Next Level Agents: The Kevin & Fred Show - Interviews with the best and brightest minds in the real estate industry

In today’s episode, I’m rejoined by our good friend, business partner and owner of The Franklin Team, Andrew Franklin. Andrew runs a successful team that closed over 1700 transactions last year, and in addition to that, he has now built multiple ancillary businesses, including one that has caught up to the revenue of his sales team in 5 years. He’s going to share exactly how he did this.    Andrew Franklin is a real estate leader, entrepreneur and partner at The Franklin Team. The Franklin Team has decades of experience in the business and sells well over thirty times the number of homes than the average real estate agent! Andrew is owner and partner on The Franklin Team. He has been around residential real estate since he was a kid and learned early that putting clients' needs first is always smart business. The Franklin Team’s main objective is to efficiently deliver world class service with accuracy, integrity and professionalism. Andrew has also added investing, title and hard money lending to his business, by leveraging the success of his sales team and agents in his network.    How did Andrew Franklin create multiple streams of income, including a title operation that has caught up to his sales team’s revenue in less than 5 years? By tapping into the real estate ecosystem around him. If you run a real estate team, there’s a ton of lanes you can go into and make your world bigger, create ancillary revenue, and provide a better solution for the consumer.    We have the opportunity to tap into the ecosystem of relationships we all have as agents, and create a win through our own networks. Now more than ever, agents are putting huge deals together by simply collaborating with other agents and being in the right rooms.    Guest Info   Andrew Franklin is a real estate leader, entrepreneur and partner at The Franklin Team. The Franklin Team has decades of experience in the business and sells well over thirty times the number of homes than the average real estate agent! Andrew is owner and partner on The Franklin Team. He has been around residential real estate since he was a kid and learned early that putting clients' needs first is always smart business. The Franklin Team’s main objective is to efficiently deliver world class service with accuracy, integrity and professionalism. Andrew has also added investing, title and hard money lending to his business, by leveraging the success of his sales team and agents in his network.  Website: www.thefranklinteaminc.com/ Social media: https://www.facebook.com/thefranklinteamhouston/ CTA ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla

In today’s episode (not brought to you by Neck Hammock btw) - we’re throwing you a curveball with the big announcement…that we’re renaming the podcast once again. We’re changing the name back to Next Level Agents and yes, while we’re clearly bad at naming things, we’re going to share the thinking behind the change and the greater lesson you can learn from it.    So many of us are more focused on the marketing and the naming of things than we are on the consistency, actions and relationships (which is what truly counts).    Join the Facebook Group.   CTA   ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla

In today’s episode, we’re talking about our decision to join Place, the thought process behind this move, and the value proposition Place delivers to real estate teams. When you hear about Place and many top real estate teams joining it, you probably wonder why a team in a brokerage like eXp would want to bolt on this set of services to their organization. Place encompasses a lot and brings a ton of value to the table. We’re going to share why we believe in Place and the team behind it, the opportunities we’re going to create for our agents and staff, and why the whole industry needs to be paying attention to it.    We believe that it would have been irresponsible not to join Place, especially with where real estate is headed. We believe in Place’s system and what Ben Kinney and Chris Suarez are doing - it’s the right way to operate a real estate team today, and it would be hard for any team to top or even match what they are bringing to the table.   We get to latch onto something that’s already headed in the right direction, and our agents and staff are going to get the value proposition they deserve.   CTA   ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla

Read more about this week's reading here: https://fs.blog/amateurs-professionals/    CTA   ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla

In today’s episode, the very first of 2023 - we’re doing both a year in review of 2022, and a look forward to this year. We’re going to talk about all sorts of highlights - from our favorite podcast episodes from last year, to our travel plans and all the things we’re excited about when it comes to real estate this year. No doubt, a lot has shifted in the market, but the way we see it, that’s not necessarily bad news. You’ll find out about whale watching kayak tours, climbing Everest (sort of), Dave Matthews concerts and more.    At the beginning of every year, there’s always a lot of unknowns, but 2023 brings more question marks to real estate than the years before. When 2022 began, no one anticipated the velocity of change we’d see in the market, and that’s going to be tough for a lot of agents and companies.    We’re starting the year in a balanced zone in most major markets, reserves are down, the agent count is shrinking, and the transaction count is down at least 30%.    But in the midst of bad news, exciting things can happen, especially if you treat this market as an opportunity to figure out how to survive and thrive.     CTA   ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla

Time is finite but so many of us are just not purposeful with it. People plan how they go to a movie better than they plan their life, the relationships they have. It’s amazing how calculated we are about our movies and vacations but we don’t do the same thing in our personal worlds.     Hard work is a key to success but what’s the point if there’s no true balance? So many of us say we work hard for our families but do we really? Start defining achievement a little differently, you can’t let your work define who you are.     If you count how many winters, Fridays, ocean swims, football seasons, beach days you have in your life, it really puts how finite time is into perspective. If you’ve got 20 years left in your life, and you go snowboarding once a year, you probably have 20 of those days left.    Think about how many more Halloweens you get with your kids when they are little. How are you taking advantage of those moments?    The average kid and parent spends 300 days per year together from the time they are 0-18. Over 18 they spend an average of 30 days with their parents, 10 days a year if they don’t live in the same town. Depending on how old your kids are, you might have spent over 50% of your total time with your kids already.   You have to cheat the system and get more purposeful to get more out of those days.   The key thing is becoming aware that time is finite.    We go through our lives not being purposeful about these things that we deem most important. Cheat the system - do it differently. Think differently to what we usually do in our normal programs of life.    How do we maximize the moments that we have? When you work hard, think about what you’re giving up in its place.     We all have things we care deeply about and we neglect them. The good news is: you can do something about it now.    Now that we know this - what should we do?  Write your own eulogy: connect the dots and design the specific commitments you want to make to leave the impact you desire to leave. What are the things you could be doing better so that you influence that outcome?  Truly start life planning: how do you want to be remembered by your kids, how do you want people to speak about you, think about these things and be honest about where you stand.  Take no days off: every single day you can improve something, whether it’s yourself or a relationship. You can deal with a pain or challenge, and get healthier and smarter.    Get a Memento Mori calendar. It’s sobering, but also inspiring to see how much time you have.    Think about your life accounts: health, relationships, wealth, business, friends, social, siblings, spiritual, travel etc. Some of your accounts have really positive balances and others are overdrawn. Prioritize those accounts accordingly    Health should be number 1, you can’t honor any of the other accounts if you’re not feeling great and alive.    You are going to outgrow certain things and certain relationships as you grow, accept that.    Life is about counterbalance - there are times we’ll have to be in the extreme in certain areas, the key is not to stay in the extreme too long. How long can you be in something until other areas start to suffer and/or deteriorate?    CTA ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla

In today’s episode, one of my early guests and good friend, Todd Bookspan returns for a much-needed catch-up. Todd and I typically meet to discuss topics and ideas that get us to think differently about everything from business to health, and today we’re going to do the same thing on the podcast. Being around people who force us to ask ourselves the hard questions is one of the most underrated ways to cheat at success. Especially with where the market’s at, it’s really easy to take bad advice and just run with it. So Todd and I are going to have a conversation about the questions we need to be asking ourselves to survive the shift, and the attitude we need to carry in this environment. Todd really has a pulse on what’s going on with top LOs and real estate professionals across the country, so I’m keen to hear what he thinks of what’s going on in the market.    Todd is a mortgage originator, executive coach and creator of Win By Noon. Todd has 25 years of experience as an entrepreneur and a business leader. For the past fifteen years, as a mortgage originator, Todd has proven successful in cultivating both teams and branch offices. Working alongside his wife Tara, Todd successfully helped grow the Arizona region of a mortgage bank from five to eighty-five employees at four branches. Now he has designed the Win By Noon Planner as a tool to help increase productivity.   In a market downshift like the one we’re in right now, many people end up down a path of bad decisions, not because they aren’t intelligent or equipped, but because they can’t get past their own thinking. They are unable to challenge what they think and ask themselves the hard questions.    Whether we hang out with it or hire it, the quality of our decisions is directly connected to the quality of questions we’re forced to answer and act on. Instead of keeping our heads in the sand and plugging away with what we’ve always known or done, commit to getting around people who help you challenge every mentality you hold. Change begins at the end of our own current understanding.    Go to https://winbynoon.com/ and join the Mastermind Group here.    CTA   ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla  

