How a 400-Agent Team Recruits Without Cold Calling with Jaclyn Barker | Ep 117

How a 400-Agent Team Recruits Without Cold Calling with Jaclyn Barker | Ep 117

After nearly 25 in real estate sales, Jaclyn Barker found her next right fit, joining Tiffany Williamson at Navigate Realty as a full-time recruiter. Over the past few years, Navigate has grown from roughly 80 agents across two North Carolina markets to approximately 400 agents in seven active locations, with Tennessee getting ready to launch. In Raleigh alone, the team is bringing in 15 to 20 new agents a month.  None of this growth came through cold calls, robo-calls, or robo-texts. As Jaclyn says in this conversation, “I despise cold calling … it’s just not my thing.” Watch or listen to have Jaclyn walk you through the philosophy, process, and system behind this growth.  Learn why she treats recruiting exactly the way a great agent treats a client relationship, why she insists on in-person interviews of at least an hour with every candidate, and why she'll sometimes tell someone they're not ready to make the jump yet.  Find out what it looks like to build a recruiting function from scratch, when to make your first recruiting hire, and why retention is the half of the equation most teams ignore. Watch or listen for Jaclyn's insights into: 0:00 Intro and welcome  2:25 How drive shows up early in a recruiting conversation if you know what to look for  3:38 Why recruiting and real estate sales are the same kind of people business, built on discovery and fit rather than pitching  5:33 How a long career in real estate, a difficult market, and one conversation with Tiffany Williamson led to a full-time recruiting role  10:30 What Navigate Realty looked like when she joined versus what it looks like today  12:36 The interview that shaped her entire approach, and what she decided she would never do to a candidate  18:06 Why net agent count is the only number that matters, and what it means for how you think about retention  20:53 How the recruiting function has scaled alongside Navigate's growth, and what triggered each new hire  23:28 Why she spends at least an hour with every candidate and what that kind of time in the room actually reveals 25:47 What an ATS is, why you need one, and how they selected their applicant tracking system (ATS!) 27:51 The recruiting process from first contact to offer, and why in-person interviews are non-negotiable  33:30 “I despise cold calling” - why building something worth joining eventually becomes your most powerful recruiting tool  38:15 When to hire a full-time in-house recruiter, and the investment logic that makes it worth it  40:50 Why being honest with candidates about how hard real estate is makes her better at recruiting, not worse  46:41 At the end, Jaclyn reveals how a frugal instinct went sideways, when her Apple Watch triggers, and why true crime podcasts share equal car time with real estate podcasts. Related episodes: → 90-Minute Recruiting Workshop [https://www.realestateteamos.com/subscribe] (sign up free [https://www.realestateteamos.com/subscribe] for all the subscriber-only episodes) → When, Why, and How to Build Your Recruiting Department [https://www.realestateteamos.com/episode/real-estate-recruiting-department-tiffany-williamson-navigate-realty] with Tiffany Williamson Connect with Jaclyn Barker and Navigate Realty: → https://navigaterealty.com/join/ [https://navigaterealty.com/join/] Connect with Real Estate Team OS: → https://www.realestateteamos.com [https://www.realestateteamos.com/] → https://linktr.ee/realestateteamos [https://linktr.ee/realestateteamos] → https://www.instagram.com/realestateteamos/ [https://www.instagram.com/realestateteamos/]

Why Real Estate AI Must Serve Clients Not Just Agents with Tiffany Gelzinis | Ep 116

