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Keeping It Real - Real Estate Growth Tips, Tricks, & Techniques

Keeping it Real is where the best Real Estate Brokers, Real Estate Agents, Real Estate Coaches, and Real Estate Marketing Professionals share their best hacks for growing real estate business. Get actionable insights that will drive the growth of your real estate business today! Learn cutting-edge hacks to drive your social media marketing, email drip, inside sales to put you ahead of the competition. Top Realtors and Real Estate Brokers share their proven strategies for earning more GCI.
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Now displaying: Page 2
Nov 17, 2022

In this episode of Keeping It Real, we hear from Pree Poonati, stress & anxiety coach, Founder of The Art of Nirvana and Nirvana Gym.

The Art of Nirvana, based out of Austin, Texas, has already helped over 1000 people transform their life.

In this episode, Pree breaks down how agents can best manage their stress, all while effectively prioritizing and scaling their business through a shifting market.

Oct 24, 2022

In this episode of Keeping It Real, we hear from Nick McLean, a real estate coach specializing in optimizing real estate agents' workflows and getting new agents to a closed deal in their first 90 days. Nick also has experience as a commercial airline pilot!

Join us for this episode for more onboarding best practices and real estate lead generation strategies to bring to your workflows or train up your team.

Download Nick's The Ultimate Onboarding Cheatsheet HERE!

Oct 12, 2022

In this episode of Keeping It Real we hear from Stephanie Jones and guest-host Todd Tramonte. Stephanie is a solo agent in Northern Michigan who is killing it right now! Tune in to hear how she doubled her GCI by using Real Geeks for just one year!

Stephanie will be speaking at the Unofficial Real Geeks User conference going even deeper into how she’s been able to grow her business using Real Geeks.

The Unofficial Real Geeks User Conference 2022, hosted by Todd Tramonte’s Real Estate Growth Systems, will be a gathering of over 300 real estate agents, team leaders, brokers, and owners from all over North America.They will share their best practices and lessons learned in growing and scaling a successful real estate business.

The Unofficial Real Geeks User Conference 2022 in Dallas, TX, is only a few weeks away on October 18-20, 2022! For tickets and more information, go to uRGuc.com

Download our Real Geek’s 2022 CPL Report that breaks down the real estate cost per lead in the top 10 most prominent markets, the top 10 lowest cost per lead markets, and the cost per lead breakdown of the 50 largest markets of the previous year: https://share.hsforms.com/1IieskR56Qj2uKuQQZsdzLw5dqvo

Sep 27, 2022

In this episode of Keeping It Real, we are joined by guest-host Todd Tramonte and Al Lewis.

Al doesn’t believe that every lead is a good lead, but that every lead is an opportunity. He breaks down his favorite strategies perfect for both teams and solo agents and shares some of his best practices.

Al will also be a keynote speaker at the Unofficial Real Geeks User Conference.

The Unofficial Real Geeks User Conference 2022, hosted by Todd Tramonte’s Real Estate Growth Systems, will be a gathering of over 300 real estate agents, team leaders, brokers, and owners from all over North America.

They will share everything from their best practices to lessons learned to grow and scale a successful real estate business.

The Unofficial Real Geeks User Conference 2022 will gather live in person in Dallas, TX, on October 18-20, 2022! For tickets and more information, go to uRGuc.com


Download our Real Geek’s 2022 CPL Report that breaks down the real estate cost per lead in the top 10 most prominent markets, the top 10 lowest cost per lead markets, and the cost per lead breakdown of the 50 largest markets of the previous year HERE.

Sep 13, 2022

In this episode of Keeping it Real with Todd Tramonte of DallasHomeRealty.com. We will discuss how taking a step back to learn about business can provide more efficiency, working smarter, and the upcoming Unofficial Real Geeks User Conference.

The Unofficial Real Geeks User Conference 2022, hosted by Todd Tramonte's Real Estate Growth Systems, will be a gathering of over 300 real estate agents, team leaders, brokers, and owners from all over North America. They will share everything from their best practices to lessons learned to grow and scale a successful real estate business.

The Unofficial Real Geeks User Conference 2022 will gather live in person in Dallas, TX, on October 18-20, 2022! For tickets and more information go to https://www.uRGuc.com

Get a FREE DOWNLOAD of Todd's Ideal ON vs. IN your business Residential Real Estate Professional Calendar HERE!

Sep 6, 2022

Let’s face it…most real estate sales strategy training is geared toward extroverts.

“Make more cold calls.”

“Go to more networking events.”

“Knock on more doors.”

While these methods work well for some, they do not work for everyone. This is where Ashley Harwood of Move over Extroverts comes in.

However, introverts make up 25% – 40% of the population, and you’ll meet many of them in the industry.

As an introvert, managing your energy in real estate is crucial to your success. If you don’t understand how your energy works, you will often feel tired and anxious.

What Is an Introvert?

Introverts tend to feel more comfortable focusing on their inner thoughts and ideas than they feel when focusing on what’s around them.

Contrary to popular belief, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re quiet, shy, or reserved. There are social introverts, and there are private ones, too. The trait that unites them is they replenish their energy by being alone.

