Ninja Selling Podcast

Following up on our recent conversations about being adaptable as we enter a post-COVID marketplace, today Matt and Garrett talk about embracing change and accepting that there is never one constant "normal" in real estate. Garrett explains that agents who have been able to adapt along the way are doing extremely well, and that change is a good thing as it forces us to recalibrate and move out of our comfort zone to learn new skills and grow. People also reach out to the people they trust during times of change, and it's up to you to be able to help them navigate through it. If you are knowledgeable and primed for market shifts early on, this positions you to be a true guide and trusted advisor for your clients. Our hosts offer their best advice for leaning into change rather than resisting it. They encourage listeners to surround themselves with people who learn and adapt as well, use affirmations, and to always be on the lookout for trends and data points that will help prepare you for what's to come. Matt and Garrett draw parallels between changes in real estate to changes in our bodies and health and fitness goals as time goes on, and they discuss the example of lily pads on a pond to illustrate the power of being open and aware of change before others even realize what's happening. Of course, once you think you have a conclusion, tomorrow is a new day and everything could change again, but this is why it's so important to be ready for anything, and to be grateful for these constant opportunities to improve and flourish. Join the Ninja Selling Podcast group on Facebook at www.facebook.com/groups/theninjasellingpodcast, where you can ask questions, give advice, and connect with other Ninjas. If you have not been accepted to the group yet, please check your messages for a follow-up from Matt. You can also leave a voicemail with your direct feedback at 208 MY-NINJA. And visit NinjaSelling.com/events for more information about upcoming open installations. Episode Highlights: Going through COVID, agents are wondering when we'll get back to "normal," but there is no such thing in real estate There is never one constant "normal," and today's episode is about being grateful for change People who are able to adapt and avoid fixating on when the "good old times" will be coming back are actually doing extremely well To have a neutral market, the traditional stat is that you must have about six months of inventory Sellers market versus Buyers market Market shifts are usually gradual or "trending" rather than drastic changes like in 2008 or 2020 Since everything is always changing, it's important to learn how to live in that changing environment and lean into it The only constant is change But there are still elements in your life that need to remain consistent, such as exercising every day, to help you stay in a positive, adaptable mindset The marketplace is constantly changing, which is similar to our bodies - we can do things in our 20s and 30s that we can't necessarily continue as we get older We need to be constantly adapting around this change Parallels to health and fitness goals When things change, it forces you to recalibrate and find a new way of doing things that might be outside of your comfort zone - this enables you to learn new skills and grow The other constant in real estate is that relationships always perform well, but the tactics you use to foster these may change based on circumstances (e.g., not being able to meet in person during COVID) When things change, people reach out to the people they trust for guidance It's up to you to to be able to help people navigate through this change, but if you can't adapt yourself, then you can't find a path for them Change is where innovation and growth comes from Our non-conscious brain is resistant to change Look around at the people you're surrounded by - are they crabs or lobsters, who are pulling you back? Try to seek out people who embrace change and have a positive mindset Affirmations also help your subconscious open up to a different perspective and calm the anxiety that naturally comes up when things change The goal of a Ninja is to be able to open and aware of change before most people realize it's happening - this positions you to be a true guide and trusted advisor Example of lily pads on the pond You need to do your research and talk to people to find out what's going on so you can be prepared for it And even once you think you have a conclusion, tomorrow is day one again and everything could change Quotes: "That's the one thing that we can always be sure about, is that there will be another change." "People were able to adapt to change and not go, Oh my gosh, when's the good old times going to come back? They are doing extremely well and did extremely well through this time that we just went through." "We don't really pay attention a lot of the time to the pace of change, because it's usually gradual. There are a few instances where it's drastic, 2008 and 2020 - drastic change...but usually it's gradual." "If everything's always changing, why don't we just learn how to live in that changing environment?" "There's those that adapt to change, and there's those that are waiting for the good old days to come back. The ones that adapt to change, flourish, the ones that are waiting for the good old days to come back are perfectly adapted to a world that no longer exists." "When you look at change...it's not good or bad. It's just change." "There's a reason that a big part of Ninja is focusing on changes in people's lives. And what we consistently watch is that as big changes happen, people reach out to the people they trust." "If you are not willing to adapt to change, you can't find a path for them." "We can prepare ourselves for change by putting some of the practices in place that can help us get through change." "Be open to understanding information that is there and be open to looking into that information as well to understand what's going on." "When you see these things on the horizon - to adapt to the change, and to be a trusted adviser, you've just got to go do some research." "Even once you have the conclusion, you have to be like, Alright, day one again. I have to keep open and be ready." Links: www.TheNinjaSellingPodcast.com Email us at TSW@TheNinjaSellingPodcast.com Leave a voicemail at (208) MY-NINJA Ninja Selling www.NinjaSelling.com @ninjasellingofficial Ninja Coaching: www.NinjaCoaching.com @ninja.coaching Ninja Events www.NinjaSelling.com/Events Garrett garrett@ninjacoaching.com @ninjaredding Matt matt@ninjacoaching.com @matthewjbonelli The Ninja Selling Podcast Facebook Group

When you invest in the team of people you work with, it can make everything run smoother and even help grow your business. Today Matt and Garrett discuss what it means to build your team, grow your team, and invest in your people. You can do this monetarily by providing training and education for your employees, but you can also invest in them internally by building connections and taking the time to understand their goals and what they're hoping to accomplish. When you hire a new person, you're not just paying them to do a job - you're giving them an opportunity to achieve their hopes and dreams. Creating connections makes people excited to work with you, and want to go above and beyond to help the business succeed. Our hosts share their favorite examples of team-building rituals and activities that help colleagues relate on a deeper level, allow their personalities to shine through, and create an atmosphere of fun together. These experiences can also help people tap into skills they didn't even know were there. Matt and Garrett talk about having the "Magic Wand" conversation with your people, how truly knowing them can enhance your client experience as well, and why investing even a little bit of time and money into your team can go a long way and motivate top producers to stick around long-term. This isn't an expense - it's an investment. And if people perform better because they love being part of your team, that is absolutely an investment you want to double down on. Join the Ninja Selling Podcast group on Facebook at www.facebook.com/groups/theninjasellingpodcast, where you can ask questions, give advice, and connect with other Ninjas. If you have not been accepted to the group yet, please check your messages for a follow-up from Matt. You can also leave a voicemail with your direct feedback at 208 MY-NINJA. And visit NinjaSelling.com/events for more information about upcoming open installations. Episode Highlights: As the Ninja coaches and instructors have gotten together recently, they've been talking a lot about what it means to build your team, grow a team, and invest in your people It's important to invest in the team of people you work with because it helps everything work better and grow your business This might be your assistant, transaction coordinator, and vendors like photographers or contractors It's an important topic for people who are looking to build a team, and also for managing brokers/owners It's not enough to just pay people well You're not just hiring people to do a job, but you're also giving people an opportunity to achieve their hopes and dreams Matt loves to hear when agents hire someone new, and they feel excited to send them to a Ninja Installation so they can learn all the tools and systems they'll need for success Investing in people can show up in a lot of different ways - you can invest in tools and training, but also take the time to get to know them, build connection Examples of team building rituals at The Group (Susie Ewing's office in Fort Collins, Colorado), and Matt and Garrett's experience at a cooking class These activities help people connect on a deeper level, see each other's personalities, and create an atmosphere of fun together You need to look at these expenses as investments - if people perform better because they love being part of the team, that is absolutely something you want to double down on Take the mentality of creating relationships with your clients and apply that to your team Have the "Magic Wand" conversation with your people to help uncover their goals Knowing other agents and working together also ensures that your clients will be well taken care of if something comes up that may not be in your wheelhouse Invest in the mindset of your people (e.g., mindset of abundance) Invest in education within your business and beyond (e.g., starting a book club) This creates a ripple effect in job performance and happiness Example of The Group helping employees with investments and setting them up for financial wealth Investing even a little bit of time and money goes a long way - it doesn't have to be expensive This goes for top producers as well - they may not need your help selling real estate, but are you investing energy into their other goals? You need to always ask yourself whether you are investing in your people to make their world, their job, their experience better and show that you care about them This will make your team want to work together and stick around long-term It's much better to invest in the people you have now than to continually hire new people Quotes: "As we coach people, and as we work with them, we watch them bring team members and we watch them grow." "Whether it's just an assistant, a transaction coordinator, or whatnot - even all of your vendors that you work with...photographers to contractors to home inspectors - all of these pieces, we need to invest in them. And we need to help grow because it helps everything work better." "When I look at investing in your people, I look at the same way we look at our clients, when we're helping people buy and sell, we ask a lot of questions, we talk about what their dreams are, what they would like to accomplish. And that's missed out a lot when you look at companies and teams." "You're not just hiring somebody to do a job. Yes, on paper, that's what it is...But you're also providing, as an employer, so to speak, an opportunity for this person to achieve their hopes and dreams." "Investing can show up a lot of different ways." "These are team building investments that take time and energy, there's some money involved. But it's that thing that brings that group closer together. It's what makes people fight to want to be in the Mulberry office, because it brings in a group of people that are all like-minded, having a good time, enjoying this business. And that's what you want." "It was hysterical. Every coach walked out of that room saying this was an incredible way of seeing each other's personalities." "That's the beauty with building a team, is when you do something like that, you're going to watch skills come out of people that you didn't realize were there, or they were stronger than what you thought, by creating that environment." "If you have somebody who can perform better, because they love being a part of the team, that is an investment that we need to double down on." "Making sure that you all understand who each other is really opens a lot of doors." "This goes beyond job roles as well. If you're investing in the education, development of your assistant, of your team, members of your staff - if you're an owner, these things can have a ripple effect in terms of their performance and their happiness." "When you're not giving in and investing, those people don't want to show up for work in the long run. They don't want to step up and go above and beyond, to go do something outside the box for the sake of the company… You can very clearly see a company where they have not invested in their people." "As a business owner, take a look around at who your people are, pay attention to them and figure out - What is the best thing I can do to invest into them to make their world, their business, their career, whatever it is, better? You will have longer standing employees and partners in this business." "There's a whole financial component to this, to the cost of hiring new people… It's way better to invest in the people that you have." "Your ROI on the investment into your current people is going to be way bigger than finding new people." Links: www.TheNinjaSellingPodcast.com Email us at TSW@TheNinjaSellingPodcast.com Leave a voicemail at (208) MY-NINJA Ninja Selling www.NinjaSelling.com @ninjasellingofficial Ninja Coaching: www.NinjaCoaching.com @ninja.coaching Ninja Events www.NinjaSelling.com/Events Garrett garrett@ninjacoaching.com @ninjaredding Matt matt@ninjacoaching.com @matthewjbonelli The Ninja Selling Podcast Facebook Group

The Ninja Selling Podcast is all about breaking down current trends we see in the real estate world, and today, Matt and Garrett explore the idea of people selling their homes, but not necessarily turning around and buying. More and more sellers are cashing out and perhaps living in unconventional ways or renting until they're ready to jump back into the marketplace, which adds inventory without adding to demand. Our hosts explain how this trend might affect the marketplace, and also open up a world of new possibilities as your clients consider their next move after selling their homes. Rather than staying fixated on the traditional path of selling your home/buying a home, today's episode is all about adapting to this possible change, and using it as an opportunity to show your expertise as a trusted advisor, and build relationships by asking the right questions to help your clients discover the best possible option for them, even if that means moving to a van down by the river! Join the Ninja Selling Podcast group on Facebook at www.facebook.com/groups/theninjasellingpodcast, where you can ask questions, give advice, and connect with other Ninjas. If you have not been accepted to the group yet, please check your messages for a follow-up from Matt. You can also leave a voicemail with your direct feedback at 208 MY-NINJA. And visit NinjaSelling.com/events for more information about upcoming open installations. Episode Highlights: Matt and Garrett are noticing a trend of people selling their homes, cashing out, and renting instead of moving into another home while they wait and see what will happen in the marketplace This is going to drop demand for homes and also create more inventory When you have someone who wants to sell but not buy, this adds to inventory without adding to demand Some people are deciding to live in unconventional ways instead of rushing to move into a new home (e.g., living in an RV or at a campsite) This allows them to slow the transition down, which a lot of people appreciate This trend could really affect the marketplace as we add more inventory It also changes the conversation and opens up more options than just selling your home and buying another It's important to ask the right questions so you can guide your clients instead of staying fixated on the way things are "supposed" to be Again, as a realtor, you need to be adaptable and be aware of all possible options for your clients "Warm/Hot" List If your clients are willing to take that calculated risk, it's your job to guide, support, and educate them through it We don't always have to have a solution - it's about asking the right questions to help your client understand their own dreams and goals for homeownership or otherwise This can be frustrating as an agent, particularly when you know it may not lead to a sale However, it is still an opportunity to showcase your expertise, foster relationships, and build a reputation as a trusted advisor, which is huge If you're truly connected with people, they will come back to you when it's time to make a change, and they will refer you to others as well Example of Garrett's outstanding experience at a local restaurant where he felt completely taken care of It's all about creating the best possible experience so that people will always want to come back to you After this period of uncertainty, people are turning to trusted friends and family more than ever, which has created an incredible referral relationship market This is where you come in - if you can establish yourself as a trusted advisor who can guide people, educate them on all their options, and look out for their best interests, this will open up a world of opportunities Quotes: "I'm amazed how much Larry Kendall shows up in our [Facebook] group and is interacting with it." "I'm starting to see a trend of people saying, Well, I'll cash out, put the cash in my pocket and rent something for a little while here, just to watch and see what this marketplace is going to do. And this is going to do two things - One, is it's going to drop the demand a little bit. But it's also going to increase the inventory." "I think in our mind, we get in that mindset of, The answer is to sell and buy. This is what I'm going to help these people do. And I think the beauty of the conversation we're having right now...it's like, let's give them another option." "As a realtor and a guide...as these changes happen, it's so important to ask questions versus saying, Well, this is how it's supposed to be. Because otherwise you're going to get lost in the weeds." "We're a guide in this process. And you can only guide if you know where the people want to go, and what that scenario looks like for them, and what they're trying to accomplish." "All these crazy ideas that are opening up for people right now. And they might sit back and say, Look, maybe I don't want my primary residence to be in the real estate market." "In times of market shifts and changes, no matter how slight they are, the opportunity to showcase your expertise, and build a reputation as a trusted source is huge." "If you're truly, truly, truly connected with them, and you're that source of information, you're the one they can come to with any questions at all...that's part of the experience that makes them want to refer." "This [podcast] is to say, Hey, there is a potential trend that's identified here. And here's your opportunity to ask questions and really showcase how great of an advisor you can be. Because it's going to be a good move for your business long-term." "I have never seen a better referral relationship market than what we're in right now. This time that we've gone through, of uncertainty and change and things being turned on their side, has made people come to the trusted people in their worlds." "If you can be this person in people's lives - this advisor that helps them get to where they want to go, show all the options, and is watching out for their best interest, there's so much potential business way beyond the person that's just in front of you. And if you can figure that out, and help guide them, this is where miracles can happen in your world right now." Links: www.TheNinjaSellingPodcast.com Email us at TSW@TheNinjaSellingPodcast.com Leave a voicemail at (208) MY-NINJA Ninja Selling www.NinjaSelling.com @ninjasellingofficial Ninja Coaching: www.NinjaCoaching.com @ninja.coaching Ninja Events www.NinjaSelling.com/Events Garrett garrett@ninjacoaching.com @ninjaredding Matt matt@ninjacoaching.com @matthewjbonelli The Ninja Selling Podcast Facebook Group

