On this episode of rokrbox TV, Josh sits down with John Lyons of John Lyons Real Estate. Reflecting back on the start of his career in 2013, John explains how he got started buying internet leads—an effort to jumpstart his business when he was new to both the Chicago area, and the real estate industry in general.
[0:16] Josh congratulates John on a “monster year,” commending him on already having $17.2M under contract—with another $3M pending in the pipeline—after achieving a record-breaking $13.2M the year before. “We’re excited to be part of that growth with you,” says Josh. Jumping right in, he invites John to share tips and tricks for success.
John tells viewers that he invested in Boomtown—a popular real estate CRM, and one of multiple that rokrbox specializes in—two years before. “Boomtown is an incredible tool, no doubt about it,” John says. “I used a lot of different tools prior, and I made a lot of mistakes. What I found was, when you go cheap, you pay for it another way.”
He touches on a common issue that many agents face in real estate today: investing in online leads, but lacking the ability to convert those leads into motivated buyers and sellers. John remembers how overwhelmed he felt in the past when he was paying an arm and a leg for opportunities that he just couldn’t hold onto.
[2:47] “One of the things that’s very instrumental for rokrbox [was] forcing me to focus my time, obviously, on the right clients,” John explains, “but also forcing me to leverage the tool that’s already at my disposal, and that’s the Boomtown system. “It’s given me more confidence in the business, knowing that I constantly have this string of opportunities that I can bring through the funnel.”
[4:18] When asked about the coaching and resources that John has received from rokrbox—specifically from his Client Care manager, Kelsey—John laughs, answering, “What I realized after signing up with rokrbox was that I didn’t want to let Kelsey down…the support’s been terrific, because she has really been able to teach me how to use it [the Boomtown system].”
“You want to make that client your best friend,” he tells Josh. “You want to make sure you take care of them, and that will obviously magnify your ROI.”
Nodding, Josh adds, “A lot of people are excited about big commission checks. But really, what it’s about is carving out that space in your community—where you can service your people, and they can have an advocate on their side when it comes to professional real estate advice and counseling.”
[8:36] “I already have one [client] that I very quickly put under contract, that I wouldn’t have had before,” John tells Josh. “And that’s really why I’m on this call today. I want you to know that I appreciate everything you guys are doing. There’s a lot in the pipeline now because of you guys [at rokrbox].”
Transitioning to the topic of Live Transfers, a valuable rokrbox service that guarantees the smooth hand-off of hot opportunities to agents over the phone, John smiles at a memory from one of his coaching sessions with Kelsey, when he was actually interrupted by a Live Transfer call from a rokrbox ISA.
[9:20] “I get quite a bit of those, and they’re really terrific,” says John. “It also shows a lot of professionalism when you’re able to have your assistant [rokrbox ISA] transfer you over, and you’re primed to answer [the lead’s] questions and be of service to them. And by doing that, you’re already able to differentiate yourself from other agents. So it’s a powerful tool.”
Explaining that some agents can be timid when receiving Live Transfers, Josh asks John how he manages to build an instant rapport with hot leads at the other end of the line.
[10:45] “I reference whoever transferred [the lead],” John answers. “You’re there to listen, to answer questions…I don’t have a lot of showmanship. It’s mainly just building rapport, and being of service to them.”
[12:00] John also mentions that he sometimes asks leads if they have a few minutes to meet over Zoom, enabling him to “go through a buyer’s presentation with them on the spot.”
Impressed, Josh praises the strategy as “a new-age revolutionary tip,” touching on the fact that most people are comfortable working from home, and comfortable establishing professional relationships over a video call.
Likewise, Josh expresses his approval of “old school” techniques—first, referencing the assistant (or rokrbox ISA) who vetted the lead being transferred, and second, being able to differentiate yourself from other agents.
When accepting Live Transfers, Josh explains that agents can highlight their expertise as qualified home-buying experts and uphold a standard of professionalism when they utilize those practices.
When accepting Live Transfers, Josh explains that agents can highlight their expertise as qualified home-buying experts and uphold a standard of professionalism when they utilize those practices.
[13:26] “This is your opportunity to demonstrate why people should do business with you, instead of the thousands of other realtors out there,” Josh explains. “I think the misconception a lot of times in real estate is, ‘I bought this lead, I own this lead.’ [But] people are online searching for homes. They’re not searching for realtors.”
Thanking John for his time, Josh concludes by telling viewers, “Hope this all inspired you to take some action. Pick up the phone, make some calls, send some Zoom links, do some buyer consults. Welcome to the 21st century.”
