This week on the show, Stacey Soleil and Marci James joined to share their thoughts after attending Inman Connect. Both attended the Inman Connect event in Vegas last week and shared their top takeaways from the conference, as well as the benefits of stepping into the role of THOUGHT LEADER in the industry.
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A little bit about our guests today: Marci James is an adventure-seeking, lifelong learner who loves a challenge.
Her 25 years of work in the real estate industry have been driven by her desire to empower REALTORS@ with the technology, information, skills, and confidence they need to flourish and succeed.
As the Director of Industry Marketing, Marci oversees Realtor.com®’s industry sponsorships, industry diversity initiatives, industry relationship marketing and NAR relationship management.
Early in her schooling, Stacey Soleil’s teachers told her parents that she doodles/writes notes too much & that she tends to be an “overly social butterfly”. Flash forward 20+ years and that same note-taking, social butterfly has manifested those “quirks” into her career superpowers!
As Head of Knowledge for www.followupboss.com (a proud 2021 WomanUP! Vendor Sponsor), Stacey assists with business development, running the Follow Up Boss Success Community (a world-wide collaborative group designed to share Follow Up Boss best practices and wins), and oversees the internal/external training & knowledge base for the brand. Stacey is a passionate student of the industry, and strives to make sure that best practices of the brand are in proper alignment with both the industry & the real estate professionals that they serve. Additionally, Stacey is an instructor with the Residential Real Estate Council, a 2021 WomanUP! Wavemaker and Inman Ambassador, as well as a contributing writer to Inman News, The Close & The Modern Day Agent.
Let’s dig into the highlights from ICLV last week! What are your top (3-5) takeaways?
Marci:
I always love exploring all the new technologies and this year I was really impressed with the enormous amount of new Financing companies… There’s a whole new menu of new options for buyers and sellers
Is the market slowing? No one really knows what’s going to happen with the market. Everyone agrees that the market is slowing, but in relative terms, even though it’s slowing, it’s still a HOT market. I loved the Heidi Zelman session! Contrary to what most analysts are saying, she believes we are over building...And stats tell us there is still a huge shortage of homes and builders cannot keep up with the demand due to lack of supplies and help.
NOTHING replaces face to face engagement. Seeing and hugging friends was so incredibly uplifting and joyful!! That is also evident in the fact that one of the fastest ways to convert a lead is to get them to meet you face to face.
Stacey:
I really appreciated that a lot of the team dialogues and sessions were focused on attraction based recruiting. This dynamic is so applicable to not only best practices when working to grow your team, but also when filling your pipeline. Focus on CONSISTENCY - throughout all of the sessions you kept hearing the keyword of CONSISTENCY being mentioned, which should seem like a second-hand notion, however with so much up and down and twists and turns coming out of a pandemic year, it’s CRUCIAL that we remember the value of being ever present. The real winners are never taking their foot off the gas pedal , “The people doing business aren’t lucky, they’re just doing the work day after day and the consistency pays off.”
TONS OF FOCUS inside several sessions was shifted back to really relying on your CRM to power your outreach and follow up. Super organic moment for Follow Up Boss as numerous speakers shared that their success was being powered by FUB, which really created a proud moment for me as their voice at the event. Always amazing when customer testimonials and referrals come unprompted.
We get asked A LOT around here about how to become an industry influencer (aka thought-leader). You both are in that category… how did YOU get here?
Stacey: For me, the journey has been a slow and steady wins the race kind of thing. I’ve been in the industry for more than 20 years in one way or another and it’s always come back to understanding who you are talking to. A. Be willing to do the work that nobody else wants to do
B. Be solution focused vs. problem fixated C. Be strategic. Pay attention to what works and what doesn’t… looking at the leaders that have come before you.
D. ENGAGE ENGAGE AND ENGAGE SOME MORE!!! Marci: I have a whole presentation on this! But in a nutshell ANYONE can do it if you lead with sincerity and service.,
Social media is a time suck! Don’t worry about creating a ton of content. Take 15 minutes a day and target influencers. Sincerely engage with THEIR content. Leave meaningful remarks. Find ways to add value.
Become an expert on something! Write meaningful content. (Lead conversion, video, time management, mind set, marketing etc). Guest blog, try to get on panels to speak
Attend Conferences, reach out to panelists and speakers to meet.. Plan every meal ahead of time so you are never eating alone!
Volunteer your time. Either locally your Association or with NAR. Serve on committees
Final words of wisdom?
Stacey: Like Marci shared, successful brands that support realtors are only successful BECAUSE OF the realtors they serve. Over the years I quickly learned that the best way to earn respect is to REALLY LISTEN to the people that you are connecting with. Hearing their perspective, asking questions to understand their hurdles...all of these things open the door to being a problem solver versus a pitch-person. True thought leadership comes when you start with understanding who is in the trenches day in and day out and working tirelessly to bring value and solutions on an ongoing basis.
Marci: I am beyond grateful to work in this industry and to have been blessed with so many incredible friendships. I LOVE my job because I get to hang out with the coolest people in the world! I’ve built my career on the backs of real estate agents, as soooo many of us have. I owe them everything. I am always looking for ways to give back.
What is the best way for the community to reach out and connect with you?
Marci James
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/marci.james
Instagram www.instagram.com/marcijames
Twitter www.twitter.com/marcijames
Stacey Soleil Facebook https://www.facebook.com/thestaceysoleil
Instagram www.instagram.com/staceysoleil
Twitter www.twitter.com/staceysoleil
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