The Collective Podcast

Real estate is a people’s business, so for the best results, we need to build long-lasting relationships that encourage repeat business. How do client appreciation events help build relationships, and how big should our events be? Can referral partners impact our relationships with clients? On this episode, Janell Schmittling, managing broker at Homes By Janell, shares how to show clients we appreciate them.

Client appreciation events are one way to check in and see if clients need anything more we can offer. -Janell Schmittling

Three Things We Learned From This Episode

• Host client appreciation events (02:33 - 04:18)
  Client appreciation events are a great way to thank past clients for their business and referrals. In addition to being able to build long-lasting relationships through these events, they also give us an opportunity to check in with former clients in the event they need any additional help with their homes.
  
• Start small (07:04 - 08:42)
  Hosting a huge client appreciation event is an overwhelming task, so don’t aim to host hundreds of clients on the first attempt. Send out save-the-dates and follow up with everyone invited to ensure no one forgets, but don’t be disheartened if the initial turn out is small. Aim to get better with each event!
  
  
• Pay attention to referral partners (15:38 - 16:25)
  When we refer our clients to someone, we have to pay attention to the way those referral partners treat others. We show our clients we appreciate them by being respectful, so the people we refer them to must do the same.

Guest Bio- 

Janell Schmittling is the Managing Broker at Homes by Janell. After becoming a full-time Realtor 5 years ago, Janell took her business to tremendous heights while at RE/Max. Recently, she left RE/MAX to open her own brokerage, where she aims to build long-lasting relationships with clients. Janell is passionate about building genuine relationships with clients, and thanks to her frequent appreciation events, she now counts many past clients as close friends today. 

To find out more about Janell, visit:

Homesbyjanell.com

For longevity in the mortgage industry, our clients and referral partners have to be aware of us. How can we become more well-known in the industry? How can we approach new referral partnerships, and how do we know when we have enough partners? On this episode, branch manager at Nations Lending and host of the What Are You Made Of? podcast, Mike Ciorrocco, shares how to grow our public profiles and stop letting fear hold us back from success. 

Don’t let fear of rejection get in the way of making calls. Even the most successful people on the planet have haters. -Sean Zalmanoff

Three Things We Learned From This Episode

• Get known (13:00 - 14:34)
  The biggest mistake LOs make is thinking everyone already knows who they are. In reality, if we want people to know who we are, we have to be consciously getting in front of them, every single day. Stay top of mind by being omnipresent. 
  
  
• Make the call and offer value (16:16 - 17:00)
  Many of us are hesitant to make calls because we’re worried we may irritate or anger the person on the receiving end. However, if we phone potential clients or partners and ask what we can do to help them grow their businesses, they’re less likely to be upset with us. Go into calls with the heart of a servant, and odds are we’ll be rewarded.
  
  
• Never stop looking for referral partners (20:18 - 22:04)
  Often, LOs feel content with 4 or 5 referral partners. The problem with this is, by having such a small group of partners, we leave no room for error. Instead of a small group, cast the net and start looking for a wide range of agents who will send 1 or 2 deals a year; these add up, while taking some of the pressure off.
  
  

Guest Bio- 

Mike Ciorrocco is a motivator, facilitator, podcast host, public speaker, fierce friend and coach. He is an executive manager at Nations Lending, a residential mortgage company. He and his three best friends have built one of the most profitable divisions within Nations Lending from the ground up. Mike has spoken in front of thousands of real estate agents, showing them how to grow their business not only via traditional marketing methods, but also by using outside-the-box digital and social media marketing. On his podcast, "What Are You Made Of?," he dives deep into his past to show how you can feed off good and bad experiences.

To find out more about Mike, visit  https://themikecroc.com/

And for more about the podcast, Next Level LO listeners can request to join the closed What are you made of FB group.

Many loan officers feel the need to close as many deals as possible within a short period, but doing so could actually be doing us more harm than good. Should we be spending more time building trust with clients, or is it ever a good idea to seek short-term successes? Are we putting ourselves at an advantage by giving our clients the wrong advice if it means we are guaranteed a deal? On this episode, Next Level coaching client and loan officer at Spire Financial, Matt Deluzio, shares why we have to become more focused on our long-term aspirations. 

Too many great salespeople are only focusing on the payday, when they should be playing the parlay. That is, focusing on growth. -Matt Deluzio

Three Things We Learned From This Episode

• Establish trust that brings long-term results (07:41 - 08:55)
  Many of us think chasing and closing individual deals is the path to success, but in reality, if we’re too focused on single pay days, we lose out on long-term results. Aim to parlay by nurturing clients and building trust with them over time. 
  