If you’re unsure whether you’re an introvert or an extrovert, you can take a quiz to determine your personality type. Remember, major life events or persistent interventions can affect your classification.

Once you’re sure you’re an introvert, use the tips below to make managing your energy in real estate easier.

Think about your phone battery.

 

1. Identity Draining and Restorative Activities for You

To better manage your energy, determine which activities drain you and which ones restore you.

Naturally, some activities can zap your energy more than others. For instance, prospecting might require more effort from you than staging and showing homes.

Also, some methods for decompression might be more relaxing for you than others. For example, you might find that a yoga class works better than taking a nap before joining a networking event.

Think of your energy as you would your phone battery. Some apps — like GPS-based ones — take more out of your device than others, and you need to recharge it from time to time for it to function.

2. Set a Baseline

If you charge your phone the moment it hits 19%, you should also have a baseline for yourself. Listen to your internal gas light to determine if you have enough left in you to complete a task, such as performing appraisals or inspections.

Working below your baseline will leave you snippy, impatient, and irritable. Keep in mind that nobody wants to work with that kind of agent.

Recharge if you must to get through your activity. Go for a walk if necessary. If you don’t have the time for that, try to delegate the duty to a more suitable agent.

3. Find a Lead Generation Strategy That Works for You

Lead generation is the lifeblood for real estate agents and is a crucial part of long-term success. It may seem overwhelming at first, but it won’t be once you find the right strategy for you.

Some cost-effective techniques include cold calling, LinkedIn prospecting, and community events. These all take some getting used to, but you’ll eventually figure out which one makes you feel most comfortable.

If a super-draining approach doesn’t yield results, cut it out right away. On the other hand, if you discover a tiring method that attracts the right clients, go back to the drawing board to improve your action plan and make it work for you.

Get a FREE DOWNLOAD of a list of Ashley's lead gen ideas HERE!

Jun 30, 2022

Your marketing strategy has finally worked! Organic and paid leads are finally coming in. But now what? What is the next step to ensure that a new lead will go down the sales funnel and turn into a sale?

In this episode of the Keeping it Real podcast we sat down with Greg Harrelson to talk about what you should do as an agent. Keep these tips in mind so you’ll know how to take action and convert those leads into paying clients!

New Perspectives: The Right Ratio for Your KPI

Before everything, let’s discuss your key performance indicators or KPIs. Most agents refer to the contact-to-close ratio, which frequently shows low numbers. That’s why we want to introduce a better KPI to help shift your focus: capture to contact. 

This way, you can focus on increasing your number of conversations versus closings. You’ll be in touch with more people you can convert instead of contacting a few leads and converting even fewer.

Reaching Out to Your Leads

Now that you have leads, it’s time to contact them using a method called double dialing or calling them twice. This changes their way of thinking and prompts them to answer you on the second call. However, if that doesn’t work, you can activate a workflow on the Real Geeks customer relations management (CRM) platform. That way, you’ll have as many touch points with the lead as you need to close the sale.

Make sure you’re in control of the platform or autoresponder and not the other way around. Your leads will be more willing to engage with you if there’s a recognizable human element to these communication efforts.

There’s No Dead Lead

As a real estate agent, you’ll want to abandon the phrasing “dead lead.” They might be inactive, or maybe they’ve simply “ghosted” you, but they’re probably still looking to buy a property — just not with you. You need to activate a workflow that will reengage them or contact them manually so they can have a one-on-one conversation with you.

Nurture the Lead, No Matter What Phase They’re In

You may encounter leads that are not ready to buy or leads that are just thinking of buying. Many agents abandon these leads in pursuit of those more likely to convert immediately. However, it’s essential to keep the three phases of a buyer in mind: dreaming, exploring, and buying.

If somehow a buyer calls you and is ready to buy, remember that they’ve probably talked to other agents who abandoned them early in the game, thinking that the buyer was still in the dreaming or exploratory phase. So be patient, nurture those leads, and take advantage of technology like the Real Geeks CRM to ensure that you manage them efficiently.

Realistic KPIs You Can Target

For a contact-to-closing ratio, 16% – 18% is good enough for the average real estate agent, but it’s low compared to the potential of a capture-to-contact ratio. For that, you can focus on getting at least 30% before aspiring for 60% – 70%. That’s an almost 300% increase in contacts, with no additional expenses!

Contact Real Geeks!

Ready to learn more about our real estate CRM? Contact us today and tell us how we can help! You can also watch this podcast episode on YouTube for a more in-depth discussion of the concepts above.

Jun 15, 2022

When COVID-19 hit in 2020, a lot changed — and is still changing — especially in how people use office spaces. The pandemic has forced many companies to adopt or enhance their work from home (WFH) policies. As a result, there’s been a decrease in the amount of time people spend in the office.

For some, this has been a difficult transition. Some workers — specifically the older generation — thrive in an office environment and find it hard to focus when working from home. Others experience the complete opposite; they work better in quiet environments, away from the hustle and bustle of an office.

