There isn’t a week that goes by where I don’t talk to a stuck agent who wants to quit real estate. While there are a select few who may need to move on, the majority of stuck agents are just a few practical steps away from turning it all around. No matter how far away you feel from success or how long you have been there I believe there is still hope for you yet. So stop looking at job listings and press play on this episode!
Fear is the stuck agent’s worst enemy. Some agents are so scared of their ability to handle the workload of success that they shy away from doing the things that would give them more than one client at a time. The root of fear (and specifically fear of success) is often a limiting belief. “I can’t do this because...fill in the blank”. It doesn’t really matter what that blank is because almost 100 percent of the time it’s a lie. The blank is something we picked up along the way, either from people or circumstances, that tells us we are not enough. It tells us that no matter what we do we will never succeed. Friend, hear me when I tell you that is an absolute lie. It’s time to start commanding fear out of your life and tearing down limiting beliefs! I believe in you and this episode will help you start the journey of getting your mind ready for success.
The more I coach stuck agents the more I realize one thing: Stuck agents are often great students and terrible at applying what they’ve learned. What I mean is that it’s usually easy and fun to learn all about real estate, but when it comes down to actually doing the work a lot of agents fall short. The reason? They have shiny object syndrome. They obsess over the latest strategy that will “explode their business” only to forget about it next month when a new one comes to light. They never stick with anything long enough for it to actually produce results or they only do something if it’s fun. The problem with the latter is that the steps that lead you to success aren’t always fun. Sometimes they are tedious and require a great deal of self-discipline. If I’m describing you right now, don’t get discouraged! Listen to this episode because I want to help.
You will never be able to gain consistency in your life and real estate business without taking on your limiting beliefs and the clutter in your business strategy. They are distractions and you will always gravitate towards the wrong things if you don’t face this now and from now on. I say that because if fear is something you’ve dealt with in the past you may be tempted to let it creep back into your life as you experience new levels of success. Or maybe you used to consistently chose what was fun and enjoyable over hard and necessary work. That is something that requires a daily commitment to overcome. Identify where fear and distractions are getting in the way of your success and commit to taking the necessary steps to ensure that they stay out of the way.
Once you get your head in the right place and recognize the distractions in your strategy, it’s time to focus on the things that will drive your business. You need a great chase pillar that will generate leads. You need a matchmaking system that will convert those leads and a business tracker to help you stay on top of your calls and mailings. Then you need to day block so that you can stay consistent in your strategy and get the results that come out of that. It sounds simple, but so many agents go after the fun and flashy business plan over a strategy that is clear and congruent to them. Don’t be that person. Be an uncommon agent and put the work in now so that you can reap the benefits for years to come.
Recommended Resources
Connect with Neil!
Schedule a free 30 minute breakthrough call with Neil, schedule your call at neilmathwegcoaching.youcanbook.me
And connect with me on ANY of the following social channels. I LOVE social!
And finally, if you would be so kind - leave a rating and review for the Agent Rise podcast on Apple Podcasts (formerly iTunes)
Last week I unveiled the Agent Rise 10 Steps for Success and focused on how they can empower the new real estate agent. This week I want to take a deep dive on how these steps can be a game changer for the stuck agent. If you feel like you’re at the end of your rope because you’ve “tried everything”, this episode is for you. Take a deep breath and get ready to be encouraged because right behind that play button is a world of perspective to help you get to the next level.
Relax, I said vulnerable...not weird. The truth is I think most stuck agents try to overcompensate for their lack of productivity with the perception of perfection. They hide behind an image of success hoping that it will catch up to reality sooner or later. That’s why the idea of sending out an announcement letter to your sphere of influence that honestly communicates where you are struggling to breakthrough seems terrifying. Like it or not, vulnerability is relatable. If your sphere is supposed to be the people who already know, like, trust you then this could be a critical move to building a stronger an effective database. Need more convincing? Check out this episode for greater insight.
For weeks now, I’ve been stressing the importance of the sphere of influence pillar. However, for the stuck agent, it’s the chase pillar that is going to revitalize your real estate business. The sphere IS important, but as someone who has been a realtor for a while, you likely have that in place to a degree. Stuck agents need to focus on what drives their business to get moving in the right direction again. Maybe you doubt your chase because what you’ve tried in the past has failed. Don’t discount the chase altogether because of a misstep! Figure out where you went wrong last time and put the right systems in place to convert leads to sales. This episode is full of tips on how to make the most of your chase.
