New Agent? Stuck Agent? These 10 Questions Will Move You Forward

Team or TC? CRM or Chaos? We’re Not Sugarcoating or Gatekeeping

Ever wish someone would just give you straight answers to the most common real estate questions without all the fluff? This is that episode.

Kristi and Kelcie are breaking down the things agents Google at 11 p.m., from how to get clients fast to whether it’s time to start a team. If you're juggling open houses, market updates, time blocks, and toddler drop-offs... you're in the right place.

✨ In this episode, we cover:

• How to get your first (or next!) client from your own network
• Open house strategies that actually lead to leads
• What you need to know about market trends and how to use them
• How to structure your day when your to-do list is never done
• Why a CRM isn’t optional (and how to pick one that doesn’t suck)
• What to do when your family’s needs clash with your business goals
• Our favorite free tools to streamline your marketing
• When to hire a transaction coordinator and what they can take off your plate
• What makes a brokerage actually the right fit for you
• Why training and mentorship will always beat bells and whistles

💡 Real Talk Takeaways:

• Your sphere is your fastest path to your first deal.
• Open houses work, but only if you know what to say.
• If you’re winging your pricing, your clients will feel it.
• Structure = sanity. Get a calendar that works for you.
• Investing in the right tech pays you back in hours and clarity.
• You can grow your business and be there for your people.
• A team isn’t a magic fix, but support can be.
• Don’t settle for a brokerage that doesn’t support your growth.

🎯 Chapter Markers
 00:00 — Intro: The Real Questions Real Agents Ask
 02:42 — Finding Clients Starts with Your People
 05:39 — Social & Open Houses: Building Your Pipeline
 08:43 — What Market Trends Really Mean
11:38 — AI & Tech: What’s Worth Using
14:52 — Your Ideal Daily Structure
17:47 — Real Talk on Time Management
18:05 — Balancing Kids and Closings
20:58 — Best Tools for Real Estate Marketing
25:23 — Choosing Marketing Tech That Works
30:19 — TC vs. Team: What to Do First
32:17 — The Right Way to Build a Team
37:32 — Brokerage Red Flags and Green Lights

If this episode gave you an idea you can implement in your business, don’t just listen — take it and run.

🎤 Book me to speak at your event/team meeting: 
kristijencks.com

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https://www.youtube.com/@coachkristijencks

📱 Follow along on Instagram:
@kristijencks

🎙️ About the Podcast

Take It and Run is the podcast for ambitious professionals—especially real estate agents—who want practical strategies they can implement immediately. Each episode delivers mindset shifts, frameworks, and real-world insights to help you move from thinking about it… to doing it.

Transcript

Kristi Jencks (00:02.008)
Hello, welcome back to another episode of Take It and Run with your hosts, Kristi and Kelcie. So today we wanted to do something a little bit different. We get asked a lot of questions by coaching clients, by real estate agents, and just in general, people slide into our DMs and ask us questions. And so Kelcie and I thought,

Kelcie Dowd (00:07.561)
Thank

another episode of Taking the Red with your hosts, Kristi and Kelcie. So today we wanted to do something a little bit different. We get asked a lot of questions by coaching clients, by real estate agents, and just in general people sliding toward the end and asking us questions. And so Kelcie and I thought we would take a look most common questions we could ask. Obviously, all people are being from different perspectives on food and real estate agents. And Kelcie is also a licensed real estate agent.

Kristi Jencks (00:30.626)
we would take some of the most common questions we get asked. Obviously, I'll be coming from the perspective of a coach and a real estate agent, and Kelcie is also a licensed real estate agent. Her specialty though has been behind the scenes for a decade.

Kelcie Dowd (00:42.089)
Her specialty though has been behind the scenes for a decade. A decade. And I look the same. Yeah. You have a decade's worth of insight. So just to give you- Sideline knowledge. Yeah. Just to give the audience who doesn't know you a little perspective. Kelcie has-

Kristi Jencks (00:50.542)
A decade. She's not even 30. No, but think about that. You have a decade's worth of insight from like, so just to give you, yeah, just to give you the audience who doesn't know you a little perspective, Kelcie has worked with Merrill and I and the Big Helper team for, I guess they said a decade.

Kelcie Dowd (01:12.105)
worked with Merrill and I and we helped her team for, I exist at a day, but specifically helping us find onboard interview agents, train them, set up the technology, set up the automation, set up the systems. There's not very much that you have to do on a team and also just having a ton of.

Kristi Jencks (01:17.868)
but specifically helping us find onboard interview agents, train them, set up the technology, set up the automation, set up the systems, marketing, like transaction coordination. there's not very much that she hasn't done on the team and also just having a ton of conversations one-on-one. Heck, I...

Kelcie Dowd (01:41.673)
Shout out Chris.

Kristi Jencks (01:43.831)
I came in here just a minute ago and she was on the phone with an agent answering a technical question. these, we're going to handle some of these. We're not going to obviously get to all of them, but we thought we would just pick some of the most common questions that we get asked. you you've got your license, you've got your coffee, you have a whole bunch of ambition, and now you're thinking what's next. So we're going to do that. Kelcie, why don't you hit our very first question?

Kelcie Dowd (01:59.433)
Okay, it's It's what question that so many people ask as soon as they get out of real estate school because it's not something they teach you in real estate school it's how do I find my first clients and when we

Kristi Jencks (02:14.595)
It's a question that so many people ask as soon as they get out of real estate school, because it's not something they teach you in real estate school. It's how do I find my clients? And when we were bringing on agents new or seasoned, but maybe the seasoned agents were off their game a little bit, the first thing that we looked to was who do you know? You start with your spirit of influence.

Kelcie Dowd (02:26.77)
We're bringing on agents new or seasoned, but you know, maybe they were the seasoned agents were off their game a little bit. The first thing that we looked to was who do you know? You start with your sphere of influence. and we, and we'll, we'll link it in the show notes, but we always take people through a memory jogger. And so, cause a lot of people are like, I don't know anybody. No, you do. You do know people and they're locked in here and, we just got to pull them out.

