From Slump to Strategy: How Lenders and Agents Can Win When Real Estate Feels Impossible

We trade jokes for candor about a tough housing cycle, why purchase pipelines feel thin, and how to stay steady when wins are scarce. We map out practical ways agents and lenders can adapt with AI, consistent social content, and realistic success metrics that match this market.

• why the current market feels harder than 2008 for many
• lenders’ shift from refi booms to purchase scarcity
• managing slumps, mindset, and redefining success
• how AI and ChatGPT change homebuyer search
• social media as a free, high-ROI channel
• authentic content vs performance and burnout
• lenders’ underused video opportunities
• loyalty differences between agents and lenders
• staying top of mind without chasing likes
• simple, low-cost gear and a sustainable cadence
• long-game strategy: consistency over virality
• open invite to connect for help or questions

If anyone is listening and they're struggling and they want to talk about it Cody's there for the lending side I'm here for the real estate side

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:00

Hey guys, we're back with another episode of Venture with Joe and Cody. My name's Joe Skipper. I'm the owner of Skipper Realty Group. No, yeah. I'm the owner of Skipper Realty Group brokered by EXP. I'm not the owner of EXP Realty. I would be a different different person. I'd probably be pretty busy. But anyways, I'm with Cody Wilhelm with residential mortgage. How's it going, man?

SPEAKER_01 0:18

I'm doing good. I'd like to think if you were the owner of EXP, we'd still be doing this though.

SPEAKER_03 0:23

Hopefully, hopefully I'd remember the remember the people that got me there. You know? Exactly. Well, it's funny because I mess up my name and my company more than I've ever. I think I've gotten yours a hundred percent of the time who you are and what your business is. And I can't get my own. So I don't know what that says about me.

SPEAKER_01 0:38

It's it's okay. Yeah. You just you're just an autopilot with yourself.

SPEAKER_03 0:44

I know, I know. I need to just we need to alternate. I think you need to have bear

Banter, Intros, and Setting the Stage

SPEAKER_03 0:48

some responsibility and start to introduce this group. Yeah, I don't know about that. I'm just gonna record one day. You're so much better at it. I'm not gonna say a word until you get the get the hint that you have to say the intros.

SPEAKER_01 1:00

I'm gonna be like, my name's Joe Skipper. I'm uh you'll see how hard this is. Okay, you're gonna see how hard this is.

SPEAKER_03 1:08

Man, it's really not hard, but somehow I I make it look difficult.

SPEAKER_01 1:12

You no, nope, you make it look easy.

SPEAKER_03 1:15

Yeah, yeah. Well, yeah, man, what's going on in your world? I kind of wanted to just kind of have a casual chat today about you know this market and being a lender and a real estate agent in this market. I assume that most people that are watching this, you know, maybe I shouldn't assume this, that agents are watching and lenders are watching. Well, I'm sure. Maybe it is people that are buying and selling. They're all looking for a job. I'm sure everyone's at the edge of their seat and they have their weekly meetings surrounding our podcast.

SPEAKER_01 1:38

You know, let's watch it live.

SPEAKER_03 1:40

Everybody together. Maybe we could ask questions of them, of these masters of the industry. Yes. Anyways, I'm just thinking like I kind of wanted to give some, I guess, advice, uh, different things that we might do in this market. You know, this has been, we've talked about this. This I've heard from agents that have been in, you've been in a long time, but I've heard agents that have been through uh 2008 and that are saying that these last couple

Why This Market Feels So Hard

SPEAKER_03 2:06

years, and especially this year, has been one of the hardest times they've been through uh in the real estate market from a real estate standpoint. Yeah. Is that similar? Are you hearing the same sort of things on your end, or what's the deal?