Regardless of which side you fall into, there’s no denying that working from home has impacted how people use office spaces.

Companies Are Downsizing Workspaces

In the past, companies were worried about how their employees would take to WFH. However, they are now more accepting of the idea. This has led many companies to downsize their office spaces or give them up altogether.

Companies are now more comfortable with single-story offices. Office spaces where people can easily go in and out have become more popular. CEOs prefer spaces with no elevators or common areas to ensure social distancing.

While companies know that many employees — especially the younger generation — prefer to work from home, they are still trying to find a balance. This is why high-end offices that have the “live, work, play” mindset have also taken a hit. Many companies are now choosing more suburban locations, assuring employees they can still have an excellent work-life balance.

Decisions Are Taking Longer

Since the pandemic, buying property and leasing an office has become more complicated. In the past, companies made these decisions quickly. Now, they are taking much longer as companies want to ensure they’re making the best decision for their employees — and their budget.

Several factors come into play when making these decisions. For example, will the company allow WFH? If so, how often? What type of office space do they need? How many people will be working in the office?

All of these questions must be answered before a decision can be made. And even then, there’s no guarantee that the decision won’t change. After all, we are still in the middle of a pandemic, and things can change anytime.

Leases Are Falling Through

There are also many cases where companies have signed leases, only to have them fall through. This is usually because the company has decided to change its business models, or they’ve realized that getting employees back into the office is more challenging than they thought.

This led to shorter-term deals, which have become more common in the office market. Two, three, or five-year deals have pushed ten-year deals to the side. It’s also led to more landlords being flexible with their tenants, offering more termination options.

The Future of Office Spaces

It is not easy to predict the future, but it is safe to say that the pandemic has changed the office space landscape and will continue to do so. WFH has become the new norm, and companies are still trying to figure out what type of office space they need and how many employees they can get back into the office.

What is certain is that office spaces will have to be able to adapt to the ever-changing landscape. You will need to be able to accommodate WFH and social distancing and provide a good work-life balance for employees.

Jun 1, 2022

Join us for this episode of Keeping It Real where we discuss the importance of having a great schedule with Abe Safa.

Abe is a top real estate agent, real estate coach, and business owner based in Myrtle Beach.

As a real estate agent your day is filled with an array of activities. Staying focused and getting everything that you need to done can be tough.

Abe will walk you through how he structures his daily schedule in order to produce at a high level.

If your routine isn’t helping you to get the results you're after you are going to want to listen up as we discuss how to set a schedule to make the most out of your day.

May 18, 2022

In this episode of Keeping It Real featuring Chuck Richards, Product Manager at Real Geeks, he breaks down the best ways to get the most out of your CRM!

Having a CRM isn't enough if you aren't using it. Chuck provides some best practices and suggest ways to identify opportunities already in your database.

If you don't feel like you're getting the most out of your CRM or want to up your game, you will want to check this out.

Join host Frank Klesitz, CEO of Vyral Marketing, as he and Chuck discuss making your CRM work for you.

Vyral Marketing will interview you on an HD webcam to create helpful Q&A videos which they then edit, optimize, and promote for an effective 36-touch program to your database. This way more people call you to buy or sell a home (or work for you as a real estate agent). Go to www.getvyral.com for pricing, how it works, reviews, success stories, examples, and to request free strategy call.

May 3, 2022

In this episode of Keeping it Real, Sascha Chatman and  Frank Klesitz, CEO of Vyral Marketing, break down how you can equip your real estate team for success.

Learn more about the resources needed to manage your own team of real estate agents. Of course, a capable workforce is one thing for generating leads and obtaining success in the real estate world. However, having the right resources available is one of the critical factors needed to equip your real estate team for success.

Discovery Phase

The discovery phase is meant to determine whether or not the agents being recruited are the right fit for their real estate team while providing the necessary details for the agents to know what their team is about. Sascha first discusses their team goals and strategies to ensure agents know exactly what they're walking into. He also discusses other matters, such as expectations from the agents themselves and their commissions.

The discovery phase may be one of the most important parts of knowing how to equip your real estate team for success. In order to succeed, you need to have a reliable workforce on your side that shares the same goals and is willing to cooperate with the rest of the team to move forward. Having a compatible and efficient team is one of the best resources you can have in real estate, as it can significantly affect your business' productivity.

Agent Utility Belt

This is the highlight of the entire video. Sascha compares his utility belt of resources to Batman's belt of tools and trinkets. This belt essentially exists to store all resources and keep them within reach. Don't get the wrong idea, though. It's not an actual belt. Instead, it is usually a cloud or a compilation of all your valuable resources, such as videos, links, and other agent tools. Having a utility belt that is curated specifically for your team and your needs could help increase the productivity of your workflow because you won't have to scavenge for resources when you need them.

Not only does it make you more productive within your workplace, but it also gives off the sense that you are reliable and organized. When clients ask for something, you will easily have it within reach. 

Clients understandably have many questions before closing the deal, so one of the best ways to answer them is to grab a resource from your utility belt. For example, you're talking to a client about title insurance. Instead of answering their questions yourself, you could take an informative video from your utility belt and ask them to watch it. This makes it easier to understand and relate to.