Kristi Jencks (02:40.238)
And we always pick people through memory. And so, because what if you're a professional anybody? You do know people and they're locked in there and we just have to them out. So that's how we started with that question. How do I find my first comments? Yeah. So we always start with, as Kelcie said, who do you know? And I'm going to take the coach perspective on this one.

Kelcie Dowd (02:53.736)
So that's how we started with that question of how do I find my first clients?

Kristi Jencks (03:06.728)
So one of the most important things that you can do when getting started is to identify at least two lead pillars and grow to four lead pillars. So the first place we will start people and even in a coaching system, when people come into my schedule, one of the first things we do is we audit their database of past clients and sphere and make sure that it's operating at full capacity. Then we look at things like open houses. So one of the best

Kelcie Dowd (03:20.448)
So, what we do is we audit our database of science and security. It's operating at full capacity. Then we look at things like open houses. So, one of the best ways you can get new things.

Kristi Jencks (03:36.03)
ways that you can get new business. And actually this is how Merrill and I built our business over a decade ago. I think Merrill's been doing real estate for 16 years now. But one of the first things that we did was open houses. And I love open houses because it is all sweat equity and not check equity. So even if you're new and you don't have those closings yet, you can start doing open houses, borrow signs from a friend, borrow them from your broker.

Kelcie Dowd (03:41.833)
over the last few One of the first things that we did was open houses. I love open houses because it is all sweat equity and not check equity. even if you're new and you don't have those closing yet, you can start doing open houses as far as time is concerned.

and then tomorrow when you're a broker, just gotta figure it out and get started. when people say, do I find my first client? Yes, your sugar bin, so this is going to be one of the very first places that you can look out for that. Then you're going to jump into open houses. You're going also look at possibly online leads. Now I'm not saying go out and buy online leads, but you're going optimize your online profiles to make sure that you can be found online as a

Kristi Jencks (04:01.912)
you know, just kind of figure it out and get started. So when people say, where do I find my first clients? Yes, your sphere of influence is going to be one of the very first places and there's a roadmap for that. Then you're going to jump into open houses. You're going to also look at possibly online leads. And I'm not saying go out and buy online leads, but you're going to optimize your online profile to make sure that you can be found online as a real estate agent.

Kelcie Dowd (04:30.424)
And I think that is probably the second question. It's not like just my first time, but it always follows up with the best way to generate a budget. I think they go hand in hand. How do I have my first time, also how do I get more leads without a budget? And that's where, you know,

Kristi Jencks (04:31.13)
And I think that is probably the second question. It's not like just my first clients, but it always follows up with the best way to generate leads on a budget. I think they go hand in hand. How do I find my first client? But also how do I get more leads without a budget? And that's where you can really start to do a lot online. Yes, you can go out and buy leads from a Zillow or a Realtor or something like that.

Kelcie Dowd (04:51.976)
you can really start to do a lot. Yes, you can go out and buy, you know, leads from the little or realtor or something like that, but you can also use a lot of this stuff. Also, you've been instrumental in helping us grow our Google Business Profile. What have you seen for, what's important for them when they're growing their Google Business Profile? So I've been so into Google that I get viscerally upset whenever I

Kristi Jencks (04:59.522)
But you can also use a lot of free stuff. Kelcie's been instrumental in helping us grow our Google Business profile. What have you seen for agents? Like what's important for them when they're growing their Google Business profile?

Kristi Jencks (05:15.29)
Are you even a real business?

Kelcie Dowd (05:20.488)
Google like a restaurant or I Googled an apartment complex the other day and they didn't even have a website on Google. And I'm like, I'm not giving you the time of day. Yeah. And, and I'm like, you had two Google reviews that seemed great, but I guess none of it matters. And so it's like, if, in my opinion, don't even go start buying any leads until your Google business is set up properly.

Kristi Jencks (05:38.348)
I guess time matters. And so it's like, in my opinion, don't even start buying any leads until you're...

Google Businesses set up properly. And we've got several trainings on how to set up your Google Business. But so do that first. And you can do so much to build your Google Business, all of it's free in Google, and your business profile. And then pushing people towards that.

Kelcie Dowd (05:50.331)
And we've got, Kristi's done several trainings on how to set up your Google business. But so do that first. And you can do so much to build your Google business, all of it's free in Google and your business profile. And then pushing people towards that will just, will make you seem more credible, you know.

Kristi Jencks (06:15.566)
we'll just make you seem more credible, you know, with everything that you have in there. I wanna make sure, because this is hot off the press, Jason Pantana, shout out to Coach Jason Pantana and co-founder of AI Marketing Academy. He did an Instagram reel this week, so you can go and find it on his Instagram page. He talked about...

Kelcie Dowd (06:19.342)
with everything that you got on there.

He talked about how AI is wrong and perplexing and challenging to you. A lot of times, it can't be reduced. So he was saying how can we reduce the risk of getting fat and not fat? The AI can't this. It's a really cool fact. He said that if your profile, so this is profile of your syllable.

Kristi Jencks (06:39.704)
how the AIs like the Grok and Perplexity and ChatGPT, a lot of times they can't read your reviews. So if you were to say, hey, how many reviews does Kristi Jencks have or how many Merrill Jencks have? The AI can't read it. So he gave a really cool hack. He said that in your profiles, so like your Google Business profile, in your Zillow profile, in your FASTA Expert profile, you should name, you should say, know, Kristi Jencks with over...

Kelcie Dowd (07:02.632)
you should pay, you should pay your 50 days worth over 175 micro-years because it came with a company called O5 and it will be able to pay you more personally so that's the main reason why we're doing this.

Kristi Jencks (07:07.374)
175 five-star reviews because it can pick up on your profile and then it will be able to give you more credibility. So I may have botched it a little bit, but when you said that, I was like, it was such an important key that he gave so that you can have more credibility. Obviously don't lie. You need to have those reviews, but...

Kelcie Dowd (07:20.324)
It's such an important day.

Kelcie Dowd (07:25.352)
Right.

