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Craig Schneider is a driving force in Rochester’s new construction residential real estate sector and a Real Geeks superuser. Craig provides a roadmap for getting started with technology and scaling it alongside your real estate business. He emphasizes the importance of having a client-centric website and mastering the fundamentals of technology. If you're uncertain about the technology you're currently using, Craig offers valuable guidance to help kickstart your real estate business.

Susie Ellis is neither a stranger to the real estate game nor to retiring. You are not locked into one market forever as a real estate agent. Susie is proof that with the proper skill set and work ethic, you can start over in any market and thrive. Join us as Susie shares her surprisingly nomadic real estate journey and what she’s learned along the way.

We are back with new Keeping It Reals, and to kick it off, we are bringing back real estate tech ninja Sascha Chatman. Sascha is crushing it with videos. He does everything from using them for lead follow-up to social media posts to running a successful YouTube channel! In this episode, Sascha will share what kind of videos he’s making, how he’s making them, and how he’s utilizing them for the best ROI. If you need help getting started with video or are looking for more video inspiration, you will want to tune in for this one. Subscribe to our email list and never miss a new episode: https://www.keepingitreal.com/subscribe/ Connect with Sascha: https://poplme.co/hash/j1oss4Dq/2/share Check out Sascha's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@UCKpnrjyt3_aknYZhhxKf-Yg  

On this episode of Keeping It Real, we invited back a few of our most requested guests to close out the year and discuss the changes witnessed in 2022, how to scale your real estate business successfully through 2023, as well as, some predictions for 2023 and beyond. Joining us from across the country are Brendan Bartic, Lisa Chinatti, Greg Harrelson, and Bob McCranie. 2022 has been a wild year! Join us as we discuss their highs and lows, hear how they adjusted their business with the shift in the market, and compare notes on plans for next year. Fill out the form here for a free December Checklist Digital Download on how you can make December a great month for your business: https://share.hsforms.com/1i9pLzS0iRjKoE1bof6WE1w5dqvo

On this episode of Keeping It Real, we talk to Agent Launch CEO and Collaborative Movement Co-Founder, Eric Preston. Many agents lose faith when leads from sources like Google PPC fail to convert right away. However, most leads DO convert; it can just take more than six months. The real money in real estate is made in the NURTURE process and the LONG TERM. Eric will give you some of the foundations you need and share his proven methods for converting online leads into clients. To find more great content from Eric: Bonuses: https://agentlaunch.com/masterclass-bonus YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/EricBPreston?sub_confirmation=1 Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2437073699753689 Website: https://agentlaunch.com

On this episode of Keeping It Real, we are joined by real estate coach and Smart Inside Sales founder Dale Archdekin. Dale is a master at role-play. In this episode, he explains why role-playing remains essential in succeeding in the shifting market and share some of his top tips to get the most out of it. Join us to find out how role-playing can help grow your confidence and convert more leads into clients. Find out more about Dale's programs: https://www.smartinsidesales.com/dale-archdekin-training.../ Dale's podcast page, where you can sign up to join live: https://www.smartinsidesales.com/cash-call/?playlist=da6b7ef&video=fc5b09b Dale's socials: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/SmartInsideSales Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/smartcoachingandtraining/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smartinsidesales Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/smart-coaching-and-training/

In this episode of Keeping It Real, we hear from Pree Poonati, stress & anxiety coach, Founder of The Art of Nirvana and Nirvana Gym. The Art of Nirvana, based out of Austin, Texas, has already helped over 1000 people transform their life. In this episode, Pree breaks down how agents can best manage their stress, all while effectively prioritizing and scaling their business through a shifting market.

In this episode of Keeping It Real, we hear from Nick McLean, a real estate coach specializing in optimizing real estate agents' workflows and getting new agents to a closed deal in their first 90 days. Nick also has experience as a commercial airline pilot! Join us for this episode for more onboarding best practices and real estate lead generation strategies to bring to your workflows or train up your team. Download Nick's The Ultimate Onboarding Cheatsheet HERE!

