We've wrapped up another coaching session with Tara!

 

This week's session focuses on the importance of finding the "why" - why you're in real estate - for being successful with online leads.

 

Also, you will get great tips about door-knocking and figuring out the best moment to call your leads.

 

Transcript:

 

Crystal:  0:07  

Cancel the recording. Perfect. And we probably have some new guests in here and some reoccurring. So, that's great to see.

 

Tara:  0:16  

Yep. Thank you. I appreciate that. I do. This is great. I'm trying to go through the list. I'm trying to figure things out as I'm doing this.

 

Crystal:   0:25

Okay. 

 

Tara:  0:26

I'm not trying to be looking somewhere else. I'm just trying to see…

 

Crystal:  0:30  

Yeah, I know. I'm always looking in between here. I hear you. I hear you. So, how have the last couple of weeks for you been in your business, and since, I guess, the last webinar?

 

Tara:  0:43  

You know what, we've sold a couple more houses, which was super nice. Well, I think in the last week, we've got three more under our belts, a couple of buyers that took a long time to find their forever home, which is good. The market has, you know, here anyways, in the GTA Northumberland, it has changed. As we said before, I'm, you know, it's my responsibility too, as the manager of this brokerage, to really keep my eye on where the pricing is. People are pricing and what's now our new trend and lots of terminations of listings and relisting at market value, which, I think, as somebody that's been in this business for such a long time, this excites me because this was really fun real estate, to get a listing and to actually be able to negotiate. You know what I mean? And showing ten houses and knowing that your buyers could actually get one of those ten if they wanted. So, I think it's much for the new realtors who have been involved in real estate in the last two and a half years; it's going to be an adjustment for them because all they've really known in their career is bidding wars and underpricing. But these are exciting times, and I'm saying to our agents here, the new ones: Guys, you know, when you see a listing that's 14 days old, that's normal. It's normal to see 30 days and not think there's something wrong with this house. So, yeah.

 

Crystal:  2:20  

Absolutely. I'm noticing it in my area too. You know, where the listings were originally just, you know, as soon as they were up there, they're sold and, you know, above what I would ever consider a price range for my neighbourhood. Now, there are two listings that are just sitting; one just had a price reduction. So, you know, things are shifting a bit. 

 

Tara:  2:44  

Yeah. It's really, really good. It's, you know, instead of realtors panicking because they don't know how to deal with that, I think you just have to say this is what real estate really was always like, with the exception of a couple of homes throughout my career went into bidding wars, but they were few and far between normally.

 

Crystal:  3:02  

Yeah, yeah. It's usually that one house in the one area that everyone wants to get into, and they're watching, waiting for those listings, sometimes, to pop up on. So, yeah, it's very tricky. Now, I know that today, we wanted to; so, a lot of success when it comes to real estate, or why, or also not a success, but it's the big understanding of why we got into this industry in the first place. And I'm sure you've experienced that. I know I've witnessed it, where you can almost identify that individuals forget their why. They get so caught up on their potential earnings that they forget the initial reason why they got into the business in the first place. And a lot of times, it wasn't just, like money might have been a part of it, but that wasn't the main focus of why they got into the industry. There's a lot more to it. And so for you, Tara, when you got into the industry or understanding and refocusing on your why, what are some tips and thoughts that you would want to share with everyone to, kind of, get them on that right track and how that why has helped you get to where you're at today, and, kind of, tossing the money aside and focusing on why you actually got into this in the first place?

 

Tara:  4:18  

I think that, as I've been teaching throughout my career, everybody gets into real estate for a different reason. That's the honest-to-goodness truth. You've got some people that are working great jobs, full-time jobs, and they just want an extra, you know, few 1000 per month because you know, I think the perception is real estate is quick and fast money. And, you know, I can sell one house a month and, you know what, maybe I show a couple of houses. It's not a lot of hours, when in fact, it's the polar opposite of that. It's the polar opposite. So, I got into real estate way back in 1991 when I became the first administrator of my entire career because we had bought our second house, I think, second or third house by then. And our agent just said: Wow, can you work for me? Because it was just, that was just kind of my gig. But I think as I grew in my career, and I started selling more, and now it came down to me really working so many hours a week, seven days a week, seeing all kinds of different deals come and go, and, you know, like I say, real estate is like this. It is not smooth sailing. I don't care how good a realtor you are, how long you've been in this business, you've had really good highs and really bad lows. 

 

And when I'm coaching people on my end, my big thing is the why. Why are you still doing this? Why are you doing this now? Whatever that why is, you can never lose sight of it because we are commissioned salespeople. We only get paid if we sell. So, having that why is something for me that I never lost sight of, ever. And it might sound a little weird. But, you know, you all can ask me what my why is. I share it with everybody. I can tell you the good times I've had down to when I had stage four cancer, and I wasn't sure if I was going to live. And now sitting at Sunnybrook Hospital, having my final surgery on my lymph nodes, looking at my two boys and, kind of, going, you know: How can I continue to support them sick, you know? So, that why carried me through every single thing I've been through as a realtor because I needed to keep the why firm and stand, right there, right, for me to come out of that surgery and go: Alright, you know, I can't drive for 30 days, but nobody's going to stop me from going on this listing appointment, and we're going to figure out how to do it. So, that's where my why is. And that's what I can stress so much to people: Never lose sight of it no matter what it is. Does that make sense?

 

Crystal:  7:32  

Oh, absolutely. It's, kind of, in hindsight, it's almost like that vision board, right? We, you know, a lot of individuals out there, we all create, and a lot of coaching programs and a lot of training through brokerages will offer or encourage you to create those vision boards that, you know, you're aiming for those goals, right? So, and having them there, so you're constantly looking at them as a reminder, and it is also, you know, indirectly, but directly connected to that why. Why are we doing this? Why am I working 12 hours, 13 hours a day, not seeing my family, like, you know? Like, why am I doing this? Why did I choose this path? And I think a lot of us, we go through different motions and emotions while we're doing any kind of job, depending on the scenario, the situation. Of course, the market with real estate, you know, the last little bit where realtors were getting just, they're just getting hammered, exhausted. Showing up, showing up, just after showing. And with nothing coming from it, it gets really frustrating and discouraging. And so, I definitely can understand why having that why and always focusing on it would definitely be beneficial to keep people going. Absolutely.

