On this episode of Messy in the Middle, Ed and Jefi discuss Chris Voss' book Never Split the Difference, which is all about negotiation and communication. They talk about why it's important to understand negotiation and communication, and they discuss how they have used the book and the additional class they took with the Black Swan Group to help improve their practices. They believe that if everyone had a better understanding of negotiation and communication, it would help them get to resolutions quicker and with less ego involved.

Click Here to learn more about Chris Voss and sign up for Negotiation Training.

QUOTES

• “When you position your questions to someone so that they can say no, you're giving them the power, and it creates a sense of safety and security.” - Ed Billings 

• “Ask open ended questions. What and why questions are probing. When you ask a question that end in a yes or no, you can answer it. That doesn't open it up for discussion.” -Jefi Moultrie 

TIMESTAMPS

02:50 Negotiation Strategies: Active Listening

12:14 Tactical Empathy in Building Rapport and Trust

18:14 Negotiation Skills: Accusation Audit and Request for Repairs

22:36 Conversation on the Power of No in Sales Techniques

RESOURCES

• Never Split the Difference
• The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
• The Peak Experience
• The U.S. Housing Market Has Peaked
• Why Rising Mortgage Rates Push Buyers off the Fence
• The One Thing Every Homeowner Needs To Know About a Recession

CONTACT

Messy in the Middle: messyinthemiddlepodcast.com

Ed Billings: edbillings.com

Jefi Moultrie: jefisrealestate.com

It’s time for a ten-minute takedown! This week Ed is challenging Jefi to participate in the preview challenge, which involves previewing all properties that come on the market in a 15-day period. Jefi and Ed emphasize the importance of challenges as a means of staying motivated and making progress. They discuss the benefits of previewing properties and how it can lead to increased activity in the market. They also share why in-person previewing of properties is a way to gain a better understanding of the property.

QUOTES

• “You can get a feel for the property and the overall picture of it, but when you actually go out and do the preview, it's a very different experience. You're going through it and you're experiencing the property. When I'm in it I can see what a person might be interested in and I begin to connect the dots.” - Ed Billings [03:07]

• “One of the things that put me off of this challenge was the thought of having to go see 23 homes in 15 days. But then Ed explained to me that I could just start with the last three days. So, If you're going to take this challenge, start small and start within the last three days.” -Jefi Moultrie [06:19]

TIMESTAMPS

01:34 Launching a Real Estate Preview Challenge

03:44 Property Previews and Deal Flow

09:46 Pop-By Follow-Up Strategy for Generating Churn in Real Estate

11:37 Real Estate Agent Success Story: Turning Prospects into Active Buyers

RESOURCES

• The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
• The Peak Experience
• The U.S. Housing Market Has Peaked
• Why Rising Mortgage Rates Push Buyers off the Fence
• The One Thing Every Homeowner Needs To Know About a Recession

CONTACT

Messy in the Middle: messyinthemiddlepodcast.com

Ed Billings: edbillings.com

Jefi Moultrie: jefisrealestate.com

Building a community around shared interests can be a powerful tool for bringing people together. This week, Jefi and Ed share tips and tricks on how to do something you love, share it with people you love, and build a community around it. As realtors, Jefi and Ed discuss the importance of organizing events to engage with your community and foster a sense of belonging. Whether it's through a running group or a casual get-together with friends, building community can be a valuable experience that can enrich your life in countless ways. 

QUOTES

• “If we don't feed our community’s soul, then the community is not going to grow. We're not able to give back if we don't fill ourselves up also.” -Ed Billings [03:35]

• “If you have a group of people that want to experience something new, don't be afraid to reach out to somebody who's an expert in that field and have them come and work with you.” -Jefi Moultrie [12:40]

TIMESTAMPS

00:46 Tips and Tricks for Building an Incredible Event Around Your Passion

05:20 Community Building: Exploring the Possibilities

09:31 Choosing the Right People and Creating a Pioneer Mentality

13:51 Event Ideas

RESOURCES

• The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
• The Peak Experience
• The U.S. Housing Market Has Peaked
• Why Rising Mortgage Rates Push Buyers off the Fence
• The One Thing Every Homeowner Needs To Know About a Recession

CONTACT

Messy in the Middle: messyinthemiddlepodcast.com

Ed Billings: edbillings.com

Jefi Moultrie: jefisrealestate.com

Are you in the market for a new home? Whether you're a first-time buyer or a seasoned homeowner, the process of finding the perfect property can be overwhelming. The real estate industry has undergone rapid changes in the past few years, and it can be challenging to keep up with the latest trends and technologies.

That's where knowledgeable and experienced real estate agents come in. In this week's episode of Messy in the Middle, Jefi Moultrie and Ed Billings discuss why realtors need to create an organized experience for buyers. 

QUOTES

• “As realtors, we want to make sure that we're intentional in the buyer experience and that we're providing the most value, which is around the ability to analyze a property and to negotiate transactions.” -Ed Billings [01:33]
• “I'm not just here to sell you this home. I'm going to be here when you need a gardener and when you need a plumber. When you're ready to sell your house in 20 years I'm going to be here for you. So I need to point out things in a showing because I don't want to catch you off guard when we have those conversations in the future.” -Jefi Moultrie [09:49]

TIMESTAMPS

00:59 Creating a Valuable Buyer Experience

02:21 Examining Price, Condition, Location, and Timing

03:05 Setting Expectations for Buyers

09:28 Negotiating the Home Buying Process

RESOURCES

• The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
• The Peak Experience
• The U.S. Housing Market Has Peaked
• Why Rising Mortgage Rates Push Buyers off the Fence
• The One Thing Every Homeowner Needs To Know About a Recession

CONTACT

Messy in the Middle: messyinthemiddlepodcast.com

Ed Billings: edbillings.com

Jefi Moultrie: jefisrealestate.com

In this week’s Messy in the Middle episode, Jefi Moultrie and Ed Billings share how you can find balance, reduce anxiety, and thrive in the changing real estate market. They discuss the importance of having a routine, implementing a discipline plan, and sticking to it. Jefi and Ed share how routine can keep you on track and help ensure that you reach your goals. 

QUOTES

• “Routine is going to help keep you on track. The danger is, if you don't stick with your routine it's really easy to fill your day with those non-work related items. We're realtors. We control our schedule and you can do a lot of C-level activity and not focus on more of the challenging A-level activity.” - Ed Billings [03:29]

• “There is this death by comparison happening with you, your friends, your cohorts, and your partners. The bottom line is that if you stick to your plan, the plan will bring business in due course, in due time.”- Jefi Moultrie [18:21]

TIMESTAMPS

2:34 Staying the Course During a Changing Market

8:17 Analyzing the Real Estate Market During the Traditional Season

12:09 Activity Begets Activity and Accountability Partnerships

18:34 Strategies for Managing Anxiety and Achieving Goals

RESOURCES

• The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
• The Peak Experience
• The U.S. Housing Market Has Peaked
• Why Rising Mortgage Rates Push Buyers off the Fence
• The One Thing Every Homeowner Needs To Know About a Recession

CONTACT

Messy in the Middle: messyinthemiddlepodcast.com

Ed Billings: edbillings.com

Jefi Moultrie: jefisrealestate.com

In this week’s Messy in the Middle episode, Jefi Moultrie and Ed Billings talk with Mario Sikora, Founder and CEO of Awareness to Action International, which provides executive coaching and enneagram-based leadership programs. Mario discusses the three instinctual domains of human behavior: preserving, navigating, and transmitting. He shares how people's biases can affect how they interact with others and how understanding these biases can help build rapport.

QUOTES

• “Do you ever go up to a door and you go to pull it and it doesn't open? So what do we do? We pull harder and we pull harder, and then we see a little sign that says push. Right? This is what we all do. We don't necessarily say, ‘Oh, that didn't work, so let me do the opposite’. We repeat things and we do this with our instinctual bias as well.” - Mario Sikora - Mario Sikora [20:26]

• “Take a deep breath, don't fall into these habitual patterns, and watch for what is appealing to other people instead of projecting onto them. That is the biggest, biggest thing. The key to this is not to try and use it to manipulate people, but to build rapport so we can help them.”- Mario Sikora [24:04]

TIMESTAMPS

3:10 Adaptive Strategies

5:45 The Enneagram, Instinctual Biases, and Home Decor

19:11 Identifying Navigators and Transmitters in Professional Settings

20:51 Understanding Instinctual Bias and Building Rapport

25:17 Communication Strategies for Business Owners of Different Personality Types

RESOURCES

• The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
• The Peak Experience
• The U.S. Housing Market Has Peaked
• Why Rising Mortgage Rates Push Buyers off the Fence
• The One Thing Every Homeowner Needs To Know About a Recession

CONTACT

Messy in the Middle: messyinthemiddlepodcast.com

Ed Billings: edbillings.com

Jefi Moultrie: jefisrealestate.com

In this week’s Messy in the Middle episode, Jefi Moultrie and Ed Billings share how you can avoid the fallout from rapid referrals and connect your clients with realtors they can trust. They discuss the importance of taking the time to assess your client’s needs, vetting the agents you refer, and leaning into the network of realtors you know. 