SPEAKER_01 2:17

Yeah, definitely. Same. And I think what's kind of added to that a lot from the lending side is we, I mean, not only were things crazy busy and everybody just gets used to that, and you don't have to put in really a lot of effort to get busy because it's just uh everybody that you talk to wanted to buy or refinance. And then you go to this time frame where rates go up, everything slows down. And for for lenders, we have two streams of uh possibility, purchase and refi. And uh during the last three years, uh it has been purchase only, and the purchase side has been a lot slower. So we're starting to kind of get into a phase here now where it's like refinances are are starting to become a little bit more of a thing, more of a talking point. People are kind of curious. It's been happening, but it's more of like that, like I just don't have any other option. I need to take out equity and I already have a HELOC and I've already maxed that out. So like, yeah, it sucks, but we have to do this. Now it's starting to get to the point where uh there are people that are wanting to refinance out of their seven and a half percent uh rate, and it's actually making enough sense to do so. So it is starting to open up, but I think that that's one thing that has it's kind of gone away, is is just even if it's just refinances kind of here and there, like there really has not been a whole lot. So that kind of cuts out a good chunk of your your opportunity, and it's not worth marketing anybody or anything, really, because

Lending Reality: Purchases vs Refis

SPEAKER_01 3:43

you're gonna find the needle in the haystack, but it's like how much work do you go through to find that one person that needs to refinance? So, but then you also have on the purchase side a lot of first-time homebuyers that have been kind of pushed to the back. So first-time homebuyer classes, not at really as effective. You know, you're just you're you're shifting all of your marketing attempts and and contacts to people that are in a position to be able to buy.

SPEAKER_03 4:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 4:08

I think from at least speaking from the lending standpoint, yeah, it's been tough. And I didn't get into it back in the 07, 08 range. I got into it in 13. So I didn't experience that that previous slow, but this has definitely been the the hardest for me the last really the last handful of years because it's it feels like you're doing uh doing more work prospecting and and reaching out and marketing and doing everything with with such little return. For sure. That it's kind of a defeated feeling. Um and I know that that's I've had to like pull myself out of many slumps because you're just like I feel like I could be doing nothing and getting the same results, which is frustrating, right? Because it's like then you kind of convince yourself that, well, you know, whatever. And it's like yeah, you need those little victories, and and when you don't see them for a while, it it gets it gets to be challenging, but then you get that victory, even if it's just a good phone call, and you're like, Okay, cool, this is why I'm doing this. This is why, you know, and so it's it's been more of a mental battle, I think, than it than anything for me. And I think that's what makes it harder too. Like success makes you excited, and not only do you get paid, but you just feel good about what you're doing for sure. So when you don't see it as often, it makes it tough.

SPEAKER_03 5:17

Yeah, and I think success, it's uh interesting you say that because I I feel like you always have to I don't want to say adapt your success because I don't want to say you lower your standards, but I also under you have to also accept the market. Like I I think there is a there's a balance

Mental Game: Slumps, Wins, and Perspective

SPEAKER_03 5:33

between saying I'm doing crappy and accepting that the market's not allowing you to do anymore, if that makes sense. But I think that some people can see that as a cop-out, and someone will be like, oh no, you can do as much as you want, and then no matter what the market is, and blah, blah, blah. And I would say, yes, maybe there are that upper echelon, the upper few percent that can, you know, continue to build year over year, no matter what the market does. And that is awesome. That's awesome. Yeah, but yeah, and I'm not saying you can't, but I'm but I do say for the majority of agents or lenders that I see or that I think are in this world is is adapting the success to not get so down on yourself and understand that not only are you struggling many, maybe, or maybe you're sit maybe you didn't reach the 30% growth this year and you got 15% growth or 5% growth, or you maintain level. It's like when you talk to other people that are like, I have to leave this industry, yeah, like it's you putting yourself in a position or to see relatively to what's going on in the market. And that's like I got the same way. It's like we had a certain growth uh parameter that we wanted to get for our company, and we may meet it at this. We we've had a recent boom to get, you know, potentially there. But there were times in the summer that I was like, we're not making that goal. Like and and I'm a failure because of it. And but I think then you hear someone say, I've been in the industry 25 years, and this is the worst it has ever been. And I that sounds terrible, but it makes me happy in the sense that I'm like, I'm with you. We are not we did not maybe get to that goal that we wanted to do because everything was going fine last year, or whatever you were at. Yeah. But to say, okay, well, I didn't get to uh 35% growth, but maybe I got to six percent growth, you know, or I'm just staying, I'm staying good this year. I'm just gonna keep then even even like person we didn't grow, we didn't lose, whatever that may be. I think just giving yourself some grace to say this will get better. Like, as you know, as we see historically, we will look back at this time and say that this was one of the worst times we had in our career, and we'll be happy we made it through, if that makes sense.

