Transcription
This meeting is being recorded.
What is going on, guys? I am here with Andre, who is going to be interviewing what's working with some of these agents who are using the cloud process and it's working for them. So, if you want to join us, if you want to see what is going on in our world, join us live and ask your questions here: meetcloudy.com. Meetcloudy.com. See you.
Start doing a little, my man. How we doing?
Can you hear me, sir?
I got you, Lima Charlie, as we used to call it in the Marine Corps.
Loud and clear.
Outstanding. Welcome back to What's Working Wednesdays. It's incredible, like, like, uh, how we've been this together over the past two weeks and how we continue to build and get traction into every individual day, uh, here. So excited to continue to be part of this, excited to, uh, continue to bring more agents together, bring value, and, um, see what's working, right? That's the beautiful thing of this, uh, business. We get to see what's working, what's not working, how each agent adapts to respect the market, the different strategy that pertains to to them as an individual, to their business. So, um, it's exciting and just want to provide a quick update, uh, to everyone joining us. Uh, we have what, three closings so far this year, this week, three transactions.
This week.
Exciting. Exciting. And today, we have Sarah Ron's joining us. Uh, she's locally here in the Huntsville, Alabama market, which is my market, by the way, for those asking. Uh, uh, it's my market. We have multiple agents in my market that are having tremendous success. So excited to have you on board, Sarah. And, uh, man, um, how, how's your day going today? You're on mute at the moment.
[Laughter]
I am so sorry.
I know. No worries.
It's going great. It's going great and it's h, it's great having you, uh, with me in the local market.
Awesome. Awesome. How so? Um, before we dive in into some of the questions and what was working with you, can you, uh, introduce yourself a little bit? Tell us about how you got into the real estate space.
Sure. I'm, I'm Sarah Ren. I got into real estate after many years of being a teacher and, um, I really have loved being in real estate. Um, but, you know, I guess like with any, uh, new business, you know, just learning how to make the business work and all of that, there's a lot to it. So, uh, going from one, uh, one, um, profession into another, there was a learning curve.
Absolutely. And I can, I can relate to some of that. Been
Completely different industry before real estate.
So.
For sure.
Before you got into, um, to Cloud Realty, uh, what was your business like?
Well, you know, I would say inconsistent, you know. I mean, I did have business and I did, um, have, uh, things going on, but I think as you know, I was transitioning into something new, um, you get a lot of differing views and advice on what you should do to be successful in that business and you find yourself, at least me, trying various things. Uh, and then, you know, sometimes you get spread thin o over too many different shiny objects trying to compete with your, uh, attention.
Yeah, absolutely. The shiny object syndrome. I hear that happening a lot.
What made you decide, uh, to look into Cloud Realty then?
Well, my mentor, um, mentioned it to me and, you know, I thought it sounded good, but I, I had reached a point where I really didn't like the idea of paying for leads. And at that point in time, that was kind of how the model was set up, uh, where, and I, I just thought, you know, I, I, I think I want to try these other things a little bit longer before I jump in. So, I was reluctant. I will just say I was reluctant to jump in with Cloud. Um, probably because of the shiny object syndrome, you know, like if you pick several things and then you find yourself spread thin. I didn't want to do that to myself again. And I knew I already had some other things I was working on. So it took me a while to to make the decision to to use to go with Cloud.
That.
Is that, do you try any other companies beforehand? Is that part of
Well, I have tried. Yeah, I think that was part of my reluctance is I had tried some other similar sounding things and I will just tell you right now, it's like night and day. I mean, it's not the same thing. It's not, um, buying leads like, for example, on Realtor. Okay. Um, I've never used Zillow, but what I liked about this initially, and the model's changed slightly, is that Cloud was incentivized for me to close. Um, what other, you know, lead generation platform is incentivized for you to close? Like, you pay your money to Zillow or Realtor, do they really care if you close? They really don't, I don't think. Um, what's in it for them if you close? It doesn't matter, they've already got your money, right? And that's what they are concerned with. So I felt like with Cloud, it, it seemed that, you know, I would be receiving some support, some community, and at the same time, um, leads that already raised their hand saying, "I want to buy or sell a home." Um, if you've ever called for sale by owner leads, expired leads, you almost need a dialer that's going to just do massive amounts of calls for you. And that sort of, um, thing is is difficult because you're getting no one on the phone more than half the time. You know, it's just usually you're just calling, calling, calling. And so this is more of an attraction-based model because there's marketing involved. Um, and then your, your face is part of the marketing. So people kind of already know they're selecting you, you know, to some extent, that, that, you as the agent.
