Start With A Win

Our guest on this episode of the Start With A Win podcast is Lydia Pope, President-elect of the National Association of Real Estate Brokers. Lydia provides a brief history of NAREB by shedding light on unconscious bias and discrimination, including the obstacles Black families have encountered in the homebuying process. Lydia didn’t initially realize how prevalent this discrimination was until she and her husband went to buy their first home many years ago. It was very apparent that their real estate agent was steering them to certain neighborhoods and houses and away from others. This experience motivated Lydia to get involved in real estate, and the rest is history. She has been working with clients to ensure fair housing practices, educate them about the home buying process, and make sure that they feel empowered to look at whichever houses they want to without fear.

NAREB launched in 1947, providing education and advocacy for Black homebuyers as they navigate the homebuying process. The organization is proud of its past, relentless in the struggle for equality, and committed to opening doors for others, and they expect the same of each member. Their efforts have gained a new level of purpose over the past seven years since the publication of their first State of Housing in Black America (SHIBA) report, which provides data for the unfair practices in the housing industry that negatively impact Black families. With these statistics in hand, Lydia feels the job set before her is very clear. She is committed to making positive gains in credit scoring, restrictive underwriting, down payment assistance programs, affordability, and the long-term effects of COVID-19 on the economy. On the NAREB website, you will find resources and training about their focus areas, including community, government, and membership. If you are a real estate professional of any ethnicity or any background, consider joining NAREB as they lead the way in positive cultural change.

Connect with Lydia:

https://www.nareb.com/ 

[email protected] 

Connect with Adam:

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On this episode of the Start with a Win podcast, Adam talks with Jay Pitts, broker-owner of RE/MAX Premier Properties in Louisville, Kentucky. Jay says that it was a no-brainer for him to end up in real estate, considering that his dad and uncle were both RE/MAX agents in small-town Kentucky while Jay was growing up. From them, he learned all of the aspects of the business since small-town real estate agents do so much more for their communities than manage home sale transactions. He started his career in finance, but he knew this wasn’t a good fit, and he got into real estate before long.

During the Great Recession, when so many real estate professionals were struggling and even failing, Jay drew from his entrepreneurial spirit to adapt his business and bring in consistent income by doing about 20 BPO orders per week. He also invested a lot of time and energy into prospecting, getting his name out there so that he was top-of-mind when people were ready to buy or sell. Eventually, he was so overwhelmed by calls from the signs he had put up that he pulled one of his good friends into the business with him, and they went to work. The brokerage now has about 30 agents, and they have sold over 2,000 homes, so their setup is producing excellent results.

Jay says that even in 2021, many agents don’t know how to get themselves out there. He recommends doing content marketing through videos on social media, showcasing behind-the-scenes videos such as documenting a personal real estate investment. He also says some very successful real estate agents have never experienced a down market because they got into the industry after 2010. When that time comes in the economy, these agents will need to learn how to sell availability and educate their consumers. 

An avid proponent of coaching and mentoring, Jay emphasizes the importance of caring about the development of the people around you as well as your own development. He says that the accountability provided by mentors and coaches is unlike any accountability you could give yourself individually and that these folks are a treasure trove of information on situations you might be facing. He encourages listeners to be intentional about mentoring their employees and providing them with growth opportunities.

Connect with Jay:

http://www.jaypitts.com/

http://www.resourcepodcast.net/ 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaypittsrealtor

https://www.facebook.com/LouisvilleKYHomesandRealEstate/

https://www.instagram.com/jaypittsrealtor/?hl=en 

Connect with Adam:

https://www.startwithawin.com/ 

https://www.facebook.com/REMAXAdamContos

https://twitter.com/REMAXAdamContos 

https://www.instagram.com/REMAXadamcontos/ 

Leave us a voicemail:

888-581-4430

Connect with Adam:

https://www.startwithawin.com/ 

https://www.facebook.com/REMAXAdamContos

https://twitter.com/REMAXAdamContos 

https://www.instagram.com/REMAXadamcontos/

You might think that your best path to reaching your goals is to become more and more specialized as you progress in your career, but former CEO of Sonic, Cliff Hudson, shares with Start with A Win listeners that this does not always have to be the case. In fact, Cliff’s own experience showed that pursuing multiple paths that you are passionate about or even just interested in can make you a very successful generalist and perhaps take you farther than you thought you could go. 

Cliff majored in history in his undergrad and then went on to law school. After a few years in private practice, he became General Counsel at Sonic at the age of 29. During his career at Sonic, Cliff bounced around between disciplines a few times before taking over the helm of CEO, serving for 23 years. He points out that being a CEO entails being the most resourceful generalist in the company because of the expectation CEOs speak knowledgeably in all areas of business. In this role, Cliff focused on surrounding himself with the best people in multiple areas of the company to help him fill in his knowledge gaps before feeling confident enough to make decisions in unfamiliar areas. 

