KGCI: Real Estate on Air - Referral Riches: How to Build a National Network Without Buying Leads

Starting point is 00:00:00 combine, make a combination of one to many marketing and one to one to one. You know, the one to many is enough for you to start getting higher in the ranks to become somebody's favorite, but the one to one is going to be the thing that seals the deal. This is KGCI Real Estate on Air Live, your weekly deep dive into the strategies, trends, and tools shaping the real estate industry from market updates to actionable strategies and exclusive interviews with top agents. We are here to unlock your full. full potential and help you thrive. Thousands of agents trust KGCI every week.

Starting point is 00:00:37 Now it's your turn. Let's go live. Here's Ian Wheatley. Well, I hope you've caught up from the holiday. Welcome to Real Estate on air live. I'm Ian Wheatley. Truth be told, fatigue is still a little bit of a factor for me. Traveling out of town for a lakeside holiday day trip, hits a little bit differently when you

Starting point is 00:00:57 got the kids along for the adventure. And maybe I'm just getting. old. Who knows. Regardless, I hope you had a wonderful Independence Day holiday. Independence Day gave us some new policy related to real estate. We'll be taking a look at what that big, beautiful bill has in store for us as real estate agents and investors coming up in about two minutes. But what if you could build a six-figure referral business without running ads, buying leads, or begging people to remember you? I know a lot of agents that have said, I get a few referrals a year, but it's not enough to build my whole business on. But here's what you might be missing.

Starting point is 00:01:35 Referrals are not random. Referrals are built. And the problem isn't that your clients don't want to refer you. It's that you haven't given them a reason to remember you, recommend you, or brag about working with you. That's why after the housing headlines here in Real Estate on air live, we'll be having a conversation with Ali Garstead, host of the agent gold mine, and the queen of the referral business. Allie didn't buy a bunch of internet leads. She built trust loyalty and a brand that people want to share. And in this episode, she'll be laying out the simple systems that helped her turn relationships into revenue consistently. But before we go there, it's time for those big, beautiful housing headlines here on Real Estate on Air Live. Well, it's big, bold, and officially signed.

Starting point is 00:02:22 The one big beautiful bill is now law. The Senate officially passed that the president signed it on Independence Day, that one big beautiful bill act. A sweeping tax reform package touted as pro-growth and real estate friendly and seriously, that is its name. The bill delivers several wins for the real estate industry from tax relief to investor incentives to increase affordability support, and here's what we as agents need to know about it. One of the key provisions for us as agents is the salt deduction cap was raised. That is the state and local tax deduction cap, getting raised from $10,000 to $40,000, and it applies to all households earning. under $500,000. Now, as a real estate investor here in New York State, I know this deduction very, very well. It allows property owners to write off their state and local property taxes against

Starting point is 00:03:12 their federally earned income. So agents, your buyers, not just your high income buyers, but really all buyers in high tax states like California, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, et cetera, now get a little bit more breathing room. And this could reactivate some stalled relocation deals if you have those in the pipeline. Another one of those provisions, bonus depreciation's been restored. The bill reinstates 100% bonus depreciation through 2027 for qualifying real estate improvements. And that applies to both the commercial and residential investment properties. So agents, this is great, great news for investor clients, flippers, short-term rental buyers,

Starting point is 00:03:54 etc. that are looking for tax shelter place. Okay? bring this up in some re-engagement conversations with some of those past investor leads that you got in the pipeline. We also have seen an increase a doubling of the estate tax exemption. So the estate tax exemption now sits at $13.99 million for individuals and nearly $28 million for couples. So agents, this is a conversation starter for luxury clients, family offices, and high net worth clients thinking about long-term planning or possibly right sizing. We've also seen a premium reduction for multifamily properties by the FHA. The bill drops the FHA multifamily mortgage insurance premiums to 25 basis points.

