling a little bit, you know, you still have to have that local knowledge. [00:33:47.100] And I think, you know, there is a market that's going to love the the data, the the the return rates and all of those things. That's our analytical buyers. But then there's that market. That's the I just want to buy for my kids to have. And then there's the market that says I just I want to buy something, but I don't want anybody sleeping in my bed. And it all goes back to something so important that you said. [00:34:12.870] What's your why? Right. To have that conversation. Do you want to rent it? If they don't want to rent it, that's OK. Just understand. Can you afford it? It's OK. Are you paying cash? I mean, I loved when I was new in the business. I was always afraid to ask the question, are you paying cash? Now it's like my first question. [00:34:29.830] I know you always wanted to say, are you financing, you know. [00:34:34.350] Yeah. Do you have that? So with with Collins gig. [00:34:38.630] So he's basically creating a platform or an app or a program that will help people to create cap rates, right? [00:34:46.290] Yeah. It's a cool tool at the end. And check it out. I mean, still in the making and at it's aesthetic rates of its revenue. Home dot com and ah, you can contact me and I can get you more information on it. [00:34:58.220] OK. Reach out to Lindsay. She'll show can. Actually she's part of this and so it'd be great for her to be able to help you understand a little bit better and and what, how it can work. Lindsey, a couple other quick questions. So you do a little everyone. So Alah do a rapid fire. But I'd love to do it with you. So you're prepared for this? Normally, we might give a heads up or not, but if you don't want to answer them, then don't. [00:35:21.330] What's your disc profile? Mind us profile. [00:35:24.220] Yeah, I'll be honest with you. I don't know. I just bested a amount. Again, I need to re redo. I mean, I have mine from my corporate days, but I want to get anoma agents. [00:35:31.580] We were just talking about facilitate that. Well you know what? [00:35:34.470] Tell your agents to watch my podcast from. Today, it came out this morning, which is while you guys would know what it is, it's a July or June twenty ninth or June 30th. I mean, that podcast, it'll be years will be in a few days. So behind and talks about this. But who do you follow in the industry. [00:35:55.460] Who do I follow for real estate wise. And I really. Really follow any body and really follow. I mean, like if Tom Faery or Mike Faery or any of the Koshin places or in men or I've got I've got a great coach. [00:36:13.170] I worked with them, Angela. She's great. She's in Georgia and she she's been great. But I like men. I love and men. I do a lot of I'm ADHD so I'm real. Kind of like late night surfing the web looking for the newest stuff. What's the newest thing coming out on my test? This. You know, and then it's good for me. I do a lot on bigger pockets dot com. I do a lot of reading on there. [00:36:36.090] MASH. I've seen some good stuff on there and I'm always trying to learn how write. [00:36:40.400] And it's probably useless than any other any podcasts I've got besides this one. [00:36:46.510] You know, I want to I have so many podcasts on my thing. I like self-help. I mean, people are like, wow. [00:36:51.400] But I'm I love I you know, I need to get back to my path. [00:36:54.640] Has a band music mode for a while. So that's what happened. [00:36:58.370] You know, you listen to you sort of binge. Listen, I was been binge listening to Matt McGee. He does this new podcast called the The Walk Through. And I just been it's been fun, but OK, what do you do for fun? I play golf and I fish play golf and fish. What's your why? What's your. My wife. Somebody else's. My wife beater. Two kids or three kids. [00:37:20.570] T

Did you make goals at the beginning of 2020? I sure hope so! But now, it’s time to take those goals out and reevaluate them. See, those goals were made pre-COVID. They were made before the world experienced complete upheaval. For some agents, the real estate market has completely halted, and the aren’t able to make any sales. For others, the market is exploding, and they are ahead of their goals! Take your goals out, and look at them with a critical eye! Can you realistically make them? Knowing what you know now, what would be a good adjustment to them? How can you reshape them to help yourself achieve your goals? Just as any agent from the crash in 2008! They’ve definitely had to adjust their goals in order to make it! This week on the Tip Tuesday episode of the Selling the Dream podcast, I’m sharing some inspiration for the second half of this year! It’s time to pull out your 2020 goals, and create a vision for the rest of the year! Thanks for joining us on Selling the Dream - we wouldn’t be where we are without you listening, and giving your feedback! Make sure that you give us a rating and review on iTunes: that would mean the world to me, and will help us get even more amazing guests on our Friday episodes of the show. Highlights of this episode: Every year, we create goals! This year, everything has changed! I’d like to encourage you to stop, take some time, and reevaluate your goals. In some parts of the world, real estate has halted. In other parts of the world, the market is exploding! Take time to ask questions about how you can do well for the rest of the year, and how you should adjust your goals. Based on what you know, what is different? How can you thrive? Ask anyone from the crash in 2008, and they’ll tell you that they had to readjust their goals and expectations! Join our 2nd Home Agents Facebook group and create connections! (link below) Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. If there’s ever a topic that you’d like to hear us cover on the podcast, just send me a message: my contact information is below. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling real estate: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

What is your dream vacation? Have you ever thought about selling real estate in your dream vacation location? For many of us working in resort and high-end real estate markets, we may be working in our dream location! But what if you dream of visiting the beaches of Mexico, or anywhere in Central America? What can you do to turn that vacation lifestyle into reality? This week on the Selling the Dream podcast, I’m talking to Ed Eakin, a well-known member of our Second Home Agents Facebook community! Ed provides Real estate consulting and construction services throughout Texas, Mexico, Honduras, Costa Rica, Belize, Ecuador, and the Caribbean. If you’ve been part of our Facebook group, you’ve probably seen and heard his input! But more impressive are his credentials! He’s earned so many credentials, and they have helped skyrocket his business! Get ready to be amazed at how he’s grown his business to expand far beyond the great state of Texas, and see how he’s made his business a global success! Ready to hear about his journey, and the steps he took to get there? You won’t want to miss this week’s episode of the Selling the Dream podcast! Before we dive in: join an amazing network of the best second home agents. Make sure that you create your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces Ed Eakin, his business, and the current status of his market. Why so many certifications, and being on so many different boards? Ed explains how and why he’s achieved so much! Every time you join in something, you learn something new, and make connections! It’s just another step in getting to make more connections! When we get “back to normal” after COVID, the agents who will bounce back easiest will be the ones who were able to think creatively and adapt during COVID! Ed shares about his markets, and how he is able to work in so many locations. Not only is he active in Texas, Ed is working Central American real estate! Ed shares more about that market, and how he broke in. How do you break into new markets? Start small, and get to know people! Ed shares how his networks bring him referrals, and his credentials bring in even more! When you’re at events, put yourself out there! Don’t hold back, go around and get to know people. How did Ed start his work in beach markets? He recommends picking a spot you like, and getting to know it! Learning about what his potential customers wanted and would be looking for gave him an edge, and helped him be invaluable to anyone looking in that area. Get to know developers! You can be the bridge between them and their ideal clients. Ed shares how he works with developers to bring clients to them to see properties. How do you deal with conceptions of safety? Ed shares his experiences in Mexico, including the one time he got stopped by the police. Thinking about real estate abroad? Ed shares some of the information you need to think about, such as if the property is purchased through a trust. Don’t forget to subscribe to the Selling the Dream podcast so you don’t miss any new episodes! Leave a review: you never know when it will be read on the show! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Sign up for a trial with Bomb Bomb and get a free eBook from me! Just let me know you’ve signed up, and I’ll send a free copy of Ethan Beute’s book! Connect with Ed: LinkedIn Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube EXCLUSIVE Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube Have you made your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE. Click here to register, make your profile and get listed today. As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream. See you next time!  

What are you doing in the face of uncertainty? Are you putting your head down in the sand, hoping for everything to just get figured out? Or are you leaning into hard times, practicing resiliency in the face of everything that is going on? If you’re combining resiliency and uncertainty, you’re going to create this elasticity in your business. It may stretch you, but it’s going to help you bounce back! You get to control the narrative, and create opportunities for yourself! It’s just a matter of you being ready to take those opportunities! This week on the Tip Tuesday episode of the Selling the Dream podcast, I’m sharing some inspiration for the second half of this year! People are ready to create a new life for themselves after COVID, and are ready to chase their dreams! We’re the ones who are going to be here to help them find their dream home! Thanks for joining us on Selling the Dream - we wouldn’t be where we are without you listening, and giving your feedback! Make sure that you give us a rating and review on iTunes: that would mean the world to me, and will help us get even more amazing guests on our Friday episodes of the show. Highlights of this episode: What do you do in the face of uncertainty? If you add resiliency, you’re going to be better equipped to bounce back! Right now, if you’re willing to try new things, there are opportunities out there! People want to buy homes; they want to be able to create a lifestyle of freedom! Embrace your resiliency, and be ready for things to go crazy the second half of this year. People will be ready to buy! Between the pandemic, and the upcoming election, the rest of this year is going to be crazy! Take time now to prepare! Join our 2nd Home Agents Facebook group and create connections! (link below) Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. If there’s ever a topic that you’d like to hear us cover on the podcast, just send me a message: my contact information is below. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling real estate: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

What did your real estate market look like when you started? Was it just a few homes a year, in a very short window of time? Or did you find that people were buying and selling year round? Dennis Hanlon found that when he started, there was a fairly narrow window of time to sell! The prime season lasted for about 4 months for tourists, and the rest of the time was fairly slow! He saw other areas with coalitions of realtors, and groups that worked together to bring in additional revenue sources for the area, and he decided to start something like that! The Rocky Mountain Resort Alliance was born, and has helped shape real estate all throughout the Rocky Mountains! Even as far as California and Canada, the work that he did impacts agents to this day. He understands what it means to serve second home buyers, and how to sell the dream. This week on the Selling the Dream podcast, I’m talking to a leader among agents working in the second home market! Dennis Hanlon started working in the resort market in the early 90s, and he ultimately helped shape how resort real estate is sold in the Rocky Mountains! He’s been an inspiration to me and many other agents, and I’m so excited to have him share. We talk about the impacts of COVID-19 on resort markets, how he markets, and his keys to success! Ready to hear about his journey, and how he persevered in the industry so long? You won’t want to miss this week’s episode of the Selling the Dream podcast! Before we dive in: join an amazing network of the best second home agents. Make sure that you create your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces Dennis Hanlon, his business, and the current status of his market. Dennis shares about the impacts of COVID-19 on business in a resort market, and how everything shut down in the height of their busy season. After working remotely, there are quite a few people who are realizing that they don’t have to be working in their offices, and are looking for their dream home in resort communities so they can live the life they want! Dennis shares the history of the real estate group (the Rocky Mountain Resort Alliance) that he started in the Park City area. Many companies don’t create tech for realtors like us - so we have to band together and help each other with resources! It’s been fun to start making those connections to help create resources that are helpful for us, and to show them an entirely new audience that they’d totally missed! In the world of resort real estate, many of your leads will self-qualify. My favorite line is not “how much can you afford,” it’s “what is your threshold of pain?” That helps you know what to show people! If you ask that question, you will get some great answers! Dennis shares about his days balancing life as a ski instructor and as an agent. If you spend your time working in two industries, ultimately you will find that you’re not able to do either job well. Tom and Dennis talk about the years in the industry, and a few lessons learned along the way. Dennis shares how he markets to his leads and potential clients. Most of his marketing is now done digitally, with a few mailers here and there. If you do a mailing, it has to have actual information for people, not just telling them that you’re the best. Give them a reason to keep that piece of paper! People don’t have to buy the real estate we’re selling. But we’re selling that lifestyle that they want! That’s why they keep coming back to these resorts and these areas. If you’re in a seasonal market, and trying to find ways to sell year round, don’t be afraid to reach out into the community and help make things happen! Partner with businesses, and start having events! Dennis’ best piece of advice: don’t be in a hurry to sell! People can always tell when you’re trying to sell them something. Don’t forget to subscribe to the Selling the Dream podcast so you don’t miss any new episodes! Leave a review: you never know when it will be read on the show! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Sign up for a trial with Bomb Bomb and get a free eBook from me! Just let me know you’ve signed up, and I’ll send a free copy of Ethan Beute’s book! Connect with Dennis: LinkedIn Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube EXCLUSIVE Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube Have you made your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE. Click here to register, make your profile and get listed today. As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream. See you next time!  

What are some of your favorite tools and resources to help you connect with people? If you’ve listened to this podcast for a while, you know that I’m a believer in the DiSC profile! I firmly believe that using tools like this to help understand what makes people tick helps you to be able to serve them even better! When you’re able to dig deeper into what a client thinks, wants, and needs, you’re going to be able to meet their needs! Instead of just pretending to relate to and understand your customers, you actually learn to reach between the lines and understand not just what they are saying when they contact you, but who they really are, and how you can best serve them! This week on the Tip Tuesday episode of the Selling the Dream podcast, I’m sharing some of my favorite aspects of DiSC, and how it helps me in my business! You’ll be amazed by what people are telling you about themselves….if you know just how to recognize it! Thanks for joining us on Selling the Dream - we wouldn’t be where we are without you listening, and giving your feedback! Make sure that you give us a rating and review on iTunes: that would mean the world to me, and will help us get even more amazing guests on our Friday episodes of the show. Highlights of this episode: Use the DiSC profile to understand your personality, and how you interact with others! Once you understand the profile and how it works, you will better understand your clients! You won’t have to pretend that you understand: you actually will understand! I recommend taking the DiSC test online! You can find many places with free tests! D = succinct, doesn't want to waste time. They give info in bullet points! I = people who want to have fun, and are focused on how something makes them feel! S = stable and supportive. These clients are going to be the ones with houseplants! C = this clients are going to be conscientious and careful. Use the indicators that people give you to know how to work with them the exact way that will resonate with them at their core! Join our 2nd Home Agents Facebook group and create connections! (link below) Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. If there’s ever a topic that you’d like to hear us cover on the podcast, just send me a message: my contact information is below. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling real estate: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Do you ever think about the early days of your real estate career? How old were you? How long did it take your first sale? How did you prove yourself to your clients and leads? I remember those days! When I first started working in real estate, I actually gave up, chased something else for a while, and then came back a few years later! It’s always exciting to talk to agents who are just starting out, and hear how they are ready to take over the world! They’re excited, motivated, and ready to win! Avi Becker stands out: he’s only 24, and already making great strides! “I may not be the best,” he says, “but I can outwork anyone.” After going nearly a year with only one sale, he’s finally starting to gain some momentum. His keys to success? Coaching, and always pushing to work harder, be better, and improve himself! His work to make himself the best he can be is an inspiration! Instead of bringing in a veteran agent for this episode of the Selling the Dream podcast, we’re bringing in Avi Becker! He’s brand new to the market in Santa Barbara, and making waves in his first year! Learn more about how he broke into the real estate market, how long it took for him to start finding his stride, and his keys to success! Ready to be inspired? You won’t want to miss this week’s episode of the Selling the Dream podcast! Before we dive in: join an amazing network of the best second home agents. Make sure that you create your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces Avi and his real estate experience. Instead of just bringing in seasoned old agents, Avi is a dynamic young agent, here to talk about his first year! After a full year in the business, he’d essentially made no money! Avi and Tom talk about staying motivated even when not making money. “I may not have the same skills, but I can outwork the others.” Avi and Tom talk about tenacity in the business and being willing to put in the work to be successful. Investing in his education made a huge difference! Avi would spend any extra money that he had on coaching and self-development resources. Working on his mindset was one of the things that helped Avi keep going. Confidence is key! Go in knowing what you have to offer. When you practice, your competence grows. Be out there practicing all the time! COVID hitt right as Avi was ramping up in his career. He shares how that impacted things. Avi shares about the team that he joined, benefits of being in that team, and why he chose to work with them. Looking for ideas on mentorship? Avi shares how their team handles mentorship and relationships, while benefiting both people. Coaching and accountability is an incredible combination. Mastering social media can bring connections for $0. It’s worth it to practice and get comfortable with social media platforms! Don’t be afraid to invest your time into things that don’t always have a dollar sign connected to them. Avi shares how he uses video to connect with people. Video puts a face to a name: don’t be afraid to use it! Keep your video short: more than 15 seconds, and many people won’t watch them. Surround yourself with those who have similar goals and interests - they will support you in your endeavors. Avi shares his best piece of advice for new agents: invest in yourself and act like a CEO! Don’t forget to subscribe to the Selling the Dream podcast so you don’t miss any new episodes! Leave a review: you never know when it will be read on the show! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Sign up for a trial with Bomb Bomb and get a free eBook from me! Just let me know you’ve signed up, and I’ll send a free copy of Ethan Beute’s book! Connect with Avi: LinkedIn Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube EXCLUSIVE Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube Have you made your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE. Click here to register, make your profile and get listed today. As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream. See you next time!  

When you look around, what do you see? Do you see a crazy world? I mean, with COVID-19, politics, health care, school scares, everything happening, it’s easy to think the world is nuts! Or are you looking around seeing one thing: opportunity. It’s time to step up and serve, filling the void that is left when other agents put their heads in the sand, waiting for things to pass. If you’re out there pushing the envelope, looking for ways to serve, you’re going to find yourself ahead of the game when everything takes off again! This week on the Tip Tuesday episode of the Selling the Dream podcast, I’m echoing again what you’ve heard from me before! You’ve got to adopt, adapt, or you’re going to disappear! Thanks for joining us on Selling the Dream - we wouldn’t be where we are without you listening, and giving your feedback! Make sure that you give us a rating and review on iTunes: that would mean the world to me, and will help us get even more amazing guests on our Friday episodes of the show. Highlights of this episode: These past few months have been crazy! Are you sitting back thinking about all that has happened, and what to do next? This is opportunity! We need to be looking around for new ways to serve others around us! Look for the voids that other agents are leaving behind, and serve others around you! Don’t look at this as a terrible time, look at it as a way to step up! If you get out there and push the envelope, you will be miles ahead of agents out there with their heads in the sand waiting for this to pass! Tell your customers that you are there for them, and be the leader that they need! Adapt, adopt, or disappear! Join our 2nd Home Agents Facebook group and create connections! (link below) Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. If there’s ever a topic that you’d like to hear us cover on the podcast, just send me a message: my contact information is below. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling real estate: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

How are you posturing yourself to pick up business after COVID-19 dies down? Are your buyers actively looking for a deal? Do your sellers call you, wondering if they should list or not? Are you still stuck at home, just waiting for stay at home orders to end? Or are you worried about taking action, and then being known as “that agent” who is taking advantage of the situation, or looks greedy? These are uncertain times! The one thing that is for certain is that your actions today will impact your business tomorrow, and you can posture yourself for success! One of the themes that came up over and over was the concept of controlling the narrative: that doesn’t mean that you’re a control freak! But instead of being controlled by uncertainty, you’re stepping up and making a plan! You’re teaching your clients what to expect, and how everything will go! You’re finding completely new ways to market, and even completing sales virtually! For this month’s mastermind meeting, I brought in Timothy Burch and Susan Talarico to share their perspectives on what they’re seeing. While they are both in dramatically different markets (the Hamptons and Scottsdale), they are seeing some trends in the markets, and posturing themselves for success! Ready to dive in and make a plan for how you can control the narrative? You won’t want to miss this week’s episode of the Selling the Dream podcast! Before we dive in: join an amazing network of the best second home agents. Make sure that you create your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces the June mastermind meeting! The facilitators take time to briefly give a market report, and what they are seeing in their markets, and what makes their market unique. One of the best things that you can do during an unstable market is take time to control the narrative! Learn what’s going on, and how you can help serve others through it! Tim shares how he took time to reach out to people: not for sales, not for transactions, but to simply reach out and check and see how people were doing during COVID! By taking time to serve, he’s ended up with 3 incredibly busy months! How can you make a sale without ever making physical contact? Tim shares how he’s virtually sold multiple houses during COVID, and never even met the buyers face to face! Facebook can be like an online cocktail party - you can’t just post a house there and hope it sells, you have to connect with people! People aren’t just buying the house, they are buying the community, and the surroundings, and the atmosphere! That is what you need to sell! Resort and second home buyers aren’t being practical: they want to buy a lifestyle. The group talks about what drives people to buy a second home. How do you handle the “should I list my property” questions? Don’t be delicate about things: be business oriented! People are talking about buying homes. You’ve got to be ready to help them! The group talks about home pricing after COVID. People who have been going to see houses during COVID had to be vetted before they ever set foot in the house, so they are qualified and ready to make a decision! Tip: many buyers today think they’re going to get a deal after COVID, so expect a low offer and plan accordingly! So what’s your game plan post-COVID? The moderators and Tom discuss. Don’t forget to subscribe to the Selling the Dream podcast so you don’t miss any new episodes! Leave a review: you never know when it will be read on the show! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Sign up for a trial with Bomb Bomb and get a free eBook from me! Just let me know you’ve signed up, and I’ll send a free copy of Ethan Beute’s book! Connect with our moderators: Susan Talarico Timothy Burch Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube EXCLUSIVE Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube Have you made your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE. Click here to register, make your profile and get listed today. As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream. See you next time!  

How do you market to your feeder market? We’ve all got strategies to be able to help people find their dream homes! But when you’re working in a resort market, it can take a completely different strategy to market effectively to your clients and leads! You want to help them find their perfect home in their version of paradise, and you’ve got to show them that you are the expert they’ve been dreaming of finding to help them! This week on the Tip Tuesday episode of the Selling the Dream podcast, I’ve brought the man himself, Tom Ferry, here to share his top tips on how you can market to that feeder market when you’re working in resort communities! Thanks for joining us on Selling the Dream - we wouldn’t be where we are without you listening, and giving your feedback! Make sure that you give us a rating and review on iTunes: that would mean the world to me, and will help us get even more amazing guests on our Friday episodes of the show. Highlights of this episode: How do you market to your feeder markets? You can have a Zoom meeting, walking people through the process of buying a home in your market! Whether it’s their first home, or their fifth home, offer value! When you’ve planned that Zoom meeting, invite your list! Answer the two basic questions: how is the market, and how well do you know the market! Reach out to player agents in those feeder markets, and invite them to be part of your Zoom calls! Bring in the referrals! No marketing budget required, and you can bring in qualified leads! Join our 2nd Home Agents Facebook group and create connections! (link below) Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. If there’s ever a topic that you’d like to hear us cover on the podcast, just send me a message: my contact information is below. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling real estate: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Can you be found on Google? If you type your name into a Google search, what comes up? There’s a simple (and free) tool to help you build your business on Google and be found anytime someone is looking for a real estate agent in their area! It’s called Google MyBusiness, and you can use it to show proof of your reputation, gather reviews, post listings, and more! If you haven’t claimed your business on Google, what are you waiting for? Terry and Laurie Carlson have had great success using Google MyBusiness to build their business! Here, they are able to help show their leads more about how they are changing things for their clients! They’re also able to bring in organic traffic, and show off their listings to even more viewers! Terry and Laurie were so great when they moderated the May Mastermind meeting for the Selling the Dream podcast, so I had to bring them back for this week’s episode of the Selling the Dream podcast. We talk about Google MyBusiness, their background and how it prepared them to be in real estate, and the best ways to connect with your audience! Want to know how you can use this free tool to help bring in even more qualified leads who want to work with you? You won’t want to miss this week’s episode of the Selling the Dream podcast! Before we dive in: join an amazing network of the best second home agents. Make sure that you create your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces Terry and Laurie Carlson, where they are located, and their background in real estate. The number one key to business success is always learning, and always being willing to test new things. How do they market? They share how they use BombBomb to reach out to their email list. Terry and Laurie talk about some of the ways that they connect with people, including their pie giveaway. Postcards and market reports can be a great way to connect with your warm leads! Build name recognition with repeated contact. Broad connections bring generic results. The more specific and focused your outreach is, the higher the quality of the connection! People want to know that you are good at what you do - not just that you are in real estate, but that you get results! When negotiating, you have to make it a win-win for everybody. Your reputation is important: people don’t forget. Play nice! Customer calls are important - even during COVID when everyone was having Zoom meetings, don’t lose sight of personal connections. We talk about virtual open houses, and how to use them to connect with feeder markets. Use Bombbomb to get in front of your clients! Video helps create those connections. Laurie and Terry talk about how they’ve used Google MyBusiness to establish an online presence and connections. If you google yourself, and don’t find yourself, it’s time to get on Google! Claim your business location online so that people can find you! Use your office address to claim your business location on Google. Request Google reviews from your customers so that people searching for real estate agents in your area can find you, and know that you are the best! Don’t be afraid to reach out to clients from years and years ago, asking them to leave reviews for you! You’ll be amazed at how many will say yes. Get a coach: you can’t afford to not have the accountability! Brand new to real estate? Forget everything you know, and be ready and willing to learn! Don’t forget to subscribe to the Selling the Dream podcast so you don’t miss any new episodes! Leave a review: you never know when it will be read on the show! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Sign up for a trial with Bomb Bomb and get a free eBook from me! Just let me know you’ve signed up, and I’ll send a free copy of Ethan Beute’s book! Connect with Terry and Laurie: LinkedIn Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube EXCLUSIVE Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube Have you made your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE. Click here to register, make your profile and get listed today. As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Title: Have You Set Expectations? Have you set expectations for your business as you are coming out of COVID-19? Let’s be honest, we all have expectations for our business, and what we want to achieve! Now, as we are coming out of a global pandemic, setting these expectations is even more important than ever! Everyone has questions: what’s going to happen now? Buyers, sellers, and even realtors are asking these questions! This will be a new way of doing business, and you’ll have to be prepared for anything! Buyers may be looking for a deal, or they may be ready to drop money on their dream home! Sellers may be desperate to sell, or they may be willing to wait to get their asking price! It’s like fishing: you have to drop your line in the water and see what bites! As we’re helping people find their dream homes after the pandemic, just be flexible, and be willing to adjust your expectations, and more importantly, help your clients adjust their expectations! This week on the Tip Tuesday episode of the Selling the Dream podcast, I’m here to share how adjusting your expectations after a global pandemic will help you serve your clients effectively! Thanks for joining us on Selling the Dream - we wouldn’t be where we are without you listening, and giving your feedback! Make sure that you give us a rating and review on iTunes: that would mean the world to me, and will help us get even more amazing guests on our Friday episodes of the show. Highlights of this episode: Have you started your game plan for when things open up after COVID-19? Setting expectations with our clients is important at any time, but even more important now! People don’t know what to expect in the market! Should they buy now? Sell now? Hold out for a better price? Will there be deals later? You’ll want to make sure that you’re helping set expectations with your clients so that they are prepared for anything that happens! Be ready to guide them, and be open to anything! Is their offer too low? Send it anyway! You never know what will happen - and tell them that! Just be ready to set expectations for your clients! Anything can happen! Join our 2nd Home Agents Facebook group and create connections! (link below) Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. If there’s ever a topic that you’d like to hear us cover on the podcast, just send me a message: my contact information is below. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling real estate: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

I made a mistake….and I’m going to run with it anyway! Can you imagine having the confidence to say that? To be standing on a stage, talking to people, and then realizing that you messed up? But here’s the thing: most of the time, no one realizes when we make mistakes! How often do you stop yourself from taking chances and opportunities? How often do you decide not to hit the record button to make a video, or pass on a potential speaking opportunity, all because you’re afraid of making a mistake? Why can’t you? This week’s episode of the Selling the Dream podcast is going to be just a little bit different, as I’ve invited motivational speaker David Bryson to speak about his podcast and speaking career. I met him when we were at the same conference, and connected over his powerful message: why can’t you? You won’t want to miss this week’s episode of the Selling the Dream podcast! Before we dive in: join an amazing network of the best second home agents. Make sure that you create your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces David Bryson, who isn’t a member of the real estate community, but is part of the inspiration community! David shares about his background, and the origin of the “Why Can’t You?” podcast. “Entrepreneurs are leaders of any industry, and talk about their successes, but the mistakes they have made are an opportunity to help other people to show that learning curve.” David shares how he came to be working with the podcast, and how he joined the ranks of motivational speakers. How would a motivational speaker sell a house? With a story! David shares his top tips for realtors to be able to connect with their ideal clientele. Advertising can take a person 12-18 exposure times for a person to end up choosing you as their realtor, but story can put you on the express lane for trust. Don’t know what story your client needs? Shut up! Listen! If you give them time to talk, they will tell you exactly what they are looking for! Consumers are taking in so much video: look at the statistics! Create content in video form, and they will be listening! People do care about quality - take the time to practice being on video! Get to know what it takes to create a good video! No one likes to be sold to: be honest and helpful, and help meet people’s needs. Interested in becoming a motivational speaker? Start making content! Get videos of yourself doing speeches, and volunteer to speak for free! Get some experience. Research conferences in 2021, find a topic that meets their needs, and make a pitch! David shares his top tips for finding conventions and locations to practice speaking at. Even if you’re experienced, speaking can be nerve-wracking! Build a portfolio! Find something that you want to be known for, and do it! Develop that passion, and a portfolio to go with it. You may find that as you practice, that you take a shift in direction, and that is ok! Don’t forget: people often don’t know when you mess up! You are the one who knows! It’s ok to make mistakes: act like a pro, and people will see you as a pro. Don’t forget to subscribe to the Selling the Dream podcast so you don’t miss any new episodes! Leave a review: you never know when it will be read on the show! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Sign up for a trial with Bomb Bomb and get a free eBook from me! Connect with David: LinkedIn Website Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube EXCLUSIVE Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube Have you made your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE. Click here to register, make your profile and get listed today. As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

What is your best form of business? If you didn’t say referrals, you’re missing out! Referrals are my best source of business, and that’s because I’ve invested time in building my network. How do I do that? Provide value. It’s not about me; it’s about offering myself as a resource to others! When I share about Maui, and am quick to help others learn about this particular area, my reputation grows! People know a few key things about me: I know this area better than pretty much anybody else I am here and ready to help! Because of that, my reputation and my network has grown, and that has impacted my business! This week on the Tip Tuesday episode of the Selling the Dream podcast, I’m here to encourage you on ways that you can grow your network! Thanks for joining us on Selling the Dream - we wouldn’t be where we are without you listening, and giving your feedback! Make sure that you give us a rating and review on iTunes: that would mean the world to me, and will help us get even more amazing guests on our Friday episodes of the show. Highlights of this episode: Your referrals can be one of your best sources of business, because people know of you as someone they can trust! But how do you get people to think highly of you? Put out content, share freely with people! Answer their questions! Be available, be a resource, and be an advocate! When you meet someone new, sit down and ask them, “how can I be a resource for you?” Don’t be afraid to tell your clients that you want to be their resource! But be proactive in showing them that you are the best resource they can use! Join our 2nd Home Agents Facebook group and create connections! (link below) Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. If there’s ever a topic that you’d like to hear us cover on the podcast, just send me a message: my contact information is below. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling real estate: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Technology is amazing, isn’t it? During our May mastermind, Kenny, my assistant in charge of technology was on the East Coast, I was in Hawaii, and our guest moderator and expert, Laurie Carlson, was in Florida! Thanks to technology, even from a distance we were able to connect! That’s one of my biggest takeaways from this pandemic: we can use technology to keep going! Whether it be a mastermind meeting all over the country, showing leads from our feeder markets homes, or even running webinars about your area, teaching people how to buy a home, technology can help you every step of the way! Today, we’re reviewing some absolutely free tools, and the tips and tricks you need to know to master them! Facebook, and Google Business can be the key to engaging hundreds, if not thousands, of qualified leads who are ready to buy! Come listen in to our mastermind through the power of technology, and gain insights on how you can use these free tools to your advantage! Laurie Carlson is a master at Google Business, and you’ll be amazed at how such a simple, free tool can help you be found when people are looking for real estate agents in their area! You won’t want to miss this week’s episode of the Selling the Dream podcast! Before we dive in: join an amazing network of the best second home agents. Make sure that you create your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces this month’s mastermind meeting, and the expert of the month, Laurie Carlson! Laurie shares about Google Business Pages, and how you need to be using those to help connect with new leads! If you do a Google search on yourself, what comes up? You want your business to show up so that people can find you! Laurie does a screen share about what you can set up in your Google Business Page! Always test the amount of info you put out there! See what sparks people to connect with you! Laurie explains how she uses social media to share listings, and best practices to make sure that people see what you post! You can put your listings up as posts, and give just enough information so that people click to find out more. Don’t forget to ask for reviews! Those reviews will help others find you, and know that you are trustworthy! Get in the habit of doing it! Get your categories and services all posted on your Facebook page. Make sure that you have key words so that people searching for you can find you! The group discusses settings and what you can and should add to your Google Business Listing, including photos. If you don’t want to share your address, go rent some shared workspace! Laurie walks the group through Google Messenger and how to use it. If you’re not playing in Google’s sandbox, you’re missing out! Use the free tools that you have access to in order to reach people who need you! Get to know all the secrets you can use to get found! Don’t know what alt text is? Make sure you listen, because it could lead to your next sale! Should each member of your team make a Google Business page? The group discusses! The group shares how things have been in their market during COVID-19. Don’t forget to subscribe to the Selling the Dream podcast so you don’t miss any new episodes! Leave a review: you never know when it will be read on the show! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Sign up for a trial with Bomb Bomb and get a free eBook from me! Connect with Laurie: LinkedIn Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube EXCLUSIVE Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube Have you made your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE. Click here to register, make your profile and get listed today. As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