Absolutely. At the end of the day, it's, it's, it's attracting clients to you, uh, your brand, your business. Now, it's not just, uh, getting names of people out there and putting them in front of you. These are people that, uh, that saw you and wanted to talk to you about their home purchasing goal. And what's one of the first things that impressed you of the platform and the team around you?
Oh, wow. Well, you know, just that you've got this cool CRM that's just kind of built right in with the system. So, you're able to see, um, all the leads that are coming through, even if they're not vetted. You know, I can see the leads and, and, and I can also see, uh, what level they have, like how much input they've given, pardon me, into the system. May have to get a sip of my tea here.
Um, but yeah, give me just a second. But yeah, the, um, that, as well as the ISAs, inside sales agents. So those agents are, um, I can see the communication that they have had with the leads through in, in the CRM and I can go back and follow up. Additionally, um, the calls are recorded. So if I need to go back and, and maybe it was an ISA conversation that I have not, I was not on that call, I can hear what that ISA said to the client and what the client said to the ISA. That gives me some background going in when I, when I need to talk with the, the person.
Absolutely. And then you mentioned CRM, and I've talked to a number of agents that have been in the business for for some time and don't have a CRM. How impactful has that been to you having the CRM and like you mentioned some of the features?
I mean, I've, I, I still use another CRM in addition to this CRM, but, um, this CRM is extremely practical. You know, it just ties seamlessly in with the leads. Uh, and it has so many great features because I can classify the leads according to their level of interest and where we think that they, uh, would, where they fall as far as, you know, quite hot, ready to go, or six months down the way, or, you know, what, what level they are.
Awesome. Awesome. And can you walk us through one of the recent wins that you've came through Cloud?
Um, well, okay. A recent win, I would say, um, I made contact with some clients who, and, and by the way, I will just say, I've made really good friends through the leads that I've made on, on here. And I think this goes back to they're kind of selecting me in, in a sense because I am part of the ad campaign. And your vibe attracts your tribe, you know? So when you start attracting people that are interested in working with you to begin with, that helps because, you know, there are plenty of people that probably are not a good fit for me for one reason or another. Hey, I love everybody and I'm going to work with you no matter what. Um, but I think that for other people, and, and I'm not going to have a problem with you either, but for some people, they're going to have a problem with me, and it doesn't matter what I do. So, if if that's you, then okay, find someone that you can work with. I'm going to be able to work with you. I, I think I can work with just about anybody. That's just my feeling. But, but, you know, it's always nice to work with people that, um, resonate with me or that like me. And so, anyway, but these particular, this couple, um, we ended up having some interesting, uh, things in common. And this is another thing, the small world. I mean, you start realizing, oh, we used to both lived live on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. You know, that he was from Pass Christian. I'd lived in Gautier, Mississippi. Um, we had these connections from our past that really kind of bonded us and, um, so this couple, uh, we became friends. I mean, I, we've been out to dinner with my husband and with them, uh, together, and we're planning to do it again. You know, we. So, anyway, all that said to say, they needed me to help them find a house. Meanwhile, they needed to sell a house. So, we started out. They wanted, they, they wanted to look for the house first. They needed to get a bigger house. Uh, so, we, we found that. Meanwhile, I'm getting their house ready to list. Their house is in a market that's a 60-day out market, and they would like to sell sooner. Um, so, we were able to list it a little bit. Well, we, we listed it at the right price, and I really have a system of getting the right price for my clients for selling. Um, and I do not take it lightly. To me, that is such a critical piece. And so, we got it listed, but they wound up selling well above list price in 12 days instead of 60. They were so pleased, you know, with how everything worked out. They were able to find a house with an amazing interest rate with way more space than they thought. They were so pleased. She's given me 20 stars on my reviews.
Nice.
Anyway, in addition, in one of the open houses, we had a client come in and her family was with her. I'm a mother of three daughters. This was a father with three daughters. And we really connected at the open house. Now I'm closing with that buyer on a purchase. And, you know, all of these have happened in the past couple months, you know? So, I mean, it's, it's awesome. I'm loving it. Like, what wouldn't I love about this? And then I'm not having to like have a robo dialer, you know, because you, because the system is already vetting those leads, getting everything through. And I like a reciprocal relationship. I feel like in with Cloud, there's sort of a reciprocal relationship here. It's not one-sided, you know, like with a lot of lead systems.
Absolutely. And, and, and I can say you've been doing great in communicating with the leads, communicating with us, with the team. And if I recall back on our first checking call, you were just in a month within working with us and you're like, "Yeah, I seen some leads, um, you know, had some communications, touch base, started building a report." And before we ended that call, one of the leads follow up with you and you closed that deal at the beginning of the year. So,
Uh, it, it goes to tell.