Most conversations about AI in real estate start and end with the same question: what can the agent stop doing? Tiffany Gelzinis thinks that's the wrong question. As a real estate team leader and Realtor in Residence at Follow Up Boss who has been operating at the intersection of real estate and technology for years, she makes a different argument: that AI's real value isn't in what it removes from the agent's plate, but in what it does for the client. When the technology is deployed with that in mind, everything else gets better too: agent morale, consistency, response rates, and the relationships that drive repeat and referral business. Learn the framework Tiffany uses to think about where AI is going, including a distinction between generative AI (you tell it what to do) and agentic AI (you train it to think like a role) that clarifies how to prepare for what's coming next.  Get what she calls the nurture black hole in every real estate database, how behavioral signals from tools like Zillow Pro surface the opportunities hiding inside it, and why the quality of your CRM data is the foundation everything else depends on. And hear what smart messages actually do differently from standard outreach, why human-in-the-loop is non-negotiable regardless of how good the AI gets, how Automations 2.0 adds leverage with new triggers, and how she elevated a top-producing agent into a team leader role while she stepped fully into tech optimization. Watch or listen for Tiffany's insights into: 0:00 Intro and welcome  1:39 Consistency as the must-have characteristic and why agents get in their own way more than anything else does  3:00 Why you don't always need to tell agents you deployed new technology, how to simplify for adoption, and why to focus agents on calling the right people at the right time  7:33 Elevating a top producer to team leader, including what to look for and what the transition costs in production before it pays off  16:38 The two jobs of real estate AI: operational efficiency and top-line lead surfacing, and why most real estate teams are only thinking about one  22:18 What the nurture black hole is and why every database has one  25:10 The difference between generative AI and agentic AI, how to create the right expectations, and how to deploy it effectively  27:54 Why human-in-the-loop isn't optional, what AI slop looks like in practice, and why you can't just set it and forget it  32:54 How smart messages improve response rates with contextual relevance and dynamic agent voice  34:50 Why your AI is only as good as your CRM data and the specific habits that feed the model right now  39:47 Automations 2.0 with new triggers, and the light switch analogy that makes the whole concept click  41:35 The consumer experience trend Tiffany is most excited about and how to capitalize on it  44:29 At the end, Tiffany covers travel soccer and deluxe kits for her two boys, cutting her own hair since COVID and never going back, and sea glass hunts on beach walks. Related episodes → Ep 005 Patience, People, Process, and Profit with Tiffany Gelzinis  [https://www.realestateteamos.com/episode/tiffany-gelzinis-on-patience-people-process-profit] → Ep 076 AI Voice and Texting with Tiffany Gelzinis and Kyle Draper [https://www.realestateteamos.com/episode/ai-voice-and-texting-real-estate-tech-kyle-draper-tiffany-gelzinis]  Connect with Tiffany Gelzinis → https://www.instagram.com/tiffany_gelzinis/ [https://www.instagram.com/tiffany_gelzinis/] Connect with Real Estate Team OS → https://www.realestateteamos.com [https://www.realestateteamos.com/] → https://linktr.ee/realestateteamos [https://linktr.ee/realestateteamos] → https://www.instagram.com/realestateteamos/ [https://www.instagram.com/realestateteamos/]

The Open House Strategy That Works Seven Days a Week with Lisa Archer | Ep 115

Lisa Archer has more than doubled production at Live Love Homes in under two years. A meaningful part of that growth runs through open houses. Not weekend opens hosted reluctantly, but a deliberate seven-day strategy that last year produced 32 sales where the buyer only came through an open house. She's on pace to at least double that number this year. You'll learn how that strategy works - the seven-day cadence, why Monday through Friday beats the weekend for relocating buyers in high-growth markets, and how virtual opens cover the gaps. You'll learn how she captures contact information without printing a single piece of paper, why she pre-knocks the neighborhood before every open, and how one listing done right generates four or five clients on the same street.  Lisa also explains why most agents say open houses don't work, why she disagrees, how she uses them to close price conversations with sellers, and what she says at expired listing appointments when the answer to "how many open houses did you have?" is zero. Lisa founded Live Love Homes in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she runs a local team of 10 agents, plus agents in expansion markets in Wilmington, Myrtle Beach, Charleston, Columbia, and Greenville - as well as in southern Mississippi. She's been building real estate teams and expansion markets since before most people knew what either one was, and she still teaches and trains on all kinds of topics. Watch or listen for Lisa's insights into: 0:00 Intro and welcome  1:49 Grit as the must-have characteristic, and why the agents most likely to make it are the ones who've had to persevere through something before real estate  2:55 How to spot the new agent who's going to make it: coachability, what they've had to push through, and what it looks like when the path has always been straight up  7:10 How Live Love Homes started: banking career, her dad's KW office, the Red Book model, and the buyer's agent who has been with her for 18 years  14:36 What more than doubling production in under two years actually looks like: the Place partnership and P&L accountability that changed the business  18:15 Why the team model keeps winning: agents who ask "why would I want to do it on my own?" and the failure rate teams solve for  22:10 What 15 years of market expansion teaches you: lead with revenue, lead with someone willing to do the work, and why sphere-first is the only safe starting point  24:57 The real job of an open house: the most intimate lead gen available, a mobile office, and a tool for neighborhood domination that most teams are leaving on the table  27:46 How to capture contact info without printing anything: survey, floor plan, and disclosure as three separate reasons to get a number  31:08 Why agents say open houses don't work, and what's actually going on when they say it  33:51 The seven-day open house strategy: why Mon-Fri works in high-growth relocation markets, what partners of job candidates are doing while the interview happens, and how virtual opens cover the rest  38:17 The neighborhood domination play that created several new clients from a single street  39:45 How open houses make price conversations easier: sellers see the work being done and come to you on price instead of the other way around  43:36 At the end, Lisa shares several baseball teams and dogs named after players, reveals her Tesla is both her most frivolous purchase and her best cheapskate habit, and shares the recovery protocol she's built since a serious car accident three and a half years ago: PT, sauna, red light, power plate, and a growing obsession with peptides and hormones that she admits she could geek out about for hours. Mentioned in this episode → Power Plate http://powerplate.com [http://powerplate.com] → Hormone Havoc by Dr. Amy Shah https://amymdwellness.com/book/hormone-havoc/ [https://amymdwellness.com/book/hormone-havoc/] Connect with Lisa Archer → (704) 755-3433 → lisaarcher at kw dot com → https://www.instagram.com/lisaarcher/ [https://www.instagram.com/lisaarcher/] → https://www.facebook.com/lisaludlowarcher/ [https://www.facebook.com/lisaludlowarcher/] Connect with Real Estate Team OS → https://www.realestateteamos.com [https://www.realestateteamos.com/] → https://linktr.ee/realestateteamos [https://linktr.ee/realestateteamos] → https://www.instagram.com/realestateteamos/ [https://www.instagram.com/realestateteamos/]

