Foreign. Hey welcome back to the podcast! I have the Lisa Munoz in the house from Austin Texas Thanks for making the drive up and hanging out with me today. I am so excited about talking to you Yes! so I was reflecting on really the first time we connected and you told me some stories that I remember just immediately like grabbing somebody on my team and saying I need some really special stuff for the people that haven't met you that was funny. Your comment about the bond you're like I don't know who aren't these people For the people that haven't met you you've been selling real estate in Austin for 20 plus years didn't you go to UT I did I did Okay, Let me tell you my give us the back story Yeah okay so I'm originally from Houston I am the first person in my family to even like graduate high school much less go to college and I went to UT that's awesome.

Uh one of the amazing things about this business I feel like because you can be like anyone from anywhere and do all the things? Yeah so went to UT I graduated uh the summer of uh December 99 and got my real estate license that December okay why why because I got it was that your degree I studied cultural anthropology like since nobody was like helping me figure out school I got to the end I was like well what do I do with this and people like you go to school some more and I was like no yeah like I'm ready to work uh do you know Indiana Jones like that's your career path that would be a teacher right? Yeah, yeah so but why real estate? Well I had always like I mean I enjoy people like everybody says but I really felt um like this need to do something to make an impact to build people's wealth I came from a family where we didn't have a lot of resources and I just sort of knew that if if anything was to be, it was going to be kind of up to me. Yeah and I loved that that was something that I could do and like really change people's lives and change my life. So got into the business during the tech boom in Austin Texas in 1999 and then came the bus when Austin was still this big. That's right, Yeah yeah, it's a tiny tiny little college town.

Okay, oh nice, by the way, one to Twin Powers um did you actually say that to yourself when you were just getting out of college like oh I can really help people create wealth and yada yada yada or or were you like a typical college kid clueless and just fell into something and fell in love with it? No I no I have I got a fake ID when I was 14 years old so that I could work at a flea market back in the day when you could get a fake ID and like it was passable but um I just always loved to work and I always focused in on um, something you know, bigger than myself. So even back in the day when I was slinging smoothies, you know I just took that job so seriously I got to be manager because it was like um I don't know I cared about the people I cared about the product that we were giving and so yes, by the time I I graduated college I was like this is this is something I can do Yeah, so how was the first year I mean looking back, you know, 20 plus years ago. yeah I mean I the first year I think I did maybe two deals yeah um but I was coming off of being a very poor college student. so making you know seven thousand dollars that year I was like well, that's more money than I made you know last year Yeah, um and I just took it sort of slow and steady and I did what my mentor at that time uh, told me to do which was, um, focus in on taking care of people.

he worked by referral, he kind of brought me under his wing and um I took it very, very seriously. Yeah, yeah, when did the business click I mean because the business is clicking now? Yeah, but when did it click for you? Yeah, I mean it, you know. So those two deals turned into four turned into like every year. For a while it doubled and probably five or six years into it I was like okay, this is a this is a business and it's supporting me and I'm growing it every year.

Um, but yeah, it's been clicking along pretty nicely for a while now. Tell me the tell me the in your mind, the early lessons, the mistakes that there might be. There might be a young guy or young gal listening right now who is 22. getting ready to go into real estate and if they can fast track it, they want to Fast Track It though you know we got to make a lot of mistakes to learn and get experience.

but if we can help them fast track it. But we also have some veterans that are listening that maybe you know the pandemic displaced them. Maybe even this new environment with interest rates is displayed Seven? Maybe. just maybe it's going to be that Insight they needed here as well.

Yeah, I mean like anything, there's always something shiny and pretty to distract you. Even within your business, there's always more education. There's a you know, a Realtor tour. There's this or that to take you away from what really is going to drive your business.

and and you know, maybe it was because I was like young and I really believed in this Mentor but I feel like from the get-go you know he told me you talk to people, you call people, you write them notes, you take care of them, you meet with them, you know you give them the best service possible and that's going to grow your business. And so I was pretty laser focused on that for a long time. I didn't go to you know Realtor tours and you know parties and things like that when lots of other Realtors did that because I was like no, no, but he said what's going to grow my business is that if I meet with this person I take conversations and appointments and take care of clients. Totally yeah.

But then he also really helped me believe in the power of the system in the process. So you know sure there are lots of people that are meeting with folks and taking care of them, but their business hasn't done what my business has done. Okay, sounds good, yes, but so so now and why don't we just fast forward. so give us a little context for the last like five six years like volume and transactions and then let's talk about the size of the team today.

and then we're gonna really kind of get into the sausage making of it all because that's I mean you have so many cool things for people to unpack with. So so give us this sort of the growth the last Five six years 2017 18, 19, 20, 21 You know that? uh, those years Yeah. I can't remember all the dates and I can't really see the numbers that I wrote down here. but I believe it was in the prepared yes, in the you know, probably 40 to 45 million ish five years ago and then um, this this past year 2022 closed data out at about 60 million year before that 65 million.