 

Tara:  8:50  

Yep. And I share that with everybody, you know? I mean, it's no secret that my why; see, look. At me right now, like I'm a big baby. My why will always be my two sons, you know? One is 30, we got some exciting news to share soon, but I'm not allowed to yet. You know, my other one is 26 who works for me and is now becoming a realtor. I never lose sight even to this day, no matter how tired I am, no matter how difficult the client is. I always, in the back of my mind, go: Andrew and Austin. Andrew and Austin. Plain and simple. So, I think what we talked about in our previous webinars about mindset when it comes to converting our leads. This is everything because the mindset and your why are like this. They fit together. And I'll tell you, there were a lot of times where it would have been easy for me to give up and go work at Tim Hortons or go work at, you know, Loblaws. Listen, I'm all about working. I don't care where you work. I'm a worker. But I knew that I could continue to do this career. And to continue to hang in there because I had two very, very important reasons to. And that's what is involved with conversion, is, honestly, your why and your mindset, right? I can see you commenting a little bit. But it really is; I'd love to know what people's why's are. Because sometimes I think when you speak it, whether you put it on a vision board or you share it, that is everything. That's why you're doing this. If it's because you want to buy a Porsche soon, tell me. And then let's talk about how we can get you there. And then let's see how AgentLocator Pay-Per-Click leads can fit into that. You see where it all kind of meshes together? Yeah.

 

Crystal:  10:51  

Now in hindsight, also with that, why do you have that goal? So, the why is also the driving factor for you to get up every day and do what you do. Now, when you first got into the industry, I imagine your boys were still present at that time or were they born?

 

Tara:  11:10  

So, my oldest was born in; oh good, Lord. Okay, this is a senior moment.

 

Crystal:  11:17  

Hold on. Think of how your oldest is 30. Yeah.

 

Tara:  11:22  

So, my very first administrator job was for a realtor here in Oshawa. And I was hired to call his expired listings. He was with the Sutton group at the time. I found out I was pregnant with my son during that job. Then I had him, and that's when we bought another property. And I started working now five days a week, evenings, when my husband came home from school or from work, I would then take off and go to the office. And that's where I worked with our realtor, was with REMAX at that time. Yeah.

 

Crystal:  11:59  

And then when; so, with your why, you know, why did you choose to get into the industry, because there's a lot of individuals that get into, you know, they may not have that goal that they're working towards, you know, that level of achievement, but usually there's a reason why we get into a profession in the first place. It doesn't, you know, sometimes it just falls or, you know, the people around us or parents or realtors or work, you know, whatever it is or professionally, kind of, follow, in some cases, our parents' footsteps. For you, was it still that same why, or was there another driving factor, or just working with the brokerages and working with people that made you want to get in and do this for yourself? Was it, you know, being able to provide for your kids? Or was it just being able to, a combination of that and helping people? Or were you seeing something missing? You know, there's a lot of different…

 

Tara:  12:54  

I've always been; how can I say this? I've been working since I was 12 years old. I grew up; I was born in Durham, but I grew up in Collingwood, and everybody knew my dad. My dad's passed now, but, you know, I didn't have a lot growing up. If I wanted to get something, I had to work. So, you know, I babysat. I did this, that, and all the others. I've always had, kind of, that entrepreneur spirit, where I'm not, I'm a doer. You know what I mean? If we're going to talk about something, then I'm going to figure out a way to get it done. I might fail, but I'm still going to figure out a way to get it done, right? It might not be perfect, but I'll do it. And I think growing up knowing that if I wanted to get new clothes, and I wanted to do this, well, then I had to get the babysitting jobs in order to make enough money to do it. And I started very young, creating a routine with people that I would then start calling ahead of time. Listen, are you needing a babysitter this weekend because I'm free. And so, before I knew it, at the age of 12 to 15, every single weekend, I had babysitting jobs lined up. And that was solely just because my parents could not give me new clothes. So, I knew how I wanted to dress, and I knew that I had to figure out how to get the money to do it. 

 

Fast forward, even though I was a mom, which was what I always wanted to be, I knew I still wanted to work. So, I knew when I was approached by realtors who, especially the one who sold us our house, going: You are so good with people. Can you come in and start calling my past clients for me and doing this? That's how I got my foot in the door, and I was able to do it so that I could be a mom at home, and as soon as he walked in the door, I would step out and go to work. Then as I got successful as an administrator, before I knew it, as my kids got older, I started having realtors all over the GTA hear about me, and I had a waiting list of realtors that wanted me to be their administrator. So, going forward, you know, my husband at the time was seeing me work for all these realtors and going: Well, you're making them all money, but what about you? So, he really started putting the fire under my butt to get my license. And I refused to do it until I knew that the boys were okay and old enough for me to now be working 60 to 80 hours a week, seven days a week. So, that's what my motivation was. I'd already spent so much time, you know, 14 years running realtors' offices, doing everything for them. And it just came down to the fact that now it was time for Tara. 

 

Crystal:  15:54  

Yeah, well, which makes sense. 

 

Tara:  15:56  

It wasn't a passion for the industry. I'm not going to lie to you. I can't tell you guys that I was sitting back, always dreaming of being a realtor. What I wanted was to run my own business. I just didn't know what that would be.

 

Crystal:  16:09  

Yeah, I find a lot of us as well; at least you didn't have to spend 1000s of dollars taking all different university courses to figure out what it is, right? Like, a lot of the younger youth out there, they go, and they're like: I have no idea what I want to do, but I'll just throw my money at all these things, and one of them might stick, right? And I find you can only really learn your passion by doing it. It really, at the end of the day, when you start doing something, and you find that drive. Because, I myself, it was, like, I've been in all different channels, all in the same sector, but all different positions within the industry. So, now, Douglas, it looks like you have a question. I can definitely allow you to talk if you like, you will just have to unmute yourself because you have your hand up. And do we have any questions in here? 