Having a utility belt is a great way to equip your real estate team for success. It also comes in useful during business transactions. All in all, it's one of the best resources that a real estate team can have.

Having the right resources is essential in equipping your real estate team for success. Create an agent utility belt that caters to your team by signing up for the Real Geeks platform today. We provide valuable resources that you and your team can use to achieve the best possible outcome in every situation. Get started with us today!

To check out the video for this epsode go to: keepingitreal.com

For more of Sascha:

Email: sascha@chatmanrealtygroup.com

Coaching Website: http://realestatetechninja.com

Coaching Course: https://bit.ly/RETNCoaching

Apr 22, 2022

5 Steps to Set Up and Promote a Home Seller Workshop

Many homeowners want to sell their homes but don’t know where to start. If you learn to help them achieve their goals, they’ll come to you for expert advice. However, this leaves us with one more question — how will they find you?

While there are several ways to find your audience, one of the most effective approaches is to set up a home seller workshop. Take a look at the five steps to creating and promoting your workshop.

Set a Date

The first step is to pick a day. Find a time of day when you think your target audience will be available to watch or listen to your presentation. Usually, many professionals are busy during the day, so the best time to schedule it is in the early evening, around 7 PM to 8 PM.

Develop a Curriculum

Once the date and time is set, the next step is to create a curriculum. What will you talk about in your workshop?

If you’re new to the industry and not familiar with public speaking on a virtual platform, perhaps you can invite a guest speaker to have conversations with. For this method, the best format is question and answer. The topics you can cover can include top questions sellers are asking right now, like the following:

  • What’s going on in the market?
  • What improvements can I make to increase my home’s value?
  • What do I do with my belongings when I move?
  • How should I stage my home, so it sells fast?
  • Do I need to hold open houses to get potential buyers?

Once you narrow down the topics you want to talk about, you can go to Google and search for the answers. While the information you provide is essential, what matters most is how you deliver it.

Your audience will listen to someone who exudes confidence and expertise, so consider this as you prepare for your workshop. Practice, practice, so you don’t come across as uncertain of yourself. If you don’t trust what you say, your audience won’t, either.

Set up a Home Seller Workshop on Eventbrite

Now that you have the date and the curriculum ready, the next step is to create an event with a good title and develop a sales copy for the event. Make sure to explicitly mention what the main points of your workshop are and what value it will bring to your viewers.

If you have additional offers such as free virtual consultations, special guests, and home price offers, include them to increase your appeal.

Customize the Registration Page

After that, you need to develop a registration page. With Eventbrite, you can customize the page to include the essential details, such as:

  • Name
  • Email address
  •  How did you come across my workshop?
  •  Link to the workshop

Once they submit their form, you can collect their information and save it in your database. As the event nears, get in touch with them by either sending an email or texting them. Calling them three times can increase the conversion rate because it will let them know they’re wanted in the event, so they will be more inclined to go.

Reach out to a Wider Audience

If you want to widen your reach and tap a more significant number of people, you can do so in various ways. For instance, you can:

  •  Send out an email to your existing database
  •  Make a Facebook Ad
  • Send direct mail
  •  Use an affiliate program
  • Call people personally

With these steps, you’ll be sure to produce a successful workshop. While these steps serve as a good starting point, be sure to customize them to fit your needs. The more authentic and personalized your pitch is, the more you will grab people’s attention.

Apr 7, 2022

The Power of SEO and Area Pages With Bob McCranie

Do you want more lead traffic to your website? In this episode of Keeping It Real, we explore the latest SEO best practices with Bob McCranie. Bob is the Broker Associate & Team Owner at Texas Pride Realty Group - HomeSmart Stars and an expert on utilizing SEO best practices and Area pages in his strategies.

Join host Frank Klesitz, CEO of Vyral Marketing, in breaking down the strategies and best practices behind a robust, high-conversion online presence in today's evolving digital landscape.

If you need some help optimizing your site, tips on how to turn up the volume on your current lead flow, insight into different strategies that have provided wins for agents across various markets, check out Bob's Area Page lead generation strategy!

Top 3 Ways to Generate Lead Traffic & Boost Your Sale Funnels' Visibility in Your Market

Bob, a Brokerage Associate & Team Owner at Texas Pride Realty Group - HomeSmart Stars, shares the techniques and strategies he deploys to increase overall visibility to prospective clients in his market. 

According to Bob, he deploys three unique strategies to get leads. These strategies roughly refer to attraction marketing, SEO & optimizing his website based on popular search engine optimization guidelines, and demographic farming/cultivating his existing audience. 

Let's dive more into these strategies and find out how Bob executes them to get as many leads as possible.

Attraction Marketing

Attraction marketing, also called event marketing, is Bob's number one strategy. This strategy is based on the idea is that you don't have to run Ads all the time or cold calls but have people gravitate towards you because of who you are in the community. In the case of Bob, he's a well-known Broker Associate with long years in the industry. Newer agents can begin working on their community visibility by hosting events. 

