This week Ben spoke with one of our members, Wilton. It's the second interview he's had with us and he used the books to dramatically impact his entire career.
In the interview they went over:
Ben: Cool. Tell me a little bit about what, you said you've actually got another three listings. That's pretty cool since March, tell me a little bit, just tell me, I guess we can ask you the same questions over again. Maybe I'll get different angles. Between yourself, and I guess work you work as the Marketing Director for a team?
Wilton: Yes. Actually what had happened is that when I first originally started with you guys, I was with one brokerage working as their, like a contracted closer and small marketing.
I was getting ready to incorporate, I was incorporating their books into their marketing stuff. I was also doing brokerage activities as well to, like a part-time
Ben: Supplement your income.
Wilton: Yes.
Ben: Okay.
Ben: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Wilton: They actually loved it, so they gave me a pretty good starting salary and they're going to also allow me to, they actually ordered all the, they ordered a good chunk of books to get the team started, so they can hand them out as a team if needed, especially for the listings.
Ben: Oh, cool. Okay.
Wilton: Going back to those three listings that I had with a prior brokerage, with the contract I had with them is that they actually had to keep, I had to keep those listings there.
Ben: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Wilton: I'll probably get a small chunk of change once those close, because of the agreement I had, so I had kind of, 'cause here in North Carolina, the listing, the-
Ben: The listing stage was the broker in charge, right?
Wilton: Yes. The broker, not the client or with the agent.
Ben: Yeah, I know what you're saying.
Wilton: Okay. Perfect. I had to keep those there and was starting with this new team, she took five books out.
Actually, two of the people really loved it. They're listing with her in the next week. They're just getting all the paperwork and all the negotiating part on it out.
The other three, they were very impressed that someone on their team who actually does the marketing for the team actually authored a book.
I think over the next two to three months, those three will actually list with the team as well, just based off of these books.
Ben: Oh, cool.
Wilton: Yeah, it's super ... probably super cool and I'm getting ready to order some more books probably in the next month just for my branding, where Ill just throw my picture up on the front. So I have two styles of books, one for the team ...
Ben: Okay.
Wilton: ... and one for myself, so I'm also going to do brokers activities as a part-time agent compared to, so I can supplement my income even more.
That will definitely increase my salary. That means I guess more money in my back pockets, meaning the more books I can order and keep scaling it up. The fun part is just the fact that the teams swiped me from another team because of these books.
Ben: Yes, that is cool. That's great. Tell me a little bit more about, so you had gotten three listings yourself I guess with your previous company, and then working with the new team that you're working with, you helped them what they think is going to turn into three listings?
Wilton: Yeah. It's going to be, they've already got the two. They're really just working out the contracts right now for the-
Ben: Oh, wow.
Wilton: The other three are gonna come running in the next two to three months once they're ready to list.
Ben: Okay. The two they've already gotten, what kind of leads, or how did they run into these sellers?
Wilton: She's a top 10 producer in a top 10 team. They came around where they were interviewing some of the top agents.
Ben: Yep.
Wilton: She was one of the, on one of them she was one of the agents that were interviewed. They goes back to the point where the people that actually liked the idea of somebody on the team who's authored a book, plus being the marketing guy, so I can just solely concentrate on that.
Ben: Yeah. That's a really good idea.
Ben: Okay. Basically these, the sellers that they had, the two listings they've gotten were just basically people that were interviewing multiple agents, and then they obviously interviewed the agent, the team leader. They had the books and that was something that gave them advantage in a competitive listing situation to get the listing.
Wilton: Yes.
Ben: Okay. Excellent. Okay. Did you have any other business, like maybe buyer business or leads you've gotten from open houses, either yourself or other people you've worked with from using the books?
Wilton: I'm actually sitting down with one of the outside sales associates.
Ben: Okay.
Wilton: Where, yeah. What we're doing now is we're putting together, we're pulling the for sale by owners and the expireds, those presentations out. And we're sitting down and creating just a marketing campaign just on that alone. He's already talked to one for sale by owner who's been on the fence.
Ben: Oh, wow.
Wilton: He keeps getting the positive reactions. I was like, "Okay. I don't have many of these books yet. I've got eight more ordered for the next shipment that should come in, it's in the printing now."
Ben: Yes, yeah.
Wilton: I was like, "The best way to handle it for right now is that, okay, is when you get them on the phone and tell them, "You know what?
We want you to sell your own home and we have our marketing guy on our staff who authored a book and we would like to give you this book to help you sell your own home, because we want to help you."
Then he says he's gotten several reactions just based off of that. He goes, "Why would you want to help me?" I was like, "Well." Then we worked out, because I read somewhere in a presentation is that it could be two-fold. "Well, if we gave you, if helped you sell your home, what are you going to do when your neighbor or your friends need the referral from you and they want to use an agent? Who are you going to think of? Us.
Because we gave you book. We gave you advice to help you sell your own home. And secondly, if you have trouble, say a month or a two month, and you do need our help, with us giving you this already advice. What we would is we take you as a listing and we will help you sell your home." At that point, they can list with us. So far he's able to get, he's used that pitch about six times and so far he's able to get two appointments from it.
Ben: Oh, wow.