 

Tara:  17:05  

Yeah, I'm just trying to look.

 

Crystal:  17:08  

So, Retty is saying: Hi, guys. I'm here trying to overcome the calling fear. So, what's your, you know, and again, you know, if there's a way to connect it to that why, but also what kind of suggestions would you have for Retty to get over that fear?

 

Tara:  17:29  

Yeah, you know what, that's completely out of the box. I understand that fear completely. You know, I'm not a massive caller. For some of you that have been on in the previous ones, I have found when it comes to conversion that people aren't reacting as much to phone calls as they used to. But I think, first and foremost, when I do make calls, I make it with a thank you. I'm not calling to try to get these people in the car. I'm not calling with a plan, with desperation to convert a lead. What I want to do to these leads and, Crystal, we've said this so many times. I call it - I'm just simply introducing my voice. I'm simply saying: Hey, George. It's Tara calling from begintosearch. I just wanted to thank you so much for coming on the site and looking at listings. I really appreciate it. And that makes the call a little easier for me because I don't get lost in translation while I'm trying to find out if this lead's ready to buy a house. The bottom line, and please, all of you, never forget, these leads sign up as Pay-Per-Click leads because they want to look at listings. And that's what we're giving them. And don't ever forget, that's all they want. They just want to see houses. So, on the back end, when I'm going to make a call, it's simply going to be: Thank you. I appreciate you coming on. Once you tear down those walls, it's so much easier to have a further conversation down the road or even during that specific phone call because a lot of people will open right up to you if you cut the objection first and foremost.

 

Crystal:  19:17  

Oh, absolutely. Yeah, it's; and really, it's these different aspects of a position that make us feel uncomfortable that really are only going to help you grow. And, Tara, you obviously, you know, prior to calling these leads, you were doing follow-ups for realtors as well, so you were forced to also. And you were doing it as a kid prospecting for babysitting jobs. So, the comfort level of talking and those are probably warmer relationships, but when you're working with a realtor, you didn't have any idea who those people were, they were his past clients, right? It's terrifying.

 

Tara:  19:59  

Yeah. Acknowledge the fact when you're going to make these calls that this isn't a fun thing to do, right? The people that say: Oh, I really love it, I mean, I give kudos to because I don't get it, right? What I learned very early was, because my very first job with the one agent, when I was pregnant with my son, I had to call all the expired listings. Back then, you know, we would have a book that showed us when they expired, and we had a phone book, and that's what my job was. And I learned so quickly that when I called the landline to say, you know: Hi, I'm Tara. I'm calling for so and so. I know your listing expired, that I had to word it in such a way that these people would want to talk to me. So, whether or not that's, you know, having a nice, quirky thing, which, you know, makes them smile or makes them giggle. Or, you know, that's the success to having a good phone conversation, in my opinion.

 

Crystal:  21:04  

Yeah, absolutely. And, you know, I was in a similar situation where I was thrown in to call people. I never called people in my life, most nerve, you know, it's terrifying. But it takes practice to make perfect, really. Just, you can only really get more comfortable and learn exactly what to say by doing it. You know, today, okay, this doesn't really work, or it didn't come out or, you know, didn't really get what I was hoping the response might be. So let's try switching it up a little bit, or I'm finding every time I'm calling someone, they're really standoffish. So, how do I, you know, readjust what I'm saying to drop those walls a bit and let them know that I'm not here to push them into anything. I just want to have a conversation and thank them for taking a look at the listings I'm sending them. 

 

We do have a comment here from Denon. When you door-knock for the first time to introduce yourself, when is it a good idea to go see them again, although they are not ready to buy or sell? As for, Tara, last video, you suggested to do this bi-weekly or at least once a month. But what do you say to them over and over again? Every time you're popping by, it could be exactly that. I was just in the neighbourhood. Again, I know we chatted a few weeks ago, just wanted to say hi, right? Casual. It's like running. I like to try to, you know, it's like running into an acquaintance in the grocery store, right? It's anytime you see someone, you say hi. If you're in the neighbourhood, you might pop by and say hi. So, again, you're not trying to sell them. You're just building a relationship.

 

Tara:  22:44  

Yeah, yeah. I think, you know, when I'm out door knocking, and I have a good talk with somebody, I always make a mental note. Once I, kind of, get a little bit further down the road, I'll go, you know, 24 Main Street, and I'll send myself a text or put a note on my phone. Because what I do going forward is, once I get back to the office, then I'll look up GeoWarehouse, you know, you can find their names, and I'll send them a thank you card as well. Going back, lots of ideas to go back, you know, if you notice a recent Sold, go back and knock on their door and let them know about it. Keep them familiar of the area. If you've talked to somebody, there's no reason why you can't put them on your newsletter mail if you have one. It's a great way for people, when they get mail from you, to remember your name when they're ready to look. So, I think first and foremost, when we talked about farming, you know, door knock, absolutely. The next time you go out a couple of weeks later, maybe you're just going to flyer drop, is what I like to call it, you know? Do you have to door-knock every single time you go out? There's no written rule, but they need to have regular information with your name on it if you want to see a return on your investment. So, I would do it bi-weekly. That's what I asked my team to do and just keep it up. And it's not door-knocking by-weekly. It's door-knocking and then a flyer drop. And then maybe a month later, you're going to door knock again. But when you've had communication with someone, send them a thank you card in the mail, follow it up with something a little bit extra, right? And now they're what I call a lead, right? That's a lead, whether you have their email or not. We don't need their email to keep in touch with them. We need their name and their address, right? Get an email going forward down the road once we're communicating a little more. So, I hope that helped you.

 

Crystal:  24:52  

Perfect. Now, Priyanka, I see that you have your hands up. So, I'm just going to put you into the ability to talk if you have a question you would like to ask?