So um I've been running a referral and repeat business for the past 22 years and just about every year you know it grows. Uh, and some years it grows a little bit more. sure, but it's been a consistent business generated solely from my my sphere of influence. my past clients.

really business. and how many people in your database today? Uh well. I have about 1300 households and about 950 of those are past clients. so it's pretty lean.

database. Yeah so so why the word households? I love that? Why? Well because uh, that's you know a couple is one household and then we just have individuals and sometimes you know it's more than just like a you know, husband, wife or Partners or whatever And so yep, one contact household got it. Yeah, I was actually thinking almost. um, many of the spectacular agents that truly have scaled a a referral based business and you truly have because it's like no open houses you know I think I don't know when you got on Instagram I think it was recent you know, like oh yeah September right? Some of this new stuff that now we're exploring together.

Um, but what you've done extraordinarily well is almost like asset Center management. It's almost like a you know, my financial planner he he or she can only handle so many clients and they just they just work with those clients and occasionally bring on someone new. They think it gets referred in, but they run out of time eventually. it's like a capacity thing I Don't think that's the issue today, but we'll probably unpack that.

So what does the team look like today? because you're doing 100 transactions a year ish? Yeah, Top 119 two years ago was kind of the highest number transaction. Okay, yeah, so I think it's important for people to understand why? Why don't you walk us through? So let's say um Hector refers me to you and Kath and I hi Lisa you know we're You know we're We just talked to our friend Hector he said you did an amazing job. We want to work with you. We want to sell our house and buy a house.

What happens next? Oh my gosh, so many things. I mean typically that doesn't come into me directly, but uh, it might come into email or something like that and so someone on my team will take that inquiry and about 20 things happen before that person even comes to to meet with me. Give us an excitation. Uh well, an email goes out.

So happy that you know Hector referred you to me. I'd love to get you set up with Lisa Here's some homework. If you fill it out, it's going to help you get better prepared for your meeting. And I've talked with some other agents and they're like homework right? But this is a little bit of the secret of the sauce here in our business where uh Secrets just a little bit because there's a lot of Secret Sauce but it is in being very thoughtful and intentional about who this person is.

it's coming to us. So in that homework, not only do do we get your address and who referred you and that kind of thing, but we know you know what's your favorite coffee drink. Where's your favorite restaurant? Are you vegan? Are you vegetarian? Your dog's names? We asked them all these questions right and they answer them right. And so then in our CRM we have hug fields for just about every one of our clients, right? and so any team member can open up Tom's contact and and they're going to be able to see what you like to drink, where you like to eat all of that stuff.

And so we're a more holistic approach to pre-qualifying a customer. I Want to know who are you who? who's coming to my office? Yeah, because we exist to create incredible real estate experiences, right? And so this is not just about I'm going to help you buy or sell a house because in real estate, like we should all be able to do that pretty well. Yeah, so they need to get something completely different when they come and they visit with us. So all that happens, we get queued up for a meeting.

I Have a buyer consultation with every single new buyer that comes right? How long does it take? 45 minutes to an hour? What do you cover? What are like Three components, four components, five components? Well, first, I want to know what they want? They already know about me, my team, or how we do business right? Like, uh, and then like photo of the team. Something like this is how we do it. Not typically it's me and my buyer specialist in that meeting. It's at the office every time.

If you've worked with us in the past, you're still going to come in and have a buyer consultation because that's how we start every relationship. If they're from afar, we'll do a zoom. but if you're in Austin we feel like it's really important for you to come in and do it with us. and people do it.

Yes, there's an energy exchange that happens I know a lot of folks that were doing. Zoom meetings over the pandemic are like oh so much more efficient. I Still do zoom and I love it and it's just not for us. Yeah, so they come in.

We do have a buyer's guide. We talk to them about how we work and why it's so important for us to all show up as a team for them. I Let them know Hey I've been doing business for a long time and I found out it takes more than one person to run around and do all the things that have to be done in this business for you. I'm going to be a part of everything that happens on this team.

but really what I do is I focus on strategy and the market so that the people who are here helping you reach your real estate goals have what they need to make sure you get what you want. And so we have this meeting. Okay, stop how many how many people on my team think she's used that that presentation a few times and I'm watching her and I'm like she'd be like this. Okay so then what I do is just write into presentation mode I was like that was really good.

If you are watching this, you saw what I just saw. If you're listening, go back and watch it on YouTube because she went into a buyer consultation with me right there in the moment. Yeah and so we do that. Here's my team and how we do it.

But now what What happens when they say are you not going to show us houses? Yeah, they don't typically anymore because they have been trained by the person who's referring that like hey, this is how that team works and it's awesome. So when you go and look at our reviews, our buyers and sellers mentioned the team members by name. First of all they say oh my gosh, it was so amazing working with Lisa she's incredible and then teal and then Lori and then Helen and they name them out. Yeah um and that's great I Oftentimes with a buyer or seller, I'll spend an hour with them right? like at that initial consultation and then I'll show up at closing.

but they feel like I'm a part of everything that happens during the transaction. So you explain all that, then it's I'm assuming tell me about the home of your dreams, what are your expectations, what are you trying to accomplish or no, what do you do? Yeah, no, it is all Google contracts. uh a bit. It's more about like we want to understand your lifestyle and your financial goals right? Like we once we understand that we're gonna really be able to show up out in the field that if you're looking for a house and it's the wrong one based on what you've told us and we think you can do better, we're going to tell you that and they'll be like yeah, such and such.

