Colorado Springs Real Estate Careers with Jason Daniels

A few tips for new or aspiring entrepreneurs

What does it take to become a successful entrepreneur? I’m often asked this question by fledgling business owners, and it’s no wonder: Entrepreneurship comes with its fair share of risks. Because of that, developing good habits and practices right from the word go is very important.

Above all, success in your entrepreneurial pursuits depends on your determination. You need to make sure you’re determined to achieve the goals you set out to achieve. More than just fame or fortune, it’s about your value proposition. If the value of what you’re selling goes above and beyond what people are paying for it, you’re sure to succeed.

In one of my previous videos, I discussed the importance of being an early riser and sticking to a morning routine, which is a key ingredient in your success as an entrepreneur as well. If you missed it, you can check it out here.

In addition, I’d recommend reading the book “Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business” by Gino Wickman. In it, he provides a blueprint for strategic planning and setting quarterly “rocks” or goals. Whether you’re just now getting your business off the ground or you want to take it to the next level, reading this book will help you map out where you want to go.

Your focus will also be instrumental to your success. The more you focus on fine-tuning your sales and marketing, the more your focus will expand to not only reach the people who know, like, and trust you, but to create new lines of communication with people in the marketplace.

You’re probably wondering how many hours a week you’ll have to dedicate. It’s important to discipline yourself to treat entrepreneurship as a job. When you’re first starting out, you can probably expect to work 10 to 12 hours a day, six or seven days a week. Eventually, you’ll need to return to a healthy work-life balance, but in the short term, being an entrepreneur will demand your undivided attention and a lot of time, energy, and effort.

If you have any questions about today’s topic or you’d like to schedule a one-on-one consultation, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I look forward to speaking with you!   

What is your plan for converting internet leads? The answer boils down to three factors: your immediate, mid-term, and long-term follow up. 

Statistics say that the average buyer starts looking at homes online two years before they’re actually ready to buy. Here in the Colorado Springs area, the average is closer to six to 12 months, but we still have some buyers who need to buy sooner than that (i.e., within the next 30 to 60 days).

How does our team handle these types of leads?

Let’s start with our immediate follow-up. In this case, we reach out to someone within five to 10 minutes of registering on our website. Whether it’s an ISA or an agent, they’ll call between three to five times that day without leaving a voicemail. If you leave a voicemail, the potential buyer may tag your number and block it, or just never call you back. We try and spread out these phone calls throughout the day.

We also follow up via text and email—a lot of clients that we’re able to convert started with a text message conversation. I won’t say whether this is a generational trend, but a lot of people prefer to respond to a text than a call.

Our mid-term follow up is for buyers who, once we make contact with them, indicate that they’re ready to buy within 60 to 90 days. In the meantime, we reach out to them about once a week and build up our rapport.

Our long-term follow up is for buyers who want to buy after 90 days, and we typically reach out to them twice a month with a text or email.

It’s best to have a CRM in place to track these leads, and there are dozens of good ones out there that you can choose from. Your goal should be consistent follow up—the leads work when you work.

If you have any questions about this topic or need help with your follow-up strategy, feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I’d love to help you.

I got my start in real estate back in 2003, when I had just moved back to Colorado Springs and didn’t have a lot of prospects. Through grit, determination, and the help of my mentor and father, Brian Daniels, I learned the ropes.

My father told me that he wouldn’t give me a business, but would instead make me earn it. The interesting thing was that everyone he knew was already on his list of clients, meaning that I’d have to create a whole new sphere of influence.

When I started out selling homes, I was working mostly through referrals, making calls, writing notes, pop-bys, and expanding my sphere. I would ask the people I contacted “If you had a family member or friend who was going to buy a home, do you have a Realtor you would refer to them?” That way, I could avoid asking them directly if they were planning to sell their home—doing that on a regular basis might have inclined them to start avoiding my calls and emails.

Building my business came down to setting goals and then working backward from there. I would decide how many homes I wanted to sell, come up with a gameplan, and set myself to work every morning and afternoon answering calls and emails.

To be a top producer, it takes a couple things beyond just grit, determination, and professionalism. I recommend those who want to become high-level agents in the industry to get their education. I don’t just mean the continuing education that the state requires, but also diving in deep to learn more about the industry. Classes are available at title companies and seminars for you to delve into certain topics to enhance your business.

Additionally, once it's within your budget, you might consider traveling to other areas of the country for conferences, networking, and coaching from other top producers around the nation. I’ve had many different coaches throughout the years, and I definitely recommend serious agents find their own mentors to learn from their knowledge and expertise.

Doing this myself, I’ve managed to build up an agent network from which I get referrals. It’s also how I started to build my own team, which allowed us to do more expansive marketing campaigns to garner more leads.

To be a top producer in Colorado Springs, you also need to learn how to play nicely with others. Yes, we do represent our clients’ best interests, but there’s a certain way that high-level agents need to handle themselves during transactions. When we work peer-to-peer and Realtor-to-Realtor, we want to maintain a professional relationship. The MLS is, after all, a cooperative resource that is best utilized when we all work well together.

Ultimately, if you make goals, find a mentor or coach, work hard, start with people you know to build your database, and continue in that fashion, you can become a top producer in the field.

If you have any questions or need any advice about how to advance your own career as an agent, please feel free to reach out to me. Indeed, that’s why I started this brokerage: I wanted to help more agents reach their goals.