 

Priyanka:  25:02  

Yes. Hi, Tara. Hi, Crystal. 

 

Tara:  25:07

Hi. 

 

Priyanka:  25:08

So, I have a couple of questions. So, I'm going to start door-knocking. I have done it in the past, pre-pandemic. And it's been hard. So, I'm, again, going to start because everything is starting to open up. And, so, I have read a lot about door knocking. So, do you recommend farming the area or just knock door by door on the street to get the listing?

 

Tara:  25:42  

Okay, so, you know, I'm a little old school. I don't know what they call it now. But if you're going to door knock on a street, I think that's farming. So, you know, it's like anything else, if you're going to take the time to do it, then follow up and keep doing it, right? Very few people are going to use you, or the return on investment, the first time you knock, is really rare. But once you continue to brand yourself on that street that you've taken the time the door knock, you're going to see more return going forward down the road. So, you know, because this is new for you, don't start out with something really large. I recommend, you know, have a couple of streets, maybe 100 houses, and just sort of get into the groove of it, you know? What you're doing is branding yourself. So, when you go to a neighborhood, have the mindset of: I'm just letting people know who I am. So when they're ready, it'll be my name, as one of the names they're going to think of to call, right? And I think if you go and take the pressure off yourself, you might see some return a little quicker as well. I think when we go door-knocking, and we're desperate for a listing, it can affect our return on the area. But when we just sort of take that off your shoulders and do it with a sense of: I'm just branding myself. People got to know who I am, right? And then I think you're going to see it a little bit easier.

 

Priyanka:  27:19  

And you choose the area, like, the transactional areas, or the turnover, where it is high, closer to your office, closer to your home, I mean, what various parameters can you suggest to choose an area to start?

 

Tara:  27:41  

Well, listen, I'm going to quote Brian Buffini right now. If any of you have ever looked into him, he's fantastic. Your biggest source of advertisement is always your For Sale sign and your Sold sign. So, if you've had recent Solds, or you recently have a For Sale sign up, that's the street, first and foremost, you want to target. Street and streets. So, start thinking about that, you know, even if you had a listing on the street a month ago or two months ago, you know, think about that. They know your name because they drive past your sign. Other than that, you know, I farm areas all over, not close to my home. But you can certainly go on TRREB and look at the stats, and you can figure out high market turnover areas. I think that's a good idea too. But do what your comfort zone is first, and then expand as you see your budget allows it because it can be costly.

 

Priyanka:  28:44  

And is it a good idea to door-knock around the Coming Soon sign of my office, one of my office listings?

 

Tara:  28:54  

You know we call that circle prospecting? I don't see why not. You could do anywhere there's a Sold sign on, you could, For Sale sign, you could do it. Every street is yours. So, you know, maybe if it's somebody in your office, you might want to just mention it to them as well. Do you mind? You know, there are a lot of us that do have quite a few listings, and we simply just can't do it, right?

 

Crystal:  29:18  

One thing I just want to add is, when picking target areas, if you don't have a listing coming soon or have a Sold, or somebody in your office is around, going in your neighbourhood is a great way as well if you own a home in that neighbourhood because you got foot in that game. The sale price of that person's house is going to affect the overall value of your home. So, it gives you a little bit of an extra, you know, or reason why someone would want to use you because you're going to try to get that best, absolute best price for that home because it's going to affect the value of yours. Some people will, kind of, look at that and say: Oh yeah, well, that makes sense. Why wouldn't you try to get the highest price for my house?

 

Priyanka:  30:05  

But the problem is that I live in a very mature and very high, I mean, bigger lot size, older bungalows, you know, where people live for 50 years at least. I live in that kind of neighborhood where they have family realtors working for them and, you know, all that sort of thing.

 

Tara:  30:28  

What about a couple of streets over, right? Maybe it's not your actual street, but it's the subdivision right beside it.

 

Priyanka:  30:37  

Yeah, yeah, that I can definitely do. And what would you recommend when we door knock? Is there anything which has to be left behind apart from the business card? Because I am also thinking about the budgeting of, like, flyers and all those things. So, what would you suggest?

 

Tara:  30:56  

You have to have something. I never door knock empty-handed. I don't mind; this is my personal opinion. I'm not a pro by any means at this, but I feel like they need to have something more than a card. So, I've always been, since it got started, a big believer in Vistaprint. I really like the door hangers that they have now, plus the postcards that you can leave. I like that it's a little, you know, it's not going to blow away in the wind. At your brokerage, they might have an internal design center that you could, you know, reach out to and print stuff. But I do think it's good to have something significant to leave behind.

 

Priyanka:  31:38  

And do you recommend, like, stats, or Thinking of selling? Or what should we be…?

 

Tara:  31:48  

You can put neighbourhood stats on there for sure. Yeah, you could have something, you know, with your info on the front, and then you flip it over, and it's a neighborhood stat. You know, here's the thing, if you're going to do farming, you have to start thinking about every item that you're going to leave by-weekly or monthly, however you want to do it. So you've got lots of great ideas already, and just start putting them on paper. And then you know the next time you go out, maybe it's going to be stats. The time after, maybe it's going to be a quick market update on what's happening, you know, in the real estate market in general. And maybe the next time, it's just going to be about you, right? 

 

Priyanka:  32:30

Yeah. Yeah. 

 

Tara:  32:31

Try not to overthink it. Because I think you're overthinking it a little bit. Just get your body out there, introduce yourself to people, and you're all good. 

 

Priyanka:  32:40  

Okay, thank you so much, Tara. I appreciate it. Thank you a lot.

 

Tara:  32:46

It was my pleasure.

 

Crystal:  32:47

Yeah, it's definitely, it's, like, door-knocking in hindsight is getting over that fear, is similar to calling people, right? So, for now, you're face to face. The good thing with door knocking, though, is you, someone's not going to slam the door in your face like they're going to hang up on you. At least most people have the courtesy of not doing that. They're not as rude as they would be otherwise.

