Start With A Win - Video Bootcamp With Jesse Peters & Michael Thorne

Episode Date: July 31, 2019

Joining Adam on the Start with a Win podcast today are Jesse Peters and Michael Thorne, Canadian RE/MAX agents known for their expertise in video. They are in town for another Video Bootcamp session at RE/MAX world headquarters. Attendees at previous bootcamps have remarked about how easy Jesse and Michael make video seem and they have been encouraged to just get out there and start creating videos as soon as they leave.Adam is a firm believer in the power of video, which is why he invests so much time and energy into empowering RE/MAX agents and brokers to take full advantage of the platform. Video is the most authentic way for agents to communicate with their clients and communities, establish their own personal brands, and provide value to the consumer all along the way.Jesse and Michael share with participants that video in real estate is not limited to just listings and open houses, but that they can share industry knowledge and just engage with their community in this way. By being consistently in front of your clients and potential clients, they feel like they are getting to know you and can trust you when it’s time for them to buy or sell a house. Many people are hesitant about using video because they are self-conscious or they are afraid that their videos will not be “good enough”, but the fact is that even your worst video will provide you with better ROI than your best print promotional piece. As long as you keep it simple, have fun, smile, create good content, and showcase your own story, you can’t go wrong. In fact, Adam says that if you aren’t working with video, you are preventing yourself from helping people.Links:Jesse’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrsocialsavvy/?hl=enConnect with Adam:https://www.startwithawin.com/ https://www.facebook.com/REMAXAdamContoshttps://twitter.com/REMAXAdamContos https://www.instagram.com/REMAXadamcontos/ 

At top of the 12th floor of the REMAX World Headquarters, you're listening to Start With a Win with CEO Adam Kantos. And top of the 12th floor, Adam Kantos here, CEO of REMAX at REMAX World Headquarters. Start With a Win, the great podcast that we're on today. We have some very special guests in town from Canada. We have Jesse Peters and Michael Thorne. How are you guys doing? Fantastic. Very good. So exciting to be back in Denver. You guys are here for a pretty cool event that you've done a couple of times before. Video bootcamp. That's right. We are doing our third video boot camp here at Remax LLC in the last two years, I think. And it is such an amazing venue here just with how it's set up for learning.

Kind of done with the university-style interactive classroom setup. It is so unique and so, yeah. And another thing, thing too as well, being Remaxers, you come through the front doors and there's something special about it, about the building itself and the people around. There's that energy. And I know there's a lot of people coming to this video bootcamp because we announced it at Remax R4 and you were there, Adam, when you made the announcement. So there's a lot of remasters coming. This will be the first time for the front door and it's a pretty special place.

But here's what's also awesome. I was looking through the registration list and it's sold out. We have over 80 attendees this year. And there's two or three that this will be their third time taking a video booth. Seriously? And they were just like, yeah, when is it?

I'm back. Okay, here's my question. Are those people making a lot of videos? Absolutely. Yeah. Oh, right on. It's interesting. Someone like Adam Cooper, who does amazing video out in Halifax,

he took it when he was already named to the Bomb Bomb Influencers list. Oh, yeah. But I really think the boot camp is set up to a point where, like, I don't know. It's like watching a great movie. You can take away one thing, and then when you watch it again, you see different stuff. And so as you're progressing through your video journey, you're ready to, like, take things to the next level. And the boot camp has evolved over the last four years as new things change. You know, simple announcements this week with IGTV moving to

horizontal off of vertical. Adding to. Adding to. Adding to. Not, hey, I'm a vertical guy, you are not. Those changes continue to happen. So there's an evolution of the course, no doubt. But I think people take away something different depending on where they are in their video journey. Well, exactly. We've got stuff created for the chapter one or the kind of the ABCs. We've got intermediate, we've got advanced. And so the nice thing that we have found from people who've taken it two or three times is, okay, like Michael was saying, my head was at beginner. Now I'm ready for intermediate, or I was so focused on editing, now I know how to do the editing. I want to focus on establishing the YouTube channel. And it's kind of like eight workshops in two full days.

And while we're sitting right here with video boot camp alumni, you took the course yourself too. I have been there. Two full days you were with us. It's amazing. And you'll notice how my video game has stepped up since then. Without a doubt. And you are not the only one. us. It's amazing. And you'll notice how my video game has stepped up since then. Without a doubt. And you are not the only one.

No. Oh, yeah. And that's really one of the nice things, Adam. We've said it to you privately, and I've got no problem saying it on your podcast, is when the leadership here at Remax starts doing those things, it really empowers us to go, well, if Adam Kontos has got time to knock out some videos, I certainly do in my day because you're a busy guy. So I think that leadership is a really important role within the Remax brand and throughout the industry in general. Cool.

So let's talk about a couple of things that they learn while they're there. Sure. I mean, it's, you know, obviously shoot some video, edit it, post it on social media, create some business with it, whatever, you know, give value more than anything, I guess. You know, be like what you guys have done, personalize yourself to your customer base, to the community more than anything. You know, this isn't about we're not selling here.

We are connecting. Correct. So what do people just, you know, give me kind of the high level. What are they going to what are you going to go through? Well, we can kind of start through the day. I think one of the big ahas is early on day one tomorrow morning here will be the realization that there's a lot of opportunities inside the world of video, outside listings and open houses. We kind of default to that. And it's super important to our clients. Showcasing their home through video is extremely important. But for us, when we're building a business

to be relevant to people in between the homes that they buy and they sell, that goes a lot more Q and A, a lot more of that value, that knowledge that you have, a lot more of that community content. So I think one of the big eye openers halfway through the morning is, oh, I'm not limited to a default set of listing videos.

And then the flood gates kind of open from there. Well, exactly right. We show samples of what we do beyond listing videos, communities, how tos and whatnot. And, and that is what gets me really excited. Listing videos are going to happen. Putting your own unique spin on it is one thing, but I really think the brand building, right? The building, no liking trust happens in all the other types of videos when you are putting others on spotlight. And what you learn here at this video boot camp is the skill set on how to do that and the whys to do that. Right. And and I think it's just something really special. And it's one of these camps and we call it a boot camp because you're learning skills. It's not just where you're showing up for a two-hour seminar and, oh, to get more, sign up for my class here for this much money.

And you'll learn the tips and tricks and the skills. No, no, no, no. You are leaving here with actions and a skill set that you can put out right away. And it's taught by realtors for realtors. I thought it was so cool because, I mean, you really get every single tool that you need in order to implement video in your business. And implement it the way that suits you, your personality, and your business too as well, because I haven't seen anyone really do video and it not work for them. It's so powerful that whatever version they see as the right way to create the

content based on their interests, their personality, it works. No one ever goes, okay, I've done a year of video. It was the worst thing ever. And that's how we get the people back or they're taking conversations or they're inspiring others. The re the results are continuously positive. So, uh, let me ask you this. Why do people not do video then? Because frankly, I went through your two-day boot camp, which was fabulous, by the way, and I

can't wait to come by there tomorrow. Thank you for attending. You're quite welcome, my friend. And then we've had you guys, you've been our video ambassadors backstage at R4. You guys were running around. That was super cool. A lot of video. Got to see kind of how things happen behind the scenes and really participate in it. But ultimately, there are a lot of people that won't shoot video for their business.

Why is that? What do you guys see are the biggest hurdles to that? And that's the thing that we try to get people past. It's not exclusive to the individual person. There's no, maybe the special human being. I was completely awkward at the beginning. All of my original videos are out there. Trish and Jordan are also, my amazing business partner, are awkward.

But when you start seeing the value of it being so high, the win is so big that the discomfort is worth it. But I don't think there's a whole lot of people. But I think they need to experience that, right? You can say this is what's going to happen in theory, right? And it's tough to convert to the video lifestyle or kind of the mindset until they begin to see the results themselves. And what we are seeing, though, now, compared to where we were three years ago, there was less convincing when everyone is watching video just about every day, right? Our video boot camps have doubled or tripled in attendance in the last year, and they're

wanting more now. But I really think the biggest thing that prevents them is themselves. Oh, that's what I mean. And understanding. But I also see, hey, I think we're in a place in society now where, oh, I can be me. There is an audience that I can connect with. There is ways to do it. And it's OK to be not necessarily cookie cutter, I think.

And I think that was so maybe kind of how the real estate industry was for so many years. That's not the case anymore. Well, everybody hides behind this title in the real estate industry of realtor or real estate agent or broker. And you're right. It makes people cookie cutter and they do lose their uniqueness in the marketplace. And people want to do business with you because of your own personality traits and your ability to handle their needs, wants, and desires. Exactly. And in videos very much.

I mean, Jesse's a perfect example of it. He has an incredible personality. It's very large. I'm sure for every person that runs towards him because that's appealing. There's someone that runs away. You know, that Newton's third law, the harder you pull, you know, there's an equal and opposite reaction. But that's one of the exciting things about video, especially in the real estate industry, is when you start pulling those personality types that get you, whether you're the outgoing personality of Jesse Peters or that stats guy, those are the clients you're going to attract towards you. And then those are the people that you're spending every day around, those people that connect with whom you are. And I think those are, out of all the changes, this is my 25th year in real estate,

out of all the changes that have come along in marketing, the one that really showcases exactly who you are, the person that will show up at the kitchen table to do the listing presentation, the one that will be in the car with you when you go out looking at homes. The type of marketing that is the most authentic to that experience is video. And I think that's, out of all the wins, that's the way it is. It's the great filter out there. It's the podcast. Right now, Adam, we're sitting around, we've got a couple microphones, having a conversation is simple. But if you were to bring the average and it's on video

but if we were sitting facing a camera Adam, how comfortable would have all of your guests been as it is just having a conversation there is something about the lens that just, it's different and what we have to do

I think one of the pieces of advice that I think resonates with people the most is none of the video you're going to be creating are going to be seen at a movie theater with an audience of hundreds of people. At best, your videos are going to be seen one person at a time on a YouTube or a Facebook or something like that.

So find a way of just looking through that lens and just talking to that one person on the other side of that video. Talk to that potential buyer. Talk to that one person who's desperate for this information about how the financing rules have changed. Just talk to one person. And I think that was one of the things that gets people going. Yeah. If it's a bad video, no one's going to see it. And if it's a good video, people will. Let's unpack that idea for a second there. If it's a bad video, no one's going to see it. Everybody has this complex that their video is bad. Yeah, I love that part of it. It's never bad. It's never bad. BombBomb had this program called

Convert. I think Jesse and I both did it like five years ago. And one of the first things you had to do the week one was that you had to post in the private Facebook group a video saying who you were, where you do real estate, and why you love selling real estate. And people would write things like, it took me 17 tries. Oh, my goodness. It goes horrible at the end. And I don't know about you, Adam. I like watching something kind of go wrong, like the uncomfortable moments in movies. And I like the tension.

I like uncomfortable. And I'd watch them waiting for it to go off the tracks. And it didn't. I mean, for the person who's examining all their own little mannerisms and the way they hold their body, but the person on the other end doesn't care what you look like. They're just so desperate for the information you're providing that they're not caught up with the fact that you had dried toothpaste on your lip, which I did one video one time and I still put it out and no one commented. I just think we're wrapped up in the things that the person doesn't care about. They care about the value and the expertise you're relaying in the video and nothing more than that. Well, and the conversations that I have with people about this and we were talking about kind of what's preventing them. And so I say, okay, what was it like the first time you drove a car?

Scary. Scary. Yeah. Right? Think about it. You weren't the best driver the first time you got in, right? It's the same thing that goes with video. That's a good example.

But the car gets you from A to B a lot faster than walking, right? The result is there. The practice is there. Now you do it without even thinking about it. It's the same process for shooting video. The first time is not going to be the best, but you understand. You're understanding how to accelerate. You're understanding, oh, geez, I put it in reverse there for a second. Oh, my gosh, right? But every single time, the further you go, you're getting another result. You're getting another result. You're getting another positive result. So think about it, right? It's the same kind of skill set

that will have just as big of an ROI of learning to drive to get you from A to B, right? As it will being able to put yourself in front of camera and deliver value to your community, right? That's how I compare it. And that's those little click moments like, oh, yeah, that's right. Same thing. First time he did a listing presentation. It didn't go smooth. Guarantee it. And he probably talked for three and a half hours, right? It's the same thing doing your video for the first time. Nothing is perfect. You know what we say, Wayne Gretzky wasn't the best player in the world the first time he put on skates, right? It's the same kind of idea. And if you could wrap your mind around that but know that the ROI,

whether it's for your business or for your community, is going to come, that's what keeps me focused going forward because I'm continuing to try to improve my skills. What can I do to raise the bar? And I've got to keep doing it to get there. Great analogies. I like it. I mean, if you can say, hey, I learned how to drive a car,

you can pull out your iPhone and shoot a video. Right. You can say your name, what you love, and sign off. There you go. That's it. And hit share. Upload share. Like, easy.

Right? You're not going to get a speeding ticket. You're not going to get an upload ticket because you did it wrong. It's going to happen, right? Like, come on. Well, I mean, to sort of bring it back to video boot camp for a sec, on the afternoon is day one. As you know, Adam, we send everyone out to go shoot video for 25 minutes. We teach them all the things that will actually make the video look better, framing it up properly, the right lighting. Well, you tell them what to say also.

Yeah, tell them what to say. Here's your script. And then they go out, and we've done these video boot camps all over North America. We've done them in Europe, and we haven't lost anyone yet. No one's died. Not a single person has died through the exercise of creating a video on an iPhone. And we do actually say that when they come back. I'm like, did anyone die? I mean, that's the real thing. I think we blow these things up into these bigger issues than they actually are.

And it's in the actual doing where you go, oh, like anything in life. Oh, it wasn't what I thought it would be. It's not as big of a deal. But we're seeing it come easier too now because of the video community that's been created at Remax. Yeah.

Right? Without a doubt. You know, Adam, your support, your vision, your understanding of video. We started a Remax Play exclusive video community group on Facebook. What's that now? Four years ago? Three and a half years ago? Four years ago.

Right? Solely for support and trading ideas, talking about equipment. And now we're almost at 5,500, almost 6,000 REMAX agents who can lean on each other, learn from each other. So that learning curve and the sharing of results has a great incline.

It's happening a lot faster than it did earlier, which is incredible. There is still room to grow and there are still opportunities for realtors who aren't doing it yet. But we are, as remaxers, so far ahead of where we were a handful of years ago when it comes to embracing video and showing value beyond the listing.

And when we look at the video influencer list, look at the video influencer list. look at the video influencer list. Yeah, 17 something like that remasters. 17 remasters out of the top 50 were on that list. Yeah. Right? Nice. It's a special, like the people here with our brand get it. Well, you're serious about your business.

Yes. And you know what you need to implement into it or implement into your business in order to make an impact on the consumer. Correct. Yeah. And I do believe that I think there's a there's a business mentality that says, hey, all the data leads me to believe that this will be valuable. I should implement that. It's really I think the big change between, you know, transactional agent and business owner is implementation. And then when you implement something as powerful a video, the data is so obvious that that's what keeps you going. And so it's that, I think we've said it, we've rung the bell so often, not myself,

but just the industry and society in general, that people then implement it, they see that it works, and then it becomes part of their business. Closing thoughts on getting out there and doing video in your business. Closing thoughts, Jesse. Keep it simple, smile and have fun. That is what will fill your soul. Create content that fills your soul. And when you can show that genuine purpose, that genuine love for sharing, and the value that you have in your head, when you can put that out there, people appreciate that. And they're drawn towards that. And when you can showcase your story through video and the value that you can bring to neighborhoods, video is just a way to showcase you.

And that is the world wants more you. You can make a t-shirt that says that. The world wants more you. Michael, closing thoughts on this. I think I had an 18-year real estate career prior to pressing record on a video. I will tell you that my worst video had a larger ROI than my most well thought out, planned out, laid out marketing piece of any traditional kind. And so I think that's really one of the things that are most exciting for agents is that even when you're going through the learning growth, those growing pains, there's still more than enough ROI to justify your time investment and the pain and all the other things that come along with it. It's just nothing else like it. And it's not a fad. It's just accessible to us for the first time in what's in our back pocket on our phone.

All the barriers would be broken down. There's no cost to entry. There's no distribution. Downstairs at Remax World headquarters, there's a TV studio. And that's what you used to need to get to an audience. You needed satellite dishes and mixers and all that sort of stuff.

And now it's right there. It's Facebook. It's YouTube. It's Instagram. It's BombBomb. It's right there, and there's no more excuses. I'll ask you a question. Okay. What are your closing thoughts on video in today's industry? You know, someone who's really embraced video and in all different aspects, what do you see?

What do you want to share about video? Turn the tables, Jesse. The reverse interview play. That's awesome. I was personally hesitant to get on video myself. I was kind of the, I don't know if I want to do this. I don't like the way I look. I don't like the way I sound. Just kind of like what you guys have told me you went through. And then I realized, what harm is this? And really, you're not doing any harm.

You're preventing yourself from helping people by not being on video. That's an amazing statement. Exactly. So stop preventing yourself from helping people, for crying out loud. That's an amazing statement. I love, I'm in this business because I want to help people. I love it. I get a great deal of satisfaction from helping somebody grow their business, helping somebody in the home transaction process, whatever it might be.

And for crying out loud, that's what video can help you with. 100%. Awesome. Ladies and gentlemen, we had some amazing guests today on Start With A Win, Michael Thorne and Jesse Peters. They're in town in Denver teaching the video bootcamp for the third time. I think they've taught this quite a few times above and beyond that. And we have had dozens, I think hundreds of REMAX agents in this now continuing to grow their business. So guys, it's been a delight to have you on the show today. Thanks, Adam. This episode will come out after Video Boot Camp has happened,

but not the last Video Boot Camp. So you still have a chance. Absolutely. Get out there. Make sure you guys get to the Remax events that are out there where Video Boot Camp is found. And guys, don't forget, start with a win. Absolutely.

Thanks, Adam. Bye.