You can draw people to you by hosting events, posting about them on social media, and generally being a social connector. It doesn't have to be a real estate event, but any event that serves as a lure to connect with people.

Some of the events you can host include:

  • Kite Flying, BBQs, & Outdoor Events
  • Theater Events, Movie Nights, DriveIns, Concert in the Parks, etc. 
  • Recycling Events, Food Drives, Community Service Events, etc.

Starting successful community events takes consistency and patience. Make a schedule and stick to it when promoting your events. You can put up physical signs around your area. Put up flyers at your local coffee shops and gyms, and utilize social media ads. These have proven very effective no matter which markets you are located in. 

Putting in a constant effort will build attendance over time, and before you know it, you will have collected a community of regulars at your events that can also serve as a potential client base. Networking greatly helps get leads, even if not by a massive count at first.

Your Website

The second and perhaps most important is internet marketing, specifically SEO. Your primary medium is your Reel Geeks website, which helps you draw in more organic leads. You still run Google ads, which brings you steady business.

However, you must have a website to lead your potential leads and provide them with the information they need.

Of course, just having a website is not enough – you need area pages. Bob stresses the importance of area pages and being specific about where you want your leads to go. He combines social media and SEO, focusing locally on his pages.

No one looks for real estate in the main city. People always look for the suburb or neighborhood they are looking into.

You create business pages for each suburb of the city you're covering. Each page must have a call to action that takes the reader to the actual area page on your website. It has to lead to the direct page for the city or suburb, not the homepage. It helps to pre-fine all searches as much as possible, directing leads where they want and giving them satisfaction.

Demographic Farming

Bob's last strategy has to do with demographic farming, which is about cultivating or nurturing your lists.

In this example, he developed his holiday list using postcards sent creatively and in good fun. For instance, he would send a holiday postcard in June or Valentine's Card with a humorous caption. Of the many postcards he sent, the most creative and successful is the tagline, "No, I don't want to buy your house." Bob doesn't want to buy your house, but he can sell it at a 30 to 40% better price than others in the market. The idea is to keep it fun, so people will look at the cards or mail and know what Bob has to offer.

Conclusion

Per Bob's experience, the strategies that can help you bring in leads are – attraction marketing/events marketing, SEO and area pages, and demographic farming. Add them to your process, and you can turn up your current lead flow to the highest volume.

Mar 21, 2022

We are excited to welcome back one of our favorite guests, Lisa Chinatti, for this episode of Keeping It Real. Lisa is a top producer based in Westford, MA, with over ten years of Real Estate experience. We are also joined by Jason Posnick, the Sales Manager for the Chinatti Realty Group and has an enormous passion for developing others, solving problems, and conveying positivity into people’s lives.

The market is hot right now, and we see a lot of areas with low inventory. Lisa gives you her tips and shares what she and her team are doing to maintain their seller lead flow.

Lisa and Jason break down the most effective approaches to 5 different lead sources and how to create a plan that meets your needs regardless of which market you are in.

Join host Frank Klesitz, CEO of Viral Marketing, as he, Lisa, and Jason dive into generating new seller leads today. If you are looking for a way to generate more seller leads, you will want to check this one out and take notes!

Mar 8, 2022

In 2007 Rob Chevez began a local MeetUp focused on empowering real estate entrepreneurs to build wealth and create a legacy. Less than 10 people attended the first meeting. Now, what is known today as GRID, has grown to over 16K+ members in 8 states and over 18 locations. 

Millions in revenue have been generated from the training, tools, and connections created by the GRID network alone.

GRID is a global network of real estate entrepreneurs who believe collaboration empowers, shapes, builds and transforms you. Becoming a real estate investing pro is best done at the local level – with local knowledge, local contacts, and local resources to help you grow. 

All and all, Rob shares a great passion for empowering real estate entrepreneurs to build wealth and create a legacy.

What’s your motivation and how did you start?

“I started thinking about a way to go from a 1 to 1 communication to a 1 to many. As your starting to build a business you know you have to build a database. You do that by having a cup of coffee with somebody, or prospecting somebody, or talking to a lead ... What would the world look like if I could actually create something of value that would attract 20 people, 30 people, 40 people, 100 people to me at one time where I then have the ability to pour into them on a topic that I love and we could just talk about it. So that’s where the idea came from. I wanted to build my database, I wanted to lead with value, and it started with 5 people and it just kinda grew from there… Before we knew it there were over 100 people in the room and we were all just talking about what we love to talk about which is building wealth and buying real estate investments and I would help facilitate those discussions.  ” [Rob Chevez 4:10 5:16]

How to Provide Value

“Before you decide to do something like this, I really believe you have to have some content/context, you need to be doing it, you need to be in the game already. My wife and I had been going to real estate investment association groups for 5 or 6 years prior to this … buying real estate along the way. I remember going to these groups and saying to myself ‘This could be done better, there’s no cohesion in this conversation. They're giving you just enough information to be dangerous but not all the information.’... What if I just gave the information out for free so we could do more deals? What would an investor need to know first?” [Rob Chevez 6:48 7:49]

Rob started by examining his and his wife’s own experiences with real estate investing throughout the years and came away with several foundational topics that he felt would bring the most value to do a deep group dive on.

