Welcome to the luxury code, where we decode the mindset, the marketing and the business approach of successful luxury brokers. So everybody wants to raise their sales price who doesn't want to sell big, expensive houses, the allura, multi-million dollar sales, five and six figure checks. I mean my goodness: fancy houses, exotic cars, extraordinary clients, it all sounds like a dream. Come true today, we're gon na unpack the real deal of all of that on the luxury code, with my guy mark hernandez mark.

How are you brother tell me some good news? Tom, it's so great to see you i'm so fired up about being here. I was just thinking about it on the way over that it was five years ago that i was at a summit and you invited a bunch of us in for a lunch and learn. Yep and one of my buddies - and i were there - we said: let's go check it out. We did it.

I've been elite ever since my business is 10x from the first year and i'm just having a great time and something is calling me. I got ta turn that off. Okay, all right, we're back! It's all good brother, it's all good, but you know but mark your story is so many stories that you know. We talked to these great agents that they made the difference, be to get committed to something and when you look at your success, a lot of it is your commitment towards branding towards marketing towards networking towards.

You know getting a little out of the box and i want to explore all of that today, but give people context first tell them. You know, tell them where you work, give them the size of your team. What's the goal for this year, so yeah, i'm with compass, beverly hills. I run a team called the mark hernandez group at compass.

We've got six agents, we have a director of operations, we have a transaction coordinator and we have yours truly at the helm uh. I started five years ago in the business i started with a little company here, a boutique called telus properties. You remember tell us, of course, they were acquired by douglas element and uh, and then that eventually led me to compass. It's kind of my second time around.

In real estate tom, the first time was right out of usc orange county. A lot of my buddies dads were developers at the coal company in the irvine company, and so i got into commercial real estate brokerage high-rise office, building leasing. Eventually, then, pivoted from there into real estate management went to work for the stagers from family sure at south coast, plaza man. You know center tower where the center club is, of course, so that was my first building that i managed.

I was 28 years old and i was having lunches with people down at the center club that were like 50 and heads of accounting firms and law firms and really taught me how to communicate with people that were of higher like socioeconomic status than me, and and Be professional and be a manager or a leader um. So now i mean real quickly. So now, i'm in real estate having gone through entertainment right, so i i left south coast plaza, went to work in the mailroom at united talent agency. I went from like six figures to 350 a week overnight.

Yes, my suits got shiny. I didn't have any money to buy my girlfriend who's now my wife, dinners and uh, but it was the best thing i've ever done. I learned how to you know: finance produce, distribute movies, we represented screenwriters directors, talent, and that's really, i think, where i learned my hustle on how to get things done, because if you don't get it done as an assistant in hollywood, you can there's there's a line Out the door waiting for your your desk, if you will so anyway, that's it. You know commercial, real estate, entertainment and i went to work for fox uh and and led a national digital ad sales team.

There, 13 sellers coast to coast selling the fortune, 1000 brands. Television network, uh and uh mobile sponsorships and uh campaigns and traveled all over the country built my sphere. That way, with a lot of these advertising agencies and brands, and - and that's that's how i got here so why did you go under i mean you were going down a very interesting path? Why did you then go into residential real estate in beverly hills? Well, i i was, i was packaged out. It was the 14th season of american idol and ratings were starting to drop right, and so when ratings drop, revenue drops and uh, and they looked at about 25 of the workforce and looked at the people that were making the most money and they gave us all.

Handsome checks and took very good care of us as a company like fox foxwood and uh. It was the best thing that ever happened to me, because i i at that point i said i'm done working for the man, i'm going to work for this man and i became an entrepreneur at that point right. So how many total years now on the residential side, has it just been the five years so yeah? So you you come to this event and i and i know all the the cast of characters that were you know with us at that summit. Um, you make the decision to become one of our clients.

What happened next so and at that point i um i signed up and i immediately started ingesting the content. I was a big. I still am a big. You know tom ferry fan uh.

I literally, i think i stopped at about episode 108, but i little i mean i still go back but i have, i think i have all the notes in bullet point form from episode. One of the tom ferry show through episode 108 and i've gone back and listened to them time and time again, and i tell other people to to check them out but uh. You know i really highly uh leaned in to coaching and - and i realized very quickly that you know the best performers, whether it's athletes or musicians or vocalists or whatnot. They all have coaches right and, if you're going to, if you're going to do coaching, you can't do it kind of you know: half baked.