In today’s episode, I’m excited to have my buddy and host of GSD Mode, Josh Smith back on the podcast to talk about what he’s been up to, and how he’s preparing for what’s coming in the real estate market. Josh is a brilliant marketer and entrepreneur, and he’s a huge giver to the real estate industry. After taking 8 months off and thinking of leaving real estate (he was thinking of buying a farm), he’s returned with a bigger motivation to pour gas on what he was doing in the industry. Today, he shares what this journey looked like, what he learned from walking away from other business ventures, and what he’s aiming to accomplish in this market shift.    For Josh, stepping off the hamster wheel of meetings, clients, putting out fires in the business, and getting away from the noise and having time in solitude was necessary, but uncomfortable. There are times where we need to step away from what we do so well to not just reignite our passion for it, but to land at the fact that you want to do a better version of what you’re already doing. Guest Info   Josh Smith is a Realtor, coach, serial entrepreneur and host of #1 Real Estate Podcast, GSD Mode. He is one of the top Realtors in the world along with running many other very successful companies. He has been voted the 30th Top Realtor In America By The Wall Street Journal, he’s an NAR's "30 Under 30" Finalist, and he’s also co-owner of a real estate software company "Perfect Storm". Josh successfully coaches/mentors over 1,000 Realtors yearly all over the US and Canada.   For more information, head to https://www.gsdmode.com/.  CTA   ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla

In today’s episode, I’m joined by agents and good friends Jessica Lentz and Kristen Gadd to have a conversation many people in real estate are afraid of but really need to have. What are the emotional effects of the market shift? We went from a crazy, busy market to what feels like a lull in a space of weeks, and naturally a lot of agents are struggling to get their head in the game. These feelings have a lot to do with the narrative of success the industry pushes and praises from stages - transaction count, GCI, not the things that actually matter. This idea of success can actually be quite toxic, and the more we can examine and question it, the closer we get to changing it.     Jessica is a Realtor, and real estate coach to fellow female agents. Kristen has been in the Real Estate Business since 2003. She first started out as a part-time receptionist and then moved up to being a personal assistant and now she is a licensed agent.    It’s quite easy to subscribe to real estate’s toxic version of success when the market’s busy, but what happens when it softens. A lot of us are left feeling unfulfilled, stuck and down about our businesses because the pace has changed. The truth is, there are thousands of agents who feel this way, and this is the conversation we should be having more often - on podcasts and in masterminds. Agents are having different experiences in this market, and there’s room for all of them. The more we make the different narratives welcome - the better the entire industry will be.  Guest Info   Jessica Lentz is a Realtor, and real estate coach to fellow female agents. Follow Jessica on Instagram or find her on Facebook.     Kristen Gadd has been in the Real Estate Business since 2003. She first started out as a part-time receptionist and then moved up to being a personal assistant and now she is a licensed agent partnering with her boss on all real estate transactions. Find Kristen on Facebook.    CTA   ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla  

In this episode, we’re joined by Chris Stuart, the President of PLACE, an all-in-one real estate technology platform, that helps successful teams achieve and exceed their growth goals. Chris gives an honest and insightful take on where the real estate industry is right now, and the key issues keeping real estate agents, teams and brokerages on their toes. He talks about why it’s so easy for disruptors to gain market share, where real estate is missing the mark with the consumer, and what we can do about it. If we all reflected and acted on Chris’ points, we’d all be in a better place and better equipped to stave off disruption.    Chris is the former CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Home Services, and he has had a long career working in technology, choosing to get involved in an industry he’s passionate about - real estate. PLACE is a proprietary end-to-end technology platform which delivers a complete suite of business services exclusively to top agents, teams, and brokerages across the US and Canada. PLACE currently operates in over 70 locations across North America.    The door is wide open to disruptors because our industry is missing the mark. We have failed to deliver a frictionless service and put the customer first.    We are the only consumer-facing industry that puts more money into top-of-the-funnel awareness and new client acquisition than loyalty and retention. This is a problem agents need to wake up thinking about everyday.    To outlast disruptors, we have to deepen “our retention and loyalty moat” - it’s the only way to truly build a book of business, and get off the perpetual hamster wheel of getting the next deal.  Guest Info   Chris is the President of PLACE, an all-in-one real estate technology platform. PLACE delivers a complete suite of business services exclusively to top agents, teams, and brokerages across the US and Canada. PLACE currently operates in over 70 locations across North America. For more information, visit www.place.com and fill in the enquiry form for the team to get in touch with you.    CTA   ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla