In 2021, the real estate industry is a lot different than it was just five years ago. With new technologies and advancements in the field of marketing, new corporate competitors, more companies and agents coming after your business and the low inventory crisis there are a few things that all realtors should make sure they have to stay on top of their game.
The Top 5 Things Every Agent needs for Success in 2021:
- Be known as a hyper-local expert
- Relevant video communications
- Go up-stream with your relationships
- Offer all the options for sellers
- Teams strategy
WATCH THE FULL WEBINAR BELOW
- Be Known as the Hyper-Local Expert: https://youtu.be/esbuswbC1tg?t=139
- Relevant Video Communications: https://youtu.be/esbuswbC1tg?t=216
- Go Up Steam in your Relationships: https://youtu.be/esbuswbC1tg?t=407
- Offer All the Programs for Sellers: https://youtu.be/esbuswbC1tg?t=655
- Teams Strategy: https://youtu.be/esbuswbC1tg?t=776
As the industry changes, we have to change with it. If you want your business to be successful in 2021, then it’s time for a shift.
We can help you navigate these new waters by helping you become known as a hyper-local expert so that people will think of only calling or contacting you when they need something specific.
Leveraging video communications is also critical because buyers are more likely to work with agents who offer this option (no matter where they live).
Additionally, sellers may prefer working with an agent who offers all options and has experience understanding how teams strategy works since some complex transactions require multiple professionals involved throughout the process.
Interested? Give us a call today!
TOP 5 Things Every Agent Needs For Success {Webinar} Transcript
hey everybody I am jason fox
with John L Scott Ballard of The Madrona Group.
Hi, I am joe Kiser with John L Scott Ballard the Madrona Group.
Today we are going to talk about the
Top 5 things that every agent needs for success
in the market in 2021.
You know one of the reasons I got into the
real estate industry is it really looked fun
you know, and I liked working with people
and helping people I had a background in sales and
people always said I would be good at
real estate and you know I was very
intimidated by that but I
started thinking about it and I was like
you know I have sold building products and
I have sold automobiles and you know
why not give that a shot and so I?
started looking at how to get into the
real estate industry
people are like well I love looking athouses
I love working with people and I want to
make a bunch of money
right and so, these are kind of some of
the things that we know about getting
into
real estate and then once you actually
go get licensed and you quickly
uh you know unlearn everything you
learned about getting your license
and you start doing real estate
it is like oh wow there’s
quite a bit to uh learn yeah
where do I get started at what do I do?
do I go work for a firm do I go work on?
my own do I get
go be a part of a team the whole process
is kind of confusing
um you know and even uh with us right
like we introduced ourselves
and we are like john l Scott Ballard and
we say the madrona group and we are a
team but there’s agents and
it can be a little overwhelming it is
and then you talk to us, and we are like
oh, go get your e key you got to get
signed up at the mis you know we got to
get your license with the state
you know it is just where you start
it is really a hard industry to navigate
and get into
so, in this webinar we are not going to
focus as much on some of those
logistical things and
the tasks but we will focus on the five
things that are important that
you must learn to be a
successful real estate agent yeah jason
things
change so fast in this industry things
that you need to know today were not
relevant a couple of years ago
so today we will talk about what it takes
in the market in 2021
it is true joe and I think that we are
in a bit of a shift
right now, we are kind of living in it I am
I am seeing it happen right before us
eyes so
getting these five things down I think
is going to be um extra important
you know the first important
thing I would say is you got to be hyper
local
even though your license allows you to
sell anywhere in the state of Washington
you really need to have a focus you need
to really have a place where you are
branded
where you are the expert so when people
come to you they are confident
to trust you in in that market yeah
that is true you know one of the things
that
uh when you get like an estimate for
example on your home on one of those
estimators one of the things that
those big tech companies have not been
able to figure out quite yet is like
neighborhoods right
and so, you know which neighborhoods do I
feel that comfortable
do I feel comfortable in which one’s work?