As we’re all emerging from stay-at-home orders, people are ready and anxious to start their normal lives again! Realtors have a lot of work to do, as our leads and clients have a lot of questions for us! They want to know how the pandemic has impacted the industry! They want to know if there are houses available, if people are buying (or selling), and what’s going to happen next! Take the time to get to know all the statistics, and you’re going to be their #1 resource! Get to know the facts: market trends, how long it’s taking homes to sell, how many days average are houses on the market, how many people are bidding on homes! When you counter fear with information, you’re going to see people comfortable with choosing you to help them with all their housing needs! This week on the Tip Tuesday episode of the Selling the Dream podcast, I’m here to share how knowing your statistics is even more important than ever, as we attempt to return to normalcy after the pandemic! Thanks for joining us on Selling the Dream - we wouldn’t be where we are without you listening, and giving your feedback! Make sure that you give us a rating and review on iTunes: that would mean the world to me, and will help us get even more amazing guests on our Friday episodes of the show. Highlights of this episode: People are starting to return to normalcy, but may be reluctant to dabble in real estate! They’ve got questions: is it a good time to buy or sell? Are we about to have a recession? Get to know your statistics, and counter fear with information! When you’re able to share the facts, people will feel comfortable with you, and with moving forward on either buying or selling! Establish yourself as someone who is sharing the facts! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. If there’s ever a topic that you’d like to hear us cover on the podcast, just send me a message: my contact information is below. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling real estate: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Are you offering value to a lot of people? Are you sharing that value with the people around you? Sharing value was something that Matt Farnham fell in love with. He wanted to give back to others for all the information that had been given to him! Team was a logical step for Matt Farnham. See, Matt was creating value for agents! He wasn’t looking to grow his own team, he was simply churning out content and providing value for other real estate agents! If you gave him your business card, he’d connect with you, and bring you as much value as he could! Through his email list, videos, and social media posts, Matt is able to impact thousands of agents, helping them learn how to be exceptional at their work! It’s only natural then, that Matt would be part of a high performing team! I’m excited to sit down and talk to Matt today about the logistics of running a team, how he creates valuable content, and his advice to new agents considering the real estate business! You won’t want to miss this week’s episode of the Selling the Dream podcast! Before we dive in: join an amazing network of the best second home agents. Make sure that you create your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces the episode and this week’s guest, Matt Farnham! “I realized how much value I've gotten from so many other folks that it influenced me to want to share.” ~ Matt Matt shares how he and his team deliver content to other agents, so they can learn! They use a combination of emails, videos, and social media to help communicate with other agents. Creating value is a marathon: keep consistently creating content that serves others, and you will grow! Matt talks about the value of the email list, and the personal connections that it represents! Considering Bomb Bomb? You’ll be amazed at the open rates it brings in! While the work that Matt does is not meant to recruit, it does help show people how to recruit! Document, don’t create! Show people real life! In his previous episode, Matt was about to make some huge changes in his business! He shares an update on how that went! Trying to figure out if you should join a team or be on your own? There’s no one way! Find out what drives you, and go with that! Are you a team leader? Create value in the culture of your team. If you’re the team leader, you’re a mentor and guide. These other agents will be relying on your help and leadership skills. Tom shares about his content calendar, and how his team is growing and working on creating and achieving. Matt shares about his team, and how they all work together. Want to text Matt? He has a grasshopper system that will push your contact to three different agents on his team to connect with you! If you’re a brand new agent, look at your team! Check out that model; see how you’re working and spending all of your time! A team will help you find some form of balance if that is what you’re looking for. If you’re an agent considering starting a team, think about all that it entails, and make sure you are ready to lead the team! Don’t forget to subscribe to the Selling the Dream podcast so you don’t miss any new episodes! Leave a review: you never know when it will be read on the show! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Sign up for a trial with Bomb Bomb and get a free eBook from me! Connect with Matt: LinkedIn Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube EXCLUSIVE Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube Have you made your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE. Click here to register, make your profile and get listed today. As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Are you missing getting together with other agents, and brainstorming ways to grow your business? Then you won’t want to miss our mastermind meeting replays! You’re going to want to be a “fly on the wall” to hear about what we’re seeing in the market as a result of COVID, how we’re handling buyers who may have cold feet about buying second homes, and how we’re all facing an ever-changing real estate market! Any real estate agent who has been in the business for a while knows what happens during an economic downturn: people decide that this isn’t the industry for them! If sales are drying up, income isn’t coming in! And that’s where people start jumping into more “consistent” careers. When you take time to invest in your business, and keep encouraging each other in best practices, you’ll be able to get that boost that you need! That said, we’d love to invite you to “join” us and listen in! You can hear us talking all about what’s happening in our markets, how we’re responding to the pandemic, and how we’re planning for the future! You won’t want to miss this week’s episode of the Selling the Dream podcast! Before we dive in: join an amazing network of the best second home agents. Make sure that you create your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces the episode and this week’s topic, the April Mastermind! The group discusses some of the unique factors contributing to how sales are going during COVID-19! It’s time to use virtual tours to help sell these second homes! When you’re selling a second home, it’s not as urgent as some first home buyers are! “Load the cannon” so that when the time comes that people are buying, you are primed and ready. Honor people where they are at: don’t be too pushy, but hear their needs and know how you can meet them! Be aware of how you’re marketing on social media: don’t just pounce on people who may want to sell, but be aware of the state of things! Focus on helping people, not just selling! Be a guide and helper! Pick and choose what you do: your options are like a buffet table, and there are so many to choose from! Tom shares about the Maui Minute - one minute videos to help show people the area! Show people what life is like, exactly where you are at! Different realtors on the call share how they are handling sales and showings during COVID. When you’re in the second home market, you do get used to Zoom and remote showings, and connecting from a distance! Now everyone is working on learning those tools and figuring out new processes! Everyone shares resources that they are using to help them work remotely. How will the housing market be impacted? People share their theories, and how they are working with their clients and leads. If you wait for the market to bottom out, you’re going to miss out! Get ready for your state association to come out with guidelines on how you handle showings. How can video impact your sales? Time to discuss! Afraid that going virtual will work you out of a job? Never! You’re the one connecting all the dots and connecting your people! Be ready to deal with clients who may be watching fluctuations in the market and are freaking out! You’re there to help them. Be creative and explore your options. If you have clients who want to pull their homes off the market, encourage them to keep them up! That way, people can find them in searches! Don’t forget to subscribe to the Selling the Dream podcast so you don’t miss any new episodes! Leave a review: you never know when it will be read on the show! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Sign up for a trial with Bomb Bomb and get a free eBook from me! Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube EXCLUSIVE Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube Have you made your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE. Click here to register, make your profile and get listed today. As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

How do you market? Do you post on social media, and hope for the best? Are you trying to connect with your audience, wondering exactly where they are, and how you can connect with them? But are likes lagging, and does your content feel like it’s falling short? Or is your social media targeted and effective, with content that turns heads and brings in leads? Marketing is an art and a science, all rolled into one! You can create content for your audience, and I totally recommend that you do that! But combine relatable content with a solid marketing strategy, and you’ll begin to see next-level results as you’re connecting with your audience! This week on the Selling the Dream podcast, I’m talking to Chris Smith, the co-founder of Curaytor and the co-author of Peoplework. He has been paid to speak 100's of times on the topics of lead generation, Facebook Advertising, Lead Conversion, CRM, email marketing and customer service. I met Chris at a networking event, and just absolutely thought the world of him! We’ve stayed in touch since then, and I had to invite him to be on this week’s episode of the Selling the Dream podcast! We talk about marketing, and how you can grow your business and connect with your clients even during a downturn in the economy! Before we dive in: join an amazing network of the best second home agents. Make sure that you create your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces the episode and this week’s guest, Chris Smith. Chris shares about his career, and how he ended up with Curaytor. “I was just a kid that had a passion for his career.” Sometimes you have to take the scripts and what people are saying, and just start flipping things around so that you’re asking the right questions. There’s an art and a science to marketing! You have to massage and manipulate the message. Chris shares about funnels, and how they impact the sales process. If you’re an older agent, it’s not too late for you to learn! Chris shares some basic advertising techniques (like creating an information gap) you can use to get information from users! The fortune is in the followup! Your script has to have a flow! You have to know what you’re going to say before you try to say it. Know exactly where your audience is! If they are on Facebook, don’t try to market on TikTok! If they’re on Instagram, market to them there! If you’re going to market geographically, Facebook has advertising tools to help you target your audience. How much (and what) should you post on Facebook? Chris shares how you can use Facebook ad manager to help understand your audience! If you’re going to dig into Facebook ads, hire an expert! They’ll be able to guide you through the process! Chris shares more about Curaytor, and how they work! In the second home market, you’re used to working with potential clients and buyers remotely! Keep working on planting those seeds to be able to nurture those transactions! Create content and market it for your audience! These challenges can help connect you and your audience. Chris shares his advice for how to come out of the COVID-19 crisis post-pandemic! If you are a brand new agent, find someone who is successful and study what they are doing! Learn from what they are doing! There are tons of proven frameworks for success: you don’t have to start over every single time you try something new! Don’t forget to subscribe to the Selling the Dream podcast so you don’t miss any new episodes! Leave a review: you never know when it will be read on the show! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Sign up for a trial with Bomb Bomb and get a free eBook from me! Connect with Chris Smith: LinkedIn Website Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube EXCLUSIVE Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube Have you made your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE. Click here to register, make your profile and get listed today. As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

If you were asked if you should be an optimist, or a pessimist, which would you choose? The optimist, right? I mean, who likes being around a pessimistic person? I heard a story once, where in a prison camp, the optimists struggled! “We’re going to be freed soon,” they said! They’d look forward to the date when they’d be liberated….and then nothing happened! When their optimistic hopes were not met, they were crushed! This week on the Tip Tuesday episode of the Selling the Dream podcast, here to share the attitude and mindset that you need to have to survive the turbulence of these unknown times! Thanks for joining us on Selling the Dream - we wouldn’t be where we are without you listening, and giving your feedback! Make sure that you give us a rating and review on iTunes: that would mean the world to me, and will help us get even more amazing guests on our Friday episodes of the show. Highlights of this episode: Should you be an optimist, or a pessimist? I’ve always looked at myself as being the eternal optimist! An optimist looks at a glass as half full, while the pessimist sees it as half empty! The realist sees it as what we’ve got to work with, so gotta make it last! Right now, there is no playbook; there is no precedence for a global pandemic. We don’t know when the next paycheck is coming, so we’ve got to just do the best that we realistically can with what we have! This is where an optimistic viewpoint can come in and help you find opportunity! You’ll have an amazing career if you can weather these times and create opportunities for yourself! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. If there’s ever a topic that you’d like to hear us cover on the podcast, just send me a message: my contact information is below. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling real estate: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Are you planning your comeback after this global pandemic? You may have seen your business slow down, and had to revisit your strategies for connecting with the communities around you! How are you connecting with your contacts? What are you saying to them to help them face their fears and insecurities? When you know your market, you know their questions and their needs. You know what is going to help answer their questions, and make them feel understood and cared for! So how are you going to do that? There’s one key to success: you have to make a decision and take action and follow through! So what are you going to do? What’s your plan? How are you going to grow your business? This week on the Selling the Dream podcast, I’m talking to Tom Ferry, the #1 ranked Real Estate Educator by Swanepoel Power 200 and founder and CEO of Ferry International, the real estate industry’s leading coaching and training company.  Tom’s ever-growing influence impacts professionals in a wide variety of ways – including rigorous accountability coaching, the popular #TomFerryShow delivering free, fresh and relevant real estate tips weekly, highly engaging training events, two best-selling books, and his legendary keynote speeches. Tom has more than 30,000 hours of coaching experience and works daily to help agents and brokers grow a prosperous business while simultaneously balancing — and loving — their personal lives. Tom has greatly influenced my career, and is an excellent friend, and I’m delighted to welcome him back to this week’s episode of the Selling the Dream podcast! We talk about recovering from COVID, and how you can grow your business and connect with your clients even during a downturn in the economy! Before we dive in: join an amazing network of the best second home agents. Make sure that you create your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces the episode and this week’s guest, Tom Ferry What’s the magical formula to business? Making a decision and follow through! These podcast episodes are so helpful to hear so much good information about the industry! Ferry shares his impressions of what will be happening in the market after COVID-19. People are asking the question: is it a good time to be a buyer? No one has a crystal ball to know how the market is going to bounce back, but there are things that you can do to be prepared! When you’re working in the secondary market, remember that the wealthy will still be wealthy! They will still be looking for new homes! Ferry shares how to ask your clients what it will take to help them seal the deal on a new house! Buyers are looking for confidence and safety: be ready to have intelligent conversations about their status and their needs! You need to be partnered with people in various markets - if you don’t have connections in other markets, you are missing out! Think like a financial planner to help meet your clients needs. They talk about the AirBnb and VRBO market and what that’s going to look like in the future. Safety and fraud are so important when dealing with large financial decisions are at stake. Create value for your customers! Have Zoom calls and webinars that walk them through important things that they need to know about your market! Get their information so you can follow up with them! Try connecting with agents in your feeder markets to create those referral partnerships. Pretend that you have no marketing budget! What would you do then? Keep up with technology! Make sure that your email address is current and professional! Tom answers rapid fire questions to close out the episode! Don’t forget to subscribe to the Selling the Dream podcast so you don’t miss any new episodes! Leave a review: you never know when it will be read on the show! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Sign up for a trial with Bomb Bomb and get a free eBook from me! Connect with Tom Ferry: LinkedIn Website Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube EXCLUSIVE Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube Have you made your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE. Click here to register, make your profile and get listed today. As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

How can you keep showing houses during COVID-19? With so many people under stay at home orders, it’s hard to imagine gathering people together for an open house! That means we have to stay innovative in how we show houses! Whether it be video tours, or figuring out ways to be able to really know what your clients want, you’d be amazed to know that houses are still selling right now! You just have to change the way that you do the work! When you take someone to see a home, and they are pre-approved, and are ready to make an offer, you’re going to find that sellers are willing to work with you to make it happen! They know you’re not going to be bringing in tire kickers and wasting their time: they know you’ve brought the cream of the crop! This week on the Tip Tuesday episode of the Selling the Dream podcast, I’m bringing in Matt Farnham to share how he’s still selling houses, even during COVID-19! Thanks for joining us on Selling the Dream - we wouldn’t be where we are without you listening, and giving your feedback! Make sure that you give us a rating and review on iTunes: that would mean the world to me, and will help us get even more amazing guests on our Friday episodes of the show. Highlights of this episode: Not sure how to show houses during COVID-19? Set expectations with your buyers! Help them know that they aren’t just going to get into any or every house! Get all the pre-approvals done first! Be ready to make a decision when the time comes! Do everything you can to eliminate non-essential showings! Do video tours if available. If your sellers know that you’re doing the work beforehand to keep unnecessary traffic out of their homes, they are going to want to work with you! You can still be actively selling homes right now! It’s just about being smart in how you do things! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. If there’s ever a topic that you’d like to hear us cover on the podcast, just send me a message: my contact information is below. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling real estate: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Have you ever walked into a house and thought “something HAS to change for this house to sell?” We all collect our treasures! Maybe it’s turtles, or just knick-knacks that you’ve collected over the years! But when it comes to staging your house to sell, that’s gotta go! How can you tell your clients that their house is ugly? Or that their treasures are junk, and keeping them from being able to sell their house? Jocelyn Russo, a master networker, has learned the fine art of kindly telling her clients that their house is ugly. She’s mastered the ability to help sell houses that have sat for months, or even years! She’s not only an expert at helping make houses more beautiful, but she’s a pro at networking, and finding just the right connections!  You’re going to love listening to her as she shares her top secrets to connecting with the perfect agent for the deal! Make sure you listen to this week’s episode of the Selling the Dream podcast! Before we dive in: start your new year with an amazing network of the best second home agents. Make sure that you create your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces the episode and Jocelyn Russo. Jocelyn shares how her market is changing, with one generation moving out and another one moving in! A lot of her clients come from social media connections and open houses! Jocelyn shares her process for promoting open houses, and how she leverages them to connect with her target market. Facebook events are a big way to bring people into the open houses! Jocelyn will create an event and invite people, and include videos inviting people! Plan ahead! If you post a video five minutes before the open house starts, you won’t have a good turn out! Remember, sometimes it’s not about the open house: it’s about finding the right agent. Networking is key! No matter where you are, you need to be connecting with people! Create success stories from your clients so they can share with others. Focus on creating connections with your network! It’s not just transactional, it’s about understanding the person’s needs! Jocelyn shares about her experience with referrals! When you put in the work to really get to know other agents before you refer business to them, it will show! Jocelyn and Tom talk about the DiSC profile, and how that relates to business. When you understand personalities, and how people think, you’re able to meet their needs and help give them exactly what they want! How do you tell a client what to do to sell their house? They aren’t always ready to hear the truth! Don’t tell people the ugly truth till the paperwork is signed! Share that you can sell their house and get them the prices they are looking for! The best way to start your business is to network your butt off! If you’re a new agent, get networking and connecting! Don’t forget to subscribe to the Selling the Dream podcast so you don’t miss any new episodes! Leave a review: you never know when it will be read on the show! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Sign up for a trial with Bomb Bomb and get a free eBook from me! Connect with Jocelyn: LinkedIn Website Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube EXCLUSIVE Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube Have you made your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE. Click here to register, make your profile and get listed today. As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Feeling lost during this pandemic without your routines? Is your productivity suffering? It’s our normal day-to-day actions that help us feel purpose and stay productive! With stay-at-home orders active almost everywhere, how can you stay productive? Instead of staying in bed and sleeping in, get up! Make that coffee! Schedule meetings! Set goals! The number one thing that you can do to help yourself? Time blocking! When you create a schedule and goals, you’ll be amazed at how much your productivity skyrockets, even when you’re stuck inside! I’m here to share how time blocking can help you stay productive - and sane - during this pandemic! This week on the Selling the Dream podcast, I’m sharing how time blocking can prevent you from becoming your own worst enemy! Thanks for joining us on Selling the Dream - we wouldn’t be where we are without you listening, and giving your feedback! Make sure that you give us a rating and review on iTunes: that would mean the world to me, and will help us get even more amazing guests on our Friday episodes of the show. Highlights of this episode: Feeling like you’ve lost your ability to be productive? It’s time to start time blocking! Create a schedule, and block your time! It’s easy to just curl up in a ball and sleep in and be unproductive. Instead, make a calendar! Get your morning coffee, and make goals! I live and die by my calendar every day, and it’s helping me be productive! I know that I have meetings, and have been able to keep going! Doing the stuff that will help keep you productive will help you stay mentally healthy and ready to make great strides in your business! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. If there’s ever a topic that you’d like to hear us cover on the podcast, just send me a message: my contact information is below. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling real estate: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Are you being coached? If you’re thinking about recruiting, and building a team, you’re going to need to figure out some coaching! You know that it takes time to bring powerful agents over to your brokerage! It doesn’t just happen! If you want to build a powerful team, you have to be a powerful team! That is the result of intentional, focused work, that often comes through the process of coaching. I’ve connected with Adam Roach, who has been coaching real estate agents for a while now. He knows what it takes to attract - and sign - $20 million dollar sellers to your team. It’s going to take time, and some intentional moves, but he’s ready to help you get there! This week on the Selling the Dream podcast, I’m talking to Adam Roach about his coaching process, and what it takes to build a strong team! You won’t want to miss him! Are you thinking about building a real estate team? Make sure you listen to this week’s episode of the Selling the Dream podcast! Before we dive in: start your new year with an amazing network of the best second home agents. Make sure that you create your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces Adam Roach. Adam shares about his vision to recruit and impact 100 million real estate agents, as well as how he started in the business! His goal: become the Zillow of recruiting and bringing in leads! How can a manager recruit new people? Adam shares how! You don’t just hope for the right people to come to you to be part of your team! You strategize and find them! When you’re recruiting, it can take time, and posturing yourself to consistently be there! You never know when you’re going to be there at the “right time, right place.” “The only time you stop following up with someone is when they die.” Be prepared to cut out most of your leads when you’re recruiting - you’re looking for committed people! A smaller subscription model can be a great way to provide a service! Adam shares some of the top questions that they coach recruits on. You gotta train people to become comfortable with being uncomfortable! That is how you will grow! Adam shares about what they exactly coach and train on. Coaching is ongoing! You should never stop being coached. Adam shares the #1 thing he would share with a brand new agent. Don’t forget to subscribe to the Selling the Dream podcast so you don’t miss any new episodes! Leave a review: you never know when it will be read on the show! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Sign up for a trial with Bomb Bomb and get a free eBook from me! Connect with Adam: LinkedIn Website Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube EXCLUSIVE Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube Have you made your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE. Click here to register, make your profile and get listed today. As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

There is a lot of negativity out in the world right now! People are complaining, and getting upset. When you log into Facebook, or on Instagram, or Twitter, who are you most interested in hearing from? Do you want to see a bunch of people complaining? No! You’re excited about stories about good things happening in the world, and are attracted to people who are seeing life from the high road! That’s why it’s so important that we are talking from the high road! Share that view; that positivity with others! You can vent! Just do it privately, because once you’ve said things, you can’t undo them! This week on the Selling the Dream podcast, I’m sharing how the views are better from the high road! Thanks for joining us on Selling the Dream - we wouldn’t be where we are without you listening, and giving your feedback! Make sure that you give us a rating and review on iTunes: that would mean the world to me, and will help us get even more amazing guests on our Friday episodes of the show. Highlights of this episode: Once upon a time, someone came up with the saying that the view is better from the high road! It’s so important that when you speak, you are choosing the high road with your words! Once you speak, the words are out there! People may misunderstand them, or may be frustrated with how you’ve communicated! Make sure that no matter what you’re saying, you are taking the high road! You can vent: just make sure that you do it privately! When times are hard, tell positive stories! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. If there’s ever a topic that you’d like to hear us cover on the podcast, just send me a message: my contact information is below. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling real estate: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

In the last 30 days, how many videos did you make? If the answer is zero, it’s time to change that! I went out on the golf course near my house the other day, and just collected golf balls. See, it’s all shut down and no one is there on the course! While I was there, I took out my phone, and made some videos! I posted them all over the place: Facebook, Instagram, wherever my potential clients hang out! They may not care about golf balls, but they do care about my neighborhood! And I’m taking the time to show them features of the neighborhood! You have the opportunity to create content that’s going to resonate with your potential clients and leads, even if you’re quarantined, and I brought in an expert to talk about what you can do! This week on the Selling the Dream podcast, I’m talking to Dennis Yu, CEO of BlitzMetrics. It took me almost 3 minutes to talk about all of his achievements and what he has to offer! You won’t want to miss him! Want to be inspired to connect with your audience? Make sure you listen to this week’s episode of the Selling the Dream podcast! Before we dive in: start your new year with an amazing network of the best second home agents. Make sure that you create your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces Dennis Yu. Dennis shares that one of the most important things you need to know is where people are, and how you can connect with them where they are! Keep it simple! Don’t over complicate the process of connection. Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable and imperfect! Remember: people don’t get married on the first date! They get married after they’ve built a relationship! We all know what an ad looks like! Be real instead; your audience will resonate with you! When people are full of fear, be the person who is ready to help! Offer solutions and encouragement! Tell stories: give people time to know, like, and trust you! Dennis shares about the X, Y, Z method of sales! Want to beat out other agents in search engines? Get reviews! Get noticed! Create content about your market, so that when people Google it, they learn from YOU! How many videos have you made in the last 30 days? Connect with other local businesses, and create content that highlights them! Do interviews around your community! Your community members that you help will become your fan! Why? Because you helped them! Just get an email? You can send a video response! It might take a moment to upload, but you’re creating a connection! Connect with BlitzMetrics by sending an email to operations@blitzmetrics.com! Make sure to have the subject line be “I love Tom Tezak” and they’ll send you some useful information! Don’t forget to subscribe to the Selling the Dream podcast so you don’t miss any new episodes! Leave a review: you never know when it will be read on the show! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Sign up for a trial with Bomb Bomb and get a free eBook from me! Connect with Dennis: LinkedIn Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube EXCLUSIVE Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube Have you made your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE. Click here to register, make your profile and get listed today. As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Are you innovating in your business? I’m talking about trying new things, and testing new ways to connect with your customers! You’re going to have to think outside the box! We’re in the middle of a quarantine, but I actually wrote down this Tip Tuesday before the COVID-19 pandemic hit! See, no matter what situation you (and the world) are in, if you do things the way that you’ve always done them, you’re not going to be able to keep up! You’ll need to learn how to adapt and change, or you’re going to be left behind! This week on the Selling the Dream podcast, I’m sharing how you leave behind how things have “always been done” and innovate in your business! Thanks for joining us on Selling the Dream - we wouldn’t be where we are without you listening, and giving your feedback! Make sure that you give us a rating and review on iTunes: that would mean the world to me, and will help us get even more amazing guests on our Friday episodes of the show. Highlights of this episode: Do you do things the same way all the time? With this global pandemic, we will see an impact on our businesses! We can’t do things “the way we’ve always done it.” Change your plans! Adapt your weekly plan, your two week plan! What you do today fills your calendar in six months! Zoom with local businesses, and post the replay on your Facebook page, or your social media! Create resources for your community! People are looking for ideas on what to do when they are out of quarantine, and you want them to find YOUR resources! Technology is more accessible than ever! Use it! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. If there’s ever a topic that you’d like to hear us cover on the podcast, just send me a message: my contact information is below. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling real estate: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Ever compare yourself to a professional athlete? That might feel silly at first. But then, you really dig into what it takes to be a professional athlete. Here’s just a few of the skills they develop, both on and off the field: Determination Consistency Hard work Teamwork Those sound like skills you need to succeed in business, don’t you think? Just like an athlete needs to train to be exceptional on the field, we have to train to be leaders in our industry! It’s never “easy” to do what we do, no matter what anyone says! It takes hard work and hours of discipline and practice, refining our skills and building the best team possible! This week on the Selling the Dream podcast, I’m talking to Jason Whittle, 11 year NFL veteran. When he retired from professional sports, he decided it was time to jump into the world of real estate! Want to be inspired to train like an athlete? Make sure you listen to this week’s episode of the Selling the Dream podcast! Before we dive in: start your new year with an amazing network of the best second home agents. Make sure that you create your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces Jason Whittle. After 11 years in the NFL, Jason was ready for some change! Jason shares how he made the transition from the NFL to real estate, and how sports really helped him be successful in his new career! It’s ok if you start out not knowing what to do! Learn from others, and take advantage of opportunities to learn and grow! Sometimes you think, “how hard could it be?” Well, your eyes get opened in a hurry! How does Jason’s experience as an athlete impact his business today? Consistency is key! Small actions add up, whether it be in sports and fitness, or in your business! Be willing to do the work constantly! Small actions over time make you grow! It’s important that your team be able to work together! Help all of those individuals learn how to work and grow together to accomplish a common goal! Now that Jason runs the group, he’s not directly communicating with clients like before, but he still uses tools like Bomb Bomb for outreach! You can create a whole library of prerecorded Bomb Bomb videos to help connect with people and put a face to a name! Our customers think they want us to be the one helping them, but what they really want is our entire team and the power of those combined efforts! Don’t let inhibitions hold you back from doing what you love! If you’ve found something you love, get out there and be a true professional! Jason shares about his team, and how they market. Make sales an experience, not a transaction! Don’t forget to subscribe to the Selling the Dream podcast so you don’t miss any new episodes! Leave a review: you never know when it will be read on the show! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Don’t forget, sign up for a trial with Bomb Bomb and get a free eBook from me! Connect with Jason: Website Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube EXCLUSIVE Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube Have you made your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE. Click here to register, make your profile and get listed today. As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

The economy will impact our businesses! My team has been working on getting ahead of the curve, and getting ready! The second home market is going to be hit, as people are hunkering down and not making big decisions. Our job is to not bury our heads in the sand and hope for the best: we need to continue connecting with people! Get on Zoom calls, send Bomb Bomb videos, and you’ll find that people look to you as their home-buying resource! If you’re out in front when the times are tough, you’re going to be in the front when things pick back up! This week on the Selling the Dream podcast, I’m sharing how you can be a leader in the industry, even when times are tough! Thanks for joining us on Selling the Dream - we wouldn’t be where we are without you listening, and giving your feedback! Make sure that you give us a rating and review on iTunes: that would mean the world to me, and will help us get even more amazing guests on our Friday episodes of the show. Highlights of this episode: Are you a leader, or a follower? Our clients are hunkering down! We’ve got to spend time connecting! We’re going to see a delay in how our market reacts! Take advantage of the time now to connect! Get on a Zoom call, send a Bomb Bomb video message, connect on Facebook! Show up as a leader! If you’re in front of your clients as a leader, you’re going to be on the front of the wave when things pick back up! You’ll be their go-to resource when they are ready to buy or sell! I’d like to encourage you to choose to be a leader! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. If there’s ever a topic that you’d like to hear us cover on the podcast, just send me a message: my contact information is below. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling real estate: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

How are you connecting with second home buyers? Are you in a good market, with lots of opportunity for second home buyers? Did you want to learn how to connect with them, and be able to help them find the second home or vacation home of their dreams? But how can you find them, especially if your feeder market is distant? One strategy is to hold events to help train and educate second home buyers! These events connect you with clients, helping educate them and connect them with the best opportunity. Whether they are looking for a second home near the slopes, or a peaceful waterfront view, you’re there to make the connection. Partner with someone in your feeder market, and organize an event! This week on the Selling the Dream podcast, I’m sharing the replay of the March Mastermind call! We’re talking about how you can use events to connect with your feeder market, and bring about even more referrals! Want to educate and connect with your ideal clients? Make sure you listen to this week’s episode of the Selling the Dream podcast! Before we dive in: start your new year with an amazing network of the best second home agents. Make sure that you create your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces the Mastermind Meeting and Don Cramer, real estate agent in Summerlin, a suburb of Las Vegas. Las Vegas has started to become a more competitive market for retirement. It rivals Arizona as a desirable place to retire. How can you help your clients find the perfect home? Ask questions! If you know where they want to go, you can focus on learning that market and connecting with agents there! Get to know your feeder markets, and go to them! Create a like-minded connection there, whether it be a connection you’ve made through coaching, or someone you’ve worked with before. Educate people on investment opportunities. They may want to invest in real estate! You can hold events to help “first time second home buyers” to guide them through the process. Don’t start with your prime market: go to one of your promising ones! Your presentation will be about the benefits of your market, and everything they need to know about buying in that market! Bring on resources to help them in the process. Work with your connection to create a landing page, and market your event on social media. Do a drawing for a great prize, like a trip! Use that event to educate people on the market, not just perceptions of the market. By partnering with someone, you’re able to maximize your budget and bring in more potential business. Follow up via email each month after the event. Keep in touch with them! On Facebook, go to the “events” tab and search for events about buying homes! You can also research on Eventbrite to see if anyone is doing anything like what you have planned. You can partner with other agents for various markets, so there is an agent from Florida, an agent from Hawaii, and from other resort and second home markets. Do you want to pay Zillow for referrals, or do you want to pay another agent? Build those relationships! Create a newsletter for agents, and make sure that you are connecting with them for these events. Don shares how he creates those long term connections that lead to referral commissions! These events can have a snowball effect in your business! Don’t forget to subscribe to the Selling the Dream podcast so you don’t miss any new episodes! Leave a review: you never know when it will be read on the show! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with Don: Website Facebook Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube EXCLUSIVE Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube Have you made your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE. Click here to register, make your profile and get listed today. As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Right now, the world is in uncertainty and chaos. As businesses, we have an opportunity: we can be the lighthouse, or we can be the wave. We can stand strong, and help people. Or we can be like waves, crashing around and wildly hitting things and causing chaos. More than ever, people need a lighthouse. Someone that they can look to, call on for help, and trust during turbulent times. They don’t need the chaos of another wave. What will you choose to be? This week on the Selling the Dream podcast, I’m sharing how people are looking to you during times of trouble, and how you can be a beacon of strength and hope to them! Thanks for joining us on Selling the Dream - we wouldn’t be where we are without you listening, and giving your feedback! Make sure that you give us a rating and review on iTunes: that would mean the world to me, and will help us get even more amazing guests on our Friday episodes of the show. Highlights of this episode: Are you a lighthouse, or a wave? A lighthouse stands tall and helps people! Lighthouses don’t care what’s going on: their job is to stand! Waves just crash around wildly. As realtors, we can be a lighthouse for people who are feeling chaotic in their lives and careers. We can mentor young agents, help people find their dream homes. In the midst of chaos and craziness, we can build trust with people who need a lighthouse. We can help people feel safe and taken care of. Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. If there’s ever a topic that you’d like to hear us cover on the podcast, just send me a message: my contact information is below. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling real estate: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