Kristi Jencks (07:29.518)
Pull in your Facebook reviews, pull in your Yelp reviews, your Zillow, your Google Business, them all up together and then probably make it part of your process that once a month you go into your profile and update how many reviews you have just so that the large language models can stay current with what you're doing. So, okay, the next question that we tend to get all the time is,

How do I price a home correctly? How do I run comps? And how do I understand what the market's doing? And I just wanna take a step back because what is really happening there is people are asking, what's important to study? Like, what do I really need to know? And this is something that Merrill and I have been passionate for years about, and that is studying the marketplace. Being able to not just say, I think,

Kelcie Dowd (07:57.609)
and it's so hard to understand what America is doing. And I sort of take it to the back because what is really happening there is people are asking what's it worth to study? Like what do I think about this stuff? And this is something that Maryland and think is passionate for years now is not being able study in marketplace. Being able to not just say, think, home value.

Kristi Jencks (08:23.234)
home values are going up or home values are going down, but here's what I know and be able to lean into the facts. So there are four numbers that I believe that you should track and with those four numbers, you'll be able to talk about the market and we can talk about some of the tools that we use currently and we're obviously using AI in with that. But the first one is, I look at the total number of active inventory.

Kelcie Dowd (08:26.408)
But here's what I know and be able to lead you to the back. So there are four groups that I believe can be distracted with this one of the two kids who talk about the market. And we can talk about some of the tools that we use currently and we're obviously using AI with that. But the first one is, I'll get a total number of back-end employees. Now, our EOS is fairly large.

Kristi Jencks (08:51.82)
Now, our MLS is fairly large, but if you don't service your whole MLS, create a search. If you just service one city or one zip code or two cities, you're gonna wanna create a saved search that will show you all the active inventory. The next thing I look at is the total number of pending homes. Now we have several different categories of pending homes, so what we do is we just add them all up together, and then we look at the total number of homes closed in the past 30 days.

Kelcie Dowd (08:54.692)
You don't service your whole house, creating a huge service one city or one city, two cities. You're going to want to create a city search that will train all the next employees. The next thing is what happens with the total number of pentayumps. Now we have several different categories of pentayumps that will be used in the past. And then we look at total number of pentayumps closed in the past 36. And with that number, we're able to use the

Kristi Jencks (09:21.366)
And with that number, we're able to figure out what the month's supply of inventory is, which means if no more homes were to come on the market, we would go through all of our inventory in X amount of time. So currently in the Phoenix metro area, we have just over four months supply of inventory. And that's basically an absorption rate. And then with those basic numbers,

Kelcie Dowd (09:27.57)
Which means if no more folks were to come, we would to all three.

Kelcie Dowd (09:44.885)
And you can probably turn it back. I said, we're not going to drop it in New York in a year. Probably a decade ago, we started doing it in class. We had a slide.

Kristi Jencks (09:45.696)
you can start to talk and start to track. Now, one of the best things, like I said, Merrill's been tracking this for over 15 years. Probably a decade ago, we started just putting it in Slack. We had a Slack channel, which we would post these numbers on Slack. And our coach at the time, her name's Eileen Rivera, she said, you know,

Kelcie Dowd (10:03.072)
And our coach, Sarah, said, can you start?

Kristi Jencks (10:09.066)
can you historically go back and look at this? And we were on the free version of Slack. so every 30 days Slack would delete. And so we couldn't, which is, know, it'd be really helpful. You could use this in a listing appointment. You could use this, you know, with a buyer. And we thought, wow, that's actually really, really smart. And we talked about this on our podcast episode with Merrill. We go in every single week, we drop it into our spreadsheet and now we're able to visually track what's going on with the market. But Kelcie, I would love for you to be able to speak with like,

Kelcie Dowd (10:38.116)
specifically how to use AI on a ship.

Kristi Jencks (10:38.312)
specifically how people can use AI to help understand what's going on in the marketplace.

Kelcie Dowd (10:47.036)
Well, I think it helps them to.

formulate like Okay, so let me back up but when you were when you were going through this it just made me think of I'm I don't even sell real estate people just know I'm in real estate and so what's the question I get all the time And I'm like For a second I have a little bit of but then honestly because I've had a decade worth of hearing literally what Kristi was just saying over and over again and seeing it in slack I

Kristi Jencks (10:56.91)
So let me back up. But when you were going through this, it just made me think of, I don't even sell real estate because I don't own real estate. So what's the question they get all the time? How's the market? And I'm like, for a second, I have a little bit of, but then honestly, because I've had a decade worth of hearing literally what Kristi was just saying, don't forget Dean and Slack.

Kelcie Dowd (11:19.172)
I look to that and I look, okay, well, let's look at the months of inventory and well, you know, two months ago it was like this and this month it's like this. So that tells us blank. And that's just regurgitated stuff that I've been able to hold onto. But I would say now with AI, you can give the machine that information and ask it, how do I explain what's going on? How do I answer the question?

Kristi Jencks (11:19.48)
I look at the months before I went to the Two months ago it was like this and this month it's like this. So that tells us why. And that's just regurgitated stuff that I've been able to hold on to. But I would say now with AI, you can give the machine that information and ask it, how do I explain what's going on? How do I answer the question, how's the market with this current data to somebody

Kelcie Dowd (11:45.768)
how's the market with this current data to somebody who's looking to sell their current home and downsize.

Kristi Jencks (11:49.376)
who's looking to sell their current home and downsize. Yeah, so basically almost all MLSs will allow you to do some sort of an export. So you can export all that data, upload it to your favorite AI, Grok, ChatGPT, Perplexity. Actually, I've never tried it in Perplexity, but I imagine that it might, I don't know. But for certain ChatGPT, and it can help you write a market update and

that's probably one of the best things that you can do. Why should you understand the market? So that you can do a market update. I posted on my Instagram story today, I got my monthly email from Zillow. And what was in the email, it was like, here's how 852988 is performing. And this totally irks me because so many agents don't do a market update. They don't study the market, they don't know what's going on, but then they do study the market because they're running comps that do these things.

Kelcie Dowd (12:31.08)
And, well, in the film, my peers, how they try to meditate is for me. And this totally irks me because so many agents don't do art. They don't study art. They don't go to the doctor. They do study art. is what I'm trying to do. And then they share that information with a client. Well, they try to meditate the average person. Now, you're here. And yeah, I can't be after it. And am I holding a sled?

Kristi Jencks (12:46.892)
and then they don't share that information with their clients. Well, 85298, the average price is down according to Zillow's thing year over year. And yeah, that's actually accurate. And am I going to let them educate all my clients on what's going on in the market? Or should I actually take all this information, all these numbers that I'm looking at every single week in tracking, upload them to AI, create an incredible market update, and then get it out to my clients?

Kelcie Dowd (13:11.016)
Great.

I

Kristi Jencks (13:15.354)
I should be the one that is creating the story for my clients and not letting a third party company do it, right? Like it's just, that's just one of those things.

Kristi Jencks (13:27.822)
So should studying the market be part of some of these typical day? 100%. You should be spending, in my opinion, a portion of every day looking at the hot sheet. And on the hot sheet, you're going to see price reductions, you're going to see new listings, you're going to see coming soon, you're going to see some of those stuff. But every single week, you should be taking 15, 20 minutes to just do a little bit of a deeper dive to make sure that you see the trends.

Kelcie Dowd (13:28.287)
So should studying the market be part of somebody's typical day?

Kristi Jencks (13:56.458)
Every day, yes, you're gonna be looking at certain things. Every week, you're gonna wanna dive into those numbers and then ask yourself supply and demand, right? Like, are we selling more homes than we have coming on the market? Or do we have more homes coming on the market than we're selling? What are the trends that we're seeing? So that actually is, that's a good segue to our next question.

Kelcie Dowd (14:09.906)
Yeah.

It is. what I'm sure we, this is probably like next to where do I find clients? This next question of what does my day look like? What should my day look like? because you know, as real estate agents, you're your boss unless you've got like a team lead, you know? yeah. Yeah. So

Kristi Jencks (14:19.635)
This is probably like next to where do I

Kristi Jencks (14:30.798)
You know, as real estate agents, you're your boss. Unless you've got like a team lead, you know? Um, but even then you're still 10 99. So you're still your own boss. So, uh, you need some structure, right? So what's your

Kelcie Dowd (14:43.24)
You need some structure, right? So what should the structure look like, Kristi?

Kristi Jencks (14:48.206)
well, it's funny because Kelcie is our go-to like resident Canva specialist. And so she's probably had to create like no less than 50 versions of this. And at least once a week, I asked her to email these things to you guys who reach out to me. And unfortunately, I think this is probably going to cause one of those moments. might, you might need to set up a many chat. Okay. You might need to set up a many chat and we'll figure it out. We'll put it in the show notes. Maybe it'll be like.

Kelcie Dowd (15:04.136)
these things. You guys did a great job today.

Kelcie Dowd (15:11.112)
That's okay. That's all right. Yes.

Kristi Jencks (15:18.264)
calendar and then you can send them our Canva templates. this is such a common question. And really what it is is like people, you can stay busy all day long, but busy work doesn't always mean that you're building your business, right? So scrolling Instagram or getting distracted or, you know, we don't typically have water coolers now, but you get what I'm saying. Like if you go into the office, maybe you're just chatting it up.

Kelcie Dowd (15:18.802)
Right.

Kristi Jencks (15:45.538)
You're doing all these things so you can feel like, I put in a full work day. And then if you were to sit down and like calculate how many conversations you had, it's probably not enough. And so there are some things that you can do to make sure. One, you want to have some goals set. Coach Janet Miller, who I absolutely love, she says that you need to have

Kelcie Dowd (15:51.465)
and they can have the conversation you have. It's probably not. And so there are some things.

Kelcie Dowd (16:02.92)
Thank

to end.

Kristi Jencks (16:07.374)
10 real estate conversations a day, go on one listing appointment a week and two buyer consultations a week. She's like, if you can do that, you're gonna have a healthy business. I've heard Tom call it the five, five, four, right? He's had five, five, four, five, five, four, two, one. He's had a bunch of versions of it, but what he's saying is like, talk to five people you know, talk to five people you don't know, do four follow-up calls, do one or two videos, right? Create two pieces of content. The point is your morning should be spent.

Kelcie Dowd (16:13.498)
that's it for now.

Kelcie Dowd (16:18.632)
Bye.

Kelcie Dowd (16:30.514)
The point is, your morning should be spent doing some form of major calls. you don't have great dinner, can't have good lot of things. But you need to have dedicated time. We often call it an hour-to-hour. And during our hour-to-hour, we have to do our daily work and call. Right?

Kristi Jencks (16:35.278)
doing some form of lead generation. Calls, you could door knock, right? Lead generation looks like a lot of different things, but you need to have dedicated time. We often called it an hour of power, and during our hour of power, that's just where we were making calls, right? Outbound calls, lead follow-up calls, but we were on the phone and doing some form of lead generation. That could be calling expired, it's canceled, it's for sell by owners.

that can be talking to your sphere, reaching out, it could be open houses. There's just only so many ways that you can lead generate. But the point is, is you're cultivating conversations. You should spend your midday going on appointments, right? Servicing your clients. And if you don't have appointments, you go back to lead gen, right? So when you're looking at your pipeline, it's like, I need to set appointments, then I need to go on appointments. And if I don't have any appointments, I need to go back and set appointments. And then

Kelcie Dowd (17:05.768)
All these are related to the general importance of your cultivating conversations. You should spend the...

Right

Kristi Jencks (17:28.554)
some point in your week, you you wanna have some project time and things like that. But oftentimes what I see is people spend too much time on their projects and not enough time on their lead generation and their pipeline is always full. A couple other things I recommend because real estate never stops is, you know, set up a time of when you're gonna start working. Because again, you're your own boss. So like, when do you get up? When do you start working? And then when do you end working? When do you gonna shut off, right?

Kelcie Dowd (17:43.227)
Real estate never boxes, know, sometimes when you're gonna start working, because again, you're your boss. So like, when do you get up? When did you start working? And then when do you end working? When are you gonna shut off, right? Working with so many agents, think especially what's like probably one of the biggest tracks that you've seen in time management. Like where do agents mess up the most or go sideways?

Kristi Jencks (17:58.158)
Working with so many agents over the years, Kelcie, what's probably one of the biggest traps that you've seen of time management? Where do agents mess up the most or go sideways?

