WEBVTT 00:00:17.199 --> 00:00:20.199 Welcome back to Networking Unleashed, Building 00:00:20.199 --> 00:00:23.300 Profitable Connections, the podcast where we 00:00:23.300 --> 00:00:26.719 turn relationships into revenue and conversations 00:00:26.719 --> 00:00:31.219 into catalysts for growth. Today's guest is someone 00:00:31.219 --> 00:00:34.719 who embodies the power of the pivot and value 00:00:34.719 --> 00:00:38.340 of smart connection. She's a real estate professional 00:00:38.340 --> 00:00:42.640 who's just not embracing AI. She's using it to 00:00:42.640 --> 00:00:46.630 serve her clients more meaningfully. She's navigated 00:00:46.630 --> 00:00:50.509 major career shifts, uncovered the hidden cost 00:00:50.509 --> 00:00:54.229 of burnout, and now helps others to do the same 00:00:54.229 --> 00:00:58.130 with purpose and precision. In this conversation, 00:00:58.450 --> 00:01:01.810 we'll unpack how to leverage AI for client connection, 00:01:02.149 --> 00:01:05.469 how to build the kind of network that supports 00:01:05.469 --> 00:01:09.230 transformation, and how to recognize when your 00:01:09.230 --> 00:01:12.849 relationships or your routines are pushing you 00:01:12.849 --> 00:01:15.640 towards burnout. Whether you're shifting industries, 00:01:15.959 --> 00:01:18.459 sharpening your communication game, or simply 00:01:18.459 --> 00:01:21.400 looking to build smarter, stronger connections, 00:01:21.879 --> 00:01:25.519 this episode is for you. Now, I'd like to welcome 00:01:25.519 --> 00:01:29.959 Deanna to all of my listeners, both of them. 00:01:29.980 --> 00:01:32.579 No, I'm only kidding. I'd like to welcome you 00:01:32.579 --> 00:01:36.219 to the podcast. How are you, Deanna? I'm fantastic, 00:01:36.560 --> 00:01:40.299 Michael. How are you? I'm doing just fine. Why 00:01:40.299 --> 00:01:42.799 don't you give us a little bit about your background? 00:01:43.450 --> 00:01:47.769 Sure. I am a corporate professional turned real 00:01:47.769 --> 00:01:52.269 estate broker, investor, and consultant. I currently 00:01:52.269 --> 00:01:56.790 reside in the Metro Atlanta area and my big passion. 00:01:57.519 --> 00:02:01.079 around real estate really stems from my servant's 00:02:01.079 --> 00:02:04.680 heart and building community. Real estate really 00:02:04.680 --> 00:02:07.140 allows me to do exactly that. I'm passionate 00:02:07.140 --> 00:02:10.659 about education. I'm passionate about just making 00:02:10.659 --> 00:02:12.860 sure folks achieve the goals that they want to 00:02:12.860 --> 00:02:15.580 achieve in real estate. So I'm super excited 00:02:15.580 --> 00:02:17.680 to be here with you, Michael, and looking forward 00:02:17.680 --> 00:02:20.860 to the conversation. That's great. And you said 00:02:20.860 --> 00:02:24.340 something just in telling me what your background 00:02:24.340 --> 00:02:26.520 is that you're approaching all this with a servant's 00:02:26.520 --> 00:02:30.610 heart. Absolutely. That is the mainstay of networking 00:02:30.610 --> 00:02:34.150 today. It's going into networking with a servant's 00:02:34.150 --> 00:02:36.050 heart. And I'm sure we're going to get into that 00:02:36.050 --> 00:02:38.990 later on. But let's dive into the questions. 00:02:39.710 --> 00:02:42.629 Let's talk a little real estate. Sure. How can 00:02:42.629 --> 00:02:46.250 real estate professionals use AI not just to 00:02:46.250 --> 00:02:49.610 find leads, but to build deeper, more authentic 00:02:49.610 --> 00:02:52.810 relationships with clients and referral partners? 00:02:53.569 --> 00:02:55.969 Yes, that's a great question. And I love that 00:02:55.969 --> 00:02:59.469 question because AI is this new beast of technology 00:02:59.469 --> 00:03:01.629 that's out there right now that everybody is 00:03:01.629 --> 00:03:04.129 scrambling and trying to figure out how to best 00:03:04.129 --> 00:03:06.330 use it in their business, but at the same time, 00:03:06.349 --> 00:03:10.229 still be as authentic and real as we can. See 00:03:10.229 --> 00:03:14.370 AI as being a resource and not necessarily the 00:03:14.370 --> 00:03:17.919 source or the voice. of my communication with 00:03:17.919 --> 00:03:20.780 my client and the broader community. How I'm 00:03:20.780 --> 00:03:24.280 using AI today in my business is to, I have different 00:03:24.280 --> 00:03:27.419 ideas around content. I use social media a lot. 00:03:27.500 --> 00:03:29.639 I post a lot of videos and a lot of my videos 00:03:29.639 --> 00:03:33.000 are educating the community around all things 00:03:33.000 --> 00:03:35.340 real estate and some other lifestyle things too. 00:03:35.680 --> 00:03:39.819 But I use AI to really help me expand upon the 00:03:39.819 --> 00:03:43.280 ideas that I have in my head and how best to 00:03:43.280 --> 00:03:46.879 craft the language so that I'm able to communicate 00:03:46.879 --> 00:03:49.900 those ideas most effectively to the community. 00:03:50.080 --> 00:03:53.740 So that's just one simple way how I'm using AI 00:03:53.740 --> 00:03:56.719 to support my clients, build, like you said, 00:03:56.759 --> 00:03:59.780 those deeper relationships, as well as attract 00:03:59.780 --> 00:04:03.259 more people to me who find value in what I'm 00:04:03.259 --> 00:04:06.659 putting out there in social media. So what you're 00:04:06.659 --> 00:04:10.960 saying is that you use AI as a tool, as one of 00:04:10.960 --> 00:04:14.969 your resources. It's not the... all knowing, 00:04:15.150 --> 00:04:19.389 let me just replace everybody AI, a tool that 00:04:19.389 --> 00:04:22.089 you use, and you use it quite effectively, I 00:04:22.089 --> 00:04:26.629 might add. Thank you. So let's just say, let's 00:04:26.629 --> 00:04:29.189 just move this to, you mentioned social media, 00:04:29.329 --> 00:04:33.410 but how can professionals cut through the clutter 00:04:33.410 --> 00:04:37.550 to build meaningful networks, especially when 00:04:37.550 --> 00:04:42.009 pivoting into a new industry or role? Oh, that's 00:04:42.009 --> 00:04:44.269 a great question, too. I would say I'll just 00:04:44.269 --> 00:04:46.610 use my own personal story and example. I was 00:04:46.610 --> 00:04:50.089 in corporate for 25 plus years. I worked for 00:04:50.089 --> 00:04:52.170 a lot of different organizations, a lot of Fortune 00:04:52.170 --> 00:04:55.970 500 organizations, and I kind of shifted and 00:04:55.970 --> 00:04:59.860 pivoted out of that world. into now in real estate 00:04:59.860 --> 00:05:03.060 as a entrepreneur, I've always wanted to own 00:05:03.060 --> 00:05:05.740 my own business and kind of do my own thing independently. 