In this episode of Keeping It Real we hear from Stephanie Jones and guest-host Todd Tramonte. Stephanie is a solo agent in Northern Michigan who is killing it right now! Tune in to hear how she doubled her GCI by using Real Geeks for just one year! Stephanie will be speaking at the Unofficial Real Geeks User conference going even deeper into how she’s been able to grow her business using Real Geeks. The Unofficial Real Geeks User Conference 2022, hosted by Todd Tramonte’s Real Estate Growth Systems, will be a gathering of over 300 real estate agents, team leaders, brokers, and owners from all over North America.They will share their best practices and lessons learned in growing and scaling a successful real estate business. The Unofficial Real Geeks User Conference 2022 in Dallas, TX, is only a few weeks away on October 18-20, 2022! For tickets and more information, go to uRGuc.com Download our Real Geek’s 2022 CPL Report that breaks down the real estate cost per lead in the top 10 most prominent markets, the top 10 lowest cost per lead markets, and the cost per lead breakdown of the 50 largest markets of the previous year: https://share.hsforms.com/1IieskR56Qj2uKuQQZsdzLw5dqvo

In this episode of Keeping It Real, we are joined by guest-host Todd Tramonte and Al Lewis. Al doesn’t believe that every lead is a good lead, but that every lead is an opportunity. He breaks down his favorite strategies perfect for both teams and solo agents and shares some of his best practices. Al will also be a keynote speaker at the Unofficial Real Geeks User Conference. The Unofficial Real Geeks User Conference 2022, hosted by Todd Tramonte’s Real Estate Growth Systems, will be a gathering of over 300 real estate agents, team leaders, brokers, and owners from all over North America. They will share everything from their best practices to lessons learned to grow and scale a successful real estate business. The Unofficial Real Geeks User Conference 2022 will gather live in person in Dallas, TX, on October 18-20, 2022! For tickets and more information, go to uRGuc.com Download our Real Geek’s 2022 CPL Report that breaks down the real estate cost per lead in the top 10 most prominent markets, the top 10 lowest cost per lead markets, and the cost per lead breakdown of the 50 largest markets of the previous year HERE.

In this episode of Keeping it Real with Todd Tramonte of DallasHomeRealty.com. We will discuss how taking a step back to learn about business can provide more efficiency, working smarter, and the upcoming Unofficial Real Geeks User Conference. The Unofficial Real Geeks User Conference 2022, hosted by Todd Tramonte's Real Estate Growth Systems, will be a gathering of over 300 real estate agents, team leaders, brokers, and owners from all over North America. They will share everything from their best practices to lessons learned to grow and scale a successful real estate business. The Unofficial Real Geeks User Conference 2022 will gather live in person in Dallas, TX, on October 18-20, 2022! For tickets and more information go to https://www.uRGuc.com Get a FREE DOWNLOAD of Todd's Ideal ON vs. IN your business Residential Real Estate Professional Calendar HERE!

Let’s face it…most real estate sales strategy training is geared toward extroverts. “Make more cold calls.” “Go to more networking events.” “Knock on more doors.” While these methods work well for some, they do not work for everyone. This is where Ashley Harwood of Move over Extroverts comes in. However, introverts make up 25% – 40% of the population, and you’ll meet many of them in the industry. As an introvert, managing your energy in real estate is crucial to your success. If you don’t understand how your energy works, you will often feel tired and anxious. What Is an Introvert? Introverts tend to feel more comfortable focusing on their inner thoughts and ideas than they feel when focusing on what’s around them. Contrary to popular belief, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re quiet, shy, or reserved. There are social introverts, and there are private ones, too. The trait that unites them is they replenish their energy by being alone. If you’re unsure whether you’re an introvert or an extrovert, you can take a quiz to determine your personality type. Remember, major life events or persistent interventions can affect your classification. Once you’re sure you’re an introvert, use the tips below to make managing your energy in real estate easier. Think about your phone battery.   1. Identity Draining and Restorative Activities for You To better manage your energy, determine which activities drain you and which ones restore you. Naturally, some activities can zap your energy more than others. For instance, prospecting might require more effort from you than staging and showing homes. Also, some methods for decompression might be more relaxing for you than others. For example, you might find that a yoga class works better than taking a nap before joining a networking event. Think of your energy as you would your phone battery. Some apps — like GPS-based ones — take more out of your device than others, and you need to recharge it from time to time for it to function. 2. Set a Baseline If you charge your phone the moment it hits 19%, you should also have a baseline for yourself. Listen to your internal gas light to determine if you have enough left in you to complete a task, such as performing appraisals or inspections. Working below your baseline will leave you snippy, impatient, and irritable. Keep in mind that nobody wants to work with that kind of agent. Recharge if you must to get through your activity. Go for a walk if necessary. If you don’t have the time for that, try to delegate the duty to a more suitable agent. 3. Find a Lead Generation Strategy That Works for You Lead generation is the lifeblood for real estate agents and is a crucial part of long-term success. It may seem overwhelming at first, but it won’t be once you find the right strategy for you. Some cost-effective techniques include cold calling, LinkedIn prospecting, and community events. These all take some getting used to, but you’ll eventually figure out which one makes you feel most comfortable. If a super-draining approach doesn’t yield results, cut it out right away. On the other hand, if you discover a tiring method that attracts the right clients, go back to the drawing board to improve your action plan and make it work for you. Get a FREE DOWNLOAD of a list of Ashley's lead gen ideas HERE!