  
• Steer clear of instant gratification solutions (10:07 - 11:11)
  When we have a good idea of what we want to achieve, it becomes easier to say no to anything standing in the way of our goals. Think about long-term objectives and identify the path to success - then refuse to divert from the track.
  
  
• Be truthful and the business will come (15:55 - 17:10)
  It can be difficult to tell a potential client we’re unable to assist them, but doing so is the key to lasting success. Don’t fear telling clients the truth, or advising them to look elsewhere. Honesty will go a long way in building trust and securing clients in the future.

Guest Bio- 

Matt Deluzio is a loan officer at Spire Financial in Denver, Colorado. After 3 successful years in the mortgage business working part-time, Matt became a full-time loan officer 2 and a half years ago, and has continued to see phenomenal results ever since. 

To get in contact with Matt, visit

https://mdeluzio.spirefinancial.com/

Email [email protected]

Or call 720.616.6490

For loan officers who are new to Instagram, the thought of publishing visual content can feel like an overwhelming challenge. How can we ease ourselves into using the platform, and create an audience for ourselves? What are Instagram Story ‘Highlights’, and why should we be using them?

On this episode, social media guru, Megan Anderson, shares why we should be using Instagram Stories to boost our online profiles. 

Instagram Stories are viewed more than individual posts, so they’re the perfect place to share content. -Megan Anderson

Three Things We Learned From This Episode

Use Instagram Stories to get comfortable (04:36 - 05:27)
For people just getting started on Instagram, the thought of seeing ourselves on camera may be daunting. A great way to become more comfortable sharing videos on the platform is by creating Instagram Stories. These have a 24-hour shelf life and can easily be used as a way for us to test the waters of Instagram. 

Come up with stickers (12:57- 15:19)
Consistency is key when looking for a bigger audience, so we have to figure out a few ‘stickers’ that we can use in our Instagram Stories. These stickers should be the things we post about every single day, which help our audiences remember us. The great thing is, these stickers don’t have to be business-related. In fact, they should be showing our audiences more about our personal lives so they can get to know, like and trust us. 

Create Story highlights (18:05 - 19:19)
Instagram Stories become unavailable to our audience after 24 hours, but we have the option to save them as highlights later. Creating highlights is a great way to ensure our content stays seen days or even months after we first posted it.

Guest Bio- 

Megan Anderson is a marketing and social media guru. She is the Vice President of Marketing at MBS Highway and the creator of @socialloanoriginator. She is also a speaker, with a passion for the opportunities social media affords loan officers. 

To find out more about Megan, visit:

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

You can also find her on Instagram at @iammegananderson

To find out more about her upcoming program, text ‘Megan’ to 33777

When it comes to marketing ourselves, real estate agents and LOs often struggle with building authentic brands, creating good content, targeting the right audience and shiny object syndrome. What is the first step we need to take before doing any type of marketing activity? Why is it so important for us to niche down? How can we leverage video content so that our brands are stronger?

On this episode, Mike Cuevas, The Real Estate Marketing Dude, talks about how we can be authentic in our marketing and why that’s the key to success.

Your circle is the number one group you need to market to, target, and strategically go after. -Shade Kidwell

Three Things We Learned From This Episode

A good brand is a spitting image of you and it will attract true fans (05:03 - 06:44)

Real estate is one of the few industries where anyone can be a client, because everyone has a home and every 7-9 years, they will move. People choose to work with us based on our brands and us being authentically who we are. 

 
Referrals are natural, but we have to make ourselves top of mind (11:52 - 13:11)

Real estate is a highly conversable topic. It’s something that will always come up and if we’re top of mind, people will mention our name. Everyone we’re connected to can refer us, but we have to put ourselves in a position to be referable.

Marketing isn’t about experience (29:30 - 30:23)

A good marketing strategy has nothing to do with how much experience you have or how much you’ve closed. Putting out good content doesn’t take any experience in lending or any past closed loans to get to be successful. 

One of the biggest mistakes we make in our marketing is that we skip a very critical first step. Before we have an audience, we have to have an authentic brand. We have to be who we are and market to the audience that’s naturally going to gravitate towards us. Next, we need to live and be this brand confidently. From there, the brands we build will influence the content we create, and that will bring the right clients our way.

Guest Bio- 

Mark is a former real estate agent, branding strategist and the “Real Estate Marketing Dude”, he offers a video marketing service. Go to https://www.realestatemarketingdude.com/ for more information and for free content. 