On today's episode, Matt and Garrett sit down to discuss an upcoming shift in the marketplace that they've been noticing, and how agents across the country can prepare themselves for a possible change. As we start to see showings and multiple offers slowing down, it seems the markets may be gradually cooling off. While some may wonder if we're returning to "normal," Garrett explains that there really is no such thing in real estate, with different variables always creating a unique marketplace that we never see twice. Because the market is always shifting, we need to be aware of what's going on and be able to adapt to change at any given time. Our hosts explain that while it's still too early to predict exactly how this "constipated marketplace" will play out, sales are still very much happening and there is still ample opportunity for growth. They talk about setting realistic expectations for your buyers and sellers, asking them the right questions, and using this information to guide your clients through any marketplace. Matt also encourages us to keep our eyes open and look at the available data to strategize for success with our clients, and to use this time to slow down, reevaluate our processes, and remember that the need for real estate changes will never go away. As long as you make sure to stay educated and prepared, you will be able to handle anything as we move forward in the coming months. And Matt and Garrett will be here to walk us through it all, no matter where the "new abnormal" takes us. Join the Ninja Selling Podcast group on Facebook at www.facebook.com/groups/theninjasellingpodcast, where you can ask questions, give advice, and connect with other Ninjas. If you have not been accepted to the group yet, please check your messages for a follow-up from Matt. You can also leave a voicemail with your direct feedback at 208 MY-NINJA. And visit NinjaSelling.com/events for more information about upcoming open installations. Episode Highlights: Markets seem to be cooling off a bit, with homes getting one or two offers instead of multiple offers Larry Kendall says that we're moving into the "new abnormal" following COVID People wonder if we're going back to a "normal" marketplace, but in reality, we have never had the same marketplace twice - it's always different There are always different circumstances and variables that make it a unique marketplace We always need to be aware of what's going on in the market and be able to adapt to change at any given time It's still too early to predict exactly what is going to happen Showings and multiple offers may be slowing down, but sales are still happening - there is still plenty of opportunity It's important to set realistic expectations for your buyers and sellers, and ask the right questions This is the time to slow down, reevaluate your processes, make sure you're doing what you need to be doing, and that you're gathering all the information you need to guide people through any marketplace Questions help clarify confusion as we shift into a new marketplace People are still going to get married, start new jobs, have kids - the need for real estate changes will always be there You can't blame the market for anything - remember, we make up the market Example of agents still having tremendous success through the 2008/2009 Recession Keep your eyes open, ask questions, look at the data to strategize with your clients Make sure you're extremely educated about what's going on in the marketplace at any given time There is always a winning strategy If you are thinking about selling right now, the opportunities are massive if you feel that that decision fits your needs right now Be prepared, ask plenty of questions, and you'll be able to handle anything Whatever happens in the coming months, Matt and Garrett will be here to walk us through it Quotes: "The conversation is also coming up - are we going back to more of a 'normal market'? Are we shifting back a different direction here that we used to be in? And I thought it was interesting, Larry had brought it up yesterday that we're in the 'new abnormal' is what he's calling it. And I think we're going to continue to be in the 'new abnormal' for a long time." "If you look at every market we've ever been in, I've never seen the same marketplace in 20 years that I've been around real estate." "There's always different variables, there's always something going on, that makes it a unique marketplace." "With any business in any community, we need to always be looking around and saying, What is the current market that I'm dealing with right now?" "My dad used to say, Those who resist change are perfectly adapted to a world that no longer exists anymore." "The marketplace is constipated right now." "Sales are still happening. It's not that sales have slowed down. And I think that's where you can get confused is - Maybe showings have slowed down. Maybe the multiple offers have slowed down for certain properties, but they're still happening for certain properties. There are still properties getting over asking. We're just starting to see some properties sit on the market, instead of a few hours, it's maybe a couple of weeks. And maybe there's a price reduction happening here or there." "You've got to continue to ask questions. The processes that are in place force you to ask questions. They force you to slow down, and with the information that you gather, you can guide somebody in any marketplace." "A lot of people had a lot of confusion coming out of where we've just been. And they're stuck and frustrated on, How do you move forward? Which makes people back away. Confusion makes people not be able to make decisions. Questions, though, clear confusion." "People are going to still get married, they're still going to get divorced, they're still going to have babies, they're still going to lose jobs, and they're still going to get new jobs. This stuff doesn't stop. But they need to know a path on how to navigate through that, and that's where - everybody who's listening right now, needs to get their focus on over the next couple months." "You can't blame the market for anything." "The number one thing that I kept telling people was go back to the list of change, stay in flow with your people. And you're going to find people in here, that no matter what the marketplace is doing, no matter what is going on, they need help. They need help moving from point A to point B, because that is how our world works. And that's never going to stop." "Keep your eyes open, ask questions, and don't assume that you know exactly what's going to go on. Use data, use information, use what people are saying in response to your questions to help strategize with your clients." "You need to be extremely educated on what's happening with real estate in your marketplace." "What a great time to be in a position if you're like, I'm thinking about selling my house. The opportunities that are around that right now, if you are potentially a seller, are massive. The equity that people are sitting on is absolutely incredible. It's life changing equity." "Keep your eyes open, ask questions of your clients. And you're going to handle this just fine." Links: www.TheNinjaSellingPodcast.com Email us at TSW@TheNinjaSellingPodcast.com Leave a voicemail at (208) MY-NINJA Ninja Selling www.NinjaSelling.com @ninjasellingofficial Ninja Coaching: www.NinjaCoaching.com @ninja.coaching Ninja Events www.NinjaSelling.com/Events Garrett garrett@ninjacoaching.com @ninjaredding Matt matt@ninjacoaching.com @matthewjbonelli The Ninja Selling Podcast Facebook Group

Building on last week's conversation about Parkinson's Law, today Matt and Garrett take a look at PIE Time and what your time is really worth as a Ninja. Garrett reviews the history of PIE Time and how it came about. For those who may be unfamiliar with PIE Time, P = Productive Time (time that you'll actually get paid for - you, a customer, a contract); I = Indirectly Productive Time (FLOW time; Ninja Nine time – generates P time); and E = Everything Else Time. Our hosts break down each component of PIE Time, and give detailed examples of each. They review why no time is created equal, with Indirectly Productive "I" Time being the most important piece in terms of generating income. And although Everything Else "E" Time is sometimes referred to as "Non-Productive Time," Matt and Garrett explain that this is still a crucial slice of the "PIE," as it can indirectly help with your overall attitude and work ethic. They talk about goals for your I to P Time ratio, wherein for every two "I" hours you spend, you will be rewarded with one "P" hour at peak performance. You'll hear about "P" or "Paid" Time (showing property, going on listing appointments, writing and negotiating initial contracts), which is the easiest time to measure and is the basis for determining your worth per hour. Matt and Garrett also discuss the three most important things you can do to increase your dollar per hour amount, the wide range of hourly rates they've seen in coaching, and finally, they dive into the numbers with great enthusiasm to illustrate exactly how knowing your worth can help you analyze your business, run it more efficiently, and make the best decisions possible for how and where to spend your valuable time. Let us know your feedback by joining the Ninja Selling Podcast group on Facebook at www.facebook.com/groups/theninjasellingpodcast. There you can also ask questions, give advice, and connect with other Ninjas. If you have not been accepted to the group yet, please check your messages for a follow-up from Matt. You can also leave a voicemail with your direct feedback at 208 MY-NINJA. And visit NinjaSelling.com/events for more information about upcoming open installations. Episode Highlights: Today's episode looks at what your time is really worth Time is a non-renewable resource Matt and Garrett dive into PIE Time - what it is and how it came about P = Productive Time (time that you'll actually get paid for - you, a customer, a contract) I = Indirectly Productive Time (FLOW time; Ninja Nine activities – generates P time) E = Everything else time It was initially called "PIN Time" - the name has since evolved, but it's the exact same (the "N" stood for Non-Productive Time, but this had a somewhat negative connotation) Garrett feels that the label "Non-Productive Time" actually motivates people to become more efficient so they can move out of "Non-Productive" mode For the purposes of this podcast, E Time = Non-Productive Time - but it is not necessarily negative Some of your best time spent will be on E Time activities - it may not directly produce another transaction, but it's a valuable part of your role Example of big businesses having a risk management department - it does not generate revenue, but