On this episode of rokrbox TV, we have some great tips and tricks for you from the Pacific Northwest! Josh sits down with Jordan Stupey of Windermere Real Estate based in Seattle, WA.
Jumping into his real estate background, Jordan explains that he got started right out of college. After earning his degree in marketing, Jordan began working at Keller Williams, but quickly accepted an offer from Zillow Group afterwards.
[1:08] Reflecting back on his 4 years with Zillow Group, Jordan says he worked “in the heat of things. I’m sure a lot of people have seen [the movie] Boiler Room…That’s pretty much what it felt like.”
Although he learned a lot, Jordan adds that 2/3 of people don’t make it through the first year. “It was pretty rough,” Jordan admits, “but in doing that, I got to talk to a lot of people.”
The experience gave Jordan more confidence, leading him to realize, “I think I can do this, and at a high level. That’s what really got me intrigued about real estate in general, and [control] the way that I do things without having to answer to somebody.”
[1:40] Josh relates to that sentiment, telling Jordan that as an entrepreneur, a common question he gets is why he became an entrepreneur in the first place. The answer? Entrepreneurs would make terrible employees. “I don’t like answering to people,” Josh adds with a smile. “I just gotta be my own boss.”
Jordan earned his real estate license in 2007, but explains that being “fresh out of college, there wasn’t a whole lot of income.” So when Zillow Group called to offer him a position, Jordan didn’t hesitate to jump on the opportunity—an easy decision, he says with a grin, since “they offered a paycheck.”
[3:00] After starting a new chapter as a business owner, Jordan recalls some of the frustrations he faced before linking up with Josh, explaining that he started buying leads 4-6 months into the process.
“I had people offering me leads,” Jordan tells Josh, “which I could go through and convert, but the volume itself just wasn’t enough. I knew there just needed to be more. It’s opportunities, right? Just getting to swing the bat, and see who you connect with.”
[4:00] At some point, Jordan remembers, he did the math to calculate how many phone calls he had made while at Zillow. “It was north of eighty thousand,” he admits. “That’s a lot of time on the phone.”
He goes on to say that, despite growing into a more skilled, experienced caller, you still have those bad phone calls with some people.
“They’re just angry,” Jordan says, laughing. “To be honest, I just didn’t want to make those phone calls anymore, but it was also the pressure of how many calls I’d be making in a day, or in a month, and then the follow-up.”
Jordan hits on a couple key points that are also major components of the rokrbox strategy: first, how critical it is to follow up with leads; second, you typically need at least 7 touches with a lead to truly connect with them, and build a relationship.
[5:15] “That’s a lot of follow up,” Jordan tells Josh. “And so many things just fall through the cracks. For my own mental sanity, I think that was the big thing: to have someone else deal with those phone calls, and the rough people…I can’t make all those phone calls.”
Of course, that’s where rokrbox comes in. Josh’s team of ISAs in College Station, Texas have handled over two million leads since the company was founded in 2013. “It’s very effective…[for someone] to go through and have a conversation,” Jordan explains.
[6:00] Josh tells Jordan that his points really hit home, and are “basically the reason for us [at rokrbox] existing, because you know that work needs to get done. It’s not rocket science. The whole compounding effect is, every single day that you’re generating leads, you’re growing the list of people you’ll be calling.”
[7:15] When asked about the main impacts that rokrbox has had on his business, Jordan says he feels better prepared to reach out to warm opportunities that rokrbox delivers to himself and his team.
“Having some information and details about what that conversation is going to look like helps with my preparation for when I reach out,” Jordan says. “That’s the big thing: teeing it up for me, [so I can go in] with more preparation for that phone call.”
[8:45] Josh agrees with Jordan about the importance of preparation, and explains how the rokrbox team sets up each agent to be the expert and resource clients need.
“Just that hand-off process allows you to differentiate you from every other realtor under the sky who, like you said, are just chasing any deal they can have,” Josh replies, touching on the essentialness of getting to know your leads. “Again, for you, you don’t just want to make sure that lead is warm and vetted, but also that they’re a good fit for you.”
[9:39] When asked what he has to say to those considering an ISA service, Jordan replies, “Ultimately, I think it frees up that head space. When it comes to leads, everybody wants that instant gratification, and that’s just not how it happens. It takes time. At the end of the day, you need to have that perspective.”
He encourages people to recognize how critical lead follow-up is in the long run, and reminds them that their success is dependent on the quality of those follow-ups. “The big thing,” Jordan concludes, “is follow-up. Follow through with what you’re doing. It’s super important. Be true to yourself, and be true to your word.”
[12:00] Josh thanks Jordan for taking the time to share some of his insights with rokrbox TV viewers, and points out the value of Jordan’s two-sided experience: selling leads to agents, and now working his own leads for his business, giving him a unique perspective in real estate after being on both sides of the fence.