People tend to communicate at their best when they are face-to-face. We all know that meeting up with clients and leads helps us connect with people, understanding the communication that doesn’t even require words. But it’s hard to have that face to face communication when you’re working in the second home market. What about when your ideal clients are thousands of miles away? Or what about times like right now, when the world is in a pandemic, and many people are self-quarantining? It’s hard to have those face-to-face connections! There’s a way to overcome: video. We’ve seen the rise of video in the industry, whether it be Zoom calls with tours of houses, or meeting up with clients via Facetime. But that requires so much coordination: time zones, availability … so many things to juggle! There’s where services like Bomb Bomb are so valuable. You can create short, on deman videos that create those personal connections, whether you’re a brokerage owner looking to recruit new agents, or an agent connecting your clients with their dream home. This week on the Selling the Dream podcast, I’m interviewing Ethan Beute, author of Rehumanize Your Business. He’s also here to talk about Bomb Bomb: one of my favorite new tools to connect with clients. Thinking about how you can continue to connect with people and develop relationships during the Coronavirus pandemic? Make sure you listen to this week’s episode of the Selling the Dream podcast. Before we dive in: start your new year with an amazing network of the best second home agents. Make sure that you create your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces Ethan Beute. It’s surprisingly easy to have human contact, even from thousands of miles away: you can use video! You lose a lot of humanization in text, but eye contact brings it back! That is why video is so important. You can see what a person is trying to convey even in non-verbal communication. Don’t forget how humans were made to connect: face to face. It’s up to you to create those connections: you can do that through simple videos through a service like Bomb Bomb! This isn’t just about creating fancy YouTube videos: it’s the personal connections. It’s not marketing through video; it’s about relationships through video. When you connect differently, you’ll stand out! Your video will stand out in a sea of emails! You create a feeling of proximity with your leads and clients, even if you are working from a distance in a secondary market. Don’t be afraid to try out new services that will help you be able to connect with others! If a service makes it easier to do what you want to do, or are already doing, check it out! Tom shares how he uses Bomb Bomb, and discovered that it worked! It became their most powerful recruiting tool. Recruiting is an excellent use case for a service like Bomb Bomb. Ethan shares information about what to expect when using a service like Bomb Bomb. Combine an excellent service with a valuable message and you have a winning proposition! Tom and Ethan talk about the value of video that can be watched at any time vs. having to coordinate timing of live video conversations, like on Zoom. Tom found that people who engaged with the videos didn’t just watch once: they watched up to 7 times! Those videos get life of their own. You can use video to help create empathy with owners who may have expired listings, and set yourself apart. During this Coronavirus pandemic, services like Bomb Bomb are even more important than ever! They help you have those personal connections without the risk. Since so many conferences and services are being cancelled, video connections are going to be even more important. Using video helps remove the fear of face-to-face contact in times of uncertainty, and shows respect to the people that you’re connecting with. Adversity is a great time to look for opportunity: find ways to connect with and serve people. Heads up: if you are not sincere in your content, don’t use video! Everyone will know. Don’t forget to subscribe to the Selling the Dream podcast so you don’t miss any new episodes! Leave a review: you never know when it will be read on the show! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with Ethan: LinkedIn BombBomb - get your two week FREE trial! Rehumanize Your Business Book Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube EXCLUSIVE Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube Have you made your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE. Click here to register, make your profile and get listed today. As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

It seems that everywhere you look right now, people are panicking about COVID19. While I think it’s definitely something to be concerned about, and be careful during this time, it’s important not to panic, especially in business. My business really took off during SARS; another time when people were worried about the state of business. Now is your time to find opportunity. Think outside the box; find ways to help your clients find their dream home! Get creative; have house tours via Zoom, and meet up with your clients online! When you choose to be innovative and don’t give up, you’ll see results in your business. It’s all about being proactive and looking for opportunity in the face of adversity. This week on the Selling the Dream podcast, I’m sharing my top tips on how you can find opportunity in the midst of adversity, and see how it impacts your business! Thanks for joining us on Selling the Dream - we wouldn’t be where we are without you listening, and giving your feedback! Make sure that you give us a rating and review on iTunes: that would mean the world to me, and will help us get even more amazing guests on our Friday episodes of the show. Highlights of this episode: The world is watching COVID19; wondering how it will impact the future of business. Reality is, most of us probably won’t even get sick! COVID19 is more publicized than any previous pandemic because we have access to information and are connected like never before! This WILL change the world and our businesses: we need to be thinking about 3 months, even 6 months. How can we serve our clients and leads at an even higher level? Make sure that you are using video! Have meetings via Zoom; work on your YouTube channel! Be the agent that is working harder, and innovating! My career exploded after SARS because I spent time building my business instead of panicking: the same can happen for you! Do some soul searching; be out there and be proactive looking for opportunities. Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. If there’s ever a topic that you’d like to hear us cover on the podcast, just send me a message: my contact information is below. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling real estate: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

On a scale of 1-10, how do you feel about your skills in video? And will your customer service keep people coming back to you? In this week’s Conference Quick Takes, I’m stopping people at one of Tom Ferry’s conferences and asking them about what they think has led to their success, and this week is all about customer service and video! These two items work together to help create an incredible experience for your buyers and sellers. A “white glove” customer service experience brings in referrals, and your video content builds that additional trust. When you take the time to do these things - and learn how to do them well - you’ll be unstoppable in your market! It’s time to share another series of Conference Quick Takes for this week’s episode of the Selling the Dream podcast. I’m getting quick information bites from leaders in the world of real estate, asking them their quick answers to burning questions! Thinking about video, and how you can become even better at it? Want to make sure you’re the best in customer service? Make sure you listen to this Conference Quick Takes in this week’s episode of the Selling the Dream podcast. Before we dive in: start your new year with an amazing network of the best second home agents. Make sure that you create your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces Conference Quick Takes and what you can expect from the episode. First up is John Bathurst, from California. John shares how he connects with his sphere of influence, using his database to help create and nurture connections. Coffee dates lead John to solid connections, and often, THEY will bring real estate into the conversation! Next up, Julia Ray, from Florida! Julia attributes her success to her customer service, and providing resources to her clients that serve their precise needs. Her customer service has led to 90% of her business being from referrals! Matt Farnham from Las Vegas is also killing it at customer service. Make sure that your customer service sets you apart so when it comes to value, your customers choose YOU every time. Give white glove service that is going to bring people back to you! Communicate at an extremely high level and guide people through their story. If you’re getting beat up by Zillow, go back to customer service, and creating an experience for your clients and customers. Brandon Porter from Oregon is sharing how video has led to explosive growth in his business. By focusing on creating community videos, and not the sales process, Brandon was able to make valuable connections. You may remember Chris Kwon, and how he uses video in high end real estate. If you create content, people will come! Find ways to do things that you genuinely love to grow your business. Video helps people learn about you and get to know you, and find you honest and sincere. Figure out what you’re good at, and then fill in the gaps. Don’t forget to subscribe to the Selling the Dream podcast so you don’t miss any new episodes: we’ve got great plans for 2020! Leave a review: you never know when it will be read on the show! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with our guests: John Bathurst Julia Ray Matt Farnham Brandon Porter Chris Kwon Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube EXCLUSIVE Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube Have you made your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE. Click here to register, make your profile and get listed today. As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Do you engage in personal development? About five years ago, I got an Audible account, and have been listening to audio books. It’s amazing how I have access to some of the most influential pieces of literature everywhere I go! I’d estimate that I’ve listened to at least 100 books, and I’m here to share with you the best of the best! These are the books that have changed me. While I’ve listened to these books, I’ve: Lost 40 pounds Redefined the way I interact with customers Changed the way that I approached marketing Impacted how I viewed the sales industry This week on the Selling the Dream podcast, I could go through all of the books that I have listened to, and share some excellent ones, but this week, I want to share the best of the best. Thanks for joining us on Selling the Dream - we wouldn’t be where we are without you listening, and giving your feedback! Make sure that you give us a rating and review on iTunes: that would mean the world to me, and will help us get even more amazing guests on our Friday episodes of the show. Highlights of this episode: Here are the top ten books that have influenced my business and life. The Miracle Morning Building a Story Brand The Power of Moments Rehumanize Your Business Bold Free Marketing Vlog Like a Boss Podcast Launch Hug Your Customers The Ultimate Sales Machine Get an Audible account; go on Amazon, and buy some of these books! They will change your business! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. If there’s ever a topic that you’d like to hear us cover on the podcast, just send me a message: my contact information is below. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling real estate: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Have you ever found yourself in charge of a boutique business? There’s a lot that you have to do. You’re responsible for so many things! Here’s just a few of them: Making sure the business is up to date Connecting with clients Serving agents on your team Training people Paying people This list isn’t even exhaustive, but there aren’t enough hours in the day to do everything! So then what do you do? Do you just buckle down and work constantly? Or do you find another way? And if you do sell the business, what then? What happens to the agents you’ve built deep, lasting relationships with? In this week’s episode of the Selling the Dream podcast, I’m sitting down with former NASCAR car chief Josh Tucker to explore his journey into real estate, and how he found himself leading a boutique business, trying to balance everything. He knew he couldn’t do it all, so started looking for options. Trying to figure out what is next in your business, and considering acquisitions? Make sure you listen to this week’s episode of the Selling the Dream podcast. You’ll be inspired by how Josh made the transition from the race track to the world of real estate! Before we dive in: start your new year with an amazing network of the best second home agents. Make sure that you create your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces Josh Tucker and his business. Josh shares about his market, and what kind of clientele they attract: they bring in a lot of fishermen who want to be on a boat all of the time! Did you know that Josh retired from a career in NASCAR, where he worked on cars? He shares how his background has prepared him for a career in real estate! Working in NASCAR is grueling: Josh began to prepare an “escape plan” and figure out what would be next for him, and that’s when he found real estate. About 80% of his early clients were others in the industry! Josh made a plan and strategy 2-3 years BEFORE he took action! That impacted his success. He moved into real estate with a strong plan of action. If you’re thinking about breaking into real estate, make a plan! Spend time on your network. These are the people that trust you the most, and they are the people that you know the most! Josh asked a lot of his network if they would trust him to help them find real estate, and most of them said yes. They’d spent so much time together that they knew he would be able to help them! Josh didn’t bring in any sales for 5-6 months, but he had enough funds set aside to cover an entire year if needed. When it came to choosing his market, Josh picked what he knew and already loved, and fit into his lifestyle. NASCAR already had deep roots in the area, so it was a perfect fit for Josh! Josh shares how he researched and picked a company to work with. Ever think you were wearing too many hats? For a while, Josh and his business partner, Greg Biffle, were running a brokerage, flipping houses, and trying to be top producing agents: it was just too much! Josh shares about the unique challenges of leading a brokerage, with having agents relying on you, and serving customers - it’s a lot to manage! Stay independent, or join a franchise? What do you do when you need a change? Josh shares about how their company was acquired, and how they negotiated the deal. Want to be successful? Be a networker! Always get to know more people, and be a good people person. Josh attributes his success to his constant networking and connecting. When you’re authentically connecting over your interests, people will be attracted to you. “You don’t have to have a lot of followers to have a big presence” ~ Josh Tucker Don’t forget to subscribe to the Selling the Dream podcast so you don’t miss any new episodes: we’ve got great plans for 2020! Leave a review: you never know when it will be read on the show! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with Josh: Instagram LinkedIn Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube EXCLUSIVE Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube Have you made your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE. Click here to register, make your profile and get listed today. As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Are you a quitter?   Today, I want to talk about giving up too soon.  Way too often, we give up on a goal or a dream, and end up finding ourselves repeating the same pattern.   You can stop this pattern and learn how to stick to your goals and ambitions with just a little bit of dedication.   Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. If there’s ever a topic that you’d like to hear us cover on the podcast, just send me a message: my contact information is below. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling real estate: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Is your market feeling a little slow? Are you feeling like your business is in a little bit of a slump? You’re not alone! If you’re feeling some of the impacts of a seasonal business, it’s important to connect with like-minded entrepreneurs so that you can help each other beat the blues. That’s that main focus on our February mastermind call: what behaviors should you implement to counter the effects of a slow market? What are the seemingly small things that you can keep plugging away at in your business to set yourself up to succeed, no matter the season, and no matter how many houses are on the market? Want to hear from others who are out there, doing the work, day after day? Here’s just a few of the things we talked about: Making communication personal with your list Saving money for the “down” times What social media platforms are going to give you the best bang for your buck? There are two major benefits to getting together with others when the times feel “down:” first, you don’t feel like you’re alone in having a hard time. But second, and best of all, you get inspired by what others are having success with, and you get ideas and inspiration from them. Ready to beat slow season blues? Feeling the impacts of low inventory? Listen to the replay of our latest mastermind call, and get inspired! Want to join in on the next mastermind? Email me at tom@tomtezak.com to get details! Before we dive in: start your new year with an amazing network of the best second home agents. Make sure that you create your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces the February mastermind call. What do you do when things are slow, or when you’re having an inventory problem? The group discusses how they connect with people, and what methods used to create significant connections. Make sure that you are selling the “dream” - the lifestyle of the area that you are serving. Do you have clients who are looking for something specific? When you know what you’re looking for, you can connect with other clients who may be selling. Use the holidays to connect with former clients; you can leave Valentines gift bags. Tom shares about his connections in San Diego, and the plans that he is formulating to work in that area. What tools are you using to connect with clients? Are you using Bomb Bomb? The group talks about ways to connect with your database; and how to engage them with your content. How many contacts are you reaching out to each day? Make a goal, and reach out to that many people. You can warm up your list through personal contact. Bring back the humanity to your list; bring it back to your contacts. People will respond to that. Send cookies; or personal messages. Don’t sound like an auto-generated message. When you create those connections, people will come to you over and over again. Chasing new leads is harder than working with the connections that you already have. Video is a great way to connect with your ideal clientele. When you create great social media content, don’t be afraid to ask your previous clients to share it! Use hashtags strategically: they can help increase your reach. Remember to keep your language easy to understand: your consumers may not “get” your industry lingo. Block off time to focus on social media, like Instagram. You can share a story to Instagram, and also share it to your Facebook page. The mastermind group talks about what social media platforms their clients are actually using. How do you handle a seasonal market? The group discusses how to handle the ebb and flow of business. Sidebar: make sure you’re funding your retirement accounts. Develop a real estate business that will thrive through the ebbs and flows of seasons. Learn how to build a strong local clientele. Know the three D’s that can impact sales in a traditional market: death, divorce, and desperation. Those will always be there! Keep in contact: you never know when a piece of mail sent 20 years ago will bring in a sale or referral. Tom shares about how they handle postcard mailings. Don’t forget to subscribe to the Selling the Dream podcast so you don’t miss any new episodes: we’ve got great plans for 2020! Leave a review: you never know when it will be read on the show! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube EXCLUSIVE Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube Have you made your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE. Click here to register, make your profile and get listed today. As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Are you always right? Often, being right is all about perspective! From your perspective, of course you’re going to be right! You have your own perspective no matter what you do, whether you’re buying a house, buying milk, or dealing with your kids. And from your perspective, you’re right! When you’re dealing with people, we all have our own unique perspective that shapes how we approach a situation. That means that if there’s conflict, you may want to take a moment to consider their perspective. Once you understand their perspective, you’ll be able to help create the ultimate win-win situation. This week on the Selling the Dream podcast, I’m sharing how you can take a look at situations from another person’s perspective, and how that will change everything. Thanks for joining us on Selling the Dream - we wouldn’t be where we are without you listening, and giving your feedback! Make sure that you give us a rating and review on iTunes: that would mean the world to me, and will help us get even more amazing guests on our Friday episodes of the show. Highlights of this episode: Everyone is right by their own perspective. You’ve heard the old saying of “spend some time in their shoes.” That will help impact your perspective! When there’s conflict, it’s not typically because someone is a jerk; it’s just that they have a different perspective than you. People see things with a different set of experiences. When it comes to contracts, or conducting business, just imagine what is driving their perspective. Take time to reflect! When you put yourself in someone else’s shoes, you’re going to be able to come together more easily to make things happen. Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. If there’s ever a topic that you’d like to hear us cover on the podcast, just send me a message: my contact information is below. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling real estate: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

How do your clients describe their experience working with you? Are you personable, or funny? Do you take care of their needs? Answer all their questions before they’ve even asked them? We all have our own methods and ways of connecting with our clients and leads, and Tanya Delahoz is no different. Whether she’s closing a $300,000 condo sale, or a $3 million house sale, Tanya doesn’t change a thing. She’s opted to provide high-level concierge service, and strives to create that experience for all of her clients. See, in Breckenridge (her market), people are coming and paying cash for their second homes; their dream vacation homes. Tanya understands what they want when they come to her: an easy, done-for-them buying experience. Not only does she know what they want, but she knows just how to make it happen, and that has paid off for Tanya. Things didn’t start that way. After being laid off from her job working in the medical industry, Tanya shifted her focus and managed rental properties. Wowed by her high levels of service, clients started coming to Tanya for all of their housing needs. The obvious next step was getting a real estate licence, and she hasn’t looked back since! If you’re thinking of ways to take your business to the next level, you’re going to be inspired by how Tanya turned a late night decision over a bottle of cabernet into a thriving business! Before we dive in: start your new year with an amazing network of the best second home agents. Make sure that you create your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces Tanya Delahoz, and she shares about her career, and how she got started in real estate. Tanya had just lost her job, and didn’t know what she was going to do. Over a bottle of cabaret, she and her husband got online, registered her business, created her website, and started her business! Dwell started out as a business to manage rental properties, and eventually flip flipped to become predominantly real estate sales. Tanya shares about their rebranding process, and how the business came to be named “Dwell Summit.” When working in luxury real estate, it’s all about the experience: create a “concierge” service, and you’ll do well. People buying second properties or vacation properties are there for the experience. The dollar value of the purchase shouldn’t dictate the experience though: whether it’s a $300,000 condo or a $3 million house, the experience should be of the highest quality! Closing the sale is just the beginning of the process: you’re just starting a new relationship. Tanya uses spreadsheets to track her follow up with previous clients. Every year, Tanya hosts a “dinner under the stars” for some of her clients. It’s meant to help connect people and bring them together and build a sense of community. Tanya uses primarily Facebook and Instagram, and is working on LinkedIn. Zillow is one of Tanya’s main sources of leads, and she shares how she maximizes those leads. When it comes to lead generation, you need to decide how much you’re willing to invest in leads, and then use the source that best serves you. One of the great things about sources like Zillow and Redfin is that it does often meet consumers where they are browsing and looking at real estate listings. Tanya shares about her experience as a Redfin partner agent. Roughly 10% of Tanya’s business each year is from locals: that is a lot of business coming from a distance! You can’t hire authenticity. You can outsource a lot of parts of your business, but you can’t outsource your voice and your personality and way of doing business. Tanya shares her best advice for any agent just starting out. Don’t forget to subscribe to the Selling the Dream podcast so you don’t miss any new episodes: we’ve got great plans for 2020! Leave a review: you never know when it will be read on the show! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with Tonya: Website Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube EXCLUSIVE Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube Have you made your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE. Click here to register, make your profile and get listed today. As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Technology has changed the world in the past 5, even 10 years, and it can be hard to keep up! However, we have three choices: we can adapt, adopt, or disappear. It’s the people who are agile and quick to adapt who are able to keep their businesses throughout the years. See, if you don’t take the time to learn, and get to know the “new ways,” you’re going to find yourself disappearing, whether you want to or not. Don’t rest on your laurels: get out there and learn the industry, and keep growing! This week on the Selling the Dream podcast, I’m sharing how you can keep growing and learning to keep your business long term! Thanks for joining us on Selling the Dream - we wouldn’t be where we are without you listening, and giving your feedback! Make sure that you give us a rating and review on iTunes: that would mean the world to me, and will help us get even more amazing guests on our Friday episodes of the show. Highlights of this episode: Technology is changing the way that real estate works: can you keep up? If you’re losing business and blaming change, it’s time to stop! It’s going to happen, and you’re going to have to learn to keep up! You’ll need to adapt or adopt, or you’ll disappear! Be tuned into your local real estate market; be tuned into the global market. Learn those trends and apply them to your business. It’s our responsibility to learn the market and how real estate is changing: if we don’t, we’ll disappear! You can’t rest on your laurels. Learn how leads are coming in, how buyers are shopping; and how other companies are targeting those leads! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. If there’s ever a topic that you’d like to hear us cover on the podcast, just send me a message: my contact information is below. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling real estate: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Love may be blind, but real estate isn’t! Have you ever considered working with your spouse or partner? Or are you afraid that you’d fire them immediately? There are countless husband and wife teams figuring things out and working together. But what if you could get the scoop from someone who has worked with their spouse for more than 20 years? What if you could ask them all of your questions, like: How do you work together without driving each other crazy? How many times have you fired the other person? How do you practice healthy boundaries, and keep work out of your personal time? How do you divide the work? For this special Valentine’s Day episode of the Selling the Dream podcast, I’ve invited Jeff and Melissa Krantz to come share with us some of their secrets to working together. They’ve been a real estate team for 22 years, and have been through the good, the bad, and the ugly. You’ll never believe how many times they’ve fired each other...and how they’ve mastered working together as a team. If you’re considering working together with your spouse, you won’t want to miss this week’s episode! Before we dive in: start your new year with an amazing network of the best second home agents. Make sure that you create your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces this week’s special Valentine’s Day episode. Don’t worry; we’re still sharing useful information even if you’re not working with a spouse or partner. You can still pick up great tips for working with others! We’re bringing in Jeff and Melissa Krantz to share about their 22 years of working together. There are lots of husband and wife teams out there - if you’re thinking about giving it a try, you’ll be surrounded by others who are doing the same. There’s no playbook; there’s no guide to working with your spouse. Often, the person that you are at work, and the person you are at home are not the same person. Jeff and Melissa had a plan for their life, and goals, so it helped them as they started their real estate business. It took awhile for them to get in sync. “I wish someone would have told us in the third week how important it is to appreciate the other person and their skills and talents.” There’s real power and synergy in working together. If you’re working with your spouse and struggling, what do you do? Figure out your personalities and strengths, and learn how you can work well together. The beauty of real estate is that it’s not one size fits all: you can find different tasks that work with your strengths and abilities. Jeff and Melissa share about some of the conflicts and power struggles they had as part of the team, and how they resolved that conflict. Counseling can be a huge benefit to the team: it helps you learn more about yourself. Melissa shares how they learned to work together and divide the roles according to their strengths. Make sure that you’re communicating when working together, so you can truly act like a team. Finding your organization system and picking your top priorities is key. Tom, Jeff, and Melissa talk about the repercussions of “bringing the office home” when you both work together. When your spouse respects what you do, that changes everything about how you approach the business. Make dating your spouse a priority. When you focus on them, you’ll help show them that they are your most important relationship. Make sure you subscribe to the Selling the Dream podcast so you don’t miss any new episodes: we’ve got great plans for 2020! Leave a review: you never know when it will be read on the show! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with Jeff and Melissa: Website Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube EXCLUSIVE Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube Have you made your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE. Click here to register, make your profile and get listed today. As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

When it comes to referrals, are you the first person to come to mind when someone thinks of your area? If you want to get referrals, you have to make sure that you own that space in their mind! I’ve made sure that when agents think of Maui, they think of Tom Tezak! I wear aloha shirts, and share aloha with everyone that I meet at every event. I embrace the island life, and bring that mentality to them. My goal is that when they have a client or lead that says they are interested in Maui, they say “I know just the guy to help you!” It’s a powerful thing when you own that space: in fact, within the past 60 days, I’ve had at least 3 transactions that have been because someone in my network knows that NOBODY knows Maui like Tom Tezak! This week on the Selling the Dream podcast, I’m sharing a few ways that you can own one of the most important spaces out there: your network’s mind! Thanks for joining us on Selling the Dream - we wouldn’t be where we are without you listening, and giving your feedback! Make sure that you give us a rating and review on iTunes: that would mean the world to me, and will help us get even more amazing guests on our Friday episodes of the show. Highlights of this episode: Does everyone in your network know that you are the expert for your area? Embrace the lifestyle of your market! I have embraced aloha; it’s in my dress code, my attitude, and I live that lifestyle! When you create that mantra for your life, people remember it. You want referring agents to think of YOU when it comes to potential referrals in your area. How can you own that space? Be in your community! Embrace it and be part of it. Go to events, and use social media to share those events with others! Be focused, diligent, and intentional about building that association. Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. If there’s ever a topic that you’d like to hear us cover on the podcast, just send me a message: my contact information is below. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling real estate: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

How are you at capturing expired listings? Once a listing expires, other agents are lined up at the door, ready to grab that commission. Expired listings can make a huge impact on your business, but you’re going to have to be strategic about how you handle them. Tired and frustrated homeowners are going to hear from dozens of agents the day after their listing expires...and you’re one of those agents who wants to be able to capture that lead. We caught up with many real estate agents at a recent Tom Ferry conference, and asked them for their hottest tips and tricks on how they capture these listings. Do they cold call? Do they have a plan? How many steps are in their plan? Do they call immediately? Do they wait? What’s their plan? We want to know all their best tips and tricks! Before we dive in: start your new year with an amazing network of the best second home agents. Make sure that you create your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces this new series, Conference Quick Takes. The topic of this quick take? Capturing expired listings. Todd, an agent from Omaha, reaches out to potential clients with a strategic plan for how he will market the house: he shares his 19 point plan with potential clients! Jesse, from San Diego, shows how to provide value that is unlike any other agent: not all agents are created equal. It’s important to know how to handle those who have objections. Many homeowners hire agents who do the same thing over and over, so they end up making the same mistakes, and think that hiring an agent isn’t worth it. Jay and his team focus on expired listings! Be ready: when a house listing expires, the owner is going to be constantly contacted by realtors. You need to set yourself apart with value - show the owner that hiring you is worth it! Get ready for rejections and no’s - dealing with expired listings will mean that you will hear a lot of no’s. Make sure you subscribe to the Selling the Dream podcast so you don’t miss any new episodes: we’ve got great plans for 2020! Leave a review: you never know when it will be read on the show! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with Agents Interviewed: Todd Bartusek Jesse Salas Jay Bond Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube EXCLUSIVE Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube Have you made your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE. Click here to register, make your profile and get listed today. As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Ever had a deal start to go bad? That’s when the finger pointing starts. It’s the realtors fault! No, it’s the escrow manager’s fault! Wait, it’s the buyer….or was it the seller? Someone is at fault! Doesn’t matter who it was - but there’s always someone ready to point a finger and blame someone else. Want to get the job done? Cut off your finger! Stop pointing fingers at others, and make the deal happen for the client. Stop trying to be a superhero, and instead, get the job done. Stepping in and trying to be a super negotiator means that we can easily get in the way. Instead of trying to be a superhero, it’s better to just make it happen for your clients. This week on the Selling the Dream podcast, I’m encouraging you to step up, stop pointing fingers, and make it happen for your clients! Thanks for joining us on Selling the Dream - we wouldn’t be where we are without you listening, and giving your feedback! Make sure that you give us a rating and review on iTunes: that would mean the world to me, and will help us get even more amazing guests on our Friday episodes of the show. Highlights of this episode: What happens when a transaction goes sideways? People start pointing fingers! Instead of pointing fingers, it is better to say that “something went wrong, let’s make this deal happen.” Do what’s best for your client instead of trying to be a superhero or super negotiator - when you try to fix things, you get in the way! “Cut off” your finger instead of pointing and blaming others for things that don’t go right. Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. If there’s ever a topic that you’d like to hear us cover on the podcast, just send me a message: my contact information is below. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling real estate: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Did you miss the January Mastermind live? We’ve got you covered! This week’s episode of the Selling the Dream podcast is the replay of the mastermind. When we brought Jessica Forrester onto the show (episodes 135 & 137), we knew that she was sure to be a hit. She’s successfully integrated an ISA into her business, and we want to learn her methods and how she set herself up to achieve success! We hear it all the time: so many real estate agents need to hire an ISA to help bring in and qualify leads. But how? And when? And what should you do to make it happen? One episode wasn’t enough to have Jessica share all of her wisdom - we had to bring her back so our mastermind group could ask all their hard-hitting questions - they might have asked some of the ones that YOU had when you listened to her original interview. You won’t want to miss out on these answers: How do you train your ISA? How should you pay your ISA? Should your ISA be licenced? How do you handle things if your ISA isn’t local to you? Can you (or should you) hire a non-local ISA? What systems should you use? Don’t miss out on the February mastermind! Each month, we bring in an expert to conduct a training. Make sure you go back and listen to previous replays of the mastermind. If you’re a real estate agent, we’d like to invite you to join in. We’re a perfect fit for you if you’re focusing on second home buyers. Email me at tom@tomtezak.com for more information about how to join. Before we dive in: start your new year with an amazing network of the best second home agents. Make sure that you create your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces the monthly mastermind call, and this month’s moderator, Jessica. Jessica shares why she chose to hire someone: she was working on bringing in more leads, and wanted to make sure that they could actually keep up with them! Finding someone to hire was easy: but it was a process to figure out pay, and structure. The main purpose of her employee is to work on leads. Jessica shares about the coaching program she used. “There is really no secret sauce...you can try a gazillion different scripts, but if you’re the most genuine and try to engage the people and ask questions and be interested...that makes all the difference in the world.” Jessica shares how their assistant qualifies and then passes on leads. Know the limits of your assistant: are they licensed, or not? What can they do and not do? If you’re hiring someone who is not local, it is a great idea to bring them to you for training - that way they can get to know the area as much as possible. An ISA is an investment, not an expense: make sure that you are tracking the return on investment so you can see results and make changes if you need to. Make sure you subscribe to the Selling the Dream podcast so you don’t miss any new episodes: we’ve got great plans for 2020! Leave a review: you never know when it will be read on the show! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Resources Mentioned: Hatch Coaching Ylopo Connect with Jessica: Website LinkedIn Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube EXCLUSIVE Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube Have you made your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE. Click here to register, make your profile and get listed today. As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Have you ever said to your clients, “how does this make you feel?” If you’ve ever watched a successful realtor, you’ve probably noticed that not only do they know the business, but they also know how to advise people. You’ve got to be a little bit of a therapist to help your clients make smart decisions! Having trouble with this concept? Consider this: how would you want someone to help YOU? How would you want someone to advise you? Emotions can run high when making big decisions: people get excited, and partners can get mad at each other. It’s your job to assess and help people make good decisions. When you take on this role, you’re going to be remembered as someone who truly cares about their clients! This week on the Selling the Dream podcast, I’m encouraging you to ask more people how they feel, and help them work through the decision-making process! Thanks for joining us on Selling the Dream - we wouldn’t be where we are without you listening, and giving your feedback! Make sure that you give us a rating and review on iTunes: that would mean the world to me, and will help us get even more amazing guests on our Friday episodes of the show. Highlights of this episode: To be successful, you need to be good at two things: knowing the market, and helping your clients navigate the decision-making process. You have to be a little bit of a therapist in this business. Emotions can run high during the home-buying process. Think about how you’d want someone to work with you and help you make decisions. If you help counsel your clients through the process, they’ll know just how much you care! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. If there’s ever a topic that you’d like to hear us cover on the podcast, just send me a message: my contact information is below. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling real estate: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

How much did you sell in your first year as a real estate agent? Imagine making nearly 6 figures your first year, and then skyrocketing to the top selling agent in your second year! How would you do it? What would be the one activity that would lead you to that level of success? What tools would you use? How often would you be reaching out to your database? The key to being able to serve your clients well is by establishing yourself as not just an expert, but as THE expert. You’ll see it in my marketing: I tell clients that I know one section of Maui inside and out - and I do! I may not know the other islands of Hawai’i, or even other parts of THIS island - but I know everything there is to know about real estate in this one area! Once you’re THE expert, your ability to serve your clients will skyrocket - and so will your commissions! Todd Beckstrom is here this week on the Selling the Dream podcast to share how he established himself as an expert. He spent hours everyday learning the market, and getting to know everything there was to know. He went from a business plan to top-selling agent within a year - how did he do it? What is the one thing that Todd does every single day to help posture himself for success? You’ll have to listen to this week’s episode of the podcast to find out! Before we dive in: start your new year with an amazing network of the best second home agents. Make sure that you create your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces Todd Beckstrom and his business. Todd and Tom met at national convention: it’s a great place to meet and network with people! Todd started his business with a marketing plan: that was one of the first things that he did to help achieve success. Spending $11,000 in the first month in business turned around into $93,000 the next month. Todd became the top agent in his market within 18 months. Don’t just show up and say that you’re a salesman: go into things with a plan and commit financially to your success. Know your strengths, and learn how to leverage them. Todd focused on educating himself and getting to know his market better than anyone else: no matter what people were looking for, he knew where it was! Eddie, Todd’s mentor, told him to get to know the market. Once he followed that advice, he became the top seller! Prospecting is Todd’s #1 activity: he spends at least an hour every day making calls and connecting with past clients. Email your former clients something of value 6 times a year. Make a connection and keep yourself on their radar. Todd has an assistant who handles his mailing list: she’s worked for him for the past 18 years. Reconnecting with clients creates incredibly mea conversations: in fact, they may be the most meaningful conversation you have with that person! When it comes to working with your feeder market, you have two ways: through realtors, or through potential clients. You have to market to them differently! Target your feeder market with social media that establishes yourself as the expert. 2nd home sales can have the longest gestation period: as many as 12 years! You’re selling something that is an asset! Make sure you market it as such. The biggest mistake you can make is to not stay connected with previous clients. Don’t just get paid and move on! Has someone sent you a lot of referrals? Reward them! You may pay a thousand dollars for a vacation, but that’s nothing compared to the commissions they brought you! Until you’re an expert, you really can’t help anybody. Remember: it’s NOT all about you. Focus on your client first! Make sure you subscribe to the Selling the Dream podcast so you don’t miss any new episodes: we’ve got great plans for 2020! Leave a review: you never know when it will be read on the show! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Resources Mentioned: Bomb Bomb Video Connect with Todd Beckstrom: Website Facebook Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube EXCLUSIVE Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube Have you made your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE. Click here to register, make your profile and get listed today. As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