 

Tara:  33:09  

You know, it's all whatever, you know, like, listen. This is a business that we have to develop a very tough skin in. If you're, in my opinion, if you're going to be a realtor, you got to learn to brush off the people that just aren't nice, right? And move on to something better.

 

Priyanka:  33:31  

Yeah.

 

Tara:  33:32  

Okay? You're good?

 

Crystal:  33:38  

Now, Sabrina is asking for leads that; so what would you do in these scenarios? Because I know you like to introduce your voice at some point. But what if the leads aren't even opening the emails or looking at any listings? If you're reaching out to them, what would that conversation look like for you if they weren't coming up because I know you watch and you're looking at activity? If they weren't popping up with activity, what would that look like for you? Like, do you just leave them? Or do you reach out to them to prompt them?

 

Tara:  34:12  

Again, I don't do a lot of phone calls. There are reasons why I do phone calls, and somebody not opening their listings or the emails is not a phone call that I personally would make. It's not under the scenario I would. However, what I have done because remember, if they have an open for 30 days, they're now bounced by Google and AgentLocator and only get listings once a week, and then that might change again to maybe every other week. So, what I like to do if they haven't opened is I'll go into their search criteria, and I'll widen it up some more, right? So, I'll make it a larger search, a larger price range. I don't do types of homes or anything like that, so that when they're actually emailed, they might get emailed more homes which now sometimes can prompt them to open it finally, right? And then, when they open it, I get the re-notification that the lead's come on after 30 days. So, my experience has been, the key to getting them to start opening is to widen that search even more, right? Because sometimes if that search is too narrow, and now I'm giving everybody a secret of mine, when the search is too narrow, they're not getting sent a lot of homes. So, reactivating them for me is not about a phone call. It's about: Alright, let's play around with this search some more. And I have sold homes to people that have come back on because I've done that. So, it's kind of thinking outside the box a little bit.

 

Crystal:  35:44  

Absolutely. And would you suggest something in a scenario like that, and again, everyone is different, right? We all have our strengths and things that work well for us. Would you; do text it all through your system? Could you; would you send and say: Hey, you know what, I noticed there was quite a limitation on the listings I was sending you. Just a heads up, I've expanded your search, so you'll start receiving more, probably. 

 

Tara:  36:05  

Don't do that. I don't tell them I've expanded the search. I don't do any of that, but I do text. And again, super simple text because this is super-simple-Tara. You know: Hey, Bob, just thanks. Just checking in with you. Have you seen anything of interest? And then some of them, a lot of them reply back, and they'll say: Not yet, Tara, but, you know, and then they might add a little bit more. So, my big thing is just a quick, simple: Hey. And I love using: Have you seen anything of interest? If I don't use that in my text, I use: Do you want me to revise your search at all? I don't tell them what they are set up for. I don't tell them any of that. My texts are very simple. And I get a lot of responses that way too. So, you know what, you could call. That's not to say you shouldn't call those people. But I'm able to do it without calling.

 

Crystal:  36:59  

Well, and it could be that they're not looking at those messages as well because, again, some email providers take it upon themselves to decide this is a promotion, this is going into the whatever folder, and so we're not necessarily seeing those messages all the time. Unfortunately, like, we can't control the back end. We do have our, you know, tricks in the back end of AgentLocator to try to encourage those emails going into the inbox. But again, if people are receiving things and not opening them, then that's out of our control, as well as, keep in mind that a lot of us have multiple email addresses, right? So, I do. I have one where I know I'm just going to keep getting stuff to it, and that's the email address I use on stuff if I don't want it affecting my regular email, right? It's kind of like my spam. You use this one if you're on a spamming list. So, I don't check it as often, right? It's just, I wanted to sign up. Here's my email to sign up for stuff, and; some people don't even recognize that they're getting those emails because they're not checking that email.

 

Tara:  38:04  

It's very true. And I mean, point taken, you know, with, if you keep that point in mind, and sometimes a call or a text is better, right? So, try it and see. I'm all about, you know, always keep changing what you're doing just because I've used the system, not the identical system, but very similar systems since realtor.ca. first got introduced, I'm telling you, guys, every three or four months, I'm always tweaking. I'm always pulling an email or changing it. I'm making my drip a little shorter. Sometimes I'll make it a little longer because every day is different for each person. And I want to always be using the exact way that people are going to respond more. So, I think in lead conversion, you always have to be going: Hmm, if this isn't working, maybe for the next 30 days, I'm going to do this and just see. And that's how you find your sweet spot with converting leads.

 

Crystal:  39:08  

Good points. Now Ramen here has a question with respect to ISAs. I did respond through text. He's just wondering if there's any service out there that you know of, or would recommend for those ISA services. Conversion Monster is one of the only ones that we recommend here because there are many out there that aren't as great as they make themselves sound, but so far, we've had positive feedback from multiple clients with Conversion Monster. Is there anything else out there that you're aware of, that you know people have used here?

 

Tara:  39:47  

No. I do have, like, you know, right now when it comes to leads, full disclosure, I'm getting seller leads now. I've started them again with AgentLocator, just to see, you know, with my seller drip that I created, is this something that I can also be a high conversion converter with? I am using another company for seller leads, which does have an ISA behind it. I'm just trying to move out. At this point, you know, not so great, is what I'm going to tell you.

 

Crystal:  40:25  

It's hard to find good ISAs.

 

Tara:  40:31  

So, we'll see, you know? And I want, everybody, as well. On TRREB, on our stratus, we were actually all given a warning last week about some ISA companies and some paperclip companies which were taking people's money and not delivering. So, I'm super, super, super, really cautious about what you throw your money into, which is why, I mean, you got to really impress me before I'm going to give my hard-earned money, not to my children, but to a company. And that's where I draw the line. So, I'm really hardcore. And to be brutally honest, I'm hardcore on this company that I've agreed just to try them out. And they hear from me every week, going: Still don't have one, you know, still waiting because this is my money. If I'm going to spend this kind of money, I'm going to give it to Andrew and Austin before I'm going to waste it on somebody that can promise me the world and not deliver.