Your marketing strategy has finally worked! Organic and paid leads are finally coming in. But now what? What is the next step to ensure that a new lead will go down the sales funnel and turn into a sale? In this episode of the Keeping it Real podcast we sat down with Greg Harrelson to talk about what you should do as an agent. Keep these tips in mind so you’ll know how to take action and convert those leads into paying clients! New Perspectives: The Right Ratio for Your KPI Before everything, let’s discuss your key performance indicators or KPIs. Most agents refer to the contact-to-close ratio, which frequently shows low numbers. That’s why we want to introduce a better KPI to help shift your focus: capture to contact.  This way, you can focus on increasing your number of conversations versus closings. You’ll be in touch with more people you can convert instead of contacting a few leads and converting even fewer. Reaching Out to Your Leads Now that you have leads, it’s time to contact them using a method called double dialing or calling them twice. This changes their way of thinking and prompts them to answer you on the second call. However, if that doesn’t work, you can activate a workflow on the Real Geeks customer relations management (CRM) platform. That way, you’ll have as many touch points with the lead as you need to close the sale. Make sure you’re in control of the platform or autoresponder and not the other way around. Your leads will be more willing to engage with you if there’s a recognizable human element to these communication efforts. There’s No Dead Lead As a real estate agent, you’ll want to abandon the phrasing “dead lead.” They might be inactive, or maybe they’ve simply “ghosted” you, but they’re probably still looking to buy a property — just not with you. You need to activate a workflow that will reengage them or contact them manually so they can have a one-on-one conversation with you. Nurture the Lead, No Matter What Phase They’re In You may encounter leads that are not ready to buy or leads that are just thinking of buying. Many agents abandon these leads in pursuit of those more likely to convert immediately. However, it’s essential to keep the three phases of a buyer in mind: dreaming, exploring, and buying. If somehow a buyer calls you and is ready to buy, remember that they’ve probably talked to other agents who abandoned them early in the game, thinking that the buyer was still in the dreaming or exploratory phase. So be patient, nurture those leads, and take advantage of technology like the Real Geeks CRM to ensure that you manage them efficiently. Realistic KPIs You Can Target For a contact-to-closing ratio, 16% – 18% is good enough for the average real estate agent, but it’s low compared to the potential of a capture-to-contact ratio. For that, you can focus on getting at least 30% before aspiring for 60% – 70%. That’s an almost 300% increase in contacts, with no additional expenses! Contact Real Geeks! Ready to learn more about our real estate CRM? Contact us today and tell us how we can help! You can also watch this podcast episode on YouTube for a more in-depth discussion of the concepts above.