Kelcie Dowd (18:10.472)
Do you want my potentially controversial answer? Absolutely. Parenting. Oh, yeah. Actually, I don't want to speak for you, so I want you to explain that. So she said parenting, and I think I know where you're going, but let's hear it. Yeah. As you were talking through this, I don't know why, but the first thing that came to my mind was, OK, think about how many mothers, and I'm just going to say it's mostly mothers that are staying home with the children.

Kristi Jencks (18:14.222)
Absolutely.

yeah, actually, I don't want to speak for you. So I want you to explain that. So she said parenting and I think I know where you're going. But let's hear it.

Kelcie Dowd (18:40.198)
our real estate agents, a lot of them, which I think is great because there's freedom, there's opportunity, there's so much for moms that are staying at home raising the kids have, but the amount of distraction and potential being yanked this way and, I have to do this for my kid and this, this, this. Yes, your family comes first. Absolutely. But Kristi, would you agree that there's a way that that

Kristi Jencks (19:01.726)
Yeah.

Kelcie Dowd (19:09.912)
structuring your business actually does support the belief that family comes first. So that's why parenting came to my head first. That's been one of the biggest struggles I've seen people face. So I guess in particular women face in trying to maintain a structured business and day.

Kristi Jencks (19:18.958)
So that's why started parenting. It came in my head first that that's been one of the biggest struggles I've seen people face. So I guess in particular women face in trying to maintain a structured business and daily. And growing their business. Oh man, that was so good. I didn't even come to my mind, but as soon as you said it, like the light bulb went off. Oh my gosh, this is something as a coach that I'm constantly, know, well, I couldn't do

Kelcie Dowd (19:38.097)
I didn't even come to my mind as soon as you said it, like the light bulb went off. my gosh, this is something as an approach that I'm constantly, you know, well, I couldn't do this because of XYZ, XYZ, XYZ. And I get it, heck, we have a big family and there are things that you could do, and we should probably do like a whole episode on that. I would say don't use your family as a excuse to not do the hard thing you need to do.

Kristi Jencks (19:48.894)
this because of XYZ, XYZ, XYZ. And I get it. Heck, we have a big family and there are things that you could do and we should probably do like a whole episode on that. I would say don't use your family as an excuse to not do the work that you need to do. Right? So that could mean like when my kids were little, I woke up earlier. And then when they went to bed, when they were little, they'd go to bed around seven and I would work from seven to nine.

Kelcie Dowd (20:07.656)
me like if my kids were little I would work earlier and then when they went to bed when they were little because they were around seven and I worked from seven to nine so that's when I would work my hardest. When I worked in media marketing, know, all that stuff. That's the thing. Don't use your family as an excuse to be here at the same time. You know, figure out what to do for the first time and there's lots to see and do. So I like that. And then

Kristi Jencks (20:17.038)
So that's when I would work on my projects. It's when I work on my social media marketing, emails, all that kind of stuff. That may mean that, but don't use your family as an excuse. Be very realistic with the time that you set and figure out how to work in short bursts, plan ahead. There's lots of things that you can do. So I like that. And then we use trackers too. So one of the things...

Kelcie Dowd (20:37.576)
We use Trackers too. So of the things I first taught, think, from Shredder's creator, and then my friend Hasen, and say, I think I know that he had one of the least-ever versions of the same success tracker, and I think that he could gamify it to a point. I've always loved that. To this day, they'll use David Tracker to track the goals that they have set for you, and you just create those templates in Canva. We typically print them out. I'm now...

Kristi Jencks (20:40.438)
I first saw, think from Treasure Davis and then my friend Mark Pattison in San Diego. Like he, he had one. So we've seen several versions of like this daily success tracker and like daily things and like, can even gamify it and get points. I've always loved that. to this day, I still use a daily tracker to track my goals and different things that I do. And we just create those templates in Canva. We typically print them out. I'm now currently using a remarkable, so I'm not printing them out, although I do miss paper.

And so I end up having like 27 Post-it notes on my desk. So those are some things that we would do. Now, here's another one that Kelcie is a specialist in. The next question that we get all the time is what tools should I use? And what they're really saying is like, you can be $25 a month into bankruptcy as a real estate agent. Everybody wants your money.

Kelcie Dowd (21:15.004)
So those are some things that we would do. Now, here's another one that Kelcie is especially interested in. The next question that we get.

What tools should I use? And it really amazing, like, you could be $25 a month in student aid. To death. As a wealth statement here. To death. Everybody wants the money. Yeah. They're all obviously new, worthy, more time, better systems. And so what people really want to know is like, what should I spend money on for technology, what's really worth it? And I'd love to get, you know, let's talk CRN, let's talk trends like...

Kristi Jencks (21:40.664)
They're all promising you more leads, more time, better systems. And so what people really want to know is like, what should I spend money on for technology? What's really worth it? And I'd love to get, know, let's talk CRM, let's talk transaction management, let's talk scheduling and marketing. You just pick which one when you want to go first.

Kelcie Dowd (21:55.145)
Okay, well I'll pick marketing. If you're not using Canva, what are you doing?

Kristi Jencks (22:13.518)
And so would you pay for Canva Pro? I don't think you need to. Really? No. For a list agent?

Kelcie Dowd (22:15.784)
I don't think you need to know for a real estate agent. I don't think you need to.

Kelcie Dowd (22:25.414)
because, and, and, and we've been blessed. mean, I, we've been using Canva. I personally have been using Canva for even before I met them. And it was like, what is this fun thing? You know, like I grew up on kid picks and I'm like, you know, that was like the original digital art thing for children. And so finding Canva was exciting. but I don't think you need the pro one to start out.

Kristi Jencks (22:25.614)
because and we've been blessed. I we've been using Canva. I personally have been using Canva even before I met them. And it was like, what is this fun thing? You know, like I grew up on KidFix and I'm like, you know, that was like the original digital art thing for children. And so finding Canva was exciting. But I don't think you need the pro one.

Okay.