SPEAKER_01 7:33

Absolutely. It reminds me a lot of my my first like couple years.

SPEAKER_03 7:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 7:38

Where it it almost felt like and and has felt like I it's almost like I don't know what I'm doing,

Redefining Success in Downturns

SPEAKER_01 7:45

right? But I know what I'm doing, I know what works and what has worked, but it's not working at times. And so you're kind of like, okay, well, you know, you you like throw this idea out there and it doesn't really net you anything. So you're like, okay, well, maybe that's not gonna work. Let me try this idea, and then that doesn't really work. And so it's kind of felt the same way, and to your point with it too, like adjusting our standards of of what is successful and what is not. I think it's hard when you when you have success, you know, and success is a is a different for everyone. For sure. But when you feel like you're having success and and it continues to grow year after year after year, and then you then you see that go away and you're back down to a lower level of what your success was. For sure. At one point, you would have been thrilled with that.

SPEAKER_03 8:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 8:34

But but you've seen a higher amount, and then you're kind of going, okay, well, this is kind of a bummer, but you're you're maintaining it, or you're you're gradually just kind of stair-stepping. And that's kind of where it feels like right now is like weathering the storm and and getting through it and learning a lot through it. Like I've probably learned more this in these last three years than I did in many years before, because uh I, you know, like with everything, you you learn through struggles and failures and or whatever the word is that you want to use, like hard times, and and you kind of learn not only how to be more resilient, but also like how to adapt to things and where is the future going? Because uh, you know, we've seen AI stuff and and I'm seeing more and more of that of like Chat GPT. I don't remember what the statistic was, I wish I could remember it, but it was being used uh more and more for home purchase uh information. Yeah. Right. Instead of just your traditional Google searching. For sure. So even just with adapting with stuff like that, you know, you're looking at it going, all right, I could be I could spend this time where I do have a little bit more time to be to be like digging into things on how do I how do I get myself to show up on chat GPT?

SPEAKER_02 9:45

For sure.

SPEAKER_01 9:46

You know, because if that's the direction that people are starting to go, I know when my wife, uh who's not a techie person at all, when she tells me I don't even know why I use Google anymore. I'm just gonna use chat GPT. And it's like it's true because it just walks

Learning Through Adversity and AI’s Rise

SPEAKER_01 10:00

you through so much more stuff. And and Google obviously is is necessary for a lot of things or you know, your your traditional searching. But uh in general, I'm like, wow, okay, if my if my wife who's not techie and my son who definitely he's kind of that's that's the future, right? If if that's their two go-tos when it comes to internet searching, how do I get there? What do I need to do? So I think it's good because it does force you to change and adapt. Whereas when things are going good, uh I feel like you can very easily start to fall behind because you're just you're having success. How long will that success last? I don't know, but you know, there is some there is some beauty in the adversity as much as it's it's painful during it.

SPEAKER_03 10:40

Oh yeah, for sure. And the uh the AI stuff is like, you know, I'm thankful I'm with a group and with an EXP that's kind of on the forefront, and so I can get mentors in there. But man, it's it does I think a lot of people, including myself at certain times, you just get down and you're like, like you just you said earlier, like nothing I do is gonna gain the client. So what what am I doing? Yeah. But yeah, diving into at proactively diving into stuff because eventually you're not gonna have the time to do this stuff. That's how this industry goes, is you're gonna feel in the slump and you're gonna feel in this way, and then the market's gonna hit somehow, or something's gonna hit, and it's gonna be like you get a call, you get a call, you get a call, and then you're like, now you can't train, now you can't find anything to keep going. And in our industry, it's what you do now that six months from now helps you, and it's not a it's not a week-to-week thing. So you have to continue to maintain if you don't want the roller coaster ride of of clients and no clients and social and and then then marketing and then back down and marketing back down. Like you kind of have to maintain it. So take advantage of these times. I would say one thing that I did when I first started, and one thing I continue to do, even though I my my situation has changed, is social media. If you are struggling with money, if you're struggling with you know putting out marketing stuff, you don't have the monthly income, or you used to have the monthly income to put out, whatever you love to do, your mailers or whatever, whatever you like to do, take clients out for $150 lunches and like and you can't do that anymore. Social media going along with the AI technology is the way to go in our society. Um, especially in the real estate world. You may see, we have definitely seen a huge uptick