Starting point is 00:04:43 Agents, what this means for us is this helps developers and builders pencil out new rental projects. So watch for new inventory in the rental space and bring this up with some investors if you're talking about strategy in your local market. So agents, so agents, if you're working with high income earners or any earner in a high tax state, small balance investors or landlords, move up buyers who also own some rental property, clients thinking about legacy or estate planning, this bill didn't just give you one, two, three reasons. It gave you five new reasons to be reaching out to folks in your pipeline. So, I mean, it is official here that one big, beautiful bill Act is now law. And whether you call it smart tax policy or strategic real estate stimulus,

Starting point is 00:05:33 it is giving agents like us a reason to hit send on that follow-up email to some of those investor clients. There was also other things that happened in the real estate news world. Okay. Mortgage applications ticked up for the first time in weeks. The Mortgage Bankers Association say that applications rose 2.7% last week, and that's a sign that buyers are adjusting. to the rate reality. So agents, this, this ain't a comeback, but it is positive movement. Buyers who were frozen by 7% rates may now see an opportunity as inventories holding steady, and we have some seller incentives beginning to grow.

Starting point is 00:06:14 So if you have a warm lead that's ghosted in May or June, now may be the time to follow up and position this as a moment to reenter, while competition still remains a little light. And I say competition light, but, you know, nationwide price growth is slowing, but that does necessarily mean that everything's getting cheaper. Popular markets remain to hold firm or they are climbing as well, while we have secondary markets. We're seeing softening that according to the latest data from not just K. Schiller,

Starting point is 00:06:43 but Redfin as well. So agents, high-end buyers are still chasing lifestyle moves. Think like Florida, Texas, the Carolinas, et cetera. while lower income renters and move-up buyers, they're still pretty much getting squeezed by location-driven supply imbalances. So agents, if your clients can't compete in your local market, it might be time to expand your referral network.

Starting point is 00:07:09 You can use this trend to build some partnerships in feeder cities or even more affordable zones. That's why Ellie the agents here. As a check of your housing headlines here on Real Estate on Air Live, I'm Ian Wheatley. GCI Real Estate on Air. I'm Ian Wheatley, and we are joined by Allie Garcette, the host of the Allie, the agent podcast. You can see that on YouTube, as well as the Agent Goldmine. Allie does that with Shelby Johnson, both those.

Starting point is 00:07:38 You hear them right here on KGCI Real Estate on Air. Allie, thanks for checking in with us today. How's it going? Ian, thanks for the invite. I'm stoked to be here. This is awesome. This is awesome. I've been looking forward to this for a couple of days now.

Starting point is 00:07:52 We're here and we're talking about your personal journey and the success that you found with referrals and for a lot of agents. And I'm going to include myself in this one. This is as much about me getting notes from you as it is about sharing the insights with the listeners. One of the, you hear about referrals, right? I've been, I've done a couple, I've referred out a couple of times. I've received a couple of referrals. But the concept of building a business around that is something that I just have a hard time. I know a lot of agents have a hard time going.

Starting point is 00:08:24 How is that even possible? But you've built an incredible business on referrals. Can you share a little bit first about what your journey was that led you to focus on referrals in the first place? Yeah. And so first I want to clarify the majority of my business is referrals. And what I mean by referrals is outbound referrals, not inbound. You know, so I do, of course, help buyers and sellers too.

Starting point is 00:08:50 but majority of my business, I made a capped and I've made icon just from outbound referrals. So I know of people look at a buy or sell in other states and other areas that I am not licensed in. So how I got into that was my military background. I spent active duty 10 years. You know, I separated in 2022 as a major in the Air Force. I worked in the office of special investigations, working felony level crimes. And I took those skills and now we negotiate, you know, deals here. in there. But because majority of my like sphere, my people, my network was all over the world,

Starting point is 00:09:31 as I was putting some stuff out when I first got licensed in late 2021, the chances of people that were following me looking to also purchase in Tucson, Arizona were very, very slim to none. You know, I mean, I still ended up making icon my first year doing this full time, but that was because of outbound referrals. Majority of people that were following me were not looking to buy or sell in Tucson. They were PCSing from Malmstrom Air Force Base to Pensacola, Florida, from D.C. to Seattle. And it was just like everywhere I knew, like a majority of the people that I knew were not geo, you know, in my area. So that's how I started. I was like, well, I know of really, really good agents in a lot of Air Force bases. And so why not connect the two?

Starting point is 00:10:18 Like I can help my friend that's PCS and 2 DC not get sucked with somebody that doesn't know the VA loan out there. So I specialize in the VA loan and I specialize mainly in Air Force bases because that's my background. But since my business has grown, I have a couple of really, really good referral agents in the Navy and Coast Guard and Army here and there. So there are a couple things I heard right there. So they're number one, you're talking about folks following you. So there's a social media element which will tackle that in a little bit. There's a social media element. There is the sphere of influence that you have is geographically broad.

Starting point is 00:10:57 For maybe an agent that's thinking about, thinking about, what one of the, is there, you were able to leverage both of those, right? So if you're thinking about that lead funnel, you're leveraging both of those. Was the social media the bigger driver? Or, I mean, because, or were you, were you, did you send an email blast like military, dot mill wide? to say, hey, by the way, I'm an agent. How did that get started? Good question. I would say it was, I would say if I were to put a number on it, 75% effort when I first got started on social media.

Starting point is 00:11:34 Because that was the fastest way that I could do one to many marketing. And of course, how I ended up sealing the deal or like actually connecting the clients to the buyer agent or clients to myself, helping to buy yourself, was then one to one. So as I was walking around base, you know, like, because when I first got started, I was still full-time active duty air force. So I was still physically going into my job twice a week. It was during COVID. And, well, also I worked for myself, so I didn't have to go. It doesn't matter. So the days that I would go on to base and physically work from base, I was telling everyone I knew. like, hey, by the way, I'm in real estate. So I know that you're PCSing next year, et cetera, et cetera.

Starting point is 00:12:21 So that's how the one-on-one in-person conversations would start. Very, very little did they, like, very few times that they end up buying in Tucson. But mainly there was, they'd already been in Tucson. They had already purchased in Tucson. They weren't looking to purchase. I would have them sometimes on the sales side, but mainly it was, I want to keep my house, keep it as a rental, and then I also want to purchase on my next duty station. So that was the one on one side. The one to many was more active. I had more, you know, closings from that. And that was posting on my Instagram. And at the time, I had already been active duty for maybe nine years at the time. So, and I had lived in eight different stations. I had PCS eight different times, you know, like I lived all over the world. So I had a,

Starting point is 00:13:10 you know, a bunch of different people. So I know that this is going to, as I'm talking about outbound referrals, those that will struggle with doing mainly outbound referrals are those that have only lived in one location their entire lives. So I tried to look, when I first got licensed, I was like, I've only been in Tucson for four years. Yes, I have purchased in Tucson, but that's, you know, like I have a pretty limited knowledge compared to other real estate agents that are born and raised in Tucson. We had, so I tried, I tried to use what other people would consider my disadvantage as my advantage. You know, how can I play on this? And so I did that pretty much twofold. Like one was starting a YouTube channel in the eyes of someone else that has also just moved here.

Starting point is 00:13:56 You know, here's what I learned. Like, you actually can't do this. You actually could do this or this, you know, things that locals wouldn't think of because that's all they know. And then similarly with the outbound referrals, it's helping people that way, if that makes sense. I wrote a note to stay again. Using YouTube as a geo farm, if agents aren't doing that, that is a great way to get ingratiated into a market, and YouTube is the great search engine of our time. I think chat GPT is going to be going to replace Google,

Starting point is 00:14:35 but if you're looking for content information, I think I think YouTube is kind of a place to be. We're chatting with Allie Garcette, host of the Allie the Agent Podcast and co-host of the Agent Goldmine. Both those are streaming here on KGCI Real Estate on air talking about how we can create strong referral networks. You know, Al, you mentioned a little bit about some of what the struggle is going to be for those agents that are kind of starting from scratch. being if they've only lived in one place, they don't, they haven't kind of, they haven't had, they haven't been around. For an agent that's starting from scratch, what's the first step that they could put into place to build a reliable, it doesn't need to be, you know, the, the, the meat and

Starting point is 00:15:23 potatoes of their business, but maybe the bread and butter, right, off to the side here, how could they create a reliable referral network? I like, first of all, Ian, I like that you say bread and butter, because so many people use the bread and butter as if it's the main meal and it's not. Look, we're not peasants in the medieval era. Like, I'm sorry. Like, no, meat and potatoes is the main portion of the meal. The bread and butter is over here on the side. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:15:51 Okay. So for new agents, and I will say I specialize in helping agents that are already making, you know, 10 closings a year or around 100K a year, I help them. double and triple that. So I'm trying to think for for newer agents. Well, first, I do have this bundle that I actually just created. I have my outbound referral checklist. It is for sale, though. So if people wanted to hit me up, find me on Allie the Agent, Instagram or on my YouTube channel, Allie the Agent, I'm more than happy to share that with you. So I, it's all checklist. Like I am, you know, having spent a decade in the military, I like my checklist. I know exactly where I'm at with each client, what my next step is.

Starting point is 00:16:36 There is no waking up in the middle of the night thinking, oh my gosh, I forgot to send the buyer broker. Or oh my gosh, we forgot to send the bins or the inspection report. You know, like there's none of that. You just check the box and you know. So that's how I run my business. You know, it's like very, very, I don't know, just black and white checklist. Just check the box. You feel good.

Starting point is 00:16:56 The dopamine rush when you check the box. Here's the thing. A checklist is a great way to not make a mistake. Yeah. Checklist is not a great way to make a mistake. So you're using these checklists. So what would that checklist look like for that agent? Yeah. So the first thing is for outbound referrals, the first thing is finding a client. You know, like how do you even find someone that needs to purchase in a city that you don't live in? So that's, that just goes back. That's pretty much answered in any marketing platform. So like anything, like YouTube, how to find clients.

Starting point is 00:17:33 I actually just posted today to post a video on my Allie the Agent channel, which is probably going to be aired maybe next week with KGCI, of how to find more buyer and seller clients through your Instagram. And this is for outbound referrals and exactly what to say. So I literally tell you exactly what to say. So overall, that's just like lead gen 101. one. YouTube, it does so, so well for this because people see your personality. And so once you find the client, that's like the first section of that checklist. The second section is how do you find

Starting point is 00:18:08 an agent if you don't already have a good one and then define what good is to you, right? So in my case, a lot of my clients or my friends were military or are military. So they are going to be using the VA loan. So therefore, I need to find an agent that has done at least. six closings in the last year with the VA loan, that they know the ins and outs, that they don't fall for the myths. And I don't want to make this just a military podcast, but there are a lot of misconceptions about the VA loan that a lot of people that are not in a military town, they don't know. So finding an agent is number two of that checklist, part two. Part three is making sure that your follow-up on your side and on their side is good,

Starting point is 00:18:52 which starts in that initial call, like me calling, I don't know, Petra, saying, hey, Petra, I see that you are a real estate agent that focuses on the VA loan out in Newport, you know, whatever, Virginia. Just wanted to make sure that you have done a couple of transactions. Can I ask about your transaction history in 2024? Like, how many closings did you do related to the VA loan? And just kind of getting a sense for them as far as how many closings they actually did, what they, how experience they are with the VA loan, making sure that they just like would be a match for your client

Starting point is 00:19:28 and that they're knowledgeable and that you set out of that expectation that you would like for them to communicate with you. Because I'll tell you what, there are, I mean, I had a post that went viral last month, less than a month ago. They got 1.3 million views. And from that came almost 50 outbound referrals and the amount of agents that do not reach out to me and say, hey, I establish contact or even worse, they don't say, hey, I haven't been able to get in contact with the client that you referred me. Like, it is not hard to stand out as a real estate agent. So for those that are getting inbound referrals, that referring agent is trusting you with their reputation and their money.

Starting point is 00:20:20 So because the last thing I'd want to do is refer one of my friends to an agent that says that they're good and then drops the ball. And it happens all of the time. So again, back to the checklist is like establishing those expectations. Hey, can you make sure that if the client goes to you, let me know, you know, just basic, basic stuff. So, yeah. Basic communication there seems key. You know, you need, you know, there's two, you know, you know,

Starting point is 00:20:48 new insights here for those that are, you know, just kind of checking in here to KGCI real estate on air. I mean Wheatley chatting with Ali Garcad, aka Ali the agent on all things social and on YouTube, talking about building referral, outbound referral network, something you can start to build a business on, you know, Ali, there's two lead funnels. I think that's, that's, that's maybe a shock for some agents, right? Because, you know, you go, oh, great, I've got this, I've got this lead. I need to refer it out. Then you need to go find that agent. and also making sure that you're finding an agent that's going to be competence and communicative. Communicative, I think, is the most operative word there because you can't necessarily gauge

Starting point is 00:21:28 competency if the agent on the other side of this is ghosting you half the time after you've referred this client out. Would that communication be the biggest hurdle in building a business like this? And what may be some are those other common challenges that could come up over the course of having this outbound referral network that an agent could be building? Yeah. 100% communication is the biggest barrier on both ends. You know, like not just the receiving agent. It's also the client too.

Starting point is 00:22:10 So, and that leads me to number two. The second biggest hurdle would be making sure that you're not sending clients too early you know like if they're if they're just thinking about it yeah then you know at that point me as a receiving agent I wouldn't want to receive a client that's just just thinking about it I want somebody that's a little bit more hot so what I try to do is I warm them up you know I'm I'm the one that's maintaining the relationship and like the checking in every quarter maybe twice a year for three years you know before I'm like, okay, now this person has gotten their debt together or debt consolidation, whatever

Starting point is 00:22:48 they need to do, you know, to get pre-approved. At this point, now I know that this person is ready. And maybe it's just because I'm a control freak and I need to be the one that sends someone that's ready to go because I don't trust other agents to also follow up with them for three years. You know, so maybe it's just me being type A, I guess. actually even though I consider myself type B all the tests say I'm type B but so that's like number number one is communication and then number two would be not sending somebody that's really not looking yet well you know here's the thing I mean you're doing the nurture you're and as a

Starting point is 00:23:30 as someone who is received I've received all kinds of leads right um you know you don't necessarily want to be the guy or gal that's receiving the lead that you have to do all the nurturing for? Like it's what was what was the point of accepting this, right? It becomes a very natural question when you've put in 30 hours of nurture work for them to decide that, oh, by the way, they aren't actually going to buy. It's, that's about as useful as a as a paper click lead almost at that point. So no, I think that's just creating a strong network, but also goes back to more likely next time. Ali picks up the phone and says, hey, I have a referral for you.

Starting point is 00:24:18 Are you interested? The agent's going to be more receptive to say yes, which is obviously going to be a whole part of this business. Thinking about, you know, some of those other common challenges and some of those other solutions. I mean, how do you handle a referral that turns into like a challenging client and maintaining that relationship with that receiving agent um so like someone that ghost you mean or or define challenging someone that's someone that's just overly a client that could be overly difficult

Starting point is 00:24:55 because the ghost the ghosting is the ghosting right they're they're they're they're ghosted they're gone right um but those the clients that turn tricky in in spite of your best nurturing effort they're just they're just a tricky client how do you manage that with that out that agent that's received received received very short, I guess long story short, I move on to the next one. Because there's just not enough time of the day to focus on the, you know, it's just the 80-20 rule. So there are always going to be some clients that say that they want to buy and then just

Starting point is 00:25:30 never do. That's just, it's as you know, sales numbers game, they're always going to be those that say that they will, don't actually pull a trigger. In the beginning of my time, you know, when I first got licensed, I was nurturing and I would love on them and you know what can I do to make you feel comfortable and there are some people that will never feel comfortable and that's okay I am not the agent for them so and I this this thought was like reinforced after reading the book which I highly recommend every agent read the full fee agent and in chapter two it talks about you are either the favorite or the fool and I never

Starting point is 00:26:06 want to be the fool the fool meaning as people as clients start looking up agents start looking up agents, they already have someone that they know that they're going to choose. They'll interview around just so they tell themselves that they've given themselves an open mind. They don't actually have an open mind. They already know, hey, I heard Ian Wheatley on KGCI. Like, I hear he's on the shit. I already know when I hire him. But just for my own due diligence, I'll also interview someone else. And so that other someone else gets that call saying, hey, I'm interviewing agents. Right off the bat. That's a red flag for me. And I got that from the full fee agent. You know, like if you're calling, you either call because you're interviewing agents or it's a cum list me call.

Starting point is 00:26:47 And I, at this point in my business, I am only going on come, list me calls or come help me by call. You know, like I called you because I want you, not because I'm doing my due diligence. So that's like chapter two, like what goal that book is and the full fee agent? So if you are someone's favorite, which you can easily become a favorite on social media and YouTube, which I highly recommend YouTube for everyone. is the easiest way I think to become a favorite. You can just say no to everyone else and not be worried about where your next check is coming from because you have so many other clients that know that they want to work with you and you only. That's brilliant advice right there.

Starting point is 00:27:28 What is one habit or strategy that has consistently helped you generate the outbound referrals? I have posted a video every single day practically since I got licensed. And so it's going on three and a half years now. In 2023, I posted a real, sometimes even twice a day for the entire year. You know, like, and I was still, I couldn't still, I couldn't go past the 30 closings a year mark. Like I couldn't break that third. Well, I did one year.

Starting point is 00:28:07 But it doesn't matter. was still trying to like way like double that you know like how am i so that's what i realize and i probably should have realized this way earlier but instagram facebook real like it's all anything that is vertical it's entertainment anything that's horizontal is education and how you become someone's favorite is when they see you when they play you on their tv in their living room and they're not playing instagram their living room they're playing youtube so get your your butt on YouTube. So once I started getting my butt on YouTube, that's when things started to pick up even more. And I was actually talking to this just earlier an hour ago with someone that

Starting point is 00:28:50 joined my community because now have a community of like 85 agents, which is dope. And someone is also focusing a lot on YouTube. And they're like, well, I wish we could talk to them. I mean, like, I wish it was a little bit more social in the fact that we could DM each other. And I think that's what I like about YouTube is that you cannot do that. It almost adds that extra layer of formality or like authority in that it, that extra barrier that I can't just find Ian Wheatley on YouTube and just send him a quick message like you can on Instagram. It's it's harder to get a hold of Ian.

Starting point is 00:29:25 Therefore, Ian can make his own rules like I do. You know, like you cannot. The only way to book a call with me or to talk to me is to book a call on my calendar. And the only way to do that is watching my YouTube and literally click on the link. So therefore, there's no quick like, hey, what do you think of this property? And I'll get this. I used to get this all the time. People from Google, you know, or people found your number on Google.

Starting point is 00:29:47 What do you think about this property? I'm like, who are you? What is this? Like, what city? You know, like, so there's none of that anymore. You just create your own rules when you're on YouTube. I love it. I like that there's other people out here that have found value in the vertical,

Starting point is 00:30:04 found value in the vertical because there is still a lot of value in being a vertical video. There's a, you know, the big, all the marketing people will tell you to do the shorts and do the reels and do the horizontal stuff. But there is absolutely still value in being vertical. Checking in with Allie Garcette here on KGCI, Real Estate on air. Allie, you've been dropping some bombs. If there was a single takeaway that an agent could walk away with from this conversation about, how they could implement more outbound referrals in their business. What do you think that would be? Ooh, man, I could answer this in a couple of different ways. I'm going to combine this in two.

Starting point is 00:30:49 The first part being it's combine, make a combination of one to many marketing and one to one. You know, the one to many is enough for you to start getting higher in the ranks to become somebody's favorite. it, but the one-to-one is going to be the thing that seals the deal. So put enough content, like information, valuable information out there where people start seeing you as a thought leader or somebody that's knowledgeable in whatever space. You know, it could be USDA. It could be farming. It could be whatever. Mine happens to be VA loans, which is all over the country, but so is farming. So is USDA in some parts. Whatever you, you know, whatever you, can talk about for hours, just go all in on, whether it's soccer moms, you know, like, it can be

Starting point is 00:31:38 anything. Put almost like, real estate is one thing, but whatever hobby or subject matter you have a little bit of information on that you know you can talk about and would like to research further, go in on that to do the one to many, and then end up with the one to one to one to seal the deal and connect them to an agent. For those that, um, that are two, So that's like the first half of that. The second half would be just video. Like I really think that video does so much better than just market updates. Like you could, if you wanted to, you could start a YouTube channel that has market updates for all the major cities or whatever cities you want to focus on.

Starting point is 00:32:26 And then, of course, be very clear. Be like, hey, I don't live in Orlando, Florida, but I know how to analyze the data. So here you go. as long as you don't kill somebody with just numbers, because that's not what clients want to hear. They don't want to be killed with numbers. They want layman's terms. What does the market mean for them as a buyer? So as long as you can just, I don't want to say dumb things down, but the third grade reading level is apparently where we should be speaking to.

Starting point is 00:32:47 And that's where people are coming down and realizing, hey, maybe I shouldn't talk like a doctor if I'm trying to get clients because they don't understand me. So just being yourself overall on video and then just thinking about the one to many and one to one. And if you want my checklist, I started a school channel for that as well. Ellie Garc said, finder at Allie the agent on YouTube and Instagram. You can hear her, Allie, the agent podcast right here on KGCI Real Estate on Air. Be sure to join her and Shelby Johnson for their Agent Goldmine podcast streaming here as well on KGCI, real estate on air. Hoping you were taking some notes, but if you weren't, I'm not going to shame you. Here are my top five takeaways from my conversation with Allie Garcette heard here on Real Estate on air live.

Starting point is 00:33:29 Number one, you can build a high volume business without local buyers or sellers. Ellie became what she's an EXP realty agent, what they call an icon agent, almost entirely through outbound referrals, not with traditional transactions. So she leveraged her National Military Network and sent clients to trusted agents across the U.S., collecting the referral income from states where she wasn't even licensed in. So agents, keep in mind, your network does not need to live where you do. focus on a niche and connect people with agents that you trust. Number two, use one to many marketing to create demand, then close one-to-one.

Starting point is 00:34:10 Allie built awareness and interest using Instagram and YouTube while still working full-time in the military. When people reached out to her, she transitioned to one-to-one connection to close and refer them. So agents, create consistent content to position yourself as the expert, But don't skip that personal follow-up that seals the deal. Number three, use systems and checklists to stay sharp and scalable. Allie's military background shaped how she runs her real estate business. Everything is checklist-based. Everything is tracked.

Starting point is 00:34:46 She tracks the referral stages, sets expectations with the receiving agents, and follows up diligently. So agents, if you want consistent income from referrals, treat them like a transaction. track everything, communicate clearly, and follow through. Number four, YouTube builds authority, and authority attracts ready clients. After posting daily reels for over a year, Allie realized that YouTube was the game changer for her. Why? Well, horizontal video is education, while vertical is entertainment. YouTube brought her more qualified leads and greater control over her time. So agents, if you're serious about scaling, get serious about YouTube. It does create a deeper connection and it does filter out for more serious leads. And number five, be the favorite.

