Anthony: Did someone in your family buy or sell a home and not use you? That can be pretty frustrating. I’ve been there. We’ve all been there. It tends to happen mainly to those who are just starting in the business, who are the first few years in the business. Here’s a couple of things you need to be aware of with that for you newer agents that this is happening to more often. This will happen. In the defense of your family members, you have to understand that if you’re doing this business, they don’t suddenly owe you any business. They don’t owe you nothing. You have to earn it and you have to prove yourself.

If you get into the business and you get licensed in your six months or a year or two years into the business and someone, your aunt, your sister, your brother, you’re distant cousin, they hire someone else to buy or sell a home, I understand that that hurts, but until you prove to them that you are capable to take care of their business, they’re not going to believe it. Remember, human beings are skeptical, to begin with. Once you have experience in the business, you’ll become frustrated when you see people you know going with anyone and you’ll say, “What the hell are they doing?” It’s almost like the opposite of aggravation.

Why is it that people are willing to give their business to anyone? As I said, tends to happen more to those who are newer in the business. It also tends to happen more in hot markets. When the market’s hot and everyone can sell for a good price and everyone’s feeling good, people are more willing to hire anyone to sell their home or help them buy a home. When the market slows down as it’s done and as it’s going to continue to do, people tend to get more picky about who they hire and that can work for or against you, depending upon how long you’ve been in the business and what your experience level is.

Here’s some tip for newbies. If you want to decrease that happening, if you want to stop that from happening, which I know you do, you have to take action. You can’t just expect people to be like, “Oh, Suzy’s in the business? Suzy’s a realtor now? Okay, I’m just going to use her.” No, Suzy, whoever you are. This is a fake Suzy that I’m talking about. You have to do what I call success-based marketing. You have to get sales done, and then you have to send postcards and emails and post all over social media and show that you are actually selling homes. I refer to it as success-based marketing.

You have to actually prove to people that you are selling homes. You can’t just expect them to believe everything you’re saying and say, “Oh, Susie’s in the business. I’m going to use Suzy.” No. Prove to them why they should use Suzy. Success-based marketing. Facebook posts, Instagram posts of people holding sold signs in front of homes at the end of a month. I remember when I would have two or three sales in a month. Two or three. I’d put them on a postcard and I’d say, “June was a busy month.” I’d show two or three homes on there and I’d put sold, sold, or I’d put at that time, sold the next day, sold the next day.

That was something I was excited to do and I was dying to show off. Then as the years went on or months went on, it was five homes. It was 10 homes and it started getting busier and busier. The other thing that you should know, sometimes dealing with family and friends can be the most aggravating thing you can possibly do, especially when you are newer in the business because they question you and they don’t believe you. Instead of taking it to heart, just take it on the chin, understand that this is going to happen, and work harder. Do more success-based marketing, work to prove yourself more.

Also understand that you are not going to only be able to build a business off of your family and friends, especially with a market that we are going into. You must advertise. You must do business with people you have no connection to. You must get your hands on leads. You must join a company or a team or something that will provide you with leads so that you have opportunities. Those onesie, twosie sales from family and friends hurt a lot less when you have tons of other business. It takes time. You got to work it. You got to prove yourself.

Someday you’ll get to the point like I am, where almost every day of every week you hear from someone in your friends or family circle who are looking to buy or sell, and then you help them. Once you have more experience, they’ll be less annoying to work with. You’ll be able to help them more. That is my Crush It video of the day. I’ve been hearing many, many realtors talk about this, particularly in the last few months. I think that’s because the market slowed. Those sales they’re missing hurt a bit more, but don’t let it ruin your day.

Everybody goes through it. It’s like initiation into the business. That’s all, folks. I’m here in Fort Lauderdale. Fun week ahead. Take a look at the view. Look at all the boats out there. You don’t need to see me. Let me show you the view. Fort Lauderdale Beach. Been cold for a few days, the coldest Christmas and Christmas Eve down here in history. I was not here then. Got here the other day. Here for a few more days, but that’s all, folks. Hope you’re gearing up for 2023.

I’ll be back to you with another video to talk about that. All those things that you said, “Oh, I’m going to do it after the 1st of the year, after the 1st of the year, after the 1st of the year.” We’re going to talk about that in the next few days. Also, make sure to keep an eye on the videos that I put out on Instagram at ajlaMakia. I’ve been doing a lot more there.

Putting out Crush It mindset videos, also putting small excerpts of these Crush It In Real Estate videos on my Instagram because Lindsay’s been tagging me as a collaborator and all the stuff, but definitely putting more focus into Instagram.

Check it out. That’s all, folks. I’m going to go run the beach. Not on the beach. That’s very difficult. I’m not Marvin Hagler, but I’m going to run down the boardwalk a long way and get some exercise. Have a great day, everybody.