Ninja Selling Podcast

As we approach the end of November, 'Business Planning Month', it's time to look at how to put these plans into action for the coming year. Far too often, these plans are created and then relegated to a drawer where they are seldom, if ever, looked at again. Today, Matt and Garrett are here to show you how to make sure that this valuable document remains an active component of your business, allowing you to enjoy the success you so richly deserve. They begin by examining the need to consistently review the plan, and offer an insightful road trip analogy which demonstrates the value in making incremental changes as necessary throughout the year. They also offer some ideas on how to ensure your plan remains a priority, including accountability partners and quarterly breakdowns. They finish up by sharing yet another analogy, this time about guided missiles, which neatly sums up the value of keeping your business plan active all through the year, and checking on it regularly so that you can adjust your course when needed to reach your desired destination. Listen in today and plan on making next year a huge success. Episode Highlights: Consistently reviewing your business plan The road trip analogy Making incremental adjustments to the plan as necessary Some ways to ensure you prioritize your plan Accountability partners Quarterly breakdowns The guided missile analogy Quotes: "You need to go into the year with that really solid plan." "This is the journey that we're going to go on, on this final destination we have twelve months out from now." "They get so far off course that they're not even on the trip anymore." "Have somebody that is kind of involved in the journey with you." "Use the calendar to your advantage when you're looking at your business plan." "Where am I right now, and where am I going?" "You're in control of this whole thing." "Be excited and don't be scared of it." "You're in the driver's seat." Links: www.TheNinjaSellingPodcast.com Email us at TSW@TheNinjaSellingPodcast.com Ninja Selling www.NinjaSelling.com @ninjasellingofficial Ninja Coaching: www.NinjaCoaching.com @ninja.coaching Garrett garrett@ninjacoaching.com @ninjaredding Matt matt@ninjacoaching.com @matthewjbonelli

Matt and Garrett want to wish all their listeners a very Happy Thanksgiving, and welcome everyone to their podcast today, which is all about gratitudes. As clichéd as that might seem, this is about so much more than simply giving thanks one day a year, but building this noble act into your daily schedule, consistently through both good times and more challenging ones. As you will come to understand today, they can have a profoundly positive impact upon your life and business, and need to become a permanent component of our day-to-day activities. Our hosts review the need to structure gratitude into your day, and share the many benefits that will result, as well as some examples of Ninjas out there who are enjoying great success through this commitment, and an exercise that you can implement immediately. They also recommend revisiting both a previous episode of great relevance as well as Mel Robbins' YouTube video, and share some of the many things we can be thankful for in 2020. Far from being optional or an afterthought, gratitudes are a key component to success in life and business – science and experience support this fact fully. On this very special day of giving thanks, let's all commit to making gratitudes a part of our lives every single day. Episode Highlights: Structuring gratitude into your day The physical effects of gratitude Not being tied to the outcome Andrea Tuell's remarkable example of gratitude A gratitude exercise Changing your energy Maintaining your gratitudes consistently Things to be grateful for in 2020 Opening up your vision and looking at your business differently Revisit the August 6 episode Reinventing holiday traditions 2020 as a positive turning point Mel Robbins' Foggy Day YouTube video What Matt and Garrett are grateful for Quotes: "There's a lot of power and science behind that." "It's a state of being…you're trying to change your core being." "You actually feed off that energy from other people." "Gratitude can even be structured throughout the day." "We know that gratitude can actually reduce stress hormones." "All of a sudden, confidence grows." "Why don't I do this more often?" "This is going to be a fascinating generation, and I actually think it's going to be for the good." "This is giving them tools that a lot of us never have ever experienced." "A lot of people were very grateful for the health of the real estate market." "Being grateful for those challenges is important." "Is this happening to me or is it happening for me?" "How can we look at this differently?" "What about 'Thank you, 2020'?" "Have a wonderful, wonderful Thanksgiving." Links: www.TheNinjaSellingPodcast.com Email us at TSW@TheNinjaSellingPodcast.com Ninja Selling www.NinjaSelling.com @ninjasellingofficial Ninja Coaching: www.NinjaCoaching.com @ninja.coaching Garrett garrett@ninjacoaching.com @ninjaredding Matt matt@ninjacoaching.com @matthewjbonelli