Nothing can be quite as refreshing to a stuck agent as creating a system that increases the repeatability of success. This means there is a light at the end of the tunnel! For a new agent, this might seem like a low success step on the totem pole. However, stuck agents know the value of putting a good system in place because it eliminates the fear of success. The reality is systems help you do more because it takes unpredictability out of the equation. Go from doing maybe three transactions a month to seven or eight by getting the right systems in place to drive your real estate business.
Most real estate agents are ok with asking another agent in the office to hold them accountable. There’s just one problem with that: it rarely works. Largely, because it results in a blind leading the blind situation. The agent your asking to hold you accountable may be as lost as you are on how to move from stuck to success. This is why I recommend paid coaching. If you pay someone you are far more likely to pay attention and they are far more likely to know what they’re doing. This will enable you to develop a clear plan that’s congruent to you so that you can stay consistent and get to the next level.
Recommended Resources
Connect with Neil!
Schedule a free 30 minute breakthrough call with Neil, schedule your call at neilmathwegcoaching.youcanbook.me
And connect with me on ANY of the following social channels. I LOVE social!
And finally, if you would be so kind - leave a rating and review for the Agent Rise podcast on Apple Podcasts (formerly iTunes)
If you are a new agent or a real estate agent who’s been at it for a while but feels like you’re not making any headway, you’ve found the PERFECT episode to listen to. As I’ve been reading Donald Miller’s great book, “Storybrand” I’ve been inspired in a lot of ways. But one of the biggest things it’s brought to light is that my experience as an agent has given me insight into how to set up a new agent’s business from square one - or how to help stuck agents get unstuck.
This episode is my introduction of the Agent Rise Steps - 10 things you need to understand and apply in order to set up your business for success if you are a new to real estate. And if you’re an old hand at this but need a little guidance, you’ll see that these 10 steps toward success apply perfectly for you too. Take the time to listen and change your real estate career forever.
Put 100 people in a “Sphere of Influence” database
Mail an announcement letter
Select and maintain your “Sphere of Influence Pillar”
Generate leads with your “Chase Pillar”
Convert leads with your “MatchMaker” System
Systematize your business
Grow your “Sphere of Influence” database to 300 and build a “Top 25”
Select and maintain an “Attraction Pillar”
Accountability and consistency
Teambuild and coach others
OK, there are many terms in there that seem like jargon - things you sort of understand but don’t quite get. If you haven’t been listening to this podcast for a while that’s definitely the case. But don’t worry, I’m going to break down every one of these steps in this episode. I give explanations and examples of each with nothing held back, so don’t sweat it.
In any business, there are certain things that have to be done that are more appealing, more fun for the business owner or team than other things are. It’s a reality. But it’s important to keep yourself focused on the things that matter and the timing in which they matter. STEP FOUR of my Agent Rise Steps has to do with implementing your “chase” pillar, which I’ll admit is not always the most fun to do. But it’s the heartbeat of your business.
What do I include in the chase pillar? Open houses - Facebook advertising - online leads - FSBOs and expireds - these are the things that generate leads for your business and MUST be done before you move to the more shiny objects that are honestly a bit more “fun.”
But it CAN be fun if you do it right. The matchmaker system I outline and teach in my Bootcamp is one of the tools that make it fun. It’s where the magic happens when it comes to generating interested leads. Listen to learn how you can get better engagement with leads, get more responses to your calls, and even create reasons you WANT to call more leads every week.
For some reason, in the real estate business agents tend to work on their business in hit and miss fashion. I understand how showings and listing appointments are random by nature and require a certain level of flexibility, but that doesn’t mean you can’t systematize other things to make them work flawlessly every single time.
I’m talking about things that DO need to follow a pattern, things like listing appointments, buyer consultations, your accepted offer process, etc. Every step along the way you need to have a specific process for how you do things.
When you do, there are tremendous benefits.
All of that comes by McDonaldizing your business - creating and using systems. This one step is powerful - it removes the fear of success.
