What if you never got another lead again? What would that do to your business? How would your business change without cold prospecting? Would your warm market be able to sustain you? More than that, can you imagine experiencing an upward trajectory in your business, when only working with your warm market? Most of us spend time capturing leads, building systems to manage the prospects that come to us. We don’t know how serious they are about buying (yet), so we’ve got our work cut out for us. What if there was a different way, in which leads came to us, ready to buy? That already know, like, and trust us, and are ready to buy a home? Alan and Betsy Thompson took a break from real estate, and when they decided to come back, they revamped their approach and strategy. Instead of chasing leads, they decided to focus their efforts on developing relationships. That strategy has paid off, as their business has grown exponentially. This week on the podcast, I’m talking to Alan. I’ve asked him to share his story, and the strategies that he used to build a thriving business working with their warm market. Instead of chasing leads and cold-calling people, they’re able to build relationships that have created not just a sustainable business, but one that continues to grow year after year. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces Alan and how he got into the real estate business. After 6 years in the business, Alan decided that he wanted a break, and took several years off. When he came back to Chesapeake, he and Betsy decided to get back into real estate, and have been working it for 20+ years! Alan and Betsy operate with a very small staff. Ad spend goes down a LOT when focusing on relationships, and you still get results! In the first half of 2019, they closed on more deals than they did in all 2018. Key: build your database, and KNOW it! Know birthdays, favorite sports teams, pets! When you have this data, you can make sure that you are memorable. Did a person’s favorite sports team win? Send them an email and say “hey, I bet you’re really happy today!” Take treats for their pets when you visit! “We don’t call them clients, we call them relationships.” Alan and Betsy have approximately 1100 relationships in their database. Every person in their database is sorted by relationship: some people are more likely to give referrals than others. Use social media, but with a personal touch. Did Facebook tell you it was someone’s birthday? Send them a card in the mail! They can track more than $250,000 in commissions just from Facebook - and they’ve never spent a dime on ads! Know your community - are you in a military community? Take people flags for Memorial Day, the 4th of July, and Veteran’s Day. Do local events: have a barbeque, give away pies on Thanksgiving. Do activities that connect you with your community, and be visible! Greet people and get to know them. Socialize the whole time.

Today, Tom talks with Nohelia & Francesco Crisafulli about working as a team, breaking into the real estate industry, finding balance between work and home life, and more.

Do you love using social media to connect with people? Are you trying all the new things that you’ve learned, and done successfully in the past? But now, you’re watching your views and enga...

What kind of credentials do you have? You may have alphabet soup behind your name...but what do you do with those letters? And how to turn those letters behind your name into something practical and meaningful in your business? When you focus on your business, and what you can do to make yourself better, you can use those letters behind your name to help you provide the most excellent service to your clients and leads. See, real estate isn’t just about gaining education: it’s about using that education to help your clients make the best decisions. Your job is to help educate your clients: not make decisions for them! The more educated you are, the more equipped you’ll be to help educate your clients! Julia Ray has turned that alphabet soup into connections, and has built a thriving boutique business. You’re going to be inspired by how she uses that education to connect with her clients and leads! This week on the Selling the Dream podcast, get ready to see how you can use those credentials to build connections. You won’t want to miss this week’s episode of the Selling the Dream podcast! Before we dive in: join an amazing network of the best second home agents. Make sure that you create your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces Julia Ray and her real estate business. Julia chose to keep her business small, so she could give the customer service experience of her choice. “It’s not up to us to decide yes or no, it’s our job to educate and let the consumer decide.” Julia shares what to consider when working in the condo industry. Taking care of an expensive asset like a condo costs money - be prepared to spend money to protect and care for your assets! Julia shares what the team does when they help perform maintenance on condos, and how they keep clients up to date. Referrals bring in a lot of Julia’s business - provide excellent service, and people will contact you! Connect with everyone - you never know who is going to bring in referrals. Julia shares about her credentials, and how each and every one of them has helped her grow her business: from negotiation to investing, she has credentials. “I don’t treat real estate as competition….it’s collaboration.” Julia shares what tools she uses to grow her business, including her CRM.