 

Crystal:  41:30  

And there are a lot of people out that aren't companies.

 

Tara:  41:34  

Right? So, I think going forward ISA… Yeah, I really feel if you're going to throw your money into something, really do a tried and trusted, you know? I think that AgentLocator, I know you're still with your ISA. It's still kind of coming into fruition, and so forth. And honestly, nobody can speak better than you. Let's call a spade a spade, right? So, be careful.

 

Crystal:  42:02  

It is. I've heard horror stories, lots of different horror stories. And one client got it with a company that did, ISA did all this stuff but had no real estate experience. So, that just totally flopped. They've had one where it was; they called and got a listing appointment. Meanwhile, he would go to their house and, Iike, they had no interest in selling, and the guy just said they'd be happy to come and give a price, you know, whatever, right? So, he's, you know, spent 1000s of dollars, 1000s, and never got, he got no appointments, no one actually had any intention, ever. So, there's a lot of gimmicky, you know, things out there. Yeah, you can also hire your own ISA, like hire somebody that they're hard to come across. I'll tell you that much. But if you're looking to kind of get into that admin position, where you need to have more, but…

 

Tara:  42:58  

I do; I think that's a great way, a great way to do it. I mean, listen, you know, these ISA companies, you know, they can't discuss real estate with them. So, you know, get yourself a good administrator, or you know, somebody that you can bring on once you kind of expand in real estate, even having a licensed assistant allows that person to kind of act as an ISA for you, right? You know, I think there are lots of people within the real estate community that could really be a bonus to help a realtor reach everybody without breaking our RICO rules.

 

Crystal:  43:35  

Absolutely. Absolutely. Let's just see, Paviola is saying: So, how do you respond to a lead? Or what would you do in a situation where they're, you've had a call with them, they keep looking at emails, but when you've called, they've expressed they have an agent? Would you still continue to reach out every now and then? Or what would you do?

 

Tara:  44:00  

Yes, yes. So, you know, I don't like stepping on people's toes. That's not what I'm saying. What I'm saying is this. You signed up on my site. You have an agent, okay, I get it. So, I just basically keep sending them listings. And I always say to them: If anything happens with the agent that you're currently working with, just know that I'm here, right? Remember what I said the last few times is you've already paid for the lead. So, why don't give up? Now, if the lead does reply back and say: I bought a house last week. Thank you, Tara. I mean, clearly, I'm going to delete or archive, and we're good. But until that time, I've already bought that lead. So, you know, I'm going to keep sending them listings and let them know that if anything changes, you know, I'll be here.

 

Crystal:  44:49  

Do you do touch points? So, the one thing that I've suggested to individuals is that they tag their leads, and every 30 days, if they're active and you haven't talked to them, right, it's just to do a simple check-in. It could be a voicemail: Hey, it's Crystal. Just want to make sure the listings are still up to par. Let me know if there are any changes I can make. That soft; because again, you're not selling them, you're focusing on customer service, making sure their search, what they're getting is what they're looking for. You may be actually checking in and making sure everything's okay with everything more than their so-called agent that they may or may not have, has even bothered to be doing, right? So, you still have an opportunity with some of these people to earn that business.

 

Tara:  45:36  

Yeah, absolutely. You know, even if they say they have an agent, they're still on my drip, right? I'm just there. That's my go-to line. I'll be here when the time is right for you. And if they have an agent, if anything changes, I'll be here. Clean and simple. So, you know, again, I delete or archive if they say they've bought a house, for sure.

 

Crystal:  46:02  

And then we do have a question just with respect to a healthy budget for PPC. It's all different, to be honest with you, because it's really, you only want to bite off as much as you can chew and handle, really, at the end of the day. The average, what we're seeing is around  300-400 an agent. Per agent, I would never, if you're a solo agent, it's really hard anything above $1,000 a month to really effectively manage and not have a ton of people slipping through the cracks because you can only do so much. So, it's really, you know, it is a numbers game, right? So you're looking at a 1% to 2% conversion rate. So, if you're looking at every 100 leads, that's a conversion. It's really kind of what your ultimate end goal is and how you're working those leads in order to get them to transact at some point, right, knowing that a majority of them are not going to be anytime soon.

 

Tara:  47:04  

I have toggled with medium budgets. The good thing about AgentLocator is, you know, you can add to your budget, and you can take away. So, you know, clearly, I can't stress enough, the more leads that you are bringing in, the greater and higher rate of conversion you'll have. Not only is it based on a good solid drip campaign and follow up in a very good non-salesman-like way, but it is also about the number of leads that you get in. So, you know, if you're doing, you sold a few houses, you've got a little bit of a bigger budget at the time, maybe that's the time that you want to beef it up a little bit, you know? Also, I will tell you, for the longest time when I went with AgentLocator in '16, you know, this is me. I'm all about Pay-Per-Click, but I'm not about the landing page and stuff like that, you know? Just bring me the leads, I'll convert them. But, you know, I didn't even realize that my leads were strictly from my taralearealestate site. It wasn't an unbranded site. So, I always got a great number of leads, thankfully, luckily. I always had a great number of leads. So, if you want really good leads and a good volume of leads, when I switched last year also to an unbranded landing page, I mean, you know, the flow, the floodgates opened. So, you know, you might want to look at that. Do you have an unbranded page? And if you don't, maybe you might want to talk to AgentLocator a little bit about that because it did increase the volume significantly for me when the Google searches were down. And I think that's a really good place to start.