it protects the bottom line and helps the company run better, which produces more business Many E Time activities are something that an assistant can help you with I Time is where you will directly grow your business - it's the most important time you can use The Ninja Nine are largely comprised of I Time If you are spending an inordinate amount of time on E Activities (e.g., a 3-hour closing), this is an opportunity to look at how you can better manage your systems to avoid this happening again Morning affirmations are an excellent example of E Time activities that do not directly bring about business, but are still important and worthwhile I Time is the one you absolutely want to put on your calendar, and you have complete control over Examples of I Time: Lunches with clients, Hour of Power, customer service calls - but they need to be spent connecting and asking FORD (Family, Occupation, Recreation, Dreams) questions Deals with still go through if you don't do customer service calls, but you may not get any referrals out of them Not all time is created equal The truth will come out in your I:P Ratio Distinction between I Time and just living your life, seeing friends - sometimes your life is I Time You don't have to track your I:P Ratio, but if you're so inclined, for every "I" hour that you spend, you will be rewarded with a certain number of "P" hours - an ideal goal would be two "I" hours to one "P" hour, or even a 1:1 ratio Paid hours - "P" Time is where you can really have some power over your business (showing property, going on listing appointments, writing and negotiating initial contracts) These are also easiest to track and it's where we want to measure our value Take your total income and divide it just by your P hours to determine your worth per hour Knowing your dollar per hour can help you decide who to spend your P hours with (e.g., shuttling people around to look at properties when you know they're not ready to buy will bring your dollar per hour way down) The more effective you are with your I Time/Ninja Nine activities, the better your ratio gets because the better it produces P Time The most important things to work on to increase your dollar per hour are: 10 step Buyers Process, Sweet 16 Listing Presentation and your pre-listing interview The Power of the P (Process and Preparation) Income per P Hour versus Income per T Hour (total time when you include P and E time together) It's important to know your own numbers so you can work with them and identify where you can improve Analyzing your numbers will also help you make smart decisions with your business Track your numbers first thing in the morning It's very easy to do and doesn't take very long - you just have to be disciplined about it Schedule your time, manage your time, and track your time Quotes: "What is your time really worth? And how can you scale it?" "When I think about certain N Time or E Time activities, those are some of the biggest things that fall into the Parkinson's Law of, Okay, maybe these things are of some level of importance - it's not helping us with any new business, but I'm not going to put it on my calendar because it's just kind of this everything else stuff. So it'll just kind of fill in the gaps. But then it starts to fill in the space where we have allowed for productive things." "Firstly, we need to understand that it's not negative, just as you said, Matt. Some of your best time you're going to spend in your business is E time activities." "These are the things that an assistant can help with. A lot of E Time activities are where you can bring somebody on board to help you, who can add value to your business and to your clients." "Most businesses look at success as solidified contracts, right? So what we're trying to do is you're trying to make contracts come together." "That's a good example - gratitudes and affirmations - E Time. I'm not stopping doing that… There's your identification right there of understanding where time is, but how things are important versus productive versus indirectly productive." "I Time is the one thing where this is what you put on your calendar. This is the one thing that you have complete control over, but only you have control over. Nobody else does. But other things can take I Time away from you if you're not careful." "It's only I Time if you actually are asking FORD questions." "Depending on how you approach [I Time] that day, you can actually produce different results for yourself, depending on how you engage it." "Customer service calls are invaluable I Time, and we've all watched it - your number one best source of referrals right now is the current people you're working with." "There are a lot of Ninjas that I know that have built pretty amazing lives, that their lives turn into their I Time, and they wonder why they're so successful. There's people out there like, I don't know - I'm just living my life or going out and hanging out on the boat with friends...and I just got referrals coming in. Well yeah, because your life is I Time!" "If you're inclined to track it, there's a ratio that shows up that says, For every 'I' hour that I do, I get rewarded with however many 'P' hours that are there." "When I'm coaching somebody, and somebody wants to track these numbers, my goal is to get them to a 1:1 [ratio]." "This is where you can figure out what your dollar per hour is - if you know that number, you get to make some very healthy business decisions about who you're spending your P hours with." "Your I Time ratio is directly correlated to the power and efficiency and effectiveness of your I Time activities for your Ninja Nine. So the more effective you are with those activities, the better your ratio gets, because the better it produces P Time." "So preparation and process - so important towards maximizing that income per hour." "This is why it's important for you to know your own numbers, because once you know it, now you can change it. Now you can do stuff with it." "If you take the time to learn this about your business...if you really want to be an educated business owner, and you really want to understand your platform, you should take the time to track these numbers and learn about it. Get a spreadsheet and start keeping track of all this. The data you will get out of it is absolutely amazing, too. So you can make smart decisions with your business." "The point is to understand this so that you can be better at managing your time, so you understand the value of doing a Monday morning agenda, understand the value of time blocking your calendar for your Ninja Nine activities, so that you can see what your time is worth." Links: www.TheNinjaSellingPodcast.com Email us at TSW@TheNinjaSellingPodcast.com Leave a voicemail at (208) MY-NINJA Ninja Selling www.NinjaSelling.com @ninjasellingofficial Ninja Coaching: www.NinjaCoaching.com @ninja.coaching Ninja Events www.NinjaSelling.com/Events Garrett garrett@ninjacoaching.com @ninjaredding Matt matt@ninjacoaching.com @matthewjbonelli The Ninja Selling Podcast Facebook Group

Today's episode dives into Parkinson's Law and its two main components. Firstly, work expands to fill the time allotted, meaning that if you give yourself a certain amount of time to work on a given task, you're going to use up all that time to get it done. For example, if you tell yourself you need to make a phone call by the end of the week, you'll switch back and forth between tasks until you finally arrive at the end of the week and rush to get it done. The second piece of Parkinson's law states that time will be spent inversely proportional to the importance of an activity. In other words, we typically spend less time on important tasks, like creating a business plan, than we do on unimportant tasks, like scrolling through social media. Matt and Garrett explain why Parkinson's Law is primed to be broken, and how Ninjas can go against it by making the absolute best use of their time and spending it in a highly productive, highly focused, highly motivated frame of mind. Top agents look at which tasks are going to produce the biggest and best returns, and make those first priority with no negotiation. Our hosts also discuss the importance of using a schedule to give yourself set times to work on certain goals, rather than leaving your calendar open-ended and allowing for distractions. This way you're setting yourself up to work with maximum efficiency within that devoted time block, and you'll be able to fully concentrate on your other Ninja Systems later on, or even enjoy events in your personal life, without having unfinished projects looming over your head. Accountability partners can also help you stay on task and be on purpose with your hours. And most importantly, being aware of Parkinson's Law is the first step to overcoming it. Join the Ninja Selling Podcast group on Facebook at www.facebook.com/groups/theninjasellingpodcast. There you can also ask questions, give advice, and connect with other Ninjas. If you have not been accepted to the group yet, please check your messages for a follow-up from Matt. You can also leave a voicemail with your direct feedback at 208 MY-NINJA. And visit NinjaSelling.com/events for more information about upcoming open installations. Episode Highlights: A reminder to submit your topic requests and suggestions on the Ninja Selling Podcast Facebook group Today's topic is about Parkinson's Law and how to maximize the way you manage your schedule and time The first part of Parkinson's Law is, "Work expands to fill the time allotted" If you give yourself a certain amount of time to work on something, you're going to use up all that time You're spending mental time and energy thinking about a given task up until the moment you get started If we had just hammered it out and completed the job right away, we wouldn't have spent all that time with it looming over us and taking up mental space Then we can actually be more efficient as we tackle other tasks as well Real estate review is a great example of this Switching between tasks also wastes time Give yourself a set time to work on something instead of leaving it open-ended and allowing for distractions (e.g., allotting 45 minutes to complete your Monday morning agenda rather than letting it drag out for a day and a half) You incur an Opportunity Cost when you allow things to take up more time than is necessary Put goals on your calendar and schedule time to work on them instead of leaving the completion date vague (e.g., "I've got to get that done this summer"), otherwise it will keep getting pushed off over and over again Be reasonable and give yourself enough time to complete a