Real Producers

Business owners, community figures, entrepreneurs and valuable resources. These are just a few of the things that real estate agents represent.

These roles put real estate professionals in a unique position that most don't take advantage of. We can provide value through buying and selling a home, but there's so much more we could do. From investing in real estate in our own right and serving our communities, to helping the consumers across many categories, we can be the all-encompassing resource for the people we work with.

What are some of the avenues we can use to extend the value we provide? What value can we provide outside of just buying or selling a home? In this episode, I'm joined by Austin TX agent, Hannah Allen. She shares how her unique childhood led her to real estate and how she's extending her value outside of the transaction.

I don't consider myself solely a luxury real estate professional. I love being an all encompassing agent and a resource. -Hannah Allen

Three Things You'll Learn In This Episode

-The lost art of the bed and breakfast

What did Hannah learn from growing up under the same roof as bed and breakfast?

-Be the all encompassing agent

When you decide to go after luxury listings, how do you make sure you don't become so pigeonholed that you shut out other price points?

-Win the social media game

Most agents use platforms like Instagram to market themselves, but not LinkedIn. How is Hannah using the platform to strengthen her brand?

Guest Bio

Hannah Allen is an Austin TX agent and investor. Since before she was born, Hannah Allen's family has had a history of connecting to the greater community via politics, tourism, hospitality and art. Her family home in Central Texas was so welcoming in fact, that by the time she'd turned 7, an extra bedroom was opened to visitors. Soon after other bedrooms followed and the "Colcord House" bed and breakfast was born. During some visits to Austin, Hannah became hooked by the city and today she helps clients through real estate.

For more information, follow @hannahtwelverivers on Instagram.

Graduating college at 18, getting into real estate sales when the sky was falling, and then going on to accumulate $2 billion worth of real estate. That's Jonathan Spears' incredible journey. What drove this highly successful agent to take such a different path?

When you get a front row seat to an economic downturn and you have the drive to succeed, you take actions very few people are willing to take, moves they wouldn't even think of. How do you succeed in a highly competitive second home market?

In this episode, Jonathan tells his story, shares how he worked up to $3 million listings, and his mindset on spending when you start succeeding.

When you have a vision for what you want in your life, you have to chart out how you're going to achieve it. The only thing stopping you from achieving that vision is the action. -Jonathan Spears

Three Things You'll Learn In This Episode

-Starting college before he could drive

What led Jonathan to get into college while his peers were in high school?

-Relatability is a superpower

How did Justin successfully get into real estate as a very young college graduate?

-Great markets create bad agents

What does it take to succeed in this market?

Guest Bio

Jonathan has always considered himself an overachiever — someone who is unwilling to settle for the status quo. His exceptional drive was evident even as a teenager, when he enrolled in college before he could legally drive a car. Desiring to develop a greater understanding of the business side of the real estate profession, Jonathan opted to focus his studies at Florida State University on business and finance, graduating with a degree in Business Administration at 19 years old. Coupled with his natural entrepreneurial spirit, Jonathan discovered an opportunity to parlay his degree with his desire to launch a career in real estate when he started off working in the foreclosure resale business in his hometown of Destin, Fla. In 2015, Jonathan transitioned to luxury residential sales. Jonathan's greatest passion is to deliver exemplary service and keen expertise to help his customers achieve their real estate goals. He puts that knowledge to work every day, securing the best deal for his buyers and highest sale price for customers selling their luxury properties. He devotes uncompromising dedication and work ethic to his customers in every transaction. For more information, head to https://spearsgroupfl.com/ and follow @jonathanmspears on Instagram.

Some of the most motivational stories told from the stage come from people who climbed to the top, lost it all and clawed their way back up.

People mistakenly think that successful people just keep succeeding, but often they go through really difficult seasons and triumph over adversity. When you're in the thick of addiction, grief, and bankruptcy, you don't realize how your journey could help someone else when you share your journey.