Today, on this 200th episode of the podcast, Matt and Garrett take a look at the topic of change. Throughout each person's life, change is going to happen – as 2020 has clearly demonstrated - and listening for signs of these changes when reaching out to your people can provide you with a unique opportunity to strengthen your relationship with them. During the episode, our hosts examine the importance of listening skills, asking questions, learning about how best to communicate with each of your clients, and, above all, making your conversations all about them. Garrett provides an enlightening example of the dichotomy of change, and together he and Matt explore the notion of the 'carousel in our life', talking about dreams, pain and pleasure levels, and, of course, listening for change. They conclude by reminding everyone that you can search their website for topics from previous episodes that you're interested in – there's a lot of quality information and advice to be found in these 200 episodes! If this past year has taught us anything, it's that change is inevitable. What today's episode teaches everyone is how you can deepen your connection with others by being there for them in these important times and beyond. Episode Highlights: Listening skills and asking questions Garrett's example of the dichotomy of change The many changes people are going through these days Learning how best to communicate with each client Carousels in our life Talking about dreams Listening for change Pain and pleasure levels Searching for topics on previous episodes Quotes: "Everything's great. How about you?" "Don't make this about you." "Your stock in that relationship goes way up because you're providing value by simply listening." "Do I truly understand what people are going through in my sphere of influence?" "You're going to get golden information." "You have to disconnect yourself from that becoming a transaction." "It's not the person right in front of us, it's all the people that are just beyond them. That's where miracles happen." "All of a sudden the dreams come out." "Where do you recreate?" "Dream questions are so, so powerful." "Listen for these moments where you can...go to that deeper level with people." "If you're really listening for this change, that warm list is going to start to populate pretty quickly." Links: www.TheNinjaSellingPodcast.com Email us at TSW@TheNinjaSellingPodcast.com Ninja Selling www.NinjaSelling.com @ninjasellingofficial Ninja Coaching: www.NinjaCoaching.com @ninja.coaching Garrett garrett@ninjacoaching.com @ninjaredding Matt matt@ninjacoaching.com @matthewjbonelli

Through the uniqueness of 2020, a lot of creative ideas have been generated to enhance or replace the events that are just no longer possible for us all to run for our people. Matt and Garrett have been keeping their eyes out for some of the most creative, and today they share some that will help you strengthen your relationships not just for 2020 or the holiday season, but for absolutely any time of year. Throughout the episode, our hosts run through a list of these great ideas and offer valuable suggestions about how you can implement them both now and in the future. Emphasizing that the overall goal is to create some fun energy and environments for your people, they demonstrate just how these ideas can help you build those strong relationships that will not only enrich the lives of all involved, but also allow transactions to 'just fall out of the sky' for you. We all agree that 2020 has brought some significant changes to our world – let Matt and Garrett show you how to make these changes work for you and your business. Episode Highlights: Pumpkin carving and coloring contests Calling each person to explain why you're not having your event this year Reviewing the value of your annual events Scavenger hunts Polaroid wars Celebrating your brand and other clients' brands Adjusting traditional events such as Pie Parties Matterport Open House Scavenger Hunts Creating fun energy and environments for your people Quotes: "If you're doing the pumpkin, you get the pop-by, and you get the interaction, and it can potentially replace an in-person event." "The lowest cost event she's ever done…she could pretty much link it back…to two new pieces of business." "The interaction that I had with my people was priceless." "The big picture here is we're looking for human interaction." "You as the organizer of it, you're going to get a lot of communication, you're going to create an experience for these people." "Everybody's going to get a better understanding of what that area that you live in is." "The more touch points you can get, the more frequency you can build during this time, it's going to be easier to keep a level of frequency going as you get through holiday season." "Have some fun with it." "The purpose is to just build relationships, build some fun." "Transactions just fall out of the sky when the relationships and the connection is correct." "Relationship strengthening is better than any time I've seen because people are craving it." Links: www.TheNinjaSellingPodcast.com Email us at TSW@TheNinjaSellingPodcast.com Ninja Selling www.NinjaSelling.com @ninjasellingofficial Ninja Coaching: www.NinjaCoaching.com @ninja.coaching Garrett garrett@ninjacoaching.com @ninjaredding Matt matt@ninjacoaching.com @matthewjbonelli