Told me that you might not even let me buy a house because you know you talk them out of more houses than you say. Yes, we should do it. And that's something that's very important for me and my team and kind of why I built out my team the way I did. we're gonna unpack the model Okay, okay, don't talk about it yet.

Okay, so so Buyer consult is this is how we work. You've probably heard this from the person you referred to. Now what are your lifestyle goals? What are you guys trying to accomplish? Then we go into a little bit of the the Um Buyer specialist is there with us. Then we go into.

you know, hey, these are the areas where those homes match up. This is how we're going to follow up. This is how the meetings are set. Um, you know we text for timely things, we're going to email for things if we want to.

You know, unpack. Like why you. This house, you know, doesn't quite line up or whatever and so all of that is gone over. we talk about depending on what the Market's doing right? What kind of earnest money is happening right now? Exactly So someone someone right now is listening and and they're I could I could picture her I could literally name the person and she's going like she's pulling her hair out going I did 1200 transactions last year, I did a hundred of them with past clients and sphere and I did you know 1100 with Zillow and Realtor.com and Homelite and no digital buyer would go through this experience.

What do you say to that person? You know she has the same name as you by the way, does she okay say that? you know? Um, you have to just believe in it, right? and I don't know because I don't work a bunch of digital buyers just yet. So that is definitely a lead pillar that we're bringing in. I'm working on Shout out to Coaches! Yes, yes, Go Coach! Um and so I'm excited to explore that, but with what we are doing and our identity in the marketplace and if this person is doing that many deals, um I feel like they will be able to It's just in the presentation of they would be able to buy into the fact that if you do that if I fill this out or if I take the time for that, you're going to be able to serve me even better, right? But you need to be able to make sure that they understand that it's not just like, eh, fill out this form because you know we're stalkers and we want to know where you like to hang out for coffee. It's like hey, if I know where you like to get coffee I know a lot about you, right? I'm able to help you buy a better house.

Like what part of town makes sense to you? Where do you like? what? Like What's your favorite record store in town? Yeah, those are questions I like to ask. Yeah, register who's got the best record store? Okay, so let's transition to the team and the model. Okay, so so tradition, there's there's 15 different team structures today. There's single agent who says they don't have a team and they've got two license assistant.

one is their kid smoking weed in the basement. Right then you've got the traditional family business. They don't really identify as a team, but they're clearly a team. Then you got the six geyser gals that all wear the same colored outfit, have the photo that they all look the same, but there's no operator behind it so they're just doing strength of numbers all the way to.

You know my buddy Jason who now is in 18 states and he's he's got this monster team. Ridge In 18 states doing you have thousands of transactions so there's no wrong way to do it right. But your model I Know a few people that have your model so just describe it for people. Like the differences.

Yeah, it's really different. So I am the team lead and all of the business that comes into our group right now comes from my sphere. So even though we have licensed folks on the team, people aren't out there acquiring business. They're not bringing business in to the deals.

but we get our intentionally or because they can't Both, yeah, had been a little bit intentionally and I think people are trying and you know it's it. It's hard. It's a lot harder than it than it looks. Um, we are interested in having our couple of buyer Specialists bring in more business this year, but that just you know hasn't been the case and in years past and so I Started my team with an assistant.

um you know 20 years ago I probably had like an assistant helping with things and then I've grown it pretty organically. So my assistant is now our operations manager. She creates our system. She's been with me forever, She's amazing and um, she is licensed.

I have a full-time contract to close coordinator who is obviously licensed. Been with me forever. I have two buyer Specialists um and a listing manager and a Care Bear Care Bear Care Bear This is the reason we're on the show. Ladies and gentlemen, if you didn't figure it out, I was like Care Bear you're like and Care Bear is responsible for like 97 of all my deals I was like what is Care Bear's job description? What is her disprofile? okay camera and and so um but but I want to go back to and everybody is commission only.

Salary salary. Everybody is on a salary. Why is that? Why do you have two buyers Specialists Salaried. Do they get compensated in any way, shape or form on close transactions? Everybody also gets a bonus each month based on um profits.

So and why did you go to this model I Went to this model because one of the things that I feel like built my business was that I saw everyone as somebody that I could help whether they were buying or selling a house right now I wanted to give them the time the tools to figure out if I can't do this right now, when can I do it? What's the plan? Um and I never wanted anybody to feel like I was trying to sell them a house because I needed to get paid right and I I know that my intentions are pure but when I brought somebody else on, who knows I mean maybe they really had to like pay rent or do whatever and and sell a deal. and so I wanted to provide a salary so that that person could come on and if it was a wrong house for you Tom be able to be like hey man based on what you told me there's a better house. like if you want to buy this one we can do it I want you to go in eyes wide open with why it's not the right house based on what you told me too. close to this street, this two business there's a better place.

