Every week, I meet with eight top-producing agents on the East Coast. We Zoom in at our scheduled time, check-in with each other’s goals, share strategies that have been working for our teams, and hold each other accountable.
Last week, we conducted a webinar for the first time, each sharing one of our strengths as a team leader or business owner. What resulted were nine powerful sessions, each jam-packed with actionable strategies that anyone can implement.
I’m inspired by these people every week, and this webinar was no exception.
Keep reading for some highlights of each session, and watch the video for the full webinar!
Jill Biggs – Gain 25% and Market Share and Sell $400 million
Jill Biggs, team leader of The Jill Biggs Group, discussed how to gain 25% market share and sell $400 Million (full disclaimer: it doesn’t happen in year one). She has a rockstar personality and a work ethic that can’t be beaten, putting her at the top in Hoboken and Jersey City markets:
“People always ask, how do you sell so many properties? And the truth is, I outwork you.”
Jill Biggs
Real estate is not an easy business, but by setting clear goals, tracking and measuring, building a brand, and being consistent, you will see growth every year.
Lisa Chinatti – Get Offers Accepted
Lisa Chinatti leads the number one team in Massachusetts, the Chinatti Realty Group. In today’s market, she and the 70 agents on her team know that getting offers accepted in a competitive buyers market is challenging.
“Rapport with the listing agent is a little different. It’s not the phone call that it was in 2019.”
Lisa Chinatti
Here are a few quick tips to make the listing agents’ job easier while building rapport:
- Understand the personality type of the average listing agent.
- When you submit an offer, submit the complete package as one PDF.
- Include a cover sheet that allows the agent to skim the important information.
- Explain what type of buyer you are working with.
- Remind the listing agent of the end goal and your experience in the industry.
Doug Edrington – Leveraging a Team
Doug Edrington, leader of The Edrington Team in Chattanooga, TN, discussed how to leverage your team. As real estate agents, we know that we don’t have the skillset to do it all ourselves. Whether you are a new or experienced agent, there are numerous ways you can leverage your team. Here’s a tip for newer agents:
- Find a mentor and split your commission with them on your first 5-10 deals.
- Create a cadence and structure around that mentorship to gain skills needed.
“Agents sell 10 houses way faster than they would without that mentor. Even sharing your paycheck, you’ll make more money in a condensed amount of time, but the key is, you’ll have so much more knowledge.”
Doug Edrington
Byron Lazine – Build a Real Estate Content Calendar
Many of you know this is one of my favorite topics. Building a brand is essential in real estate, and in order to be consistent, you must build a repeatable content calendar, and set up accountability to follow through with it.
“Your ability to put out a 5-7 minute video that lives on forever and speaks to people over and over – you can’t duplicate those kind of conversations. And we all need to have conversations every day.”
Byron Lazine
Aside from creating a content calendar, here are three big takeaways for building a brand today:
- Do Instagram Reels three times a week.
- Interview as many local people as you can, and tag them in your posts.
- Comment on at least 20 different accounts every day.
Karen Peters – Client Care and Sphere
Karen Peters, leader of the Karen Peters Group in Massachusetts, is the queen of taking care of her clients and sphere. In the past five years, her team has built a reputation with client pop-ins. In 2020, 40% of her team’s sales came from their sphere of influence and past clients – thanks to these monthly surprises for clients.
Her roadmap to success includes eight steps:
- Plan
- Order
- Tags
- Delivery List
- Assemble
- Post
- Delivery Time
- Thank Yous
“If you make it beautiful, and make it relevant and fun, they will remember you.”
Karen Peters
Josh Rubin – Geographic Farming
We all know real estate in New York City is different than other markets, and the leader of The Rubin Team, Josh Rubin, has mastered geographic farming in the city.
Geographic farming is essentially building your brand by mailing selected neighborhoods or buildings. Instead of focusing on what he has done as a real estate agent, his postcards focus on the consumer.
“Did I start off by saying, ‘Hey, I just sold this apartment?’ No. I pivoted and said, ‘This is about you.’”
Josh Rubin
Here are a few ways to make your postcards focus on the consumer:
- What’s selling in the neighborhood
- What’s available
- What’s under contract
- Local events or happenings
- Your activity in the neighborhood
Scott Kompa – How to Beat Zillow
Everyone loves to hate Zillow. Scott Kompa from The Scott Kompa Real Estate Group in South Jersey discussed how to beat the disrupters in the industry.
“Zillow isn’t the devil. They’re a disrupter. They’re an evolution. And yes, Zillow now is a competitor. But they’re also a teacher. They are creating a consumer-friendly model. If we emulate Zillow, and we scale, we can thrive too.”
Scott Kompa
Presently, there’s no way Zillow can beat local agents on a local level, if the agents are innovating and marketing. Here are some ways to stay ahead of disrupters on your own listings:
- Claim your business on Google My Business.
- Build up your Google reviews.
- Geotag photos of past sales using geoimgr.com and upload to your Google Business Account. (Do not use geotagged images on the MLS).
- Create a website for every listing, with geotagged photos and additional information than what is on the MLS. This will rank your information higher than competitors.
Jon-David Lenard – Onboarding to Train & Retain
Jon-David Lenard, Team Leader of The Lenard Team on Long Island, discussed how to train and retain agents for your team. He shares three pillars he brings to his agents during onboarding:
- Accountability. You must incorporate two types of accountability: internal and external.
- Time Management. Time block your day, including time for your morning routine, filling your pipeline, prospecting, managing your current clients, and appointments.
- Negotiation. Never accept a no when yes is a possibility.
“Drive got me through my first year, and it’s what picked me up and got me through my second year. If you want to be in this business and you’re an entrepreneur, you’ve got to have that drive. But if you’re constantly pushing that boulder up the hill, and it’s constantly getting heavier, you have to combine that with discipline.”
Jon-David Lenard
Tom Toole – Sweat Equity Listing Lead Generation
With over 90 listings in the past year, Tom Toole, leader of the Tom Toole Sales Group, knows sweat equity is the only way to convert leads. He shared how to increase listing lead sources and mindsets to be aware of.
“When you list, you last. Listings give you leverage. When you have multiple listing opportunities… and one thing goes awry, you’re still good to go.”
Tom Toole
- You must make an appointment with yourself, every day, to make calls and fill your pipeline.
- Learn your scripts and understand how to ask the right questions.
- Be the knowledge broker.
- Know where to get listings:
- Work your sphere
- Leverage your listings and sales
- Expired listings
We all know that watching a webinar is one thing – taking action is another. What are you implementing from these sessions?
Watch the entire webinar here!