Today on Selling the Dream, we're talking about creating a series of frequently asked questions and turning your pain points into closings

What is it like when you create connections? How are you connecting with your feeder markets, and those who may be interested in real estate in your area? We all know that if you immediately start selling to your leads, that’s not going to work! But if you give them the inside scoop, and help them feel like a true VIP, you’ll find that you build a strong community, full of connections. In fact, you may not even need to market ever again! Taking the time to build those connections and help people feel like they are a true insider, and part of a community, will help you serve your clients on a higher level! That’s the mantra of Sharran Srivatsaa, whose mission is to defend and advocate for real estate agents. His goal is to help agents create raving fans, not just “sell.” You’ll be inspired by his story, and how he went from driven to bed-ridden, and what amazing habits and activities helped him recover and build a successful business! Hint: it has to do with creating connections! This week on the Selling the Dream podcast, we’re digging into the archives and bring up some favorite episodes of the podcast! If you’re ready to dig into what really will make an impact in your business, you won’t want to miss this week’s episode of the Selling the Dream podcast! Before we dive in: join an amazing network of the best second home agents. Make sure that you create your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces Sharran Srivatsaa and his business. Sharran shares about Kingston Lane, his mission to defend and advocate for real estate agents, and how he originally connected with Tom. How do you stay in touch with others, without making them feel like you’re reaching out too much? Sharran gives some tips! Connect with people, and make them feel like VIPs! They don’t want to be sold to, they want the inside scoop on things! Become a curator and moderator of a community, and create connections. Build true fans, and you’ll never have to do any marketing! Keep the tools that you use simple so you can focus on building the connections and community instead. Don’t put people in an uncomfortable position, having to make a decision and respond to a question. Bring up the “big” questions organically! Creating the connections is simple - just bring people together, in a place where they feel a sense of community. Sharran shares about his health crisis,

Today is a very important day for me on a personal level, and I want to give a special shoutout to my lovely wife, Lori.  Together, we are celebrating 30 years of commitment and plenty of lessons in commitment.

Can you imagine selling houses without your clients ever actually setting foot in them? We’re experiencing that during COVID, and finding that when we market well and effectively, w...

Ep. 212: Speak Your Mind

How much time do you spend developing your relationships and common interests? If you’re only posting pictures of houses for sale, or talking about open houses and business, you’re not going to attract the kind of people who are going to do long-term business with you! What if instead, you connected with people over mutual interests and shared passions? Here’s just a few ideas: Pets Old cars Your neighborhood Hobbies And the list goes on! When you connect with people over the things that they love, that connection turns into trust. That trust means that when you do have a “sales” message, or you reach out about how you can help them, the connection is natural and just makes sense! It’s easy to get caught up in technology, and think that you have to have everything all perfect, but at the end of the day, it’s always all about the relationships. Technology is just a tool to bridge the gap between those relationships and serving your clients. This week on the Selling the Dream podcast, I’m talking to Leo Chen, who worked in the startups and tech world for 15 years, and made the transition to real estate. His secret to success? Relationships! If you’re ready to dig into what really will make an impact in your business, you won’t want to miss this week’s episode of the Selling the Dream podcast! Before we dive in: join an amazing network of the best second home agents. Make sure that you create your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces Leo Chen, and his business. Leo worked in tech for years, and then joined the real estate industry: there are no ceilings, you can join now and make money! Use the relationship first, and then use technology as a tool to bridge any gaps. Real estate isn’t a technology business, it’s a people business. Tap into the emotions of finding people what they want - it’s not just about finding the features that they are looking for! Leo shares about how he’s used a Facebook group to develop relationships. Your important relationships aren’t just clients and leads: always be developing relationships with anyone,

Do you ever find yourself taking the easy way? Sometimes, it’s just easier to do things the “easy” way: not spending money on a particular marketing campaign, or taking the time to try something that may not work. Well, I’m here to tell you that it’s time to take some risks! Try something new! Do something different! Take advantage of this time to do things differently! Coming out of COVID, there are quite a few agents who have learned some new tricks and are incorporating new techniques and technologies into their business. It’s ok to try something new, and find out that it doesn’t work - if that’s the case, leave it behind! But don’t be the person who never took a chance, and never tried something new! You never know when you’ll be missing out on rewards. This week on the Tip Tuesday episode of the Selling the Dream podcast, I’m here to challenge you to calculate risk vs reward: don’t be afraid to take chances and try something new! Thanks for joining us on Selling the Dream - we wouldn’t be where we are without you listening, and giving your feedback! Make sure that you give us a rating and review on iTunes: that would mean the world to me, and will help us get even more amazing guests on our Friday episodes of the show. Highlights of this episode: Do you ever take the easy way? Say no to things that are risky, or maybe would cost more money than you’re looking to spend? Don’t be afraid to take risks! In fact, you have to take risks in life! Try new things, and don’t be afraid to fail. You may find that you take a risk and fail. But you may also find that you take a risk and succeed. Don’t be left behind by those who are out there taking risks and taking chances: they will receive the rewards of those risks! Join our 2nd Home Agents Facebook group and create connections! (link below) Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. If there’s ever a topic that you’d like to hear us cover on the podcast, just send me a message: my contact information is below. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram

Are you interested in surprising and delighting your clients? You may want to look into giving better gifts! And we’re not just talking about getting some cheap swag, and putting your logo on it! Everyone gives swag or logoed items for anniversaries, birthdays, and Christmas (we call those ABC gifts). But if you want to be like Seth Godin’s purple cow, and stand out, you’re going to want to be completely different! Gifts surprise and delight your clients, and make them feel special and noticed. It’s not about the transaction, or even the item itself (although you need to be strategic about what you choose!), but it’s all about making the recipient feel special and valued. The relationship is the key: make your clients feel like their relationship is worth investing in, and they’re going to remember you! If you can get your clients selling for you, and bringing in those quality leads, you’ll be amazed at how the money invested into good gifts pays off: and fast! So stop giving crappy gifts, and tune in this week to hear about how you can give better gifts, even if you’re just starting out, and don’t have a big budget! This week on the Selling the Dream podcast, I’m talking to John Ruhlin, author of the book Giftology, about how you can strategically give gifts! If you’re ready to explode your market and surprise and delight your clients and leads, you won’t want to miss this week’s episode of the Selling the Dream podcast! Before we dive in: join an amazing network of the best second home agents. Make sure that you create your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces John Ruhlin and his business, Giftology. Most businesses rise and fall based upon relationships with their employees, clients, or centers of influence referrals. John shares his experiences with people giving gifts when he grew up. It was never transactional, it was relational! Gifts aren’t just about the gifts: it’s a delivery of emotion! There’s a huge difference between some cheap swag and something that’s going to be treasured for years. You can’t just slap your logo on cheap items and call that a gift! John tells the story about how his wife worked in gifts, and encouraged him to give better items that people will actually like. “I don't care if you're a billionaire. We all crave to feel like our life matters. We all crave to be treated like a human being, not a number.”

If you’ve been listening to this podcast, you may know what’s going on! But today, I’m taking a moment to step back and just tell you everything that we have going on, and how you can access these resources that we’ve put together, and how you can use them for your business! From our inspirational tip Tuesday episodes to our monthly Mastermind meetings, we’ve got something to help inspire you on your real estate journey! This week on the Tip Tuesday episode of the Selling the Dream podcast, I’m here to challenge you to dive in and use the resources we have created here for you, and network with like-minded agents! Thanks for joining us on Selling the Dream - we wouldn’t be where we are without you listening, and giving your feedback! Make sure that you give us a rating and review on iTunes: that would mean the world to me, and will help us get even more amazing guests on our Friday episodes of the show. Highlights of this episode: What are we doing? I’m here to tell you! Tip Tuesday episodes - short, inspirational episodes Friday interviews - from Tom Ferry to industry leaders all over the country, there are many things to learn! Listen to the Friday interviews to learn different perspectives and ways of doing things! We have a Mastermind community that meets monthly - if you’d like to join, reach out to me at tom@tomtezak.com. Join our Facebook community (link below) and connect with like-minded agents all over the world. Our Second Home Agents website is a great place to get listed and connect with agents in other markets! And if you think you’d like to be a guest on the show, reach out! I’d love to hear from you! Join our 2nd Home Agents Facebook group and create connections! (link below) Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. If there’s ever a topic that you’d like to hear us cover on the podcast, just send me a message: my contact information is below. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube

Have you ever looked at other real estate agents and wondered how they were getting the sales numbers that they have? Sometimes, you see that you’re doing the exact same things: Open houses Direct marketing Advertising But there’s just something about them that is skyrocketing their sales! Every wonder what that key difference is? They are known. When you are known in your market, you’re going to be the person that people call. You’re going to be the one that they want to work with. You’re the one that they have connected with - sometimes without ever even meeting you! How can you do that? It’s all about how you network with people, and build your reputation. Take time to create relatable content that wins people over and makes them feel like they know you, like you, and trust you. You don’t have to be the smartest real estate agent ever: you have to be known! This week on the Selling the Dream podcast, I’m talking to Ben Belack about his key to success: being known! If you’re ready to explode your market and be the top choice in your area, you won’t want to miss this week’s episode of the Selling the Dream podcast! Before we dive in: join an amazing network of the best second home agents. Make sure that you create your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today. Highlights of this episode: Tom introduces Ben and his business. Ben was pursuing an acting career, and ended up in the world of real estate. One of the best things you can do when starting out is find a mentor, and make yourself indispensable to them! Ben shares his affirmations, and how he uses them to help himself be better. Tom shares his perspective on scoffing at what successful people are doing: if a top seller is using affirmations, there just may be something to it! If you don’t emotionally capture your clients, it will impact the bottom line. Tom and Ben discuss some of the implications of new selling rules. Ben shares how he got into video marketing for his sales, and how he uses video. You have to be known in your market to get results! You may be around agents who may not seem “as good” as you, but what sets them apart? They are known!