How do you help your high net worth clients? You have the ability to impress your high net worth clients by offering even higher levels of service. We all know that most of our clients own more than one piece of property: maybe even more than 2! Taking time to prepare reports about their market will help them understand more about the value of their property, and give them material to pass on to their financial advisors. Preparing a report of the real estate that you have helped them acquire gives you the chance to ask an important question: do you have any more properties you want me to add to the report? The more that you know about your clients, the more opportunities to serve them you will find! Learn about a simple way you can get more information that can convert to more leads, sales, and referrals. Don’t miss this week’s Tip Tuesday episode of the Selling the Dream podcast! Thanks for joining us on Selling the Dream - we wouldn’t be where we are without you listening, and giving your feedback! Make sure that you give us a rating and review on iTunes: that would mean the world to me, and will help us get even more amazing guests on our Friday episodes of the show. Highlights of this episode: Most of our clients own more than one home. Are you taking the time to create reports about the market where they own a home? If you create property reviews, they are probably not getting that from any of the other agents who have helped them! When you create a report for the home that you have helped them buy, follow up and ask if they have any other homes that you can add to their next report! Going the extra mile creates an opportunity to ask for referrals. You can share the portfolio with their financial advisor. This is just another way to provide value above and beyond client expectations. Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. If there’s ever a topic that you’d like to hear us cover on the podcast, just send me a message: my contact information is below. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling real estate: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Are you part of any networking groups? They can have a huge impact on your business: being connected to like-minded people working in similar industries can bring in many qualified leads. Networking groups don’t have to be hard: they can be as simple as assembling a group of various professionals from similar industries. You’ll want to invite people strategically: you want to work with like-minded people! Who would you invite? Michael has invited various professionals, from commercial real estate agents, financial planners, business coaches, lawyers - they’re all able to come together and encourage each other to become better in their business. Michael Tudorie is here this week on the Selling the Dream podcast to share how he has created his networking group, and how it’s impacted his business. He doesn’t get leads from sources like Zillow - most of his business is from referrals! By creating networking opportunities, he’s built a solid team of go-to professionals he can turn to when he needs anything, and he’s become their go-to guy! Want to be inspired how you can create strategic connections? Don’t miss this week’s episode of the podcast! Before we dive in: start your new year with an amazing network of the best second home agents. Make sure that you create your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces Michael Tudorie and his business. Normally we talk to second home agents, and Michael is working a traditional market, but he is killing it at making connections, so we had to bring him on the show! Michael got good in his business by becoming super niche-focused. Focus on one area, and get to know it well! You’ll be able to tell your clients everything they want to know, instead of selling in an area you’re 45 minutes away from. When you’re focused on a niche, your leads are going to be better. Technology changes how you approach referrals: when you have places like Zillow to bring in leads, it can make you reliant on these resources! Whenever you make a change, you’re going to see a hockey stick growth trajectory. Be ready to wait out the immediate dip! Organization and strategy will go hand in hand when you change your focus and go hyper local. Michael shares how he schedules and coordinates an event to connect with the community. A key to events is follow up: don’t try to sell at the event, but use it to get leads. You can have different price point events for various clients. Consistency is an incredible strength: it will pay off. Michael spends 2 hours a day working on followup - every Monday through Friday, he’s on the phone following up with people. Texting and video is a great way to get in touch with your leads! Networking groups and mastermind groups are a great way to connect: you can be intentional about who you invite to those groups. By the way - send me an email if you’re interested in attending our Mastermind groups! Michael and Tom talk about what kind of people you should invite to a networking group. Mentorship makes a huge difference for your business, and helps you connect with like-minded people. If you want to be successful, read! Make sure you subscribe to the Selling the Dream podcast so you don’t miss any new episodes: we’ve got great plans for 2020! Leave a review: you never know when it will be read on the show! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Resources Mentioned: EZ Texting Bomb Bomb Video Connect with Michael Tudorie: Website LinkedIn Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube EXCLUSIVE Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube Have you made your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE. Click here to register, make your profile and get listed today. As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Have you reviewed all of your sales from last year? If not, I’d like to encourage you to take an hour or two and do this. List out all of your sales, and look for some patterns: where did the sales come from? Were they referrals? Was it through your sphere of influence? Was it a lead? Now, look for commissions. How much did you make on each sale? When you know this, you know what sources are the most valuable! Take a look at your budgeting and marketing plan: how much are you spending? How are those dollars working for you? Once you understand all of your numbers, you can make a solid business plan for the year ahead. You can more strategically spend your marketing dollars, and eliminate systems and processes that are not as profitable. This will help you streamline your systems, and create more time and income for yourself. This week on the Selling the Dream podcast, I’m encouraging you to take the time to develop your 2020 vision! It’s time to take a look at what you did in 2019, and see what you can learn and apply to 2020 to do even better. Thanks for joining us on Selling the Dream - we wouldn’t be where we are without you listening, and giving your feedback! Make sure that you give us a rating and review on iTunes: that would mean the world to me, and will help us get even more amazing guests on our Friday episodes of the show. Highlights of this episode: It’s time to review, assess, and act! Review all of your sales from last year. Figure out the source of the sale: leads, sphere of influence, referral, etc. Calculate commissions, to know which source is most profitable. Assess your costs: how much are you spending on marketing? Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. If there’s ever a topic that you’d like to hear us cover on the podcast, just send me a message: my contact information is below. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling real estate: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

More than 60 years and counting - at least, that’s what I thought before I started talking to Shawn Clayton. Turns out, Clayton and Clayton was founded in 1930, and the family-owned real estate business has been going strong in the Jersey Shore area ever since! But how can a business thrive so long? In an industry plagued with burnout, and a short lifespan, any small business that has spanned generations must be something special! You’ll be amazed as Shawn is sharing his strategies that a lot of what he does is implement the practices we’ve been talking about, and being consistent for years. Shawn is here this week on the Selling the Dream podcast to share how he has stepped into the family business, and he pulls back the curtain to share some of his best strategies to continue to build a business to last for future generations. Want to be inspired how your actions today can create a legacy business? Don’t miss this week’s episode of the podcast! Before we dive in: start your new year with an amazing network of the best second home agents. Make sure that you create your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces Shawn Clayton and his business. Shawn is a 4th generation agent! The family business has been active since 1930. Since they are less than an hour and a half from New York City, Shawn is able to work with many leads from the city. Go after the loyalty business: when you’ve been around for a while, you’re able to capitalize on connections that you’ve spent years building! Shawn shares a little bit about how real estate has changed during nearly a hundred years of business: for 3 generations, nothing really changed in how the team marketed, and in the last generation, everything has changed! Trying to keep up with all the changes? Put yourself in places to get educated! Go to conferences, tradeshows - anything that will help you learn and grow and keep up! You have to be patient to work a secondary market: the gestation period can take years. Go to places that help you connect with people. Those connections that will bring you business are intentional. You have to get into communities where you can get to know people. Be intentional about keeping in touch with your leads: you never know when you’ll get a followup from someone who had a family member purchase from you years ago. Make yourself a resource: build trust so that when people have a need, they will reach out to you. Every transaction you make will direct and lead you to where you’re supposed to be. Creating a family business can build a lot of loyalty. When you’re around for generations, people trust that you will still be there in 10, 20, 30 years. Shawn shares how they are using social media to market themselves: the key is to keep it real and don’t be afraid to fail. Tom and Shawn talk about the reality of working with your spouse: it can be rough, and there is a learning curve. Shawn has structured his team to be a SEAL team: every member is cross trained. Offering new services can bring in a new clientele! Shawn shares how they expanded their services to include short term rentals. Those renters can often be turned into leads for future purchases - it’s all about the follow up! Shawn shares how the business has survived through all the ups and downs in the market. Shawn’s #1 piece of advice for new agents: connect with someone who knows what is happening so they can be your mentor and help you learn and understand the business. Make sure you subscribe to the Selling the Dream podcast so you don’t miss any new episodes: we’ve got great plans for 2020! Leave a review: you never know when it will be read on the show! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with Shawn Clayton: Website LinkedIn Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube EXCLUSIVE Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube Have you made your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE. Click here to register, make your profile and get listed today. As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Are you brave, or are you trying to be perfect? When I was at the National Association of Realtors Convention, I heard Billie Jean King speak. I was fascinated by her topic, where she shared about how we have been trained to tackle life from a very young age. From her perspective, boys are raised to be brave, and girls are raised to be perfect. That’s screwed up, you know? There are exceptions - we know some boys that are raised to be perfect, and some girls who are raised to be brave. But how does that upbringing reflect in our work? How does it impact our choices? This week on the Selling the Dream podcast, I’m encouraging you to choose to be brave, not perfect! You’ll see how striving for absolute perfection will hold us back from being able to achieve. Which are you choosing in 2020? Brave, or perfect? Thanks for joining us on Selling the Dream - we wouldn’t be where we are without you listening, and giving your feedback! Make sure that you give us a rating and review on iTunes: that would mean the world to me, and will help us get even more amazing guests on our Friday episodes of the show. Highlights of this episode: I listened to Billie Jean King speak at the national convention. Boys are raised to be brave, girls are raised to be perfect. Perfect isn’t what you want: you want to be brave in your business! You’ve got to be brave, you’ve got to get dirty. Success comes with risks. Do your homework: be brave, not stupid. Selling the dream requires bravery. Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. If there’s ever a topic that you’d like to hear us cover on the podcast, just send me a message: my contact information is below. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling real estate: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Do you remember when we talked to Jay Otlewski? We talked to him in episode 119, where he shared one of his best resources: a book that he wrote himself! Jay found that his target clientele lived outside the Phoenix, Arizona area, but were buying homes in Arizona. How could he best serve them? He’d taken the time to get to know their desired communities, and the exact types of people who lived in those areas. But how could he make the connection from a distance? That’s when Jay, a math guy, sat down and wrote a book. It wasn’t hard: one Sunday morning, coffee in hand and a dog in his lap, Jay just started writing down all the questions his clients had. He answered them, one by one. Within hours, Jay had the first draft of his book. When he published it, and began using that book as a marketing tool, he established himself as THE real estate expert in active adult communities in the Phoenix area, and his business has dramatically changed. One little 6x9 book brought in hundreds of qualified leads who believed that Jay was THE real estate agent to help them find their dream home! After I talked to Jay for his interview, I know that I had to bring him back to speak to our mastermind group. We asked him all the questions, and got all the details. If you’ve ever thought you couldn’t write a book in your business, well, I’ve got news for you: you can! Don’t miss this episode, where Jay breaks down again just how he created one of the best lead generators in his business, and be inspired by how you can too! Before we dive in: start your new year with an amazing network of the best second home agents. Make sure that you create your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces the December Mastermind call, and this month’s guest trainer, Jay Otlewski. Catch Jay’s interview on episode 119 of the podcast! Jay shares that he is on the call to tell about how he wrote a book, and it ended up being an incredible source of leads. When you pick a niche, you can get to know it and serve it WELL. That’s one of Jay’s keys to success! Jay took time to walk through all the communities that he wanted to serve, and get to know them, and the types of people who lived in each. It took him nearly a month to do that. Most of Jay’s buyers are from out of state: so how can he target them? He became the expert, and found ways to prove his expertise. One of the most important ways that he proved he knew the area was by publishing a book. Our clients and leads can tell if we truly know what we’re talking about! The cost to produce a book is miniscule to the value it will bring to your business. Not sure where to start? Just start with an outline, and figure out what you want the chapters to be. If you’re not feeling sure about your spelling and grammar, you can always reach out to your connections - you never know when you’ll find the right person for the job! Jay made his book 6x9, because it fit the size that he commonly read, and is easy to ship. You don’t have to fill all of the space - don’t just write fluff! Answer the questions that your ideal client is asking, so they are guided to the sale! Black and white print will be the most affordable option: color printing can double the price for your book. The exception for this will be the cover: make that in color if you can! Jay orders 250 copies of the printed book at a time: buying in bulk lowers the price. You can get an ISBN, and even put a price on the back of the book just for fun. Writing the book won’t take too long: just sit down and start answering questions. The more you answer, the more you will think of, and next thing you know, you’ll have a book! Jay spent the most time formatting. Create a personality in the book: Jay used a character, a guy named Steve, to help his ideal client be able to envision themselves in the process of buying a home. Jay also used Issuu (linked below) to have the book online for people to read. When you create, be focused! You can always expand later. Get your team involved in the creation process! You can send a PDF of the book to your leads, but they are more likely to read a physical book. Join us for the next mastermind on January 8th, where Jessica Forrester will be sharing how she works with her ISA’s! Make sure you subscribe to the Selling the Dream podcast so you don’t miss any new episodes: we’ve got great plans for 2020! Leave a review: you never know when it will be read on the show! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with Jay Otlewski: Website LinkedIn Resources Mentioned: Issuu Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube EXCLUSIVE Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube Have you made your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE. Click here to register, make your profile and get listed today. As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

I always love it when our episodes land on holidays - that means that I get to bring you super special greetings! It’s almost the new year, and lots of people are making their new year’s resolutions. I’m going to be honest: I think new year’s resolutions are bullshit! As a small business owner, I’d like to encourage you to constantly be making new goals for yourself and your life and business. Instead of waiting for the new year, or new month, when you think of something you want to do, start it immediately! You don’t have to wait for a “new start” - just make a commitment to yourself and your business, and take action immediately. If you are starting out the new year with resolutions and goals, that’s awesome! Just make sure that you stay committed, and keep going! I’m excited to hear how making - and sticking to any resolutions you make ANYTIME in your business helps you grow! Thank you for joining me on this Tip Tuesday episode of the Selling the Dream podcast! Thanks for joining us on Selling the Dream - we wouldn’t be where we are without you listening, and giving your feedback! Make sure that you give us a rating and review on iTunes: that would mean the world to me, and will help us get even more amazing guests on our Friday episodes of the show. Highlights of this episode: Happy new year! Many people are making new year’s resolutions. Instead of making a plan and goals at the beginning of the year, start making your goals happen immediately! If you want to change your life, don’t wait for the new year, week, or month. Start immediately! Make sure you have short term goals, mid range goals, and long term goals. When you make those goals, make a commitment to yourself, your family, and your business. Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. If there’s ever a topic that you’d like to hear us cover on the podcast, just send me a message: my contact information is below. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling real estate: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

It’s almost 2020, and we’re taking a walk through some of my favorite episodes of the podcast in 2019. First of all, thank you so much for listening to the podcast - it’s been a great year, and I’m honored to have been able to share so much valuable information with you all. From talking about how to use social media to connect with people, understanding how different demographics want to be sold to, to being consistent in providing value, we’ve talked about some of the top marketing tips that will completely change your business. It was hard to pare down the gems we’ve heard over this past year, but we did our best: did we talk about your favorite? Make sure that you tune in to hear some of the top episodes of the Selling the Dream podcast from 2019. Before we dive in: start your new year with an amazing network of the best second home agents. Make sure that you create your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces the end of year review episode of the podcast. Establish yourself as an expert in your area - make sure that people know that you are the leading expert, and that when they subscribe to your list, they will get that information from you. Get in their inbox every week - be consistent. You can make a private Facebook group, and invite people to join - they only get the info by joining your group! Create insiders, and they’ll be coming to you for their information. Create boosted posts for your feeder markets: even something as simple as “guess the price” for the house can bring in lots of interaction! Sharron Srivatsaa shares the story of the 5 Club: a group of entrepreneurs that get up at 5am daily to start their day with motivation and encouragement. Pat Hyland talks about millennials and real estate: how can you sell to their demographic? Your millennial client just wants to understand the process: be ready to help your client understand. Chelsea Pietz helped us understand what to post on social media, and how social media engagement is so important for connecting with your clientele. Private messages create better conversations - make sure you’re connecting with your clients on a deeper level. They also take away the pressure of creating conversations on a public forum, and make for a more comfortable scenario. Keep your team informed: your affiliates, your broker, your team - they can’t help you if they don’t know what’s going on. When you’re a high-power agent, as many of us are, you’ve got to check yourself to make sure that if you’re experiencing a high turnover, that it’s not because of YOU. Make personal connections with your clients - if they love boating, talk about boating! Connect over passions. If you’re joining the real estate industry, make sure that you understand what you’re getting in to: know what is driving you, and how you can use that to be successful. Who you work with matters, so don’t join just any brokerage. Todd Conklin shares about team: should you go out on your own, or should you join a team? Don’t look at yourself as a salesperson: you’re helping people understand data. You’re walking your client through the decision making process. Create lasting relationships: help your clients see the data and the intangible all at the same time. Make sure you subscribe to the Selling the Dream podcast so you don’t miss any new episodes: we’ve got great plans for 2020! Leave a review: you never know when it will be read on the show! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube EXCLUSIVE Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube Have you made your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE. Click here to register, make your profile and get listed today. As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

I just want to wish you a merry Christmas, and share a few thoughts with you. This is a season of hustle and bustle, with people running around all over the place, helping clients, and getting shopping done. In the middle of all of the chaos and craziness, I’d like to encourage you to set aside some time, whether you celebrate or not, to spend with your family. Give your family and friends the present of your presence: make sure that you’re setting aside time, no matter what you believe, to celebrate why you are here, and those who are around you. I’m excited to share a special Christmas greeting with you on this Tip Tuesday episode of the Selling the Dream podcast! Thanks for joining us on Selling the Dream - we wouldn’t be where we are without you listening, and giving your feedback! Make sure that you give us a rating and review on iTunes: that would mean the world to me, and will help us get even more amazing guests on our Friday episodes of the show. Highlights of this episode: Merry Christmas eve! I just wanted to pass on a special message for you. This season is a busy time of the year, especially for resort markets, as clients are in town and visiting your area. Take a minute to enjoy time with your family, and those who are around you. Give your family the present of your presence: don’t let clients take all of your time. I hope it’s an amazing holiday, and an amazing time with your family and friends. Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. If there’s ever a topic that you’d like to hear us cover on the podcast, just send me a message: my contact information is below. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling real estate: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Have you hired an independent sales agent (ISA)? When Jessica started her boutique brokerage (don’t miss last week’s episode where she talked about the process), she knew that she was going to have to get some help for it to grow! The next big step was hiring an ISA, and training them to be the perfect new teammate. Jessica had the good fortune of a referral from within the Tom Ferry network, but that’s not all it takes to hire a good ISA: it takes trust, training, and team! This week on the Selling the Dream podcast, Jessica Forrester is sharing with us about the process of hiring and training her ISA, and answering all of our burning questions, like how they handle pay, location differences, and some of the things that she watched for in the process of hiring her ISA. This week is part two of two episodes talking to Jessica - make sure you don’t miss part one! She set the foundation last week, and now she’s giving those top tips that have helped her business explode! Before we dive in: have you created your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces part 2 of this 2 part podcast episode. Part 1 was all about a boutique brokerage: part 2 focuses on the hiring process! Jessica shares about how she found her independent selling agent (ISA). What does an ISA do? Jessica’s ISA finds data on her leads; gathers information about interests, birthdays, or even what information they need: what questions are leads asking, and how can Jessica’s team answer them! The ISA visited Jessica on the ground to get to know the team, and get acquainted with the area: she spent 10 days there getting to know the ropes. Best case scenario: your ISA lives locally, and works with you. If you have an off-site ISA, you want to have someone who you can trust. What are some things that Jessica looked for in the hiring process? Jessica looked for someone in the same time zone: anyone 2 hours or more offset from your local time may not be a good fit for scheduling. Want to bring in more business? Get to know your community well! Know everyone in a location, and turn yourself into a resource for them. If you’re working in a secondary or resort market, don’t lose out on business by not following up - keep your name in front of people. Don’t write off realtors in your database - they can be an amazing source of referrals! Have clients interested in investment properties? If you have the resources, you can create business by helping investors connect with resources set up to use AirBnB or VRBO. You don’t want to turn into a management company, but just being a resource makes you a go-to agent! Jessica shares her experience with coaching, and how it’s completely changed the trajectory of her business. Make sure you subscribe to the Selling the Dream podcast so you don’t miss any new episodes. Leave a review: you never know when it will be read on the show! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with Jessica: Website LinkedIn Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube EXCLUSIVE Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube Have you made your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE. Click here to register, make your profile and get listed today. As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

When was the last time that you made a ‘thankful list’? I sat down recently, in light of the holiday season, and decided to create at thankful list. I wrote down names of clients from transactions I’d had this past year. Team members who helped with sales. Fellow realtor connections. As I went on and on and on, it made me think about how important it is to not just be thankful for all of these people who have made an impact on your business, but to express that thankfulness to them! When we take the time to express that gratitude, we create our own culture of gratitude that changes not only us, but also others who work with us in the industry, and we can start a powerful movement. I’d like to challenge YOU to make a ‘thankful list’ too! And then go tell those people how thankful you are for them! Don’t miss this week’s Tip Tuesday episode of the Selling the Dream podcast! Thanks for joining us on Selling the Dream - we wouldn’t be where we are without you listening, and giving your feedback! Make sure that you give us a rating and review on iTunes: that would mean the world to me, and will help us get even more amazing guests on our Friday episodes of the show. Highlights of this episode: Tom shares about the creation of his ‘thankful list.’ Who is on the thankful list? Fellow realtors, clients, leads, team - anyone who has impacted the business! When you express gratitude to the people who have helped you, you create a culture of thankfulness! It’s the perfect time of year to reach out, and tell people how grateful you are for them. Gratitude stands out: the simple act of saying thank you can bring in more amazing referrals! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. If there’s ever a topic that you’d like to hear us cover on the podcast, just send me a message: my contact information is below. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling real estate: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Have you ever thought about starting your own brokerage? You love team, but are thinking about what else you can do in your business. It’s not easy; that’s for sure! We’ve talked endlessly about how to make the decision to join a brokerage, or if you should be an independent agent. We’ve talked about what it’s like to be part of a SEAL team, or just what goes into making a solid team. But what is it really like to start a boutique brokerage, with a small number of dedicated agents? What can be possible in your business, if you were to go out on your own? Hand pick a team of similar (or different) agents, and go out on your own? What could happen? How could it completely change your business? What questions should you ask yourself, and what do you need to be prepared for? We’re exploring all of these questions in this week’s episode of the Selling the Dream. This week is part one of a two episode series where I am talking to Jessica Forrester about her experiences starting a boutique brokerage. It took years for them to get started, but once they got going, the sky’s the limit! Jessica shares insights gained by years of experience working in several different markets until she created the PERFECT spot just for her. Before we dive in: have you created your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces Jessica Forrester, and part 1 of this 2 part podcast episode. Jessica shares how she got into real estate, and how much she loves working in the second home market: she loves helping make dreams come true. When Jessica moved from Texas to Florida, she joined a team. How did she pick a team to join? She looked for the data, to find out who was successful in the area. She contacted ten of the top agents in the area to see if they had a team, ended up interviewing three different agents to see about joining their team, and chose from there. Through the brokerage that she worked with, she ended up meeting future teammates, and establishing relationships in the industry. Eventually, Jessica started her own team: they had different agents that fulfilled unique roles and made the team well-rounded. It was not easy: the new team worked 24/7 for the first few years. The team grew and adapted as they learned how they could best serve their market. Tom asks Jessica how they set up their boutique brokerage and the timeline for starting the company: it didn’t happen overnight! Jessica wanted to start her boutique brokerage for people who wanted to do more, and experience higher levels of growth in their business. The key with a small boutique brokerage is for the team to have a reputation, but also for each agent to get individual recognition. Implement systems and scalability as quickly as you can: those keep you from burning out. Jessica shares how they handle the money and payments for each transaction. How do they pick people to potentially work with them? Jessica shares the criteria that she looks for in potential real estate agents on their team! Video messaging is a great way to connect personally! Try Bomb Bomb to send video messages to potential clients or team members. It’s ok to be selective about who you bring into your brokerage: people who come in because of money are the people who are going to leave because of money. Jessica shares how they follow up with leads, and what they outsource. Come back next week for part 2 of this interview with Jessica. Make sure you subscribe to the Selling the Dream podcast so you don’t miss any new episodes. Leave a review: you never know when it will be read on the show! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Resources Mentioned: Bomb Bomb Video Connect with Jessica: Website LinkedIn Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube EXCLUSIVE Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube Have you made your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE. Click here to register, make your profile and get listed today. As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Have you ever screwed up? We did, recently. We’d planned a client showing, and arrived at their house. They didn’t realize we were going to caravan - the whole thing was chaos! Afterwards, we had our client happiness ambassador get them a gift, and we personally delivered it. We said “sorry we screwed up!” They said it was no big deal, but we wanted to make sure that they knew: our mistakes ARE a big deal, and we’re always going to be making sure that we always make things right! You can screw up: it’s what you do afterwards that is so important because it’s an opportunity to show clients how you’re willing to go the extra mile to take care of them. If you’ve ever messed up, you won’t want to miss this Tip Tuesday episode of the Selling the Dream podcast! Thanks for joining us on Selling the Dream - we wouldn’t be where we are without you listening, and giving your feedback! Make sure that you give us a rating and review on iTunes: that would mean the world to me, and will help us get even more amazing guests on our Friday episodes of the show. Highlights of this episode: Have you ever screwed up? Sometimes we all do things wrong, and it’s how we react to those things that matters! Screw ups are a great opportunity to show your client how much you care about taking care of them. Even if it isn’t really our mistake, mistakes create an opportunity to connect. You can make clients feel important when you go above and beyond. Just go out there and be proactive on creating an excellent client experience! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. If there’s ever a topic that you’d like to hear us cover on the podcast, just send me a message: my contact information is below. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Resources Mentioned: The Power of Moments book Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling real estate: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

What do you expect out of your team? If you’re an independent agent, or part of a brokerage, one thing is for sure: you’re not doing this real estate thing alone!So what do you think of when you think of team? Do you think of them as your competition? Or do you look at them as being partners to help you in your success? Your team can make or break you. Your team determines: How you feel about work How you’re trained to serve your clients How you get leads How you show homes How you bring in your income As real estate agents, we’ve chosen this work because we want the freedom that comes with it: so choosing the right kind of team is going to be crucial for your journey! We’re exploring all of these questions in this week’s episode of the Selling the Dream. We’re bringing back one of our favorite real estate team leaders, Jeff and Melissa Krantz, to talk about about team, how they’ve created team culture, and how they help new real estate agents find the perfect team. Before we dive in: have you created your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces Jeff and Melissa Krantz. Your team is not your competition: they are there for collaboration, to help YOU be better! Team is there to help teach you how to start out right in your business. For example, when you’re starting out, make sure that you’re building your database. Jeff and Melissa share their best practices for building a database. It’s the “little” touches that count - keep it personal! Team trains you to treat your business like a business. Best case scenario, you get a contract: worst case scenario, you’re unemployed. Team can bring great synergy to your business. Agents join the world of real estate to be the master of their own destiny - so how do you find the right team for that? Jeff and Melissa talk about how they help new agents connect with the right team for them - you don’t just try to fit in anywhere! It should be a two way interview! You also need to help new agents know if they’re going to be a good fit for the company, if they are looking at joining a brokerage. The key is quality over quantity. Jeff and Melissa talk about how they prepare for a potential recession, and how they work to add spokes to their money wheel. Know where your business is coming from, and invest in that! A business plan isn’t something you create one time and never look at again: consult it often, and let it be your guidebook. New team members aren’t just getting a job: they are building a business. They join YOU because they need help knowing how to build the business. Don’t commit to too many lead generation sources: pick a few, and utilize them well. Help your new team mates make a 30 day plan, a 90 day plan, and a 1 year plan for success. Make sure you subscribe to the Selling the Dream podcast so you don’t miss any new episodes. Leave a review: you never know when it will be read on the show! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with Jeff and Melissa: Website Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube EXCLUSIVE Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube Have you made your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE. Click here to register, make your profile and get listed today. As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Are you meeting your client’s expectations? That’s no longer enough! With Zillow, Redfin, Realtor.com, and all those websites out there, your client’s expectations can be easily met! See, you have to strive to exceed your client’s expectations! If you aren’t going above and beyond, you are not making a lasting impression. We’ve just hired a CHA - a client happiness advocate - because exceeding expectations is so important to us. Our clients are so amazed after each transaction: they are so amazed by how we’ve gone above and beyond for them! When it comes time for a referral, you know they’ll be thinking of us! You won’t want to miss this Tip Tuesday episode of the Selling the Dream podcast, where I remind you that just meeting your client’s expectations isn’t enough! Thanks for joining us on Selling the Dream - we wouldn’t be where we are without you listening, and giving your feedback! Make sure that you give us a rating and review on iTunes: that would mean the world to me, and will help us get even more amazing guests on our Friday episodes of the show. Highlights of this episode: Are you meeting client expectations? That’s no longer enough! Our clients are hit with so much information, and can get their expectations met easily elsewhere. We hired a CHA - client happiness advocate, and that’s made a huge difference! One of the keys in knowing how to understand your client - what is important to them? What do they do? When you learn facts about your client, put them in your CRM so you can remember them! This helps your clients and leads know that you are actually paying attention to what they say, so they trust that you are listening to them when they tell you what they need! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. If there’s ever a topic that you’d like to hear us cover on the podcast, just send me a message: my contact information is below. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling real estate: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

What do pies and real estate have in common? If you listened to our November mastermind call, you’d have lots of ideas about how you can use pie. But I’ll get right back to it. These days, there are so many new techniques that real estate agents can use to market. You can bring in leads via social media, or drop targeted ads on YouTube. You can get as fancy as you want! But sometimes, especially in the secondary market, what people really want is a combination of technology and tradition. They want those personal connections. Are you looking to be more effective with how you do your personal marketing? Looking for that perfect combination of technology and tradition? Then you’re going to love listening to this month’s mastermind call. We’re sharing real life experiences from agents who are out there selling the dream. Oh, and that pie? Make sure that you listen to find out how agents are giving out pies to help connect face-to-face with their communities! Denise Brown is moderating this month’s mastermind call. She’s used many traditional marketing techniques as she works in Whistler, Canada. Because of data privacy laws, she’s had to find creative ways to market the resort homes she’s representing, and she’s making it happen! She’s here to help inspire us on how we can serve our clients and leads at our best. But before we dive in: have you created your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces the mastermind call and this month’s moderator, Denise Brown. Want to hear the episode where Tom interviewed Denise? Check out episode 107! How do you gather leads when you don’t have access to records? Denise talks about how their team gathered information. Denise found that the key was to stop working ON the business, but instead, work IN the business. When working with secondary markets, you have additional issues to overcome: all traditional marketing is geared towards traditional markets. Don’t be afraid to create canned formats. Not sure how to work with a client? Create a basic template, and use it over and over. Provide “advisor” value for your clients: help people find useful hints and tips and tricks they may have overlooked. When connecting with your potential leads and clients, offer them value! Help them see the value of their home, what has sold in their neighborhood, and more. Plan your content based on your market: if you’re super niched, quarterly may be too much. Drive people to your blog or website to get information. You can’t share it all in a newsletter! Isolate data as much as you can to give people the information that is relevant to them. When you hold events, remember: people want to be invited and included. They may or may not attend, but they want you to invite them. Want to connect with people? Get pie! Everyone shares how they have used pie to connect with their communities. If you hold a pie event, try to have a photographer too so that you get pictures. Don’t forget that we are professionals: we earn money when we are consistent and doing our job well. People trust us to help guide them; they come to us for help. Members of the mastermind talk about what they do when there are restrictive laws, such as rental restrictions. People looking for an investment have to do work, and work with someone they trust. When you want to cash flow a property, you have to take emotions out of it. Don’t miss the next mastermind call: if you’re interested in joining live, email Tom: his email address is tom@tomtezak.com Make sure you subscribe to the Selling the Dream podcast so you don’t miss any new episodes. Leave a review: you never know when it will be read on the show! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with Denise: Website Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube Have you made your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE. Click here to register, make your profile and get listed today. As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