no commission breath. None of that right? And so we did that for many, many years and now I feel like everybody on my team also has kind of you know, pure intentions and and I feel like we could probably tweak the model a little and it might evolve into something else but that was the reason. Yeah I did that and it made me feel good because our my business is set up in such a way that you know no one deal is gonna make or or a break right? right? Does the does the fixed monthly cost keep you up at night sometimes I mean in March 2020 when like no one was gonna buy a house for two months I was a little bit like huh? but I really am a great planner and I really believe in investing in my people and my business and I've been able to to take care of folks I mean when I stop and think of that number like at the beginning of January when the dashboard resets to zero I'm like oh okay like here we go again now to help some clients. That's right, I love it and there's a lot of people that have a lot of my friends will be listening to this and they will say kind of flirted with that model salaried salesperson part like we look at the what I would say that the tragic lack of client experience with Redfin as an example like someone that did it at scale I think Redfin has a beautiful website right? I think a lot of consumers think that too, but the discount thing went away because that didn't really didn't matter to Consumers And and the sort of you know person that's just doing 800 million deals a year just opening doors doesn't seem to work? Yeah, how do you make yours work? How do you like? what's their time capacity like at the sales team? Do they do? They list every house? Do they show every house You know how many transactions like? the biggest country in growth with you is time right? But probably the same with your two buyer's agents.

So there was a question somewhere in all that. Yeah, I'm not sure if I got it, but I'll start to answer it. How does it like redirect me Like how much like how much can they actually do Yeah, I mean a good amount I mean the fact that we have such great in-office support, right? Like when a client comes in, it's not like oh, it's Carson or Lori's client, they're in their care, but they also have the full support of the team, right? That buyer specialist is Not the person who's typically writing up amendments or scheduling, closing or scheduling the inspections. I Mean it goes close, right? And it's not just checking off the Box contract to close my contract to close coordinator.

Oh my gosh, she's so freaking amazing. So you know we all know that when it goes into contract to close, Helen is gonna like blow that client away. Anybody named Helen Yeah, especially this Helen but then the buyer specialist is really just on a weekly basis. Hey hey how's it going just checking in.

Everything's on track right on schedule right? so it does free them up then to go and do the other thing. It's truly you know we talked so much about like the industrialization of the real estate transaction and sometimes when you say say that to people they think you're taking Humanity out then I'm like no, you're replacing a lot of human error you know Lisa is the best at this. That's what she does Tom is the best at this. That's what he does Jordan is great at this Ellie's great at this Hector's great this you describe this and then together the client gets this like beautiful experience they do and it has to it has to feel like it's by Design you know I hear all these other agents are like oh I want to bring a showing agent and I'm going to do a little bit of this and then the the buyer or the seller feels handed off right and when our person comes in they know this is super thoughtful.

All of this is happening according to Lisa's perfect plan right? It never feels like haphazard. Yes, yeah okay, we all screw up. Every business does. I Do you do? What do you guys do when you screw up somebody drops the ball somewhere.

Whether whether it was intentional or not, whether it was the client's reaction or not, everybody drops the ball sometimes. What do you guys do? I mean we do whatever it takes to to make it right I mean I Learned in my my very first like probably five deals or so. um, this client closed on a house and there was some dinky thing with her dishwasher that didn't work after the fact and I went and tried to chase the listing agent down and she was really upset about this I was like oh, I can't get them to do anything about it and I didn't just fix the damn problem. Yeah and she never talked to me again And so I am definitely of the mindset.

if something goes arrive, say you know whatever, somebody's dishwasher after the fact I'm not paying for everything. It doesn't happen often, but if somebody is really upset about something and I go to try and make it right with the other agent and that doesn't happen I might write a little check to take care of that client because I know that that relationship is worth so much. In fact, we have our whole database organized in such a way that we can pull these lifetime value referral trees. Um, for clients Secret Sauce We're going there.

Yes, but um, you know we can pull who has referred us poo. And then it shows us you know how much in total income that is and what's interesting when you look at the reports in that way. I mean oftentimes we you know we're like oh man we really love this client because I mean Tom's awesome. He's great but maybe Tom never actually sent me a referral but he comes top of mind because I like hanging out with him.

You start to see these reports and you're like oh actually this other guy who's a little bit more quiet and maybe you know we got along. Okay, he sent me like eight referrals and so then when we go into our gifting strategy and client appreciation parties, we can make sure that those people that are really putting our names out there and having deals at clothes are the people that are also getting taken care of. So we're chatting off camera and I said um we're talking about like marketing you know, like this and that I said so if I was in your database I would imagine I'd see this and this and this and this and this and this I'm in your database. Somebody's looking for the checklist that you know what they're looking for.

They're looking for its layers. It's never one thing, it's people are like Tom what's the best postcard right now I'm like it's this one and the the other 1100 that you sent over the last 10 years. It's layers. Talk to us about the layers of what a client experiences after the closing.

and I've referred you or not. Whatever. but but these layers of sort of marketing campaigns. So what happens? Well I mean I think before you get to the layers right and I just I feel like I have.

Please make sure that people have this part because again with the shiny pretty things and the tools and the technology, you have got to have the transaction so dialed in. not just to deliver like of course your job is to make sure they get to closing and things feel great. Like that's basic so you need to have every system and process completely dialed in to make sure that happens every single time. Okay, Counterpoint isn't There Isn't there a moment in every escrow ever that things go a little sideways? Oh for sure.

for sure. like things are always trying to be clear. Yeah, but I mean not because of something you corrected right? Like the basics should always happen, they should feel communicated with. but if and if you have that relationship, those things that go sideways are at an opportunity.

I mean some of the best referrals come from folks where I solved a really big freaking problem. Yeah, thank you for sure. So so I did a good I did a great great job. Yep, you did a great job.