You have to really lean in and be coachable and say i'll. Do it and uh and i'm telling you it's taken my business from you know 177 gci year, one to like 9x that last year, so it's it works right and this year you know. You've got some some ambitious goals of 175 million dollars in volume and that's a lot of gci um. So you know we can unpack some of the team building stuff, but i think today we really should focus on what i observed from afar until you and i got to know each other better was watching your brand unfold watching this look yeah style this aesthetic this.

I mean there, you know, there's just a. There was just a coolness factor that was coming out and i i'm just curious. Could you could you unpack for us the sort of the brand journey and what you learned along the way and why it mattered? Absolutely so, when i first started, i started taking notes of all the other social media accounts and marketing that was going on, and i knew that for me to stand out. I had to be a little noisy right.

I had to be a little different. I had to be like the uncola right right, so i saw all these people uh posting pictures of homes over and over and over, and i thought i don't know anything about that person right and there's nothing about that - that social media account. That makes me say i need to call this person, because i want to work with them. Yeah and - and i often tell people like people that i mentor i say like.

If you had a pizza store, would you put pies on every like thumbnail because i just want to like you know it would be horrible right. You got to tell the story. Where do i get my dough who's? The hostess, you know. What's the check out this oven, so i i came at it from the approach of let's pretend i'm an editor of a really cool magazine, and this is going to be it's not going to be vanity fair.

It's not going to be people, it's not going to be la it's going to be the magazine of mark right, and so what is mark like mark likes his family mark likes hit music music big time. By the way i saw you checking out these descendants over the weekend: oh yeah manhattan-based, manhattan, beach, band, um, so music, i love travel, art um, i you know and and of course, real estate. You have to pepper that in like 20 of the time, or they won't know that you're a real estate agent right. I also said you have to be noisy and let them know when you have a win right.

So i developed my my what i call my deal cards. It's an image of me. It's got a black overlay, it's got a little branding and it's like you, know, soul right. So that's! Instead of sending a sold postcard, i do it on the web and get it onto linkedin facebook, facebook, business, instagram and i get way more reach and engagement that way right by doing it right and then i and then i also thought, and you can't just say, Sold you have to tell the story like hey.

We represented these first-time buyers, they were very afraid of the multiple offer scenario they didn't want to get into a bidding war. We went up against 15 buyers. We put together the best terms. We came in like really hot with the listing agent and we walked away with the escrow and handed them the keys and people love to hear those stories so uh.

I continue to do that and and this year the the thing that i'm working with dave. My coach on and and please hold me to it as well. It's it's just time. It's time for me to layer in the video i've you know in the beginning.

I was like everybody else. Oh gosh, you know, i can't say my hair is not right because i don't have any hair, but anyway in the beginning it was like. Oh, i don't know how i look on screen yeah, but once i started going out and doing remember my series on instagram searching for l.a right, so i go to different neighborhoods. I take shots about it.

You know with a really cool building or a restaurant and i'd be kind of down in the bottom, but i'd still be looking at the camera, and i developed some camera chops that way. So now it's not about how i feel in front of the camera. It's just the content i want just like you said with my marketing is kind of cool. I want my video to be cool too.

I don't want it to be just monday, so you know what's interesting, i was talking about descendants and then you know for a hot second, my son had on the the dogtown documentary. So speaking of l.a, oh right, right and z, boys, right and and the first time i saw one of your ads. I was like that's like when tony alva just stood there with his hat on, and the entire industry of skate was like what like what is this like. It felt like that kind of splash i was like mark.

Did it was my hero yeah, you, like you, love you like here we used to go, we used to go, skate, pools and do all that and we wanted to be like tony. You want to have the high socks and the advanced slip-ons and the whole thing. Hey by the way, did you see my my pillow uh? I could see in the background, so the people that are that are listening, only uh. So okay.

So it's a pillow and here's what it reads. It says the hip, the hop the hippie to the hip hip hip, hop, bang, bang boogie, i'm jumping the buoy to the rhythm of the boogie to beat that was pretty good. I think you've sang that song a few times so so i think i messed it up. No, you did good so so i love it because i think authentically you know, you know who you are right.

So so you put yourself out there in a way to be recognized because, let's face it like la real estate, is noisy and there's a lot of competition. So so do you feel your strategy worked, and would you recommend it for others? What about the person? That's uh, you know in miami or new york or in you know, highland park in dallas. Did they do something that splashy yeah? I think it works? I think it'll work everywhere and what it really comes down to is - and i've heard this mentioned on on some of your other podcasts. You have to really be good at being you yeah, you know what i mean it's like they can.