What matters most? I heard this story at the national convention, and wanted to share it with you. This guy was sitting on a plane, and feeling really upset. He’d had a fight with his wife, and things weren’t going his way. In that moment, however, he paused and realized something powerful. Real estate agents can get so caught up in the hustle and the drive of selling, and constantly building our business. We get mad at situations, and people, and just get caught up in all of that. But at the end of the day, what is most important? You won’t want to miss this Tip Tuesday episode of the Selling the Dream podcast, where I remind you on what we should be giving thanks for! Thanks for joining us on Selling the Dream - we wouldn’t be where we are without you listening, and giving your feedback! Make sure that you give us a rating and review on iTunes: that would mean the world to me, and will help us get even more amazing guests on our Friday episodes of the show. And by the way: I’m thankful for YOU! Thank you for listening, thank you for supporting the podcast, thank you for leaving ratings and reviews. You’ve helped this podcast grow and get where it is today, and I couldn’t do it without YOU. Highlights of this episode: It’s time for thanksgiving! It’s time to focus on what matters most! Don’t get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life that you miss out on what is really important. Be thankful for your family, be thankful for your spouse, for your kids. Remember WHY you do what you do. Don’t forget how you got to where you are today. Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. If there’s ever a topic that you’d like to hear us cover on the podcast, just send me a message: my contact information is below. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling real estate: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Have you ever thought about starting over? Maybe leaving everything behind, and starting in a new place. Perhaps a resort market; the place you’ve always dreamed of. On this podcast, we talk a lot about selling the dream to our leads and clients: but we are living our own dream! We’ve chosen to live a more flexible job where we can set our own hours, do the work that we want to do, and the only thing that stops us from making limitless income is the number of hours in the day and our drive to do the work! So what if you were to go to an entirely new market? What would happen? What could you expect? It will be an adventure for sure - and that’s what we’re talking about on this episode of the Selling the Dream podcast! Anne Eliason made the move from Arizona to Hawaii, and she’s here to share the details. She’s been through so many major changes during her real estate career, and has not only survived, but she also has thrived. I’d like to challenge you to listen to this episode, and think about how she’s adapted and changed throughout her career, and what you can implement in your own career as you embrace change and unpredictability. But before we dive in: have you created your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces Anne Eliason and her business. When there was an economic downturn, Anne sold EVERYTHING - she did whatever deal came her way. Got someone you want to work with? Consistently reach out to them! Anne wrote hand-written notes weekly to a company that she wanted to work with. It took 3-4 months, but they went to HER when they had a need because she had been consistent. If you’re going to reach out, be strategic - find out who the decision makers are and connect with them. When you’re chasing a client - especially a big client, like working with a bank and foreclosures - know your strengths and how to leverage them. Be ready to say NO if it is completely draining to you! Big clients often require that you play by their rules: so you have to know if you’re willing to do that; if it’s your style. “Regardless of the market, there’s something for everyone.” Anne found herself with an opportunity to change after a breakup: she decided to move to Hawaii from Arizona, and rebuild her business. When Anne started working in her new market, the pipeline was longer because it was a resort market: keep that in mind if you ever change markets! If you’re moving to a new place, reach out to old clients! Update them, tell them where you’re going, and ask for referrals. You also never know when someone is ready to buy a new home and wants to work with someone they trust: YOU. Know what you have to offer, and ask clients if that is what they want! Anne chose to focus on open houses: for two years, she had an open house almost everyday. When starting over, you will need to build a strong web presence. That was one of the first things that Anne focused on. In the beginning, she spent roughly $2000 a month on advertising. That did bring in a lot of leads. There are so many ways to run your business: the key is to be adaptable and do what works best for you, whether it be advertising, working in your database, or referrals. Important: if you’re going to pay for leads, understand the funnel! Get to know the system. You may have a very long gestation period with clients. You just have to stay patient and connected. Your brand is your reputation. Focus on the value you provide. Do the right thing and the money will follow. Tom shares briefly why he moved from Joliet, Illinois to Maui. Make sure you subscribe to the Selling the Dream podcast so you don’t miss any new episodes. Leave a review: you never know when it will be read on the show! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with Anne Eliason: Website Facebook Instagram YouTube Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube Have you made your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE. Click here to register, make your profile and get listed today. As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

When was the last time you visited your feeder markets? Did you know that referrals make up a big portion of my business? In fact, this year, I’ve paid out more than 25 referrals. That doesn’t happen by accident, however. I do a lot of work to create a network. One of the best ways that you can create that network is to do some research into your top feeder markets, and then go connect! Take your stats with you: if you tell agents in that area that you’ve sold multiple houses in the past year to people from their market, they need to start connecting so they can get that referral money! You’re ready - and you WANT - to give it to them! You won’t want to miss this Tip Tuesday episode of the Selling the Dream podcast, where I share my simple tips on how you can increase your referrals and expand your business! Thanks for joining us on Selling the Dream - we wouldn’t be where we are without you listening, and giving your feedback! Make sure that you give us a rating and review on iTunes: that would mean the world to me, and will help us get even more amazing guests on our Friday episodes of the show. Highlights of this episode: I love referrals! I’ve paid more than 25 referrals this year already. Are you visiting your feeder markets? Do some research: where are your feeder markets? It might be time to take a trip to them! Set up some info packets about your services, what you have to offer, and your referral program, and go on a road trip to connect with others in the area! Does your company have an office in your feeder market area? Do you have a connection to someone working in that area? Ask if you can go do a presentation at their office! Share information about how their clients are already buying in your market, so they should get a referral bonus from you! You can teach them tips and tricks on how to connect with their clients, and what to listen for so they can maximize their potential referral payouts. I can tell you from personal experience that laying that groundwork and making connections can make a huge impact in your business. You can turn yourself into the go-to agent for your area! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. If there’s ever a topic that you’d like to hear us cover on the podcast, just send me a message: my contact information is below. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling real estate: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Are you trying to sell luxury real estate with traditional marketing methods? If you’re breaking into the luxury real estate market, and trying to market the same way that you’ve always marketed, I have news for you: it won’t work! Luxury real estate requires a completely different approach to marketing. You aren’t selling someone their everyday home. This is their dream home. The home conveniently located in the heart of the big city, close to shopping districts and 5 star restaurants. Or with a mountain view, just a few miles from a favorite ski resort. It may even have a palm tree swaying in the front yard in the ocean breezes. You can’t market dream homes the same way that you market everyday homes…but what has to change? How can you differentiate your marketing to reach your ideal buyer, who is ready to buy their dream home? In this episode of the Selling the Dream podcast, I’m talking to Tom McCormack. He’s based in the Jersey Shore - which is so much more than just the location of a reality TV show. He’s been working on the luxury market for years, and is here to share his experiences in marketing himself uniquely to luxury market buyers, and exactly what it takes to attract his ideal buyer.. But before we dive in: have you created your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces Thomas McCormack and his business. The view to selling luxury real estate is to elevate the view: don’t focus on things that aren’t realistic to the area. Thomas is using the campaign “Live Like a Local” to help his leads and clients see what it’s really like to live in his market. That campaign uses agents who are using their phones to capture “real life.” Be nice to everyone: the gardener, the cleaners, the valets. You never know where your next referral will come from! If you do even a decent job, they’ll remember you! How do you change your marketing to capture your ideal market? It’s all about getting your message out on a regular basis. Focus on creating a value proposition which provides MORE than the average brokerage. Show how you take care of all the details that matter. You can’t sell luxury real estate by putting it on the internet and hoping for the best: it’s all about the relationships. Don’t be afraid to work with an agency to help convey the messaging that you are focusing on. It may require a high-end logo, or rebranding yourself. People who buy luxury real estate want to feel like they are special, and that didn’t happen by accident. If you’re considering changing your branding, and your look, think first about how you want your clients to think of when they see you! Be willing to go outside of your comfort zone when trying new branding: look at the other things that are also bought by your ideal client, whether it be cars, clothing, or other high end brands. Remember: luxury items don’t advertise the item itself. They showcase a lifestyle. Thomas shares the associations that he is a member of, and how they impact his business, and where things are REALLY happening for him and his business. When you have a property, make sure you’re connected to other agents - make sure that they know about it. Other luxury agents can be a fantastic source of leads. Thomas shares his top tips for anyone new to the industry. Make sure you subscribe to the Selling the Dream podcast so you don’t miss any new episodes. Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with Thomas McCormack: Website LinkedIn Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube Have you made your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE. Click here to register, make your profile and get listed today. As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Are you in control of your business, or is it controlling you? Many real estate agents find themselves stuck, never able to get past a certain level in business. I think it comes down to one thing: they are controlled by their business. They are working constantly, and cannot let go of tasks. They don’t trust anyone to do things as well as they do these tasks. When you can’t let go of tasks, then they end up controlling you. In the industry, you have to pass off some of these tasks if you want to be able to grow in your business. But how do you let go? How do you work with an assistant? How do you relinquish control? Start small and strategic. Find something that won’t matter if they mess up. Hire someone to help you on a transactional basis. It’s like therapy: just take one step at a time. Recognize that there is nothing that they can screw up that you can’t fix together. Once you accept that, you’ll be able to train an assistant to be able to help you process even more transactions every year. One of the best parts about letting go of some control is that you’re able to enjoy your life! You get to spend time with your family, go on vacations, and enjoy your time. When you let go of control, you’ll be amazed at the difference. Thanks for joining us on Selling the Dream - we wouldn’t be where we are without you listening, and giving your feedback! Make sure that you give us a rating and review on iTunes: that would mean the world to me, and will help us get even more amazing guests on our Friday episodes of the show. Highlights of this episode: Are you being controlled by real estate, or is it controlling you? Can you relinquish control of your work? Are you outsourcing? It’s time to let go of some tasks! Hire out tasks. Relinquish that control and hire someone and train them to do the tasks. Don’t try to do everything. Having trouble letting go of tasks? Start by hiring an assistant to take a few tasks off your plate. Learn how to trust others with tasks that allow you to grow. When you learn to let go of tasks, you’ll be able to spend time on creating a life that you love. Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling real estate: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Do you feel like you rely on data in your business? Zillow, Realtor.com, MLS - all those places are invaluable sources of data that can drive your business and help you make decisions. But what happens if you don’t have any of that data: how do you sell then? There’s a lot that you can do: but the key is to commit to your lifestyle, and serving your clients and leads with the highest level of integrity. Sometimes that means that you give them information that means they don’t purchase from you. That also means that you’re helping them make “non-intoxicated” decisions: making sure they aren’t “under the influence” of their love for an area, and unable to make smart decisions. In the luxury market, you’re not making a one time sale. You’re serving a client who will become a lead generation machine. You’re making a customer for life. They learn to trust YOU as their guide through the process. People have learned that they can trust what I have to say about Maui - I have jumped into that Aloha life, and eat, breathe, and sleep it. I’ve almost always got on a Hawaiian shirt, and I’m here to help them find the BEST place! So jump in, because you’re truly selling the dream! If you’re interested in hearing more about how Scott Cutter has paved the way for real estate agents in Costa Rica, make sure you listen to this episode of the Selling the Dream podcast. But before we dive in: have you created your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces Scott Cutter and his business. Scott sells real estate in Costa Rica, where there isn’t a Zillow database; no MLS! They’ve created their own data feed for their clients. Data can be good and bad: data often makes your clients and leads feel like experts already, and make them feel like they don’t need YOU to be their guide. How does Scott work without MLS? He’s started a network of realtors working in Costa Rica, and they promote each other’s listings. Lifestyle marketing is key in a resort market. Remember, there is a lot of mediocrity out there: establish a reputation of being someone who will always do the right thing. When you are committed to helping your clients make the right choice - even if it means not buying with you - you’ll win in the long run! Your job is to help clients get past the initial feelings they have for the area and choose the absolute best place for them that serves their lifestyle. They don’t want to make “intoxicated” decisions. “You’re not making a customer for one sale: you’re making a customer for life and creating a referral source.” Don’t sell, sell, sell: instead, listen, listen, listen! When you decide to use technology, commit to it. Give it time to work. Results can take time. One key to selling in resort markets is truly selling the dream: sell the lifestyle. Don’t be afraid to make “real life” videos: know what your market will respond to. It can’t always be professionally produced videos. Looking for the magic silver bullet that will help your business grow? There is no magic silver bullet! It just takes time, and staying true to your values and serving your clients at your very best. When working in the luxury market, remember that you provide multiple layers of value. You’re not just someone who got lucky and met the rich guy buying a house: if you’re successful in the second home/luxury market, it’s because you worked hard and treated your business like a business. To be successful in your market, eat, breathe, sleep and LIVE your lifestyle. Embrace it, whether it be ALOHA or Pura Vida! Own it. Make sure you subscribe to the Selling the Dream podcast so you don’t miss any new episodes. Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with Scott Cutter: Website Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Pinterest Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube Have you made your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE. Click here to register, make your profile and get listed today. As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

The sale is done once the papers are signed…right? Wrong! Want to learn how you can be the best real estate agent out there? Want to learn more about what people are thinking through the process, and what you did right - or even, what you did wrong? You’ll get all the information that you need, if you’re just willing to ask! If you’re not doing an exit interview with the people you work with, you are missing out on valuable feedback. Have you ever quit a job? Many times, before you can get your last paycheck, you complete an exit interview. That’s meant to give a chance for feedback, for a company to learn more about your experience working for them. That feedback can help the company to learn more about what they can do to keep employees in the future, and how they can improve. I believe that if you ask, your clients will be happy to give you feedback! Exit interviews are a crucial time where you learn about the people you have served, and how you could have served them better. It can also lead perfectly into the opportunity to ask for referrals, and find more ways to serve them in the future. Thanks for joining us on Selling the Dream - we wouldn’t be where we are without you listening, and giving your feedback! Make sure that you give us a rating and review on iTunes: that would mean the world to me, and will help us get even more amazing guests on our Friday episodes of the show. Highlights of this episode: Are you doing an exit interview after you’ve closed a sale? Your clients will want to help you be better: all you have to do is ask. Asking for feedback helps you learn what you can do better. When your clients know that they are making a difference in your business, they are more likely to give feedback. Here are some questions to ask: What caught you off guard during this process? What frustrated you? Was the process easy? Why did you pick me/my team? By the way: asking why your clients picked you helps plant the idea of referrals! When they remember why they chose to work with you, it makes them more likely to tell their friends to work with you! Ask clients why they are buying/selling? Are they going through life changes? Are there other ways you can serve them? Ask, did you like the people we worked with? Whether it be the escrow company, attorney, inspector, etc. Asking about the people that you work with can also help alleviate any potential problems in the future. Finally, ask for a review! Tell them where they can review you: your website, Google, Facebook, LinkedIn. Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling real estate: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Where do the majority of your leads come from? Are they cold leads, or referrals? Are they coming from other agents in your feeder market? Are they from friends and family? What if you had a database that brought in most of your business? That would be amazing, right?  Imagine not having to go out and chase new leads, but being the “go to” real estate for your area. That’s reality for Alan and Betsy Thompson, the leaders of this month’s Selling the Dream mastermind meeting. Every month, we hold a virtual mastermind meeting, and have been excited to share the recording of the meeting on the podcast! You may remember this month’s moderator, Alan Thompson, from episode 93, when we talked to him about how he gets his business from his database. We had to bring him to the mastermind meeting so that people could ask their burning questions. Have you heard any guests on the podcast, and had more questions for them? Make sure you send me an email: tom@tomtezak.com, and I’ll see what I can do to get you an answer. You might not be the only one with questions. Wondering what is up with these mastermind meetings, and interested in joining in? Send me an email, and I’ll send you the details on the next meeting! If you’re interested in hearing more about how Alan and Betsy compiled their database and turned it into a lead generating machine, make sure you listen to this episode of the Selling the Dream podcast. But before we dive in: have you created your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces welcomes everyone to the Mastermind, and introduces Alan, the leader of the October meeting. Theme of the meeting: maximizing your database. Alan shares his history, and how he got into real estate. Alan had stepped away from his original real estate job, and took a break. When he came back, he decided he was going to do it differently. Betsy and Alan sat down and went through their connections, and made a database of all their connections. They went deep in the data: from ages, occupations, favorite sports teams and hobbies. Alan and Betsy know their database! It took 4 months to compile that database. When putting together your database, make sure that you have a name and at least one connection point. The hardest thing was staying with their model. Alan and Betsy had decided that they wanted to work the relationship and database angle, so when they started, they had to stay laser focused. By October 2019, they have done more than 200 transactions using their database. “There’s no one in our database that we don’t know.” ~ Alan Thompson It’s ok to focus on the numbers: that data helps you make smart decisions. As Alan and Betsy have continued, they are digging deeper, and really focusing on one zip code. Why all those datapoints? So you can connect meaningfully. If their favorite sports team won a game, you can email them and congratulate them! It’s your lucky day! Alan and Betsy send handwritten birthday cards every month, with a scratch off lottery ticket inside. When you go to networking events, take a ziploc bag with you and collect all the business cards into one bag so you can remember the connections you made at the event. Alan breaks down how his team works: how many people are on the team, and what they do. Coaching is key, and puts you in a higher “ecosystem.” Make sure that you’re present, and connecting with people. Say happy birthday, notice their life events. Alan and Betsy make Boomerang videos of their clients with their new homes: now, people are excited to get to have their own Boomerang after they close on their house! Make sure you subscribe to the Selling the Dream podcast so you don’t miss any new episodes. Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with Alan and Betsy: Lucky Homes website Resources Mentioned: Census Bureau Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube Have you made your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE. Click here to register, make your profile and get listed today. As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

When you’re marketing your business, how often do you use the word “I”? “I sold this house above market value…” “I hold an open house every weekend…” “I...I...I…” Stop talking about yourself! If you’re marketing how awesome you are, you’re doing it all wrong. Clients don’t care about YOU! Yes, they want someone professional. They want someone successful. They want to work with someone who is going to help them. But at the end of the day, they don’t give a crap about you! You’re there to guide them through the process of being the hero of their own story. If you haven’t read Building a Story Brand (link below), then you need to get it, so that you can clearly see your role in their journey. It’s not about you - it’s all about being their mentor and their guide. Thanks for joining us on Selling the Dream - we wouldn’t be where we are without you listening, and giving your feedback! Make sure that you give us a rating and review on iTunes: that would mean the world to me, and will help us get even more amazing guests on our Friday episodes of the show. Highlights of this episode: Do you have an “I” problem? Guess what? Your client doesn’t give a crap how great you are! Clients want you to be professional, successful, and awesome. But they care most about how you will guide them in their story. If you’re marketing yourself and how great you are, you’re doing it all wrong! Instead of marketing yourself, talk about the stories of clients you have helped. My dad always taught me, “do the right thing for your clients and the money will follow you.” Focusing on money or your goals will make the business fall apart. When you focus on your client’s best interests, your career will change. Make the clients the hero of the story, not you! Make sure that as you’re selling the dream that you are selling your clients dream: not yours! Because it’s not about you. Resources mentioned Building a Story Brand book (amazon link) Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling real estate: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Is there a neighborhood that you want to be THE real estate agent in? I know how that feels: I have this one small area of Maui that is the epicenter of my business! Even in my advertising, I tell people that I don’t know much about other areas, but if they want to know about this ONE particular area, there is no one out there who knows it like I do. That kind of knowledge WORKS! People trust you as the leading expert in that area. But what happens if you know the ins and outs of the area, but you don’t know all the people who are there? You don’t know what’s driving their decisions. What are their ages? What is their income? Who is about to retire? Who is starting a family? Who has kids who are leaving home and starting out on their own? See, the more you know, the more effectively you can market, because you know what they just might need, and how you can best serve them! But aside from going door to door and talking to every single person, how are you going to get that data? If you’ve been in the real estate business for a while, you might already know where you can find some of that kind of data. You’ve thumbed through volumes listing demographic information about neighborhoods, filling in some of the missing information. This week on Selling the Dream, I am talking to Tyler Steenken, who works with Cole Information. Cole Information is one of the industry standards for collecting data for real estate agents and local businesses marketing in their community. Tyler has worked with Cole Information for more than 15 years, and he knows how to work with people to find the data that they need. We’re talking about how to get data, and what you can do with that data in your business. Just so you know, this is not a commercial for Cole. Of course, we’ve worked with them, and had a great experience. But I wanted to bring someone from Cole onto the podcast so that you could learn about some of the unique resources that are available to you, even for second home agents. If you don’t innovate and learn about resources available to you, you’ll quickly find yourself becoming irrelevant...and wondering what happened to all of your business. If you’re interested in getting more detailed information about your market, make sure you listen to this episode of the Selling the Dream podcast. Better data brings better leads, so make sure you’re working with the best data available to you! But before we dive in: have you created your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces Tyler Steenken, and his business with Cole Resources. Tyler describes Cole Resources is in a nutshell. You used to be able to buy directories that helped you know more about the demographics of an area, and who was living there. Cole Resources created those directories to help marketers dig into their local market. Directories give you access to data that helps you make more sales. Tyler tells the story of how Cole Resources went from printed books to becoming an online resource. If you don’t adapt and change, you’ll quickly become irrelevant: that drove Tyler and his team to find new ways to innovate! Want to “own” the business in a neighborhood? You can’t predict all the major life changes that the homeowners will have, but when you have data available, you can market more strategically! Want data? You can bulk download it from Cole Resources! How can you use this data? You can use it to refine your advertising; to help you choose your demographics on Facebook ads. Note: there are those who opt out - so the data isn’t perfect! But it gives you a LOT of information to work with. Having data doesn’t replace the relationships: it gives you a head start in creating those relationships. Are you interested in being able to market to your feeder market? You can’t door knock there, but you can use data to learn more about them, and advertise to them more effectively! By the way - if you decided to check out Cole Information, make sure that you say you heard about them on the Selling the Dream podcast! When you work with a company to get lead information, make sure that you tell them what you’re looking for. They may be able to work with you to get you even more personalized information! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with Tyler Steenken and Cole Information: Website Facebook LinkedIn Twitter YouTube Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube Have you made your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE. Click here to register, make your profile and get listed today. As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

If you’re not setting goals, 2020 is the perfect time to start! Every year, as the new year is on the horizon, it’s time to start thinking about our goals. I ask myself questions like the following: What kind of husband do I want to be? What kind of businessman do I want to be? Who do I want to serve this year? How do I want to be involved in my community? When it comes to setting goals, I don’t just look at what I want to accomplish in my business. I look at everything: personal, spiritual, relational - the whole package! Over the years, I’ve learned a lot about goal setting, and I’ve made a full booklet that I use to help me set my goals. Not only have I created that booklet, but I want to share it with you! So send me an email (tom@tomtezak.com), and I’ll get you a copy of it! I want you to get your 2020 vision, and I’m here to help. Thanks for joining us on Selling the Dream - we wouldn’t be where we are without you listening, and giving your feedback! Make sure that you give us a rating and review on iTunes: that would mean the world to me, and will help us get even more amazing guests on our Friday episodes of the show. Highlights of this episode: It’s time to start setting goals for 2020! For the upcoming year, our goal is “Perfect Vision 2020.” When you sit down and make your goals, think about everything you want to accomplish: not just your business goals. Think about your personal goals, your spiritual goals, your professional goals: they all work together! Success isn’t how many dollars you put in your bank account. It’s how many hours you spend with family, spent doing things you love, spent in your community. If you don’t have a target, you’ll never hit it. It’s ok if you don’t hit every goal you create, but make them so you have something to aim for. Email me (tom@tomtezak.com) and I’ll email you my goal workbook. The three hours or so that you set aside to set goals will be worth it! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

How much knowledge do you have in your brain? You know the ins and outs of your market. You know the exact questions that your leads are asking. Have you ever thought about writing down all of that information, and publishing a book? Creating a book is a great freebie item that you can send to any potential leads. This helps establish your authority (especially if you are serving a niche market that can take longer to convert to a sale). But it sounds intimidating ...publishing a book? Isn’t that a lot of work? Jay Otlewski, from Phoenix, Arizona, is here to share how he wrote a book that serves his niche perfectly, and acts as a lead magnet to bring in new business. Not only has Jay capitalized on his knowledge acquired over years of serving as a real estate agent, but he’s figured out how to turn that book into a lead-generating machine. Best of all - Jay didn’t study writing. In fact, he’s a math guy. But when he sat down with a cup of coffee and a notepad, and made a list of all the questions he could answer, it wasn’t long until he had finished writing the definitive 100 page guide to buying a home in an active adult community in the Phoenix area. If Jay can do it, you can too! Make sure you listen to this episode of the Selling the Dream podcast to get inspired on how you can use an eBook to attract even more qualified leads to your business. But before we dive in: have you created your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces Jay Otlewski, and his business in Phoenix, Arizona. When Jay moved to Phoenix, he decided to niche down and learn everything he could about “active adult communities.” He wasn’t even old enough to join one, but he focused on learning everything about them. Reminder: you don’t have to live a niche to serve it effectively. You can serve second home buyers and not own a second home. You can serve luxury real estate and not own a luxury home. It’s all about being educated. In the beginning, Jay was going to sell to EVERYONE - but then he niched down deep. When you know what motivates buyers and sellers, your job becomes easier. To serve his niche, Jay wrote and published a book! To write the book, Jay thought of all the questions he’d ever been asked, and just started writing down the answers. The result was a 100 page book! “Writing it was a lot easier than I thought; it was a matter of knowing the answers to questions and then writing them out.” Need an idea for a book? What are the questions that you answer over and over again? Jay uses the book as a lead magnet. The cost per copy (including shipping) is about $7. Not bad when it can convert to a potential sale! A book offers knowledge and expertise. Don’t be afraid to niche. Doctors have specialties, and know the ins and outs of one particular area. You aren’t trapped in your niche: it doesn’t mean you can’t serve anyone else. It just helps you determine which business you are going to focus on and pursue. Make sure that your book serves your niche. Jay’s book serves those looking to purchase in active adult communities. It does not cover first time homebuyers. If you’re a new agent, Jay has some advice. Pick a niche that you love, and dig deep into it. Get to know everything about it, and how you can best serve that niche. Get a coach or mentor to help you as you’re digging into your business. Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with Jay Otlewski: Website LinkedIn Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube Have you made your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE. Click here to register, make your profile and get listed today. As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Not every interaction with a client results in a sale. Working in the second home market can be a long process. You know how it goes: you’ve just shown a bunch of amazing houses, and you’re sitting in the car together, talking about what you’ve seen, and you hear those words: “We love it, but we’re just not ready yet.” That happens! Many times, it takes years for someone to make the final decision about a second home, or a resort home. Those of us working in second home markets know that it can take a long time. But reviews are a HUGE part of what makes people choose to work with you. So what would happen if you started asking potential clients and leads who hadn’t purchased a home yet if they would leave a review for you? There’s no reason why they can’t share a review on Google, Yelp - anywhere! So go ahead, ask them to rate you and review their experience working with you! Thanks for joining us on Selling the Dream - we wouldn’t be where we are without you listening, and giving your feedback! Make sure that you give us a rating and review on iTunes: that would mean the world to me, and will help us get even more amazing guests on our Friday episodes of the show. Highlights of this episode: It can take a long time for a buyer to make a decision about a second home: it can take years! So how can you get reviews for your business? You don’t have to only ask transactional buyers/sellers to leave you a review: if you’ve worked with them, they can review you! So just ask for reviews! They can leave you a review on Yelp, Google, Facebook. It’s a great way to ask, “hey, did I meet your expectations? Did I help you?” When people tell you they aren’t ready to buy, turn that into a favorable experience for you! They may not be ready at that exact moment to make a decision, but when they are, they’ll remember how great you are to work with! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Real estate agents ask this question a lot. Should I be on my own, as an independent agent, and embrace the freedom of running my business exactly how I want? Or should I join a franchise, and reap all of the benefits of being part of a larger organization, and all of the support that comes with it? Ultimately, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer: you have to do what works best for you and your business goals! Every time I ask this question, I get different reasons for why they chose what they did, and it makes sense for their business and their goals. There are a lot of factors that drive the switch: Does this serve the real estate agents on my team? Does this help us serve our leads and customers? Is this the right financial decision? Does this help us grow our business? That doesn’t even scratch the surface! I made the transition myself, from indie company to franchise, and when I listened to this week’s guest, I knew that she had incredible value to share with anyone considering that process. Tyra Rudrud, from Vail, Colorado, is breaking down the transition process on this week’s episode of Selling the Dream. She’s sharing more about the thought processes behind making such a huge change, and tips and tricks on how you can make the transition seamlessly. But before we dive in: have you created your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces Tyra Rudrud and her business in Vail, Colorado. Tyra describes the iterations of her business: how she started in real estate, the market that she serves, and how the office has changed over the years. When Tyra found that their independent company was not working anymore, the team ended up joining a franchise. The process of making this decision is NOT easy! Are you thinking about making the leap from independent to joining a franchise? If your agents are uncertain, it’s important to show the benefits of being part of a franchise, and how it will help them. Questions to consider: how can we stay relevant to our market? How can we best serve our agents? Pay attention: the world is changing, and so is how real estate works. What you have set up in the past may not be enough to keep you going in the future. Joining a franchise brings agents a whole new world of resources: make sure that, if you are transitioning, that you take the time to teach your team how to use these tools so that they can be even more effective. Many times, the tools that a franchise has access to are far better than an indie brokerage. There is so much information available to our leads: it’s important that agents be well-trained in how to get the best content to leads. Going through the transition to a franchise is hard because the process is often kept confidential, so not everyone is privy to all of the details. .When Tyra and her team joined a franchise, they did it quickly: from start to finish, it was less than 6 months. Tyra shares some of her secrets to success: 99% of her business comes from referrals! When you’re working in a luxury market, give luxury gifts! It may exceed the tax deductions you can take, but sending them something that they will have either on display or actually use is important. When working in the luxury or vacation market, those relationships are key! Make sure you keep in touch so that when they are in town, you can drop by and keep the relationship going (and continue your referrals!). You can use online resources like Zillow or Realtor.com, but focus on relationships! If you’re a brand new agent, Tyra has some advice. Get involved in your community! Get to know people, and what’s going on. Remember, you’re more than just a salesperson. You’re an advisor. If you’re part of a company that is making the transition from being indie to a franchise, give the owners some grace. They are making the tough decision to serve YOU and your business better. Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with Tyra Rudrud: Website Facebook LinkedIn Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube Have you made your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE. Click here to register, make your profile and get listed today. As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

What does it mean to be relevant on social media? We keep hearing training about how to use social media saying that we need to be relevant: but what does that mean? How does being “relevant” impact our approach to social media? So how can we be relevant with the people that connect with us? See, many people use social media as the ultimate networking tool, and “add” or “follow” others. When you get these friend requests, or new followers, what should you do? I’m here to tell you one simple trick that will help you have an instant personal connection with all of these people, and how you can learn exactly what you need to do to be relevant to them. Best part: it’s super easy, and only requires one simple question! Thanks for joining us on Selling the Dream - we wouldn’t be where we are without you listening, and giving your feedback! Make sure that you give us a rating and review on iTunes: that would mean the world to me, and will help us get even more amazing guests on our Friday episodes of the show. Highlights of this episode: What does it mean to be relevant on social media? When you engage on other people’s social media, make comments that make sense! Why do people want to be your friend or connect with you on social media? They want to connect with you in a significant way; they want to learn more about you! Learn why people want to be a part of your world: when you get a random connection, reach out and ask them why they chose to connect with you! When you reach out, you have automatic dialog and a connection! Don’t be afraid to check out profiles of people who want to connect with you and learn more about them too! BONUS: make sure you go listen to episode 103, where I talked to Chelsea Pietz, who share quite a few Facebook and Instagram secrets. Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

What is the most important foundation of your business? Leads? The market? Location? Understanding the ins and outs of the industry? If you’ve been in the business for a while, you might know what I’m about to say: the culture is everything. Your office culture will be the key to your longevity in the industry. How you interact with others, how you learn and are mentored, and how you eventually take the lead in shaping the industry and investing in future agents and industry leaders. When you master culture, and find one that fits your needs, odds are, you’re going to last. Get ready to hear all about team, and how Randall Hannaway has worked hard over the years to build an incredible team of more than 75 brokers. But before we dive in: have you created your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces Randall Hannaway and his business. Randall started with just himself and one other, and now there are 75 people working with him! He decided that he didn’t want to be the boss, so he found someone to take that role in the office. Randall shares about their office culture and the steps it took to develop a close-knit culture and team. How did Randall transition from the role of the leader to working as a salesman? He shares the story, and how his mindset helped him step down and make the best decision. Randall is one of 25 owners now: all of the original brokers had the chance to buy shares, and are all now joint-owners. “When people become an owner, it changes how they think.” Tap into the talent that surrounds you: if you’re in a group, surrounded by people who have gifts and abilities, it’s a shame not to tap into that. Build your company with a good foundation: build the culture first, and then build the business around that culture. When Randall interviews new potential brokers or workers, the main thing they talk about is culture, and how that person will fit in. “Real estate is a competitive business, but we’ve proven we can work together.” Teams that work well together build incredible amounts of trust. How does sharing commissions work in teams? Tom and Randall discuss some of the ways this impacts the team culture. When they get a new team member, they try to match them with a mentor that they connect well with, and have backups in case those mentors are not available. Mentors learn so much in the process of teaching others. Tom and Randall discuss compensation for those who mentor. What is the most important thing that you can do to build a solid real estate career? The first thing you can do is get an understanding of the big picture, and how everything works together. Get out there: it takes courage to ask for help from others, but it helps you learn. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes; you learn from those! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Resources Mentioned: Ninja Selling (book) Connect with Randall Hannaway: Website Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube Have you made your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE. Click here to register, make your profile and get listed today. As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Can you imagine putting your house on the market, and hearing nothing for months? I recently shared about my experiences as a second home buyer, but did you know that I also sold a second home? In this Tip Tuesday, I’m here to share my perspective - but this time, as the seller. Anytime that you sell a house, it can take a while. Maybe it’s a slower market, maybe it’s time to lower the price. Maybe there aren’t a lot of open houses. You know that it can take a while for anything to happen, and the seller can quickly start to wonder what is going on. How can you avoid these transactions from becoming a nightmare, both for you and your clients? Communication is a huge element! Radio silence is no good. Don’t have anything to share? Then call the seller to say that you love them! Keep them updated, and give them ideas on what they can do to help move the house. Thanks for joining us on Selling the Dream - we wouldn’t be where we are without you listening, and giving your feedback! Make sure that you give us a rating and review on iTunes: that would mean the world to me, and will help us get even more amazing guests on our Friday episodes of the show. Highlights of this episode: Recently, I shared a tip from the perspective of being a second home buyer: now I’m here to share something from the perspective of a second home seller! Sellers want to hear from you! Keep your clients in the loop: even if there’s nothing going on, reach out and get in touch. Be personal: if you automate it, make sure that it matches the transaction. If things are slow, and nothing is happening, then communicate with ideas! Tell them how they could help things move along. Maybe more open houses, maybe lower the price. Don’t have anything to share? Just tell them that you love them! Reach out to your client and tell them that you appreciate them. Send them screenshots of ads you’re running: show them what’s going on! Communication helps bring about more referrals, because people want to know that you’re doing the work. Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