Cliff talks about the power of having the right mindset, choosing to see challenges as opportunities by finding creative solutions. A great way to have a toolkit of resources to draw from when challenges arise is by pursuing a variety of interests throughout your schooling and career, even if the things you are naturally curious about don’t seem to relate to your career goals. You will work most diligently on the things that appeal most to you, and the transferrable skills you can develop will only benefit you down the road. Talk with your employer about opportunities they might have for interdisciplinary training. If you are an employer, consider offering these training programs to your team to keep them engaged and learning.

Connect with Cliff:

https://www.amazon.com/Master-None-Jack-All-Trades-Still/dp/0062889036

https://cliffordhudson.com/

https://cliffordhudson.com/podcast

https://twitter.com/jcliffordhudson

https://linkedin.com/in/cliffordhudson 

Connect with Adam:

https://www.startwithawin.com/ 

https://www.facebook.com/REMAXAdamContos

https://twitter.com/REMAXAdamContos 

https://www.instagram.com/REMAXadamcontos/ 

Leave us a voicemail:

888-581-4430

Our guest on this episode of Start With A Win is Tony Giordano. He is an author, speaker, coach, and realtor out of the Los Angeles area. Tony got into real estate at a young age, and he quickly achieved success. During the market collapse of 2008-2009, he lost everything—literally. In October of 2009, he decided to start back at the bottom and reinvent himself as a real estate agent, recognizing that sometimes winners lose games, but they don’t have to stay down. 

He started experimenting with building up his online presence in 2010, and he has never looked back. He says being a digital agent means looking at social media as the “new front door” where you will meet new leads, connect with people, and close deals. Two of the mantras of being a digital agent are “contacts = business” and “virtual = video,” meaning the more contacts you have online, the more business you will attract. If you are going to connect with people, you have to utilize video. You have to practice the habit of getting in front of the camera to create content and correspond with people over text and video. 

Regarding social media itself, Tony believes that you should be where the people are, having a presence on every platform but prioritizing where you spend most of your time and energy. Despite many people getting wrapped up in the technology and every iteration of changes to the algorithm, human interaction of social media never changes. Tony concentrates on connecting with people. He provides the example of being at the dinner table with a couple of people you know and a couple of people you don’t. If one of the people you don’t know says something funny, you don’t ignore them or try not to laugh—you react honestly and make a connection with them in the process. The same should be true on social media. Tony says he uses his tagline “like them, tag them, and add them” regarding interaction with new people on social media. Think of social media as a never-ending networking event, and you will succeed.

Connect with Tony:

https://www.giordano.global/

https://www.risemastery.com/ 

https://www.amazon.com/Social-Agent-New-Era-Networking/dp/1466317272

https://www.amazon.com/social-agent-2-0-update-evolution/dp/1982051833 

https://twitter.com/tony_giordano/media

https://www.facebook.com/GiordanoIntl/

https://www.facebook.com/giordano.global

https://www.instagram.com/tony_giordano/?hl=en

https://www.instagram.com/tonygiordanoteam/?hl=en

https://www.linkedin.com/in/thesocialagent

https://www.youtube.com/c/TonyGiordano/playlists

Connect with Adam:

https://www.startwithawin.com/ 

https://www.facebook.com/REMAXAdamContos

https://twitter.com/REMAXAdamContos 

https://www.instagram.com/REMAXadamcontos/ 

Leave us a voicemail:

888-581-4430

Summary:

It goes without saying that experts are given that name because they have a lot of experience in a certain area or industry. But what might not be so obvious is that their experience includes successes as well as failures. If you want to become an expert, you will have to put in the time to experience the good and the bad and apply the lessons you learn to future endeavors. 

Connect with Adam:

https://www.startwithawin.com/ 

https://www.facebook.com/REMAXAdamContos

https://twitter.com/REMAXAdamContos 

https://www.instagram.com/REMAXadamcontos/ 

We are almost a year into the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Some businesses still haven’t adapted to the new needs of their customers. Jay Baer—a thought leader, keynote speaker, and advisor to many notable clients—shares his perspective with Start With A Win listeners that COVID-19 has provided an unprecedented opportunity for business growth if business owners are willing to take it. Right now, every business is a start-up because every business is having to reinvent themselves to accommodate the restrictions, changes, new expectations, and new needs of the business environment and consumers. People have adopted new ways of making purchasing decisions. Only the businesses that have kept up with their customers and the market are going to grow. 