It goes to.
That's true. It was like I really wasn't expecting it, but within a month, I was closing on a lead that I got connected with in Cloud. And I, you know, even with this platform, you have to be careful not to prejudge. I've heard Sean say this as well. Don't prejudge. Hey, Sean, don't prejudge a situation because you don't really know,
You know, how something's going to turn out.
And I actually became good friends with that, that client as well. And we keep communicating with each other. Um, just really love that lady. Um, and she was a single parent. Well, her kids are grown, but she wanted to buy a house. Never had bought one. It was an amazing thing that we were able to help her with, but, um, but she, um, anyway, I, I, I could go into that in a lot more detail than we have time for today, but just a, a wonderful, you know, thing. So, I, I love what I do as a realtor, and I really think Cloud has just enhanced that, given me the opportunity to enjoy being, enjoy being a realtor.
Hear those words. Enjoy selling real estate.
Yeah.
Absolutely. And it goes to show, you know, how, how great you are at building those relationships, right?
Uh, and communicating. So that's.
Thank you, Andre. Yeah.
Well, and, and you've been great. I, I love Andre's as well. You know, if I get a Spanish-speaking client, I am. Oh, and this is the other thing. Um, I can do, um, a call through Cloud to my business partners. So, like if I need to get the lender on the phone, I'm like, "Hey, let's see if I, we can reach our lender." We call the lender, and that call's being recorded so the lender can go back and hear what was said prior to him coming on the call and, or if I have a, a client who's has broken English and they, they need a Spanish-speaking agent, I'm like, "Listen, um, you know, I've got a business partner here, Andre. I can call him and get them on the line." Oh, it's been so much fun listening to the translation, and I've been trying to do my Duolingo, and I am just not getting up to speak fast enough, and Andre is excellent at communicating with these Spanish-speaking clients. So, I appreciate you so much.
Anytime. It's my pleasure. It's one of the cool features that you can have multiple users acclimated to your account and be able to communicate back and forth.
It's awesome.
I thought that was great. Uh, just to wrap things up, any, uh, advice you would give to any new agents looking to to start up with Cloud Realty?
Um, well, if you're looking at any sort of platform to help generate leads and you, um, you feel like, you know, you feel a little jaded, um, just don't let that influence your decision to use Cloud because it's not the same thing. It's just not.
Yeah, absolutely. Any, any final thoughts on on what's next for you and, and how does Cloud Realty fit in in your vision too?
Yeah. Um, well, I would, I'm interested in growing a team. I've got one agent on my team with EXP, and, you know, this is a great tool to be able to offer, uh, you know, leads from for my, my clients and myself. Uh, so if there is a situation where maybe I'm going to be out of town, or maybe, um, I need someone to partner with me because I've got something going on in life, you know, that's, uh, taking my time up a little bit more, then I can do that and, and we can work on these things together. I can add them to my platform, and they can help me with the leads as well. Or I can have another agent, even though Cloud has agents inside, um, you know, if I have a TC, a transaction coordinator, or anything like that, they can help me, uh, on the, on the platform as well.
Absolutely. I think it makes a great tool and like you said, uh, any agents that you're helping or want to bring over to your team, uh, a great platform to to put in front of them and help them grow their business as well.
Um, I think that's it. That's, we can wrap this up. I wanted to ask Sean, Cara, anyone on here if they had any questions they wanted to ask you. Um, before we wrap that up.
Yes, I wanted to add something, Sarah. In the beginning, I remember you said, "I felt like I got lucky." And, you know, there's, there's that quote, uh, there's that quote. Sorry, I was getting a call from Russ. Uh, there's that quote that I, that I remember hearing a long time ago. Um, you know, the harder I work, the luckier I get. So, if, if you think I'm lucky, then call me lucky.
That's true. That's true. I think though, you know, the, the platform does a lot for you, but you, you've got to get into it, you know, and it is fun to dig into and, um, and I, I will say I'm more consistent at sometimes than others at, you know, going through everything, but I do try to consistently make sure that I'm vetting and going through and kind of reorganizing the leads and making sure I know and follow up. Yeah, that follow-up is so key. Um, and, and I will say this, you know, my, my experience, if it's not been perfect, it's not because of the system, it's because of me because on occasion, I have, um, I can see where there are leads that I have not followed through with adequately that they bought with someone else, you know, and that was my fault for not following up. And maybe I wasn't the right person for that person either, you know, maybe they chose someone else for some reason because they didn't resonate with me, and that's okay, too. But, you know, I do kick myself at times with things that I look back on and I say, "Oh, I, I missed an opportunity there." You know, so, but it, we all, nothing is lost because we learn from it and then we build on that.