They know that your business comes to you by referral and that in order for you to continue to like, keep your head down working for them. It's great for them to refer folks to you. So like that has to be part of the whole transaction and then after that I mean some of the stuff is really basic. We're looking to elevate it.

So the Care Bear actually just came into my world. Okay, now it's like okay, just looked at the Younglings in the room. they're like the five characters. the yellow one, the green one, the shooting.

let's all shoot some love from our bellies or hearts or like we're talking Care Bear right am I Okay, all right, just want to make sure I'm like right on Pace here, right? You just want to hug it right? Exactly So good. So what did Care Bear do with you before she transitioned to the title of Care Bear Yeah! so Care Bear was a past client yes and I was looking for a listing manager and I was like man Lauren I would say her name because that's a Care Bear's name I never remembered your name Lord I apologize because I know she told me that I should Care Bear and I was like I have to interview just to talk about Care Bear and she was. She was great as a client. she was with it and I was like okay this person's gonna make an amazing listing manager like we need this person So she came in and she was a thoughtful listing manager.

um but the things that she noticed were less the the checklist, the systems, the all the logistics and more the like well you know what Mary really needs like gosh, she's stressed about this and what if I've dropped off some bath bombs and a tea and I was like yeah that's awesome right? and so I was like you know what she her unique ability is really being able to like feel the empathy of this person and not just be like I'm gonna send them cookies like to get at what it is that they really want and I was like I've been sending birthday cards and I'll you know I do gifts along the way but it's really it could be like tchotchkes. you know what I mean like it's just you know. here's some stuff. Yeah, here's some stuff and it might be something that I would send to somebody else.

It wasn't something that if you got it you'd be like oh my God Lisa really knows me? Yeah, yeah. so I was like you're so great at this. Does this start though at the intake process of coffee and where do you Favorite restaurant Hobbies what part of town do you like to hang in? Okay, yeah, so so the whole thing is connected from this, you know? Salesforce CRM whatever it is all the way. That's right.

We've been collecting this information for two decades and we haven't really been able to like fully utilize it until the Care Bear has come and is able to to take it. So uh, I was like you're awesome I think you should do this on my team, do you think you would like it and she said yes and of course I created a system around it so it wasn't just like go out and give gifts to everybody because I've talked to a few other agents too where they're like I'm giving these really expensive gifts that I'm gifting all the time and I'm not getting anything back. Yeah, it's not really about the gift to start, but then it will be. Do you know the company Client Giant? I've just heard of them.

Yeah, okay, okay I passed on investing in that company fellas. You guys should call me. we should re-engage because it's just one of those things I think they they did a thoughtful job Second, obviously very shameful self-promotion of these guys. They did a thoughtful job of of operationalizing a gifting strategy where like my buddy John Roland who wrote the book right and John's been on my podcast super Guy.

Um, but it's mostly about the knives business right? And then he does some over-the-top crazy stuff. but his concept is right. His concept, everybody should read the book right and that I look at Client Giant I'm sure there's 10 others, but it sounds like you care Bear is the operationalized in-house version of that, correct? What's her monthly budget? What can she do? And how do you hold her accountable? Or do you hold her accountable? Like to a number? Not to a number yet, right? Because she's like recent in this position, but because I can go in. So we have our database organized in such a way that the people who refer us are called Champions Yeah, and so two months before a Champion's birthday.

So she creates a spreadsheet and she's like, okay, well you know Paul's birthday is on February 10th. he's outdoorsy, he likes to run I was thinking about a Yeti filled with his favorite beer and these running sunglasses and there's a link to it and I'm like, approve, change, whatever. So I have you know all the Champions birthdays? Not that the Champions Not that, maybe five per month. Okay, so total is like 60.

Like if there's if there's like out of the 1300 down to 950, there's 60 Champions and they refer. How many on average would you guess? You probably know the exact I'd be? No. I don't know the exact number. But to be a champion, you have to have referred at least two people in the last two years, so not many.

Okay, but some people you know have referred ten, right? right? Okay, Um. I interrupted. I Apologize. No, that's okay.

So so she's got five to six people every month that are in the champions list and it sounds like it's like under 500 would just be my guess. Oh for each gift? Yeah, yeah, for sure. Like again, it doesn't have to be extracted. Yeah, yeah, that's helpful.

but it's I Know this person, that's right, right? It makes them feel that cool and you know. And this is where I think for certain gifts you know for for birthdays. And to start this off right, it's okay to systematize around something that hey, everybody gets that that same thing. It's the consistency.

That's again, the secret sauce is like we do the same thing over and over again and it's just one place at work. Yeah, we do that. Yeah, um, but for this, you know, so that's a champion strategy. Everybody else still gets a birthday card and they get you know, an ice anniversary or whatever.

Summertime is back to school that? Yeah, we have lots of clients that are writing books I mean we have amazing freaking clients and so she's looking at my social media all the time and she'll be like oh my gosh, such and such their book just got released. let's send them a whatever. I'll go buy 10 copies and give them out as gifts or whatever. Yes, right? So she is proposing to me I do my final approval or like massage it a little bit and then she she takes care of it.

So when you decided to do this you had an intention. There was a hypothesis. put Lauren in charge of Care Bear role should get X return or was there I mean yes and no. This has been such a part of our business from the beginning that I know it worked so you just took it off.