You know they can doubt the presentation, the listing presentation. They can doubt the home that they're looking at, they can doubt the the figures or the comps or whatever, but they can't doubt who you are i get i get listings. I get buyers i put together presentations and all that, but at the end of the day that doesn't really matter what really matters is who's sitting in front of sitting in from us, as steve harvey harney said once said, on the other side of the table right, It's it's who's on the other side of the table, how they're connecting with you the questions, they're asking how they're engaging and body language and all this - and i mean i'm telling you i've gotten more business that way than any presentation i've ever put together. So i i think if the agent can just be their true, authentic self and and not be afraid to show them who they are and maybe that they have a fault because we're all human you know it brings me back to the movie tom.

I i've thought of this movie so many times in my business career and it's with julia roberts. It's the it's aaron brock, yes and there's this classic scene, it's in the conference room and there's two women and they're, both lawyers and they're in front of this. All the juror jury right or whoever they're dealing with uh the plaintiffs. I guess i don't know, but anyway they're all there and the one woman is very uptight.

Her hair is tight and she's got glasses and, and she just can't connect with the people and aaron comes in and she you know, fumbles on her heel and she's chewing gum and drops something and people just love her because they say she's like me right. So i think, where i get the most traction is really trying to be myself and be as human as i possibly can with whoever i'm dealing with. I love it so talk to us about then networking and and maybe like marketing, calling prospecting whatever you want to call it like it's. We all need appointments so so give us your give us your best.

Two or three plays that you run to attract clients yeah. So so the first thing i do is i try when i was in hollywood as an assistant. I i remember this little saying that i came up with and it was uh. I don't know if i came up with it, but anyway it was it's not who you know it's who knows you so right.

As a hollywood assistant, i was already branding myself. I would notice the other guys on desk. Hey it's tom in you, know joe epstein's office right, hey it's bill in blank blank's office right and it's like how many toms and bills are they they come and go. I never answered the phone that way.

It was all hi. It's mark hernandez in david cantor's office right in the motion picture department of uta. So back then i started this underground email list where i would send out. You know the latest script sales of the day think about real estate sales right like email, marketing, right um and i wasn't taking them from uta.

There was another site called guess what scriptsales.com right so just arbitraging that data and getting it out there. Oh, this guy's providing him where the parties were that week. All the young people love that right and then the uta job list, which is like everybody, want to get a job in hollywood. So i started sending that out and my email list went from zero to 3 500 in like two years and every one of those 3 500.

I then started following on linkedin. That was the thing back then link down that 3 500 today is now 23. 000., yeah and and as a result, i'm about to launch a big uh, a big uh, just call it a blog on linkedin. I want to be the voice of real estate on linkedin, so i've got.

I've got the size of a small, tiny magazine there that i can be talking to on linkedin. I also use it to spread spread context out with you know. Outside of the hollywood i mean outside of the california market and i'm already getting referrals from small boutique agencies that are new york, that, like me, and they don't have an office here right so networking online right going to as many events as possible and put a Little bit of the damper the pandemic on for a bit, but now we're back and going to you know parties and art galleries and all of that stuff. It's great to be out right, calling my sphere of influence every day, uh and - and that's my number one.

That's my number one lead pillar is my my database and my uh and my social media and my marketing. So you know spending two hours a day every day calling my my database sending them out sending them texts as well and then um i mean those are probably the i've been doing some online marketing, i'm not i'm not really sold on it. I mean i think i spent about 100 grand on zillow last year and i made a little over a hundred grand on it, so it wasn't like huge roi but yeah. You know i.

I think i think it's best to work with who you know anyway, and so and some of the leads that you get from online they're. Not always you know the best. Yes, well, i'd love it. So you you actually started with like hey.

I did this killer email thing and then that became a linkedin thing and then i'm creating content on linkedin is the way i the way i interpreted that and thank goodness mark, you came back and said, but the number one source is my database and i call Them for two hours every single day, because if they didn't, i would fly to los angeles and punch me in the throat i would. I would because i know you like there is a look. Tony alva there's a grittiness to you that that i respect a lot of the best luxury brokers. I know they just like they look the part they act, the part they know the market, but what makes them extraordinary is they do the work they do they do? I almost said, and there it is they do the that most people don't want to do so to help us understand, like you actually are calling people in your database two hours a day and texting people like like how many days like do you have to gear Yourself up for it, or do you just wake up in the morning? Go? Oh, i can't wait to call people.