task, but Garrett is also up for the challenge to see if you can actually get things done faster than you think Part Two of Parkinson's Law is that time will be spent inversely proportioned to the importance of the activity Business plan is a good example of this - we often spend more time scrolling through Facebook than we do focusing on developing a business plan that will create direction and growth Another example is that we often choose to spend our time and energy picking up fast food instead of cooking healthy meals at home that will nourish our bodies Prioritize the Ninja Nine, run the system of a weekly routine, and you'll see incredible results Top producers go against Parkinson's Law as they make the absolute best use of their time and spend it in a highly productive, highly focused, highly motivated frame of mind They look at which tasks are going to produce the biggest and best returns, and that's what gets their time with no negotiation If you don't focus on the most important tasks, they'll quickly find themselves in equilibrium with unimportant tasks, and you definitely do not want that This ties back to our episode about Extreme Ownership and having discipline in your life Ask yourself if you had integrity today and showed up for the things you said you were going to do Try to practice this and make sure you schedule time for important activities If you take care of these first, it leaves plenty of time for your Hour of Power, customer service calls, etc. Accountability partners can be incredibly helpful (unless they let you off the hook) If you tell yourself you are finished at 6 o'clock, you'll be more efficient with the time you've given yourself instead of letting it spill over into all hours of the night Having a detailed schedule will help you do this - don't just write "Ninja Activities" between 8 and 10 o'clock This is called not being on purpose with those hours The first step is to experiment with your calendar and analyze what works for you Remember that it will constantly change and evolve based on what's going on in your life But making sure you're scheduling enough time to get everything done means that you can focus and be present in other areas of your life, rather than being distracted by everything you need to do later Be aware of Parkinson's Law and know that you can overcome it Quotes: "If you have enough time to do something, naturally that's just what we do." "Your brain is actually burdened with it not being done, which stops you from being able to run at the highest efficiency with the other tasks." "You need to set time aside, you need to focus on it, schedule it and get it done, get it completed. Because as of right now, we've got no deadline on it, we have dreams of this thing we want to do. And the reality is it's just taking time and energy and effort to be successful moving forward. Because again, it will expand, it will keep expanding and keep expanding until it has to be done." "I think there are things we can get done way faster than we ever imagined." "So we'll spend less time on important tasks and more time on unimportant tasks." "It's funny how we interpret things of what I have time for and what I don't have time for." "I think you can also make sure that those 30 minutes are in a high productive zone of doing that important task, versus, let's say, 25 of minutes of that being done doing unimportant things." "I think the law is primed to be broken. And I think that if you're running without focus, this is how everything just kind of equalizes out. This is how the majority of the population runs their life, is time being spent inversely proportionate to the importance of the activity." "I do think highly focused, highly motivated, top producers in anything that you're setting your heart into, they go against this law. Because they are going and starting their days and saying, Okay, what are the things that are going to produce me the biggest and best returns that I have for the future here? And that's what gets their time with no negotiation." "They're approaching it along the lines of, Nope, this gets my time, first and foremost, upfront. And if I have time for the unimportant activities, I will let them kind of fill the void." "[The Monday morning agenda] is a very important activity. And it gets so little time, particularly when you let that time just expand. And man, if you contracted that, and just took care of that...it's going to help you take care of showing up for an Hour of Power, customer service calls." "Now it's not just you letting yourself down, it's letting somebody else down, which is way more powerful. We are way more inclined to let ourselves down before we let somebody else down. And that's why accountability partners work so incredibly well." "If you can help yourself get to that level of intensity internally, where you're not condemning yourself, but you're being honest with yourself, you're going to be able to control this a lot more." "What's so interesting about that person that gives themselves 24 hours, and if I need to, I'll be up till three in the morning - some of the most efficient people I know, that are cranking out really high levels of business, are done by 6 o'clock." "This is not available time to work, which means you become more efficient with the time that you've given yourself." "When you watch somebody who's struggling with the Ninja Nine, I'll be like, Show me your schedule. And we'll get into their schedule. And their schedule says from 8 to 10 o'clock, it just says Ninja Activities - just wide open Ninja Activities between this time." "This is called not being on purpose with those hours." "It needs to be scheduled out so you have a start time and a finish time. You can complete it rather than this, I'm just going to fill the Ninja stuff in this time. And you wonder why you're not getting it all done. You wonder why you're floundering. You wonder why you're stressed out and last minute trying to cram stuff in. That simple thing will change your calendar." "Acknowledge that this law exists, and then acknowledge that you can break it. You can overcome this one… Having awareness of [Parkinson's Law] helps you recalibrate." Links: www.TheNinjaSellingPodcast.com Email us at TSW@TheNinjaSellingPodcast.com Leave a voicemail at (208) MY-NINJA Ninja Selling www.NinjaSelling.com @ninjasellingofficial Ninja Coaching: www.NinjaCoaching.com @ninja.coaching Ninja Events www.NinjaSelling.com/Events Garrett garrett@ninjacoaching.com @ninjaredding Matt matt@ninjacoaching.com @matthewjbonelli The Ninja Selling Podcast Facebook Group

Today's "Quick Hit" episode looks at the importance of taking your listing marketing seriously. A recent study by Inman reviewed 25,000 listings across Zillow and Realtor.com, and found that the vast majority of real estate listings lack good visuals, with only 10% of single family home listings including a floor plan, less than 30% of the photos on the listings meeting best practices, and 94% offering no video or virtual tour whatsoever. This is a huge missed opportunity for agents, and today Matt and Garrett explain why. Lack of floor plans, poorly lit, grainy or upside-down photos, and "just okay" online listings give the impression of unprofessionalism, and tell potential buyers that you are "just okay" as an agent as well. As Garrett points out, you want to give your listing every opportunity possible to be the "cream puff" people will want to check out right away. Matt and Garrett break down the many excuses they hear agents make for not taking their listing marketing to the next level, beginning with the expense of hiring a professional. Hiring a skilled photographer will make your listing truly shine. This will not only help your current listings sell faster, but it will also attract more business as it speaks to the kind of quality work and attention to detail you offer. Next, they discuss the importance of a floor plan as it helps potential buyers visualize themselves in the home after they've walked away from it, and can even limit potential barriers for them putting in an offer. Hiring professionals to include exceptional visuals in your listing sets the stage for who you are as an agent. It also ensures that you're making the best use of your time by keeping the focus on phone calls and other important Ninja systems. And at the end of the day, it isn't an expense - it's an investment in your business that will pay you back over and over again. Join the Ninja Selling Podcast group on Facebook at www.facebook.com/groups/theninjasellingpodcast. There you can also ask questions, give advice, and connect with other Ninjas. If you have not been accepted to the group yet, please check your messages for a follow-up from Matt. You can also leave a voicemail with your direct feedback at 208 MY-NINJA. And visit NinjaSelling.com/events for more information about upcoming open installations. Episode Highlights: Today's "Quick Hit" episode looks at the trend of people not taking their listing marketing seriously It's important to be a professional and show up for your clients to make their listing as attractive as possible (e.g., professional photography, getting floor plans done, putting together a virtual tour) A study conducted by Inman searched 25,000 listings across Zillow and Realtor.com and found that the vast majority of real estate listings lack good visuals Only 10% of the single family home listings had a floor plan, less than 30% of the photos on the listings met best practices, and 94% had no video or virtual tour More and more people are using professional photography Floor plans are very important as well, but a lot of agents make excuses for not using them Floor plans help potential buyers visualize themselves in the home when they're away from it This is a huge missed opportunity With photos, even if the quality or lighting are slightly off, it can give the impression that no attention to detail was paid and cast doubt in buyers' minds Give your listing every opportunity possible to be the "cream puff" that people will want to go check out It's okay to hire professionals to help you do this Make your listing "shine" This will not only help your current listings sell better, but it will help you attract more as it shows what kind of high quality work you do Understand your dollar per hour as a real estate agent Even if you're a great photographer, it's a much better use of your time to be on the phone than to be taking listing photos yourself It is absolutely better to hire a professional in these cases, and it also limits your stress If you're not including floor plans or you're using poor quality photos, it