From Appointment-Fed to Well-Rounded Agents with Ryan Crighton and Danny Rinaldi | Ep 114

Many real estate teams try to build an appointment-fed model with ISAs serving agents ready-to-go opportunities. This can work - it can create efficient production. But when Ryan Crighton and Danny Rinaldi tried it, they discovered it wasn’t building agents who were as strong and well-rounded as they wanted. Learn how the shift from appointment-fed to well-rounded happened, including what prompted it, what it took, and what it produced for their 23-agent team serving clients in Las Vegas, Henderson, and Boulder City. Learn the accountability structure that’s enforced more by the environment than by team leaders and the vibe-first recruiting approach that attracts new agents who exceed performance standards before anyone asks them to. And learn how Danny evolved from ISA to coach to sales manager, what that role looks like day to day, and how he and Ryan complement each other in a partnership that lets each of them operate in their strongest area. Watch or listen for Danny's and Ryan's insights into: 0:00 Intro and welcome 1:22 Being in the weeds as the must-have characteristic — and why agents watch what you do more than they ask what to do 2:08 The difference between vibe and culture — and why vibe is what actually drives performance and retention 4:11 How Ryan built from REO listings in the 2008 downturn to a 23-agent brokerage team, and how Danny went from Brooklyn phone sales to Las Vegas sales manager 10:00 Why new agents book appointments before they know anything about real estate — and why knowledge without attitude slows them down 16:17 Why Danny leads recruiting conversations with vibe, not accountability — and how accountability reveals itself before the agent ever joins 17:34 How the Creighton Rinaldi accountability system enforces itself. No manager required. 19:06 How the peer accountability pod model (inspired by Brett Jennings, Ep 98) turned Danny into a facilitator — with agents coaching each other for most of the hour 26:59 Why Danny makes phone calls side-by-side with every new agent within 24 hours of joining — and what that did to prospecting adoption 29:32 How Nevada's two-month gap between passing the real estate exam and receiving a license became a training opportunity 32:37 Why handing agents ready-made appointments produced weaker agents — and what happened when they stopped 37:25 Why too much focus on market stats gives agents an excuse not to prospect — especially in one of the most volatile real estate markets in the U.S. 40:23 Why the team model is the only structure built to meet what today's real estate clients actually expect 41:51 At the end, Danny gives an impossible-to-follow team story and a sought-after spreadsheet and Ryan reveals a frivolous ride and a timely sports team. Related episodes → Peer Accountability Pods [https://www.realestateteamos.com/episode/real-estate-team-growth-peer-accountability-pods-brett-jennings] with Brett Jennings → Leadership Structure [https://www.realestateteamos.com/episode/ryan-rodenbeck-john-mccarthy-spyglass-leadership-structure] with Ryan Rodenbeck and Johnny McCarthy Book mentioned in this episode → The War of Art [https://stevenpressfield.com/books/the-war-of-art/] by Steven Pressfield Connect with The Crighton Rinaldi Team → Ryan at CRHomeTeam dot com / 702 217-1048 → Danny at CRHomeTeam dot com / 347 598-0913 → https://www.instagram.com/dannyrinaldi/ [https://www.instagram.com/dannyrinaldi/] → https://www.instagram.com/crightonrinalditeam/ [https://www.instagram.com/crightonrinalditeam/] → https://www.crightonrinalditeam.com/team-page [https://www.crightonrinalditeam.com/team-page] Connect with Real Estate Team OS → https://www.realestateteamos.com [https://www.realestateteamos.com/] → https://linktr.ee/realestateteamos [https://linktr.ee/realestateteamos] → https://www.instagram.com/realestateteamos/ [https://www.instagram.com/realestateteamos/]