00:05:06.199 --> 00:05:09.399 But for me, that pivot was surrounding myself 00:05:09.399 --> 00:05:13.100 with people who were already in the space where 00:05:13.100 --> 00:05:16.279 I wanted to be. So making sure that I was strategic 00:05:16.279 --> 00:05:19.480 and intentional about visiting different networking 00:05:19.480 --> 00:05:22.800 groups, attending different masterminds, attending 00:05:22.800 --> 00:05:26.860 different webinars and classes where those people 00:05:27.470 --> 00:05:30.930 were already, and then just making sure I gleaned 00:05:30.930 --> 00:05:34.050 as much knowledge from them, as much knowledge 00:05:34.050 --> 00:05:36.470 from the different masterminds, and as much knowledge 00:05:36.470 --> 00:05:38.709 from the workshops and the environment that I 00:05:38.709 --> 00:05:41.329 was in to really determine whether this pivot 00:05:41.329 --> 00:05:43.149 in this direction was really the right pivot 00:05:43.149 --> 00:05:45.610 for me, but also just learning from the people 00:05:45.610 --> 00:05:47.529 in the room. So I would say you got to put yourself 00:05:47.529 --> 00:05:51.189 in the rooms where you want to really be, network, 00:05:51.389 --> 00:05:56.290 and grow. You said something which sparked a 00:05:56.290 --> 00:05:59.389 lot of interest for me. You mentioned strategic 00:05:59.389 --> 00:06:04.670 networking. Yes. Now, can you explain what strategic 00:06:04.670 --> 00:06:07.649 networking is as opposed to what the norm would 00:06:07.649 --> 00:06:10.610 be? So the normal, when people go out and network, 00:06:10.689 --> 00:06:13.730 the normal thing folks, the normal thing that 00:06:13.730 --> 00:06:16.930 most people do is they will attend a networking 00:06:16.930 --> 00:06:18.810 event. They might get invited. They might see 00:06:18.810 --> 00:06:20.490 it on Eventbrite and they will go and attend. 00:06:20.670 --> 00:06:22.769 They'll bring their business cards and they're 00:06:22.769 --> 00:06:25.009 just meeting people and handing out business 00:06:25.009 --> 00:06:27.509 cards and just giving people their maybe 10 or 00:06:27.509 --> 00:06:29.930 20 second sales pitch, trying to essentially 00:06:29.930 --> 00:06:34.740 sell to them. What strategic networking is. is 00:06:34.740 --> 00:06:36.920 you want to select, you want to be selective 00:06:36.920 --> 00:06:39.300 and intentional about the networking events that 00:06:39.300 --> 00:06:42.639 you do attend. When you get there, have a plan 00:06:42.639 --> 00:06:45.620 and a strategy already in your head. If you, 00:06:45.639 --> 00:06:48.100 I would say for me in real estate, I want to 00:06:48.100 --> 00:06:50.860 connect with mortgage brokers. I want to connect 00:06:50.860 --> 00:06:54.100 with other agents. I want to connect with referral 00:06:54.100 --> 00:06:56.959 partners, like maybe family attorneys, divorce 00:06:56.959 --> 00:07:00.730 attorneys. So if I meet somebody, in the room 00:07:00.730 --> 00:07:03.149 that kind of fit in those particular pockets 00:07:03.149 --> 00:07:06.189 and industries i'm really being intentional about 00:07:06.189 --> 00:07:09.550 making sure i introduce myself i'm getting their 00:07:09.550 --> 00:07:12.949 contact information them getting mine but then 00:07:12.949 --> 00:07:16.629 once we are Once we've left the networking event, 00:07:16.689 --> 00:07:20.050 maybe the next day or two days after, I'll reach 00:07:20.050 --> 00:07:22.290 out to them and say something like, hey, it was 00:07:22.290 --> 00:07:25.410 great meeting you at such and such event. I'd 00:07:25.410 --> 00:07:28.509 love to connect over coffee to see, number one, 00:07:28.589 --> 00:07:30.410 I want to learn more about your business and 00:07:30.410 --> 00:07:32.370 potentially see if there might be a synergy opportunity 00:07:32.370 --> 00:07:35.589 for us to help each other build and grow. That 00:07:35.589 --> 00:07:40.250 is strategic networking. that is building relationships, 00:07:40.509 --> 00:07:44.290 but it's also you are going into that coffee 00:07:44.290 --> 00:07:47.529 meetup, Zoom meeting or lunch with a mindset 00:07:47.529 --> 00:07:50.730 of understanding their business, seeing how you 00:07:50.730 --> 00:07:53.310 can best help them. And naturally, people are 00:07:53.310 --> 00:07:55.290 going to ask you about your business. They're 00:07:55.290 --> 00:07:57.850 going to ask you how they can help you. So it 00:07:57.850 --> 00:08:00.569 is definitely a give and take. It is not a... 00:08:00.990 --> 00:08:03.230 hey, here's everything that I do and here's what 00:08:03.230 --> 00:08:05.509 I can do for you. That is not networking. You 00:08:05.509 --> 00:08:07.889 have to be strategic from the time you select 00:08:07.889 --> 00:08:09.509 exactly what you're going to, where you're going 00:08:09.509 --> 00:08:12.189 to go, who you want to meet when you get there, 00:08:12.389 --> 00:08:15.089 and then what you're going to do post attending 00:08:15.089 --> 00:08:18.439 the networking event. So in other words, you 00:08:18.439 --> 00:08:21.939 don't go willy -nilly. No. You never prepare 00:08:21.939 --> 00:08:24.759 for a networking meeting. You just go and just 00:08:24.759 --> 00:08:26.540 see what happens. Is that just the way it is? 00:08:27.019 --> 00:08:29.360 No, you don't do that at all. Okay. All right. 00:08:29.399 --> 00:08:32.519 I'm just making sure. I'm just making sure. Okay. 00:08:32.639 --> 00:08:36.059 What role did your network play in helping you 00:08:36.059 --> 00:08:39.759 pivot successfully? And what advice would you 00:08:39.759 --> 00:08:43.259 give someone who is afraid to ask for help when 00:08:43.259 --> 00:08:47.090 shifting careers or industries? Oh, my goodness. 00:08:47.330 --> 00:08:50.129 So we currently live in Metro Atlanta, my family 00:08:50.129 --> 00:08:52.909 and I. But before that, we lived in North Carolina 00:08:52.909 --> 00:08:55.870 for about five or so years. I made the decision 00:08:55.870 --> 00:08:59.610 to pivot into real estate before we moved here 00:08:59.610 --> 00:09:02.710 to Atlanta. When we were selling our house in 00:09:02.710 --> 00:09:05.289 North Carolina, our real estate agent, she was 00:09:05.289 --> 00:09:07.730 amazing. I was asking her all kinds of questions 00:09:07.730 --> 00:09:10.470 before I got into this space. One of my former 00:09:10.470 --> 00:09:14.049 colleagues at Lowe's had also left corporate 00:09:14.049 --> 00:09:16.009 and started her own real estate business. So 00:09:16.009 --> 00:09:17.870 I reached out to her. There was another colleague 00:09:17.870 --> 00:09:20.269 of ours at Lowe's that did the same thing. So 00:09:20.269 --> 00:09:23.559 I did my research. I did my research. And then 00:09:23.559 --> 00:09:27.080 when I got here to Atlanta, I did my research 00:09:27.080 --> 00:09:30.200 on the market here in Atlanta. I did my research 00:09:30.200 --> 00:09:33.179 on the different other brokerages here. I did 00:09:33.179 --> 00:09:35.899 my research on the different best schools that 00:09:35.899 --> 00:09:38.500 I need to attend here, cost and all of that. 00:09:38.559 --> 00:09:41.259 So I did my research and I talked to people who 00:09:41.259 --> 00:09:42.820 are already in the space where I was seeking 00:09:42.820 --> 00:09:46.159 to be and then determined from there what my 00:09:46.159 --> 00:09:48.840 next step would be. To your second question, 00:09:49.220 --> 00:09:53.230 to those folks who, have an issue and or are 00:09:53.230 --> 00:09:55.649 hesitant or have a hard time asking for help. 00:09:55.710 --> 00:09:59.669 That used to be me. That used to be me. What 00:09:59.669 --> 00:10:01.990 I would tell you is that you can't really do 00:10:01.990 --> 00:10:04.830 it all by yourself. You really can't. You need 00:10:04.830 --> 00:10:09.049 support around you. You need good mentors. You 00:10:09.049 --> 00:10:13.360 need peers who are in the same boat as you supporting 00:10:13.360 --> 00:10:16.259 you helping you grow you need to involve yourself 00:10:16.259 --> 00:10:19.460 in masterminds you'll learn a lot that way so 00:10:19.460 --> 00:10:22.159 you cannot do it all by yourself i would highly 00:10:22.159 --> 00:10:25.279 encourage folks who struggle with that um take 00:10:25.279 --> 00:10:27.759 baby steps maybe start reaching out to peers 00:10:27.759 --> 00:10:30.580 hey how are you doing this or is this working 00:10:30.580 --> 00:10:34.440 for you or i'm doing this Do you know about anything 00:10:34.440 --> 00:10:37.679 that could maybe make that easier, more efficient, 00:10:37.919 --> 00:10:40.960 more cost effective for me? Right. Just simply 00:10:40.960 --> 00:10:43.320 asking questions. Those are baby steps. Just 00:10:43.320 --> 00:10:47.000 ask questions just to understand and then figure 00:10:47.000 --> 00:10:49.580 out if that information is going to be effective 00:10:49.580 --> 00:10:52.940 for you and helping you in my case, build your 00:10:52.940 --> 00:10:55.120 business, grow your business, expand your business, 00:10:55.279 --> 00:10:57.440 things like that. You got to ask for help. We 00:10:57.440 --> 00:11:00.860 can't do it alone. I went to the school of hard 00:11:00.860 --> 00:11:03.279 knocks. I learned how to do everything wrong 00:11:03.279 --> 00:11:07.299 before I learned how to do it correctly. By you 00:11:07.299 --> 00:11:11.620 asking your confidants, your cohorts in crime, 00:11:11.740 --> 00:11:14.899 you're asking the ways that they did it. They 00:11:14.899 --> 00:11:16.500 may have done it the wrong way and say, look, 00:11:16.580 --> 00:11:20.000 I did it that way, but I did it wrong. I made 00:11:20.000 --> 00:11:23.460 a mistake. I should have done this. So you've 00:11:23.460 --> 00:11:27.730 jumped at that. module already. And you are already 00:11:27.730 --> 00:11:30.950 saying, okay, look, she did it that way. I don't 00:11:30.950 --> 00:11:33.029 have to do it that way. I could do it this way. 00:11:33.110 --> 00:11:36.289 And you can get ahead that much faster. But I'm 00:11:36.289 --> 00:11:39.690 glad that you said education is such a big part. 00:11:39.830 --> 00:11:42.870 The masterminds are such a big part. And most 00:11:42.870 --> 00:11:46.870 of all, it's you hiring a mentor or somebody 00:11:46.870 --> 00:11:50.570 that will help you along with the travel that 00:11:50.570 --> 00:11:52.490 you're taking who's already been through it. 00:11:52.610 --> 00:11:54.769 They've already been through it. So they can 00:11:54.769 --> 00:11:59.470 see. Yeah. Okay. Very good. Very good. What should 00:11:59.470 --> 00:12:03.450 professionals be doing right now to future -proof 00:12:03.450 --> 00:12:08.889 their networking strategies using AI tools? Future 00:12:08.889 --> 00:12:12.129 -proof their networking strategies using AI tools. 00:12:13.970 --> 00:12:18.629 I would say, number one, learn how to use AI. 00:12:19.559 --> 00:12:22.899 There are so many platforms out there and it 00:12:22.899 --> 00:12:26.799 can be overwhelming. I have taken it upon myself 00:12:26.799 --> 00:12:31.240 to take a class on AI, just really trying to 00:12:31.240 --> 00:12:34.899 upskill that area, that technology platform for 00:12:34.899 --> 00:12:37.500 myself. And I think that's the first step. And 00:12:37.500 --> 00:12:40.759 then once you determine how you can really effectively 00:12:40.759 --> 00:12:43.759 use AI, because there's so many ways that you 00:12:43.759 --> 00:12:47.320 can use it, just really figuring out what's the 00:12:47.320 --> 00:12:50.809 best. way and most effective way to use it in 00:12:50.809 --> 00:12:52.690 your business, because it's going to be different 00:12:52.690 --> 00:12:55.470 for everybody. If I think about real estate, 00:12:55.710 --> 00:13:00.750 I'm not going to probably use AI to show up at 00:13:00.750 --> 00:13:04.870 my listing appointments and pitch the seller 00:13:04.870 --> 00:13:08.789 in working with me as their listing agent. No, 00:13:08.889 --> 00:13:11.289 that's not going to fly a robot or a piece of 00:13:11.289 --> 00:13:15.120 technology. cannot do that. But what I will use 00:13:15.120 --> 00:13:19.120 AI for is helping me craft a more attractive, 00:13:19.500 --> 00:13:23.659 effective listing description for a seller's 00:13:23.659 --> 00:13:26.659 property that's going to draw more eyes to it, 00:13:26.700 --> 00:13:28.600 that's going to make it more dynamic, that's 00:13:28.600 --> 00:13:30.580 going to make it more compelling and appealing 00:13:30.580 --> 00:13:35.779 to an agent or a prospective buyer that's maybe 00:13:35.779 --> 00:13:38.399 searching on Zillow for different properties. 00:13:38.559 --> 00:13:40.720 I want a listing description that is going to 00:13:40.720 --> 00:13:43.429 pop. I would say business professionals should 00:13:43.429 --> 00:13:46.990 definitely learn AI. That's number one. Number 00:13:46.990 --> 00:13:50.169 two, understand the depth and breadth of it and 00:13:50.169 --> 00:13:52.909 how you can use it either in your business or 00:13:52.909 --> 00:13:56.230 in your, even your job role. And then figuring 00:13:56.230 --> 00:13:59.029 out from there how to really use it effectively 00:13:59.029 --> 00:14:02.070 because it's not a one size fits all. And you 00:14:02.070 --> 00:14:04.549 don't want it to essentially become you or be 00:14:04.549 --> 00:14:07.990 your voice. You want to still be authentic and 00:14:07.990 --> 00:14:11.519 real in how you use it. Absolutely. And there's 00:14:11.519 --> 00:14:14.379 an expression, garbage in, garbage out, right? 00:14:14.500 --> 00:14:19.480 So you have to learn the proper prompts that 00:14:19.480 --> 00:14:22.220 you have to use when asking, let's say, chat 00:14:22.220 --> 00:14:24.299 GPT. There's a thousand others. I'm just using 00:14:24.299 --> 00:14:28.240 chat GPT because that's well known. But you have 00:14:28.240 --> 00:14:30.860 to, if you just say something and you just put 00:14:30.860 --> 00:14:33.179 something in and say, okay, make it better. You 00:14:33.179 --> 00:14:35.259 know, it'll make it more professional, more better. 