These topics would serve as the general structure for Rob’s MeetUps with one meeting a month at about 2-3 hours each. 

“You spend about an hour to an hour and a half on a topic and people get really into the topic … You get 30 minutes of intros because I wanted people in the room to learn who is in the room … after the topic, the most important part is people in the room networking with each other … Once the topic was over people would talk to the people they had an interest in talking to and I made sure that I was a power connector. That I was helping them build their database. ” [Rob Chevez 8:55 - 12:30]

“The way you provide value is: you help someone make money, you help somebody save money, … or you're trading them information that makes them smarter … Go from being a transactional agent to being a transformational agent.  ” [Rob Chevez [21:33 - 23:39]

Provide a Platform

What I learned is I pulled people into the conversation so it was never a monologue … I made sure that I made my members part of the experience and the discussion. Of course, everyone wants a platform, and this gave them a platform to show what they were doing. We celebrated successes in that process. ” [Rob Chevez 12:33 - 13:15]

Providing an environment to facilitate relationships is one of the greatest ways to provide value. This mindset in creating your own mastermind groups will result in meet-up events that go beyond the standard networking event. 

Reach

Promote your meet-up across all your regular channels (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, etc.), email lists, and even linked in your email signature.Rob also live-streams his meetups and provides a playback on his youtube channel. This is another great way to expand your digital footprint. Feature video content of meetups and any highlights from your Meetups in your workflows.

Feb 28, 2022

Would you like to know what to say to address today's most common seller concerns?

In this episode of Keeping it Real, we speak to the #1 real estate agent in Michigan, Jeff Glover.

We made a list of the top 10 seller concerns for this Spring 2022 market (which you'll need accurate answers to) when asking for an appointment or a signed listing contract.

You'll get the answers to questions like...

Why do I need to pay a real estate agent in this hot market?

Why can't I just sell my home myself?

Why can't I just pay you to bring me a buyer?

Where will I move when there's not much for sale?

Other real estate agents are willing to take less.

I want to hire a friend or family member to sell my home.

We need to finish a few projects before we put it on the market.

And more...

If you want to know the answers working on the phones and at listing presentations, in this market, come join us for this week's Keeping it Real with your host Frank Klesitz.

We give Jeff all the objections, and he answers them - be prepared to take a lot of notes!

Feb 2, 2022
In this episode of Keeping it Real Frank Klesitz shows you how to write and mail the “Golden Letter” for seller lead generation. Yes, an actual USPS letter using a real stamp to put in the hands of possible sellers.

This is a personal message, in a #10 envelope without your logo on it (so it gets opened), that you send to the neighbors of a house that just sold, letting them know you have a buyer for them too.

In it, you’ll ask them to call you to find out what your buyer would pay for their home.

Of course, you’ll only write the letter ethically by representing a real buyer, either a retail buyer in your CRM or an institutional buyer who provides instant offers. There isn’t any buyer personal information in the letter.

Frank takes you through the steps of how to pull the mailing list, format the mailing list, write the letter, and mail it using a mail house that will print, stuff, and mail them for you at the cost of about $1 a letter. The cost can get down to about $0.85 a letter at volume, and you always mail first class pre-sort (never standard/junk mail rate).

We also go over how to get these buyers, how to get a commission agreement with the sellers signed, and how to handle the inbound calls.

If you are looking for a timeless way to generate seller leads that will consistently and predictably get people to call you who are interested in selling their home, this is it.

Jan 18, 2022

The majority of leads in real estate don’t automatically convert into appointments or sales. Most of the time, they just end up stuck somewhere in the conversion funnel. If you want to get them out of the funnel, a bit of help is necessary.

In this episode of Keeping It Real Anna Krueger shares some of her tips to learn how to successfully turn leads into appointments.

Tips to Convert Seller Leads to Appointments

Here are some tips that can help turn a seller lead into an appointment:

Keep the Seller on the Phone

The problem is most seller leads don’t expect to be called and would often brush you off. When the seller says they’re busy, follow this 3-step process:

1.    Pattern your greeting with gratitude, saying, “I’m glad you told me.”

2.    Ask them when it’s better to call back.

3.    Ask them, “Hey, what’s got you thinking about moving?”

Asking these questions usually earn you a response, which you can use in turn the next time you call them. The most important thing here is to keep them talking even though they said they were busy. Why? Because if they were actually busy, they would ask you to call some other day.

Maximize Chances of Sellers Answering the Phone

How can you do this? Here’s what a Harvard study says, “If you call a new lead six times in six days, once a day for six days, you have a ninety percent chance of them picking up the phone or calling you back.” Most agents found they often just needed to call twice. In this sense, you simply need to be tenacious and keep calling the lead until they pick up.

 Use SMS and Email

In addition to calling six times in six days, take advantage of text messages and email. You don’t need any lengthy email newsletter for this – just a blank one with a single subject line that says: “I left you a voicemail.” Just this, and you can already get tons of calls back.