When COVID-19 hit in 2020, a lot changed — and is still changing — especially in how people use office spaces. The pandemic has forced many companies to adopt or enhance their work from home (WFH) policies. As a result, there’s been a decrease in the amount of time people spend in the office. For some, this has been a difficult transition. Some workers — specifically the older generation — thrive in an office environment and find it hard to focus when working from home. Others experience the complete opposite; they work better in quiet environments, away from the hustle and bustle of an office. Regardless of which side you fall into, there’s no denying that working from home has impacted how people use office spaces. Companies Are Downsizing Workspaces In the past, companies were worried about how their employees would take to WFH. However, they are now more accepting of the idea. This has led many companies to downsize their office spaces or give them up altogether. Companies are now more comfortable with single-story offices. Office spaces where people can easily go in and out have become more popular. CEOs prefer spaces with no elevators or common areas to ensure social distancing. While companies know that many employees — especially the younger generation — prefer to work from home, they are still trying to find a balance. This is why high-end offices that have the “live, work, play” mindset have also taken a hit. Many companies are now choosing more suburban locations, assuring employees they can still have an excellent work-life balance. Decisions Are Taking Longer Since the pandemic, buying property and leasing an office has become more complicated. In the past, companies made these decisions quickly. Now, they are taking much longer as companies want to ensure they’re making the best decision for their employees — and their budget. Several factors come into play when making these decisions. For example, will the company allow WFH? If so, how often? What type of office space do they need? How many people will be working in the office? All of these questions must be answered before a decision can be made. And even then, there’s no guarantee that the decision won’t change. After all, we are still in the middle of a pandemic, and things can change anytime. Leases Are Falling Through There are also many cases where companies have signed leases, only to have them fall through. This is usually because the company has decided to change its business models, or they’ve realized that getting employees back into the office is more challenging than they thought. This led to shorter-term deals, which have become more common in the office market. Two, three, or five-year deals have pushed ten-year deals to the side. It’s also led to more landlords being flexible with their tenants, offering more termination options. The Future of Office Spaces It is not easy to predict the future, but it is safe to say that the pandemic has changed the office space landscape and will continue to do so. WFH has become the new norm, and companies are still trying to figure out what type of office space they need and how many employees they can get back into the office. What is certain is that office spaces will have to be able to adapt to the ever-changing landscape. You will need to be able to accommodate WFH and social distancing and provide a good work-life balance for employees.

Join us for this episode of Keeping It Real where we discuss the importance of having a great schedule with Abe Safa. Abe is a top real estate agent, real estate coach, and business owner based in Myrtle Beach. As a real estate agent your day is filled with an array of activities. Staying focused and getting everything that you need to done can be tough. Abe will walk you through how he structures his daily schedule in order to produce at a high level. If your routine isn’t helping you to get the results you're after you are going to want to listen up as we discuss how to set a schedule to make the most out of your day.

In this episode of Keeping It Real featuring Chuck Richards, Product Manager at Real Geeks, he breaks down the best ways to get the most out of your CRM! Having a CRM isn't enough if you aren't using it. Chuck provides some best practices and suggest ways to identify opportunities already in your database. If you don't feel like you're getting the most out of your CRM or want to up your game, you will want to check this out. Join host Frank Klesitz, CEO of Vyral Marketing, as he and Chuck discuss making your CRM work for you. Vyral Marketing will interview you on an HD webcam to create helpful Q&A videos which they then edit, optimize, and promote for an effective 36-touch program to your database. This way more people call you to buy or sell a home (or work for you as a real estate agent). Go to www.getvyral.com for pricing, how it works, reviews, success stories, examples, and to request free strategy call.

