This episode’s guest on the #REalAdvice podcast is Christophe Choo. He grew up in Beverly Hills, but he didn’t grow up in a life of privilege. He started working at the age of 12, and lived by his core values of doing the right thing. As he has stayed true to that core, through his entire career, the benefits have come back to reward him. He now serves high-end clients in Beverly Hills, and is constantly looking for ways to serve.

There’s so many stories in real estate: single moms who are providing for their families, people digging deep into their zip codes and become the go-to experts in their area, and those who have grown their businesses from nothing.

Sharing your story means that you’re disrupting the norm: you’re not just posting photos of “3BR, 2BA” and talking about neighborhoods and proximity to schools. You’re real, and you’re sharing that story with others. You’ve disrupted the norm.

When you start disrupting the norm, people start talking.

They talk to you, and they talk about you. You’re going to be on the tip of everyone’s tongue!

Whether it’s a strategy like tossing your business cards on the floor of every room in open houses, or showing off a full sleeve of arm tattoos, or creating social media content and freely sharing with others, you’re getting attention, and lots of it.

Disrupting the norm means that people are going to talk to you and share their perspective on what you’re doing.

But should you listen? Should you take their words to heart?

Sure! You can listen.

But do you need to implement their suggestions? No!

At the end of the day, ask yourself this: are you sticking to your core values that you have created for yourself and your business? And are you happy with the life that you have created?

If you can answer YES to both of these questions, and you’re seeing success in your business, then stick to what you’re doing.

People will always question what you do: and you should be prepared for that.

That’s what happens when you disrupt the norm, and share your story.

Are you ready to tell your story and get more leads from being yourself? Andy Dane Carter is here on this episode of #REalAdvice to help inspire you to be yourself, and focus on serving your clients and leads instead.

Guest Introduction:

This episode’s guest on the #REalAdvice podcast is Andy Dane Carter. He dove into the working world at the age of 12, because he wanted to buy a wetsuit so that he could go surfing with his friends. He quickly discovered the thrill of achievement, and excelled in every business venture that he touched, from scooping ice cream to working with real estate investors.

Highlights of this episode:

• Jonathan introduces Andy and his business.
• Are you just starting out with storytelling on social media? Then try using Facebook or Instagram stories! This will help you experience a shift in your brand and what you are presenting.
• By using stories, you’re not showing the fancy shots of yourself in front of a house for sale: you’re showing real life.
• Don’t be afraid to be a local expert: dig deep into your Zip code!
• You don’t need an ad to sell a house. Brand yourself, become the expert in your area, build trust, and share your core values.
• National Association stated last year that 96 percent of agents did not follow up with a client after closing. However any person who has bought a house, on average, should be generating 5.7 referrals. If you simply followed up, and built those relationships, imagine what that could do to your business? Be old school; pick up the phone, and call them!
• If you’re using social media, make sure that you are engaging in the conversation. Don’t just use an emoji to respond to people, actually dig in and comment and build that relationship.
• Andy’s entrepreneurial journey started when he started working to save money for a wetsuit, so that he could go surfing with his friends. He started out poor, and worked hard to build the life that he wanted.
• Be real with clients! Andy would tell them that one deal wasn’t going to make or break his business: his only purpose was to be there to help them get the best deal that they could for selling their house. His focus was on providing the absolute best value.
• We talk about building boundaries in business. What is the point in building a life that you love, if all that you do is work? Using the do not disturb function for your phone, or taking a day completely off means that you get that free time with friends and family, and get to enjoy the life that you love. As Andy says, unless he’s losing a million dollars a second, he’s not going to be reachable on his time off!
• Everyday is a choice: you can choose if your clients are going to run your life. Set expectations and boundaries, and they WILL be respected!
• Audit your circle, and make sure that the people who surround you are the right kind of people. You only have a limited amount of time and energy: make it count!
• Self-awareness is so important. You have to know what is going to make you happy, and comfortable in your own skin. Often, we change ourselves and how we present ourselves out of fear of what others would think, and the truth is, their opinion doesn’t really even matter!
• “Anytime there is a disrupt in your norm all the people that are around you were gonna freak out not because they don't believe in you because they're afraid for you … But if you latch on to their fears they can be really really really catastrophic to your growth because you care about what they think. Yeah I take their opinion into consideration. I just don't do anything with it.”
• When it comes to continuing a relationship with a buyer, there are many things that you can do after a sale. Check in with them, and ask how things are going. Have a vendor list of local businesses, and share that with them in case they need any services.
• Podcasting is BIG - Andy believes that everyone should have a podcast, and stick with it! Most podcasts don’t make it past episode 11, so don’t give up!