Use Voicemail

The goal of the email is to get them to listen to the voicemail you sent, which is a more personalized way of telling them your purpose. There are two strategies you can utilize here, which are:

1.    Don’t leave a voicemail –  The first call you leave, don’t leave a voicemail. Many of them will call back out of curiosity. 

2.    Leave a voicemail –  The structure is to tell them about the benefit of your team and a specific time to call you back. Create different voicemails about this, and you can increase the chance of them calling back.

Personalized, One-on-One Video

Another strategy you can’t miss is the use of videos. You can insert it into the emails as a visual version of the voicemail. One tip is to call each lead by their name, which calls on their emotions and makes them feel closer.

According to Anna Krueger in her real estate class BOLD, “Logic makes people think, emotion makes people act.” This shows that if you know the seller’s emotional reason for moving, you can make them act way more than simply telling them the logical stuff.

Conclusion

There are many other strategies you can utilize to turn your real estate leads into an appointment. However, really the most critical key is to hold onto their motivation. When you know what made the seller want to move, then you’ll know the right words to convince them.

If you want to turn your leads into appointments, it’s crucial to have the right platform to track them all. Such software is vital in scoring leads, nurturing leads, optimizing conversion rate, engaging customers, and more. One of the best ones on the market today is Real Geeks, which is an all-in-one real estate solution.

Dec 15, 2021

In this episode of “Keeping It Real” host Frank Klesitz discusses how you can transform real estate and CRM goals for 2022 into real-life results with special guests Brendan Bartic and Todd Tramonte.

The Importance of New Year’s Resolutions and Actions in the Post-pandemic Real Estate Space

The world has changed drastically because of COVID-19. Many major changes have taken place in the real estate industry. Learn how you can take concrete steps and decisive actions to adjust to the post-pandemic changes through the New Year’s resolutions and actions of Brendan and Todd.

Culture First: From Resolution to Action

Brendan shares what he learned in 2021 after he and his real estate team initially built on the wrong fundamental structure by focusing on productivity: “Culture first… The big thing I learned this year is: If you don’t have the culture, you can have the best, most aggressive agents on earth, you’re not gonna get very far.”

As a result, he and his team now resolved to prioritize culture moving forward. He emphasizes their new goals: “We follow our three Ps: People, Progression, and Philanthropy.” He applies these principles by changing which attitudes and behaviors they allow and don’t allow among their team members. He also provides more creative options to both buyers and sellers so they can find a suitable solution for their needs.

Brendan educates himself to become a better leader so he can inspire his team to become better real estate agents.

Voice of Reason: From Resolution to Action

Todd shares what he learned in 2021: “How absolutely overwhelmed our client is.” He explains that he observed that many people felt confused and exhausted after hearing different messages from different sources during this pandemic in the real estate field and beyond.

That’s why he and his real estate team aim to be the voice of reason and clarity in 2022. He plans to achieve this goal by tailoring their message to give clients reassurance and reliability. He offers simple, straightforward solutions to their real estate needs amid the overwhelming factors in real estate transactions.

Todd also realized the power of onsite work interactions. He fosters mutual trust in the company by working shoulder-to-shoulder with his team every day.

His resolutions align with his overall work inspiration: “The only reason I’m building a business is to have a life of purpose and impact. A life that actually matters, that I’m proud of.”

Transform Your New Year’s Resolutions Into New Year’s Actions With the Help of Real Geeks

If you want to transform your New Year’s resolutions as a real estate agent into tangible actions like Brendan and Todd, you can partner with a competent IDX provider like Real Geeks. We offer an all-in-one real estate solution so you can grow your business in the upcoming year. Level up your real estate venture through our custom IDX real estate websites, web design, drip system, and CRM services.

Nov 29, 2021

 Are you looking to send lead generation emails to everyone on your database, past clients, or unconverted leads in your CRM? A great email marketing strategy is to send emails that contain details regarding how much their home is worth or if they’re interested in getting an offer for their home. In this blog post, we’ll guide you through the steps you need to know to set up your magical seller lead generation email. 

Sending Out Leads 

When you send emails, make sure that you send to warm leads rather than cold ones, and make sure to make it personal. No one wants spam in their emails and everyone knows what a templated email looks like, so don’t send out one of those. If it looks like junk mail or if it doesn’t look relevant, people are more likely to throw it away or unsubscribe. 

Where to Get a List of Emails

Before you can send out an email, you need a list of email addresses. These emails can be found from all of your contacts on Outlook, or your Gmail. Proceed to export all the people on your contacts to your email marketing program. Do the same for everyone on your cell phone and put them in a different spreadsheet. Then do the same for your existing CRM, whether you’re using Real Geeks or something else. Export everything except anyone who has unsubscribed from emails in that system. Another source is a dialer — these will make calls for you and may lead to people you’ve spoken to. Export these into another spreadsheet. 

Scrubbing Your Emails

Next, we need to scrub these emails — use NeverBounce.com to ensure that you don’t get bounced emails. This works by providing a ping to the email addresses to see if the actual mailbox works. A $50 subscription will be enough to scrub a couple of thousand emails, and businesses of all sizes use this tool. 