It’s impossible to run a race without knowing where the finish line is. In relation to our business, we need to set up time frames to achieve our goals and pay attention to every step we take on the way to success. How can we plan our time more effectively? Why do we need to take stock of the victories and failures we live through each day?

On this episode, we share a coaching call introducing the Next Level Playbook, and explain why it’s so important to plan and record every move we make.

It’s important to know where the finish line is, so we can plan to reach it the right way. -Shane Kidwell

Three Things We Learned From This Episode

Understand the finish line (24:51 - 25:37)

It’s extremely difficult to reach long-term goals if we don’t set up time frames in which we’d like to achieve them. Plan annual goals in advance. This should be an honest process, if we know we’re unable to reach certain goals in a year, we shouldn’t be including them. This is about what we can achieve, not anyone else.  

Celebrate victories and record losses (25:56 - 27:00)

Write down daily goals and check them off the list as they’re completed. This helps us celebrate the small victories. It also gives us an opportunity to see where we failed. Once we see what we haven’t achieved, it’s up to us to work out what held us back, so we can avoid it from happening in the future. 

Crowd source wins (34:50- 35:59)

We need to share our progress with the people in our coaching groups. By sharing what we’ve done right, we can help others see the same great results we have. Sharing also benefits us, because when we inevitably have ‘off’ days, our peers will be able to remind us how we’ve done well in the past. 

Success requires planning and analytics; we can’t expect to see amazing results if we don’t know what our goals are or have a plan in place to achieve them. To be successful, we have to plan in advance and set up realistic time frames for ourselves. We also have to record every move we make, even the ones that brought about poor results. Analytics are vital if we want to win in our businesses. 

At some point in our lives, some of us have felt like we’re not the smartest people in the room. Does that mean we’re not destined to succeed? Are there ways we can develop our intelligence and get ahead in the game?

On this episode, we explain why curiosity is as important for success as IQ.

It’s vital to be curious in your business. -Kenneth Travis

Three Things We Learned From This Episode

IQ isn’t everything (02:52- 04:51)

IQ is something we’re born with; some people are naturally better at solving problems than others. There’s very little we can do to change our IQ levels, but that doesn’t spell disaster. In fact, there are many people with relatively low IQs who have managed to become incredibly successful.

Develop EQ (05:57- 06:47)

Emotional intelligence is extremely important for us to navigate our way through life. EQ is what helps us get through stressful situations in business, as well as our personal lives. We need to work on our interpersonal communication and emotional intelligence to take our businesses to the next level.

Curiosity is as important as intelligence (07:06- 07:50)

A lot of us think we’re not the smartest in the room, and it stops us from pushing for success. However, CQ (or curiosity intelligence), is one of the most important characteristics we need to take our businesses to the next level. Our curiosity and motivation is as important as IQ, if not more. 

Most of us have experienced the feeling that we’re not the smartest person in the room, but that should never hold us back. There is more to success than IQ, and there are other forms of intelligence that can take us further regardless of our IQ levels. We need to stay curious and develop our emotional intelligence. We may not be the smartest in the building, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be the most successful.

We’re often warned to prepare for an impending recession, but sometimes the information we learn through the media isn’t an accurate reflection of the state of the market. How can we observe clues of an impending recession ourselves? Is it possible for us to keep winning in business when the market inevitably drops - or should we be preparing for the worst?

On this episode, CEO of MBS Highway, Barry Habib shares why we need to rethink what we know about recessions, and offers insight on how we can continue to thrive.

Focus on the road ahead, not the obstructions. Do it in driving and you’ll be better; do it in life and you will be much more successful. -Barry Habib

Three Things We Learned From This Episode

Rethink what recessions look like (11:55- 12:44)

When we talk of a recession, we tend to think of what we saw in 2008 and 2009. The reality is, recessions are dependent on the expansion period prior to them. The expansion period we’re currently in has been extended, but shallow. That means, the recession we’ll see in the next year or so will also be shallow. 

Observe the clues of an impending recession (13:22- 15:20)

The first place recessions show their effects is in big corporations. As these corporations let people go to cut costs, those who have lost their jobs start spending money at more cost-effective stores like Walmart and Target. The reason stocks have gone up at Target and Walmart is because there are more people looking into cost effective options. 

Look further ahead (27:02- 28:42)

Most of us are guilty of zoning in on one area of focus while we’re trying to get ahead. While it’s great to be focused, by zoning in on only one goal, we run the risk of seeing the big picture. No matter the condition of the market, be sure to take a holistic view of what’s around us.