with our lifestyle where are the coffee
shops what are the schools like what are
the parks like
this is the kind of information I think
that people still find
you know especially important, and they need a
specialist for yeah you know and if you
know the area and you know the
neighborhoods you know okay this is the
type of house I am looking for and maybe
it is not available in this neighborhood
but this is a like neighborhood in that
same community and so you are still going
to have that same vibe
they are really looking for that that
tour guide so to speak so
joe is it so important that you know I
grew up in the area and I knew
that there used to be a little corner
store
and what gas station used to be
there or is it
more just kind of how we learn to market
ourselves hyper locally right and
one of the big ways that we can do that
which brings us to number two is
you must be a master of video yeah
video is especially important you know and
that is one of those tools that was not
when I first got in the industry really
was not used and
people would talk about you know you
really should start doing a little video
here video there and
you know now we are on video everything
and you know to get comfortable in front
of a video
to understand the subject matter that
you are going to put in front of that
video it is especially important
every sales meeting we do every uh
role-playing session, we do
I am like always pounding like gosh guys
you know what could really work well
in this scenario doing a video so
um we need to practice what we preach a
little bit more I think that
you know you can hardly spend too
much time in front of the video camera
but it is really
it is one of those mediums that we can
use it is inexpensive
you can pop up your phone that is all you
need these days
and maybe a little editing software but
you can pop up your phone on a Facebook
live on an
Instagram live and you can put yourself
out there right now instantly and it is
I mean um if we are talking about, we need
to make sure that we are in front of as
many people as possible
how else do I do it yeah with the hyper?
local focus and using video as a
platform to engage with your
with your sphere with your clients when
you meet them face to face
there is that level of familiarity that
you have already created and so there’s
already a level of trust there
yeah, I mean we cannot tell you how many
times we have been out somewhere or we’ve
met with a
friend or somebody and they start
talking about some piece of our business
that we did a video about we really
would not think
you know you never know who actually
watches these things but it is shocking
uh how much people pay attention you
know in consumers you know usually they
start their research on their own before
they have even reached out to an agent and
so, they are
they are on YouTube they are on all these
other platforms they are doing them
research and so
you know this day and the day of I
got to be in front of you to consult you
is that being old thinking you know and so
if we can actually
reach the masses through video content
and putting ourselves out there
you know we are going to reach a lot more
consumers that are starting those early
stages and it is going to put us in a
position for them to reach out to us
when they do have questions but
even besides doing YouTube and Facebook
live and whatnot I mean we are using zoom
platform to do virtual meetings and
which is a form of video, so it is kind of
becoming the norm, it is part of everyday
business now
you know here at general Scott
Ballard it is our culture it is the norm
that is how we engage with each other
with our clients you know you mentioned
zoom we have our sales meeting on zoom
we are always popping on videos
you know and the way we started getting
comfort our agents comfortable with it
is even just doing video text back and
forth you know
one thing that’s interesting joe
I think is that we are
doing listing presentations
where we used to go physically to the
house and we are taking sales of homes
we are doing video home video tours so
people that are in other states and
countries
are only looking at a house via video or
via a 3d virtual tour
or even sometimes recruiting agents on
video
you know and even there has been some
changes in the forms that we use today
and
I was just on zoom with one of us
agents going over those changes you know
it has made a real powerful
tool that we have access to all the time
so, we talked about being a hyper local
expert we talk about the power of video
let us talk about what it means to market
upstream
that is what Zillow uses to get
people
to come to their website where it is the
idea that we are not actually trying to
find people that are ready to buy or
sell
right now, today although that is nice as
well but we are trying to find
people that are just still kind of like
thinking about it like what would it
look like to move what would it look
like to sell
right up the stream before
they are in the buying process
because those are the people that you
know are going to kind of pop back into us
lives in six months to a year
maybe even two years when they are ready
to buy that’s exactly right jason that’s
like these tools that we are talking
about being hyper local and
being on video is all part of that
upstream marketing you know I do not know
how many times I will be at a dinner party?