Starting point is 00:35:37 Don't bother competing. Allie lives by that favorite or fool principle. You heard that come through a couple of times in that conversation. So either the client already knows that they want to work with you because of your persistence, your personality, your proof, your perspective, or you're just filling a quota for an interview. So agents, social media isn't just about reach. It's about pre-selling. Show up as the agent that people want before they start shopping around. And if you need help with that last one, I know how I can help.

Starting point is 00:36:11 This week's Friday Focus, it's all about building a brand. What is a brand? What makes it effective? And how can you do it? It's all covered in six straight hours of content featuring Allie Garcett, Shelby Johnson, Amberjoy, and even Holly Kitchens, who will be given you. the step by step. That's all coming up Friday here on KGCI, Real Estate on Air. All righty, time for our favorite segments here on Real Estate on air live. It's time for real estate

Starting point is 00:36:33 confessions. This is where we give you the hilarious, cringe-worthy, and totally real moments that really only happen when you work in real estate. These stories come from agents just like you, and yes, you will stay totally anonymous. So if you've got a story that made you laugh, sweater, second guest, the career, we want to hear it. us on Facebook and Instagram, or you can email me at info at real estate.onair.com, and we'll feature your story in next week's show. Because let's be honest, this business, it's chaotic, and you're not the only one out there faking confidence in praying that the key actually fits in that lock. But before we get started, we need to get one thing straight.

Starting point is 00:37:12 Real estate confessions features stories from the wild world of real estate. Names and details may have been changed to protect the innocent, and occasionally the not-so-innocent. All confessions are shared in good humor and do not reflect the opinions of KGCI Real Estate on air, its hosts, or affiliates. No agent's licenses were harmed in the making of this segment. Enjoy responsibly. All right. We're covered. It's time for real estate confessions.

Starting point is 00:37:40 Because in real estate, truth is stranger than fiction. I once turned on a ceiling fan during a showing and sent three decorative paper lanterns flying like low-budget UFOs. I still apologize to the listing agent like I broke a Picasso. Showed up to a listing and confidently opened what I thought was a front door. It was a neighbor's garage. We made eye contact. I backed away like Homer into the hedge. I once brought the wrong client to the right showing. They got halfway through the house tour before saying,

Starting point is 00:38:23 This is really nice. But I'm not pre-approved yet. And that's how I invented Speed Prequel Thursday. Did a virtual tour from a vacant listing. Didn't realize I was standing directly in front of a mirrored wall. Yes, I was wearing gym shorts. No, I didn't notice until the client did. Uploaded my new listing, accidentally included a photo of my dog, lying on the staging bed.

Starting point is 00:38:51 The caption, Spacious Primary Suite. My phone blew up with comments like, Is the dog included? I love those confessions. They're honest, they're real, and I know you have one. Be sure to leave it to us by finding KGCI on Facebook and Instagram, liking your page, and dropping us a message. I bet if you do it today, I'll have it on the air next week.

Starting point is 00:39:18 Special thanks to Allie Garcette, aka Allie the Agent on YouTube and co-host the Agent Goldmine podcast streaming here on KGCI Real Estate on air. If you've gotten something out of today's episode, hit replay, take some notes. Most importantly, put it into action. And remember, KGCI Real Estate on Air is more than 2,000 episodes waiting for you right now on demand. In the always free KGCI Real Estate on Air mobile app for iPhone and Android, wherever you listen to podcasts, including Apple Podcast, Spotify, and IHeart, or streaming right now at realestateonair.fm. I'm Ian Wheatley. This has been Real Estate on Air Live. Be good.

KGCI: Real Estate on Air - Referral Riches: How to Build a National Network Without Buying Leads

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