Ben Lang endured a very difficult season in his life, and today, he shares that story from stages. How did he navigate a chain of painful losses? What did he learn through it? How has it impacted who he is as an entrepreneur?

In this episode, Ben tells his story, and how he always creates room for improvement in his life.

I truly believe the biggest room in the world is the room for improvement, and I never want to be stagnant or complacent. -Ben Lang

Things You'll Learn In This Episode

-Short sales 2.0

Can we expect the post-2008 short sale boom to make a comeback?

-Real estate one-stop shop

How did Ben develop a real estate service that solves more than one problem for consumers?

-The biggest room in this world

How did Ben triumph over a season of adversity, and how did he use it to transform his life?

-Insights from rock bottom

What are some lessons we can learn from the people who have overcome addiction?

Guest Bio

Ben Lang is a real estate agent, entrepreneur, speaker, founder of Lang Estates, and author of the upcoming book, Listing Domination. Lang Estates is a one stop shop for the consumer's real estate needs. Their top notch team of professionals provides multiple selling solutions other than just the traditional list. They offer instant cash offers, short sale solutions, fix & list, sale leaseback and more.

For more information, follow @langestates on Instagram.

When Gina Tufano was diagnosed with MS, she was told she'd never walk again. 10 years later, the unpredictable and invisible illness put her in a wheelchair, but not for long.

Gina got herself out of the wheelchair and into not just a 5k, but so many other incredible achievements. Her takeaways from this journey? Suffering is selfish and mindset is the key to overcoming anything.

How did she navigate her way through a difficult diagnosis and journey? What did she do to get out of the wheelchair? In this episode, the speaker, author and agent, shares her story, and how she has used a growth mindset to overcome MS and the implosion of her real estate business.

The worst thing about MS is it's unpredictable and invisible. You're always scared that the other shoe is going to drop, but you have to be able to let that go to live your life. -Gina Tufano

Three Things You'll Learn In This Episode

-Nothing to lose

Doctors told Gina that she'd never be able to walk again, but she proved them wrong. What protocols did she use to do this?

-Suffering is selfish

When you've been dealt a tough blow, it's easy to turn all your energy inward. How do you shift from the mindset of suffering and surviving into one of thriving and giving?

-The power of scaling down

In real estate, scaling down isn't a popular concept. How did Gina recover from the collapse of her real estate business to making double the money selling half the houses, with a team half the size?

Guest Bio

Gina Tufano isn't just a name known for 27 years of dedication to Northern Virginia's residential real estate. She embodies a journey of gratitude, personal growth, and transformative storytelling that resonates far beyond property lines. Having already shared her wisdom on the TedX stage, Gina has a knack for intertwining her vast professional insights with deeply personal narratives. These stories don't just touch upon real estate trends and strategies but dive deeper into the human experiences of aspiration, resilience, gratitude and grace. As an author, she's penned reflections that transcend industry jargon, touching hearts and inspiring action. Her voice, enriched with experiences as a dedicated mother and a tenacious professional, makes her a sought-after guest on platforms eager for genuine narratives. Outside the bustling world of a real estate agent, as a mother to three dynamic boys and a caregiver to a joyful troupe of pets, Gina's life lessons are as varied as they are impactful. Her tale isn't just about transactions; it's about grateful transformations. Now, Gina seeks to bring her unique blend of industry expertise and heartfelt storytelling to wider audiences. Whether it's speaking at a seminar, workshop, or podcast, her mission is to inspire, educate, and resonate. For a speaker who promises more than just insights, but a journey of the heart and mind, Gina Tufano stands unmatched. Engage with her and embrace a narrative that promises to enlighten and inspire.

For more information, go to http://ginatufano.com/.

Whether you sell solar panels, homes or software, attracting clients beats chasing leads and blindly dialing the database. To convert more business, we need a combination of branding, marketing and sales, but very few people do all 3 very well.

Salespeople are either really good at dialing or exceptional at having market visibility, but we need to get skilled at both.