speaks to your lack of process and conveys unprofessionalism Photos that look "okay" are not good enough, especially when it doesn't cost a lost of money to make them exceptional Every single thing you put out there relates to who you are as a business If a photo is just "okay," people will think you are just "okay" as a realtor, too Hiring a professional to do the floor plan or take exceptional photos takes it to the next level and sets the stage for who you are as a professional It's not an expense, it's an investment in your business Floor plans can help eliminate potential barriers to buyers putting in an offer There's no excuse for not having a floor plan - Home Depot and Lowe's offer them Again, just because you can do it doesn't mean you should - there is a better use of your time Quotes: "It's one of those things that they are starting to document more now, they are starting to pay attention to more now. And it's funny that people still don't show up and do it. And we watch people cut corners all the time." "[This study by Inman] searched 25,000 listings across Zillow and Realtor.com and found that only 10% of the single family home listings had a floor plan, less than 30% of the photos on the listings met best practices, whether they were done 'professionally' or not. And 94% had no video or virtual tour." "My first installation that I went to, Larry talked a lot about floor plans. And still to this day, so many Ninjas don't use floor plans - Well, we don't need that. Well, I don't know where to get that. Well, nobody will do that. And it's just the excuses that come out. I love a good floor plan. It makes it so much easier to understand a home and connect with it at a different level." "Give that listing every opportunity it has to be the 'cream puff'. And if you're the weak link in it, figure it out! Go hire a professional to take you out of the equation. And it's okay to be the weak link. I don't want you to all become professional photographers - you're professional real estate agents." "Part of this isn't even just making your listing shine so that they sell better and all that. It's also, if your listing shines online, as Larry [Kendall] says, people are going to see that. And so the next listing pitch that you go on, they're going to see what type of work you do." "More of you are $1,000 per hour people than you realize." "There's a better use of your time in this industry that you're in. I would much rather you be on the phone calling people for that whole time... You will pay for your photographer over and over and over again by you not being there." "If you're not putting some of these things up, what it says to me is you don't have a process. There is not a process. There is not a marketing plan that exists, at least not a high quality one, when it comes to you launching a listing." "If a listing gets launched with 10 photos, and one of them is an upside-down photo, or it's just 10 photos, and they're grainy, if there's no floor plan listed in the documents - it just shows to me that you're not using a good process. And that's not somebody that I'd want to work with as a professional." "Even the ones where those photos look okay - okay is not good enough when it comes to this, because it doesn't cost a lot of money to make them exceptional." "Every single thing that you put out, whether you are directly putting it out, you're directly having a conversation with somebody, or it's a piece of marketing that goes out directly, relates to who you are as a business." "When you bring in a professional to take care of it for you, when you take that little extra step to have it done at that level… This is your opportunity to set the stage of who you are as a business owner." "At the end of the day, every single dollar you put into this is an investment into your business. It is not an expense because every single dollar you put into this will help you get more business. It will help you be more successful." Links: www.TheNinjaSellingPodcast.com Email us at TSW@TheNinjaSellingPodcast.com Leave a voicemail at (208) MY-NINJA Ninja Selling www.NinjaSelling.com @ninjasellingofficial Ninja Coaching: www.NinjaCoaching.com @ninja.coaching Ninja Events www.NinjaSelling.com/Events Garrett garrett@ninjacoaching.com @ninjaredding Matt matt@ninjacoaching.com @matthewjbonelli The Ninja Selling Podcast Facebook Group

The recent news about Sir Richard Branson launching into space on his Virgin Galactic rocket plane has Matt and Garrett thinking about the way we interpret people going after their dreams. On today's episode, they talk about the inspirational element of this story getting lost in the news cycle, with many feeling that they're simply more motivated by everyday folk in unexpected moments of greatness instead. But we forget that Branson did not start out as a billionaire with a space company. Like all of us, he started as a kid with a dream, who worked tirelessly, overcoming failure after failure, to get to where he is today. This happens all the time in the real estate world, with agents often dismissing the success of others as lucking into a favorable marketplace, rather than the result of hard work. This kind of mentality places limits on ourselves, and prevents us from learning in the presence of masters. Our hosts discuss the idea of hitting rock bottom before you can turn things around and go after your dreams, and explain that we can do this at any point in our lives. We can also learn a great deal from other people's failures and successes, and use them to grow and build a better life for ourselves, if we are paying attention to how people are pushing through instead of condemning them. We always need to be asking ourselves, "What can I learn from this?" Each day we can choose to take ownership over our lives and put in the work towards reaching our goals, or we can make excuses. Matt and Garrett challenge us to start taking action today, and remind us we don't need to venture into space to accomplish the extraordinary. As "Mastery" points out, we can be inspired by ourselves in our "ordinariness" as well. Sir Richard Branson's journey is a testament to what can happen when we embrace our inner child, let go of limitations, and truly believe that we can make our dreams a reality, no matter how big or small. Join the Ninja Selling Podcast group on Facebook at www.facebook.com/groups/theninjasellingpodcast. There you can also ask questions, give advice, and connect with other Ninjas. If you have not been accepted to the group yet, please check your messages for a follow-up from Matt. You can also leave a voicemail with your direct feedback at 208 MY-NINJA. And visit NinjaSelling.com/events for more information about upcoming open installations. Episode Highlights: Sir Richard Branson recently launched into space on his Virgin Galactic rocket plane He made his childhood dream of going into space come true, and gave a speech encouraging kids to follow their dreams as well Matt and Garrett feel that the inspirational element to this story did not get enough attention in the news A lot of people feel like they're more inspired by everyday folk and unexpected moments of greatness People forget that Branson did not start out as a billionaire with a space company - he was once a kid with a dream It took many years of hard work and overcoming failures to get to where he is today, and this is where we can draw inspiration from People forget that Branson was everyday folk, and worked tirelessly to get to the point where he is today It's not necessarily space travel that's inspiring - it's the idea of having a dream and continuing to pursue it, which anyone can do If you look at other people's success and tell yourself that they had special advantages that you don't have access to, you're placing limits on yourself and getting in your own way For example, when realtors hear about people breaking the $1 million mark in one year in gross commission income, their first question is what the marketplace was like For every successful realtor, there was a point when they were a brand new agent who just got their license A lot of people hit rock bottom before they're inspired to go after their dreams, but it definitely does not have to work this way - you can grab onto moments of motivation and run with them at any time We all face hard times and feel discouraged at different points in life, but the whole challenge is to push through and not quit Instead of condemning other people for their successes or failures, we can learn so much from them to grow and become a better person ourselves We always need to ask ourselves, "What can I learn from this?" This comes back to taking ownership of our life, making the decision to put in the work toward our goals, and not make excuses Branson is an excellent example of embracing the kid inside of us who doesn't have limitations and isn't afraid to go after what they want Tough days and hard work are what build up our resiliency and push us to do better Take a look at what other people have been able to accomplish and ask yourself what limitations you've placed on yourself and what limiting beliefs you're holding onto Set a goal for yourself that seems like it might be out of reach, and truly believe that it is going to happen Branson undoubtedly hit many roadblocks and had people tell him he was crazy, but he was able to persevere and accomplish his dreams A master will embrace his/her 'ordinariness' and use it as a foundation to build the extraordinary We can be inspired by ourselves in 'ordinary' moments, too Your dreams are all possible, but you need to start taking action - it doesn't just happen by accident Branson's journey to space is a perfect example of that Quotes: "[Sir Richard Branson] was like, Hey, all you kids down there. If you have a dream, follow it. I was once a kid with a dream. And now I'm an adult in space." "Some people were like, Oh, yeah, that's cool. Some people were like, Wow, that was inspirational. And some people were like, Yeah, that's cool. But I'm more inspired by everyday folk." "The space race has changed from nations to literally corporations, and people trying to figure out how to get there. This accomplishment is absolutely amazing." "I think these big, big, big dreams, these big goals, a lot of people get that taken away from them at some point because of failure after failure and they go, Fine, then we're not going to do them." "This is where it ties right into real estate, because we see a lot of people who will look at top producers and say, Well, they had that or this that's special for them… And by doing so, you're actually placing limits on yourself. You're