It takes a tremendous amount of courage to be true to yourself, to listen to your heart and follow your vision. This onion juice episode is inspired by a conversation I had with a good friend of mine, Caleb Jahr. Caleb is a talented young man and a fellow realtor at Realty Executives here in Madison. Caleb understands the power of being a media company that happens to sell real estate, but like many of us got sidetracked on his vision after some discouraging advice was offered. I had a feeling Caleb may not be alone, some of you may have also experienced this, so episode 115 is focused on courage, specifically the courage it takes to follow your vision.
If you are a media company who happens to sell real estate, there's a good chance not everyone will understand your approach. In the real estate business, there are many agents who follow a very traditional approach. Be professional, network a lot, polish everything...this is how you generate business. While this approach works for many realtors, the opposite is also true. People relate better to imperfect people, or videos that are unpolished. I have received the most views on my videos that are spontaneous or something unexpected happens. The key to being successful here is understanding that not everyone will understand why you present content this way, but it is important to retain your own voice and style.
Caleb Jahr is not a man who lacks vision. Through his daily Vlog, he has not only built a following around Madison but has earned the trust and the business of several individuals. He is authentic and real and fun to listen to. When a mentor tried to encourage him by telling him that the Vlog would ultimately hurt his reputation because it was “unprofessional,” Caleb adopted a different vision, ruining the first one. For a while, he stopped Vlogging and started using a traditional approach. Andrew Wommack, a teaching pastor I listen to often said: “if you want to ruin a man’s vision, give him two.” Caleb had two ideas of how he should build a client list and generate business, both very much in conflict with each other. The mentor was not intentionally trying to undermine him, he just didn’t understand Caleb’s vision.
I know that many of you juicers enjoy the process as much as the end results. It’s so important that you are having fun while you are attracting business. I could jump on Zillow and generate leads to build my team and probably see an increase in business, but I would not enjoy it, it would not fulfill me. I am launching the “I Love Madison” show because I love the climb. I believe at the end of the day this nontraditional strategy will work because I love what I do and people see that.
If you are at a roadblock, being a media company that happens to sell real estate and you are struggling, call me, I want to talk you through it and help you keep going! If you are afraid to start, call me. It’s hard to start, but once you get going, it won’t be long before you are comfortable, then you will be celebrating the one year mark, then two and it keeps growing from there. Mathweg Money Trivia and the Onion Juice are examples of this. Even today, I am reliving these principles as I launch the “I Love Madison” show. I feel like I have built this giant jet plane and I am not even sure if it will fly, but it is something that I believe in, and believe it will have an incredible impact on my community.
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