What are the avenues of marketing and sales we have to invest in? How do we perfect our email marketing, social media and text messaging strategies?

In this episode, co-founder of Curaytor and author of The Conversion Code, Chris Smith shares the science of sales and marketing, and how to get more ROI out of them.

Stop chasing leads, start attracting clients. Inbound marketing is a very powerful tool if you combine it with outbound selling. -Chris Smith

Three Things You'll Learn In This Episode

-Respect the platform

Agents are guilty of syndicating their listings to multiple platforms, how does that work against you on social media?

-The sms-ification of emails

Most people think email newsletters should be long and super-branded. Can we get a lot of responses to an email as short as 9 words?

-What Chris learned from working with billionaires

How do the most successful people set themselves up for success with sales?

Guest Bio

Chris Smith is the co-founder of Curaytor (an Inc. 500 fastest-growing business) and he is one of the four best marketers under 40, according to the American Marketing Association. His book, The Conversion Code, is taught at colleges like Johns Hopkins University and he has been a guest lecturer at NYU.

Chris used the blueprint in his book to quickly grow his own company to eight figures in annual recurring revenue, without raising any venture capital. His work has been featured in Adweek, Forbes, Fortune, and many other publications.

Previously, Chris worked for two billionaires, a billion-dollar publicly traded company, and a startup that was acquired for nine figures. His first book, Peoplework, received endorsements from the CEO of Zappos and Gary Vaynerchuk, who wrote the foreword.

For more information, head to https://www.theconversioncode.com/.

Seniors are the largest segment of the real estate market, but they go largely unnoticed and underserved, even by the industry itself. Senior homeowners hold a significant amount of equity in this country, and as more big box investors take market share, single family homeownership is in danger.

The senior market needs a ton of attention and care, but the last thing they need is another real estate agent looking for the next transaction. This niche requires a completely different approach to any other niche in real estate.

What should the industry as a whole be doing to better serve seniors? Why did our guest choose this niche and how did she end up with 2 successful TV shows? How can agents with a heart for this segment get into it?

In this episode, we're joined by real estate entrepreneur and producer and host of the PBS shows, Empowering Seniors and Ageless Enthusiasm, Katherine Ambrose. She shares what it takes to help seniors, and why it should be a concern for everyone in real estate.

It's no longer about the transaction, it's about the transition, and helping the human being. -Katherine Ambrose

Three Things You'll Learn In This Episode

-From agent to TV show host

How did Katherine's journey lead her to working with PBS?

-Single family home ownership is under threat

How does serving seniors align with the very survival of the real estate industry?

-It's not just real estate

Seniors shouldn't be treated like typical real estate clients. What do they need from agents?

Guest Bio

Katherine Ambrose is a real estate entrepreneur, founder of Empowered Seniors, producer and host of the PBS shows, Empowering Seniors and Ageless Enthusiasm. Empowering Seniors a weekly television program on PBS Kansas. The show is based on Katherine Ambrose's popular Empowered Senior seminars held monthly at Botanica; and various workshops that Katherine offers across the country. Katherine covers a variety of topics on positive, empowered aging from downsizing, Senior Living options, Health/Wellness and living your best life today while planning for your best future, not by default, but by design.

For more information, head to https://empoweredsenior.org/ and https://theseniorcall.com/.

Most people trade their time for money, working to fund their lifestyles, not for financial freedom. The first step to freedom is getting that initial, passive investment deal that covers the cost of living your life.

Unfortunately, in a world that frames investing returns around moonshots and billion dollar windfalls, people don't realize the impact of smaller investments and returns. Once our survival income is covered, and we buy our time back, we don't have to work anymore, we get to work, and that's so much more fulfilling.

How do you find the right investment and start living live by design, not by default? What are some of the less hyped investment vehicles with good returns?

In this episode, I'm joined by the lifestyle investor himself, Justin Donald. He shares how he's working on becoming a time billionaire, one deal at a time.