Seizing ChatGPT and Search Shifts

SPEAKER_03 12:15

in real estate uh agents getting on social media. There's still a ton that do it now, but there's still a gap for it. And and one thing that Mike uh Sherarda Gaia and our the the one that helped found our uh group within EXP, he basically, you know, a lot of he kind of got broke through the uh intimidation of getting into social media. Like, look, this person does so well, they're attractive, they know how to speak, they did this funny thing, they do this cool stuff all the time. I have no place in this world. And he really put it well. And he's like, there are different buyers for every agent in the sense that there's buyers that will see that same video that you think is so awesome and be like, I will never work with that agent. Yeah. Because they are absolutely unprofessional. I don't want that humor, I don't want that, I don't care about the gimmicks, I don't care about I want the agent that does X. Or, you know, so if you're someone that you might think is boring and you just want to give facts, there are buyers and sellers out there that want data, facts, and they don't want the glamour. You know, so he kind of helped me to say, no matter what you see out in the world, don't compare yourself to it with other agents. Do what you're good at, do what you're comfortable with on social media, but can do it consistently, and you will get clients that match that that want that. Um and I would say to any agent that is out there or lender out there, I think lending has more of an opportunity in my personal opinion. Maybe it's just because I don't follow a ton of lenders, but I feel like lenders have a huge opportunity to be on social media. Agents kind of do the whole gimmicky thing or the, you know, like I'm gonna jump in a pool and I'm gonna do this stuff, like all that. You know, there's tons of that out there. So I do think it is a little bit more competitive in the real estate the agent world, but I do think the lender world has definite opportunity to to be that person out there that people are like, okay, like I'm gonna use this lender and knows what they're talking about. What's your thoughts on that?

SPEAKER_01 14:00

No, I I agree. I think I think at least in my mind, um I struggle at times with okay, what because I'm my stuff

Social Media as a Free Growth Engine

SPEAKER_01 14:09

is is primarily more like um informative, right? Like I don't I don't do a lot of humor stuff to it.

SPEAKER_03 14:15

It's rates based, it's yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 14:17

I'd love to do humor stuff, but at the same time, I'm like, I'm not that's not my goal here is to try to get like people just to watch to be entertained, it's to to inform. But I do think that there is an element like with the the real estate agent side uh where uh there you've got houses that you can show, yeah, which does make it seem a little more of like a oh wow, like that kitchen was amazing or for sure, whatever it might be. I think on our side, it's at least in my mind, it's like okay, mortgages are not anything that are cool or any so it's like how can I make that what some of it feels like very boring things, for sure. How can it come across as as less boring and more informative or or cool if you can even make it seem cool? But I agree. I mean, I see so much more real estate agent content out there than I do lender, and I feel like I follow a decent amount of lenders, even if they're just local ones. I think there's just not a lot that's felt to put out there. So what what I do see out there is like an image of a flyer.

SPEAKER_03 15:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:16

Or, you know, certain statistics or something. And it's like cool, you know, but but there's not a lot of video. There's not a lot of stuff that is that is kind of engaging. And I I don't know if others are running into the same feeling that I have of like, okay, how can I make this uh uh what can I talk about that that's practical, that's engaging, that's that's fun, that's just me in front of the camera. So it's it is necessary because I do agree. I mean, it's we've we've only seen it continue to grow. For sure. You've got a great story on your experience through uh social media and and where it's started to to get you to and and the success stories that you've had. And it's just like that consistency. So I think that that's kind of the the hard part of staying consistent with it. But I love what you're uh I don't remember what the guy's name was, what he what he said though, because I think that that's Mike, yeah. We all want to compare, we all want to be that person. Like that person's funnier than I am. How do I

Content Fit: Data-Driven vs Entertainment

SPEAKER_01 16:10

be funny like them without seeming like I'm trying to just be funny? And that's the whole point of the thing, right? It's like for sure, just be comfortable doing what you're doing because it's not gonna be for everyone. But like you said, that other person that's that's doing dance videos in the in the basement of the house, like there's gonna be people that are like, why would I want that person to represent you? For sure, and others that are like, I love that for just as many that want to want somebody.