I love that.
I got to, I got to give you credit there, Sarah, because you not always wait for things to happen. You make things happen. You, you reach out to those leads, just follow up, and in the process, you have to understand and learn that some opportunities may have been missed, but there's still others in there for you. And,
Absolutely. And, and I, I would say like, I will always describe myself as sort of a self-starter, um, but, you know, if you join the platform, you can't expect it to do everything for you, you know, go in, it's like a little gold mine, just go in and, and work it, you know, and, and just, uh, until you can find things. Uh, find those nuggets that are, you know, going to work out for you. And then, you know, it's so much better. I mean, we're working, we're in a people business, okay? So, we talk about numbers, we talk about, you know, making money and all of those things, but at the end of the day, too, we're helping people, um, get established in a home somewhere. And this is important work. I think it's very important. So, if I didn't feel that way, I don't, I would like, like what I do so much.
Well said.
Well said. Sarah, I have, I have just a, a couple questions for you, if, if that's okay.
Sure.
Um, more, more specifically about, um, the, the, the lessons, like I know we're, we've been kind of talking high level here. You know, we talked about leads. Um, but like when it comes down to like the conversations and the experience, how long have you been.
I couldn't hear. Let me turn my volume up just a tad because somehow I'm not hearing you fully. It might also be me. Uh,
Okay. I got my volume up.
Okay. Um, how, how long have you been licensed now?
Uh, nine years.
Nine years. Okay.
Well, about nine years. It's just barely. Yeah.
Okay. So in, uh, in the last 12 months, um, working with these internet leads and because you've tried a lot of other things, but specifically when you have a conversation, what was uniquely different and what, what were some of like the things that you learned in having those conversations? Because, and I'll give you a little context. U I've heard from some agents that our leads are excellent to test, like, like train on, uh, like real-life examples of, you know, of, of communication without, uh, burning through your, your sphere of influence.
Um.
And so I'm just curious if you could paint me kind of a picture, what,
What did you learn?
Okay. Um, I think that what you say is, you know, we, we're, we're condensing a process that could normally take a long time down to a shorter period of time because of all the systems in place. And so, yes, it is a very, like, what you get content-wise on the calls is very, like a textbook example, many times of what you should or shouldn't do. Um, the leads also are ready. You're not trying to harangue somebody into something. Like, these are people that want to buy and sell, or they want to do something. So, you actually have a real estate conversation going on. And, um, so for me personally, you know, like when I, I guess the one thing I, I'm trying to work better at is when we get a, for example, a live transfer call because that happens. You know, somebody calls in because of the ad, and maybe the ISA says, "This person's ready to talk with Sarah," and they put a call through to me. I might be making dinner. Um, I might be, um, babysitting my three grandsons, five and under. I don't know what I may be doing at that moment. But this is one thing, you know, and I mentioned the other day, it's important as real estate agents that we take the call. We take the call, but we just need to figure out a system. And my family's used to it by now. They know what it means, like, okay, you know, and this is a good thing. You tell your family, okay, if I get a call from this number, just know it could be nothing, but it could be something. You know, it could be something very important. So, if you'll give me just a moment to come aside, and then they kind of, like, my husband will take over with the kids or whatever, you know, and give me a chance to go into my office, take the call, get on the computer so I can pull up and see, you know, what's going on with this client and what information has already been input, but be ready when that call comes in to listen in particular so that your response, you're not giving, um, pre-scripted responses right away, you know, like, really hear them. Like, for example, one that I really missed out on recently was, she had said she wanted new construction. What I heard was, "Oh, they're, they're already going to buy a lot and they, they're looking for a builder and they don't need me." That was what I heard. But I should have listened closer because what they were, and I did address saying, "Well, these are the options. You can either do that, or you can, um, work with a builder that's already, uh, an existing builder." She wound up choosing a builder, one that not only have I worked with several times, but I, I currently have someone closing with a new construction with that builder. And I work with that builder closely. I'm even a sitter with that builder. Sometimes I will sit for agents for that builder. So I'm very familiar with that builder. And I'm like, "Wow, I could have helped you with that like so perfectly." But anyway, I lost it because I wasn't really hearing her, and my state of mind was not ready for, um, or didn't do, I, I messed it up, you know? I just messed it up, and I should have said something more along the lines of, you know, asked her the right questions about what she had done so far with the builder. So, I think it is key learning to ask good questions. There are a lot of good books out there. Um, one that I can't think of the name of right now, but anyway, yeah, I'll look it up and I'll say it before the end of the meeting. Um, on asking good questions, you know, you just need to be thinking in terms of hearing what they're saying. If you're not sure what they're saying, clarify it,
You know, and, and, and Sean has mentioned this many times before. People often say things that are not really true. You know, they're going to say it to get through the conversation. And, but if they have done everything necessary to get to the point to talking with me, they've seen an ad, they filled out information, um, saying they want more info on homes or whatever. It takes a lot for a person to do that in this day and age. You know, people have become wise to filling things out online. And if they're going to go that far, then they may be more ready than they're letting on, you know? So, that's what I love about this platform is these people are pretty ready. Um, you just have to to listen carefully, ask the right questions, take some pauses, you know, so you can hear what they're saying, and make sure you understand it, and then move in a measured fashion through the con conversation.