00:14:35.320 --> 00:14:38.940 You have to change that prompt so it's more definitive 00:14:38.940 --> 00:14:42.879 what you're looking for. And so that's what learning 00:14:42.879 --> 00:14:46.240 AI is all about. It's all about getting exactly 00:14:46.240 --> 00:14:48.820 what you're looking for. It may take you four 00:14:48.820 --> 00:14:51.840 or five different prompts to find out what you're 00:14:51.840 --> 00:14:54.820 looking for, but you'll eventually get it. And 00:14:54.820 --> 00:14:57.960 the more you do it, the more it will learn and 00:14:57.960 --> 00:15:00.659 the better you'll be at it. Let me add also one 00:15:00.659 --> 00:15:02.620 more thing. I did a video on this a month or 00:15:02.620 --> 00:15:06.039 so ago. One thing I will caution, not only those 00:15:06.039 --> 00:15:09.259 entrepreneurs, business professionals, just professionals 00:15:09.259 --> 00:15:13.000 in general, when you are using AI and you are 00:15:13.000 --> 00:15:17.460 putting prompts and information in AI. Definitely 00:15:17.460 --> 00:15:21.059 be cautious about putting any personal, private, 00:15:21.200 --> 00:15:24.460 company trade secrets, proprietary information, 00:15:24.899 --> 00:15:27.019 maybe some ideas and things that you're working 00:15:27.019 --> 00:15:30.340 on that is not ready for public view and or consumption. 00:15:30.759 --> 00:15:34.080 Do not put those in AI. That's a great way to 00:15:34.080 --> 00:15:37.159 also be strategic in how you use it. You want 00:15:37.159 --> 00:15:39.039 to use it, like we said at the top, you want 00:15:39.039 --> 00:15:41.419 to use it as a tool and a resource that's going 00:15:41.419 --> 00:15:44.559 to enhance what you're already trying to convey 00:15:44.559 --> 00:15:47.179 and or communicate. So it's very important to 00:15:47.179 --> 00:15:49.340 not put private or personal information, business 00:15:49.340 --> 00:15:52.799 trade secrets, any new ideas that you are working 00:15:52.799 --> 00:15:55.980 on that you're not ready to have the public see 00:15:55.980 --> 00:15:58.820 and or consume. Just be cautious about putting 00:15:58.820 --> 00:16:01.340 that in there because those conversations aren't 00:16:01.340 --> 00:16:04.639 private. They are public. That's true. And they're 00:16:04.639 --> 00:16:07.179 going everywhere. They're going everywhere. They're 00:16:07.179 --> 00:16:08.700 going everywhere. And the information is being 00:16:08.700 --> 00:16:12.120 tracked. One thing you said that really resonated 00:16:12.120 --> 00:16:15.620 with me was when you get your prospective client, 00:16:16.299 --> 00:16:19.659 In the home, there's no more chat GPT. There's 00:16:19.659 --> 00:16:24.139 no more AI. It's just you. That's right. If you 00:16:24.139 --> 00:16:26.279 had all these intelligent things that you said 00:16:26.279 --> 00:16:29.120 to them through an email, that's one thing. But 00:16:29.120 --> 00:16:32.059 once you get there, you can't... That's correct. 00:16:32.559 --> 00:16:37.519 Okay, so it will not replace the agent. The agent 00:16:37.519 --> 00:16:40.000 must be worth their salt, which I'm sure you 00:16:40.000 --> 00:16:43.639 are. You're halfway there. Okay, let's talk about 00:16:43.639 --> 00:16:47.679 burnout. What are the networking red flags that 00:16:47.679 --> 00:16:52.700 signal you're headed towards burnout, like draining 00:16:52.700 --> 00:16:56.600 connections or relationships that no longer serve 00:16:56.600 --> 00:17:01.039 you? I would say for me, one of the key, the 00:17:01.039 --> 00:17:04.579 biggest key indicators for me when I was really 00:17:04.579 --> 00:17:07.359 feeling burnt out, I just didn't have any energy. 00:17:07.799 --> 00:17:11.660 I was just exhausted all the time. Didn't want 00:17:11.660 --> 00:17:14.460 to go nowhere. Didn't want to work a full day 00:17:14.460 --> 00:17:16.839 at work and then go to a networking event in 00:17:16.839 --> 00:17:19.799 the evening. Just exhausted. Just exhausted. 00:17:19.920 --> 00:17:21.619 You were going to say something, Michael? Yeah. 00:17:21.680 --> 00:17:24.019 So how'd you get out of that? How'd you get your 00:17:24.019 --> 00:17:30.200 energy to go on with your ambitions? Yeah. For 00:17:30.200 --> 00:17:33.119 me, I tend to overwhelm myself. And what I mean 00:17:33.119 --> 00:17:35.660 by that is I have just too many things going 00:17:35.660 --> 00:17:38.150 on at once. Too many things going on at once. 00:17:38.369 --> 00:17:42.309 I had to really learn very quickly to say no 00:17:42.309 --> 00:17:44.750 to things that, like you said, didn't really 00:17:44.750 --> 00:17:48.769 serve me. I had to really, really get strict 00:17:48.769 --> 00:17:53.329 with my time. And I had to prioritize that long 00:17:53.329 --> 00:17:56.450 list of things that I had to do. I had to prioritize 00:17:56.450 --> 00:17:59.630 it and really break it up. So identify maybe 00:17:59.630 --> 00:18:02.029 those top three to five things that I... Absolutely 00:18:02.029 --> 00:18:04.789 had to get done and do that every single day 00:18:04.789 --> 00:18:08.069 so that I don't feel overwhelmed. And so that 00:18:08.069 --> 00:18:10.390 I do have enough energy at the end of the day 00:18:10.390 --> 00:18:13.910 to go to a networking event in the evening or 00:18:13.910 --> 00:18:15.710 meet up with somebody for coffee in the morning 00:18:15.710 --> 00:18:19.529 or jump on the Zoom during the lunch hour. So 00:18:19.529 --> 00:18:22.130 that's what worked for me. Prioritizing, figuring 00:18:22.130 --> 00:18:24.069 out what top three to five things I needed to 00:18:24.069 --> 00:18:30.160 get done every day. Saying no. And just... Just 00:18:30.160 --> 00:18:33.819 making those decisions and how I best facilitated 00:18:33.819 --> 00:18:36.599 the most efficient use of my time. Those things 00:18:36.599 --> 00:18:40.500 help me. Exactly, exactly. You have to develop 00:18:40.500 --> 00:18:43.460 a routine, okay? A routine that you're going 00:18:43.460 --> 00:18:46.140 to stick to. Now, I'm going to date myself when 00:18:46.140 --> 00:18:49.640 I say this, but in the days of the day timer, 00:18:49.779 --> 00:18:52.299 okay? If you remember the day time, the planner, 00:18:52.480 --> 00:18:55.349 I would take a little corner. Of the book? Absolutely. 