 

Crystal:  48:57  

And unbranded is your automated lead gen sites, guys. It's all about the listings, ultimately, at the end of the day, and then having an unbranded domain. So, an unbranded domain essentially doesn't include your name in it, right? It's all about the real estate. It's not about the agent in any way, shape, or form. So, yeah, like findahouse.com, like that's unbranded, right? But you can take an unbranded, like, thing and actually turn it into a brand, too, right? So that the brand just isn't your name. So, there are a lot of different ways that you can think about it and, kind of, plan and create even a brand for yourself, being like, you know, Tara Baylis is neighbourhood realty, right? Or neighbourhoodhomes.com, right? Or whatever it is that you're doing, right? That's the way I kind of; because a lot of them, like, wherever, a lot of people have their names, right? Like chrystaldevries.com, right? So, we all tend to use very similar in real estate. So, you could always, you know, try to switch it up and create a brand for yourself, something that people might be catchy and people remember it.

 

Tara:  50:14  

Yeah. Yep. It's good. We've got lots of questions.

 

Crystal:  50:18  

I know, I'm just kind of going through because I feel like I've missed them. And, so, Jess was asking, this is on previous, just after how long, like, what's your process before you call somebody? 

 

Tara:  50:34  

Well, I mean, listen. I feel like I'm all failing you a lot. I have certain scenarios that I make calls. Now, years ago, this was not what I did. The lead would come on my phone from AgentLocator, from whatever the lead company I was using at the time. As soon as I would get the message that a lead was there, I would call them and say: Hey, it's Tara, from so and so. I just wanted to thank you for coming on, you know, let me know what you're looking for. And it worked. So, now I don't do that because people weren't responding over the last six, seven years the same way as they used to when I made those calls. I have scenarios. 

 

So, if I happen to notice in my re-login notifications that Bob is coming on a little bit more than he used to, maybe Bob used to come on once a week. Now all of a sudden, he's coming on five or six times a day. Now I'm seeing something's changed in Bob. There's a desire, there's a motivation to move. Now I'm going to introduce my voice to Bob. And I'm going to say exactly what I said before. Hi, it's Tara, from begintosearch. I just wanted to thank you so much for coming on my site. I really appreciate it. That's all I say. And right away, when I do make those calls based on that scenario, their guard is down. And they all pretty much say the same thing. You know, they'll say: Oh, okay, no problem, you know? I like your site. It's easy to use. Then I'll say again: I just wanted to thank you. If there are any changes you need me to make to your search, please let me know at any time. This is my cell phone. Now, one of two things happen. They say: Oh, great, thanks for calling. Like, they really appreciate that call. Or they now stay on the phone with me and tell me everything about them. They tell me about their husbands. They told me about their kids, you know, the whole gamut. And that's how I do it. So, that's a scenario. Another scenario is the Get in touch forms, the Ask a question forms that we get through our re-login notifications with Agent locator. The book of showings, those are all ways and scenarios that I'll make a call and just say: Hey, listen, it's Tara, from begintosearch. I just got your notification that you were wondering about this property. What can I tell you, right? Those are the calls that I make. Now, that's not to say, please don't get me wrong, that you guys shouldn't call when a lead first comes in. I want everybody to do what they feel is best. What I'm telling you is if you're doing it, and you're not getting people wanting to talk to you, take a step back and figure out a different scenario to make a call. Does that sound sensible? Is that right?

 

Crystal:  53:31  

Yeah. No, absolutely. Absolutely. Now, another question, just with respect to an agency agreement. Missy was asking, you know, do you, you know, show properties without getting that agreement signed? She's found that sometimes buyers will have you show them home and then go sign with another agent. So, I know, initially, you, you know, the first time you're taking them out, it's almost like an interview, like a working interview. This is where we're getting; I'm not going to make them sign anything because for all you, you know, you don't want to work with me. But it works both ways. Now, after that, do you always say, you know, after that first, you know, showing the group of homes, how do you introduce the BRAs to get them to sign those?

 

Tara:  54:24  

You know, a big thing with the BRAs, and I don't like really giving advice on this because everybody works differently. And there are scenarios in these days that we're living in where I, some realtors will send their buyers to a listing agent to show them the property because they don't want to do the drive or they don't want to make the trip. And I'm starting to see a need, presently, for maybe a BRA to be signed when you do take them in the home. Or me and my real estate career, I've always done it this way. First of all, I want to meet the lead no matter what because I've only talked to them over, you know, text, or phone, or internet. So, I want to show them a property, and I want them to get to know Tara. But going forward, typically, once we were at the point of offer, I would now say: I've now got to have the BRA signed. There have been times in the last year where I've, kind of, went, you know what, you're just using so and so because don't forget, I'm the manager here. And I'm seeing and hearing a lot of stories outside of my particular career with real estate. And I really think you got to go with your gut with people right now. I really, really do. And if it works for you to get this signed after maybe you've met them, and you feel like you want to work with these people, then get it signed. You know, we put a lot of effort in to have somebody not respect our time. And that's really where I'm starting to dig in and go: Hey, it might be time for Tara to change the way she works a little bit as well. So, talk to your managers, talk to your team leaders, talk to your broker of records, what they recommend, and do what's best for your business, please. But by no means should we be out showing homes to people whose agents do not want to do the work to show them the property. So, if you need to get that signed, get it signed, please. Does that help?

 

Crystal:  56:34  

I think it does. I've got a zoo going on behind me over here. So, anyway, trying to do the whole mom, like, pointing. 

 

Tara:  56:44

Yeah. I saw a little head float. 

 

Crystal:  56:47

One thing you can ask, as well, if you're with, you know, and I've suggested to people, is also asking when somebody wants to go to view a house. Like: Awesome. Have you guys gone, like, have you guys, kind of, seen any houses yet? Or is this going to be your first time, right? And they may be honest with you. They may not be honest with you, right? But it's a second attempt to see: Oh, no, we've gone to look at houses, and then you're going to, kind of, probably dig a little bit deeper into that scenario. Let me just see here. So, someone is sharing a story. I showed this guy six to seven homes, and he decided to put in an offer. He mentioned he would like to get 50% of my commission if he signs the BRA.