a football parties
um and someone just happens to have
Zillow or redfin on their on their phone
just because
something to do and they are like hey
check this out you know and so people
think real estate whether they realize
it or not and you know so
that is one of the great things about
some of the tools we have here you know
is to be able to
uh send listing updates and them
desired neighborhoods and
to stay in front of them all the time
yeah, and you know to
further that you know what we would like to
do is uh housing market update reports
we like to send out listing
notifications
both in the form of email and in text we
like to make sure that we have tools
available that you can constantly check
the value of your home so you are always
knowing
exactly what your equity and your buying
power is
also even doing the educational videos
that we talked about earlier so you
are familiar with the process and you
understand what it is going to be like to
move forward with the purchase or sale
yeah, you know life changes on a dime and
you never know what is going to change in
someone’s life and if they are already
participating with you
you are going to be that person that they
think of if you are in front of them
one of the things that we promote at
john Scott Ballard is providing a market
update every year for
all our sphere of influence right so
that they are always aware of exactly the
value of their home
and you know we can just kind of keep
updating that year after year so that
we are always staying in front of them
and uh being prepared which is also a
great way to build our referral business
right because
we are constantly sending notification
we are constantly sending emails we are
constantly sending this quality
information
that people find useful and so they are
going to want to share that with the
people that they know
and help us you know build our business
that way
hi everyone, this is Ashley Rodriguez
with john l Scott real estate, I am sure
you have been hearing how crazy the real
estate market is right now
if you are a homeowner, it is really
important for you to get an updated
market analysis of how much your home is
worth in the spring of 2021.
you might be shocked at how much it is
increased in just over the past six
months
I am providing this market analysis by
zoom so it will only take
15 minutes and well worth your time
there are so many buyers out there right
now with extraordinarily little inventory
because of the incredibly low rates so
simply respond to this email
or write a comment to this video and we
can schedule it
this might be the year for you to make a
move and take advantage of this
incredible
market looking forward to connecting
with you soon
so, one of the things that we do that’s
somewhat unique at the office is we do
invest in a lot of different lead
sources right we use Zillow leads and we
use redfin leads and we give them to us
agents and
one of the things that we coach and
teach is that those
sales are generally not right now sales
they are generally
anywhere from 60 to 180 days out
and so, you know you must have a
system in place to nurture
those leads
because they are upstream leading you know
another example is like open houses
we know that most people go to an open
house because just out of general
curiosity what is going on with them
neighborhood
you know they are just starting to plant
that seed and they could be a couple
years down the road before they are
really ready to do something but
we get them into our system we stay in
front of them and then you know they see
that we are locally focused they see us
videos and
you know when the time comes, they reach
out to us most agents do not uh have
follow-up systems and
we are surprised by how many
agents do not even take the contact
information
at open houses and have a system in
place to get those upstream leads
so, we have talked about three of the
things needed in today’s market let us
talk about the number four
and it is demanded by the consumers is to
have programs to help them
in these markets that are changing so
quickly yeah so, we
we consider ourselves to be full
service
a full-service real estate team right
what does that mean to be a full-service?
real estate team versus maybe a discount
broker or some of those others
is that we do have services that we can
provide
meaning that like if somebody comes to
us and they say hey
here is here is our house or here is what
we want to do
you guys kind of take over and make
take all the stress out of it for me and
so having those programs available are
key for our sellers so what you are
referring to is market ready plus an
instant purchase plus and that really
puts
the consumer in the driver’s seat it
gives them the power to get a house
ready to
sell and go out on the market and not
take anything out of their pocket up
front
or it gives them the ability to have a
cash offer and I buy or offer on them
home
without having the inconvenience of
opening their home to the public
so, any real estate agents out there that
are not aware of programs like this or if
you are a new agent you are already at a
disadvantage
right so that is were working with a
company like john l Scott gives you sort
of this
unfair advantage it gives you this extra
power but having these programs are so
important right now especially the way
the market is today and because of these
programs we are getting more leads we are
consulting more people are
curious about these types of options and
so, we are really in front of more people
with tools like this
your right joe I mean these programs
are not for everybody but I think that
they are worth looking
and so, it gives us an opportunity to
consult and be that trusted advisor for
our sphere of influence and be able to
present these options whether they
work out for them or not so quickly
market ready plus is a program that
helps you get your home ready to put out
on the market
through partnership with john Scott and
it does not take any money out of your
and instant purchase plus is a program
that partners with eye buyers and
investors that will bring an
all-cash offer to sellers without the
hassle of putting it on the open market
well and finally the fifth
thing that you need to know to be
successful in real estate in 2021
is all about teams yeah well you know