Wilton: Those appointments are, I want to say Friday and Monday.
Ben: That's pretty cool.
Wilton: So I'm having to think outside the box on which book I need to send with him.
Ben: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Wilton: Because I'm out the for sale by owner ones. I'm thinking The Ways to ... I think that may work, The Ways to Advertise Your Own Home.
Ben: Yeah.
Wilton: I do have a couple of them so I'm willing to send those books with him that day.
Ben: Okay. I see what you're saying.
Wilton: Think that'd be ...
Ben: Oh, cool.
Wilton: Okay. Alright. That will work. Oh, thank you for listening to me on that one. I'm sorry.
Ben: Question for you. You've given the books. You've gotten good responses from that. Obviously, it's helped out the team. Are there any other instances? Can you tell me a little bit about the three listings you got when you, it sounds like you were working by yourself?
Wilton: I was part of a team, but I was also an agent as well. I was able to do brokerage to supplement my income.
The three listings I got, one was a $250,000 listing that the agent who was working on it prior got fired because, I'm trying to think what the seller told me, because he was a great moron.
Ben: Okay.
Wilton: But that's the nicest way to say it. After just talking with him and I met him at a coffee shop. He happened to see one of the books, because you know you have to reread it just to stand behind-
Ben: Familiarize yourself with it?
Wilton: the book. Yeah. Familiarize yourself. I read each three or four times, even if you're just by the pool or anything, you just act like you're reading it and you have your phone.
You just pull it up and you pretend that you read it, because people will come up to you say, "Hey, that's you." That's where the second one came from is because I was hanging out in a pool at the end of April in my apartment complex and I was just holding it up and I was actually just looking at my phone because I was actually using it as a shade.
Ben: Okay, yeah.
Ben:
Oh, you mailed it out to four expireds and got one listing?
Wilton:
Yes.
Ben:
Wow. That's pretty good. Did you do, did you followup or just sent it one person called you?
Wilton:
What I do is I just send it out. I was in a process of probably a week later is to followup with them with a mailing campaign that they would suggest, because a lot of these expireds are getting inundated with calls, after calls, after calls.
So I don't want to be the one that called them. I look at it is, you call me if you're, whenever you're ready. I put a little letter in there saying if you're ready to talk, here's some ideas on why your house didn't sell and here's a book and here's a couple of things that we do as a team concept and how I can help you get it sold.
Ben:
Oh wow.
Ben:
Well, that's good that's great. So has it made it easier for you I guess to grow your business and get more business?
Wilton: Yes it has, even just on a personal level just because it, the book's helped me get a really great marketing position with a team that kind of allows me to have a kind of like a base salary and whatever marketing I do for the team I could do for myself too and become like, have two part time jobs where I can kind of be like a referral agent plus I'll get out there and do brokerage activities as well. So I'll be able to have three sources of income ...
Ben: Wow.
Wilton: ... just off of these alone.
Ben: Yeah, so you've got a good, great marketing job.
Wilton: Yeah.
Ben: You know, 'cause that's the thing that kills a lot of agents is they don't have a stable income, so you know, it's feast or famine and sometimes when it's famine, they just drop out of the business and go get a job. So what ... how long have you been in the real estate business for?
Wilton:
About three years.
Ben: About three years, wow. What did you do before real estate?
Wilton: I worked for the VA hospital ...
Ben: Okay.
Wilton: In Durham as an over paid cook and when I was in the military I was a ... I was in the army and just kind of doing all the normal stuff that goes with it.
Ben: Yeah, yeah. But were you, my sister was a cook in the military, you said you were a cook when you were there?
Wilton: Yes I was. I never really did-
Ben: There's nothing wrong with that, it's an important job. If people don't eat, they starve you know?
Wilton: Oh definitely, it's one of the most important ones there but for me, they gave me a $20,000 sign-on bonus so ...
Ben: Mm-hmm (affirmative)
Wilton: So that makes it easier.
Ben: I would agree with you. Okay, so doing this from what's your previous job to doing this in real estate? You're making more money and I don't know, do you find it more satisfying than what you used to do?
Wilton: Yes, especially now because I can do the marketing aspect. And ... the marketing aspect of it an actually kind of help a team build and build myself so it's allowed me to grow personally and professionally just doing that.
Ben: Yeah that's cool, okay. Have you, has it made it easier for you to get listings and get results in that area?
Wilton: Yes.
Ben: Okay.
Wilton: Yeah, it's definitely made life easier and it kind of sets, it kind of separates you from the competition.
Ben: That's great. Okay, cool, all right. So, yeah, so whenever you meet with somebody you stand out a lot compared to just the average realtor that comes in and talks, you're giving them a copy of your book.
Wilton: Yes. And I haven’t had a
Ben: Okay.
Wilton: Then it's in their camera, so they're the ones who followup with it.
One of the best methods we use at Smart Agents to separate yourself is books. Books have a huge perceived value. They don’t get thrown away.
They can get tucked away somewhere, but most people aren’t going to toss them in the trash. They’re worth something, and they’re worth something to the author’s name.
Do this and you will position yourself as the authority in your market. When you give away your book, it will separate you from your competition. That’s how a smart agent thinks!
Want to get a free sample of the book that will get you more listings? Click the link below.