 

Tara:  57:34  

You know what? Do I gotta watch what I say? Yes, I suppose I do. This upsets me. I had somebody; Gosh, was it this year or the end of last year? I don't know if they were a lead or if it was a sign call that I got that wanted part of my commission. Yeah, you know what? That's ridiculous. I don't know the realtors out there that seem to be giving away part of their commission in order to get business. But yeah, see what they wrote. I quit. Yes, you should keep your commission, not give it to a buyer. Let them move on and let them use somebody that's going to actually do that.

 

Crystal:  58:16  

That's just undervaluing your services that you're offering, right? It's really…

 

Tara:  58:22  

We work so hard. We work seven days a week. On Christmas day, one of my clients sent me an email wanting me to give them information on a property every day of the week. And by no means thank you, or ask for half our salary. No means, you deserve every penny that you get. And for those people that are going to ask you for half your commission, please, if you're able, drop them. Drop them. And shame on the agents that are doing this because it is not cool. That's my opinion.

 

Crystal:  59:02  

Yeah, no, it's yeah, it's like, you know, going to a dentist. Like: Okay, well, if I use you as my dentist, are you going to give me half your daily salary or whatever you earn today, right?

 

Tara:  59:13  

You know, is it okay if I only pay $100? 

 

Crystal:  59:18  

Yeah, it doesn't, you know, people don't understand the work, and then you guys go and drive, and you spend money, and you do this and that, whatever you're doing, all of this, without a paycheck. You don't even know if there's a paycheck coming, and the money goes out with the unknown of what's going to come in, right? So, and sadly enough, there are a lot of individuals out there, a lot, that don't truly understand how the industry or really business ownership works, right? There's; it's not they just do this big amount, you know, you're getting all that money. But that's not the case. So, you win some, you lose some.

 

Tara:  1:00:00  

I appreciate that. Because, believe me, I mean, nobody understands but realtors the amount of work that we really do, and I have become a huge advocate of what our rights are and how hard we work. And we deserve respect, you know? So, you know, there are clients that I do think, if you don't have a gut feeling about them, you don't have to work with them, you know? If you reject one, there are going to be 20 more. That's the beauty of Pay-Per-Click leads. They're always coming in. There's another lead, which is more business.

 

Crystal:  1:00:41  

Yeah, if you show that you respect your own boundaries and you set limits and limitations, people will actually respect you. Then you're always dropping everything and every, like, every moment running around for them. If you set boundaries, people will respect those boundaries.

 

Tara:  1:00:59  

You know, I will make a point about that. I think this is an amazing thing. And I know that we're over time, and I apologize. But one of the things, and after all of these years, and anybody that's on here, and I'm viewing the list, some of you actually have worked a very long time in real estate with me. You know how much I put into my real estate business. A) my why, for my boys, plain and simple. I learned about a year ago when I was at the point where I needed to start thinking about creating a team because I just couldn't handle all the business on my own anymore. And here I am with realtors that were calling me at 11 o'clock at night asking me about one of my listings. And I want to be a nice realtor. Everybody knows, like, I have a hard time.

 

Crystal:  1:01:50  

I gotta do it, make everyone happy. 

 

Tara:  1:01:53  

But now I'm like: Really? Like, who does that? Who does that? And it was repeatedly, more and more calls last year, calling me, 10 o'clock at night, 11. We're not in the middle of an offer. You can text me. You can email me, or how about this? You can call me after nine o'clock in the morning. And then I said: Okay, that's it. And I put a message on my phone that just, you know, all can call it. And if you call it at 8:04, you're going to get this message: PM. You know, thanks for giving me a call. It's Tara from taralearealestate in Our Neighbourhood Realty. If you've called after 8 PM, just know, thank you for calling. And I will call you back after 9 AM tomorrow morning. That's what my message is. Now, the realtors that have called me after 8 PM, and again, this is not if I'm doing an offer. If I'm doing an offer, clearly, I'm answering my phone. I have had so many realtors say to me: Oh my God, Tara, I wish I could do that. Your message is awesome. And this is what I say: Do it now. My biggest mistake, maybe my only mistake in real estate, in my career, was not setting the boundary right from the get-go. This is my dinner time. Now I'm at the soccer field with my son, you know? I was available all the time. And I would say to my kids: I just got to answer this. It is just a client. I'll be right back. And that's not the way that I think, with the way we're accessible with our smartphones. So, please set your boundaries, and people will respect it. They will. Go figure. And it took me until last year, Crystal, last year.

 

Crystal:  1:03:37  

Yeah. It's hard, though. Because you have, there's a bit of fear, I think, for a lot of individuals. If they don't get to this, I might have missed that opportunity, right? So, they're, you know, they're constantly doing things. But again, you got to set those limitations because you got to have a balance, or you are just going to run yourself dry. You are going to; steam is going to disappear.

 

Tara:  1:03:59  

Guilty. And that's not to say that's just for people calling me. Listen. You text me at quarter after eight, I'm going to reply back, but I don't need any realtor calling me and asking me a question about one of my listings at 11 o'clock at night. Plain and simple. And I don't do that to them. And that's where the boundary is.

 

Crystal:  1:04:22  

Yeah, it's even; yeah, send it by email if you really want to know. I wouldn't dare unless there was an offer.

 

Tara:  1:04:30  

Yeah, yeah. Oh, you're welcome, Missy. Yes. Very nice. I shut my phone off at nine. Yes. Perfect.

 

Crystal:  1:04:40  

I wouldn't be calling anyone at 11. Yeah, you got to do what you got to do. Thank you, Tara, again, for another great webinar. We kind of went on why and then we kind of got into all these other questions. So, everyone that was watching, you know, go down and write down why. Why are you in this business? You know, what's your ultimate goal? Why'd you get into it, and it will help you and encourage you, most definitely, when you are, you know, working these leads or even how you're talking to them, right? Undergoing back to why I did this in the first place. Yeah, it might just change your tone, and you might be more relaxed. 

 

Tara:  1:05:18  

Yeah, don't forget your why. And it all starts here. Your mindset, that's what gets me through every single day, every day. Thank you so much, guys. 

 

Crystal:  1:05:30

See you all in a couple of weeks, yeah. Bye.