What is the hallmark of a successful team? If you’re like any real estate agent, you’ve thought about the age-old question. Should I be independent, or should I be part of a team? Building a team sounds exciting: not having to pound the pavement on your own, being able to delegate the tasks that you’re not good at, or even having the time to invest in building relationships, because you’re not bogged down in doing everything it takes to keep your business going. This week on the podcast, we’re taking a different approach. I’m being interviewed by Todd Conklin, a coach at The Corner Office Coach. One of the main themes that came up in our conversation was this concept of team, and what it really takes to lead a team, and be part of it. I couldn’t do what I do without my team. From the part-time mom who helps with mailing out materials, my marketing guy - we all have an integral role in helping sell the dream. You’re going to want to tune in to hear all about these concepts of team, what you need to be aware of, how you can work effectively with them. There is some gold in this episode! But before we dive in: have you created your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces Todd Conklin, and shares that this episode is going to follow a slightly different format. Todd asks Tom: should a real estate agent be part of a team? Here’s the real question: what are your business goals? Do you need to be part of a team to accomplish those career goals? “I’ve seen many teams that are on the outside successful, and on the inside broke.” Leading a team requires clarity and focus. Why start a team? If you have more leads than resources to follow up with them, and you’re seeing countless things falling through the cracks, you might be ready to start a team. Don’t start a team just to get exposure: you have to be the rainmaker first before you bring others in. If you can’t bring in your own leads, a team isn’t going to necessarily fix that. When it comes to selling and buying in resort markets, the experience is everything: word travels fast. A good experience can be amazing for your career, and a bad experience can be devastating. A resort market lead often has a longer nurture time: 3-4 years. If you have a team, you need to make sure there are other viable financial opportunities for them. “The consumer is being pelted by opportunity.” When it comes to training teammates, Tom expects those he trains to be so good that they become the “competition!” If they aren’t at that high level, he didn’t do his job right. “If you’re going to be a team leader, you need to look at things and know what you’re good at, and know what you suck at.” Tom calls his team a SEAL team: everyone is trained at a high level, and most of the team members can take on almost any role. If you’re a team leader, make sure you note this: the value of a team to many of your members is consistency and reliability. That builds trust with your team. How can you change your mindset? It requires that you take a step back, and evaluate. Meditation can also help reset. Coaching can be a huge catalyst for change. Eventually, you find that you can’t do everything, and have to let go of things that you have loved. What happens to your business then? Don’t forget that you have to be the mayor; you have to be the evangelist. Create consistency and trust. Tom shares his story: how he moved from Illinois to Hawaii, and how he found his niche serving realtors focusing on the secondary market. Todd shares about his podcast, Corner Office Coach. Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with Todd Conklin: The Corner Office Coach Website Facebook Instagram Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube Have you made your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE. Click here to register, make your profile and get listed today. As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

On this week's Tuesday Tip, Tom talks about problem solving, and how not confronting an issue can often make things worse in the long run.  Tune in to hear more.   Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

I’d like to invite you to join in on our monthly mastermind call. The first Wednesday of each month, we’re gathering together a group of your top peers, and we’re talking about topics in our industry. A guest speaker leads the hour long call, and we dig deep into the things that we can do to help our business reach the next level. There’s magic in training, and bringing successful people together. You’re exposed to new ideas; new and different ways of doing things. As we talked through different questions, and best practices, and experiences, I could see everyone having “aha moments” and getting new ideas for their business. For this episode of the Selling the Dream podcast, we’re doing something new: we recorded the call last month, and are sharing it with everyone who couldn’t be there for it live. I can’t wait for you to dig in and listen to the mastermind call. However, it would be even better if you joined us live for the next one. It’s the first Wednesday of each month (the next one is October 2), at 10 AM PDT, 11 AM MST, noon Central, and 1 PM eastern. We’d love to see your face on the next meeting! To get information about how to join, email me at [email address]. But before we dive in: have you created your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces the mastermind call, and the guest speaker, Matt. Matt shares about a recommended book resource: Building a Story Brand by Donald Miller. Creating a story brand is about helping your customer be the hero of their story. You’re there to be the one who helps guide them into being the hero they are meant to be. How can you share the “story” of your clients? Get pictures of all your clients with their new home, and get testimonials to go with them! When new leads come in to your office and see those pictures, they see how you have helped lead others through their story. We’ve made story part of our marketing: “Over a thousand stories and counting.” Then, we say “Your story here.” That helps people get started thinking about how we can help them with their story! Tom shares how he asks his luxury clients to send pics of them enjoying their resort property. More than ever, people need us to help guide them through creating a story! Starting thinking through your clients as being “stories,” not just a client or lead. Make sure clients know just how much you appreciate them. Shifting gears and talking about disruptors in the market…the conversation moves to the concept of creating raving fans. Capitalize on moments to create unforgettable experiences in the home-buying process. Never underestimate the power of moments. Remember that change comes one piece at a time: introduce new things to your team and take it one step at a time until the change becomes natural. Mike shares about what his team looks like (lean and mean), and how they work together. “When the leader is excited, everyone is excited.” Discussion: “how do independent agents throw client appreciation parties and get more support?” Discussion: “how do you ‘love on’ clients who are long distance?” Eventbrite is a great way to run an event - you can also create a max number of people who can be part of it to keep the event exclusive. Tom wraps it up: make sure you come to the next one on October 2nd! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Resources Mentioned: Building a Story Brand Book The Power of Moments Book Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube Have you made your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE. Click here to register, make your profile and get listed today. As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

The holidays are coming, and it’s time to think of ways that you can intentionally give back to your community. While you’re giving back, it helps a lot to build your reputation in the community if you can get others in your community involved. Conducting a food drive is a great way to get involved! Partner with a local food bank, and with a little effort, you can create a community around giving. For this week’s Tip Tuesday, we’re talking about how you can give back during the holidays, build rapport in your community, and get your community involved. We talked about this on episode 34 of the podcast, but this advice is so good that I’m bringing it back! Thanks for joining us on Selling the Dream - we wouldn’t be where we are without you listening, and giving your feedback! Make sure that you give us a rating and review on iTunes: that would mean the world to me, and will help us get even more amazing guests on our Friday episodes of the show. Highlights of this episode: The holidays are coming, and I wanted to remind you of something that Stephanie Reid, our guest from episode 34, shared with us. It’s time to start giving back: you can organize a food drive in your community. You can get postcards, paper bags, and cards affordably. You can use your mailing list to get the word out: tell people you are doing a food drive! Take a few days and go door to door, passing out the bags for people to fill with donations. Tell them you’ll be back within the next few days to pick it up. Work with a food bank in your area: they often have tips and tricks to help you run a successful food drive! Toy drives are also fun! Provide pizza and drinks, and have a toy be the entrance fee. There are plenty of opportunities for you to give back, especially this time of year. Giving back is a positive way for you to be part of your community: remember, we’re not selling real estate, we’re selling the dream: and sometimes it’s all about what we do! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Are you true to yourself in your business? I’m talking about more than just ethics and values - I’m talking about digging deep into the things that you love, and making sure that is part of you and everything you do. It’s easy to get caught up in the job of selling the dream. Since we’re working our own business, we don’t always have someone telling us to punch the clock or go home. But when you’re true to your passions and what you enjoy doing, it just may impact everything about your business. When I sat down with Mike Guzzardo to record an episode of this podcast, that was the biggest thing that stood out. In fact, it’s one of the things that made us connect: our shared love of boats and the water. Mike and his wife, Jules, work together in Discovery Bay, California. They’re water people, and have gained a reputation of being water people in their community. They know boats, they know real estate on the water, and with just a few questions, can matchmake any potential clients with the perfect home. Because they know boats, and boat people, they can do that. Mike and Jules have stayed true to their passions, and the community knows it, and trusts their expertise. In fact, now 60% of their business is through referrals. I can’t wait for you to hear Mike’s insights and what he’s learned over the years. Before we dive in: have you created your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces Mike and his business. The thing that has worked for Mike for 20 years (and still works today) is being true to himself and not trying to be something they’re not. Mike and Jules are water people through and through: they’ve gained a reputation in their community, especially for any events that involve water. Being true to their passions was a key to work/life balance, but it also meant that their fun activities helped them network with even more people (but they had no idea it would, and had never planned it to go that way). Their business is approximately 60% referral based! Mike is a proponent of protecting the environment, which has made many people want to work with him because they appreciate his ethics and values. Working as a husband and wife team takes a lot of work: they had to work 4-5 years before they really hit their stride and were able to work within their strengths. Coaching helped them define their roles and really be able to work well together. Talk to your clients about their passions! Tom tells the story of how he and Mike connected over boats. Being an expert in the area helps Mike and Jules be successful: because they are boat people, knowing about the kind of people they are working with helps them match people with the best hours for them. Understanding the driving force of the decision will always help you serve your clients at a higher level. The best CRM to use? The one you actually commit to and use! Keep your customer’s goals in mind: it’s more than just a sale. Tip for success? Role play! Practice on people who are not actual customers: that can earn you $10,000+ One piece of advice for new agents: have you thought of another job? Truthfully, who you work with matters, so interview brokerages and interview agents. It will make a world of difference, because if you are at the wrong brokerage, it will depress you. Don’t sign up with the first place that will take you. Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with Mike and Jules: Website Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube Have you made your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE. Click here to register, make your profile and get listed today. As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

If you’re like me, you’re a high performer. You’re also - like me - probably not physically capable of doing everything on your own. You rely on a team that helps you get everything accomplished. Take a moment and say thank you to all the people who are supporting you! Your assistant, your affiliates, your team member, boss, or even your broker. “But wait a minute, Tom,” you might say. “I don’t have good luck with finding a team; it’s just never worked out.” Well, friend: it might be time to look in a mirror. What if it’s you? I know that I have to be very mindful when I’m working with my team: I can be like a steamroller and flatten them! When we work together, we’re able to accomplish even more. For this week’s Tip Tuesday, I’m sharing with you the importance of team, and how invaluable they are to high performers like me. Thanks for joining us on Selling the Dream - we wouldn’t be where we are without you listening, and giving your feedback! Make sure that you give us a rating and review on iTunes: that would mean the world to me, and will help us get even more amazing guests on our Friday episodes of the show. Highlights of this episode: Do you have a team that helps you get everything done? Get out there and thank them! Thank your team for everything that they do to help you be successful. Make sure that your team gets credit where credit is due! Having a hard time appreciating your team? Things not working out? You can find a better team! It’s ok to find people who are a better fit. Feeling like you’re just always down on your luck when it comes to team? Take a look in the mirror, it just might be YOU. Take the time and effort to work well with your team, and not steamroll them. You’ll see amazing results! High-performing agents have a lot of potential, but we need the support in order to be able to reach that potential. Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Have you ever had an offer on the table, and only heard crickets? Negotiation can be compared to a game: you’ve got to play it right to get the results you want! You don’t want to be the one to end the conversation...in fact, you want to be able to keep it moving forward so that you can serve people. Months, or even years later, you may be shocked when people come to you. There have been instances where people sitting on the other side of the table come back to you because you were the one serving and making the process as easy as possible. When you seek to make that process easy for either the buyer or the seller, you get to be part of keeping that conversation going, and you never know when it’s going to pick up again! Denise Brown has been in the real estate business for more than 20 years, and combines her background in law, marketing, and sales to help her be the best she can be! She lives in and serves a thriving market in Whistler, Canada, home to one of the most spectacular ski and bike resorts in the world. She’s here with some of her best tips and tricks. Side note: have you created your free profile on the 2nd Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces Denise and her business. Denise says that a key to her success is that she treats her business like a business. She has an office, and those people that she works with come to the office so they can work together. Virtual Assistants can be invaluable! Denise has one who gets website leads, calls them immediately and qualifies them, and then does a live transfer. Direct mail can be a good source of leads. It helps with name recognition and awareness, but it can take years to pay off. Fake it ‘till you make it - sometimes you have to show your lifestyle to show people that you are the one uniquely suited to meet their needs. One of Denise’s hallmarks of every transaction is kindness. She wants everyone to experience a pleasant and easy transaction, no matter the part they are playing. Be the kind of agent that others want to work with again and again - you will have a reputation in the industry. Never be the one to end the conversation. You may be surprised how just a little effort keeps it going and keeps people coming back to you. Make sure to keep a long-term view, especially when watching the closing schedule. Fill the voids: find ways to meet needs. Remember what generates money in your business. If you’re feeling distracted trying to do everything, take it to the basics. Get mentoring to fill in your knowledge gaps. Denise creates a monthly newsletter for her email list. She has market info, shares interesting community events, links to new listings, and information about the area in that newsletter. Don’t be alarmed when people constantly delete your emails - it could be that they just don’t need your services right now, but in a few weeks or a few months, they will need you. They may want it at some point. One piece of advice for new agents: get your database started right away. That is your best source of leads and will bring in money. Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with Denise: Website Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube Have you made your free profile on the 2nd Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE. Click here to register, make your profile and get listed today. As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Ever had someone tell you what to do? You have an idea, and they shut you down, saying you should do something else instead, or telling them how to do it. In our house, we get excited about a lot of ideas, so we have a saying: “don’t shut me down!” Instead, we practice something more important: listening to the idea, and giving ideas on how they can successfully achieve their goal. That way, instead of shutting down ideas, you turn yourself into one of their biggest supporters! For this week’s Tip Tuesday, I’m sharing with you the importance of listening to ideas. No matter what, whether it’s a spouse, a new agent, a client: it’s good to listen to ideas instead of inadvertently shutting them down. Thanks for joining us on Selling the Dream - we wouldn’t be where we are without you listening, and giving your feedback! Make sure that you give us a rating and review on iTunes: that would mean the world to me, and will help us get even more amazing guests on our Friday episodes of the show. Highlights of this episode: We always want people to have ideas. When people get shut down, they get closed off, and don’t share more with you! Telling someone what to do ensures that they won’t be sharing more with you. In our house, when someone shares an idea and gets excited, we want to be part of that! But we’ve learned to be quiet and listen! The trick is this: instead of telling them what to do, give them ideas on how they can be successful at their goal. Nobody likes to be told what to do, but we ALL like being supported in our goals! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Would you compare your real estate business to a slow cooker, or a microwave? We like microwaves: they bring fast results! Put your food in, press a few buttons, and two minutes later, it’s done. In business, we often want microwave results, but the key to a long lasting business is to treat it like a slow cooker. It may take a long time to warm up, and slowly cook the food, but it’s delicious. You just can’t beat some meals that come from a slow cooker: the flavor is just incredible. For a slow-cooked business, it can take time, but it’s built to last! Many people try to get their business off the ground fast, microwave style, just to see it explode. Gem Mutlu has been in the real estate business for more than 20 years, and is a prime example of how a slow-cooked business works. He’s been spending years developing relationships and building his expertise in the area, and is now seeing his business explode exponentially. He’s working in the Boston market, and is here to share his best advice on building a slow-cooked business. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces Gem and his business. Gem shares that the last five years have been game changing in his business, as he’s seeing results of all his hard work. Building a business is like building a house: you have to do it brick by brick. When people try to rush it, things don’t always go so well. Gem has a few hallmarks of his business: do right by all clients, and honor the people who have honored him. When someone helps you, do what you can to help them back! Gem throws client appreciation parties to show his clients how much he appreciates them. These are meant to be fun opportunities to show his clients how appreciated they are. This also helps bring people together. Thinking of doing the same? Talk to your CPA to learn how you can use it as a tax write off, and what you may or may not do that could impact the ability to write it off. The phrase “it takes a village” can also apply to your business. Encourage people to bring friends to the party, and build those connections. Leverage the story of these parties - bring in a photographer, and get pictures of all the new friendships being made. When connecting with people, look for ways to solve their problems and serve them. This will help bring in referrals! Whether it’s a fellow real estate agent, or someone looking for a home, treat them the same and find ways to serve them. Remember, building a “slow cooked” business means that you don’t keep an eye on the money: you focus on the people. Real estate agents fear the internet, but the reality is, true connections are the most powerful in our business. How can you increase your referrals? Ask! Consider running a referral competition, and give a great prize to the person who brings you the most. Specific advice for agents serving the second home industry: work in college towns! Many parents will consider buying a condo, and renting it to their college-aged student, and recoup their costs by renting out the other rooms. One piece of advice for new agents: if you had a $15 budget, and 3 people to meet with (your mother, your sibling, and an old high school buddy), split the money in 3 parts, take them out for a cup of coffee, and just ask, “what can I do for you today?” Just looking for ways to go out of your way to help others will push you far! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with Gem: Website Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Have you ever had a friend or neighbor tell you “Hey, sorry, we know you’re in real estate, but we’re going to go with this other agent”? It can feel like a punch to the gut! In fact, I’ve seen many real estate agents complaining about this on social media. This is part of being a real estate agent, and we’ve got to get used to it. But did you know that you can turn this into an opportunity to learn and grow as an agent? Listen to this week’s Tip Tuesday to see how I flip adversity into opportunity! Thanks for joining us on Selling the Dream - we wouldn’t be where we are without you listening, and giving your feedback! Make sure that you give us a rating and review on iTunes: that would mean the world to me, and will help us get even more amazing guests on our Friday episodes of the show. Highlights of this episode: We all have had that experience where someone has chosen a different real estate agent instead of us. When this happens, make sure to wish them the best! Ask for feedback: “can you tell me why you chose a different agent?” To avoid putting them on the spot, tell them that they are helping you become a better agent, and serve your clients and leads at a higher level. “The more that I learn about why people choose what they do, the better I can serve.” Asking for feedback like this is hard, but it will help you be better! You may get feedback that something you are doing is turning away potential customers. This can help you avoid complacency and keep up with technology. Remember: some of the wealthiest people in the world were created during the most challenging times. Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Does social media make you quiver with fear? Are you trying all the new things that you’ve learned, and done successfully in the past? But now, you’re watching your views and engagement drop? Social media is dynamic and constantly changing: just when you start to think you’ve mastered it, it changes and evolves AGAIN. When we record episodes of the Selling the Dream podcast, we go live on Facebook, and share the episode. I find such value in the content that all of our guests are sharing, and want to make sure it’s out there for everyone to find! But lately, our Facebook live views have been diminishing, which means that we get to go on a social media adventure to find ways to expand our reach and share this podcast with even more people. As part of that adventure, I’ve invited Chelsea Peitz, a Snapchat and social media guru, onto the show so we can talk about social media, and how you can maximize your presence. Chelsea is an expert in using Instagram stories, and shares so many helpful hints and tips that you can implement today in your social media. She shares all kinds of valuable, super helpful information, including connecting your Instagram and Facebook stories (and what kind of accounts you can connect), how much to post per day, what kind of hashtags to use (and how many to use). Make sure you listen to this episode of the Selling the Dream podcast to be inspired by Chelsea and her vast knowledge of social media. Make sure that you give her a follow on Instagram, and send her a DM - mention that you heard her on Selling the Dream, and she’ll give you a FREE Instagram bio audit. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces Chelsea and her business. Chelsea says that the biggest thing on social media is anything with “CRM - camera first, real time, message enabled.” That covers Facebook stories, Instagram stories, Snapchat, and more! We’ve noticed that Facebook live hasn’t had as much juice lately: Chelsea and I talk about why, and what we can do to combat that! Remember: Facebook prioritizes personal content rather than promotional content. On Facebook, live video will perform better than pre-recorded, and one good photo will perform better than multiple photos (or an album). Don’t share YouTube videos on Facebook: upload the video directly to Facebook. They want to keep you on their platform, so won’t share your link as well if it’s a YouTube link. Instagram stories are like reality TV; you can start conversations with real people all over! If you have a personal Instagram account, you can post the same stories to Facebook and Instagram at the same time! If it’s business, you can only post to a business page vs a personal profile. You don’t have to spend a lot of time on these stories: if they are 5 seconds, and you post 10 a day, you’ve only really used a minute of your time! The easiest way to build engagement is to engage on others’ posts. When you’re on stories, you can say “if you’re thinking about buying or selling a second home, send me a DM!” that helps bring the connection to your messages so you can privately help the person. No one else needs to know! 60% of stories are watched with sound on. Have good photos, but focus on the captions to encourage people to engage with your content. When it comes to hashtags, think about what people are searching for! No one is searching #realestate or #mortgage. They are looking for practical things, like #phoenixrealestate or #mauirealestate. Do your research on hashtags and use a variety. You should be using 20-30 hashtags. Make your instagram almost like a blog. Interested in trying LinkedIn? It’s an amplifier of your message, and a great way to connect with new people. But remember, as with all platforms, LinkedIn wants you to stay on LinkedIn, so make sure your content doesn’t lead off the platform! Remember that not everyone will love you. Taylor Swift and Cardi B are both successful artists, and have wildly different brands! If you’re brand new in the business, find an expert in the field, and learn. Learn who your audience is, and how you want to serve them. Identify your unique value proposition. Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with Chelsea Facebook Instagram Twitter YouTube Don’t forget, when you follow Chelsea on Instagram, send her a message and tell her you heard her on Selling the Dream, and she’ll give you a FREE Instagram Bio audit! Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

We’re continuing the 100th episode celebration with an episode with 5 of our most valuable tip tuesday episodes! We’ve loved Tip Tuesdays: these short episodes are so valuable and filled with quick tips that you can apply to your business immediately and see results. This episode features 5 of our favorite episodes: which ones would you have added? Make sure you email me and tell me what your favorite episodes were! Thanks for joining us on Selling the Dream - we wouldn’t be where we are without you listening, and giving your feedback! Want to celebrate with us? As a 100th episode gift, we’d love to ask you to give us a rating and review on iTunes! That would mean the world to me, and will help us get even more amazing guests on the show! Highlights of this episode: The path of mediocrity is wide, so let’s choose the narrow path of excellence! It’s simple to take the easy path, and bounce around. Keeping focused puts you on the path to excellence. If you’re a brand new agent, here’s my #1 piece of advice: fund your retirement account! Don’t wait, it could lose you thousands of dollars. I didn’t start until I was nearly 40, and I regret that more than anything. Wanting to break into a new market? Pick a dream 150 houses, and focus on those ones! It will be hard, but keep that focus. Be unique in how you reach out to those people. When I was a kid, I saw a presentation at school about being positive, and that has impacted my life even today! We were encouraged to believe in ourselves and our dreams. That belief has impacted my career as a realtor. Last, complacency is so destructive. Our industry changes so fast, that if you don’t focus on keeping up, you won’t be able to serve your clientele as well. Pay attention to the news, and keep up with training! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

What is one of the number one things that you can do to help a second home buyer? Is it about having the best connections, or the best house to show them? Or is it how fast you are to call them back? If you answered “educate them,” then you’re correct! See, a second home buyer has a completely different mindset than a first home buyer. There are a lot of pieces of the process that are the same, but at the end of the day, the mindset is totally different. The key thing that your client wants is for you to educate them with integrity and transparency. Pat Hiben illustrates that quite well by sharing the story of how he bought his second house. He’d researched a few areas, and thought he knew what he was looking for. When he met a real estate agent at an open house, that agent was able to tell him exactly what it was that he wanted, and helped him find the perfect house. I’ve invited Pat here on the podcast to talk about what it really means to sell the dream, and he’s sharing his story about how he grew his own real estate business, sold it, and now has a thriving podcast (with more than 800 episodes!). He’s created hours of training content to serve real estate agents. If anyone knows how to sell the dream, it’s Pat. Make sure you listen to this episode of the Selling the Dream podcast to be inspired by Pat. And just a heads up, Pat is giving away FREE copies of his book, 6 Steps to 7 Figures. All you have to do is pay shipping. Click HERE to get your copy. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces Pat and his podcasts, and explains how he serves the real estate community. Pat created a podcast, “Real Estate Rock Stars” and has created online trainings for real estate agents. But how can you apply Pat’s training for a second home agent? Second home agents have to learn how to think differently to serve their clientele, whether it be a 2nd home, or a 12th home - you have to learn how to serve your client! Pat shares how he sold his high-volume team. He shares strategies on how to get paid for it, who to sell it to (you can’t sell a high-producing team to just anybody), and how you can make that transition. “At the end of the day, all of this is a relationship business.” When purchasing a second home, the buyer wants you to educate them: they want to understand the process, and most of the time, they prefer that interaction to be face-to-face! As an agent, our job is to make the process smooth: don’t try to save $4 and lose the deal. Trust and transparency is key. You weren’t hired to be a negotiator: you were hired to help someone find a house. When Pat bought his second house, he did a search on the internet to find some possible areas, but ultimately met his agent through an open house. What made him choose to work with that agent was that he knew the area, and helped them find the right fit: an area that wasn’t even on their radar! “Live the lifestyle or else you’re a false prophet” - people looking for a second home choose you and trust you as the expert! If you take away one thing from this episode, it’s to create relationships. Turn everyone into a potential friend! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with Pat Real Estate Rockstar Radio Pat’s Website Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Have you ever listened to someone, and been so blown away by everything that they said? That’s how I feel about Sharran Srivatsaa. Sharran has accomplished so much: he’s a member of the real estate community, moderates daily 5 a.m. calls, and inspires thousands of people. For today’s episode, he’s sharing with us two key elements that we all need to make everyone feel like important: a VIP email list, and a closed Facebook group. The VIP email list is connecting with your leads, continuing to deliver exclusive content to them. They’ve opted in, told you they were interested, and you’re serving them. The closed community, commonly held on Facebook, is a place where your community can gather. They are able to share information, and are united by a common interest: how you are serving them. If you’re working with a feeder market, and serving people interested in your area, can you imagine the impact of an insiders group, where locals and those interested in your area unite, and share information? You’ll escalate that all-important know, like, and trust factor! This episode will inspire you on how you can strategically connect with your community, and explode that trust factor. Thanks for joining us on Selling the Dream - we wouldn’t be where we are without you listening, and giving your feedback! Want to celebrate with us? As a 100th episode gift, we’d love to ask you to give us a rating and review on iTunes! That would mean the world to me, and will help us get even more amazing guests like Sharran on the show! Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces Sharran and his business. “Invest your money in figuring out what people want.” Real estate agents get into the business for two reasons: freedom of time, and uncapped income potential. No one has the capacity to do both of those things without help! Most lead generation sources don’t have lifetime nurture, so it’s important to find strategic ways to connect. Sharran recommends two key elements: create a VIP list, and create a closed community on Facebook. Both of those places give you connections and keep you in people’s minds. We’ve all heard “know like and trust” - but we can’t accomplish that without familiarity, which is the fastest way to trust. You’ve got to find a way to be where your people are. The faster you can turn them into an insider, the better! Cadence is key: be consistent, and people will come to expect the connection with you. A private group on Facebook is an easy way to connect with people: all paths lead to your Facebook community. You can use this community to build up a source of information, connecting locals with those in your feeder markets, and they can have insider information into the areas people may be considering moving to! As the moderator, you may not be explicitly selling anything all the time: you’re creating valuable connections to information. This keeps you in their feed for FREE! Your VIP list and closed community are the best strategies for connecting: everything else feels intrusive. “Everyone wants to feel like an insider.” Sharran tells the story of how he started the 5am Club: his health was not well, and he was constantly working his business. Changing his relationship with his time changed his relationship with his business and now inspires thousands of people every day! If you take away one thing from this episode, it’s to create cadence. Cadence builds familiarity, which builds trust! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with Sharron Website Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Twitter 5am Club website Our SPECIAL link Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Can you believe that we’re almost at a hundred episodes of this podcast! I’m blown away when I think about the people I’ve been able to interview, the guests we’ve had on the show, and how much real estate we’ve talked about! Our guests represent literal millions of dollars in sales, and are each successful in their own right, and bring so much value to the table. I’d encourage you to take time to scroll through all of the episodes where ever you like to listen to podcasts, and listen and learn: if you finish all the episodes, it would be like finishing a master class on real estate! As we’re celebrating our hundredth episode this upcoming Tuesday, I want to take a few minutes to share about some of MY favorite episodes. Thanks for joining us on Selling the Dream - we wouldn’t be where we are without you listening, and giving your feedback! Want to celebrate with us? As a 100th episode gift, we’d love to ask you to give us a rating and review on iTunes! That would mean the world to me, and will help us get even more amazing guests! Highlights of this episode: Tom reminisces on a hundred episodes - almost a year of podcasting! Here’s some of the highlights during the hundred episodes. In Episode 13, Gary Gold talked about how he “doesn’t give a shit.” No matter who you are working with, whether it be a celebrity, or anyone, just help them find the home of their dreams! In Episode 27, Tom Ferry talked about creating an avatar for your clients: know WHO you serve, what they are like, how many kids they have - know all of these things! Once you know all of this, you can target them effectively with ads. In Episode 45, the Houstons told us about how they beat Zillow and brought in more leads. In Episode 53, David Knox, an international trainer, talks about identifying the motivation for a second home buyer. Hint: it’s not all about the money! In Episode 41, Matt Farnham talked about reinventing his brand: he found a way to turn himself into a trusted guide rather than “just a real estate agent!” Chris Kwon shared how he uses videos: that’s episode 11. You want videos that are more than just property showcases! In Episode 93, Alan Thompson tells us how he uses his database to bring him all the business he needs! Tammy Pack shared in episode 83 about how being a problem solver brings great success. In Episode 57, I got to tell Roh Habibi that he was a second home agent! Jim Wahlberg gave us the secret to the Facebook formula in episode 29. Christophe Choo showed us behind the scenes of high-end Beverly Hills real estate in Episode 59, and the advice that Gary Vaynerchuk gave him that changed his business. Tom ends with some inspirational advice on having a “can do attitude” and making it happen! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Have you ever had a potential client say, “I don’t need you, I have this online real estate website!” Or maybe they say that by never returning your calls. Either way, we all know that it happens! With the rise of online shopping, it just makes sense that people would turn to the internet to help them make decisions for some of their largest purchases! But you have a secret that could help them find the home of their dreams: you know what’s NOT online, and it just may be the perfect fit for them! So how can you beat Zillow, Redfin, Realtor.com, and all of those websites? Offer an exclusive connection to your leads to help them find the home of their dreams! Are you trying to beat the online options? Listen to this week’s Tip Tuesday episode of the Selling the Dream podcast to find new ways to beat websites and offer a personal touch. Highlights of this episode: The rise of online shopping has led to more clients using websites to research housing options. So how do you become the person that they need? There are many sellers who are “off market” sellers - and because of relationships, you often have that insider information! Ask your relationships if they are interested in being on your contact list, and if you can contact them if you have a potential buyer! Many will say YES! Use your Zillow listing, and in the remarks section say “I have a list of 27 other properties in this area that are not listed online - contact me for details!” You can also use your Facebook and Instagram to share info about these off-market locations with your leads to show them that you have the inside scoop. Don’t forget: many high-end sellers don’t list their properties on MLS, so make connections with other agents in the area, and use that opportunity to expand your referrals. By having connections to places not listed in MLS, you become a go-to agent for your leads! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you Friday for a full episode!

Have you ever broken down the structure of a SEAL team? They’re all highly trained specialists, the elite of the elite. They know what they’re doing, and they have their eyes on the prize! Working together, they are able to accomplish their goal. But if things go badly, and one is unable to do the work, that doesn’t cripple the entire operation!  They are all so well-trained that any one of them can step up and take the lead. What would happen in your business if you operated like a SEAL team? Instead of working with a lot of agents, what if you were picky and worked with only a few? What would happen to your business is every single person was able to pick up another person’s tasks? That would change how you run your business, right? It would open so many opportunities! Today’s guest on the podcast, Yvonne Arnold, has been in the real estate industry for nearly 40 years - she’s gone from answering phones in her brother’s office to having her own business and closing deals in two completely different markets! One of her secrets to success? Running a SEAL team! Make sure you listen to this episode of the Selling the Dream podcast to learn the results of running your business like a SEAL team! Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces Yvonne, and how she got into the real estate business. Yvonne started out as an inside sales associate, and never looked back! An overnight success never just happens: it takes a lot of time! Yvonne and her husband worked with a subdivision in Idaho when they switched their home: they moved from Southern California all the way to Idaho! Know your market’s cycle: Yvonne found that Idaho was about 15-18 months behind California. When you learn the timing, you learn to be prepared for what is coming, such as seasonal trends and cycles. The internet is changing the face of real estate - people aren’t just buying seasonally. People can just log onto the internet anytime and shop for a home! Having a subdivision helped kick start Yvonne’s business. However, their key source of business is relationships! Because they lived and worked in California so long, they still have relationships and are still making sales! That means that Yvonna and her husband hired a person to be there on the ground, and they provide the leads and split the commission. Be honest with your clients! If you’re being creative with your business, and using tools like Facetime, tell them! Your leads don’t necessarily want a specific person to work with; they want your service! Yvonne has a SEAL team - all the members work together, are highly specialized, and all of them are trained the same way and can do all the work! This allows team members to have down time, and take actual vacations, AND it helps the team be able to fill in for each other! Be customer-centric in your work. In marketing, choose where you want to compete. In the mailbox? In email? When you’re looking at the news in the industry, it’s important to ask yourself, how can my actions impact my business? How can I put myself in a better position? Yvonne has been a coach for 10 years now. Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with Yvonne Arnold: Yvonne’s website Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Have you ever considered starting a podcast for your real estate business? You may protest, thinking it’s too hard. Almost a hundred episodes into my podcasting journey, I’m here to tell you that you can do it! But what can you talk about? Everything! Talk to people who help show the local flavor of your area, former clients, the major, home inspectors - these are all ideas of people who will have great things to share with your listeners! Even better, I sit down and record multiple episodes at a time (have you ever seen me in the same shirt in some of my YouTube videos? That’s why!). That way, I can sit down, and get it done! Now, from my podcast, I am able to get those episodes turned into blog posts, email content for my newsletter, social media content - I have so much content now to share! Having a podcast has helped me connect with many unserved second home agents who needed support, training, and inspiration on how they can be even better! Thinking about adding a podcast to your money wheel? Listen to this week’s Tip Tuesday episode of the Selling the Dream podcast to be inspired Highlights of this episode: One of the spokes on my money wheel is a podcast! But why a podcast? A podcast creates an opportunity for you to reach your market in a new way! Creating a podcast is actually quite simple: just get a microphone and get in front of some video and talk! Interview anyone who has good information for your community; whether it be local government officials, school officials, the mayor. They all have important information for your listeners! You can help capture the flavor of your area, so that potential buyers get to learn about life in the area, and what they are getting themselves into. They get a taste of the local flavor. Get past clients on the show: they can talk about their experience, and what it was like working with you! Once you have your podcast, you can repurpose it - turn it into a blog, share bits of it on your social media, send it in an email. It will give you so much content! All you need is your phone and a small mic. Want to know how to start a podcast? Go find episodes 49 and 51, and I’ll tell you exactly what you need to do! Be consistent with releasing episodes: people subscribe, and they do get used to you sharing new content when you’re consistent. If you miss one, don’t freak out - just make sure you have one the next week! If you’re not comfortable with video, that’s ok! Just do an audio episode. Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you Friday for a full episode!

