Welcome to the luxury code, where we decode the mindset, the marketing and the business approach of successful luxury brokers. Hey welcome back to the luxury code, where we are unpacking the code from luxury rockstar agents on how they build their business and what they're doing to innovate. Joy mattelios welcome to the show thanks tom thanks for having me so give people some context, fairfield county. Where does that? Where do you cover yeah yeah, so i'm in greenwich, connecticut and uh, but we also cover darien new canaan, all of fairfield county, yes yeah and for context for our listeners.

How long have we worked together? Now? Oh, it's been about five years about five years, so in five years for people that are curious, your average sales price is just shy of three million dollars. So, yes, you did 193 million in sales last year. Yes, are you happy? It would have been better if we went over 200.. I just think i should just buy like two houses at the end, just just to get to 200 million yeah yeah.

So so we want to unpack. In the last five years your business has grown tremendously. You you really like everything about your energy speaks to luxury. So so my first question for you is if somebody is thinking: fancy cars, big, expensive houses, six figure, commission checks.

It looks like it's so fabulous. I watch million dollar listing. If they can do it. I can do it right.

More people fail on the high end than they do in the low the low price points. What do you think are the three most important first moves. Somebody needs to make to be successful in the high end yeah. So i think a lot of it has to do with mindset first of all right and don't don't think, i'm crazy for saying this, but the, but the first thing that everyone should know is everyone poops right? Everyone is human here first, ladies and gentlemen, by the way that is the moment on instagram that i want everyone poops everyone.

What do you mean yeah? So it's interesting because you just have to realize that nobody's larger than life right and one of my first luxury clients. I was in manhattan because that's where i started my career, we're in the back of a limo and i'm with i'm with a movie star: okay, she's, a real movie star and she turns to me and she goes. I have to take a dump and i was like i was like okay. We need to go see this other apartment she's like no.

I was like i'm sure, there's a lot of bathrooms there and she's like no. No, i need to go in my bathroom and i need to use my toto bidet. So i was like okay told the driver to go back to her apartment and we had a whole discussion about toto bidets and how i love it too, and yes, and so the bottom line is everyone's human. Don't forget that right? Okay, i was wondering where you were going so the distinction is, everybody puts on their pants the same way.

Everybody poops, everybody's human, don't be intimidated, that's the point! Yes, but but joy, it's so easy to be intimidated. I mean i'm not worth this much. I don't have the star power they have. I don't have all the things that they have yeah.

How do i not be intimidated? Well, the thing is you don't have to be as rich as them to give them a rich experience. Right. Tell me more about that. Yeah, so it's all about your knowledge.

You have to provide massive value to them, and, and the luxury client wants to make sure that you know everything else. They want to know that you know where the off market listings are right, right, um, that you know what else is sold if it's a seller and and what the story was behind that right and who bought it. Yes, um! So it's it's more about your knowledge and, and it's also about knowing like which houses have a squash court or a full court, basketball or or knowing the difference between that marble and calcutta gold like or knowing about geothermal energy. You know so these are all things that you have to know um, so it's really being a source, an an advisor versus just being a sales agent.

So we can spend a lot of time, unpacking that so, if someone's listening right now and by the way, every luxury agent, i talk to, says the same thing: hey we made out of the same value in terms of our net worth. But i know my real estate market better than anybody else and that's where they're that's their cachet, that's their energy yeah. So what do you do, or what do you recommend others do to get to know the local market at that level like how much time are you spending studying it talking to other brokers, talking to other agents? What do you do? Yeah, so i mean it's years of experience right, so it's it's knowing the market, it's knowing the other agents, it's yeah, it's knowing the local architects, the local builders, um, and really understanding that and - and i think the other part of that tribal knowledge. You know what i mean like somebody knows that, but there's no like here's the luxury guide to selling in darien, like you know like that, just doesn't exist.