In this episode of Keeping it Real, Sascha Chatman and  Frank Klesitz, CEO of Vyral Marketing, break down how you can equip your real estate team for success. Learn more about the resources needed to manage your own team of real estate agents. Of course, a capable workforce is one thing for generating leads and obtaining success in the real estate world. However, having the right resources available is one of the critical factors needed to equip your real estate team for success. Discovery Phase The discovery phase is meant to determine whether or not the agents being recruited are the right fit for their real estate team while providing the necessary details for the agents to know what their team is about. Sascha first discusses their team goals and strategies to ensure agents know exactly what they're walking into. He also discusses other matters, such as expectations from the agents themselves and their commissions. The discovery phase may be one of the most important parts of knowing how to equip your real estate team for success. In order to succeed, you need to have a reliable workforce on your side that shares the same goals and is willing to cooperate with the rest of the team to move forward. Having a compatible and efficient team is one of the best resources you can have in real estate, as it can significantly affect your business' productivity. Agent Utility Belt This is the highlight of the entire video. Sascha compares his utility belt of resources to Batman's belt of tools and trinkets. This belt essentially exists to store all resources and keep them within reach. Don't get the wrong idea, though. It's not an actual belt. Instead, it is usually a cloud or a compilation of all your valuable resources, such as videos, links, and other agent tools. Having a utility belt that is curated specifically for your team and your needs could help increase the productivity of your workflow because you won't have to scavenge for resources when you need them. Not only does it make you more productive within your workplace, but it also gives off the sense that you are reliable and organized. When clients ask for something, you will easily have it within reach.  Clients understandably have many questions before closing the deal, so one of the best ways to answer them is to grab a resource from your utility belt. For example, you're talking to a client about title insurance. Instead of answering their questions yourself, you could take an informative video from your utility belt and ask them to watch it. This makes it easier to understand and relate to. Having a utility belt is a great way to equip your real estate team for success. It also comes in useful during business transactions. All in all, it's one of the best resources that a real estate team can have. Having the right resources is essential in equipping your real estate team for success. Create an agent utility belt that caters to your team by signing up for the Real Geeks platform today. We provide valuable resources that you and your team can use to achieve the best possible outcome in every situation. Get started with us today! To check out the video for this epsode go to: keepingitreal.com For more of Sascha: Email: sascha@chatmanrealtygroup.com Coaching Website: http://realestatetechninja.com Coaching Course: https://bit.ly/RETNCoaching

5 Steps to Set Up and Promote a Home Seller Workshop Many homeowners want to sell their homes but don’t know where to start. If you learn to help them achieve their goals, they’ll come to you for expert advice. However, this leaves us with one more question — how will they find you? While there are several ways to find your audience, one of the most effective approaches is to set up a home seller workshop. Take a look at the five steps to creating and promoting your workshop. Set a Date The first step is to pick a day. Find a time of day when you think your target audience will be available to watch or listen to your presentation. Usually, many professionals are busy during the day, so the best time to schedule it is in the early evening, around 7 PM to 8 PM. Develop a Curriculum Once the date and time is set, the next step is to create a curriculum. What will you talk about in your workshop? If you’re new to the industry and not familiar with public speaking on a virtual platform, perhaps you can invite a guest speaker to have conversations with. For this method, the best format is question and answer. The topics you can cover can include top questions sellers are asking right now, like the following: What’s going on in the market? What improvements can I make to increase my home’s value? What do I do with my belongings when I move? How should I stage my home, so it sells fast? Do I need to hold open houses to get potential buyers? Once you narrow down the topics you want to talk about, you can go to Google and search for the answers. While the information you provide is essential, what matters most is how you deliver it. Your audience will listen to someone who exudes confidence and expertise, so consider this as you prepare for your workshop. Practice, practice, so you don’t come across as uncertain of yourself. If you don’t trust what you say, your audience won’t, either. Set up a Home Seller Workshop on Eventbrite Now that you have the date and the curriculum ready, the next step is to create an event with a good title and develop a sales copy for the event. Make sure to explicitly mention what the main points of your workshop are and what value it will bring to your viewers. If you have additional offers such as free virtual consultations, special guests, and home price offers, include them to increase your appeal. Customize the Registration Page After that, you need to develop a registration page. With Eventbrite, you can customize the page to include the essential details, such as: Name Email address  How did you come across my workshop?  Link to the workshop Once they submit their form, you can collect their information and save it in your database. As the event nears, get in touch with them by either sending an email or texting them. Calling them three times can increase the conversion rate because it will let them know they’re wanted in the event, so they will be more inclined to go. Reach out to a Wider Audience If you want to widen your reach and tap a more significant number of people, you can do so in various ways. For instance, you can:  Send out an email to your existing database  Make a Facebook Ad Send direct mail  Use an affiliate program Call people personally With these steps, you’ll be sure to produce a successful workshop. While these steps serve as a good starting point, be sure to customize them to fit your needs. The more authentic and personalized your pitch is, the more you will grab people’s attention.