SPEAKER_03 16:34

Yeah, like I follow a couple of agents within my uh brokerage that are on YouTube that have thousands of followers that are data driven. He's just got stats, like just has the PowerPoint of stats. Here's what's happening in my community, here's the apartments for sale, here's the con like here's the single level, single family, you know, whatever it may be. He just got stats and just has thousands of followers that are following that. And and it's free. Social media is free, so it doesn't require it requires your time and it requires consistency, but it's free. But I would say with lending, I get your point that like yes, the numbers are boring, but I say I would say real estate's boring. Like I would say, unless you're in real estate, it's boring. But I've gotten clients that have called you directly over just recently because of our podcast and because of our talking, like, oh yeah, I've talked to Cody. Like, and I didn't I didn't really even solicit you. Like, I think because they knew me and knew you from that, they've called. So I would say, like, if you're in the lending world, there's a huge opportunity. It's easy for me to say from the outside looking in, but it there is a huge opportunity, even if you think it's boring. People like lending, particularly tell me if I'm wrong here. Like lending is about numbers, but I think people only choose lenders based on numbers. I think real estate agents get chosen based on family, friends, referrals, personality, you know, whatever. I think a lot of people choose a lender, one, based off their agent recommending who it is, but also if you are online and if you are super, you know, available to people that are watching and tap into people that are buying, I don't know. I feel like there's a less there's less loyalty to lenders, is what I'm trying to say. To where it's like you could take a lot of people that are like, Yeah, I have I worked with this guy last, you know, last year, but yes, hey, you you had some good good data, you know, that I wanted to use. Like, I think that am I wrong in saying that there's a less loyalty to lenders, or is there no?

SPEAKER_01 18:23

I

Lenders’ Big Opportunity on Video

SPEAKER_01 18:24

I would completely agree with that. I think that there's and and it's something that we're always trying to work on, right? It's like building that relationship with the client.

SPEAKER_03 18:32

You don't, and I'm not I'm not arguing that you don't. I'm just saying in general, I feel like agents that are good keep clients forever, keep their grandkids, keep their whatever. Totally. Um but I think lenders, it's like, yeah, my lender, I use this lender, and then I just moved on. And maybe that's follow-up, maybe that's also staying in touch with them through their years, you know, too.

SPEAKER_01 18:50

Totally. I think the part that's that's hard, and maybe this is just my own thinking, especially now, uh since COVID, you know, everything, it's it's hard to get people to meet uh for mortgage-related things, unless you're just like, you have to, you know. But then at that point, they're gonna be like, well, I want to do it online, so I'm gonna go somewhere else.

SPEAKER_02 19:08

For sure.

SPEAKER_01 19:09

Not getting a lot of like in-person interaction to where you can start to build that relationship. I'll I'll do everything I can to kind of build it over the phone and personalize things more. But I think it's it may be a little bit uh easier to build that relationship, like as a real estate agent, because you get those face to face, you walk through the house with them. They there's more of a trust that's built than over the phone and online. But I also think people too, it's like it's I don't want to downplay it too much, but it's almost like, you know, okay, well, why would I Capital One card versus Visa card versus true discover card? Like to me, I just want the best. What's gonna be the best credit card for sure? I don't have a loyalty, you know. I'm not brand loyal when it comes to that. I think there's a lot of that with the lending side of like, sure, I don't who are who's gonna take care of me and who's gonna give me the best deal? Like, that's what I want.