Kelcie Dowd (22:55.346)
for sure. You can do a lot without it. There's things that the Pro helps with. For example, one of the newest things that Canva updated was their template links. You can't use or share template links without Pro, which I think is lame, but whatever. But I know, I'm pretty sure that the AI feature of Canva is with Pro. But to be honest, there's so many templates in there that you just find one you like and you plug in your brand colors and your name and

Just to get it done. If you're not doing anything, the first step is get it done. so free Canva will do that for you. What you, there's a trade-off, you you either pay more and use less of your time or you save more money and use more of your time. And if in the beginning you have a little bit more time to spend, go with the free. So Canva is for marketing and you can do that with.

Kristi Jencks (23:28.756)
get it done. so free Canva will do that for you. What you, there's a trade-off, you know, you either pay more and use less of your time or you save more money and use more of your time. And if in the beginning you have a little bit more time to spend, go with the free. So Canva is for marketing and you can do that with print and digital and it's awesome.

Kelcie Dowd (23:52.328)
print and digital and it's awesome.

Kelcie Dowd (24:01.234)
I was looking at this MailChimp, but you know, like email marketing. So let's think about email marketing, especially in the beginning. You don't need it. and to be honest, we were using MailChimp for a long time and I've used it in various ways. We've switched to flow desk and I think MailChimp is awesome. think MailChimp is for the bigger database. think it's for when you.

Kristi Jencks (24:28.174)
Okay.

Kelcie Dowd (24:30.608)
You have a big following. You've got a marketing manager. You've got people that can handle that beast. Flowdesk is simpler and cheaper. And you can have as many subscribers as you want. And it has forms. It's got some great stuff. So if you're looking at email marketing campaign, check out Flowdesk. That's what I'm going to say about marketing.

Kristi Jencks (24:59.642)
Okay, so I'll just I'll chime in real quick on marketing So she mentioned email marketing we we use flow desk We're really enjoying it Canva and then some sort of scheduling tool so meta business suite if you are on Instagram and Facebook a scheduling tool is Really really important and if you're on several of the other platenet platforms figure out either automation or a scheduling tool so that you can

Kelcie Dowd (25:00.562)
So, and off, off, off.

Yeah

Kristi Jencks (25:28.16)
schedule out your posts and you don't have to live in social media because it can be super distracting.

Kelcie Dowd (25:35.048)
because I'll take CRM because I'm not trans at the moment. I'm very proud of it. So I have three favorites and the most important thing is that you have CRM that your colleagues use. Now there are three versions out there that you can get.

Kristi Jencks (25:35.35)
because I'll take CRM, because I was not the transaction coordinator, because I wasn't very good at it. So I'll take CRM. So I have my favorites. And the most important thing is that you have a CRM that you're going to use. Now there are free versions out there that you can get and you can try. know HubSpot has a free version. There's one called Clothes That's Free. So there's a ton. I'm not a huge proponent of just a spreadsheet.

Kelcie Dowd (25:54.685)
They work all the time. I'm not a huge proponent of just this right here. And the whole pyramid is because of automation, truth,

Kristi Jencks (26:03.83)
And the only reason is because of automations, triggers, reminders, some of these other features. But if you are averse to technology and you're super, like you're, you know, then yes, put it in a spreadsheet for now. But I believe if you're gonna grow and you're gonna scale, you should have a CRM. And I know not everybody feels that way, but.

Kelcie Dowd (26:11.08)
some of these other features, but if you are versed technology and you're super like you're, you know, then put it in person for now. But I believe if you're in growth and you're scale, you should have a Tera. And I know that because I'm tech-able, so I'm going to lean more towards that. And even, even for my clients who are not in your team, they have the incentive to utilize this Tera. So I love the phone to us because it has such a great

Kristi Jencks (26:27.84)
I'm tech enabled, so I'm gonna lean more towards that. And even some of my clients who are not super techy, they have their assistant and they utilize a CRM. So I love Follow-Up Boss because they have such a great API. They communicate with a lot of different people. The struggle with a Follow-Up Boss is that you still need a website. You still need, yeah, you need a website. You need some other things like that.

Kelcie Dowd (26:44.552)
My computer's dying. I gotta plug in.

Kristi Jencks (26:55.894)
Okay, I'll pause and then we'll be able to.

Kristi Jencks (27:32.91)
Okay, so there's follow up boss. I also love Sierra Interactive and I love Lofty or I guess, yeah, it's called Lofty. It was Chime for a while, but now it's Lofty. So I love Sierra Interactive because it's got that front end user face where people can search for homes. I can write my blog there. I can create landing pages, community pages, open house sign in, single property websites. And then on the backend, I have a really robust.

Kelcie Dowd (27:41.288)
It was a way. So I'm to see how it happens.

Kelcie Dowd (27:53.929)
and on the back it's a really robust CRM that we've been using for all of our clients, clients, here, in-house meetings, e-rally, distribution, automation, text messages, and more. It's just a lot of stuff in there. So, we have three CRM that we follow up with.

Kristi Jencks (27:59.34)
CRM that allows me to manage all of my clients, past clients, fear, incoming leads, lead routing, lead distribution, automation, text message support. I mean, there's just a lot of stuff in there. So my top three of a CRM would be Follow-Up Boss Sierra and Lofty. And that's it for now on a CRM. So let's talk transaction management.

Kelcie Dowd (28:18.3)
and that's it now. Let's talk transaction. Yeah. the only, I've used two that I can remember, but two transaction management softwares and that was Sky Slope. And now with, now that we're with real, they have reason and Sky Slope. I think when, before we, jumped over to real.

they were making some improvements, cause it hasn't always been my friend in the past, but they were definitely making some improvements and additions that I think it's still a great tool. if you need, you know, that kind of, and mean, I don't know, Christie, I think he would know better. other brokers like demand. Yeah. But yeah. But when I, when, when I started to actually think about transaction management, I thought more about process management.

Kristi Jencks (29:07.586)
That's actually what I was gonna say. You're gonna use whatever your broker uses, right?

Kristi Jencks (29:16.662)
Yes. Asana.

Kelcie Dowd (29:17.08)
so I'm thinking Monday.com notion, Trello. but these things, so those are all kachin kachin money. You can still replicate those types of things, that type of process system with a well thought out Google spreadsheet. it's going to take some time setting it up. And if you have,

Kristi Jencks (29:26.732)
these things. So those are all pitching money. You can still replicate those types of things. that's like a process system with a wealth not out Google spreadsheet. It's gonna take some time setting it up. if you have an operations manager or assistant or hire someone on Fiverr. Yeah, exactly. There's there is a template out there.