The Power of SEO and Area Pages With Bob McCranie Do you want more lead traffic to your website? In this episode of Keeping It Real, we explore the latest SEO best practices with Bob McCranie. Bob is the Broker Associate & Team Owner at Texas Pride Realty Group - HomeSmart Stars and an expert on utilizing SEO best practices and Area pages in his strategies. Join host Frank Klesitz, CEO of Vyral Marketing, in breaking down the strategies and best practices behind a robust, high-conversion online presence in today's evolving digital landscape. If you need some help optimizing your site, tips on how to turn up the volume on your current lead flow, insight into different strategies that have provided wins for agents across various markets, check out Bob's Area Page lead generation strategy! Top 3 Ways to Generate Lead Traffic & Boost Your Sale Funnels' Visibility in Your Market Bob, a Brokerage Associate & Team Owner at Texas Pride Realty Group - HomeSmart Stars, shares the techniques and strategies he deploys to increase overall visibility to prospective clients in his market.  According to Bob, he deploys three unique strategies to get leads. These strategies roughly refer to attraction marketing, SEO & optimizing his website based on popular search engine optimization guidelines, and demographic farming/cultivating his existing audience.  Let's dive more into these strategies and find out how Bob executes them to get as many leads as possible. Attraction Marketing Attraction marketing, also called event marketing, is Bob's number one strategy. This strategy is based on the idea is that you don't have to run Ads all the time or cold calls but have people gravitate towards you because of who you are in the community. In the case of Bob, he's a well-known Broker Associate with long years in the industry. Newer agents can begin working on their community visibility by hosting events.  You can draw people to you by hosting events, posting about them on social media, and generally being a social connector. It doesn't have to be a real estate event, but any event that serves as a lure to connect with people. Some of the events you can host include: Kite Flying, BBQs, & Outdoor Events Theater Events, Movie Nights, DriveIns, Concert in the Parks, etc.  Recycling Events, Food Drives, Community Service Events, etc. Starting successful community events takes consistency and patience. Make a schedule and stick to it when promoting your events. You can put up physical signs around your area. Put up flyers at your local coffee shops and gyms, and utilize social media ads. These have proven very effective no matter which markets you are located in.  Putting in a constant effort will build attendance over time, and before you know it, you will have collected a community of regulars at your events that can also serve as a potential client base. Networking greatly helps get leads, even if not by a massive count at first. Your Website The second and perhaps most important is internet marketing, specifically SEO. Your primary medium is your Reel Geeks website, which helps you draw in more organic leads. You still run Google ads, which brings you steady business. However, you must have a website to lead your potential leads and provide them with the information they need. Of course, just having a website is not enough – you need area pages. Bob stresses the importance of area pages and being specific about where you want your leads to go. He combines social media and SEO, focusing locally on his pages. No one looks for real estate in the main city. People always look for the suburb or neighborhood they are looking into. You create business pages for each suburb of the city you're covering. Each page must have a call to action that takes the reader to the actual area page on your website. It has to lead to the direct page for the city or suburb, not the homepage. It helps to pre-fine all searches as much as possible, directing leads where they want and giving them satisfaction. Demographic Farming Bob's last strategy has to do with demographic farming, which is about cultivating or nurturing your lists. In this example, he developed his holiday list using postcards sent creatively and in good fun. For instance, he would send a holiday postcard in June or Valentine's Card with a humorous caption. Of the many postcards he sent, the most creative and successful is the tagline, "No, I don't want to buy your house." Bob doesn't want to buy your house, but he can sell it at a 30 to 40% better price than others in the market. The idea is to keep it fun, so people will look at the cards or mail and know what Bob has to offer. Conclusion Per Bob's experience, the strategies that can help you bring in leads are – attraction marketing/events marketing, SEO and area pages, and demographic farming. Add them to your process, and you can turn up your current lead flow to the highest volume.

We are excited to welcome back one of our favorite guests, Lisa Chinatti, for this episode of Keeping It Real. Lisa is a top producer based in Westford, MA, with over ten years of Real Estate experience. We are also joined by Jason Posnick, the Sales Manager for the Chinatti Realty Group and has an enormous passion for developing others, solving problems, and conveying positivity into people’s lives. The market is hot right now, and we see a lot of areas with low inventory. Lisa gives you her tips and shares what she and her team are doing to maintain their seller lead flow. Lisa and Jason break down the most effective approaches to 5 different lead sources and how to create a plan that meets your needs regardless of which market you are in. Join host Frank Klesitz, CEO of Viral Marketing, as he, Lisa, and Jason dive into generating new seller leads today. If you are looking for a way to generate more seller leads, you will want to check this one out and take notes!