SPEAKER_03 19:59

And so that's interesting because I, you know, I wonder, I think I've always coming from my background and my parents, my in-laws background of in the real estate world, I've always had like a the clients we build are kind of family going. So you stay in contact with them more naturally. I'm wondering with lending, I don't know, maybe I'm thinking too big,

Loyalty Dynamics: Agents vs Lenders

SPEAKER_03 20:16

like I'm thinking like this, like this could be. But I think like lending could be that. I think I think a lenders downplay their role, like in certain ways. It's like you don't have to, like, I don't I don't reach out to people to just talk about their house, you know. I think like because I think if you could build the loyalty with them to say, hey, maybe the rates suck, but man, Cody's been with us, like giving us monthly newsletters or monthly reports on her house, or you know, those sort of things, like they'd be like, Yeah, I'm just going with Cody. It's not I'm not searching around for it. Um but you brought up the credit card thing, and I'm like wondering if that's the same sort of thing that they struggle with too, is like keeping front of mind in front of people. And and that's that's I think real estate agents have to do the same thing, is just basically being. I don't think like I we've talked about this a ton of times, is I don't go out there on Instagram and all that to get likes. It's not like you know, oh, I need 45 likes, I need 200 likes, because that's going to show that I'm good. All I need is one person to say, I saw your video and now I want to buy a million-dollar home. Like, so it's going out with consistency to say, look, don't get discouraged by maybe, oh man, no one has liked this. No one like I had 30 views on this one, you know, those sort of things. I think that agents and lenders can get super like, this is pointless. You know, what am I doing? I look like an idiot because no one's watching it. I think you'd be surprised. I think anyone out there trying to test the waters, you're gonna be surprised that consistency, because there's been more and more as the years gone on, said, I'm going with you because you are always there. You're always talking about this, you're always online, you're always you have the podcast. You have I've had lenders reach out to me and say, Man, I didn't know how successful you were because you have a podcast. And I'm like, Yeah, it's not that difficult to do, but I'm going to keep running with that. But you know, it's I think showing your credibility is a big thing online. Anyways, I don't know where I'm going with that, but more of just like

Relationship Building in a Remote World

SPEAKER_03 22:11

the consistency, the free the it's free. So if you are struggling with money, get on get on the internet. You don't have to have a nice mic, you don't have to have a nice camera. Just getting out there and showing people you will connect with with people that you actually end up liking to work with. Um because they will like your personality, and in turn, you'll probably be very similar. And so I think for people that are struggling with that, it's like getting out there and be consistent. But yeah, anyways, I think there's a ton of opportunity there.

SPEAKER_01 22:39

Yeah, and I think too, like, because I run into that every once in a while where you're like, man, is this even like is this valuable to anyone? Because you know, if you don't get the feedback that you want, for sure, then you kind of feel like, well, is it even being seen? Like, you know, they have analytics and all the stuff that tells you how many views and all that stuff where you're like, is it really helping? And then you talk to someone and they're like, I love your videos. Like, yep, they're super informative, and you're like, okay, somebody is watching. And I have to remind myself too of that. Of like, I'm not I'm not putting them out there, I'm putting them out there as like educational pieces, right? So that people can learn from it.

SPEAKER_03 23:17

Not so that I can become like social media some famous lender.

SPEAKER_01 23:21

I'm pretty sure that you don't get really super famous from just stating mortgage facts. For sure. But it's like, okay, I'm putting it out there for that, right? And if and if it's received well, great. If not, I can't I can't point to anything that I'm that what I'm doing is like shameful or embarrassing, or like I can't believe I stooped. I can't believe I got to that point to try to get likes, you know, where it's like, it feels good, I'm gonna keep doing it for the educational purpose. But I think it's hard to not get wrapped into that. Like, why does this person, you know, you can see how many likes they got, and I'm only getting I'm getting 10 and they're getting hundreds or thousands. And it's like, what are they doing that I'm not doing? And but at the same time, what does it matter? Uh like I shouldn't be comparing myself

Stay Top-of-Mind Without Chasing Likes

SPEAKER_01 24:05

to that person. They could have been doing this for eight years now. For sure, and more likely that's taken this.

SPEAKER_03 24:10

More likely than not they started at the same place you are. Like and they, you know, and so anyone out there that's like getting in that mode is like they started the same place, and you don't have to have it, like you don't have to have it. You need you make it worthwhile, at least in real estate. You make it especially when you're going free. One client just made your whole time worth it, right? Like, you know, because you didn't pay anything, it took your time, obviously, and it takes your consistency, obviously, but right it pays off pretty well. But yeah, with yours, like not to toot your horn, but like I like when I see your stuff out there. Like it's you've got a good video and things like that. And but I do think that's important. I think you know, obviously we're in this world, but I think like, yeah, I've had people like you said, we just Christina went to a client the other day and was like, You guys are doing so great. We see you on social media and blah blah blah blah. And it's like, I'm sure they don't like our stuff. I haven't seen them like our stuff or comment on our page, or yeah, you know, but the when you get that that direct feedback of like, yeah, things are looking good for you guys based on that, it kind of does give you that confidence and don't be, I guess, again, a little advice is don't just don't just look at the number of clicks and think or you know, I'm popular or not. It's like people are watching. And I there's a ton of videos that I watch that I'm like, great video, and I never like it or never comment on it.

SPEAKER_01 25:24

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 25:24

Um, so anyways, we're been on social media this whole time, but I know.

SPEAKER_01 25:29

Well, and one one more thing, you kind of pointed to it a little bit, but I think you know, when I first started and and I, you know, I think the tendency is I need to get a really good camera, I need to get a really good microphone, I need to get this software and all this stuff. And I mean, I know you probably have a better setup than I do, but I spent like fifty dollars on this little mixer and microphone, and I use my phone. Yeah, you know, so it's like quality is great, yeah. Yeah, it doesn't have to be anything fancy, you don't have to have a studio, you don't have to have anything crazy. Like that's what everybody wants to get to because it looks cool and sounds good, but but like you can go into it with just your phone

Gear, Budget, and Starting Simple

SPEAKER_01 26:05

and a cheap Amazon microphone and not look that much different than what these you know thousand dollar setups are gonna look like.

SPEAKER_03 26:12

I know even behind me and behind you, it's like that doesn't that's it, looks like you have this. Like, if we were to pan around that we'd have this huge studio, it's like it's a disaster around us. Like it's not it's not what you think. But yeah, it takes very little. It doesn't need to be I think people think they need to go from zero to a hundred. They can't, you know. If I'm gonna start, I'm starting as a as a podcaster. I'm gonna start uh and it's like it's it's ideal if you've got the money and can do it, that's great, but it doesn't, it's not necessarily. And people will like you for who you are and it will come, it will show through, it will show through on camera, but it will also show through on camera if you are trying to fake things. Like if you saw me pulling up, like if you I can guarantee what would happen is if I pulled up uh to like uh and had a rolling video of me getting out of a red Lamborghini. Like all of my friends would be like, What are you doing? Like, what are you doing? And the comments. How long did you rent the car for? The comments would not be what I like on in on social media. But there are friends of mine that are good, they have them, and they're they're successful agents and they're great, and that's the that's the clientele they pull, and that's the life they live, and that's awesome. I'm not knocking that, but you have to be true to yourself and who you are with that. And maybe I will be a guy that like has Lamborghinis in his garage, and then I will make the videos, but right now, right now I'm good.

SPEAKER_01 27:32

Yeah, I think you know, I think the the funny part too is when you see people that you do know and you're like, that's not the version that I know, yes, but that's the social media version of it. You know, it's kind of that awkward thing where yeah, I've I've seen many videos, not necessarily of people that I know, but I've thought that. I'm like, I wonder what the people that know them well think because you know a lot of them you can tell they're clearly acting and playing into this kind of character that they've created. Yeah. And I'm like, I wonder how that I wonder what that's like for people

Authenticity Beats Flashy Personas

SPEAKER_01 28:05

that know them that are like I know it's so weird. Like you're like two different people. You're like your social media image, and then you have your normal image, and they're not the same.

SPEAKER_03 28:13

But I'm like, I guess I'm I'm thankful that I have friends like you and my old college friends that would never let me get that. Yes. Right. Like if I have if I if I owned a Lamborghini or a nice car, whatever a nice car it is, like if I own that and I had enough money to do it, I would be bragging to them before I got online.

SPEAKER_02 28:33

Totally.

SPEAKER_03 28:33

Yes. I'd be like, hey suckers, I'm gonna drive this by your house, park it, and and then I'm gonna do the video just to rub it in. Exactly. Because if I did it now, they'd be like, okay, did you steal it or did you rent it? Right. Yeah. Yes. You have to turn it back in.