Kelcie Dowd (29:46.385)
an operations manager or an assistant. Yeah, exactly. There's there is a template out there. Process managing the process. So not just the paperwork, but having a hub, a transaction hub is so critical. And even better, if you do have it in a Google spreadsheet, most of the time, feel like you'll probably be able to

Kristi Jencks (29:57.355)
managing the process, so not just the paperwork, but having a hub, a transaction hub.

Kelcie Dowd (30:16.548)
Zapier your way to connect it to your Google Calendar, you know, so that when your Binzer period is coming up to end, it's in your spreadsheet and in your calendar and

Kristi Jencks (30:31.054)
Yeah, so you're mostly going to utilize whatever your broker uses if they're in dot loop or if they're in sky slope, things like that, but not like broker management, but transaction management. agree. I would be looking at a Monday or an Asana or Notion or a good old spreadsheet. Now let's talk about calendar, calendar management. You're either going to be team Microsoft or team Google. And if you're...

Kelcie Dowd (30:31.334)
Yeah.

in of file management.

I would be looking at Monday, if you want sauna or ocean or a good old spreadsheet analysis. got calendar, calendar advancement. You're either going to be Microsoft or team Google. Oh, right. Microsoft. If you're team Google, then you're using Google Calendar. They have a fantastic free scheduling tool. Yes. So before I used my Google scheduling tool, which is free, I would use calendar week.

Kristi Jencks (30:58.784)
If you're team Google, then you're going to use your Google Calendar. They have a fantastic free scheduling tool. So before I used my Google scheduling tool, which is free, I was using Calendly and I loved Calendly. There's so many really cool things that you can do. Having some sort of a Calendly or a scheduling tool will really help you increase your efficiency when you're trying to get clients to schedule with you.

Kelcie Dowd (31:14.576)
Having some sort of accountancy or a skippling tool will really help you increase your efficiency when you're trying to get the clients to schedule with you. And so at the end of the day, you should have some sort of project management system, which we talked about. You should have some marketing tools. You don't need a lot of them, and many of them can used for free. You should have a skippling tool, and you should have a CRM. Those are probably your core.

Kristi Jencks (31:25.846)
And so at the end of the day, you should have some sort of project management system, which we talked about. You should have some marketing tools. You don't need a lot of them. And many of them you can use for free. You should have a scheduling tool and you should have a CRM. Those are probably your like core base technology pieces. And then from there, you can kind of branch out.

Kelcie Dowd (31:41.449)
based technology pieces and then from there you can kind of break it down. Yeah and I would just say for real quick especially with marketing if you're just trying to get something done don't try to reinvent the wheel don't try to make it all of your personality all on a piece of paper you know especially for those expressives out there expressives and the analyticals that are looking at a circle and you're moving it an inch and then back and forth and back and forth I'm one of those I get it.

Kristi Jencks (31:55.502)
try to make all of your personality health be safer. Especially with those impressions out there. Expressions that are, those that are looking at you circling your COVID-19 images and everyone's like, I'm one of those, get it. But don't, just don't do it. Look for a template. It's not in Canva. Google one on it. It's out there. You'll find one that you like and just set a timer.

Kelcie Dowd (32:09.276)
but don't just don't don't do it. Look for a template. If it's not in Canva, Google one on Etsy. It's out there. You will find one that you like and just set a timer, right? If you're super analytical, set a timer where, okay, in 15 minutes, this is going to be done. And so you're doing it all. Just get it done.

Kristi Jencks (32:20.142)
If you're super analytical, set a time over. Okay, 15 minutes and it's going to be done. So you're doing it all. Just get it done. Excellent. Okay. Let's go to our last... Well, we've got two more questions. This one's a little bit bigger, but we'll jam through it. So oftentimes people start to see success and then they're like, should I start a team?

Kelcie Dowd (32:28.432)
Yeah.

Kristi Jencks (32:44.994)
I'm thinking I should start a team. So Kelcie, why don't you lead us out on this? Like maybe there's some questions people should be asking themselves before they just go out and start a team. Yeah. I mean, first you gotta ask what's the real reason. Is it coming?

Kelcie Dowd (32:57.264)
I mean, first you got to ask what's the real reason? Is it coming from like?

Kelcie Dowd (33:05.67)
You're overwhelmed by all these things that you maybe you maybe business is booming and you know, you're juggling five to 10 escrows a month, right? And you're like, I need help. is, and, I, I need to pass these onto people or whatever it might be. it, is it because you're avoiding things or is it because you want to impact another agent's life because you want to build something?

Kristi Jencks (33:29.966)
impact another human's life because you want to build something, whereas if just because you're trouble maintaining what you already have, that's a really important question that you need to ask yourself. Okay. It's an honest subject. I like that. And so it also might be like, who's my first hire? That's probably, so it's like, they're like, oh, think I need a, I think I need a team and they don't even have a transaction coordinator. And that's probably one of the first things I would say is.

Kelcie Dowd (33:35.089)
Or is it just because you're having trouble maintaining what you already have? I that's a really important question that you have to ask yourself. Just an honest self-check.

Kristi Jencks (33:58.99)
You're going to need an assistant on some level and you may start by hiring a transaction coordinator per file. It's going to cost you somewhere between $300 and $500 per file. trust me, it's well worth the money. I know in your head you're thinking, but I could, it only takes me a couple of minutes to do this than the other, but all of that adds up. It takes up space in your head and then it bleeds into your lead generation time, your follow-up or even your family time. So.

Kelcie Dowd (34:05.35)
Yeah.

Kristi Jencks (34:27.692)
What you really need to be thinking about is like, have I created enough business that I could sustain ongoing help? And then you're probably going to, before you go and start a team, you're going to hire an assistant and that assistant is going to be a jack of all trades. They're probably, ideally they're licensed, but even if they're not licensed, they're going to be able to do transaction management. They're going to be able to do project management. They're going to help you with marketing.