It's just figuring out a way to invest where if things go bad, you don't lose everything and if things go well, you make a good return. -Justin Donald

Three Things You'll Learn In This Episode

-The least consolidated asset class

Are mobile home parks still a worthy investment or have most people missed the boat?

-Lose a little bit

In a world that frames investing returns around unicorns, moonshots and huge windfalls, what's the more realistic approach to building wealth?

-How to buy a business without buying a job

How do we identify invisible opportunities and other ventures that give us real freedom?

Guest Bio

Justin Donald is an investor, author, and the founder of The Lifestyle Investor. A master of low-risk cash flow investing, Justin's ethos is to "create wealth without creating a job." He excels at simplifying complex financial strategies, structuring deals, and disciplined investment systems that consistently yield profitable results.

After 21 months of investing, and before his 37th birthday, Justin's investments generated sufficient passive income for him and his wife Jennifer to leave their jobs. Following his straightforward investment system and 10 Commandments of Lifestyle Investing, Justin negotiated deals with over 200 companies, multiplied his net worth to over nine figures, and continues to maintain a family-centric lifestyle.

For more information, head to https://lifestyleinvestor.com/. For a free consultation, go to http://lifestyleinvestor.com/consultation.

More than our activities, our mindsets can limit or liberate us depending on what we choose. Whenever we set our goals, our mindset is what determines whether we can accomplish it or not.

We all have inescapable mindsets that live rent-free in our minds, but the good news is: we can rewire our minds for success and completely reconstruct the way that we think. For Dianna Kokoszka, mindset has always been at the heart of her ability to achieve. When the idea of admin assistants and buyer's agents was unheard of in real estate, she forged ahead and succeeded. That pigheaded determination is what has made her the leader and legend she is today.

How does she nurture a high-level mindset that has led to her success? How do we align our innate storytelling ability with what we actually want?

In this episode, real estate entrepreneur, keynote speaker, mentor and author of "Becoming More", Dianna Kokoszka joins us to talk about her new book, her incredible success story, and how to align our mindset with our goals.

You've trained your brain to think the way that it does right now. You can train your way into a whole new way of thinking. -Dianna Kokoszka

Things You'll Learn In This Episode

-Odd one out all of the time

Dianna was running the team model and even the assistant model well before it was a huge thing in real estate. What was it like being a pioneer of what's mainstream now?

-The best question to ask someone you look up to

How did Dianna prepare for a meeting with John Maxwell long before it happened?

-Attitude sets the goal, mindset gets the goal

We all tell ourselves stories and they can either liberate us or liberate us. How do we identify the mindsets that are running our lives and maybe even ruining them?

-The 4 storytellers we all have in us

Which characters live rent-free in all our minds?

Guest Bio

Dianna Kokoszka is an entrepreneur, keynote speaker, mentor and author of "Becoming More". As an award-winning business leader, she has established herself as a prominent figure in the business world, developing many leaders during her longevity. Dedicating 13 years as CEO of KW MAPS Coaching and Training at Keller Williams Realty International, she played a pivotal role in propelling the company to become the largest and most profitable coaching enterprise in the real estate industry! As innovator, creator and author of the KW BOLD Experience and Coaching Skills Camp she helped lead the company to be recognized as the number one training company in the world. She is a board member of Growing Leaders, a John Maxwell Leadership Foundation Organization and captures every opportunity to journey alongside EQUIP Leadership Inc. a non-profit dedicated to instilling values in individuals, transforming nations. Dianna is a Certified practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programing (NLP), a founding member of the John Maxwell Team of Certified Coaches, (IMC) and actively participating in the Strategic Coach training program. As a lifelong learner she has followed and been mentored by John C. Maxwell since the mid-1990's. Her greatest passions revolve around developing leaders and encouraging individuals to recognize and harness their innate potential. Amongst her impressive achievements, Dianna's most cherished titles are wife, mother, and grandmother. Her genuine concern for the welfare of others serves as the driving forces behind all her endeavors, fueling her unwavering commitment to add value to others.