SPEAKER_01 28:48

Right. Whose friend is whose friend's car is that?

SPEAKER_03 28:50

Yes, exactly. But no, I would say, like, you know, kind of to recap everything, I think, you know, we've talked heavily on social media, and I do believe, I personally believe that social media is kind of an area that any agent can get into at any time for any price and be able to be successful. Um I would say be consistent. Don't it's it you could get a deal in a week. You could. Someone could call, love your personality, love your video, but be prepared to do it for a year at least to kind of just be consistent. Don't think of it as something that is necessarily income generating, but it will be and be able to record that. So if you're struggling now, we all get it. Cody gets it. He's been in the industry a long time. I I've been in a lot a lot less than he has. We've all had our struggles and just kind of what push through, like adapted to adapt to things, like you said. Look at take courses on AI, do things that AI will replace agents that don't use it. Like there'll replace lenders that don't use it. It's not going to replace them completely. It'll replace the ones that just sit back and say, It's a fad, you know, it's not gonna happen. Those are the gonna be the agents and lenders that go away. So take the opportunity of you if you are slower to learn, learn from people that do it well and just repeat it. You don't have to reinvent the wheel. Like, look at people that do well on social.

Consistency, Long Game, and Patience

SPEAKER_03 30:00

media are do well in the area that you want to do and repeat what they do and do it consistently and I think we'll come out of this come out of this tough time much better off than the agents that just sit around twiddling their thumbs thinking yeah now what I don't have anything this sucks. Sure.

SPEAKER_01 30:15

So yeah well and kind of going by yeah just going back to what we kind of talked about but just maybe maybe making more of a point of it is being yourself will make it to where I think it's so much more sustainable. Because if you're feeling like you have to be somebody else and it's like oh I'm not in the mood to do this because this is I'm just you know whatever like I gotta be this person on camera. I feel like you'll get burnout so much easier. If you're just yourself and you're doing what you feel comfortable doing, I think it's a lot easier to continue to keep that going because it doesn't feel like anything more than like I just need to set aside time to figure out what I'm gonna talk about and record it as opposed to have to be in the right mindset or I have to be in this right space or whatever. It's like just do it be yourself and it'll be so much easier to not get burnt out quickly. Yeah and to handle it for a long time.

SPEAKER_03 31:03

Yeah. Like because it is a long game. It's not totally and Mike Sherrard the guy that started our group is huge on YouTube if you looked him up he's huge on YouTube and teaches a lot of courses on social media and he says the same thing. This is not a long term game. This is or this is not a short term game this is a long term game. So you've got to be comfortable doing whatever you're doing all the time. And if you're fake acting on these social media things you're going to stop. Like so I would say the biggest thing that helped our business is me staying consistent.

SPEAKER_02 31:31

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_03 31:32

Consistent over a long period of time. We didn't get this successful in this podcast just overnight. We are not just an overnight success. No this has been day after day from you know to go from two family members watching to six does not that is a that's takes an effort. It takes consistency to watch giving our young children access to podcasts. Exactly the only way you

Final Encouragement and Open Door to Connect

SPEAKER_03 32:00

have it is if you subscribe to our podcast. Right. Then we have to monitor them because they'll unsubscribe pretty soon.

SPEAKER_01 32:05

Right. This is boring.

SPEAKER_03 32:07

But yeah what you see here is not is not this was earned over a long period of time. Absolutely yes but hey if anyone is listening and they're struggling and they want to talk about it Cody's there for the lending side I'm here for the real estate side all of us have gone through it. Whether you're super successful or not agents and lenders are all seeing adjustments to their goals and their priorities and different things. So you're not alone keep pushing through and if you need any help Cody and I are here to to chat about it.

SPEAKER_01 32:33

Yeah. Yep.

SPEAKER_03 32:34

And if your buyers are sellers and you're bored out of your mind and kind of like why did I listen to this one? I just wanted to hear about real estate. We're happy to talk about that too.

SPEAKER_01 32:42

Yeah yeah jump onto the previous episode.

SPEAKER_03 32:44

Yeah give us a call and we'll talk about that. But until next time man it was good talking to you and we will chat soon. Sounds good. See ya all right see ya