A recession is inevitable, and we should be prepared for it. However, recession isn’t necessarily synonymous with devastation. There are ways to identify the early signs of the market dropping, and we need to remain aware of them. Keep looking forward and be aware of all the signs - whether we’re in a recession, preparing for one, or exiting one. If we can maintain a holistic view, we will keep winning no matter what the market has in store for us. 

Guest Bio- 

Barry Habib is the founder and CEO of mortgage analytics firm MBS Highway, a company dedicated to helping mortgage professionals and real estate agents articulate the opportunities in the housing market. Widely respected for his Mortgage and Housing expertise, Barry has monthly appearances on CNBC and FOX. He has recently been named the top Real Estate forecaster by Zillow and Pulsenomics, and has also been awarded the Crystal Ball Award for the most accurate real estate forecasts. Barry is a celebrated speaker and figure in the real estate and mortgage industry, and is passionate about helping others achieve their goals and find success in every area of their lives. 

Look out for Barry’s upcoming

Our industry seems to be bombarded with changes from all sides; from new competitors to an inevitable shift in market conditions. Do we stand to benefit from any of these changes? How can we stay ahead of the curve and continue to see great results for years to come?

On this episode, we share how to make the most of what’s to come.

There’s never been a time like this where loan officers have so much opportunity. Don’t let this pass you by, because our current situation offers a chance to really generate wealth. -Kellen Vaughan

Three Things We Learned From This Episode

Use the yield curve to tell you about the market (03:14- 05:05)

Every time the yield curve inverts, a recession has been quick to follow. For loan officers, this means a lowering of rates. We should all be keeping this in mind, as the process is almost like clockwork. Rates are already at an all-time low and will continue to drop for some time. 

Don’t be afraid of online competitors (10:27- 11:56)

Online offerings like Zillow and Amazon have caused some anxieties in the mortgage industry- but we don’t need to be afraid of them. We need to focus on the value we offer and center our attention on what we do best. We can even make use of Zillow and Amazon ourselves from time to time.

Focus on what will stay the same in the market (22:28- 23:31)

Instead of thinking about what could change over time in our industry, we need to think of what will stay the same - like the people we deal with. Change is inevitable; so much so that even those at the helm of online offerings are focused on perfecting their current activities. 

The changes we’re currently facing in the industry are rapid, but there’s no need to fear them. History repeats itself, and in reality we could stand to benefit from the impending recession. While we should be paying attention to what happens around us, the best we can do at present is to focus on our own activities. Change is unavoidable; what makes or breaks us is our ability to adapt.

Our experiences in childhood have the ability to shape us as adults. How can we recognize how our experiences affect us today? Which parts of our personalities should we be building upon, and which should we be receding from?

On this episode, Derek Fertig shares how he turned his life around and how it positively affected his personal life at home and his professional life in his business.

When you focus on the money side of it, remember that it can be both good and bad. -Derek Fertig

Three Things We Learned From This Episode

Acknowledge your flaws (10:38- 11:43)

Accepting responsibility for our mistakes is extremely important. No one wants to work with someone who easily blames others when something goes wrong. If we know we’re guilty of doing this, acknowledge it as a flaw and work consistently to stop doing it.

Look at the origin of the issue (12:22- 13:19)

Think about childhood and the experiences that have shaped our lives today. Knowing our motivation is crucial- for example, if we grew up in a poor family, our drive has probably been shaped by wanting a better life as a child. While there’s nothing wrong with strong drive, we also need to take the time to work on other areas of our lives. Once we identify where our motivation comes from, it’s easier to put systems in place that help us work more effectively so we can alleviate some of the stress.

It’s okay to feel overwhelmed (21:30- 23:10)

Seeking balance in life is not always easy, but let that be a motivation for you, vs. a discouragement. 

No one is perfect, and it’s important to remember that we’re always growing as individuals. While we grow, remember to acknowledge the importance of identifying our flaws and take responsibility for our actions. Be aware of motivations and be accepting when our priorities shift. The most important thing to remember is to always keep improving yourself along the way.

Guest Bio- 

Derek Fertig is the Area Manager at Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation. His reputation as an elite member of the mortgage industry comes from his high level of customer service. Derek’s approach to business is focused on core values that include a family focus, humility and great communication, among others. 

To find out more about Derek, head to:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/derekfertig 

And https://www.zillow.com/lender-profile/Derek Fertig/