30% Net Profit from a Real Estate Team That Runs Without You with Nathan Clark | Ep 113

Most real estate teams are built around their leader. And at some level, most team leaders know it. Nathan Clark identified that problem early, named it clearly, and spent 20 years solving it.  The result is a 600-plus transaction, 24-agent, 5-ISA, and 7-staff real estate team in Rhode Island that generates 30 to 35% net profit annually and genuinely runs without him: 15 to 20 hours of work per week, five race cars, and a full year away from the business when his family needed him. The team kept running. You'll learn how Nathan structures the financial model that makes that possible, starting with the COGS ceiling most teams quietly violate and the full P&L benchmark he reviews weekly. You'll learn why he charges sellers $2,000 and buyers $1,000 before showing a single home, how that generates $40,000 to $50,000 per month in working capital, and how that revenue funds better advertising and a better agent income on a lower split. You'll also learn when to step out of production, the ideal ISA:agent ratio, what team size has been most profitable for them, how to grow revenue per client instead of chasing transaction count, and what Nathan believes the team model will look like when AI is fully in the picture. Watch or listen for Nathan’s insights into: * 0:00 Intro and welcome  * 1:43 Why speed, going all in, and staying focused would make more leaders successful  * 6:57 What "runs without you" actually looks like  * 10:36 Specific lessons learned between 200 and 600 transactions, including the right ISA:agent ratio  * 17:34 Starting with the end in mind and making your team or brokerage more valuable  * 21:49 Why your cost of sale should be 40%, what that means for your splits, and how your agents can still get ahead  * 27:20 Raising your commission when everyone else is cutting it  * 29:06 Getting paid three times on each transaction, including upfront (and what he's doing with the $40-50k/month in working capital that generates)  * 36:36 Why they were most profitable at 20-25 agents and when you should be able to leave sales production  * 39:34 Why growing GCI by 50% doesn't require 50% more agents and 50% more closings  * 43:35 The weekly or monthly meeting you must have, even if it's just with yourself  * 44:36 The P&L benchmarks: 40% COGS max, 15% advertising, 14-15% payroll (including yourself), 1-3% rent, 25% base profit, up to 35% with add-ons  * 48:24 Why teams modeled after enterprises will continue to take market share and how AI can empower a 600-transaction team to scale to 2-3k  51:37 At the end, learn about the underdog and the goat, an addiction that runs fast and costs a fortune, and a personal crisis that proved his business was worth every hour he put into it over the years. Mentioned in this episode: → Mike Schumm “The Hidden Curve That Kills Real Estate Team Profit [https://www.realestateteamos.com/episode/real-estate-team-profit-business-turnaround-mike-schumm]” → Andy Mulholland “Mastering Real Estate Business Financials [https://www.realestateteamos.com/episode/mastering-real-estate-business-financials-andy-mulholland]” → Anthwon Thomas “Preserving Your Profit Margins [https://www.realestateteamos.com/episode/preserving-profit-margin-real-estate-team-anthwon-thomas]” Connect with Nathan Clark: → Nathan at NathanClarkTeam dot com Learn about the systems Nathan runs on: → https://hs.yhsgr.com/maib [https://hs.yhsgr.com/maib] Connect with Real Estate Team OS → https://www.realestateteamos.com [https://www.realestateteamos.com/] → https://linktr.ee/realestateteamos [https://linktr.ee/realestateteamos] → https://www.instagram.com/realestateteamos/ [https://www.instagram.com/realestateteamos/]