Special shout out to Andy Dane Carter for being this episode’s guest for #REalAdvice! You can connect with him here:

• Andy’s website
• Facebook
• Instagram
• LinkedIn

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Thanks for listening, and remember: #WhoYouHireTrulyMatters

Let me give you a hint: what are some of the most-watched TV shows? If you take a close look at ratings, you’ll find that most of the top TV shows out there are in the genre of reality TV, and it’s not going away anytime soon.

Your social media channels are a form of reality TV! Best part, people love reality TV, and love connecting with you and your story. That’s how your clients and leads connect with you. They see what you do, get to know you, and keep you in mind when they are ready to buy or sell a house!

But did you know that most people spend way too much time planning instead of doing?

Instead of posting, they make plans to post, or complain about their lack of fancy equipment.

“It didn’t work,” they say, when looking at social media strategies they have tried.

Problem is, they didn’t give it time to work! If you post a few times a week, sporadically, it won’t have time to work. The biggest elements that any social media strategy needs to succeed is time and consistency.

None of the reality TV shows that are on the air today were “perfect” when they started, and they aren’t perfect even now.

But they are on the air because the producers kept pushing onward, and consistently creating content.

In the words of Jon Cheplak, consistency is going to give you a victory. Victory gives you confidence. Confidence gives you momentum, and momentum’s unstoppable.

Are you ready to get your reality TV started? Jon Cheplak is here on this episode of #REalAdvice to help inspire you to stop planning how you’re going to attract clients, and get yourself out there with your own “reality TV channel”!

That is one way that many people get new leads, and it can be effective.

But what happens if you create ads, but don’t have a social media posting strategy? What if your ad targets the right people and brings them to you, but then, when they land on your page, they find a barren wasteland?

How can they get to know you, and trust you to be the one by their side as they make huge financial decisions?

There’s a simple social media posting option on almost every platform that is ideal for realtors to use to make connections with their ideal clientele, and that is stories!

Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube now all have stories, where you can post pictures, video, or polls that will help you build rapport with your potential leads and clients, and be able to get into their inbox to deepen the relationships, without being spammy or desperate!

Get ready to start your social media stories: Jason Pantana is here on this episode of #REalAdvice to help inspire you to move beyond ads and connect organically with your perfect clients!

Guest Introduction:

This episode’s guest on the #REalAdvice podcast is Jason Pantana. Jason, a family man from Tennessee, teaches marketing strategies for real estate agents, to help you explode your business and find a wealth of new leads.

All realtors work in an industry that is fairly money-driven. While helping serve clients and leads to help them find their best home, negotiating offers, and helping clients get the best value, we can’t escape the fact that we’re surrounded by money.

 Realtors who don’t work a typical salaried job can’t approach money the same way as others do. Since income is commission-based, realtors often don’t know what the next month will hold.

 You may have an “extra” $10,000 commission this month, but then you’re facing a decision: should the money go in savings, in case income next month is lean? Or should it go to pay off that car loan? How can you best save for retirement? Stash money in an IRA?

 There’s got to be a better way to working with money than Wall Street traditions!

 Ready to learn more about alternative approaches to investing and wealth building? Get ready to get your finances on track with Joey Mure, on this episode of #REalAdvice!

This episode’s guest on the #REalAdvice podcast is Jordan English. She started working real estate in Pensacola, Florida with nothing but a can-do attitude and commitment to success. Today, she is building a personal brand based on helping women grow their businesses and find financial freedom for themselves and for their family.

How many homes do your clients own?

Tom Tezak knows that most of his clientele owns one, two, or even three homes already. When they come to him for help finding a home, he knows exactly how to work with them.

Every client has a different approach to finding their home, but those who are purchasing their first home have a completely different approach than those who are purchasing their second home. And those who are purchasing their third, or even fourth home think differently as well.

Once you master knowing how your clients think, and how they want to make their purchasing decisions, you can serve them even more effectively.

An inspiring story of success, a passion to motivate and an enormous amount of knowledge this week from coach and friend Micheal Burt. We talk about competitive intelligence, focus, confidence, coaching and quite a bit more. What an inspiring conversation. You truly don't want to miss this one.

Social media is a powerful marketing tool for real estate agents today. This being said, no one wants to read "Buy, buy, buy, sell, sell, sell" all the time or get constantly blasted with listing pictures or messenger bots 🚫 This is where the power of Storytelling comes into play. Make the most out of your social media efforts and actually engage your audience with these simple principles 🙌

In this episode, guest Brian Burley talks about his story, congressional candidature and his experience buying his first real estate property. Later we dive into entrepreneurship, social media platforms, messenger bots and other fun stuff. Don't miss it!