No there. There is no guide, no yeah. So so, how do i, if i'm coming in and i'm new and a lot of people that are listening to the show, are veteran veterans like you and they're, looking for the same little nuggets and hacks and we're going to talk marketing and all that stuff? In a minute, but you know for the person that may be listening - that's like oh i'm, like a couple years in and i'm just having a hard time getting any traction. So are you studying the mls every day? Are you reaching out to other brokers and saying absolutely? What do you got in terms of pocket listings like unpack some of that yeah? So i well a lot of it has to do with the fact that i've established a reputation right, so other brokers, yes, will give me their off-market listings.

They know that i have these celebrity buyers, so they're willing to give their their open book of. What's not on the market, yet yes, um, but a lot of it is, is just really just talking to everyone, anyone that you can to find out what's coming up and what's going on who's who's living where um and then it's really just being authentic. You know we hear that word a lot. What does that mean yeah, so it it? You know anyone in luxury can can sense if you're being fake right and - and so i don't know what it is about me, but i i feel like because i'm so authentic with other people that i kind of lay it out like this is who i am Right, i'm not saying that you should dress like a you know, homeless person, but you should dress nice to be in luxury, but but be yourself and - and i you know, anyone that's in luxury has achieved a level of success and i love hearing their story right And when you communicate with them and you go to that level, you're able to really have a deep connection - and i feel, like all my clients like tell me, like sometimes tmi, but a lot of information because yeah like i got ta poop because are you gon Na tell us who that was by the way you heard it here.

First, oh gosh, tmz um, but it's it's. You know you. You have to be their trusted advisor and and with authenticity and if you're genuine, then people feel like they can trust you. Okay.

So, let's talk about the thing, i know you also do, which is sweat, equity and you work and you die. I mean you know, you've done a lot in the last five years, but you've done a ton in the last 10. talk about before we go into marketing. Let's just talk about being gritty yeah because i mean you, you are so lovely your energy is so and then i know you can put in 12 to 14 hour days.

I do and i think it's it's part of my upbringing right. It's like that asian korean, like like mother, so like everything that i do and she's always said like if you become a garbage garbageman, i want you to be the best garbageman right. So so i have this in my head that i always i'm trying to be number one and always trying to do my best. Yes, at the same time, i've learned that sometimes i have to pivot and - and so i think, that's kind of - if something doesn't go right, then i i don't dwell on it right.

I easily pivot, i'm like okay. What can we do next yeah? Well, you teamed me up perfectly for, and i had a feeling like for a lot of us. It's our parents right or it's it's a mentor or it's something that you're just not working hard enough kid right. Like you know you could do a little more um.

So good message for all of us: why don't you actually tell the camera right there that they can do a lot more? Oh, you can do a lot more. Yes, yeah good little coaching moment. So so you mentioned pivot um. You know here we are.

You know two years into the pandemic. Many will say you know we're nearing the end. You know, thank goodness, with vaccines and everything else. How did your marketing pivot or change, or did it starting out in you know, march of 2020 and let's unpack some of the things you're doing that worked and what didn't work so i mean we listened to you and we doubled down on video, but we were Already doing it so when covet happened and everyone's like, oh my god, you know we would call other brokers and be like you know.

I have a client that wants to get into your listing. Do you have a virtual tour and they'd be like? No? I didn't do one and i'm like, oh my god, you know, but anyone that called us yeah for sure we had one and we were able to do that. We were able to do a lot of zoom buyer consultations. Um.

We just really use technology um and it was easy for us because we were doing it already right. You know. Zoom was a blessing in 2017 when i'm, like all coaching clients, we're doing the people like what yeah and then they were like. Oh, this was really a good idea.