One topic that just doesn't seem to get enough attention, even from some of the best Ninja's, is the potential value of understanding learning modalities. Knowing how a person learns best enables you to share ideas and information with them in a way that will make most sense to them, and result in establishing a deeper connection for you both. This is truly a fascinating topic with striking implications for building relationships, and Matt and Garrett are excited to share it all with you today. They begin by explaining the three learning modalities in order of prevalence, how books can be designed to appeal to these modalities, and how to determine the dominant modality in another person through questioning. Our hosts then engage in a thorough examination of ways to deepen your relationship with others once you know their dominant modality, and also how to ensure that all of your processes incorporate all three modalities in order to connect with the largest audience possible. Once again going far beyond the realm of real estate, Matt and Garrett share information and advice here today that will, of course, improve your business, but more importantly, effectively deepen the relationships you have with your people overall. Episode Highlights: Visual learning Kinesthetic learning Auditory learning How books can be designed to appeal to the three modalities Asking questions to determine the dominant modality of your clients Formatting your questions to appeal to their learning modality How knowing modalities will affect relationships in your business and personal life When to appeal to all three learning modalities Restaurant menus and learning modalities Phil Greely's use of iPads with clients and the many referrals it generated Why postcards do so well Checking all of your processes to see if you can incorporate all three modalities into them Quotes: "The biggest one is visual." "Showing is better than telling." "The last one is auditory." "Just because we're dominant on one…doesn't mean that we can't use the others." "If you talk books with people you can actually kind of get a sense of who they are." "If you know the learning modality you can ask those questions in that format." "You will help them engage more." "Mark this down on your contacts." "How do I change that question to their learning modality?" "Naturally, people will say things that are geared towards their primary learning modality." "When you send a postcard, you're able to hit on visual and kinesthetic right there, which encompasses a lot of people." "Every auditory person, their second modality is either kinesthetic or visual." "You're going to increase your chances of communicating well if you're using all three in your auto-flow." "This is one of those components that you start to practice when you're focused on being elite." Links: www.TheNinjaSellingPodcast.com Email us at TSW@TheNinjaSellingPodcast.com Ninja Selling www.NinjaSelling.com @ninjasellingofficial Ninja Coaching: www.NinjaCoaching.com @ninja.coaching Garrett garrett@ninjacoaching.com @ninjaredding Matt matt@ninjacoaching.com @matthewjbonelli

Knowing precisely why your client wants to buy or sell a house is critical to your relationship, and can, at times, become a fairly complex task. In today's episode, Matt and Garrett look at the tools available for you to help your client understand their why especially when the reasons may not be on the surface and may require some deeper questioning. Until they understand their why, it may very well be impossible for you to help them find precisely what they are looking for, so let Matt and Garret help you out. They begin by reviewing some of the tools available to help understand your client's why, and they perform a brief role play that illustrates a 'what and why' conversation. They then focus upon strategies to employ when you've done everything properly, but a client is still hesitating to act, which, as they point out, could have deep emotional roots. With an emphasis on when and how to help clients find clarity, our hosts offer valuable advice in this potentially sensitive area as well as the possible results. Going a little deeper may cause some level of discomfort but the mutual rewards of helping one of your people clarify what they want goes far beyond real estate, and will ensure a long lasting and fruitful relationship for you both. Episode Highlights: Some tools available to help find surface level to intermediate whys and deeper whys Matt and Garrett's role play of a 'what and a why' conversation Asking questions, really listening to answers, and watching body language The Ten Step Buyer Process Having conversations to uncover the deep, serious emotions which may impact a buyer or seller's decision When and how to help clients find clarity Mutually putting a client on hold Asking questions, and checking their pulse How this results in referrals Steve Sim's book, 'Bluefishing: The Art of Making Things Happen' Quotes: "It's amazing how much just asking the question 'Why?' can really help, especially right up front, whether we're talking about a seller or a buyer." "It's also about how they answer with their body language." "I think in-person is the absolute best way of doing it, or zoom in today's world, I think, could work really well." "Some of the best Ninja's I know are not afraid about talking their client out of moving sometimes." "Now you're really helping these people with life, not just real estate." "Is there some deeper question that I could be asking that's going to take these people to a different level of clarity that we've all missed?" "These are people. These are relationships. These aren't transactions." "Once I started actually building relationships and paying attention to the people in my business, things took off." "People's criteria can change, for sure, really quickly too. I mean, so don't ever be afraid to do the reset." Links: www.TheNinjaSellingPodcast.com Email us at TSW@TheNinjaSellingPodcast.com Ninja Selling www.NinjaSelling.com @ninjasellingofficial Ninja Coaching: www.NinjaCoaching.com @ninja.coaching Garrett garrett@ninjacoaching.com @ninjaredding Matt matt@ninjacoaching.com @matthewjbonelli