To get a copy of "Becoming More" and the free mindset assessment, go to https://becomingmorebook.com/. To find out about Dianna's events, go to https://moretraining.com/. You can also find Dianna on Facebook, LinkedIn or follow her on Instagram.

Between interest rates, low inventory, low transaction volume and the huge changes to compensation, these are turbulent times. There's a lot of downward pressure on the agent, and there's only one way to combat it. Raising our average sales price and breaking into higher price points.

Contrary to popular belief, anyone can break into luxury. You don't need to drive an exotic car, live in a mansion or have decades in real estate.

How do we define a luxury listing? What steps can we take to get into this niche and why is it critical to growth in this market?

In this episode, I'm joined by the luxury real estate guru, Michael LaFido. He shares simple steps you can take to become a high-end or luxury listing agent.

When you build a book of business, and you have a good reputation, you don't want to be lax in the way you look, but you don't have to dress to the nines if that's not you. -Michael LaFido

Three Things You'll Learn In This Episode

-Every market has high end or luxury listings

We often define luxury by a specific price point, but does it differ from state to state and city to city?

-Stay profitable in a down market

When transaction counts go down, how can agents maintain or increase their earnings?

-What the future holds for agents

With pivotal legal rulings and changes at NAR, how can agents safeguard themselves from disruption?

Guest Bio

Michael LaFido is a real estate consultant, top-producing Realtor and author of "Luxury Listing Specialist", "Outside The Box", and "Marketing Luxury". He is also the founder of the Marketing Luxury Group. Michael has created the nationally recognized luxury designation for real estate agents which is known as Luxury Listing Specialist (LUXE). This designation establishes an in-depth and detailed set of standards for agents that represent luxury homes and is currently offered for Continuing Education (CE) for real estate agents in Texas and Georgia. The training is based on the same principles Michael outlines in his book, "Luxury Listing Specialist" that he teaches to agents across the world.

For more information, head to https://luxurylistingspecialist.com.

A client wants to see a home, but you're otherwise indisposed - it's an all too familiar dilemma agents face. It also means cutting short your vacation or losing that client entirely.

What if you could have the client and your time? When Matt Kuchar found himself in this predicament, a light bulb moment led to the creation of Showami. 8 years later, and 100,000 agents strong, Showami has identified new verticals and opportunities to grow through the real estate storm.

How did they go from idea to successful platform? What are their future plans? In this episode, I'm joined by Showami's founder and CEO, Matt Kuchar along with director of sales and marketing, Josh Kuchar. They share how Showami has grown and how they are pivoting with the changes in real estate.

As an agent wanting to take care of my client, I just needed someone to open the door. -Matt Kuchar

Three Things You'll Learn In This Episode

-Protecting the client relationship

Many agents would be concerned that the person showing the home will poach their client. How does Showami safeguard against this?

-The right idea at the right time

Real estate is about to flip on its head. How is Showami positioning itself to grow through the storm?

-How to off-set a challenging market

What are the new verticals Showami's going after?

Guest Bio

Matt Kuchar is the founder and CEO of Showami. Josh Kuchar is the director of sales and marketing at Showami. As a Busy agent and brokerage owner, Matt was enjoying a typical day on the Colorado Ski slopes. When (while he was on a ski lift) he received a call from his client who wanted to see a home the very next day. He was faced with the dilemma of cutting his ski trip short a day or losing his client. So he did what any agent would do and began calling up agents in his brokerage. After trying to get his showing picked up by numerous agents. Finally someone did pick up the showing and was able to cover for him. After Matt was done with the slopes, he sat down at a bar with a buddy and thought "There has to be a better way to get showings covered". After further research, he wasn't able to find a company offering the services he desired. So, he began Showami in 2016. For more information, head to https://showami.com/.