It may seem a bit touchy-feely to talk about “loving” a group of people as a real estate agent, but that’s EXACTLY how you need to think about your “Top 25 List.” What is it? It’s a list of people who you deem to be incredibly valuable to your business because of their ability and/or willingness to give you referrals that generate business.
Take the time to identify these people, then create a system that enables you to love them well and consistently. Buy and give away great books, provide birthday gifts when their special day comes, whatever it takes, you want to take care of these cherished referral partners. You should not only do it because it is the right thing to do - out of gratitude for what they are doing for you - but it keeps you top of mind so they remember how much they appreciate what you’re doing for the people they refer to you.
Who are the kind of people who make YOUR “Top 25 List?” It's going to be different for every agent. For me, there are a couple of unlikely people. One is a propane tank delivery driver and another is a mail carrier. Who will make YOUR list?
I hope you take the time to listen to this episode - more than once. When you systematically work through each of the Agent Rise Steps in order, you’ll set up your real estate business for the kind of success that can’t be stopped.
Recommended Resources
Easy Agent Pro - to get a website like mine (neilmathweg.com) go to www.easyagentpro.com/oj
The Agent Marketer - to take your digital marketing to next level go to www.TheAgentMarketer.com
To hear more great shows like Agent Rise visit www.industrysyndicate.com
Schedule a free 30 minute breakthrough call with Neil, schedule your call at neilmathwegcoaching.
And connect with me on ANY of the following social channels. I LOVE social!
And finally, if you would be so kind - leave a rating and review for the Agent Rise podcast on Apple Podcasts (formerly iTunes)
Trust is the thing. It’s the bomb. It’s the key to success as a real estate agent. You won’t even get the opportunity to serve people unless they feel they can trust you. So work out the logic on that - you should learn how to help people trust you - even before they meet you. Right?
This episode is about that. I’ve been reading the book, “How To Build A Storybrand,” by Donald Miller. It’s an amazing look into the fact that everyone is living out their own story - and those of us who make our living offering services to others need to learn how to understand their stories. When we do, we’ll be able to offer them exactly what they want and need, to their delight.
What’s that got to do with building trust with those who haven’t even met us? Listen to this episode and you’ll find out.
Yes, shame on me! I’ve done it myself. We all tend to speak about the things we’ve done to get a win for our clients. We talk about the credentials we’ve earned and the things that make us a better choice than the agent down the street (or in the next office). But there’s a problem with that approach.
Our customers don’t care.
Really, they don’t care. They aren’t interested in those things nearly as much as they are interested in knowing if we understand them and can help them get what they want and need. When you’re able to do that, you are able to build trust with them - which is what enables them to choose you as their real estate agent.
The first thing most people do when they are looking to work with a company or individual is to check out their website, right? When they go to YOUR website, what do they find? It might interest you to know that most people visit the “About” page immediately upon landing on your site.
Why is that? They want to know if you are the kind of person they can trust.
Building trust with people is key and sadly, most of us agents don’t know how to do it well. So here’s a bit of homework for you. Go to your own “About” page and read it. Does it make you out to be the greatest thing since sliced bread, or does it resonate with your potential customer’s needs? If you honestly say it’s the first of those options, you have some work to do.
Building trust with people happens over time, as you consistently communicate your message. So it makes sense to ask, “What message am I communicating?” and “What message SHOULD I be communicating?”
People who are looking for a real estate agent aren’t necessarily looking for the best agent - even though they may say they are. What they are really looking for is a person they believe will best understand their wants and needs and be able to help them meet those wants and needs.
That’s where the content you share on social media, on your blog, via Snapchat needs to demonstrate that you understand homebuyer (and home seller) needs. It’s a subtle shift in your messaging that could make all the difference when it comes to building trust.
How many times do your customers give you an exact description of the type of home they are looking to buy and then wind up buying something that doesn’t match that description at all? It happens a lot. Why? Because there are deeper issues at play, things having to do with lifestyle and way of life that they aren’t totally clear about initially.
Listen to this episode to hear my example of how you can build trust with people by tapping into the lifestyle needs they don’t even know they have. It’s a sure fire way to enable them to trust you more because of the way you care for them in the home buying process.
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And connect with me on ANY of the following social channels. I LOVE social!