There are a couple reasons why this is the coolest part of the year, and the main one that Matt and Garrett talk about today concerns the many opportunities available in this season to call and connect with your people. This has been a year like no other, magnifying the importance of this contact, and the coming season offers even more opportunities to continue to demonstrate your care and concern for the people in your life. Our hosts begin by reviewing the impact of calling up people in times of collective stress to sincerely check in on how they're doing, as well as the advantages that live-flow offers, the power of human connection, and the difference between Ninja and many other systems. They then discuss the nature of these calls, the specific opportunities available now, and increasing the frequency of touch points through combining communication methods. They finish by sharing the process for determining who you could consider contacting, and precisely where the real connections happen. As Ninjas, sincere concern for others and learning more about them is a cornerstone upon which to build the types of relationships that will prove beneficial to both your life and business. Today's episode guides you in the process of ensuring you achieve this throughout the entire year, and especially in the coming months. Episode Highlights: Calling people in times of collective stress Auto-flow vs. live-flow Helping people beyond real estate The power of the human connection The difference between Ninja and many other systems Making conversations all about them The opportunities that are out there right now to call people Combining methods of communication to increase touch point frequency Creating your list of who to contact Where the real connections happen Quotes: "When this year started it was a normal year." "Take care of your mindset, get on the phone." "When we're all dealing with stress…these are the opportunities to make sure your energy's in a great place, and pick up the phone and make a phone call." "We all have the opportunity to just build this human connection together through the power of a simple phone call." "All these phone calls are not trying to find out where the deal is, the phone calls are really trying to connect with people and understand the world that they're living in right now, and to show care and concern for what's going on." "Do not get attached to the outcome." "Our job is to keep them talking." "This is an opportunity to check in with them and see, are those traditions happening the same way through December?" "Celebrate with them!" "Make sure your warm list is included in this action program." "Have some fun with it." "This will come back to you in first, second, third month of 2021." "There's people out there that will need your help at this time with too many life changes coming on." Links: www.TheNinjaSellingPodcast.com Email us at TSW@TheNinjaSellingPodcast.com Ninja Selling www.NinjaSelling.com @ninjasellingofficial Ninja Coaching: www.NinjaCoaching.com @ninja.coaching Garrett garrett@ninjacoaching.com @ninjaredding Matt matt@ninjacoaching.com @matthewjbonelli

Calendars for both business and personal scheduling have become indispensable, and yet, Matt and Garrett are seeing some Ninja's who are struggling with them, particularly when they are doing so much business these days. Today's episode takes a moment to look how effective scheduling and 'calendaring' can maximize your time, keep you from 'flying by the seat of your pants', and simply make your life better overall. The entire episode is devoted to how to control your calendar starting with how to set it up, establishing protected times, allowing for some exceptions when absolutely necessary, implementing some tips that will enhance its effectiveness, and, above all respecting it. Calendars are not just for setting listing appointments - they can be so much more, and have such a greater impact upon both your personal and business life. You owe it to yourself to listen in on Matt and Garrett's sage advice today, and if you have any further questions, remember that they are only too happy for you to contact them to discuss. Episode Highlights: The steps in building your calendar the way you want Being specific when getting started Listing what you want most days to look like Establishing protected time Controlling the calendar Planning properly Making exceptions Understanding long term repercussions of calendar items Using the calendar invite option Building in CRM's Respecting your calendar and the appointments on it Quotes: "If something doesn't get on my calendar, don't expect me to be there." "When you start putting things on your calendar, you also start to recognize the time that you don't have." "The better you are and the more high demand that people see you as, and the more value you bring to the table, people will wait for you." "Create what you would like your ideal schedule on most days to look like, and then we can start to calendar things, and put it on, and then fill in all the other…urgent appointments around those things." "When you push off your family enough, it's not an immediate repercussion, but it will come back and bite you at some point." "The likelihood of distractions coming in will fade away over time as you learn to respect your calendar better and better and better." "When you decide that it's important enough that it gets that hour of your life, and gets that time set aside specifically for it, that's when it can go back on. But until then, don't put it back on your schedule." Links: www.TheNinjaSellingPodcast.com Email us at TSW@TheNinjaSellingPodcast.com Ninja Selling www.NinjaSelling.com @ninjasellingofficial Ninja Coaching: www.NinjaCoaching.com @ninja.coaching Garrett garrett@ninjacoaching.com @ninjaredding Matt matt@ninjacoaching.com @matthewjbonelli