Eliminating Duplicates 

While you now have 4 to 5 spreadsheets of scrubbed emails, you will probably have a bunch of duplicates too. Use Myemma.com or Zoho Campaigns will help you send your marketing emails. Other tools include MailChimp and Salesforce for the big players. Upload each spreadsheet into your email marketing program so that the system automatically eliminates duplicates of the same email address. Now, you have a scrubbed, no-duplicate list of all your best contacts ready to get an email from you. 

What To do When the Domain Name isn’t Authenticated 

Be sure to do an SPF DKIM Authentication — Google will have a help file on how to set this up. Going through this process will significantly improve the likelihood of sending this email to mailboxes where it would be tagged as spam. 

Enjoy Limitless Lead Generation 

With the steps above, you should be able to get a wealth of leads from emails sent to your contacts. However, this isn’t meant to be done all the time and you can’t send out an email every single week. Keep in mind that this method is best used about once a month or once every two months.

 

You can download a pdf of all the emails from this episode HERE

Nov 1, 2021

Chris Watters, one of the top real estate agents in Austin, is our guest this week on Keeping it Real - LIVE from Inman Connect in Las Vegas!

In 3 years, back when he re-launched his real estate team correctly after burning it down, he went from earning $0 in real estate to $1 million dollars net income (after expenses), all while out of production. It's a pretty incredible story on scaling up a real estate team.

In short, the secret is he started recruiting agents immediately to his online leads. In addition to that, Chris raised money from local businesses who benefit downstream from new movers (not on the settlement statement), all who chipped in financially toward his marketing costs to buy the online buyer and seller leads in the first place.

This is one of the fastest stories of scaling up a real estate team we've heard on Keeping it Real. We're excited to interview Chris so you can model his success. If you're working to build up your real estate team fast from scratch, this is one you should tune in for!

For a complete transcript of this episode go to KeepingItReal.com 

 

Oct 7, 2021

Daniel Priestly is an internationally recognized leader in strategy and technology for entrepreneurial businesses based in the UK. 

In the next Keeping It Real as host Todd Tramonte and Daniel dive into Daniel’s book “Key Person of Influence”. They will explore some of the simple but powerful steps to help you make your mark.     

“Key Person of Influence” details the five skills that will make you more “vital”. Join us to find out how you can utilize these skills to make you the go-to person in your market!

You can get a free pdf version of “Key Person of Influence” on Daniel’s website here. 

Sep 23, 2021

Craig Schneider has been a driving force in Rochester’s new construction residential real estate sector for more than 15 years.

Craig was a Real Geeks user but left after frustrations with building his brokerage around the website and CRM. He experimented with using many different platforms for his business that eventually didn’t work out either. He'll discuss what he was looking for, why some of the platforms he tried didn’t work for him, and why he eventually came back to Real Geeks. PLUS, how he’s using it now!

Join host Todd Tramonte as he dives into how Craig has been able to maximize the Real Geeks platform for lead generation and distribution for his entire team with a very high return on investment.

Sep 17, 2021

Join us for this Keeping it Real where you’ll learn how to reconnect with your neglected past clients, sphere, and lead nurtures so more people call you without spending a lot of money.

You’ll learn a simple process to export all your contacts into one file - properly de-duplicated and scrubbed - so you can email them a re-connect message about the latest local real estate news. You'll get a copy of this message on the show.

Then, you’ll put everyone on a “36 touch” plan so you’re top of mind as their go-to real estate agent. You’ll even be able to track who engaging with you so you can follow up.

The strategies you’ll learn to do this are inexpensive and simple. As a bonus, not only can you reconnect with your database, but you can also work the databases of other agents in your market for a referral fee – a low-risk way of generating high-quality leads for yourself.

Join Frank Klesitz this week to learn everything you wanted to know about how to get the most business from your #1 asset – all those emails, phone numbers, and mailing addresses sitting in your Gmail, Outlook, mobile phone, and CRM(s).

Sep 3, 2021

Kevin Kauffman and his business partner Fred Weaver have 25 agents on their real estate sales team in Phoenix. They sold 306 homes last year ($110 Million).

They originally set their agent splits based on what’s taught in the Millionaire RealEstate Agent book. Their bottom line, however, was only 10-20%.

After reflecting on that, they decided to actually increase their agent splits to 60/40 and70/30 (in favor of the agent), while cutting all the fixed, hard costs their agents saw as “low-value,” but in fact were very high cost to them.

Kevin says his agents are happier than ever, keeping more money, and his business is now more profitable than ever. This is a topic we wanted to dive deeply into with you!

Join Frank Klesitz and Greg Harrelson for this insightful Keeping it Real.

We talk about the optimal way to pay your agents if you have a real estate team. Kevin shares how he did it, how his numbers work, and why it was the best move for their agent/team model. This is a hot topic with a lot of opinions - this is an exciting discussion!

To hear even more from Kevin:
Join Kevin's Facebook Group
Listen to Kevin's Podcast
Watch Kevin's Youtube channel for Realtors

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