00:18:55.630 --> 00:18:57.250 And you write down the things you had to do. 00:18:57.269 --> 00:18:59.710 You crossed out the things that you did, but 00:18:59.710 --> 00:19:01.849 the things you didn't do, you put onto the next 00:19:01.849 --> 00:19:05.289 day as the top two or three, and you hit those 00:19:05.289 --> 00:19:09.970 first. So you move to today. You have to, I'm 00:19:09.970 --> 00:19:15.710 heavily involved with the CRM, okay? So I look 00:19:15.710 --> 00:19:19.099 at my tasks every morning. And I see what I have 00:19:19.099 --> 00:19:21.259 to do. Then I have an hour and a half of what 00:19:21.259 --> 00:19:24.019 I have to do. Prospecting, everything is broken 00:19:24.019 --> 00:19:27.660 up, but I have a routine. I do the same thing 00:19:27.660 --> 00:19:31.640 four or five days out of the week. Besides all 00:19:31.640 --> 00:19:34.779 my social media posting and podcasting and things 00:19:34.779 --> 00:19:37.440 like that, it's just a matter of getting routine. 00:19:37.660 --> 00:19:41.599 When I got it into a routine, a lot of the pressure 00:19:41.599 --> 00:19:44.160 came off my shoulders. Like, I don't have to 00:19:44.160 --> 00:19:46.420 think about it. I know I just have to do this. 00:19:47.019 --> 00:19:50.859 So I think that will really help anybody who's 00:19:50.859 --> 00:19:54.140 listening is to develop some type of routine. 00:19:54.539 --> 00:19:57.440 Yeah. The concept of time blocking really helps 00:19:57.440 --> 00:20:00.839 support that. Yeah, it does. And I block out 00:20:00.839 --> 00:20:04.460 an hour and a half every day from 1130 to one 00:20:04.460 --> 00:20:09.130 every day. What's that? That's my can eat. with 00:20:09.130 --> 00:20:12.130 my wife, have a sandwich or whatever. And I can 00:20:12.130 --> 00:20:14.549 just go over emails and do what I have to do. 00:20:14.630 --> 00:20:18.990 That is my time. And I block it out every day. 00:20:19.529 --> 00:20:22.470 So that's not the thing. And you have to be strict 00:20:22.470 --> 00:20:25.829 about it too. I have to be. I wish I was better 00:20:25.829 --> 00:20:30.650 at it, but I'm working on it. Okay. So can you 00:20:30.650 --> 00:20:34.029 share a time when a single networking connection 00:20:34.029 --> 00:20:38.150 changed your trajectory? and what others can 00:20:38.150 --> 00:20:41.349 learn from you from how you showed up at that 00:20:41.349 --> 00:20:45.329 moment. A time where a single network connection 00:20:45.329 --> 00:20:50.470 changed my trajectory. Besides meeting me. I 00:20:50.470 --> 00:20:53.890 was going to say, meeting you has been definitely 00:20:53.890 --> 00:20:57.990 a bonus in my life. Okay, thank you. I didn't 00:20:57.990 --> 00:21:00.450 really think about this when I've met so many 00:21:00.450 --> 00:21:06.049 people. What major, did you get a major transaction 00:21:06.049 --> 00:21:10.170 out of a networking event out of meeting somebody? 00:21:10.490 --> 00:21:13.609 Okay. Tell me a little bit about that. About 00:21:13.609 --> 00:21:18.210 five years ago, I met a gentleman who was a member 00:21:18.210 --> 00:21:20.789 of BNI, which stands for Business Networking 00:21:20.789 --> 00:21:24.490 International. They are a global closed networking 00:21:24.490 --> 00:21:28.049 for all organization. I met him at another networking 00:21:28.049 --> 00:21:32.119 event. He invited me to his BNI group. And I 00:21:32.119 --> 00:21:34.180 had just started in real estate. This was back 00:21:34.180 --> 00:21:37.460 in 2019, maybe even 2020. I just started in real 00:21:37.460 --> 00:21:41.359 estate and I was looking to grow my business. 00:21:41.400 --> 00:21:43.380 I wanted to grow my business organically through 00:21:43.380 --> 00:21:45.420 qualified referrals. So he invited me to his 00:21:45.420 --> 00:21:48.460 meeting and that's exactly what BNI does. They 00:21:48.460 --> 00:21:51.539 teach you how to network strategically and they 00:21:51.539 --> 00:21:54.740 teach you how to identify your client profile, 00:21:55.119 --> 00:21:58.579 identify who would be a great qualified referral 00:21:58.579 --> 00:22:01.240 for you, so on and so forth. Fast forward, maybe 00:22:01.240 --> 00:22:03.799 a year after, not even a year, maybe six months 00:22:03.799 --> 00:22:06.759 after attending that meeting, here I am now forming 00:22:06.759 --> 00:22:11.079 my own BNI group. And so fast forward five years, 00:22:11.180 --> 00:22:14.019 here I am now almost six years in real estate 00:22:14.019 --> 00:22:17.240 here in Metro Atlanta, doing top producing agent, 00:22:17.400 --> 00:22:21.039 doing very well. And 99 % of my business is almost 00:22:21.039 --> 00:22:25.559 100 % referrals. And it's just from that one 00:22:25.559 --> 00:22:28.700 connection. with that gentleman who invited me 00:22:28.700 --> 00:22:34.599 to his BNI group, my real estate business and 00:22:34.599 --> 00:22:39.000 my development as a entrepreneur, I can attribute 00:22:39.000 --> 00:22:41.940 that one connection at that networking event 00:22:41.940 --> 00:22:46.319 to really where I am today. Wow, that's perfect. 00:22:46.579 --> 00:22:52.779 That was absolutely perfect. Very good. And congratulations 00:22:52.779 --> 00:22:57.859 to that person who introduced you into the proper 00:22:57.859 --> 00:23:01.539 ways of networking because you wouldn't be where 00:23:01.539 --> 00:23:05.539 you are today without it. I was still doing networking 00:23:05.539 --> 00:23:10.579 wrong. If I was not, if I was not a part of BNI. 00:23:11.079 --> 00:23:13.539 It's still going willy -nilly with no prepare. 00:23:13.759 --> 00:23:18.059 Okay. Okay. So what kind of network do professional 00:23:18.059 --> 00:23:22.640 women really need to avoid isolation and stay 00:23:22.640 --> 00:23:25.960 energized, especially when juggling multiple 00:23:25.960 --> 00:23:32.059 roles? Ooh, gosh, this is a tough one. I specifically 00:23:32.059 --> 00:23:35.420 said women and juggling multiple roles because 00:23:35.420 --> 00:23:37.779 everybody knows that guys can't do that. True. 00:23:39.960 --> 00:23:41.680 Not true, but I understand what you're saying. 00:23:42.640 --> 00:23:45.519 I would say this is how I do it. I'm a wife. 00:23:45.619 --> 00:23:49.279 I'm a mom of two, a young adult and a soon to 00:23:49.279 --> 00:23:53.539 be young adult or soon to be an adult. And I 00:23:53.539 --> 00:23:55.819 have things that I want to do for myself. Right. 00:23:56.079 --> 00:23:58.559 But then I also have my clients. I have my business. 00:23:58.680 --> 00:24:01.920 I have other referral partners. I do things like 00:24:01.920 --> 00:24:05.079 this on podcasts. spread a bit thin. And I think 00:24:05.079 --> 00:24:08.240 it just goes back to understanding why you're 00:24:08.240 --> 00:24:09.980 doing the things that you're doing. You really 00:24:09.980 --> 00:24:13.000 getting intentional about how you spend your 00:24:13.000 --> 00:24:15.680 time. There's only 24 hours in a day and there's 00:24:15.680 --> 00:24:18.859 only one of you. And you have all these hats 00:24:18.859 --> 00:24:22.339 that you are wearing. I did a video on something 00:24:22.339 --> 00:24:24.980 similar to this about a month or so ago. And 00:24:24.980 --> 00:24:29.660 I talked about the importance of doing at least 00:24:29.660 --> 00:24:33.059 one thing every day for yourself. I live by that. 00:24:33.450 --> 00:24:35.730 I normally do two things every day for myself 00:24:35.730 --> 00:24:39.809 because I'm a bit of an overachiever. But I challenged 00:24:39.809 --> 00:24:42.589 everybody in this video, do at least one thing 00:24:42.589 --> 00:24:45.910 for yourself. And you'll be amazed at how long 00:24:45.910 --> 00:24:50.470 that, how far that can go. And us as women, you're 00:24:50.470 --> 00:24:52.809 right. We wear a lot of different hats. We have 00:24:52.809 --> 00:24:56.289 a lot of people leaning on and relying on us. 00:24:56.369 --> 00:24:59.730 And sometimes we forget, a lot of times we forget. 