How do you get cold leads in your vacation market? If you’re living in a vacation paradise, you may have multiple strategies on how you reach those second home buyers! You know who I’m talking about...those people who want to turn their vacation life into their real life. You’ve become acquainted with your feeder markets, you’ve learned what kinds of people come to your market on vacation, and what they are looking for! Relationships have brought in referrals, and you’ve dug deep into your community, but how are you going to creatively bring in those cold leads, especially leads from outside the area? Thinking a little “outside the box” can help bring them in, and bring you those new relationships that will result in sales! This week on the podcast, I’m talking to Mari Sennott. She lives in Cape Cod, and has been in real estate for more than 20 years! Mari has gotten very creative with how she’s bringing in new leads, and I’m excited for you to get some fresh ideas and strategies from her. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces Mari, and how she got into the real estate business. Mari credits being a “people-oriented” person as her secret to success, and her skills connecting with people have led to countless referrals. Keep connected with former clients: Mari holds “client appreciation parties” for them! This helps make it easy to stay in touch. “Any CRM is great if you use it” - make sure you are using the systems that you have! Mari invites people to open houses, and has a partnership with a local ice cream truck! She pays the ice cream man for all the ice cream that visitors get, and often pays even MORE than the amount of ice cream that clients have eaten. These relatively inexpensive things have a big impact. Know when to do open houses, and when NOT to do them - avoid major sporting events or major local events. Marketing online can take time - some of the platforms, such as LinkedIn, take a longer time to gain traction. If you have to focus on ONE social media platform, Mari recommends Instagram, hands down! Don’t forget old-fashioned print ads: Mari still runs print ads in the local newspaper, and often gets calls from out of town guests who picked up a paper to get some “local flavor.” Mari uses video to connect with people, and builds relationships through that. Use all resources available to you: Mari is a premier agent on Zillow. Another option for ads is at the local movie theater: you can get your ad up in the queue in front of a captive audience, and Mari gets calls from her theater ads! Coaching is one of the most important investments Mari has ever made! It helped her get out of her comfort zone in her business. Coaching helped Mari focus her time and energy, and see results. Mari estimates she has at least ten spokes on her money wheel (don’t know what a money wheel is? Go listen to episode 79 of the podcast!) When working with an out of town client, Mari does a lot of preparation work! She does a Zoom meeting with them in advance to get to know what they are looking for, and help determine the best marketing plan for helping them. Mari’s advice for a brand new agent would be to get a mentor; get some help. After that, she says to know your market, and know your statistics. Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with Mari Sennott: Mari’s website Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Are you on my email list? If you’re in one of my feeder markets, I’m about to tell you a trick that I use to help you know where I am! You may not realize that I do, but once you see it, you won’t be able to miss it! See, you may come across people who aren’t going to buy real estate in your market, and that’s ok! But here’s the thing: they may be a source of referrals. They may know someone or meet someone who is interested in buying in your market. You want them to remember you, and remember where you serve. Even more important, you want the other real estate agents you’ve networked with to remember where you are. You can really start stacking up those referrals! But how can you stand out in all the emails that they get every day? That’s why I use this one trick in my emails to help people remember exactly who I am, and where I am THE real estate expert. Interested in knowing that trick? Listen to this week’s Tip Tuesday episode of the Selling the Dream podcast! Highlights of this episode: In a second home market, it’s so important that we network with agents all across the country. If you can, go out and meet people, find them on Facebook - make that connection to build a large referral network! You also want to keep that connection: so find something of value to say; share some social media tips, tips and tricks you’ve been learning, or something to help other agents out! Here’s my secret to help you stand out: in the subject line, put your name, and the market that you serve FIRST - that way, even if people don’t read the email, they see two things: your name, and where you’re at! Even if they delete your email, you are still building location association with those folks. Make newsletters for those other agents - tell them that you’re selling second homes to people from that market, and that you’re not paying out a lot of referrals! These are small tips, but could result in several referral sales per year. Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you Friday for a full episode!

What if you never got another lead again? What would that do to your business? How would your business change without cold prospecting? Would your warm market be able to sustain you? More than that, can you imagine experiencing an upward trajectory in your business, when only working with your warm market? Most of us spend time capturing leads, building systems to manage the prospects that come to us. We don’t know how serious they are about buying (yet), so we’ve got our work cut out for us. What if there was a different way, in which leads came to us, ready to buy? That already know, like, and trust us, and are ready to buy a home? Alan and Betsy Thompson took a break from real estate, and when they decided to come back, they revamped their approach and strategy. Instead of chasing leads, they decided to focus their efforts on developing relationships. That strategy has paid off, as their business has grown exponentially. This week on the podcast, I’m talking to Alan. I’ve asked him to share his story, and the strategies that he used to build a thriving business working with their warm market. Instead of chasing leads and cold-calling people, they’re able to build relationships that have created not just a sustainable business, but one that continues to grow year after year. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces Alan and how he got into the real estate business. After 6 years in the business, Alan decided that he wanted a break, and took several years off. When he came back to Chesapeake, he and Betsy decided to get back into real estate, and have been working it for 20+ years! Alan and Betsy operate with a very small staff. Ad spend goes down a LOT when focusing on relationships, and you still get results! In the first half of 2019, they closed on more deals than they did in all 2018. Key: build your database, and KNOW it! Know birthdays, favorite sports teams, pets! When you have this data, you can make sure that you are memorable. Did a person’s favorite sports team win? Send them an email and say “hey, I bet you’re really happy today!” Take treats for their pets when you visit! “We don’t call them clients, we call them relationships.” Alan and Betsy have approximately 1100 relationships in their database. Every person in their database is sorted by relationship: some people are more likely to give referrals than others. Use social media, but with a personal touch. Did Facebook tell you it was someone’s birthday? Send them a card in the mail! They can track more than $250,000 in commissions just from Facebook - and they’ve never spent a dime on ads! Know your community - are you in a military community? Take people flags for Memorial Day, the 4th of July, and Veteran’s Day. Do local events: have a barbeque, give away pies on Thanksgiving. Do activities that connect you with your community, and be visible! Greet people and get to know them. Socialize the whole time. Give away door prizes at your events, and use it to get their contact info. You can ask people if they would like an estimation on the value of their house, or if they know someone who would be interested in buying or selling real estate. We work with people who know, like, and trust us. They see us around town living life, not dressed in a fancy suit and tie. The more you invest in relationships, the more your true social network grows. Alan and Betsy clean through their database at least twice a year, ensure that people are classified correctly, and update any information. Don’t take it personally when people you have relationship don’t buy or sell with you. You don’t know what other people they are connected to, and if there was social pressure to use another realtor, like maybe their sibling, or the wife of their boss. If Alan could start over now, he would START his business, focused on building relationships, instead of focusing on just completing transactions. Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with Alan and Betsy: Lucky Homes website Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

When you’re working an open house, or on the floor at your real estate firm, what questions are you asking your clients? Asking the right questions can mean the difference between a lead who chooses YOU to be their agent, or a complete customer service failure. You have to be strategic in the questions that you ask, because it’s like a “choose your own adventure” book: the answers that people give will help you know exactly how to serve them! These questions go beyond just serving them: they create a connection and a bond between you and that person. Tom Tezak is here for another Tip Tuesday episode of the podcast, inspiring YOU on how asking the right questions will help you serve your leads exact needs. Highlights of this episode: What questions are you asking people at open houses/on the floor? Ask: “where are you from?” This will help you get to know your feeder markets, and help you establish connections! Ask: “where are you staying?” This can help you know more about their budget! Are they staying at a budget motel? Or are they at the Four Seasons? You can learn about their lifestyle just by their answer to this question! This allows you to give recommendations! People want to get to know more about the area, and get to know what amenities are around! You can help them get to know the area. Ask: “When did you arrive?” If they JUST arrived and are already looking at real estate, you know that they are SERIOUS and ready to make things happen! Ask: “When do you leave?” This helps you know their timetable. These connecting questions can give you valuable information without asking questions that some people may be reluctant to answer. In the process, you’re building connections and trust. Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you Friday for a full episode!

It’s no secret that this podcast focuses on helping real estate agents focusing on serving second home buyers and agents focusing on selling luxury real estate. But have you ever thought about how interesting it would be to go through the second home buying experience, with all the knowledge that you have learned, and see what it would be like? Recently, I had the chance to experience the second home buying experience from the other side of the table: as a buyer. My wife and I decided that it was time to buy a second home. We did some research, identified our target market, contacted three different agents to get started, and made the trip to San Diego. During that time on the other side of the experience, I was able to see a lot of things with an agent’s perspective, comparing and weighing my experience as an agent with my experience as a buyer. That process is always fascinating, and rather enlightening. I gained a lot of insights that have confirmed my customer service philosophies - you’ll want to give the episode a listen! This week on the podcast, it’s just me; no guests. I’m breaking down the process from the other side, as a buyer. What did I see, what did I learn, what was the process like. I hope it’s helpful for you to hear about the second home buying experience from the other side; listening to the thoughts and ideas of the buyer. And yes - in the end, we did buy a condo! Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces the episode, and about his decision to invest in a second home. When it comes to buying a second home, make sure you know where your buyer is interested in looking! Just because they come to you doesn’t mean they are interested in buying in your specific community. Know where your clients are coming from: once you know their perspective, you’ll be able to serve them effectively! First impressions matter! Tom worked with three different agents, and was upfront about that fact from the beginning. Most second home buyers are a little older, and more tactile: the print materials that you hand them matters. Be organized, and have details for them. Tip: if you take a second home buyer out to eat, take them out to eat in the community where they are looking at purchasing their home, so they can get an idea of the feel of the place before they make a purchase. Sell the lifestyle, not the home. Help your potential buyer see the big picture: remember, you’re selling the dream, NOT real estate! Sometimes, the process evolves: Tom realized that his wish list was a bit unrealistic, so it evolved and changed through the purchasing process. Consumers want more information! Know that your clients have access to data: they will do their research on real estate websites. Be prepared for them to have access to knowledge, some even that perhaps you don’t have access to! Be ready to explore similar options to what the buyer has told you: remember, “buyers are liars” and don’t always know exactly what they want. Find ways to communicate with the husband AND wife when selling a home: getting individual answers helps you to pinpoint the best options. Sometimes, spouses don’t communicate well through this process because one doesn’t want to offend the other. Use this line: “If you could get any of these properties right now, without any regard to price, which would you choose?” Help educate your second home buyers on the community they are joining! If they are from out of town, they don’t know the local experience. Connect them with resources. Keep your clients informed as to what to expect throughout the process. Contracts and communities are different: they may have done this before, but it’s different every time! Follow up is key! After you talk with your second home buyers, transcribe the notes and send them to the buyer. Connect with them: you can get referrals and make sure that they have been taken care of! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

After you’ve helped your client purchase a house, you’re done, right? You know just as well as I do that the work has just begun! They may be busy unpacking boxes and moving in, but you’re going to be able to get more leads by expanding the relationship to help bring in even more business! Each transaction connects you with another person who can bring in leads, and serving the extra mile helps bring those leads in - and helps you stand out as someone who every one of their friends should work out. I have created real estate portfolios for my clients for years - sending them a quick financial report on their property, keeping them updated. By creating a real estate portfolio for your clients, you’re able to present them with a professional snapshot of their real estate investments. Best part? If you offer to add any other properties to the portfolio, they’ll give you even more information about themselves, and help you know your feeder markets, and perhaps even help you be able to expand your referrals in other areas! Tom Tezak is here for another Tip Tuesday episode of the podcast, inspiring YOU on how going the extra mile and creating a real estate portfolio can help bring referral sales and make you stand out! Highlights of this episode: Are your previous clients still in the homes that you sold them? Consider sending them an annual portfolio: it provides a snapshot of the value of their home. If you know their other homes, especially as you’re serving second home sales, include the other home in the portfolio. Use the tools that you have at hand to provide an aggregate value. Don’t have data on their other homes? Make the portfolio, and say, “if you have any other homes you’d like included, let me know!” They’ll tell you! Package it nicely - print on a nicer paper, get a branded folder to put it in, and include a cover letter. Make sure that you ask them if they have anyone who needs a digital copy: maybe their financial planner would benefit from the data, or their trust planner. When you do this, you stand out as a trusted advisor: just like a financial planner would help them! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you Friday for a full episode!

Do you ever find yourself frustrated by how many sources of information there are for your clients and leads? From apps to video messaging, targeted advertising to Facebook and Instagram: there’s a lot to navigate! At the core of all of that, however, is one thing: the relationships. In luxury real estate, and when serving a second home market, those first name relationships are gold. When you make a significant connection with someone, and serve them, you’ll be connected to them for years to come. They just may come to you years later, with an old folded brochure in hand, looking for you to help find their dream home. When you establish yourself as a meaningful connection, and find ways to serve those connections you make, it will come back to you for years to come. Today, Ray Chin is here on the podcast to share how he made the transition from corporate to superstar real estate agent, and how he works relationships in his business.. I met him at an open house before he made the move over to Maui, and have watched him work hard to create relationships and educate people and empower them through the process of buying and selling homes. He’s here to share about how he leans into his superpower - cultivating relationships - to help hundreds of people find their dream home. As he’s done that, he’s also had the chance to even change his community as well. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces Ray, his area of expertise, and how he is connected with real estate. Ray worked hard on creating connections: he held so many open houses so that he could create relationships and get to know the people in the area he served. “Be an expert in your area: if someone sneezes in your area, you should know about it!” “I’ve never sold them; I’ve educated them!” When you’re working in a secondary market, professionalism and education is key: people want you to be the expert. The size of the transaction doesn’t matter: it’s about working with clients that you enjoy serving. Within 30 seconds of meeting a person, you’ll know if you will mesh. We’re not so much real estate agents; we’re more like real estate advisors. Marketing works differently for the generation that you want to reach. For Ray, personal networking is gold! He barely uses social media to market himself, but he associates with high level brands and connections. First name connections can help reinforce your presence and validate your authority, Be strategic in your networking opportunities and you create low-hanging fruit for referrals. Ray doesn’t use the internet to create relationships: he uses it to solidify them. Being connected and creating relationships allows you to be able to make a major impact in your area. Ray was able to help influence the community to help improve the area he lived in, creating better schools. If you’re a brand new agent, and want to learn from Ray, he has a tip: get a mentor. It will help you learn what you need to do, bring you connections, help you learn your strengths: it will help posture you for success. Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Special thanks to Ray Chin for being on the show! You can connect with him here: Ray’s Website Facebook LinkedIn Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

If you’re working in a second home market, or serving the luxury real estate market, you know that there are ebbs and flows! However, you don’t have to give up consistency in your income! You can mitigate those ebbs and flows by marketing differently to segments of your audience. You essentially create not one, but TWO markets that you implement unique marketing strategies for. One campaign is to luxury buyers: you know their needs, how to serve them! You show them in your advertising that you’ve got what it takes! In your other marketing campaigns, you are serving investment property renters. You show them that you know what they need: that you are equipped to serve them. You know how to serve even from a distance, as many are looking for potential investments in other locations. When you have two completely different markets that you serve, you’re able to keep your income consistent: after all, the bank doesn’t care which market your income came from! Tom Tezak is here for another Tip Tuesday episode of the podcast, inspiring YOU on how you can mitigate any potential market slumps by having two audience segments! Highlights of this episode: How many markets do you serve? When you create two markets, you set yourself up for steady income year round! Many resort markets are seasonal, which means there are “off” months. Create a second market for yourself by being in touch with locals, and offering to help meet any of their second home needs! When you create two completely different segments, you have two different campaigns going at all times. You meet totally different needs. When you’re in seasonal work, you can easily forget that there is a market year-round that you can serve. Diversify your advertising, and focus on serving your markets year-round, and you will keep your income levels up year-round! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you Friday for a full episode!

A second home is a great investment: until all of a sudden, it’s not. But how can you avoid pitfalls and high costs of a second home investment? Let’s say you find affordable real estate, and are looking at getting into purchasing it as an investment home. How will you know that it’s a good investment? And how can you make sure that you find the right kind of tenant? How can you avoid the house eating all of your profits? For those of us who are serving second home buyers, there are a lot of questions that can help them get the absolute best investment. By knowing the right questions to ask, and helping steer them towards the right strategies for buying, tenanting, and managing their property, we can make the investment process easier! Today, Heather Connor is here on the podcast to share her best advice for those looking at investment properties. This episode will help you serve your clients more effectively, teaching you the right questions to ask, and how you can guide your clients toward the easiest experience ever. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces Heather, her area of expertise, and how she is connected with real estate. Do you ever help clients look at potential rental units and think “that’s not safe.”? You should KNOW what kind of investment properties you want: have a list beforehand. When you rent the right kind of property, your goal is to get fewer complaints from tenants. Fixing stuff constantly costs more time and energy than it is worth. Know the market: don’t be the kind of investor who takes on just anybody, or any property. Be aware of potential red flags! Use guidelines for your decision-making process. This is not an easy business! You’ll have to make hard decisions. Hiring a property manager can be an intimidating process at first. Buying an investment property? Be aware; you’re buying a job! For agents, don’t be afraid to defer buyers to property managers for the best data. Listen to experts to know what needs to happen with properties. That will help you get the best money. Think about your mental health. Use tools to measure risks, and use systems to mitigate those risks! Think ahead, and protect yourself from lawsuits. KNOW YOUR PROPERTY. Do your best for your renters! Make sure you have a contract to protect both you and your tenant. Be informed: knowledge is so important to you in this process of having an investment home. Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Special thanks to Heather Connor for being on the show! You can connect with her here: Heather’s Website Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

As a real estate agent working in the second home market, you’re going to meet all kinds of home buyers! When working with investment buyers, there are lots of things to consider: What kind of return can they expect on their investment? What kind of expenses can they anticipate? How can they find a second home in the best place to help have the best return on that investment? What “hidden costs” do they need to be aware of? Today in the podcast, we’re talking about investment buyers: those second home buyers who are purchasing another home with the intent to rent it out, as an investment home. Tom Tezak is here, along with special guest Lori Gill, for another Tip Tuesday episode of the podcast, inspiring YOU on how you can prepare your clients who are investing in real estate. Highlights of this episode: When you work with real estate investors, and people who are buying properties as an investment, you can help them differently! First of all, you need to have a property manager that you can trust - they will help you get the best ROI. Make sure that your goals and expectations are in alignment so that you can find the best investment for your money. Before “falling in love” with a house, make sure it will be a good return….what are factors that will impact the long-term value of the house? Look into the basics: school districts, future potential maintenance issues, etc. Help them learn about hidden costs and issues that could potentially arise. By helping them ask the right questions, and research the right things, they are postured for their best return on investment! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you Friday for a full episode!

What happens when you’re working in a secondary home market, and many of your clients and leads don’t live close by? Many of the homes that you sell are going to be second, and maybe even third, fourth, or fifth homes. These are the dream homes; the vacation homes that your clients have always wanted. These homes may be in harder-to-get to locations, or your clients and leads live in different cities. This increases the chances that your interactions with your clients are going to be on the screen: but how can use screens and video to be able to better connect with your clients, helping lead them in a personal, easy home-buying experience? We all know that face-to-face contact often yields the best connection and communication, but sometimes, it just isn’t practical. Today, Doug Devitre is here on the podcast to talk about his experiences serving real estate agents in using video and screens to connect even more effectively. He’s made thousands of videos, and is a pro at connecting with people through the screen. He’s here to share some of his favorite tips and tricks on how you can use video to connect with your clients and build trust, even from a distance. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces Doug, his area of expertise, and how he is connected with real estate. How can you use technology to connect with home buyers who may not be able to get on location? First: you have to be willing and able to admit that you have to adapt and change in the industry! Be ready and willing to learn new technology to help you adapt and serve others. Real estate has historically been a face to face business. Now, we have to adapt. That’s where applications like Zoom come into play! You can use Zoom for FREE to have video meetings. By the way: you don’t have to have fancy equipment to record! Doug is using his cell phone and mic! You can also play with virtual backgrounds on programs like Zoom to personalize the experience. Consumers are familiar with apps like FaceTime: but if you have a client that is an Android user, that’s not going to work! You have to find programs and apps that work no matter the operating system. Video helps you communicate more effectively: let’s say you get a lead, and you give them a link to have a Zoom call! They get to see you face to face, you pull up the MLS, show them some places, learn about what they are looking for, and build that trust. You can also do virtual open houses: have a Zoom link on your site, and invite people to come join the event! If you use your computer, you can get a good HD webcam for around $100 - that will help you as you use video more extensively! You can also try the app Marco Polo: this is a video walkie-talkie on your phone that you can use to communicate with your leads and clients. Just a tip: put a smiley face sticker next to your webcam - people tend to frown when they’re thinking or typing, use a reminder to help you smile and be engaging and inviting! Look at Alexa: think “voice first” in serving your clients. These Alexa devices are being used in smart homes to help create a user experience. Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Special thanks to Doug Devitre for being on the show! You can connect with her here: Doug’s Website Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

There’s one question that every second home agent should be asking every single lead, and every single client you’ve done business with. How many houses do you own? This simple question will tell you exactly how you can serve that client. We all know that second home buyers have a different perspective when it comes to home buying. They’ve been through this before; they have an idea of what’s going on. When they buy an additional house, their goal is to get through this process as easily and painlessly as possible. Asking this one question will tell you exactly where their head is out, and how you can serve them. And, you never know - learning more about their other homes just could bring about some new referral business! Tom Tezak is here for another Tip Tuesday episode of the podcast, inspiring YOU on one question you should be asking every single lead and client. Highlights of this episode: Ask all of your clients and leads: how many houses do you own? Questions help you learn how you can potentially serve your clients! Are they looking to have a new primary residence? Are they buying another home because they want a vacation home? When you ask questions, you learn about them, and how you can serve them, and how you can be a valuable resource to them! Second home buyers often have a lot more buying power: they have different expectations and needs for their home. It’s more about being “easy” than simply satisfying their housing needs. By asking questions, you are able to communicate with your clients on a higher level. Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you Friday for a full episode!

Have you ever considered getting into the vacation home market? Imagine living in a town of 10,000, and having more than 2 million visitors per year! Sounds like the right kind of investment for a savvy homeowner who wants to work in vacation rentals. But how do you get into that market? As many of us are serving second home buyers, they may be looking to purchase investment homes, wanting to add another spoke to their personal money wheel. Learning how to navigate a vacation home market, or a high volume vacation rental market will help you meet their needs at a higher level. Today, Tammy Pack is here on the podcast to talk about her experiences working in the vacation rental industry, especially in a high volume tourist industry. Her deep knowledge will inspire you on how you can view investment rentals, and serve your clients who are looking for another potential stream of revenue. Her mastery of social media and deep industry knowledge makes her a vacation market expert, and I’m excited for you to learn from her. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces Tammy, her area of expertise, and how she got into real estate. She chose to live and work in Fredericksburg, Texas - a town of 10,000 that gets around 2 million tourists per year! Tammy got started in tourism real estate when they invested money into their home and loved the results. At one point, Tammy owned 25 units and rented them out to vacationers! She learned the main points: have a great website, and have great photos. From there, Tammy just grew and grew, and the logical next step was obtaining her real estate license. She wanted it for her own real estate investments, but soon realized that she was spending at least 8 hours a week helping others with the business aspect. When she started selling to others and helping them, she quickly became the #1 real estate agent in the area. Figuring out the “sweet spot” in your market is important: don’t price too low or too high! Tammy has a team that works together, a lot like a brokerage. They spend floor time together, working on leads. They’ve built community, and work well together. Sometimes, going “over the top” is going to get attention: that’s just how Tammy is, and it works for her! Connecting and engaging on social media, especially Facebook, has earned Tammy quite a following. Invest in yourself from day 1 - people will notice. Know your progress: if you don’t know your numbers, you can’t score yourself. Workflow, workflow, workflow! It will save you so much time! By producing quality content, Tammy’s team was able to more than double their following in a matter of a day! Viral content is HUGE for growing your audience. If you’re in a resort market, get websites for the area! Create content that helps others, and get your name out there. It’s hard in the beginning to get all that stuff in place because you don’t always start with cash flow: but it brings results! Experience as a consumer will help you so much as you work in new and different markets: that’s been a key to Tammy’s success. Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Special thanks to Tammy Pack for being on the show! You can connect with her here: Tammy’s Website Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Growing your network is so important for your business. The more people you have in your sphere, the more chances you have to grow. But you have to do the work to create that network of go-to people. You won’t meet new people if you keep doing the same old thing that you’ve been doing. But how can you get out there and get to know new people? Glad you asked! This episode of the podcast is five tips on how to increase your circle of influence - and you know me, there just may be a bonus tip that I’ve found particularly helpful. Best part is: most of these tips are easy and won’t cost you lots of money! Tom Tezak is here for another Tip Tuesday episode of the podcast, inspiring YOU on how you can grow your circle of influence. Highlights of this episode: Your network needs to be nurtured - relationships don’t just happen! Join your local Chamber of Commerce: you run a business; you qualify. Offer to be part of the board of a non-profit. When you volunteer, you get noticed in your community, and people get to know you. Be involved in your community: there are so many opportunities to volunteer. Join a gym: not only is it good for your body, but it brings networking opportunities. When you’re consistent, you’ll build a community there. Get social! Look for social groups in your area; a country club, rotary club - there are clubs and groups for every kind of interest. Bonus tip: throw a housewarming party for your clients. Encourage them to invite all of their friends, and YOU pay for it! All their friends will see what a great agent you are, and want to work with YOU! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you Friday for a full episode!

Have you ever found out about a company moving into your area, and knew that there was an opportunity for new business? Many people will move to the area, and they’ll need a place to live! You’re ready to serve them….right? Well, if you’re finding out about that relocation in the news, I hate to tell you this, but you’re too late! In order to be able to help those big companies, you’ve got to have connections, and be out there talking to people. Not all is lost: be ready for those referrals, and find ways to be able to help the new people coming to your area. Want to make sure that you don’t miss out on big opportunities like this? You can get information by attending local community events, networking, and being involved in your local chamber of commerce. Working as a relocation realtor is very different from most other real estate jobs. You’re going to thrive on referrals. Those referrals will definitely have higher fees perhaps than what you’re used to, but really, you never know: it could end up being strategic for your business! Today, Randy Roesch is here on the podcast to talk about his experiences in a hot market: Reno, Nevada. He found out about companies moving to the area, and was able to leverage that housing need to provide exceptional value. He’s here on the podcast today to share tips about how you can maximize that value, and serve a new (to you) market, and he’s also sharing some lessons he’s learned along the way. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces Randy, his area of expertise, and how he got into real estate. Randy started in development, and transferred over to sales in 2007/2008 - he had to learn FAST how to bring value to clients! Going through a changing market brings lots of new perspective and helps you learn and grow: even in a down market, there is business to be hard; you just have to adapt! A down market can help weed out those who aren’t professional or committed to WORK and those who survive will be able to serve clients on an even higher level! Hot tip: the Reno, Nevada market is one of the fastest growing markets...and there’s room to continue growing! How do you get to work in a HOT and growing market? When you find out that giant tech firms are going to a new area, or that there is going to be major commercial growth, you have a HUGE opportunity to find business. While the relocation business is a tough one to get into (many companies also look for a 30-50% referral), it can be a strategic business decision. If you’re going to do relocation, just be aware that business won’t be the same as many other real estate strategies: don’t be afraid to niche! Instead of targeting BIG companies, who may already be working with others, and hiring relocation services, look for smaller companies, perhaps with 10-30 employees. By the time you hear about a company moving into town via the news, it’s too late! Get talking to people, and go to local chamber of commerce events, and community events. Dollars spent to market to our sphere are better spent than dollars spent to market elsewhere: use your current database to get referrals! Keep your communications simple, visual, and easy to understand. Choose your email CRM carefully: make sure you do the research so you don’t get blacklisted. 300 solid contacts with all data points is better than having a database of 800 contacts with missing information: use that information for multi-point marketing. Call them, send them mail, and get in their email inbox! The value of an organized database is immense: take the time to clean it out! A well-organized and maintained database can be the source of almost all of your leads! Some agents are able to exclusively work from their database! Always know your pitch; know exactly who you serve, and how you serve them: be ready to share what makes you unique and special. Take chances with marketing: there’s a chance that even a small tweak could skyrocket your results. Try A/B testing: if an email doesn’t “stick,” then the next day, change the subject line and try again! Look at the analytics: making changes in your marketing doesn’t mean anything if you don’t look at the results. Make sure that what you are spending money on is yielding results! If you are great at everything, then you should be hiring somebody who's great at something that's more cost effective for your dollar per dollar performance: it will free you up to do the things that matter! Not good at processes? Hire an assistant! Know your personality; know what you’re good (and not good) at! In business, especially, it’s crucial to your success that you know yourself. It helps you choose effective behaviors. The DISC test is scarily accurate: it will take a while to fill out, but it will give you valuable information! Randy’s biggest piece of advice to new agents: get a coach and learn. Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Special thanks to Randy Roesch for being on the show! You can connect with him here: Luxury Reno Tahoe Website Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Do you ever stop and rest on your laurels from a previous success? Or have you ever spent time beating yourself up for a missed sale, or a failure? I’m here to tell you that what you did yesterday doesn’t impact today’s success! In fact, many who are successful may not be successful in the future if they don’t tune in to the market and stay up to date with changes! The possibilities are out there for us all. If you’re tuned in and listening to the market, anything is possible. Tom Tezak is here for another Tip Tuesday episode of the podcast, inspiring YOU on how what you did yesterday does not limit your future success. Highlights of this episode: What you did yesterday doesn’t indicate your future success! Were you successful yesterday? Don’t rest on your laurels! Did you feel like a failure, struggling with your career? That doesn’t mean you can’t find  success just around the corner! No matter where you are, and what you’ve done, the possibilities are out there! Even if you’ve been successful for the past 20 years, that doesn’t mean that you will continue to be successful. In fact, if you keep doing the same thing, and not adapting to the needs of the market, you may not be in the same place next year! Ask yourself these questions: is what I’m doing working? Is what I’m doing successful? Be ready to adapt to keep up with the changing market! Always be learning - you may need new knowledge to better serve your market. Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you Friday for a full episode!

How many sources of income do you have? Just one? Or are there other ways in which you bring in more income? We all have what I like to call a “money wheel.” The spokes are our income, and help that wheel move forward. Most people have 2, maybe 4 spokes. If you only have one spoke - one source of income, what happens if that breaks? What happens if that money stops coming in? I believe that everyone should have multiple spokes in their money wheel; multiple ways in which our business brings in money. You know that many of your clients purchasing their second, third, or even fourth homes think differently about money than the average first time home buyer. You probably are also aware that they bring in multiple streams of income. Discipline yourself to think like them, and you’ll be able to serve them even more effectively! Today, I’m here to share 33 possible spokes for your money wheel, and how you can bring in even more income. You don’t have to incorporate all 33 of these spokes, but if you can incorporate a few more slowly into your money strategies, you’ll see a difference. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces the concept of the money wheel, and having multiple sources of income: this episode of 33 creative ways to add extra income to the spokes of your money wheel 1 - Go geo farming 2 - Use direct mail! 3 - Get the database of people in your sphere of influence 4 - Go to Happy Hour mixers and meet people! 5 - Use open houses to connect with people 6 - Go to new places; new bars, exercise classes, and socialize! 7 - Join a social community and connect with people 8 - Call expires - they already are interested in buying or selling! 9 - Find “for sale by owner” listings and find potential clients 10 - Create a system in your database 11 - Go knock on doors! 12 - Sign up for Zillow Realtor to capture leads 13 - Get a website that has lead generation and CRM 14 - Do a video show about your community 15 - Do Facebook lives! 16 - Create regular client events 17 - network with other realtors and ask if they have any clients looking to buy second homes in your area. 18 - Travel and get to know other offices and realtors 19 - Do an old school newsletter for your community 20 - Find agents in traditional markets and mentor and help them 21 - Create a weekly podcast to promote yourself and your team 22 - Hire an assistant 23 - Follow up with people you meet and get business cards from 24 - Try a new ad campaign 25 - Try something extreme, like air painting 26 - Get a CRM - there is money in that database! 27 - Scrub your database 28 - Follow up with former clients 29 - Create a marketing plan on Facebook 30 - Create a marketing calendar 31 - Create a marketing plan for Instagram 32 - Hire a coach to help you grow 33 - Send your clients a yearly “review” of real estate in the area, to help them know the value of their home and market trends - keep on the top of their radar! Implement just a few of these new ways to bring in money, and you’ll quickly start to add more spokes to your money, and increase your income! Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream. See you next time!