Maybe someone else has played maybe yours and now it's just operationalized under one person. Yeah, I mean so I will send out 50 or 60 birthday cards every single month and things like that and that's just yeah. somebody else on the team was kind of doing that, but I was like no now is the time we've been doing this long enough to where we really we've been getting all this information we love on these clients. They've been supporting us for decades.

Like, let's really show them that we know them. There's a reason why we asked you all these questions. That's right, right? That's the reason why. Now you're like wow, like how do they know? Well, that's right.

Remember that initial interview like we shared we liked. Actually, you know we might tell them we want to upgrade now. we love the Four Seasons That's our new right Yeah, anybody who told me their favorite drink was Topo Chico Now they might be like oh no, Yeah, so that's so California Now Um, okay so I get a birthday card I get a home anniversary if I'm a champion I get X if I Okay, if I send you a referral, what do you do so I didn't engage an agent or past client like what do you do not not a ton I mean we we call them. We thank them for the referral.

We give them like a thirty dollar. Whole Foods gift card right? right? Um I Never gave closing gifts for a while so again, it's it's. not the gift, but those are the things that we. Yeah, it's like those are the layers so that's what that's what they get.

We have legendary uh client appreciation party. So much so that people will come in the initial buyer consultation and be like so I I hear you have really great parties? Yeah? Am I gonna be in and um I mean we we hype them up. They go on a wait list. uh this past year yeah yeah we gotta buy a house.

we have fire dancers. This past year we've rented out this. Yeah yes we rented out this really cool like Gardens and we have cocktails I mean it's not just like here's your drink ticket. it's like get wasted, eat all this food on us.

Yes, uh but we had a 20. How many people buy? Uh, 150? We cap it. Okay, about 150. and like how did they get on the left besides buying a house like how to like do you send out like you know if you take this like here's a here's a marble and if you take it to this location we're then gonna give you and we start with the Champions then we go with the Advocates.

We go to the people that closed in the past year who we want to be Champion So that's typically healthy so there's a strategy behind it. Yeah yeah, okay that invite list but yeah. 25 piece Renegade Marching band Brass Band Came into our last party like nobody knew it was happening. We're having drinks and hear this music like down the street and all of a sudden all these people in costumes are like New Orleans style playing.

Yeah so I love it Yeah I'm a big fan of like people are like I don't really like events because people aren't going to show up and I'm like no people always show up and the right people always show up right even when it's small or smaller than expected. But like you have, you haven't been to the Summit yet have you? Were you there? Okay so every so shout out to Eric and Carrie I I was the efficient Reverend Tom Ferry at their wedding. so get this I throw every year from the very beginning I'm like client appreciation party. It's the one chance for the vast majority of my clients are all going to be together.

you know, in a room I ran out of the House of Blues or you know, some crazy spot and then it's just kind of a rager which is you know, kind of crazy because it's like the day before the last day of the event. so then the next day like I'll try and you're all gonna get the behind the scenes scoop. I'm like I'm gonna have the best guest speaker 10 o'clock in the morning because they're all gonna walk in like a little. oh Tom Perry's parties are a bit much and then you know the day progresses and I try and end at noon so they can go be hungover someplace else.

but Carrick uh Carrick Carrie Signed up for coaching because she met this kid Eric who was really hot and she's like he's like hey you coming to the party tonight she's like what party he's like, the party she's like oh no like hey, how do I get into the party we got to be a coaching member she signed up for coaching but together and now they're married and I was efficient at their wedding bang look at all that it's just like they would be on the champions list. yeah they would be. but what do you say to the person that's listening to us because we obviously like you're a party person I'm a party person. Like we like throwing these events.

We get it, it's stressful. Yeah, what do you say the person that's like oh, it's just afraid to do it yeah I mean and so I will say while I like throwing a great party and I get energy from people I mean the way I am in my business because so much of me is used up during the week I don't do a lot of that stuff yeah like I don't really see clients in the evening I don't really see clients on the weekends. Um, but for the person who's afraid to do that like do it in your like comfort zone yeah and do it doesn't have to be huge like that. I mean what we're starting to do now is, you know, just having a quarterly you know, get the chef's table at a really cool restaurant that people want to go to and invite five or six of your top people like you need to know in your database who those people are.

um, and invite them and hang out with them because really, you're going to be able to spend a lot more time with those folks then. anyway I mean these huge parties are like a wedding, you know I get to talk to you for like one minute and somebody's like hey yeah, so um, it's good for like creating a certain buzz. and if you do have a lot of referral clients, chance it's cool because they see other people that they know you're doing this. Hey, you two got to meet hey you two got to meet I love that part.

Yeah, yeah, but it can be. It could be whatever. like it just has to be. where you can feel like you're you I have clients that have literally said yeah I bought like 30 tickets to the orchestra and I invited on my clients I'm like whatever your jam is your jam right you have made like everyone's gonna do it their way.