No, i just i love to connect with people. I love i'm a talker. If you haven't figured that out by now, i got it it's um. I i'm kind of i mean texting, is kind of a secondary thing.

I think a lot of i see a lot of young people saying yeah i'll, just shoot him a text and i like i just want to go like this right. It's like it's like the people that that are of power and i'm not saying i'm of power, but the people like power agents, power brokers, politicians, they're, not sending texts to anybody, they're, calling people checking in it's very soft. It's you know if it's soft, it's hey tom, have you been, we haven't talked for a while. What's new in your world, how's the family - and you know, saw some great things about your mother-in-law on uh on social media, she's adorable by the way adorable.

Thank you. I need to i need to like come hang out. You know at some point. That's awesome um! So and then, if it's more, if it's, if it's a little less soft, it's hey tom uh, you know great opportunity came up in west hollywood there's this kind of.

I know you're not looking right now, but do you know anyone that might be interested? I might be able to. You know send this to or maybe you can forward it to sure mark do that. You know that works a lot yeah. So so i love it.

Man, because it is it's uh, it's not old school, it's. What is effective, do what i mean like it's, not old school. It's like timmy smith, who i talk to or maxine gellens who's. You know shout out to maxine at 84 years old she's, like look.

If i just get on the phone to call three to five people every single day, good things happen in my business right, one of the most dominant agents in the high end forever down in la jolla california. So so, let's, let's end with one thought and and one more thing on that tom one more thing, i'm sorry one more thing that i i do and my team is starting to do it and they're calling me everyone. It works. It's just starting conversations with strangers.

It's like right, like you're, going for a walk and all of a sudden there's a dog, and you know hey what kind of dog do you have and hey did you? Where did you get? I just keep the conversation going right. Ask as many questions next thing. Oh, you live here, no we're just visiting. Oh, were you from hawaii great? Well what what brought you here? Well we're we're! Looking for a i mean it happens now i know real.

You know it's like, but people don't engage so uh the more you engage. The more conversations 40 conversations equals one transaction. I've heard it for five years and it's true. Yes, i almost started saying nobody walks in la but i've i'm we may be dating ourselves here with our our movie.

References documentary, missing person, surf and skate, saw them live terry bozzio, oh yeah, so so last question for you mark is. This has been super fun. Um, but i want to i want to get your perspective. You said earlier, like hey.

What really matters is me face to face being myself like we all have a pitch. We all are gon na market a listing a certain way. So so, if someone was listening to this they're like yeah but mark, i just don't have that confidence. What are some things i can do to improve my confidence, so i win the pitch.

I think i think look. What did you say? I think you said it. Confidence is about being prepared. You said something about that once it's like, if you're, not, if you don't have the confidence because you're under prepared right right, so you know the more you can go to that appointment and show them that you've done your homework right.

That and - and i don't care if you have to like you - know - study that for a week before the presentation you have to memorize, you know how many, what the average days on market is, what the average price price per square foot is sales price to list Price ratios, all of that, but the more they want to hear that information. They want to know that you're an advisor right, not you're, not there, just to take, take a tour of their house so um, but the flip side of that is the more you can engage with them on their house right and show that you're a fan that That i mean, oh, my god, look what you did this bet. You know to this kitchen and i love that tile and you know, did it was you know. Was this an add-on and just keep talking about it? They fall in love with you right.

They do so be prepared and and really uh. You know know the neighborhood know the data know what's going on the market, you know open it up and say: hey. Do you have questions for me? I love to answer questions. They love that too yeah all right.

Well, you guys heard here first luxury code with mark hernandez, the new unofficial, but now official king of video in la oh nice. Let's go i'm sending that right to your coach partner, hey if they want to uh if they want to follow you on instagram. What's the best place for them to find you uh on the gram or on linkedin the mark hernandez the mark hernandez? Yes, yes, well, thank you, my friend definite article. Yes, we appreciate you and all all the sharing today and just uh wish you nothing but the best going forward, and i look forward to seeing you in august, if not sooner this.

This is great. Thank you tom. I really appreciate this and i hope to see you soon all right, my friend all right, if you're, watching or listening make sure you hit the subscribe notification button and share this with a friend or two who needs a little boost in confidence and maybe just a Little swag, like my guy mark's, got all right. We'll see you guys on the next show take care bye, guys, foreign.

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