I hear this question a lot from my fellow agents: Should I hold client events?

Absolutely! If you want to grow your referral base, these events are crucial. We do four major events each year, but you don’t need a huge budget to host something great. Starting out with a simple happy hour gathering for your best clients can be a great way to test the waters. Then, you can focus on bigger, better events for your entire client list.

It’s always good to have small get-togethers to supplement these big events. Take your biggest clients and go golfing, attend a sporting event, etc. Don’t overspend, and absolutely do not forget to follow up after these events. Thank them for coming, share pictures of the event, and so on.

If you have any questions or need further information about making your business more successful, feel free to reach out to me. I look forward to helping you.

Today I’m excited to talk about some of the top sources for listing leads. Here’s my list for all of the other agents out there:

1. Sphere and past clients. I can’t stress this enough. Embrace and engage with your sphere and past clients. When you talk to them, make sure they know you’re never too busy for their referrals.

2. A network of agents. 10 years ago, this was a lot harder to do because you had to do it in person. With the advent of social media, it’s much easier. I do recommend meeting people in person when you can, but it really makes sense to reach out to agents in communities where military homebuyers are coming into Colorado Springs. Do your research and start finding these Realtors on Facebook and LinkedIn.

3+4. FSBO/Expired. A lot of people don’t like working these lists, but they should. These are two groups of people who you already know want to sell their home. In the last year, we’ve seen more people using a Realtor than in the previous 10+ years. Things are getting a little bit more complicated in terms of marketing, so these types of home sellers want expert advice. Nine times out of 10, I find that expired listings happen because of the previous agent’s error. The key is to pick one strategy and stick to it. Don’t get distracted by shiny objects. Just find a system and stick to it.

If you have any questions about any of these strategies or anything else related to the real estate business, don’t hesitate to give me a call or send me an email today. I’d love to hear from you.

Follow the three components laid out in the book “The Miracle Morning” by Hal Elrod:

2. Exercise

3. Coordinate the rest of your day

This is the same routine that I follow every morning. After I wake up at 5:30, I go to the gym and get a workout in. Then I head back home and read scripture and/or part of whatever motivational book I’m reading at the time. I’m learning more and more about meditation, so that’s also something you could try for this step.

When coordinating your day, sit down and fill out your “Dominate Your Day” sheet that I talked about in a previous video. When you plan your day ahead of time, you can focus on it before it gets away from you.

"If you immediately start checking your emails or logging onto Facebook, that will sidetrack your entire day."

If you have kids, wake up however early you need to to get this done before they get up. The one thing you don’t want to do first thing in the morning is check your smartphone. If you immediately start checking your emails or logging onto Facebook, that will sidetrack your entire day.

If you’d like to talk more about how you can make your morning routine more productive or you have any other questions about this topic, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’d be glad to help you.

If you want to get an idea of what it’s like working at Jason Daniels & Associates at RE/MAX Millennium, I invite you to take quick tour of our state-of-the-art office. We have a deluxe client waiting room, a spacious cafe for clients and agents, two conference rooms, 13 private offices, and four additional meeting offices. Everywhere you go, you’ll also have the latest technology at your fingertips. On the outside, we’re conveniently located right along the northern powers corridor. To get the full tour, watch this short video. 

If you have any more questions about how to create a productive work environment or there’s anything else I can help you with, don’t hesitate to give me a shout. I’d be happy to help you.

If you want to grow your business, you need to have a productive work environment. 

Some agents like to work from home, and that’s okay. Others like to have their office in an office. Here at RE/MAX Millennium, we offer both options. Either way, you’ll find a great work environment, and in our office, we have a cafe space, inviting decor, and a wonderful administrative team to support all our clients. 

In any case, here are a couple tips to help you ensure a productive work environment.

Create a productive work environment.

If you work from home and that’s important to you, you should treat your workday just like you would anywhere else. If you’d wear a suit and tie to the office, wear a suit and tie at home. Dress how you’d normally dress, whether you have an appointment or not. Otherwise, you might find yourself sitting on the couch with a bag of Doritos watching TV when you should be prospecting. 

It’s also important to have a regimented schedule when you work from home. If you have small children at home or you don’t have your own workspace there, you need to make sure you have a space in the office where you can actually get work done. Stay focused and don’t let yourself get distracted by emails or your smartphone (it’s not so “smart” if it’s distracting you). 

Studies have shown that there’s no such thing as multitasking, so take 60- to 90-minute periods throughout the day to focus on one thing. I promise you that if you do this, your productivity will increase, and I have plenty of other productivity hacks that I’d be happy to share with you if you’re interested. 

If you have any more questions about how to create a productive work environment or there’s anything else I can help you with, don’t hesitate to give me a shout. I’d be happy to help you.

With all modern methods of communication available today, like emails, texts, social media, and more, handwritten notes have become a lost art. 

Think about it: When is the last time you received a personal, pen-and-paper letter? 

Personally, I think reaching out this way is still important. This is why I spend some time each day to write five clients a personal note. Whether it’s an inquiry or simply a message of thanks—there is always a reason to send a handwritten note.

It’s been proven that writing three to five handwritten notes per day will boost your business. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve received a phone call from someone thanking me for taking this extra step in reaching out. 

Whether it’s an inquiry or simply a message of thanks—there is always a reason to send a handwritten note.

If you have any other questions or would like more information, feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.