Does the world ever feel out of control? It’s easy to see all the things that are outside of your control, and learn how to adapt. But the...

What is your primary market? If you’re listening to this podcast, there’s a high chance that you are working in the secondary home market, or helping people find the home of their...

You may have heard this quote from John Maxwell: “Change is inevitable, but growth is optional.” This is such a great quote, and so applicable as we’re all changing and adapting in response to this global pandemic! Growth is absolutely critical through this process! How are you growing? What steps are you taking to make sure that you don’t just change, but that you grow through this? Take advantage of this situation to stretch yourself, and challenge yourself! Learn new skills, master new technologies! Use this time to embrace growth! This week on the Tip Tuesday episode of the Selling the Dream podcast, I’m here to challenge you to take time to grow in the middle of change! Thanks for joining us on Selling the Dream - we wouldn’t be where we are without you listening, and giving your feedback! Make sure that you give us a rating and review on iTunes: that would mean the world to me, and will help us get even more amazing guests on our Friday episodes of the show. Highlights of this episode: Change is inevitable, growth is optional! During COVID-19, we’ve all had to change! But are you growing during that change? I’d like to encourage you to take time to grow! We can’t change things, but we can make the choice to grow! We can be better spouses, parents, and even grow in our knowledge and abilities! Take advantage of the time that you have to grow! This is going to be a long journey, and we can equip ourselves to be successful! Join our 2nd Home Agents Facebook group and create connections! (link below) Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. If there’s ever a topic that you’d like to hear us cover on the podcast, just send me a message: my contact information is below. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website Facebook Instagram YouTube Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents Facebook Group Subscribe to the Show

Are you working in a resort market? If so, then you probably have seen the division in a resort market: there’s your typical real estate, and then there’s the high end

What have you learned from this pandemic? All over, we’re redefining our jobs, and what it means to be a real estate agent. Many of us are still working constantly, grinding away to be the number one producer, the number one agent. I’m one of the worst of those: I’m driven, and constantly looking for ways to innovate and succeed! Then COVID hit, and I found myself with some opportunities to take a break, and focus on being number one in some other areas, like being the number one dad to my daughter, and being the best husband to my spouse. Instead of focusing on all the missed opportunities to be the top producer, I’d like to challenge you to take advantage of these missed opportunities! I mean, after all, what does it matter if you’re the number one producer, but you don’t enjoy your life? Or if you don’t enjoy time with your partner and family? This week on the Tip Tuesday episode of the Selling the Dream podcast, I’m here to challenge you to learn lessons from this pandemic! You may be driven, and you may be constantly pushing to be number one, but don’t forget that there are some areas where being number one matters so much more! Thanks for joining us on Selling the Dream - we wouldn’t be where we are without you listening, and giving your feedback! Make sure that you give us a rating and review on iTunes: that would mean the world to me, and will help us get even more amazing guests on our Friday episodes of the show. Highlights of this episode: Do you feel like you’re always grinding, looking for the next sale, taking time to constantly work on your business? One thing I realized during this pandemic is that sometimes, you just need to stop! If you don’t take time to focus on enjoying your life, spending time with your partner, or with your kids, then all the work that you’re constantly doing is a waste of time! I love what I do and am highly-driven to do it! But I need to make the choice to spend time enjoying my life! I want to be the number one agent, and number on producer, but more than that, I want to be the number one dad, and number one husband. Don’t lose sight of that in the midst of the grind! Join our 2nd Home Agents Facebook group and create connections! (link below) Hey everybody, thank you so much for spending time with us today: would you do me a giant favor and share this podcast with fellow realtors, and leave a review. Your reviews help this podcast get shared with more people. If there’s ever a topic that you’d like to hear us cover on the podcast, just send me a message: my contact information is below. Connect with me (Tom): 2nd Home Agents website

What can you do with a podcast? Last week, Matt McGee and I talked all about what it’s like to have a podcast, what you learn from it, and how it can help shape your business! ...