We’ve all had that ‘oh sh!t” moment, right? I mean, after all, everyone makes mistakes. If you haven’t made one yet, well, it’s coming. Life happens. Mistakes happen. But then what? What happens after you make (the inevitable) mistake is going to be what sets you apart. When you own up to the mistakes that you make, even if it costs you, it will help propel your business forward. It may cost you money today, but the consequences of a cover-up could haunt you the rest of your career. Tom Tezak is here for another Tip Tuesday episode of the podcast, sharing how owning your mistakes helps you mitigate the potential repercussions. Highlights of this episode: Everyone makes mistakes! If you haven’t made one yet, get ready, because it’s coming. Things happen - when you’re balancing multiple deals, working off multiple checklists, something can get missed. What response could you have to a mistake? You could try to cover your butt. Own up to your mistake! It’s hard to get mad at someone who owns up to what they’ve done. You want to be known as “the guy who did the right thing” rather than the person who tried to blame someone else. We’re in this for the long haul: one deal is not going to make or break us; one mistake is not going to make or break us. I’ve been there, done that, and know that sometimes you just gotta write the check. Just be honest: it will be better for your health, business, and your life in the long run. Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you Friday for a full episode!

Are you part of a franchise, or are you an independent agent? There’s not a WRONG answer to this question: it really depends on the market, your personal fit with the company, and if it’s going to help you serve your clientele effectively. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. Your choice to either join a franchise or be a lone agent will impact your business, so it’s something to carefully consider when it comes to finding your “home.” But how can that choice impact second home realtors? Consider these questions: Where do your leads come from? How are you leveraging referrals? Where does your expertise come from? How are you getting training? Practical education can be key in serving your second home buyers! How are you networking with other agents? Are you cold calling other agents to get to know them, and searching out referral opportunities? Asking these questions will help you as you decide how you want to structure your business. Today we’ve honored to interview Brooks Burton, Chief Operations Officer over at Windermere. With his experience in the industry, he has great feedback on one of the big burning questions: should you be an independent agent, or should you be part of a franchise? Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces Brooks Burton, Chief Operations Officer at Windermere. One major benefit to joining a franchise is to quickly and automatically grow your network. This network is also full of paid resources for you to have access to and use, such as paid trainings. Because of this, often franchises can have higher sell rates per agent - Windermere has 13.4 transactions per agent! Brooks gives some real estate predictions: we will start to see more people buying homes online, but they’ll mostly want to see and experience homes before making such a big purchase. More knowledge often equals more repeat business. This is very important for those of us who focus on the second home market niche! Don’t fear online business: it’s a different business model, and there is always room for a different business model. You’ll figure out how to deal with it, and better serve your clients. Remember, were not in a commodity business. We’re in a service business that ends up selling this commodity. How can franchises better serve second market buyers? Make sure to go to networking events and get lots of referrals, and leverage relationships with your peers. Should you be independent? It just really depends: there’s no right or wrong answer. It’s really about what works for the individual. Some markets are definitely easier for independent agents. So what are the advantages to being part of a franchise? Training, technology, and resources. All of those are often brought in for you when you’re working with a franchise. If you’re interested in growing a larger team, and working with a franchise, you can look at Windermere.com, and they’ll let you know if you’re a good fit. Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Special thanks to Brooks Burton for coming on the show! You can connect with him here: LinkedIn Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream. See you next time!

Ready to see an uptick of referrals? It’s relatively simple: once you get good at connecting people, and providing incredible value to others, you’ll become a master of referrals. You’ll gain a reputation among other agents as being someone they can trust to care for their clients. Becoming a master of referrals for second home agents is important because your market is unique. They’ve already been through the home-buying process before, and want to know that they are working with an expert. You know how to uniquely serve them. William Tong is here for a Tip Tuesday episode of the podcast, sharing how he has become a master of referrals, and how they drive his business. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces William Give and share information with everyone! Gain a reputation for being generous in the value that you provide. If other agents know that you put clients first, they will feel good about giving you that referral. Be intentional about connecting people with the best connections. Events are an incredible way to connect with agents. At events that he attends, William wears a red polo and uses the hashtag #ReferralRed - get known for Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher YouTube As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you Friday for a full episode!

What story do you share with your clients? Or do you even share a story? Social media is a powerful tool for real estate agents, letting us connect like never before. When you consistently use those social media tools to tell stories, you’re going to see results in your sales. Storytelling is effective in sales: when you share simple facts, two parts of your brain are stimulated. When you share a story, you engage FIVE parts of the brain - including the part where the hearer imagines themselves as part of the story! You tell the story of a house, and the lifestyle of the family who lives in that home, and you’ve hooked a potential client as they see themselves living in the story that you’re telling. Doesn’t this sound familiar? Remember: we don’t sell homes, we sell dreams. Today we’ve honored to interview Jonathan Hawkins for the Selling the Dream podcast. Jonathan jumped into real estate all-in, and quickly skyrocketed to the top. He used social media and storytelling, and made selling look so easy that other agents came to him, looking for help with their social media strategies. Jonathan is passionate about helping others, so from those requests, The Hashtag Agent was born, and Jonathan now trains real estate agents in how they can use storytelling in their social media, and break negative perceptions that people have of the industry. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces Jonathan Hawkins and his business, The Hashtag Agent. After 5 years in real estate, Jonathan Hawkins founded a company called The Hashtag Agent to help train real estate agents in how to use social media to promote themselves. Jonathan hadn’t had a plan: he just jumped all-in and aggressively took action. “I didn’t have an option, and had to work,” Jonathan says. “If you want to make it happen, it’s going to work.” That produced powerful results, and other real estate agents took note! In the beginning, Jonathan’s social media looked nothing like it does today: he learned the art of storytelling and sharing his personal story through trial and error. Jonathan never saw himself as the expert, but he was always willing to help others who came to him with questions. A lot of agents don’t like social media because they don’t always know what to say, and don’t want to show the hard things. When it comes to social media, pick a position and stick with it. Not everyone will love it, but the people who do love what you have to say will be the best clients for you! Social media is for storytelling. Only two parts of your brain are used to process facts, but 5 parts of your brain are activated when you tell a story! The audience envisions themselves as part of the story! Check out the book, “Building a Story Brand” by Donald Miller - it’s a great resource for learning how to tell your story. The Hashtag Agent began when people were coming to Jonathan looking for training in how to use Instagram or Facebook effectively; wanting to find training in ads. Now they are creating tons of content teaching storytelling, and how to make selling part of the big story. How can you use storytelling to sell second market homes? Don’t assume that clients know how it works! Don’t be afraid to show the story of the sale, so that people learn how to do it by watching someone else’s story. Make sure to be telling stories through your testimonials for those new clients. Most feedback tends to be generic. Use an anonymous survey through Survey Monkey or a similar program to anonymously gather the results and get good feedback. People who see your social media are going to be at different stages in life: make your ultimate goal be serving your clients. Want more resources? Go to www.thehashtagagent.com (make sure you spell out “hashtag”) and find resources from Jonathan. Go out there, and tell phenomenal stories that your clients want to be a part of. Use this resource to help you in working with your clients. Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. Special thanks to Jonathan Hawkins for coming on the show! You can connect with him here: Jonathan’s website Facebook Instagram Twitter LinkedIn YouTube Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Today, tune in to find out how something as simple as velcro might change your entire perspective on how you do business.

This week, Tom sits down with William Tong...who didn't realize he was a 2nd Home Agent!  He doesn't necessarily deal with resort buyers, or with traditional investments buyers, but rather with a super-specialized group of foreign investors--primarily from China.  William has so much valuable insight on how to take the best care of your clients, so tune in to hear more!

Do you know what path you're on?  Mediocrity is an easy path to follow along, but finding success can be a little bit more challenging.  Tune in to today's Tuesday Tip!

Join us on Selling the Dream, as Matthew Gardner, Chief Economist for Windermere, shares his predictions for the US and Global Markets...and learn how millennials may fit into the future of real estate in a different way from past generations.   Make sure to visit www.2ndHomeAgents.com to join the community of 2nd home, resort, and investment real estate agents. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Ep. 71: Scrubbing Your Database

Fred Haywood was one of the earliest real estate agents on Maui, and with years of experience he has an amazing perspective to offer.  Tune in to hear more! Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Although it may sound like it, this week's Tuesday Tip isn't about boating.  Wondering why we're talking about anchors?  Tune in to find out how to keep growing and progressing!

Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

You may not realize it, but your clients are probably buying homes...without your help!  Tune in today and hear how you can remedy that.

Angela Ching gives advice to Tom about what a team leader, coordinator, or assistant should know.   Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

"Drama is very important in life," says Julia Child, "You have to come on with a bang. You never want to go out with a whimper. Everything can have drama if it's done right. Even a pancake." Well, if Julia Child can bring drama to a pancake, you can bring it into real estate and make it work to your advantage. Tune in for today's Tuesday Tip where things may get very dramatic.

Join us for the second installment of "Over the Shoulder Coaching" on Selling the Dream!

"All you need is positivity!" is the basis of today's tip.  Let Tom give you some great insights into how changing your mindset can make a huge difference in how you handle your business.

Seattle-based property manager Lori Gill joins Tom today, where they discuss what it takes to be a successful property manager.  Lori doesn't just look after a handful of properties; she's taken property management to the next level, with three offices in the Seattle area. Lori has so much great insight into the world of property management, you'll definitely want to hear what she has to say. Born and raised in Seattle Washington, Lori Gill has been involved many facets of the Property Management industry for over 25 years. She i is the broker/owner of Lori Gill & Associates, and their services extend to single family residential homes, condominium units, commercial properties and multi-family apartment communities.   Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

This is a follow-up to last week's episode on VMA Farming, so if you haven't yet--go listen to that one, too!  Tom has some great tips about everyone's least-favorite activity: doorknocking.  It might not be fun, but it can certainly be lucrative, and with these tips you'll be able to make it a little easier.

Christophe Choo joins Tom on the podcast this week, and they have a great conversation about the many uses of online content when trying to maximize your marketing reach.  Listen with a pen and paper this week, because you'll want to take notes! Christophe Choo sells luxury real estate in the Beverly Hills, Hollywood Hills & Los Angeles area.  He and his team are committed to bringing you the finest properties, people, businesses and activities here in Beverly Hills & Los Angeles. If you are looking to purchase or sell a luxury estate, home or condominium in the Westside areas of Los Angeles, California, give him a call at (310)777-6342. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Tune in as Tom discusses the "Visual Market Analysis," or "VMA" for short.  This has been undoubtedly the most lucrative, successful marketing piece that Tom has utilized for marketing and farming in luxury markets.  Tune in to hear how you can make this piece work for you!

Roh Habibi (Million Dollar Listing San Francisco) joins Tom for this week's interview on Selling the Dream, where they quickly get in-depth on marketing, client rapport, and much, much more.  We're so happy to have Roh on the show this week--tune in and hear more of his fantastic advice on how to make the most of opportunities in your market area. Roh Habibi, the founder and principal of the Habibi Group, has an intrinsic passion for all facets of real estate.Renowned locally and globally, the multi-cultural and multi-lingual Habibi Group possesses a unique knowledge of foreign markets. With fluency in English, Farsi, Dari, Arabic, and Spanish, The Habibi group specializes in working with foreign investors, developers and clients unfamiliar with the SF Bay Area landscape to provide a streamlined process from fruition to completion.  With a background in finance and wealth management, Roh is able to leverage his knowledge of tax and estate planning to expertly guide his clients through the real estate investment process.   Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

We all have systems, but the real question: are they working?  A lot of times, we have systems in place, but they are repeatedly failing and making life harder, not easier!  Tune in today to hear more about how to fix your broken systems.

Tune in for part two of Tom's fantastic interview with real estate coach, David Knox.  David provides lots of great insight and tips on how to maximize your business, satisfy your clients, and reach the successful end goal without too much stress.   Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

It's a tried a true tactic, but it isn't always done right.  Today, we're talking about the power of getting books into the hands of potential clients.  Tune in to hear more!

This week, you can hear the first half of Tom's incredible conversation with David Knox.  David has so many insights and techniques that will benefit all realtors, and he gives some much-needed, cut-to-the-chase real talk that will get you questioning your own habits as a real estate agent. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

On today's Tuesday Tip, we talk about creating a Lifestyle Guide to display some of the amazing reasons to live in your resort or second home market.  Tune in for more information!

Join Tom for Part 2 of his conversation with Selling the Dream's behind the scenes producer, Kenny, as they talk about the technology involved with creating a podcast.   Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Today, Tom discusses how to address a "numbers person" by using market statistics, visual graphs, representations, and more to target a specific type of client and keep them engaged.  Listen in to hear more!

Join Tom and Kenny (Selling the Dream's Behind the Scenes Producer) for part one of their explanation of how to create your own podcast.  In this section, they give you the tools and resources for how to start creating your podcast concept, how to plan and execute, and more.

It is paramount to know your client's motivations when they're looking for a second home or investment property--don't forget to ask!  Listen to this week's Tuesday Tip to get some insight into how to start this conversation.

Tim Smith stopped by the podcast this week to share some amazing tips about some of his out-of-the-box marketing ideas, and gives Tom and the listeners a great background on his career and how he launched himself to where he is today. Tim Smith's name is synonymous with the coastal Orange County real estate market, where his well-established reputation and unmatched market knowledge have made him a front-runner in the industry. ... Distinguished buyers and sellers entrust Tim to guide them through every step of the real estate process.   Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

For this week's installment of Selling the Dream, we're introducing a new segment called "Over the Shoulder Coaching," where Tom sits with a "Mystery Agent" from his agency, and you get to be a fly on the wall as he provides them with real, candid advice about the real estate market.  Stay tuned for more Over the Shoulder Coaching, interviews, Tuesday Tips, and more! Facebook: www.facebook.com/SellingTheDreamPodcast Instagram: @2ndHomeAgents  

Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Sometimes you just can't help it...you feel a little lazy.  But when you get lazy, business is bound to slow down.  Tune in to this Tuesday Tip to find out Tom's trick that can help even the laziest agents get new business. Selling the Dream Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChQ6EyLRV-26Pbr4Z_Voj9A Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SellingTheDreamPodcast/?modal=admin_todo_tour

Join Tom and Matt Farnham for the second half of a great interview.  They have a great conversation about perfectionism in the real estate world, connecting with your client base, and much more. Since becoming licensed in 2004 he constantly challenges himself to improve his knowledge and skills year after year. Matt joined Crown Point Realty as Broker/Owner in late 2011 and enjoys mentoring his team and teaching the principles he has learned to them. Customer Satisfaction is the highest priority to Matt. He believes the best way to build a successful career in Real Estate comes by creating Raving Fans. Matt and the other principals of Crown Point work to teach and train this philosophy to their Agents.Matt's business can be summarized by the three words of Crown Point's slogan: Integrity, Service, Results. Matt strives for this in his business while representing our industry with Professionalism, Responsiveness and Respect. Matt is supported by a wonderful support staff and most importantly by his bride, Leslie Farnham and their 3 children.   Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

The start of the New Year is a chance to start fresh, reevaluate goals, and plenty more.  Hear what Tom has to say about starting the year right in this week's Tuesday Tip from Selling the Dream Podcast!   Selling the Dream Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChQ6EyLRV-26Pbr4Z_Voj9A Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SellingTheDreamPodcast/?modal=admin_todo_tour

Join Tom and Matt Farnham for the first half of a great interview.  They have a great conversation about perfectionism in the real estate world, connecting with your client base, and much more. Since becoming licensed in 2004 he constantly challenges himself to improve his knowledge and skills year after year. Matt joined Crown Point Realty as Broker/Owner in late 2011 and enjoys mentoring his team and teaching the principles he has learned to them. Customer Satisfaction is the highest priority to Matt. He believes the best way to build a successful career in Real Estate comes by creating Raving Fans. Matt and the other principals of Crown Point work to teach and train this philosophy to their Agents.Matt's business can be summarized by the three words of Crown Point's slogan: Integrity, Service, Results. Matt strives for this in his business while representing our industry with Professionalism, Responsiveness and Respect. Matt is supported by a wonderful support staff and most importantly by his bride, Leslie Farnham and their 3 children.   Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Tom Tezak and everyone here at Selling the Dream!  At this special time of year, Tom has a special reminder for his listeners. Selling the Dream Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChQ6EyLRV-26Pbr4Z_Voj9A Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SellingTheDreamPodcast/?modal=admin_todo_tour

This week, Tom sits down with Beverly Hills Realtor Gary Gold and talks about everything from selling celebrity homes to real estate coaching.  Gary has some great insights into what buyers are really looking for, and what really matters when you're marketing to them. Gary Gold is a marquee name in luxury real estate and his sale of The Playboy Mansion sets a record as the first residence to sell over $100,000,000 in Los Angeles. Gary is also one of its most successful trend setting agents. He’s an internationally recognized expert known for his creative use of technology, marketing and publicity to sell some of the finest homes in the world. Gary is further distinguished by the rare ability to secure high net worth, qualified buyers from digital marketing. This success, year after year, continues to produce a steady stream of buyers from not only the Los Angeles area, but throughout North and South America, Europe, and Asia. Gary has sold thousands of estates and luxury properties over the course of his career. High-end developers have consistently relied on Gary’s broad expertise on projects ranging from luxury condominium developments to major estates. He is a sought after speaker, panelist and educator at industry conferences. Gary has been cited as an expert for publications and broadcasts that include CNN, Fortune, Barron’s, Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Access Hollywood, CBS Evening News, e! Entertainment Television and The London Telegraph. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Join us this week as Tom sits down with Michael LaFido, author of Luxury Listing Specialist Book: Dominate Luxury Listings in Your Market and co-host of Chicagoland Real Estate Podcast.  Their conversation hits many topics, but has a strong center around marketing and differentiating yourself from the competition, especially when trying to break into the high-end, luxury market. Throughout his career, Michael has learned the importance of “lifestyle” and direct response marketing versus “traditional marketing”, which has become the key to his success.  This marketing approach is based on years of research, coaching, trial and error, and feedback from some of the worlds best marketers. Michael teaches top producing real estate agents worldwide to “think like a marketer” and not like “traditional” agents. Over the past fifteen years, LaFido and his team developed a method that takes a more comprehensive, proactive approach to marketing a home.  Every property is assessed with the homeowner, and a customizable blueprint to position the home in front of more buyers and brokers is created.  Our goal is to create massive exposure and press both online and offline to targeted both buyers, brokers, and influencers worldwide.   Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Today, Tom shares his number one piece of merchandise to invest in as a Realtor.  It'll help you leave a lasting impression that could pay off in a big way.  Curious to know what it is?  Listen in to find out!   Selling the Dream Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChQ6EyLRV-26Pbr4Z_Voj9A Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SellingTheDreamPodcast/?modal=admin_todo_tour

This week, Tom chats with William Bolls, a Rockstar Realtor based in the Big Apple.  William shares some inside tips on what it's like to work, sell, market, and more within this unique city that is dominated by renters, rather than buyers.  Tune in to find out how William handles this, and much, much more! William Bolls is a NYC real estate broker with prominent industry recognition and an acute understanding of the New York City real estate market. https://williambolls.com https://www.facebook.com/WilliamBollsRealEstate/ Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Ep. 35: Branding on a Budget

This week on Selling the Dream, Tom gets to chat with Stephanie Reed of Sun Valley, Idaho.  Stephanie gives tons of ideas for maximizing your potential as an agent in a 2nd Home Community.  She also shares some great tips for connecting with your community and making lasting connections with potential clients. Stephanie has called Sun Valley home for 41 years. Having grown up in the Wood River Valley, she can truly attest to the unique quality of life and sense of community the area provides. This knowledge has allowed her to provide clients with great insights to the market trends of the valley. Having started her real estate career in Seattle, Washington and in Charlotte, North Carolina for six years, both large metropolitan markets, she realized she wanted to be part of the Wood River Valley again and enjoy all it has to offer. Stephanie returned with her competitive edge to the Wood River Valley to continue that success, and moving back to her hometown, Stephanie was quickly immersed back into her active lifestyle of bike riding, hiking and skiing. She contributes her success to keeping her clients informed from start to finish, her strong work ethic, and being able to listen to her clients' needs and wants, thus finding them just what they are looking for.   Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Michael Fanning gives us the scoop on what it's like to work behind the scenes for one of the biggest real estate companies in the world, and also provides some amazing insights on how to maximize your use of technology to grow your real estate business.  Tune in to hear more! Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Have you ever wanted to be Mayor?  Well, looks like you chose to be a real estate agent instead, but have no fear: you can still be Mayor...sort of!  Tune in to find out what this means! Selling the Dream Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChQ6EyLRV-26Pbr4Z_Voj9A Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SellingTheDreamPodcast/?modal=admin_todo_tour  

Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

What does it mean to say that "Your Best Thinking Got You Here"? Well, for one it means that you can always be striving for more and thinking of new ways to approach problem solving.  Tune in to hear a little more and get inspired to strive and become a better and better agent. Selling the Dream Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChQ6EyLRV-26Pbr4Z_Voj9A Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SellingTheDreamPodcast/?modal=admin_todo_tour

This week, Tom chats with Jim Walberg, who has utilized Facebook, Instagram, and more to create ongoing, strong relationships with current and past clients, as well as potential clients!  Some may say that social media is a distraction--Jim disagrees.  Listen to this week's interview to hear how really using social media with purpose can put you right at the forefront of everyone's minds.   Jim Walberg is California real estate veteran in the Top 1% of Realtors nationwide, Jim Walberg is deserving of and humbled by his professional achievements. Yet his greatest honor is the repeat and referral business he continually receives from a loyal clientele.   Visit us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SellingTheDreamPodcast/ Join the 2nd Home Agents Community: http://www.2ndhomeagents.com/

Did you know you could be making WAY more money as a 2nd Home Agent?  Seriously!  There's one big question that you're probably forgetting to ask, or possibly you're just not asking it in the right way.  Tune in today, and hear what Tom has to say on this Tuesday Tip!   Visit us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SellingTheDr... Join the 2nd Home Agents Community: http://www.2ndhomeagents.com/

This week on Selling the Dream, it's Tom x2!  That's right, this week, Tom Tezak sits down with Tom Ferry, the top real estate coach in the industry.  Tom gives a unique perspective on how to operate in a second home market, shares some marketing musts, and much, much more!  Tune in for the full interview! Tom Ferry is the #1 ranked Real Estate Educator by Swanepoel Power 200 and the best-selling author of “Life! By Design” and “Mindset, Model and Marketing!”  As founder and CEO of Tom Ferry International, the real estate industry’s leading estate coaching and training company, Tom’s ever-growing influence impacts professionals through rigorous accountability coaching, the popular #TomFerryShow delivering free, fresh and relevant real estate tips weekly, highly engaging training events, two best-selling books, and as a noted keynote speaker.   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SellingTheDreamPodcast/?modal=admin_todo_tour Join the Community: http://www.2ndhomeagents.com/

This Tuesday, Tom is bringing you one of his most successful tactics for acquiring new clients: the Nickel Tour.  Have a listen, and see what this tour is ll about.  It's a great way to make a solid, memorable connection with clients...without forcing any sales interaction on them. If you like the Nickel Tour and want to learn more about it, make sure to visit 2nd Home Agents website.  You'll find a template for the Nickel Tour under the "Resources" page (or better yet, just click this link!)   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SellingTheDreamPodcast/?modal=admin_todo_tour Join the Community: http://www.2ndhomeagents.com/

In this episode, Jamie Engel tells us about selling everything from historic mansions to mobile homes along the coast--and all with top market prices.  You won't want to miss her tips, and this amazing conversation! Jamie Engel is a top-producing agent who works with a group of passionate and experienced real estate professionals dedicated to the fine art of buying and selling luxury real estate in the most sought-after areas of the Florida Keys  including: Islamorada, Key Largo, Marathon, Big Pine Key and Key West. Jamie is a well-seasoned expert in selling, buying, marketing, advertising, internet technology and social media. Her goal is to help consumers make smart real estate decisions that move their lives forward.  She can assist you in all areas of the home buying and selling process.   Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

In this day and age, social media is unavoidable, especially when it comes to business.  Tune in today to hear Tom's take on the best ways to use Facebook live, along with a quick on-the-spot tutorial!   Selling the Dream Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChQ6EyLRV-26Pbr4Z_Voj9A Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SellingTheDreamPodcast/?modal=admin_todo_tour

On this week's Selling the Dream, Tom interviews one of the Top 50 Loan Officers in the country.  Our guest is based on Maui, and has plenty of knowledge and tips to offer for agents looking to help their clients get the best loan possible!   If you like this episode, please make sure to rate us on iTunes and follow us on Facebook!

If there's one thing that can be an agent's kryptonite, it's complacency.  The moment you start to sit back on your laurels is the moment everything can start to get away from you, or worse: you can get out of touch with the industry and market!  Tune in to this Tuesday Tip from Selling the Dream and learn how to avoid complacency at all costs!

This week, Tom sits down with Mary Bartos to discuss the ins and outs of selling real estate in Marco Island, Florida, and also gets some phenomenal tips in the process.  This is an interview you'll definitely want to listen to! The Bartos Group provides value based solutions to sellers. Our full service marketing plan produces tremendous results. Our experience in technology, marketing and sales, makes us uniquely qualified to analyze the real estate market and lead you in selling your properties. For buyers, we offer a wealth of resources and services to streamline your buying experience and help you find your Piece of Paradise.   Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

This Tuesday, we have loan officer ready to explain the different types of loans when buying a second home, and what they will mean for you in the long run.

Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube   Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

With this Tuesday Tip, we give you our ten favorite video ideas and help you create fresh and engaging video content to help you maximize your online reach and find new clients!  

In the modern world, most people think a Realtor's life is intertwined with social media at all times.  In many cases, this is true--but not for Neil Lyon.  Hear about this and much more on this week's Selling the Dream! Neil has been a top producing broker in Santa Fe for many years. He has been the most productive broker in the majority of the past 10 years. A licensed real estate agent since 1975 and a licensed broker since 1979, Neil moved to Santa Fe in 1993 and was the managing broker of Sotheby’s International Realty until 2002, when he stepped down to devote 100% of his time and energy to working with sellers and buyers. Neil has been associated with Sotheby’s International Realty since 1984, with the exception of a 12 month period, when he was president and CEO of a 15 office real estate brokerage in Fairfield County, Connecticut. The sale of that company reunited Neil and Sotheby’s International Realty in 1991.

If there's one tool that you can utilize for maximum results, it's the little computer you're carrying with you at all times: your cell phone!  Tune in to this Tuesday Tip, where Tom tells you not only why, but how to use your phone for the best possible results with clients, colleagues, and potential clients!    

On this episode, Tom sits down with Rick Cheever, a long-term real estate agent and coach with the Tom Ferry Coaching Organization.  Rick shares so much valuable information for Realtors both new and experienced.  You won't want to miss this interview! If you're interested in getting involved with Real Estate Coaching, you can check out Tom Ferry, where Rick is a coach! About Rick: An exceptional diverse career and life! A business development and turn-around management specialist. Living throughout the world, embracing change and culture, loving failure for what it brings and continually working outside our comfort zone is key to growth. Although it's taking most of my adult life to discover my "Why" I now know that there is much more to gratification and happiness than possessions and a title. Being a part of a person's success is more than I ever imagined would contribute to fulfillment in life. I've lived more than five lives, more than one person has a right to!

This Tuesday Tip will help give you insight into understanding your potential clients right away, and knowing if they should rent or buy.  How can you make this call?  You'll have to listen to find out!    

In this week's interview, Senior Escrow Officer Vicki Steffan dives deep into the escrow process, gives us her background, and lots of tips for a smooth escrow process for agents, buyers, and sellers alike.   Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Being a realtor can be lucrative, but it's important to know how to keep that wealth growing in many avenues.  Tune in to this Tuesday Tip to learn more.   Be sure to follow us on Facebook for more updates and extra bonus tips!

Chris Kwon is a realtor with a creative arts background, which is a stellar combo when it comes to marketing!  Listen in as Tom picks his brain for some marketing tips, and learn the value of creativity in the real estate industry! You can see the videos that Tom and Chris discuss on Chris's Facebook page.  Click here for the "disappearing trick" video and here for the video with his adorable daughter! Chris works primarily in the Newport Beach area of California, and can be found online at his website or on Facebook.   Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

This week's Tuesday Tips brings us some great event planning tips.  Hosting events is a great way to keep in touch with your clients and keep a good relationship and reputation with them.  Not sure where to start?  Fear not: Tom's Tuesday Tip will get you headed in the right directions!

With today's interview, Nancy Tallman reveals some her top real estate techniques, from life balance and scheduling to weekly blogging and online presence. A consummate professional and one of Park City, Utah’s most consistently successful Realtors, Nancy Tallman specializes in innovative and effective marketing strategies, aggressive negotiating and creative problem solving on behalf of her highly satisfied clients. Her clients are so pleased with their results that referrals account for 65 percent of Nancy Tallman’s client portfolio.  Nancy works with a select number of buyers and sellers at any one time. When you work with Nancy, you are not pawned off on an assistant or buyer’s agent. You get her expertise 100% of the time to make the purchase or sale of your home as efficient and profitable as possible. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

With this Tuesday Tip, Tom shares his Dream150 techniques, tips, and more, and teaches you just a few ideas that could help you to break into the high-end market.  

They're back!! The Krantz team returns for Part Two, they talk social media, real estate coaching, and the value of forming genuine relationships.  But more importantly: they want to be on your Christmas Card list!  What does that mean?  Listen and find out! Jeff Krantz, Owner/Broker, CLHMS™, is the founder of Krantz and Associates and has been affiliated with Lake of the Ozarks for over 40 years. His parents owned Point Breeze Resort from 1969 to 1982, and remained second homeowners after that time. Jeff's love of the lake resulted in becoming a full time resident in 1990 and began his career in Real Estate in 1993 . He enjoys the challenges of the Real Estate Industry and enjoys leading the team with his wife, Melissa.   Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

With today's Tuesday Tip, escrow officer Vicki Steffan explains the difference between wet signatures, dry signatures, and more.  Vicki has so much valuable information to share, and great stories from her years as an escrow officer on Maui.  Keep an eye out for her full interview in the coming weeks!

This week on Selling the Dream, we sit down with Jeff and Melissa Krantz, who work as a team to sell luxury real estate in Lake of the Ozarks.  They share some of their best tips and practices, and of course, detail what it's like to be one of the most successful and long-lasting real estate teams in their market. Jeff Krantz, Owner/Broker, CLHMS™, is the founder of Krantz and Associates and has been affiliated with Lake of the Ozarks for over 40 years. His parents owned Point Breeze Resort from 1969 to 1982, and remained second homeowners after that time. Jeff's love of the lake resulted in becoming a full time resident in 1990 and began his career in Real Estate in 1993 . He enjoys the challenges of the Real Estate Industry and enjoys leading the team with his wife, Melissa. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Subscribe to the Show Don’t miss a single episode of the podcast. You can search for “Selling the Dream” on any of your favorite listening platforms, or follow the links below: iTunes Spotify Stitcher As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.   See you next time!

Today, Tom shares his "Fall In Love With Three" technique, which helps them always get their way.

Realtor Jay Bond knows a thing or two about marketing and creating a lasting impression. Today, he shares some of his best tips with us, including using his memorable namesake to make his mark on the California real estate community. As Real Estate Specialists in San Luis Obispo County, Jay Bond and the 007 Real Estate Group understand the high level of stress involved with buying our selling your home. Our team focuses on reducing that stress, by taking a comprehensive look at your situation and real estate goals. The 007 Real Estate Group prides itself on providing the level of customer service you would expect from a true professional. Jay Bond is a full-time REALTOR with the 007 Real Estate Group in San Luis Obispo California.

Today on Selling the Dream, Tom Ferry's Marketing Expert Jason Pantana gives us some of his top tips and techniques for Second Home & Resort Realtors.  Hear what he has to say about targeting Facebook and Google ads, advertising with a high-level absentee owners, utilizing public information to your advantage, and more! This episode was recorded live at the first-ever Tom Ferry Marketing Edge event in Chicago.  Jason hosted the event and provided amazing insight and panelists for hundreds of Realtors. Jason Pantana guides real estate professionals through current and emerging trends in consumer behavior, sales, online marketing, and entrepreneurship. As a national speaker and business coach, Jason arms audiences and clients with insight and ingenuity to build a smarter business.

This week on Selling the Dream, Anne Eliason gives us the scoop on selling luxury real estate on the island of Kauai in beautiful Hawaii.  She details the ins-and-outs of her ultra-successful internet marketing plan, her secrets for connecting and creating committed clients, and reflects on her earlier real estate days in Scottsdale, Arizona.  We also garner some insight onto how Anne managed to become one of Kauai's Top 5 Realtors...in less than five years! All of this and more on this week's Selling the Dream!   Anne Eliason views the world as full of opportunity. Having had many adventures of her own, Anne has seen the world through many sets of eyes. From snow skiing in Whistler to water skiing in Wisconsin, hiking foreign mountains and walking local trails throughout Kauai, Anne is always ready for new experiences. “I like challenging myself and learning new things,” she said. Her zest for life, learning and culture has taken her all over the world. And now, a wealth of ventures has brought Anne to Kauai to expand her real estate expertise.