QUOTES

• “You know everyone you need to know. If you need a good referral lean into your network and ask.” - Ed Billings  [12:05]

• “Sometimes you refer people and it is not a match. That’s okay. It is how you handle it when it is not a match that matters. Keep communication going no matter what happens.”- Jefi Moultrie [14:25]

TIMESTAMPS

1:25 Resisting the Rapid Referral 

4:01 The Right Referral Process 

7:52 What to Consider When Making a Referral

12:06 Networking and Referrals 

14:30 Keeping Communication Open Regardless of Outcome  

RESOURCES

• The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
• The Peak Experience
• The U.S. Housing Market Has Peaked
• Why Rising Mortgage Rates Push Buyers off the Fence
• The One Thing Every Homeowner Needs To Know About a Recession

CONTACT

Messy in the Middle: messyinthemiddlepodcast.com

Ed Billings: edbillings.com

Jefi Moultrie: jefisrealestate.com

In this week’s Messy in the Middle episode, Jefi Moultrie and Ed Billings discuss the process of selling a homestead and the unique challenges that come with it. They talk about why it is important for real estate agents to recognize and manage emotions in their clients so they can understand them and make the home-selling process smoother and easier.

QUOTES

• “If you understand your client’s fears, you can help bring light to those things. It’s good to find out who is resistant and who is pushing.” - Jefi Moultrie [6:25]

• “When you're dealing with situations where there is finality or a long-term relationship with the home, they are closing a door and moving to the other chapter, you have to be really respectful of the emotion in the room that is latent there.” - Ed Billings  [13:28]

TIMESTAMPS

1:52 How to Handle Contention in Real Estate Transactions

4:26 Selling a Home with Aged Sellers and Family Involved

5:49 Working with Older Clients During Home Sales

13:14 Respecting Emotions During Real Estate Transactions

15:04 Navigating Family Dynamics in Real Estate Transactions

RESOURCES

• The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
• The Peak Experience
• The U.S. Housing Market Has Peaked
• Why Rising Mortgage Rates Push Buyers off the Fence
• The One Thing Every Homeowner Needs To Know About a Recession

CONTACT

Messy in the Middle: messyinthemiddlepodcast.com

Ed Billings: edbillings.com

Jefi Moultrie: jefisrealestate.com

In this week’s Messy in the Middle episode, Jefi Moultrie and Ed Billings talk about the benefits and challenges of working with friends. They discuss different qualities you want to look out for in a realtor and share three questions that can help you make a great decision when considering whether or not to work with a friend.

QUOTES

• “When you hire a realtor that is a friend we are not going into business together. You are hiring me for my services.” - Ed Billings  [02:05]

• “I have friends reach out to three friends that I have done business with to ask them questions about their experience working with me. This gives them a source to go and ask questions that isn’t me.” - Jefi Moultrie [06:55]

TIMESTAMPS

• [00:20] Intro
• [03:45] Three questions to ask when choosing a realtor
• [06:48] Utilizing other friends as a source
• [11:55] Project-based engagement
• [12:44] Let your clients fire you!

RESOURCES

• The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
• The Peak Experience
• The U.S. Housing Market Has Peaked
• Why Rising Mortgage Rates Push Buyers off the Fence
• The One Thing Every Homeowner Needs To Know About a Recession

CONTACT

Messy in the Middle: messyinthemiddlepodcast.com

Ed Billings: edbillings.com

Jefi Moultrie: jefisrealestate.com

In this week’s Messy in the Middle episode, Jefi Moultrie and Ed Billings discuss how Google Voice can be an asset for any realtor. They share how you can set it up, how it can be used as an organizational tool, and how you can use it to streamline communication. Ed and Jefi also explore strategies for business growth that can impact your whole team and keep you from missing out on opportunities and referrals.

QUOTES

• “If you don't have to handle the minutiae, then the minutiae can't pull you down.” - Ed Billings  [12:37]

• “The 101st person is just as important as the first. They just happen to be calling you at a different time. When your bandwidth gets so low over the 100 calls before the 101st, tracking with Google Voice really helps because there's a team working to make sure that the consumer and the agent are being taken care of, and this means you're taking care of your client.” - Jefi Moultrie [09:55]

TIMESTAMPS

• [00:20] Intro
• [05:09] How Google Voice can streamline communication
• [06:38] Utilizing a dedicated phone number for real estate marketing
• [10:34] Google Voice setup 
• [12:04] Leveraging time and enhancing customer service

RESOURCES

• The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
• The Peak Experience
• The U.S. Housing Market Has Peaked
• Why Rising Mortgage Rates Push Buyers off the Fence
• The One Thing Every Homeowner Needs To Know About a Recession

CONTACT

Messy in the Middle: messyinthemiddlepodcast.com

Ed Billings: edbillings.com

Jefi Moultrie: jefisrealestate.com