00:25:00.509 --> 00:25:03.630 to prioritize ourselves, our own health and wellness, 00:25:03.829 --> 00:25:07.430 our own happiness, our own sanity, right? Our 00:25:07.430 --> 00:25:10.630 own friendships, our own hobbies and things that 00:25:10.630 --> 00:25:13.589 we like to do. And I would say to the folks that 00:25:13.589 --> 00:25:15.950 are listening, do at least one thing every day 00:25:15.950 --> 00:25:18.829 for yourself. Take that time, whether it's five 00:25:18.829 --> 00:25:22.890 minutes, an hour, 30 minutes, do at least one 00:25:22.890 --> 00:25:25.849 thing. If that's just... sitting in your car 00:25:25.849 --> 00:25:28.390 for 30 minutes, laying in your bed for 30 minutes 00:25:28.390 --> 00:25:30.750 before you get out of bed, whatever that is, 00:25:30.789 --> 00:25:33.670 whatever your thing is. For me, it's going and 00:25:33.670 --> 00:25:35.829 working out. And then the other thing I do almost 00:25:35.829 --> 00:25:38.849 every day is going and walking every day, 20 00:25:38.849 --> 00:25:42.809 minutes outside. Highly encourage people to just 00:25:42.809 --> 00:25:45.049 do that. Just do that one thing. It goes a long 00:25:45.049 --> 00:25:48.450 way. It really does. It does. It does. Very good. 00:25:48.670 --> 00:25:51.690 And I agree with that because my wife does almost 00:25:51.690 --> 00:25:55.460 exactly that. Perfect. What's the difference 00:25:55.460 --> 00:25:58.980 between growing your contacts and growing your 00:25:58.980 --> 00:26:03.259 community? How do you shift from transactional 00:26:03.259 --> 00:26:07.539 to transformational networking? The difference 00:26:07.539 --> 00:26:10.319 between growing your contacts and growing your 00:26:10.319 --> 00:26:13.920 community, community is all about relationship 00:26:13.920 --> 00:26:19.000 building. You might grab somebody's contact information 00:26:19.000 --> 00:26:21.519 at a networking event. They may give you their 00:26:21.519 --> 00:26:25.569 card. And you may not have, they may be in a 00:26:25.569 --> 00:26:28.490 completely different industry. It is highly unlikely 00:26:28.490 --> 00:26:32.609 that your paths may even cross again or highly 00:26:32.609 --> 00:26:36.009 unlikely that you could add value to their business 00:26:36.009 --> 00:26:38.789 and vice versa, but you take their contact information, 00:26:39.130 --> 00:26:41.910 right? That and growing your contacts. Another 00:26:41.910 --> 00:26:44.890 way to grow your contacts is through social media. 00:26:44.970 --> 00:26:46.910 People follow you, they connect with you, things 00:26:46.910 --> 00:26:48.950 like that, but you don't really know them, know 00:26:48.950 --> 00:26:52.210 them. I feel like community is when you really, 00:26:52.619 --> 00:26:56.099 know the people that you're surrounded by. There 00:26:56.099 --> 00:26:59.099 are relationships there, deep relationships, 00:26:59.480 --> 00:27:02.140 deep friendships there. To me, that's really 00:27:02.140 --> 00:27:05.680 building community. And or you may not necessarily 00:27:05.680 --> 00:27:09.299 have a deep relationship with that person, but 00:27:09.299 --> 00:27:13.240 you have something in common, something in common 00:27:13.240 --> 00:27:16.539 that really brings all of you together. To me, 00:27:16.559 --> 00:27:21.180 that's community versus contacts. I've had another 00:27:21.180 --> 00:27:25.910 question for me. Absolutely. Before the pandemic, 00:27:26.170 --> 00:27:30.230 I was in the mortgage business and I was going 00:27:30.230 --> 00:27:32.190 to networking events. I would come home with 00:27:32.190 --> 00:27:35.569 a shoebox filled with business cards and say, 00:27:35.630 --> 00:27:39.309 look how good I did. And obviously I didn't do 00:27:39.309 --> 00:27:43.690 well at all, right? Now, when I coach students 00:27:43.690 --> 00:27:47.329 or I coach other professionals about how to go 00:27:47.329 --> 00:27:49.470 and network with a three or four hour event, 00:27:49.690 --> 00:27:52.700 I say, don't come back with more than 15 or 20 00:27:52.700 --> 00:27:56.119 business cards, because you can't follow up with 00:27:56.119 --> 00:27:59.519 that properly. That's right. I have a whole secret 00:27:59.519 --> 00:28:03.480 sauce for follow ups. But if you don't follow 00:28:03.480 --> 00:28:05.880 up correctly, you might as well not even have 00:28:05.880 --> 00:28:08.319 met them in the first place. Because it's just 00:28:08.319 --> 00:28:10.180 it's going to fall through. Because the follow 00:28:10.180 --> 00:28:13.619 up is so very important. If you don't follow 00:28:13.619 --> 00:28:16.119 up enough, if you follow up too much, if you 00:28:16.119 --> 00:28:18.200 don't say the right thing, it's really what you 00:28:18.200 --> 00:28:21.519 do. It's a mindset. But The follow -up is so 00:28:21.519 --> 00:28:25.420 much more important. Okay. What's one AI tool, 00:28:25.640 --> 00:28:29.140 one question to ask at a networking event, and 00:28:29.140 --> 00:28:35.000 one follow -up strategy you swear by? I love 00:28:35.000 --> 00:28:41.059 ChatGPT. I use it almost every day. I primarily 00:28:41.059 --> 00:28:45.400 use it to help me build out content ideas that 00:28:45.400 --> 00:28:47.099 I have in my head for my social media posts. 00:28:47.769 --> 00:28:50.049 And then one question that I ask, I typically 00:28:50.049 --> 00:28:53.269 ask at all networking events is I'll ask people, 00:28:53.390 --> 00:28:56.670 hey, how did you find out about this networking 00:28:56.670 --> 00:28:59.930 event? And or I will ask them, where else do 00:28:59.930 --> 00:29:02.150 you network? That's probably the one question 00:29:02.150 --> 00:29:04.650 I ask the most. Where else do you network? Because 00:29:04.650 --> 00:29:09.089 I'm also, again, trying to be strategic in where 00:29:09.089 --> 00:29:13.670 I go next, what networking events I attend. And 00:29:13.670 --> 00:29:16.329 you had a third question for me. No, it's just 00:29:16.329 --> 00:29:20.009 one follow -up strategy and one that you swear 00:29:20.009 --> 00:29:23.789 by. Okay. Follow -up strategy for me, let's say, 00:29:23.809 --> 00:29:25.609 Michael, I got your card, and let's say you were 00:29:25.609 --> 00:29:27.970 still in the mortgage business, right? I would 00:29:27.970 --> 00:29:30.390 reach out to you either via phone or text, and 00:29:30.390 --> 00:29:32.450 I would say something like this. Hey, Michael, 00:29:32.529 --> 00:29:34.410 it was great seeing you at, and I would name 00:29:34.410 --> 00:29:38.059 the event. And I would say something like, hey, 00:29:38.180 --> 00:29:40.200 it was great seeing you at the Local Link event. 00:29:40.480 --> 00:29:43.039 I would love to catch up over coffee if you have 00:29:43.039 --> 00:29:46.119 time here in the next week or so. Love to connect 00:29:46.119 --> 00:29:48.220 with you, learn more about what you do and potentially 00:29:48.220 --> 00:29:51.000 how we might be able to help each other. And 00:29:51.000 --> 00:29:52.960 then you will respond. You'll probably say, yeah, 00:29:52.980 --> 00:29:54.779 I'd love to get together. And then I would literally, 00:29:54.859 --> 00:29:57.380 we'll align on a date and time and I will send 00:29:57.380 --> 00:30:02.440 you a meeting invite. And I do that because I 00:30:02.440 --> 00:30:06.059 want it to be on your calendar. And I will also 00:30:06.059 --> 00:30:08.640 follow up with you maybe one to two days post 00:30:08.640 --> 00:30:10.859 that event, because if you've been out networking 00:30:10.859 --> 00:30:13.799 and you've met a lot of different people, collected 00:30:13.799 --> 00:30:16.799 a lot of different cards, if I wait too long, 00:30:17.059 --> 00:30:18.559 you're going to forget. It's going to be all 00:30:18.559 --> 00:30:21.160 a blur. So that's why it's important to reach 00:30:21.160 --> 00:30:23.480 out to that person the next day or two days after. 00:30:23.940 --> 00:30:26.099 And then once you guys align on a time to meet 00:30:26.099 --> 00:30:29.460 up and talk more, then you put that meeting invite 00:30:29.460 --> 00:30:32.180 on their calendar. And then when you get there, 00:30:32.279 --> 00:30:35.339 when you get there. You want to ask them a lot 00:30:35.339 --> 00:30:37.319 of questions. You want them to do a lot of talking. 00:30:37.380 --> 00:30:39.599 You want to really be interested in them so that 00:30:39.599 --> 00:30:41.960 you can get a deeper understanding of who they 00:30:41.960 --> 00:30:45.279 are, what they do, why they chose this industry. 00:30:45.720 --> 00:30:48.079 What's maybe the top one to two things that they're 00:30:48.079 --> 00:30:52.799 focused on right now? Who is a ideal client and 00:30:52.799 --> 00:30:55.900 or referral for them? And make sure you're taking 00:30:55.900 --> 00:30:58.769 notes. So when you and I met over coffee. i was 00:30:58.769 --> 00:31:02.849 taking notes because i'm a woman i got a lot 00:31:02.849 --> 00:31:06.410 going on and i can't remember everything so i 00:31:06.410 --> 00:31:08.710 i write notes down all the time just to help 00:31:08.710 --> 00:31:11.990 me remember but you want to make sure that conversation 00:31:11.990 --> 00:31:15.269 that you have is focused on the individual across 00:31:15.269 --> 00:31:18.430 the table from you and then like i said naturally 00:31:19.079 --> 00:31:21.839 People will ask you, why are you in the business 00:31:21.839 --> 00:31:23.980 that you're in? Who's a great ideal client or 00:31:23.980 --> 00:31:26.220 referral partner for you? Where else do you network? 00:31:26.440 --> 00:31:29.000 What are some top two to three things that you're 00:31:29.000 --> 00:31:31.319 working on right now, Deanna? How can I help 00:31:31.319 --> 00:31:33.960 you? That type of thing. And ideally, best case 00:31:33.960 --> 00:31:37.079 scenario, you each walk away with a referral 00:31:37.079 --> 00:31:39.940 from the other person, or you each walk away 00:31:39.940 --> 00:31:43.039 with a new way of doing things, maybe a book 00:31:43.039 --> 00:31:46.160 to read, maybe a podcast to follow, something. 00:31:46.319 --> 00:31:49.349 You walk away with something of value. that you 00:31:49.349 --> 00:31:52.309 can now go and use in your business and that's 00:31:52.309 --> 00:31:55.809 really how you network effectively before doing 00:31:55.809 --> 00:31:58.190 it after and that's how you start to build community 00:31:58.190 --> 00:32:00.269 too that's how you start to build community and 00:32:00.269 --> 00:32:02.829 start building those deeper relationships and 00:32:02.829 --> 00:32:05.369 it may not happen the next week the next month 00:32:05.369 --> 00:32:08.950 of the next year but that person's going to remember 00:32:08.950 --> 00:32:12.829 you and they're probably going to remember maybe 00:32:12.829 --> 00:32:14.950 one thing that you said from that conversation 00:32:15.920 --> 00:32:18.660 And they may eventually refer somebody to you 00:32:18.660 --> 00:32:20.720 to work with. You just, you never really know. 00:32:20.779 --> 00:32:23.859 You don't go in to the conversation expecting 00:32:23.859 --> 00:32:28.579 to get business from it. You go in with a servant's 00:32:28.579 --> 00:32:32.140 heart and an open ear so that you can learn more. 00:32:32.640 --> 00:32:35.339 That's what you're doing. Absolutely. Absolutely. 00:32:35.579 --> 00:32:40.259 I always ask my guests one question, okay? Before 00:32:40.259 --> 00:32:43.460 we end the podcast, before we do anything, I'm 00:32:43.460 --> 00:32:47.259 going to ask you one question. From your entire 00:32:47.259 --> 00:32:53.000 background, changing into real estate. Yes. You're 00:32:53.000 --> 00:32:56.099 successful now, but were you always successful? 00:32:56.299 --> 00:33:01.480 So what's one major mistake that you made and 00:33:01.480 --> 00:33:04.640 how did you get out of it? I was not always successful. 00:33:05.240 --> 00:33:10.680 Anybody who is in real estate will tell you it 00:33:10.680 --> 00:33:15.509 is. the most challenging, one of the most competitive 00:33:15.509 --> 00:33:20.710 industries and businesses to be in, partly because 00:33:20.710 --> 00:33:24.329 it's a highly saturated business and industry. 00:33:24.650 --> 00:33:30.529 I would say 10%, maybe 15 % of folks who actually 00:33:30.529 --> 00:33:33.529 have a license are actually practicing real estate 00:33:33.529 --> 00:33:36.230 full -time and doing it well. It's kind of like 00:33:36.230 --> 00:33:39.440 that 80 -20 rule. I would say for me, when I 00:33:39.440 --> 00:33:42.619 first started out, I had imposter syndrome, like 00:33:42.619 --> 00:33:47.220 nobody's business. I was new to Atlanta. I've 00:33:47.220 --> 00:33:50.160 only been here like less than six months to a 00:33:50.160 --> 00:33:54.440 year. And I was comparing myself to people who 00:33:54.440 --> 00:33:57.740 were born and raised here, lived here forever. 