The key is do it because every time we can be face to face with these wonderful people that like I don't know people like there's there's clients that become like clients, become friends and then there's like friends that become family and for me as long as I mean I have a lot of people that are in like that Family Circle like come to my house they know my mother-in-law they've you know what I mean like like they've had that experience because we've been around each other for a long time right? We connect on that level and I think it's I would just invite people as they're listening to Think Through just it's okay to have those layers but you got to do something for them and then fear what? What is that higher you know, hierarchy tier if you will of experience kind of Disneyland like we were talking about earlier. Yeah because I think that there is um I mean I just feel like again I'm not saying anything revolutionary or there's nothing that's hard to do but what is hard to do is to just do it like commit to it and be like this is what I do Yeah like this is the framework. Like for me, one of my you know fundamentals or the framework is you know I work out five days a week like it's not a decision that I have to make every morning. It's just like I get up at five o'clock in the morning and I go get on a bike or I do this like that's my day and it's kind of the same.

You know with my business like this is how we do it and we're going to do it this way every time and then that builds over time. Yeah, it's not freaking thinking about it. Yeah, my favorite song This is how we do it right. like and if you have that for your business, it's so interesting.

Like for the person that's listening you just heard Lisa describe how she identifies herself. like our identity is like our identity creates our routines and our routines become everything in our life. in our business, right? If you wake up in the morning, you go to the gym every day, it's because in some way you either identify as an athlete or you identify as somebody like I know when I do this I feel infinitely better and I can serve more. Whatever it is, it's all a story in your head.

The person that it doesn't make phone calls. it's a story in their head. The person that loves doing open houses. It's a story in their head.

It's all a freaking story. How did you? How do you continue to shape and evolve the story? Because we're we're obviously engaged because you would figure this much out. And now with you and Aaron you're trying to add more to it. Not a million things, one or two.

but how do you evolve the thinking? mm-hmm yeah I think about that a lot I mean fortunately I am energized through new experiences I'm constantly curious. You know, even though it seems like we have this figured out, this is my poor team, right? They're like, yeah, but we had you know, 170 people reach out to us last year to buy sell our invest I'm like, why just 170. right? Like right where you're not 1170. Exactly.

So I am always asking that question and inside of me I Want to do more because I know I can do more I have the potential. That's my story right? I want to impact my team. Everybody that I do business with like and you know we're in this world that like what worked before isn't going to work in the future. Now the one thing that will never change is that people want to be cared for.

We want belonging. We want connection that we'll never ever need. That's right. And I recognize when someone comes to me I recognize that all the experiences that you had before our time together are different from anybody I've ever met and if I can see that in you and I can meet you where you are, you're gonna be like Lisa is awesome and she wants to help me like I believe that and so I try to keep that and everything moving forward.

but I'm definitely getting outside of my comfort zone this whole like social media and I know videoing I'm just like I'm just gonna do it like this is really scary but yes you know I went to um I guess it was in April or May Katie day you had like a video blueprint Houston yeah uh this year oh really okay cool. Well Jason was there Jason Jason was there yep and that was when I really got this whole like you have to do video thing. um and I was like I don't even know does anybody else hear the way she's describing her identity this whole video thing I mean I'm getting into it now I'm getting into it but so I went back home and I said okay I have to do video I have no idea how to do it. Let me just find somebody who's like a production company that's doing it really well right.

I put them on a retainer. it was expensive I booked them for the following month an eight-hour shoot and that was my way of being like I cannot find something more important than this I'm paying these people a lot of money. they're gonna meet me there. Sure.

and so now I meet them every other month and I film eight hours worth of video and I'm like so tired. Yes, um and now I'm figuring out how to use it because you know I didn't have the whole picture of like YouTube or whatever I don't even know Instagram reels Yeah! and so now I'm working with my coach about building my YouTube channel and doing all of these other things right because you don't have to know everything when you start. you just have to be like this is important because the people in the industry who know what's what told me it's important I'm gonna do it and then figure it out. Yeah, but don't just go wasting money everywhere like make sure it's working and have a plan to figure it out I Interviewed a guy named David Schwartz on on my podcast uh from New York and it was interesting so he like I'll make these challenges like you know 30 day video Challenge and then and then and because I operate only with really wonderful crazy people Yeah he and a couple of his buddies were like let's do 365 days and see what happens Jesus so he finished so a video a day no it was just Instagram you're like hey, it's David yeah whatever the tip of the day or whatever it did, it almost.

It matters. but it almost. doesn't matter right? Because like anything else, when you do something consistently, you begin to build an audience. You begin to have people start saying there she is I see her everywhere and that's that's half the battle.

So I asked him on the show I'm like did any of the videos actually bring you any clients like did you get DM he goes no and I was like oh I love it he said no and then I said but what happened he goes every appointment I went on was just easier. they knew me, they liked me they like it was just it was just an easier presentation because I didn't have to say hi I'm David this is all myself. This is how we do it. They're like we already get all that stuff like we're just excited about getting what should we do to the house to get it ready like they went right into we've already chosen you.

Yeah so why are you doing video? Yeah, same like I um I want to amplify my identity? You know meeting with 150 to 200 people a year is a lot. but I have some videos that have you know, five or fifteen thousand views. That's Insanity to me. Yep and we did Even though.