Jay and his team have come up with a framework for achieving the coveted customer experience, which means that when you consistently exceed expectations, price and perfection don’t matter any longer. Instead, customers will be won or lost based on these three qualities: quick, clear, and kind. That framework is what people care about right now, and it is the best way for businesses to differentiate themselves from their competitors. Almost every interaction they have had with anyone in 2020 has lacked those specific qualities. Even if you think you are doing a great job of practicing these qualities, you may be astounded to see the positive changes that would result from intentionally focusing on providing customers with a quick, clear, and kind experience. Consumers will be so pleasantly surprised that they will become unofficial brand ambassadors for you and help bring new business in the door.

Connect with Jay:

https://www.convinceandconvert.com/

https://www.jaybaer.com/ 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/social-pros-podcast/id499844469 

https://twitter.com/jaybaer

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaybaer 

Connect with Adam:

https://www.startwithawin.com/ 

https://www.facebook.com/REMAXAdamContos

https://twitter.com/REMAXAdamContos 

https://www.instagram.com/REMAXadamcontos/ 

Leave us a voicemail:

888-581-4430

While the last episode of Start With A Win focused on recapping 2020 and gleaning lessons learned from past experiences, this episode jumps into setting yourself up for success in 2021. Jon Cheplak joins Adam again on this episode to share his insights and provide a bit of long-distance coaching to Win Nation at the dawn of the new year. Jon talks about the difference between innovation and mastery, saying that while innovators receive praise in our society, they are not known for consistency or follow-through. To achieve mastery, you must have the discipline to handle the monotony that comes with immediate action, personal responsibility, and consistency. He says freedom comes from putting restrictions on yourself to make you stay focused and not be distracted by novelty.

To become excited about the process instead of the outcomes, Jon says you should be mission-based and have clarity on your relationship with money. When you understand these two things about yourself, you feel the weight of the requirement to perform, and you are well on your way to setting up micro-commitments to reach your goals. Tiny hinges swing big doors.

When it comes to finding alignment and knowing where to start, Jon walks through three topics:

1. What makes you happy? – Spend some time writing down your thoughts.
2. What is the smallest step you can take to move yourself towards that happiness? – Be conscious of the positive triggers, including the things you should say “no” to reach happiness. If you are struggling to see the next step, extend love to other people and see where that gets you.
3. What are the people, places, and things that do (or do not) support your mission? – Take inventory and let go of the judgment of others and the fear of their opinions. Trust is built on consistency. Leaders are the people who stand out regardless of the judgments of others. 

Jon encourages listeners to think of gratitude as an action word and to see everything as a privilege. Consider whether you are demonstrating gratitude in your daily life and interactions with others. 

Connect with Jon:

https://cheplaklive.com/

https://www.instagram.com/cheplaklive/?hl=en

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cheplak-live/id934537153 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joncheplak

Connect with Adam:

https://www.startwithawin.com/ 

https://www.facebook.com/REMAXAdamContos

https://twitter.com/REMAXAdamContos 

https://www.instagram.com/REMAXadamcontos/ 

Leave us a voicemail:

888-581-4430

Summary:

If you want to see the impact that a limiting mindset can have on you, think about this: removing the “t” from the words “can’t” and “won’t” turns them into “can” and “won.” So remove that limiting mindset and begin moving forward in life, knowing that you can start with a win every day.

Connect with Adam:

https://www.startwithawin.com/ 

https://www.facebook.com/REMAXAdamContos

https://twitter.com/REMAXAdamContos 

https://www.instagram.com/REMAXadamcontos/ 

In this episode of the Start With A Win podcast, Adam talks with his good friend and coach, Jon Cheplak. Jon shares his perspective on the ways people have or have not been putting in the work to become emotionally intelligent and emotionally mature during the crazy year that has been 2020 and provides some concrete advice for getting started on this work in 2021. He reiterates that every human emotion and response is rooted in either love or fear, which is not bad if you embrace them. He says that while the perception is that leaders are stoic, confident, self-aware, and intentional, most of the leadership originates from fear and the proper relationship with it. This dichotomy between power and trust is counterintuitive, but viewing fear as an opportunity for courage changes the whole narrative.

Among many other things, 2020 has magnified dramas and traumas, putting a spotlight on those who have not dealt with them appropriately. You can’t do anything about past experiences, but you can draw positive lessons from them. You can apply every positive lesson to future experiences to ensure the past hurts and hangups have not been wasted. The most effective leaders have a handle on their pasts, and they are authentic in talking about what they have learned and reaching out for help when they need it. This ability to manage your emotions and find success through them is the foundation of emotional maturity—essential to personal and professional development. 

Come back for the conclusion of our interview with Jon during the next episode!

Connect with Jon:

https://cheplaklive.com/

https://www.instagram.com/cheplaklive/?hl=en

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cheplak-live/id934537153 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joncheplak

Connect with Adam:

https://www.startwithawin.com/ 

https://www.facebook.com/REMAXAdamContos

https://twitter.com/REMAXAdamContos 

https://www.instagram.com/REMAXadamcontos/ 

Leave us a voicemail:

888-581-4430