Yeah you were prepared, but but so beyond you know video and video tours. If i was in your database or i was in your farm or i'm in your, you know your main areas where you serve. What am i seeing? What am i getting? What's the frequency? Is it direct mail? Is it email? Is it video? Is it? Are you doing geo-fencing like yeah talk to us tactically about what marketing works, so we do it all um and we've doubled down on geographic farm, which has helped with our listings right so um, and i heard someone on a previous podcast say that they don't really Do direct mail to luxury and and i ca because they were like because the luxury client doesn't open up the mail right yeah, which is fine right. But i've had um people open up my direct mail and it's the office manager of or the family office manager.

Who opens it up and they're, like god, your marketing is amazing. Can you come meet with my boss and we'd like to list the house, one of seven houses right so um it does work. So i'm always at the mindset that you should never discount any any type of marketing um and you know so we're seeing a lot of millennial. Buyers come in and they're a completely different mindset right, and so they just don't want to read anything just want to press a button and get magic, yeah right and watch a video.

So we definitely use a lot of video, but we also do use the hard cover, like coffee table book, sure for the luxury client who's older he's just like this is what they want. They want it mailed to them. You know so it's kind of we we hit upon all of it. So i love that it's a non-myopic approach, you're touching multiple senses you're.

If somebody is of a certain age, you're like let's send them the physical i'm like the listing presentation book, yeah right. It's like here's everything we do versus someone else's like just send me the video and i can watch it yeah. Well. Everyone speaks a different language right.

So that's another thing like to do it metric versus you know the yes, yes square feet, they're like no. How many meters is that? Or you know - and you have to know yeah, because if you don't know they're like hmm right, so so video? If i went to your youtube channel, is that the main source is it instagram? Is that the main source is it facebook? Is it all the above? It's all the above um, i will say with luxury. We definitely i you know my career really pivoted around a big uh like almost movie production, type house, video, right and um. It was for an 11 million dollar listing and it was.

It was great and it got shown in the big screen in las vegas. For the luxury re convention and we sold it, i was broker number six. So you know it was back when days on market was like 800 days right um, and that was that was a huge turning point. So yeah we definitely get sellers that want that type of production, but then we get sellers that are like.

No, i don't want anybody to know about this. I just want you to find me the buyer right because you know the luxury buyers, so it you have to kind of find out what your what your client wants. Yeah always so, let's talk about that like how different is the listing presentation for you, especially at your status now versus maybe somebody coming in who really has to like kind of woo them? Are you still in like i want to win over with my marketing and my reach and, if so, like, just unpack for us just some of the elements yeah that you find that many sellers are attracted to and you're saying, here's all the things i'm going to Do for you yeah it's interesting, because i think a lot of um sellers at this level just like to hear about how i'm running my business, because then they feel like oh she's, a smart business woman. She knows what she's doing and she's got all these systems in place and all these people in place so that she can deliver a full experience.

So it's all about the five-star experience and when i explain to them my method and the way that okay hold on i'm putting you on the spot, so tell me how you do it i'll, be yourself. So what is that five-star experience joy? What do you do so tom? I know what i'm good at and i know what i'm not good at and i'm really good at negotiating and marketing your house, but i'm not the person, that's going to put together the brochures or do the movie, and all of that i have experts in their Field who can do that for you, and so i've surrounded myself with people who are experts in every single aspect of how we're going to market your home so that we can give you a five-star experience? Are these people that are on your team, or do you outsource all this? So some of them are on my team and some of them are outsourced. How many people are on your team, so they're 23. yeah wow yeah, but seven of them are support and they are here to support your listing um and to make sure like, for example, you're.

Never gon na find me on the golf course, but some of these other agents you'll find them on the golf course and they can't pick up their phone if someone wants to show their house right. So i make sure that someone's always picking up the phone and is able to answer the questions intelligently about your home. So you know our home is as you've said when you came in it's pretty spectacular, so are you going to handle all the showings? Absolutely? Yes, i love to be there because, if there's any type of objection whatsoever, i want to be able to come back at a suggestion. Yeah, i love it.

Thank you good. That was really good like. I know you've done that. We need to tell them how many listing appointments did you go on last year compared to the year prior? Oh because you challenged me.

