For a long time now, I’ve known that Success Summit 2023 was going to be different.
20 years… That’s how long I’ve been hosting Summit, and it’s crazy to think about how far we’ve come. People I met all those years ago are still here with me today and it almost brings me to tears to see the extraordinary growth they’ve achieved and the way they’ve transformed their lives.
So yes, I knew this 20th anniversary Success Summit would be special, but I couldn’t have imagined just how special it’s turning out to be – and we’re only two days in!
If you weren’t able to make it, I’m sorry because I really wish you could’ve been here. But… if you weren’t… this blog is for you. I want to bring you in on some of the things that were discussed in the room. You’ll get high-level ideas from some of my favorite talks over the first two days of Summit.
I need to get to sleep in the next hour, so let’s dive right in. Busy day tomorrow!
TomX
The opening event of Summit is always one of my favorites, and this one seriously blew me away like never before.
Jen Dillard showed us how to leverage events to build stronger, long-lasting relationships.
Sandra Hendrix covered the capacity to change, particularly when it comes to cultivating energy with a positive mindset. She showed us the three steps of change – Awareness, Understanding, and Execution – and how to take them, along with covering the perfect morning and night routines for agents.
Dwayne Pano – who I would call the breakout agent of 2023 – gave a remarkably powerful talk about how service to his community has allowed him to transform his life and business. Beyond his hard work and dedicated systems, Dwayne shared one question that separates him from the competition: “What do you have on your to-do list that you need help with? And it does not have to be real estate-related.”
But the showstopper here was my good friend and client Levi Rodgers. Levi shared the heart-wrenching story of when he was a Green Beret. His vehicle hit an IED and exploded in the air. His friends were killed and he was flown to the burn center in San Antonio, TX. He was left in a strange city after this horrible tragedy with no ability to work and suffering in horrible pain. And yet the kindness and thoughtfulness that one realtor showed him changed everything, and now Levi is the No. 1 agent in San Antonio, running a massive team, and showing a MASSIVE number of people the same kindness that was shown to him.
It filled my heart more than I can convey when Levi shared a very special gift with me – a Memorial bracelet remembering his fallen brothers. I’m so incredibly grateful to him.
The World is Changing – and so are We
I think it’s fair to say that one of the main topics of this year’s Summit was Ai. And seriously, how could it not be? Over the last year, Ai has dominated the media, and agents who are early adopters of it are dominating their markets. That’s what we want for every single agent here – no more resisting progress.
During a Q&A, one agent in attendance said to Jason Pantana that he was terrified and creeped out and resistant to Ai. Jason challenged him to change his perspective. “Don’t look at Ai as something that’s ‘new.’ It’s a tool and a partner who is here to help you, not replace you.”
Several sessions were dedicated to Ai. First, I talked about some of the ways that my team and I have been using ChatGPT to automate and do more in my business. Then Jason shared the 10 best practical applications of Ai and how to use them. One demonstration that blew everyone away was when Jason edited the script of a video he’d already recorded and changed the words that were coming out of his mouth in just seconds. Think about the power of that… No more shooting a script dozens of times.
During another session, he encouraged agents to record their conversations and appointments with Otter, load the transcript into ChatGPT, and then ask ChatGPT a series of questions to learn more about what the client is thinking. Here’s just one of the prompts he provided:
“What are the main concerns or priorities identified by the client during the listing appointment, and how can I address them in my follow-up communication?
My MASSIVE Announcement
Believe it or not, we’re not off the subject of Ai yet. As you can obviously see, I’m a massive fan of Ai, not because it can replace people but because it can give them superpowers.
ChatGPT is incredible, but of course, it can’t give you all the very niche real estate-related answers you need. It doesn’t have the combined brains of me and all my coaches. But now there’s something that does…
Tom.ai Beta
We are currently in the process of beta-testing this brand-new Ai software which will be the go-to resource for our coaching clients. You’ll still have your coach to guide you and identify and address your needs, but now you’ll have access to the minds of ALL of our coaches 24/7.
You can ask or say anything to it and Tom.ai Beta will give it to you immediately.
- Write me an SOP
- Give me a step-by-step email marketing plan
- What’s not working with my Google Business Profile?
- Here are some conversations I had with a lead. What is their communication style and what is the best way to convert them?
Answers to everything… instantly.
Young & Solo Rockstars
Jeff Mays hosted two panels, each with three young agents who are just KILLING IT right now, about what they’re doing to attract so much business. Want a hint about two that almost all of them had in common? Take a guess…
That’s right: social media and video! These Rockstars started with few if any connections but used their resources to learn and connect with people to scale their businesses rapidly.
Also, they might be young, but they have their schedules LOCKED DOWN. They were able to walk you through their days by memory and exactly what they’re doing to attract leads.
Elio Alanis is 22 and already owns 18 units. While most young people are partying, he’s already on track to achieve his “Why” of retiring his parents (and himself by 30 years old).
Breakdown to Breakthrough
This has been a tough year for a lot of agents. During his AMAZING talk on marketing and conversion, world-class real estate expert Jimmy Mackin said we are in what he calls the “Real Estate Hunger Games” where the innovating agents will cannibalize the rest. Naturally, people are breaking down.
I spoke to a panel of agents who have gone through their own breakdowns about the strategies they used to break through.
Keri White has been selling real estate for a long time. She’s a pro at it. That’s why her breakdown (or breakdowns) came as such a surprise.Out of nowhere she had people in her car again, she had her car stolen, buyers weren’t buying, people were going to discount agents. And yet it was hard for her to recognize that a shift needed to happen. She was laying awake in bed at night in FEAR and waking up in tears.
So, how’d she break through it all? She went back to the basics of what got her to where she was to begin with. She leaned into the coaching ecosystem for help in relighting the fire.
All three of these panelist (Keri, Jason Sirois, and Jennifer Mac) had the same three pieces of advice for anyone going through a hard time:
- Get a coach. The ecosystem alone is worth it, but having guidance when you’re feeling low makes an incredible difference.
- Know your contracts backwards and forwards.
- Read “Exactly What To Say For Real Estate Agents” by Phil M. Jones, Chris Smith, and Jimmy Mackin.
Breakthroughs are possible, but so are more breakdowns. It’s your choice.
Looking at the Path We’ve Walked
Success Summit 2023 isn’t even over yet, and yet when I look at all the faces of the agents here, I can see that they’re already finding their Path Forward through this market. And that’s all I wanted. It’s what I’ve built my business on – facilitating breakthroughs on a massive scale.
It makes me think about how we got started 20 years ago and what got me here today. I didn’t start actually making money until I was nine years into my business, and growth was slow.
But the key was that I never gave up; I never let a bad market discourage me, and I kept seeking new opportunities anywhere I could.
If you’re that type of agent, who is going to really dig into the strategies and tactics we’re covering over these three days, be sure to keep an eye out for Summit ‘23 On Demand, which we’re launching soon.
And if you’re an agent on the West Coast (or can get there), I’ll be headed down the Pacific Coast Highway this September for three new stops on my Roadmap Tour for top agents looking to expand their market share.
Whatever you do, DO SOMETHING, because when I look around the room, I see a lot of people who are.
I’m so grateful to all the agents who have made this event an unforgettable experience. Can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings.
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Summit Photo Credit: AJ Canaria