00:33:58.000 --> 00:33:59.819 They knew where all the great neighborhoods were. 00:33:59.920 --> 00:34:01.940 They knew everything about everything. They had 00:34:01.940 --> 00:34:05.759 all the history. So I had to. I had to get rid 00:34:05.759 --> 00:34:08.400 of that imposter syndrome. And the way that I 00:34:08.400 --> 00:34:15.099 did that was to say, hey, you're literally here 00:34:15.099 --> 00:34:17.940 less than a year. Yes, you have a learning curve. 00:34:18.500 --> 00:34:22.260 But over time, you will get to a place where 00:34:22.260 --> 00:34:23.960 you know where all the good neighborhoods are. 00:34:24.059 --> 00:34:26.679 You're going to know where all the major cities 00:34:26.679 --> 00:34:29.960 are in and around metro Atlanta. And fast forward 00:34:29.960 --> 00:34:34.070 three, four, five years later, I do. I do. So 00:34:34.070 --> 00:34:38.610 that imposter syndrome in any business or any 00:34:38.610 --> 00:34:42.809 profession or any job is a real thing. And when 00:34:42.809 --> 00:34:45.130 you are in a very competitive environment like 00:34:45.130 --> 00:34:47.670 you are in real estate, you really have to check 00:34:47.670 --> 00:34:50.110 yourself and you really have to check that because 00:34:50.110 --> 00:34:53.630 it can definitely derail you and disappoint you 00:34:53.630 --> 00:34:59.389 and discourage you from keeping going. So that 00:34:59.389 --> 00:35:01.769 was a big challenge for me early on. It's not 00:35:01.769 --> 00:35:05.369 a challenge anymore, but it definitely was early 00:35:05.369 --> 00:35:08.809 on. And I think as you get some winds under your 00:35:08.809 --> 00:35:10.269 belt, you get a little bit more comfortable, 00:35:10.409 --> 00:35:13.309 your legs underneath you and you start, you've 00:35:13.309 --> 00:35:15.690 gone from crawling. And so now you're walking, 00:35:15.909 --> 00:35:19.190 your confidence builds up, your confidence builds 00:35:19.190 --> 00:35:22.969 up. And so that was one thing early on that I 00:35:22.969 --> 00:35:25.190 struggled with, but definitely in a good place 00:35:25.190 --> 00:35:29.210 now. Good, good. Okay. Ready to bring this podcast 00:35:29.210 --> 00:35:33.769 full circle? Yes, let's do it. If you could teach 00:35:33.769 --> 00:35:37.389 every up -and -coming entrepreneur one truth 00:35:37.389 --> 00:35:41.590 about building profitable, purpose -driven relationships, 00:35:42.090 --> 00:35:45.730 what would it be? Be real and authentic and be 00:35:45.730 --> 00:35:48.809 yourself. Be real, be authentic, be yourself. 00:35:49.690 --> 00:35:56.489 Because people can spot fakeness a mile away. 00:35:56.769 --> 00:36:01.989 Flakiness. A mile away. Dishonesty, a mile away. 00:36:02.050 --> 00:36:06.989 I would say be yourself, be real and be authentic. 00:36:07.230 --> 00:36:11.090 Don't try to be anybody else. Don't try to be 00:36:11.090 --> 00:36:15.130 who people, who you think people want you to 00:36:15.130 --> 00:36:19.130 be. Be authentically you. Be authentically you. 00:36:19.929 --> 00:36:24.179 That was my advice. Deanna, I can't tell you 00:36:24.179 --> 00:36:27.280 what a pleasure this was. I hope all of my listeners 00:36:27.280 --> 00:36:31.059 felt exactly the same way because Deanna knows 00:36:31.059 --> 00:36:36.059 her stuff. I kept that PG, by the way. You know 00:36:36.059 --> 00:36:40.360 your stuff, okay? But if anybody wanted to get 00:36:40.360 --> 00:36:42.960 hold of you, either because they have a house 00:36:42.960 --> 00:36:45.699 they want to sell or invest or anything like 00:36:45.699 --> 00:36:48.889 that, would they get hold of you? There's a couple 00:36:48.889 --> 00:36:50.309 of different ways. You can definitely give me 00:36:50.309 --> 00:36:52.969 a call, but I would love to have you visit my 00:36:52.969 --> 00:36:57.050 website. It's DeannaLindoRealty .com. All of 00:36:57.050 --> 00:36:59.289 my contact information is on there. A lot of 00:36:59.289 --> 00:37:01.449 great resources for both buyers and sellers. 00:37:01.769 --> 00:37:06.190 If you are on Instagram, you can find me at Deanna 00:37:06.190 --> 00:37:09.050 Lindo Realtor. You can also find me on LinkedIn 00:37:09.050 --> 00:37:11.969 at Deanna Lindo Realtor. You can find me on TikTok 00:37:11.969 --> 00:37:15.329 at Deanna Lindo. So I'm all over the place. So 00:37:15.329 --> 00:37:19.110 you can just Google me. I'm there too. Deanna, 00:37:19.190 --> 00:37:21.550 I can't tell you how great this was having you 00:37:21.550 --> 00:37:25.030 on. And I look forward to seeing you soon. Thank 00:37:25.030 --> 00:37:30.239 you, Michael. It was a pleasure. hold on, folks. 00:37:30.460 --> 00:37:33.460 Don't go anywhere. Let's hear from our sponsors. 00:37:33.900 --> 00:37:37.900 David Neal, co -founder Revved Up Kids. Revved 00:37:37.900 --> 00:37:40.860 Up Kids is on a mission to protect children and 00:37:40.860 --> 00:37:44.800 teens from sexual abuse, exploitation, and trafficking. 00:37:45.119 --> 00:37:48.280 They provide prevention training programs for 00:37:48.280 --> 00:37:51.820 children, teens, and adults. To learn more, go 00:37:51.820 --> 00:37:56.179 to revvedupkids .org. Henry Kaplan, Century 21. 00:37:56.699 --> 00:37:58.920 When it comes to making the biggest financial 00:37:58.920 --> 00:38:01.900 decision of your life, leave it in the hands 00:38:01.900 --> 00:38:05.219 of a proven professional, Henry Kaplan. Henry 00:38:05.219 --> 00:38:08.360 is a global real estate agent with Century 21, 00:38:08.579 --> 00:38:12.559 celebrating his 41st year in business. No matter 00:38:12.559 --> 00:38:15.260 where you're moving, Henry has the right connections 00:38:15.260 --> 00:38:22.239 for you. You can contact Henry at 561 -427 -4888. 00:38:23.599 --> 00:38:26.809 We're out, folks. A huge thank you to our guests 00:38:26.809 --> 00:38:30.110 for sharing such incredible insights today. And 00:38:30.110 --> 00:38:32.969 of course, a big shout out to you, our amazing 00:38:32.969 --> 00:38:35.969 listeners, for tuning in and spending your time 00:38:35.969 --> 00:38:39.070 with us. If you're interested in my digital courses, 00:38:39.349 --> 00:38:42.349 being coached or having me come and talk to your 00:38:42.349 --> 00:38:45.829 company, just go to Michael and fill out the 00:38:45.829 --> 00:38:49.429 request form. Remember, networking isn't about 00:38:49.429 --> 00:38:53.130 being perfect. It's about being present. So take 00:38:53.130 --> 00:38:55.659 what you've learned today. get out there, and 00:38:55.659 --> 00:38:58.619 make some meaningful connections. If you've enjoyed 00:38:58.619 --> 00:39:01.320 this episode, please don't forget to subscribe, 00:39:01.539 --> 00:39:04.380 leave us a review, and share it with someone 00:39:04.380 --> 00:39:06.440 who could use a little networking inspiration. 00:39:07.239 --> 00:39:10.340 Let's keep the conversation going. You can find 00:39:10.340 --> 00:39:14.679 me on Apple, Spotify, Pandora, YouTube, or my 00:39:14.679 --> 00:39:18.559 website, foreman .com slash podcasts.