The season for sending out mailers and information is approaching, and so it's time for Matt and Garrett to talk about auto-flow. Sparked by an excellent question from Colleen Yoo with The Group in Fort Collins, Colorado, our hosts have a great deal of advice and information to share about how to ensure that your auto-flow is as effective and efficient as possible. They begin by explaining why mailers continue to be effective, offering some ideas for simplifying your database, and both having and advertising a national presence/network. Numerous value added content ideas, the potential of customizing for certain groups, leveraging your local businesses, as well as the creation and distribution of timeless postcards are also explored. Now is the time to start thinking about all of these strategies so that your first quarter of the coming year can be everything you want it to be. Let Matt and Garrett help set you up for even greater success here today. Episode Highlights: Why mailers are still effective Simplifying your database Having a national presence/network and advertising it Value added content Customizing for certain group(s) Leveraging your local business Timeless postcards Quotes: "The reason your first quarter's so slow, is you sleep through the holidays." "We're occupying somebody's brain space, is what we're doing…whoever's showing up more is who's going to get that top space." "I can help you find somebody anywhere." "We need to start to think about how we are presenting your brand to your sphere." "No one is generally offended by mailing lists." "Start big and work your way down, and you'll figure out who your groups are." "How can I make this, you know, more compliant with my brand, and really adding good value to the people through the law of authenticity, and…sharing a little bit of me with my people?" "Storytelling brings the situation to life…whether I'm local or not." "How do you buy an investment property to pay for a kid's college education?" "I love timeless postcards." "Start with the physical mail because you get 100% open rate with that." "This will change the beginning of your year and it will add simplicity to your entire database and your entire business, so get serious about it." Links: www.TheNinjaSellingPodcast.com Email us at TSW@TheNinjaSellingPodcast.com Ninja Selling www.NinjaSelling.com @ninjasellingofficial Ninja Coaching: www.NinjaCoaching.com @ninja.coaching Garrett garrett@ninjacoaching.com @ninjaredding Matt matt@ninjacoaching.com @matthewjbonelli

Today, Matt and Garrett are here to remind you of what you need to be focusing on, not just part of the time, or during certain parts of the year, but all of the time, and that is 'wowing' and 'loving on' the people you are currently working with. Not only does it make the real estate transaction process more positive and enjoyable for them, it also has great potential for increased referrals for you as well, and today's episode is filled with practical suggestions to make this happen. Our hosts begin by discussing the remarkably important statistic regarding the number of opportunities for referrals throughout the entire transaction process, move on to looking at how the '80/20 Rule' helps your focus, and then share numerous inventive and practical ideas you can implement immediately and build into your process to show your current clients 'the love'. They also explore the importance of making connections with these people, the two times during the transaction that they are likely to make a referral, and the mutual benefits inherent in 'wowing' them. Any time one of our hosts is taking notes while listening to our other host during the podcast, you can be certain that golden nuggets of advice are being shared, and that is precisely what happens here today, making this yet another 'must listen' episode. Episode Highlights: The four opportunities for referrals during each real estate transaction with current clients How the '80/20 Rule' helps your focus Some ideas for 'loving on' your current clients and those in front of you The importance of making connections with current clients The two times when the referral is most likely to come The mutual benefits of 'wowing' your current clients Quotes: "During the real estate transaction…they will have four, and the word 'opportunity' is the really big word here you've got to remember, four opportunities to refer said real estate agent." "You don't ever want to base your relationship off of 'What's my highest return?' It's not a healthy thing to do." "That is fun stuff that just propels your business on such a bigger level." "We're wowing them through this process." "Think of what your business would look like if every single person you're working with gave you at least 1, maybe 2, and, oh my gosh, what if you got 3 referrals from every person?" "This is turning into a very lovely 'love on each other' podcast." "Most of my referrals that I got from active clients when I was listing and selling real estate came at the beginning of a relationship." "That is what really creates value, is the connection, because it shows you're paying attention and it shows you care." "Prove them right that they made the right decision." "Let's do more than just the transaction with these people, because they're going to benefit more from it as well." Links: www.TheNinjaSellingPodcast.com Email us at TSW@TheNinjaSellingPodcast.com Ninja Selling www.NinjaSelling.com @ninjasellingofficial Ninja Coaching: www.NinjaCoaching.com @ninja.coaching Garrett garrett@ninjacoaching.com @ninjaredding Matt matt@ninjacoaching.com @matthewjbonelli