affirming that you cannot and your brain goes, Okay, great. That's a limit of ours, and we will never be there." "I've had a good handful of people over the years that have broken the million dollar mark in one year in gross commission income… When you share it with other people, the first thing they ask is, Well, what marketplace was it in? It's like, yes, there are some pieces to that. But when we're talking about a million dollars in one year, there's a bigger scope going on here of what it's taken to get to that point." "We all have this even playing field up front here. And there's some people that tear into it, and there's other people that watch other people tearing into it going, Oh, yeah, but that's not for me, or, They have things that I don't have… And we see that happen all the time." "We all face challenges, and we're all going to hit points where we think, this is it, or maybe I can't, or I'm going to give up… The whole challenge is to push through, and to not quit." "The opportunity there is that everybody around us, whether they're finding their rock bottom, or they are finding their dream that they set for themselves, instead of condemning people for being in those areas, if you want to, you can learn from them." "You can make a massive, massive, massive change in your life by understanding somebody else's rock bottom." "You can either condemn that person for who they are and where they're at, and what's going on, or you can learn from them and grow and adjust and build a better life for yourself." "I think at the end of the day, the whole piece here is that, are we constantly learning from those around us? Are we constantly looking at everybody's achievements and failures and saying, How can I use those to better my world and my growth of who I'm going to be?" "Each day, we can make an advancement towards where we want to go, or we can choose to not. And if we're choosing to not, it's usually because we're...making up all the excuses." "If I can take that away from [Branson]... The best thing I can do for my life, continuing to move forward from here, is to find that kid that's still inside me and embrace it. Because that kid inside of me doesn't have limitations. That kid inside of me doesn't have the, But we don't have enough money for that, we don't have enough time, we don't have enough energy." "Those are the little micro challenges that we're going to face that we must show up for and we must push through. Because those are building up our resiliency… Don't let those tough days take it out of you." "You are unbelievably powerful as a human being on this planet right now. And take a look around and look at what some people are achieving with their desire and their energy to go and go big." "It doesn't matter how big the goal is. It could be, Hey, I want to pay off my entire mortgage. You need to know that that is going to happen, believe that that is going to happen." "A master, rather than condemning himself for his 'ordinariness,' will embrace it and use it as a foundation for building the extraordinary." "Let's be inspired by ourselves, too… Why don't we inspire ourselves by doing something great today, doing something that maybe we thought we couldn't do… And maybe it starts with picking up the phone and making that extra phone call." "Start taking action to create the dreams that you have, and start walking in alignment with the dreams you have." "This is all possible, but you have to take action in some way, shape, or form. It's not just going to happen on its own. [Branson] didn't just end up in space by accident." "Take action, everybody. Take action today." Links: www.TheNinjaSellingPodcast.com Email us at TSW@TheNinjaSellingPodcast.com Leave a voicemail at (208) MY-NINJA Ninja Selling www.NinjaSelling.com @ninjasellingofficial Ninja Coaching: www.NinjaCoaching.com @ninja.coaching Ninja Events www.NinjaSelling.com/Events Garrett garrett@ninjacoaching.com @ninjaredding Matt matt@ninjacoaching.com @matthewjbonelli The Ninja Selling Podcast Facebook Group

Today's episode looks at referrals and where your business really comes from. Referrals generally consist of either repeat clients who keep coming back, or new clients who have been referred to you by a trusted family member or friend. Matt and Garrett explain the 2:1 ratio in terms of referrals, with the goal being more honest-to-goodness referrals than repeat business, as this is where you can truly unlock the referral potential that your business has to offer. But building a strong referral-based business does not mean simply pursuing people and asking them to give out your information - this is not part of the equation. Instead, what sets you apart is a high level of care of concern for your clients, and maintaining strong relationships, as this is where the real referrals come from. Join Matt and Garrett as they break down how to set up a quality referral system, whether it comes naturally or is something you need to work toward. They talk about building momentum and keeping the flywheel spinning once you get started, the role of auto flow and customer care systems, and using marketing strategies to make sure your name stays top of mind as people discuss real estate decisions within their social circles. If you're not currently operating at a 2:1 referral ratio, today's episode will show you how to tap into opportunities that are already on the table, and help create a tribe of people who cannot wait to send you business! Tell us where you listen to the podcast by joining the Ninja Selling Podcast group on Facebook at www.facebook.com/groups/theninjasellingpodcast. There you can also ask questions, give advice, and connect with other Ninjas. If you have not been accepted to the group yet, please check your messages for a follow-up from Matt. You can also leave a voicemail with your direct feedback at 208 MY-NINJA. And visit NinjaSelling.com/events for more information about upcoming open installations. Episode Highlights: Referrals consist of either 1) Repeat clients who keep coming back, or 2) New clients who have had you recommended to them Goal with referrals is to have a 2:1 ratio, with more brand new referrals than repeat business 1:1 is also great, but 2:1 is where you're truly maximizing your referral potential The overall trend right now is 2:1 Garrett believes this is because in times of uncertainty or weirdness, people turn to their tribe for advice more than ever, and friends and family give the name of someone they really trust who can help Building strong relationships and taking great care of your clients is crucial, and you will be rewarding greatly for making this a priority It's not about pursuing people or bombarding them with marketing, asking them to refer you to everyone you know - this should never be part of the equation When you truly care about your clients and what's going on in their world, that is where the strong referrals really come from Some people have that natural ability to show they care and want to be involved, while others may need to build a system to help this happen This won't happen overnight - it's a matter of building momentum Auto flow and customer care system Use of marketing tools is also important, as it gives clients a piece of content that they can directly show other people This also keeps you top of mind when people are discussing real estate needs within their social circle Having a built-in system and truly caring about your clients will open so many doors and make sure you never leave another referral on the table Quotes: "My goal always is to get somebody to a 2:1 ratio. If I can get them to a 2:1, that is where I'm like, Okay, you are really maximizing the referrals, you're crushing it." "If you're not at a 2:1 now, that's okay. Having a lot of repeat business is a great thing. Like even 1:1 is really good." "[The 2:1 ratio is] when you know you have fully unlocked the referral potential that your business has to offer." "In times of uncertainty, in times of weirdness...we lean into our tribe. We lean into the people we know, the people we trust. Instead of just throwing ourselves out into the craziness of the world, we turn to our friend next to us, our neighbor, and we say, Hey, what should I do? And they go, Oh my gosh, let me introduce you to Matt Bonelli - he'll take care of this for you. And then boom, we have a referral." "Relationships are so golden right now. And I want everybody to embrace this, because you will be rewarded greatly. That's the reason for the topic today." "People that are experiencing this, it's not just falling into their lap. These are people who take great care of their clients, they have great auto flow going on. They're very good at their customer service calls every single week to make sure that their active customers not only feel like they're taken care of in the process, but they're taken care of period." "It's not asking for the referrals. It is not, in every piece of marketing that goes out, saying, Hey, send me referrals to anybody. It is not chasing or pursuing people in any way, shape, or form… What it is, is a very high level of care and concern for the people that they're working with." "The real referrals came from the people that had been doing this for two years before COVID hit. And they had been maintaining these relationships and growing with these people, and they knew the importance of what was going on in their life." "It just happens a lot of the times naturally, and it just creates this energy, which is incredible that all of a sudden referrals just roll in. The other side is building a system to help this happen." "With this, you're creating a brand energy amongst the people who are your tribe that then cannot wait to send you business." "A lot of people don't even look at their business this way… They know they have a referral-based business, but they don't think of, what is the real potential of the referral-based business. And this is a very easy way for you to go, Am I leaving referrals on the table?" "If you're 1:1, meaning you get one referral closed for every piece of business you close directly within your sphere, that's still a really strong business. If you're upside down the other way, know that there is a ton of opportunity to swing the pendulum back around, add more customer service, add more client care to then attract those referrals that you literally do have access to, that we're just not achieving at the moment." "When I'm working with somebody, Matt, that is what I'm always looking at, is if I can help them unlock that area, that's when all of a sudden crazy numbers start happening. That's when all of a sudden doors start opening up that they didn't even know existed before." Links: www.TheNinjaSellingPodcast.com Email us at TSW@TheNinjaSellingPodcast.com Leave a voicemail at (208) MY-NINJA Ninja Selling www.NinjaSelling.com @ninjasellingofficial Ninja Coaching: www.NinjaCoaching.com @ninja.coaching Ninja Events www.NinjaSelling.com/Events Garrett garrett@ninjacoaching.com @ninjaredding Matt matt@ninjacoaching.com @matthewjbonelli The Ninja Selling Podcast Facebook Group