you and I know that
very well as we started our team uh what
about four years ago
uh we called it the Madrona group
initially it was just the two of us but
the team concept was already in place
and
um we kind of understood and understand
that
to really compete in real
estate today
because of just how complex it is that
you need
a bunch of people and systems in place
to make sure that you have
as you know repeatable process that
brings that high level
of expertise to our clients
in fact, all our clients love the fact
that we are a team
we can handle the referrals that they
send to us they are confident and
that we are going to deliver
and uh we can serve in a way that
we could not as a single agent
yeah, so let us look at what does that
mean to have a team right
and obviously it is a lot bigger than
just the two of us now but
we can go right down to having a
transaction coordinator
you know having somebody that helps us
keep all the paperwork together keep all
the
timelines together because it gets a
little confusing
our lender team right yep, we have a new
agent development coach that helps when
new agents come on board to understand
uh the landscape of all the tools that
john Scott has to offer
the title and escrow right so we have
people that we like to use in certain
places we have all our vendors
in place right we have our stagers and
our photographers and
and everybody lined out our sign
companies’ um so that
you know we can quickly and agile and
move forward towards you know a
successful closing
yeah, you know when we were really kind
of our feet were held to the fire we met
with these clients on a Tuesday and they
asked how quick we could get their house
sold
and I said we could have it live
Thursday and contract on Tuesday and me
did not know if we could really do it but
because of the systems in place
we did it if all this team stuff sounds
a little confusing as a new agent
that is what we are here for we are going
to help you either
create your own team or maybe you want
to join our team
maybe you want to join a different team
we have so many things in place to help
make sure that that transition is real
smooth and easy
including a whole new learning system
that we have just started to incorporate
you know it used to be jason that Keller
Williams really was the name of the game when it came to teams
you know but their systems are old and
dated
you know today you know systems have
developed and evolved and you know we
have tools today that
are going to create a win-win
situation for everybody nobody is going
to be on a team feeling like they are
getting taken advantage of or
or they lost that you know and that’s
really important to us here
yeah, indeed and um there is a whole
program that we have access to that you
know we are taking
a lot of time and effort in rolling out
the jls elevate program that
specifically built around
helping people join teams and making
sure, that we create win-win scenarios
so that everybody feels like they are
getting you know the
structure that they need you know so if
we do not want you too necessarily just be
on a team if you are a team
leader great we will help you do that heck
even if you want to try to open your own
branch of john
Scott, we will help you do that you know we
have everything in place to
help you succeed at that level yeah
that is really at the core of what jason
and I
built with the madrona group is you know
we had a lot of roadblocks, and you know
we wanted to
grow and continue to grow and so when we
took the leap to open in our own
franchise we really wanted to create a
place that
would feel facilitate every person’s
growth whether they just want to be on a
team and show houses
like jason said they want to lead a team
and you know we want to be there to help
you walk through those steps and see you
grow
so, we do have a mission statement at
john Scott Ballard and you can find it
on our website
possibly on the link down below this
video but it pretty much correlates to
living life as a contribution
and that is something that joe and I both
take very seriously
we try to make service a real big part
of everything we do
not just in our real estate business but
in our personal lives as well
um you know giving time and money to
multiple charities and
um and our agents you know I am just
trying to be there
and in a way that is not self-serving but
in a way that we
really want all our agents to succeed
and I hope that
you know they will become better agents
than I ever was
yeah, one example is the last couple of
years jason and I have aligned ourselves
with us
with different charities that are near
to our heart that are local and
we have leveraged our contacts and us
sphere um
to bring awareness to these local
charities that are dear to our heart
so last year we focused on something
that was uh real near
dear to my heart autism speaks as my son
is on the spectrum and so uh we donated
a bunch of money and created a team for
the autism
walk and uh this year we partnered with
Seattle weld or weld of Seattle which is
a
program that helps to give people a
second chance that I have been
incarcerated
for years I spent my Monday nights
going down to the
streets of Seattle with the union gospel
mission I sponsored a van going out
every Monday night handing out blankets
and
necessities and connecting them
with resources to make a transition so
that is just a couple examples of how we
exercise our core value of living life
as a contribution
it really is the forefront of what we do
and it is what motivates us to come and
and be the best agents’ thanks for
watching this webinar
we love real estate, and we really look
forward to the opportunity just to sit
down and talk with you and seeing kind
of what your goals are in life and in
real estate and
how we can support and help you grow
yeah so, we talked about the five things
that we think are important for a real
estate agent to succeed in the market
today and
if you would like to schedule a time
with either one of us to discuss those
in more detail
we would love to do that we can do it via
zoom if that is where you are more
comfortable we can meet live if you like
it that way as well
or you can give us a call at 206-899-5155
or you can check us out at
www.themadronagroup.com
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