Kelcie Dowd (34:34.856)
business that I could sustain on building the health. And then you're probably going to, before you go on to the team, you're going to hire a business. And that business is going to be a jack-of-all-trades. They're helping you. They idealize your business. If they're not licensed, they're going to be able to transact with you. They're going to able to do project management, because they're going to help with marketing. If they're licensed, it may help you with showings, and they may help

Kristi Jencks (34:56.182)
If they're licensed, they may help you with showings and they may help you with inspections and appraisals and all of those things that take you out in the field and away from lead generation, like going on appointments, setting appointments, going on appointments, negotiating contracts and closing deals. So let's assume that you have all of those great people in place and now you still have a surplus of leads and opportunities. You're going to want to ask yourself,

Kelcie Dowd (34:59.016)
with infections and the frizzles and all those things that took you out in the field and was the front-league generation. Like going down to San Diego, going out to Phoenix, negotiating contracts and deals. So let's assume that you have all of those great people in place and now you still have a surplus of opportunities, you're gonna ask yourself, have I created a critical process for someone else to plug into, right? Or...

Kristi Jencks (35:23.608)
have I created a repeatable process someone else could plug into, right? Or am I just looking for someone to fix my chaos? What have you seen with that, Kelcie?

Kelcie Dowd (35:28.904)
for someone to fix my chaos. What have you seen with that company?

Kelcie Dowd (35:39.869)
I think when you don't, I think when you take on a team or you hire somebody, you're quickly faced with the realization that they can't read my mind. they can't read my mind and they don't do things like me all the time. and so when you have a standard way of doing things, it's only up to you to get that communicated to the other person.

Kristi Jencks (35:58.126)
And so when you have the standard way of doing things, it's only up to you to get that communicated to the other person. You they can ask what you want to do, and then you gotta tell them. And so it is well worth the time and the energy to, before you hire an agent or a T.C.

Kelcie Dowd (36:07.676)
You know, they can ask, what do want me to do? But even then you got to tell them. And so it is well worth the time and the energy to, before you, before you hire, I would say before you hire like an agent or, or a TC having helped maybe with, with an assistant first to help you create this process, maybe and utilize AI as well.

you know, an open house protocol, things that you would train other people to do that have never done it before. So an open house protocol, you know, what should your scheduled day look like? Because as a team leader, you're not just, you're not just looking for, you shouldn't be just looking for somebody to dump leads on, you are helping somebody grow. You're developing them.

And so it's not just about the escrows and the work. It's about helping them become a better, more well-rounded agent and scale.

Kristi Jencks (37:23.66)
I like that. I mean, it's again creating a win-win. And I think you even asked the question, like, do I actually want to manage people or do I just want some help? So yeah, Alexa wanted to chime in. okay, last question. And this is one that comes up often is, how do I choose a brokerage? How do I know what the right brokerage is for me? And

Kelcie Dowd (37:43.975)
Yeah, yeah at least a hundred

Kristi Jencks (37:49.518)
I don't know, Kelcie, how many people do you think we have interviewed in the past 11 years, 10 years for you, a little over 11 for me, like hundreds I know. Yeah, least. And actually that doesn't even include like phone interviews, but like actual in-person interviews. And so I would say that there are a couple key things that you should be looking for. What kind of training and support do they have?

Kelcie Dowd (38:13.64)
What training and support do they have? is absolutely true that you get what you pay for. I'm not sure if you speak ill of any brokerage. Just remember, it's not always about the splits, especially in the beginning. Especially in beginning, don't think, oh, I want the best split possible because the worst split possible is probably not going get you the support for the technique. The first note we're looking at is we're trying to save the weekly training as applied and recorded in person.

Kristi Jencks (38:17.536)
It is absolutely true that you get what you pay for and I'm not here to speak ill of any brokerage, but just remember it's not always about the splits, especially in the beginning. Especially in the beginning, don't be thinking, I want the best split possible because the best split possible is probably not going to give you the support and the training that you need. So the first thing I would be looking at is what kind of daily weekly training is it live? Is it recorded? Is it in person? You know, what kind of support do they have a backlog of training?

Kelcie Dowd (38:43.432)
or if they have a bath, a lot of training. Then I was looking at mentorship, right? So if you join, can you get a mentor? Is there going to be someone in the office who can coach you through your first couple of deals and all that kind of stuff? So coaching, mentorship, training, and I would also say culture. Real estate can be really healthy, and also I've seen people get unmotivated, right?

Kristi Jencks (38:46.38)
Then I would be looking at mentorship, right? So when you join, can you get a mentor? Is there going to be someone in the office who can, you know, coach you through your first couple of deals and all of that kind of stuff? So coaching, mentorship, training. And I would also look at culture. Real estate can be really lonely. And also I've seen people like get unmotivated, right? That there's a reason that the failure rate is so high in real estate.

Kelcie Dowd (39:13.256)
I mean, yeah, echo everything you said because it's it's an investment, you know, and as somebody who I'm afraid to take risks and I look at how much money I'm saving and I think, well,

Kristi Jencks (39:15.606)
So I would also be looking at culture support with technology, like what kind of tech tools do they give you to set you up for success. So that's kind of my take on what you should be looking at with brokerage. Kelcie, what are your thoughts?

Kristi Jencks (39:39.97)
Well, I'll save this opportunity for the end and I'll just take up for what they lack.

Kelcie Dowd (39:40.4)
I'll save as much money as I can and I'll just make up for what they lack. And as somebody who's also seen, you know, new agents start something, you only have so much brain space. So you might as well invest a little bit more to be nurtured as you're doing this new thing. It is worth it. It is worth it.

Kristi Jencks (40:08.341)
I love it. Okay. Well, thank you guys for joining us with some of the top questions that real estate agents ask us all the time. We'll make sure to put together any of the resources that we mentioned so that you guys can access them. And as always, we appreciate you coming here. We've given you the information and now it's your turn.

Kelcie Dowd (40:09.992)
Well, we have some of the hot questions that we'll see each of you ask us all the time. We'll make sure to put them together for the reasons that we mentioned so that you guys can access them. And as always, we appreciate you coming here. We'll you some information after our break. Take it and run.