Matt and Garrett welcome special guest, Tara Tooley, to the show today. Tara has been a Ninja in Fort Collins, Colorado, for over six years, and she has an incredible ability to take every system we work with and completely own it to create a unique and highly successful experience for her clients. She breaks down her process for Matt and Garrett step-by-step, and tells them about integrating a "Ninja Filter" in everything she does. She begins with the "Magic Wand" conversation, then begins the funnel process by opening a broad search for her clients to make sure they don't miss any important options. Tara's only motivation is to help her clients find a home and make their dreams come true. She explains that she doesn't stop until she sees the "happy dance" from her clients, and this no-pressure approach instantly builds trust and shows clients that you're on their team. Tara chats about setting clients up to be the "smartest buyer out there," the importance of guiding them to a trusted, local lender versus impersonal online options, and how a solid pre-qualification empowers clients with the coolest idea ever - a "shopping license." She goes into the recasting loan, a huge secret weapon, in great detail, as well as her "magic" tip to help clients recalibrate if they haven't found a house that makes them do the happy dance yet. You'll hear about Tara's approach to step back and let buyers find their own potential home, her "dance with the other broker" and building relationships before even visiting a house, using the online feedback form to give her buyers a competitive edge in the sellers' eyes, and how investing in clarity of process shortens her timeline significantly. Tara offers these, and so many other great takeaways as we begin to take a closer look at how actual Ninjas are using the 10-Step Process and applying it in practice. We can learn so much from Tara's "Super-Size-It" attitude and proven track record, and her fascinating insights highlight the many ways you can make the Ninja process work for you in a way that feels fun and authentic, so you can help bring your clients' dreams into reality as well. Send us your request for future episodes by joining the growing Ninja Selling Podcast group on Facebook at www.facebook.com/groups/theninjasellingpodcast. There you can also ask questions, give advice, and connect with other Ninjas. If you have not been accepted to the group yet, please check your messages for a follow-up from Matt. You can also leave a voicemail with your direct feedback at 208 MY-NINJA. And visit NinjaSelling.com/events for more information about upcoming open installations. Episode Highlights: Tara Tooley has been a Ninja for about six years She works at the group in Fort Collins, Colorado The advice based on her marketplace can work in any area She has an incredible ability to put her own unique spin on the 10-Step Buyer Process, and has used it to create an extraordinary buyer process for her clients She puts everything she does through a "Ninja Filter" When people first reach out to her, they have already thought about this decision for a long time and they're ready to make their move She asks them a series of questions and has the "Magic Wand" conversation She begins with a very broad search so that her clients don't miss any options (one of the biggest buyer fears), then narrows the focus from there This is the funnel process She includes homes in a higher price range as many sellers begin too aggressively and may lower their prices later She sets her clients up to become "the smartest person in the market" as they watch for these prices to drop Her mindset is laser-focused on helping her clients find a house Her only goal is to help make people's dreams come true and see their "happy dance" Setting her clients up with a trusted local lender versus online lenders who typically don't care and will not go to bat for them Being pre-qualified with a solid lender empowers clients with a "shopping license" Tara is not afraid to tell people she can't move forward with them, if she feels they are not a good fit Bridge loans and recasting When clients have not yet found the home that makes them do the happy dance, she gives them an actual magical wand to help them recalibrate and shift their mindset Most of the time, her clients find the home themselves - she is there to help them get that house once they've found it Her "dance with the other broker" and creating a relationship with them before they even view the house The importance of broker-to-broker relationships The buyer who drags you around to house after house does not know what they want, but maintaining a positive relationship with them can still lead to referrals Success is taking care of the client The 10-Step Buyer Process often happens in the house There is no such thing as the perfect house - the goal is to be happy with 85% Tara is a huge believer in expert coaching and learning from the professionals She's very transparent about her process with clients Garrett's name for Tara is "Super-Size-It Tara" because she takes every idea to a new level and isn't afraid to make this business fun and authentic Quotes: "Tara is an agent that takes every system I've ever worked with her on, and she goes, I'm going to make this mine. And she owns it." "I consider myself a Ninja 1,000%. I put everything I do through what I call a Ninja Filter." "We have that quick little conversation. I'm like, Well, What are you thinking? Tell me, if you wave the magic wand, what might happen? What kind of - how big of a house? Why are you moving? And I go through some of the questions. How many bedrooms? What price range are you thinking? What town are you thinking?" "I always take notes. I never talk without a pen in my hand." "You're going to become, what I call, the smartest person in the market. You're going to watch those prices - that overpriced person come down maybe into your price range if they sit on the market, because not everything sells if it's overpriced." "I had a buyer call me on a Friday.... She said, Well, we're going to be buying somewhere between now, three months, six months, nine months. We're not really in a hurry. And...we're under contract six days later. Their first offer." "My mindset is - my only goal is to help these people's dreams come true. That's it. That's where it ends." "If there's no happy dance, I'm like, Hey, I think we need to keep looking." "When you put people into a position where they really want to buy, yes, you are a great salesperson. Because you didn't have to sell them on anything. You just put all the pieces together, and all of a sudden they're buying. As far as I'm concerned, that's about as Ninja as you can be." "I'm like, This house, I don't see it. And then I'm like, Aren't I a great salesperson? They just laugh. And then all of a sudden, that trust level just goes out the roof, because they're like, Oh, she's on our team. She's not trying to sell us anything. She's trying to help our dreams come true." "Your lender is going to be your most valuable player, maybe even more important sometimes than I am in this process. If we don't have a lender that can go to bat for you, literally seven days a week, that's trusted in our local market, I'm not sure I can get you a house and be competitive on your offers. Because what's been happening is these online lenders, they just don't care." "I had a 45-minute conversation with an older guy that was qualified with his big national bank. And I'm like, Dude, I can't win a house for you in this market with that as your lender… He finally succumbed. And sure enough, three days later, we got the deal because of that lender." "What we really need is a really good shopping license. If you don't have a good shopping license, it doesn't make a lot of sense to even go look at houses, because we don't really even know what you can buy. And so your lender will give you a pre-qualification, which I consider your shopping license." "The shopping license is the most powerful if you don't have to sell your house before you buy." "There's a product out there called recasting loans, a recasting product, and that's how I get most of my people from A to B without a contingent offer." "If you talk to your lender, and they don't know what recasting is, you need to go dial the phone and find a lender that does, because that is a huge secret weapon in this market." "I find it very interesting when you hand those magic wands out, sometimes the game completely changes, and they buy something that feels to me, as a realtor, 100% different than what they told me." "I don't look at houses online. I don't think I've ever, maybe one or two times actually, been the one that found the house. The buyer finds the house. And they're like, Let's go look at it." "I feel like the buyers are the smartest people in the entire market. Realtors think they're all smart and everything. It's not their money that's buying the house." "I'm starting what I call, the dance with the other broker, because that's one of the most important dances of the whole deal in a competitive market. So I start the dance before I ever get to the house." "That feedback was so powerful and so emotional, that literally the sellers fell in love with the hope that these buyers would buy the house." "It's really important to me that I follow the leader of success. And Ninja is the most successful life a realtor could ever ask for, and being able to serve the world with our expertise as realtors." "I believe wholeheartedly, if you're going to be successful at whatever you want to be successful at, you need a coach… And I tell people, Go find the very best coach you can find. And I didn't say the very best coach you can afford, I say the very best coach you can find." Links: www.TaraTooley.com www.TheNinjaSellingPodcast.com Email us at TSW@TheNinjaSellingPodcast.com Leave a voicemail at (208) MY-NINJA Ninja Selling www.NinjaSelling.com @ninjasellingofficial Ninja Coaching: www.NinjaCoaching.com @ninja.coaching Ninja Events www.NinjaSelling.com/Events Garrett garrett@ninjacoaching.com @ninjaredding Matt matt@ninjacoaching.com @matthewjbonelli The Ninja Selling Podcast Facebook Group