Yes, you heard your so we're going to talk about that, because that's all about accountability but yeah tell them the story. It was yeah, so i i saw tom or i i don't know you're like. I want you to get 100 listings this year and i was like you're crazy. There are only 600 homes that were sold in the town of greenwich that the year before i was like there's no way i'm going to get 100 listings, so i had to text you every day and say 0 out of 100 0 out of 100.

Until i got that first listing presentation so so for context, it was a hundred listing appointments, appointments, yeah yeah. You said listing they're like oh, my goodness of the market right. But why do you think i was trying to challenge you in that way and and what did you learn from that and maybe share with the person listening right now, who's also working in the high end and they're like a hundred appointments? That's insane yeah! What do you say? I think it's all about um. You know going out there on a consistent basis and i think that's really honestly.

That's what coaching is all about right. It's all. You know there are all these great ideas and you put so much out there in the universe on the internet, that people can suck up all that information. But it's one thing to suck it up and have it in your head.

But it's another thing to actually do it right. So if you have someone that you have to report to on a daily basis and his name is tom ferry, you better damn well, do it so yeah. So where did you finish that year? How many so give them context? How many appointments did you go on the year before and what'd you do that year. So you know i'm not good with numbers, but i i think i never say that to your sellers yeah, but i think i did like 25.

The year prior and i did um about 60 that that year, more than doubled and by the way, that's in the middle of a pandemic yeah when you're, when you're not doing listing appointments in the regular sort of classic sense. Yes, um! Congratulations on that! Thank you. So so you had a lot of growth. You pivoted a bunch if we were to put a bow on this and you could.

You could say to every agent around the world that wants to be better in the high end yeah. What are the two most important things in your mind that either you've said and you want to reiterate or something entirely different? Yes, so one is is not to be afraid. There's really i mean people are people, so don't don't think that it's! Oh, it's a high end, you know so just make that connection and two be genuine. Three, you said two uh is: is just knowing knowing and get knowledge get as much knowledge as possible.

So people want to work with the market expert and they want you to provide massive value so yeah so spending time every day. Looking at the mls talking to other brokers, meeting all the architects, knowing all the builders yeah needs to be on everybody's radar, it does it does, and i think that goes for anyone that wants to grow right. You have to try to learn and and just grow. So that you, you become better every every day, right, yeah, so uh, so last year, 4.9 million in gci yeah.

What's your goal for this year, uh six, six million yeah! That's a big number! I know that's rarefied error. So tell us one thing: you know you have to do differently in order to make you know the whole adding strategy. What do you have to do differently? Yeah, so we're we're. I mean we're adding all the time so we're adding um every day, whether it be people whether it be our skills um.

The one thing i don't know: what's the challenge tom, oh hashtag, 200 appointments. I i would argue you know. I look at someone like yourself or john gromin or christoph chu, and all these amazing people that we all know um timmy smith yeah, who you know, set at a goal to go on like 300 listing appointments and he failed miserably like that's like 225. Oh okay and had his second best year in his career yeah.

I saw that so i would argue it's the same thing for you like you are so good at what you do. We just need you to have more at-bats right. I need to shoot the ball more right. That's true, activate your competitive side.

So should we make a bet right here live on the show? I would love that because i know it will it will catapult me to the next level. Ten thousand bucks says you can't schedule and go on 150 listing appointments in the next 12 months. Okay, you got it. Oh well done all right so joy if they want to follow you where the best ways for them to connect with you.

If they got a question about you, business luxury, connecticut, joy, kim italia's, greenwich, connecticut, um, the metallia's team, we to change it from italia's group um, i'm at houlihan lawrence, which is you know. Another thing about luxury is to connect yourself with who does luxury in your town right, so right not nationally, but in your in your town, correct yeah! All right well, listen reach out to her! Thank you so much for watching drop in some comments. Let us know what you think: we have a lot more of these interviews coming joy. You are a joy.

Thank you. You.