So I posted my first video with this production team September of last year. So it's been a few months and uh, just had a buyer consultation yesterday with a cute little couple out of California and when they filled out their homework because I had never, they never referred. Yes, they filled out their homework very quickly and said how did you find us and can we thank them for the referral they said Instagram and so when I got on that consultation I was like Hey so have you found me on Instagram like I still don't have any idea how that works I'm so glad you found me. she's like I saw that one video that you did walking through the house and you were pointing out all these things and it's just so educational and I just feel like you're the right person I'm like cool.

let's go right? yeah that's Jason and I talk about him. So I got YouTube like 2007 and all my friends and they they know the story but it was. how could I how could I give the best of me every day for free? and and the thought was so when I come into town and I say who's seen me speak before and no hands go up I don't feel incredibly crushed but instead I say how many views they made YouTube Facebook you know back in the day Beluga who knows me from Myspace and hands would go up yeah and I was like okay they have contacts for me Yeah right and there's just I hope that the person listening that if you've maybe liked Lisa this is a new Venture for you. It's not about you being insta-famous It's not about you becoming the next YouTube Superstar It is about scaling your trust scaling Your Truth scaling your brand and getting more people to just get to know you for sure I mean that was a little bit of my hesitation, right? It was like I don't just want a bunch of followers just to have followers like I want them if it's going to turn into business.

If I'm going to reach somebody that I wasn't able to reach So before the recording of This podcast, who knows where it's going to go after this I had like 1670 people that you're going to 1690 right after this. Okay, what is your Instagram at find your Austin Why find your Austin I love that name Why at find your Austin Because it is Again, it's about it's your Austin right? Like we're not just trying to help you find a house like who are you? Where do you want to be? How can we help you find your Austin There are so many different Austin's right. there's the like ultra marathon or Austin there's the like record guy Austin there's you know. so many different Austin So at find your Austin um and yeah, I'm checking out your page here.

Oh gosh, oh no. Is this your dog? Yeah, that's Goldie She's so cute. What kind of dog? She's a cotan de tulier? That's way above yeah. I Had never heard of that either.

That's just a cute dog. I'm gonna go with cute dog Lily White Yeah Okay, all right and now is this an example of the videos. That's what. oh I recorded at my house but not that one.

Yeah it's the numbers up to date but the one you want me to show you the one okay yeah show me the the one that the person um oh yeah I mean like so that was the one apparently they got me like a a deal. now who taught you how to go hey like were you with like Brad like do you know Brad like yeah but I don't but you know what? Shout out to Brad Brad's like hey it's really nice to meet you camera goes on he goes hey I'm Brad and this is my wife and here we are. These are our kids and this was like it's just he's so Amplified but he's memorable. yeah and everybody remembers them and they're like there's that guy.

He's an amazing real estate agent. Yeah no it wasn't Brad I mean I have I have a lot of energy and my kind of my thing. I Didn't realize this until like four or five years ago, but one of my clients is like you know you always say hey hey and I was like I had no idea so hey hey I guess is my bit all right. um I mean I didn't know it was like a calling card.

Well you need cards that just say hey hey But my 14 year old son the other night when I was like oh I'm gonna go record a podcast he's like what Mom what's your bit because you know, like what you know, all these people have this I'm like I don't think I have one of those yeah yeah, hey, hey hey All right. oh it's even the finger too. Yeah, all right. So if somebody wants to reach out and like pick your brain, everything, follow you there.

You probably don't know how to read. DMS um can they email you? Can they call you? You now know how to read DMS Yeah a couple of people have reached out. It's been super awesome. Yeah uh, but yeah.

email. but I think this. let's go with this. Instagram All right, you're gonna check this Instagram situation I'm gonna check it out I'm gonna check it out All right.

So follower there you can ask her questions. We're going to be together live in Austin but that road map just sold out right? So I'm loving this. Like intimate rooms like 300 people is like the Max and it's gonna be like standing room I Love it. Very cool.

Um Houston We had all these other events so you should definitely check it out. but if you're coming to Austin she's my special guest speaker in the afternoon so thank you for being on the show. Thank you for driving up! I Can't wait for people to hear this message. There were so many things for people to unpack you're going to get DMS of like what about how about like how do you pay Care Bear what's that look So just get ready.

okay for all that stuff and more. Okay um and I know your heart so I know you'll answer questions and deliver closing thoughts for the person watching. What do you most want them to hear as we wrap this up I mean I think that I want people to go back to what's most important which again is the people that they're already in relationship with the people who are supporting their business. like look at the past 12 months of your business and write down those folks or print out the spreadsheet of who has referred you or given you repeat and see how you can meet them where they are.

Make sure that they know that you know them. show them in some way, say something to them, write them a note, love it, whatever and it falls fails. Take your last five emails, then put it into chat GPS and say please write something lovely about this person. Take like four Instagram posts.

they put all the text buttons either. Please write a personal note. We started using that too. Not for that, but yeah, it's so yeah.

So that's like my favorite. Neutral: I Love AI Okay Lisa thank you so much for being on the show. Thank you so much for being in my community. Make sure you follow her on! Instagram Absolutely reach out the question and as always, like you know, hey, like And subscribe and do all that stuff right.

It means the world. I mean if you would like write a review like oh my God I don't even know I would do it myself. Please do something like that. And by the way, if you're watching at the very end I Now have readers, it's official.

They are great I can't really see anything now but I can read so it's really good so that's a really cool. Thank you thank you, thank you and thank you! See you soon.