That's absolutely well said, and I'm so happy. It is like such a pleasure to work with a professional who can can see and identify, uh, improvements, the small hinges that swing big doors, because it, in that moment, in that call, you only have five minutes with that person, and like Jordan Belfort says, you need to be sharp as a tack in that moment. Um, and it, and it can be mentally taxing having to always answer your phone. Well, Sarah, uh, I just want to say thank you so much for sharing your journey.
The book Power Questions.
Power.
Power Questions. Definitely going to be.
Good book. Good, uh, really helpful with questions.
Outstanding.
Definitely going to get that, that book. And Sarah, before, before we sign off, I actually want to leave you with a, with a tactical tip here. Um, when it comes to possibly missing a phone call, so I just put this Instagram, uh, this video, this reel on Instagram today, but,
Uh, I've been updating my voicemail. Have you ever called Russ Collia?
Oh, yeah. He does it every day.
Yeah. And when I first called Russ, I'll just tell you, you know, he, he might have been, I don't know where on the on the spectrum, like where, where I thought Russ was at at that time, several years ago, but when I called him and I got his voicemail, he went just a bar above, you know, where, where I thought he was.
And that, like, it gave me, I can't describe it, but a feeling, um.
And I thought, I want to replicate that feeling for other people who call me and get my voicemail.
And so, Uh, if you have an iPhone, uh, it's.
Mine is Samsung because my husband's a software engineer and he will not buy something you can't program.
So we just stick with Samsung.
We will, we will all pray for you, Sarah.
Yeah, we're living.
You have a Samsung, too.
All right, there you go. But, uh, but that, that voicemail, that voicemail tip has saved me a lot of business because people, uh, people call and, and I do miss calls if, if I'm on a Zoom call. Um, and how it goes is, it's Wednesday, July 16th, and you've reached the voicemail box is Sean Ringer, and I make some, you know, crazy something up. Uh, and then I, then I mention that I'm either with my family or on a Zoom call with a real estate agent. Um, and please leave me a text message or a voicemail, and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.
Uh,
Yeah.
And that, I've split-tested it because I know when people call me back and, and I've had months where I didn't update it, and then I had months where I did update it. And the months that I did update it, people left voicemails, people sent text messages, and best of all, I got a bunch of compliments from people that never gave me a compliment before. Uh, and so these were complete strangers who said, "Dude, love your voicemail. Hit me back up whenever you get a chance." Like, really good stuff. So,
Wanted to pass that to you guys.
Okay, awesome. Yeah, I, I mean, I've heard it, but I never thought about actually doing it. But, you know what? I think maybe I will now. I like that idea. I'll give it a try.
Yeah, because it really, it really stinks missing a phone call. That's.
Oh, yeah. No, for sure.
Yeah. That's another feature of the Cloud system is, you know, we've got AI, um, options available that I'm starting to delve into a little bit that can help. You know, it's one thing if you're plagiarizing or something, and I know in some, some fields it would be horrible to, to use AI, but others, like marketing, I mean, come on, you know, we're gonna have to use it. So.
Awesome. Hey, Andre, let's end on time. Thank you again so much, Sarah. I really look forward to inviting you again after your next transaction. Um, anything else to add, Andre? Sarah? Cara?
No, I just wanted to, uh, Sarah, thank you again for being here. I appreciate you taking the time to joining us here. Uh, What's Working Wednesday. Next week, we're going to have, uh, Christine, uh, Boyette. So, she's going to be joining us out of California, I believe it is. And, uh, yeah, excited to hear what she has her experiences and what's working for her. And again, thank you for joining us today, and let's make it happen. What's Working Wednesdays.
All right, we'll see you. Thanks, man.