Deanna Morton - Elevate: A Podcast For Driven Real Estate Agents - Episode 12
Watch the Episode Here:
Join us for this week's conversation with Deanna Morton, a realtor in Greenville, SC. Deanna has been a trusted resource for people moving to the Upstate and has a deep understanding of the local market. She is highly active in local Facebook community groups and is dedicated to helping the community by shopping and buying local. She is a strong advocate for building a personalized marketing strategy and believes in staying in touch with past clients to cultivate repeat business. Tune in to learn from Deanna's experience and insights on navigating the real estate landscape in Greenville and surrounding area.
In This Episode We Cover:
How useful it can be to have a unique marketing strategy.
Being a trusted resource for new people moving to the Upstate.
Some tips for agents just starting out.
Listen Along!
Read the Episode Here!
Deanna Morton:
The more connected that you stay with that person after you help them buy or sell, the more likely they're going to be to refer you to somebody when somebody else needs
Nathan Whitworth:
Something. And staying connected to that existing client is a lot cheaper than paying for new leads. You know, send a birthday card, you send a Christmas card, you just stay in touch throughout the year. You put 'em on an email drip campaign. And it doesn't have to be sellsy. I hate Sellsy. Yeah it just needs to be communicating. If you need anything, call me.
Deanna Morton:
Just
Nathan Whitworth:
Stay top of mind. Stay top of mind, and just stay in their inbox. Call them, send 'em a text.
Deanna Morton:
Hey guys. Welcome back to the episode of Elevate. I am glad you're here because we are about to talk about a method of lead generation <laugh> that I promise you nobody's talking about. I have been to a lot of sales meetings and a lot of brokerages, and I have yet to have somebody talk about how Deanna got her very first listing as an agent for a 1.2 million listing. And that was your first one, right?
Nathan Whitworth:
Yes, officially. Okay.
Deanna Morton:
Yeah. Right. So Deanna, before we type in to how you got that listing, and this was shortly after you got your license, right? Correct.
Nathan Whitworth:
First with it. Well, I'm not even a year in yet. So
Deanna Morton:
Crazy. Okay. All right. So let's first start off with who is Deanna? Tell us a little about your background and how'd you get to the point where you're trading real estate.
Nathan Whitworth:
Been in Greenville for 30 years. I've seen Greenville from dilapidated buildings downtown to growing and people moving here from all over the world. Real estate started for me 2008, the great economy crash. I started my own virtual assistant business and was helping clients all over the us. Right. And then I started getting contracts to help expats from other countries come here, corporate executives, but expats to find housing, get our social security driver's license for sida and Colgate Pala of big companies. Oh, how interesting. Yeah. And so I was already doing the housing aspect, but I wasn't licensed. So I was having to call my friends that were realtors and be like, Hey, I need to get this guy in a 12 month rental, and then he's going to purchase a home. So then a year later, they're calling the other realtor and purchasing a home, because a lot of music is investments right here in the us. So this past year 2021, I started thinking about it and I was like, I need to just go get my license. I've been doing this way too much. <laugh> sold too many houses sold two on my street in the middle of the pandemic signs never went in the yard. And how quickly houses were selling during the pandemic.
Deanna Morton:
And you weren't able to get a commission for any of that? I made
Nathan Whitworth:
No commission because I wasn't licensed. Right, you too. So I was just basically coordinating deals and calling a real estate attorney and saying, Hey, I got two friends. They're closing. Can you help 'em? Right. And he did it. So yeah, I had three or four, and then I got my license joined. And
Deanna Morton:
I bet that friend
Nathan Whitworth:
Got a million dollar listing. I
Deanna Morton:
Bet that friend, when you said that you were getting your license, I bet that friend was like, oh man.
Nathan Whitworth:
Well, there's some of 'em. They're still with the other companies, but they'll come over one day.
Deanna Morton:
That's awesome. Okay, so I want to, I really want to dive into how you obtain this first listing because again, I can't tell you how many agents, people I talk to daily or trying to figure out lead generation, and they're trying to figure out, they're doing a lot of the things that their brokerages are telling them to do, which are great proven strategies. Don't get me wrong, they're not bad. But I think that there's a wide world of marketing out there that really has been really underserved and very overlooked when it comes to real estate agents and when it comes to realtors. So I want you to tell me, just give me the story a little bit about how did this particular person find you when, again, you've been in business for less than a year, and really they wouldn't have had any reason to know who you are and you don't know them. Had no idea. So there's no connection there. It's not a family friend. You weren't dialing your contacts in your phone. You weren't cold calling. Correct. There was no connection whatsoever, which is always, I think, the biggest thing that agents are looking for. How do I get in front of new people that I do not know? And that is outside of my sphere of influence. You accomplished that. Tell me how she found you.
Nathan Whitworth:
So I think first, before I even tell you how we both know a lot of people, so she and I both did a lot of stalking to see,
And the first time I met with the seller, I was like, do I know you? I'm just, am I missing a piece here? And she's like, Nope, you don't know me. She went on a community group on Facebook and said, I need a realtor. Who do you recommend? And my name kept popping up over and over and over. She interviewed several realtors. And I think my marketing strategy's a little different because I do deal with people from other countries that are coming here on a corporate level. She had a corporate executive style home. So all the pieces just fit together. That's
Deanna Morton:
Cool.
Nathan Whitworth:
So even though I had probably the least amount of experience of everyone she interviewed, my marketing plan and my pre-listing appointment, I had documents I took to her based on what I could find on the internet, which was not a lot, but I'm the only one that physical physically took her something to look at. Oh, that's cool. Is something to read and some research. And I think that helped make her decision. And she told me later that it was all because of these community groups on Facebook that that's where she gets her vendors.
Deanna Morton:
That's so cool. So I'm going to talk about the actual listing appointment in a few minutes. Cause I think that I didn't know that part of it. So I think that that's really cool. And I want to deep dive into some of that stuff. But just talk to me about the Facebook groups for a second. So when you say Facebook groups, we're talking just community groups, right? Correct. Just the local community groups. So I know here we're in Greenville, South Carolina, there's probably two or three and they're pretty big. They're pretty large, right? Yes. And so it's so funny cause I was laughing with you before we started. Every time someone comes into one of those Facebook groups, it's not, it's nonstop 24 7. I always see somebody, it's like, Hey, what's the best place for a date night in Greenville? It's like, boom. Dan Danny responds.
And with three different places that you would recommend and you're constantly just providing help and providing value and service to people who have questions and who don't know who to go to are looking for a referral. You're constantly giving that information and your name because of it just keeps popping up in the groups. Not because people are recommending you, but just literally your name is just seen over and over and over and over and over for people who's paying attention to those groups. So it's funny because I don't think I've heard a single other real estate agent yet. Now. I'm not saying that there hasn't been for sure. Just haven't heard of them yet. That has obtained such a big contract out of participating in the Facebook groups. So I'm just kind of curious what's your thoughts on it? Is that something that you've learned? Is that something that was intentional on your part?
Nathan Whitworth:
Somewhat. Not this quick. My goal in real estate was to get in and be a luxury listing agent. And funny story, you went straight to it. I went straight to it, but I didn't know. I mean, go in this neighborhood, that's all Mongo homes. Everything I found online was $600,000. Right. Later we find out the whole story of the house and how a custom home got built on the lot, that type of thing. But I told my marketing guy, seriously, a week before, he said, what do you want me to do for your ad, your Facebook ad? And I said, I want it to be focused toward luxury listings. And his words to me, were, Dean, I know that's what you want to do, but you have no experience in luxury.
Deanna Morton:
Well, and that's typically the advice that's given that you have to cut your teeth right before you can start. He's
Nathan Whitworth:
Like, I would never hire you to sell a luxury home when you haven't sold anything else since you officially got licensed. And I'm like, that's not how I work. If this is what I want to do, I want to market that from the beginning. I don't want to. And so anyway, we went ahead and just did a generic ad. It was not luxury. And then the next week I get this, well, I get a Facebook message from the seller and she's like, Hey, would you like to meet with me? I'm thinking about listing my house soon. And then from there, it just all kind of spiraled. And
Deanna Morton:
That's very cool. You are the admin for one of the groups, right?
Nathan Whitworth:
Yes. I'm a moderator for all things Greenville.
Deanna Morton:
Oh yeah. Okay, cool. So one of these large groups, do you know how many people's in it?
Nathan Whitworth:
There's about 45,000.
Deanna Morton:
Yeah. So can you talk to me through, because I think that that's important. I'm a firm believer that when it comes to any marketing strategy, you will get out of it what you put into it. Sure. Right? Sure. It's obvious that you've put in a higher level into this strategy than most other people have. So how did that come about? How did you become a moderator for the group, and how did you get connected and oversee the things that are happening? Cause I think that that's powerful and shouldn't be missed.
Nathan Whitworth:
There was a couple years ago the lady that owned, yeah, that Greenville. She changed it to all things Greenville. And she did a big community event at an apartment complex. But anyway, my husband was there as a vendor and I was there as a vendor, and we just kind of connected. And she's just the sweetest person. And so I was like, Nikki, if you need help run the group. Let me know.
Deanna Morton:
You just asked. Yeah,
Nathan Whitworth:
<laugh> just
Deanna Morton:
You said, right? Yeah. It's not difficult. It's not complicated, but it's
Nathan Whitworth:
Not. And I'm always on your phone, so it's like, I might as well be building, and this is before I even got in real estate, just being a community resource and connecting people to what they need or they're always asking for stuff. People are moving here from all over and they don't know what we have locally. So I like to support local. For sure. Last night somebody asked for the best fish and chips and banana splits. So you send 'em to Landrum for the hair and the hound, and then Dillard's ice cream. That's an old staple Greer. That's cool. So people moving here don't know. But I think it's important to connect with your community. And if you don't have a community event or a community group, start one.
Deanna Morton:
Oh, well said. Because that was what I was about to get to. Yeah. Cause I think there's a lot of people who's thinking, because this can be seen anywhere in the world, they're probably sitting there thinking to themselves, well, I don't know that there is one. And there might not be. Sure,
Nathan Whitworth:
There might not be, but start
Deanna Morton:
One. But there's no reason you can't start one. Right. Exactly. Yeah. That's super cool. So talk to me just for a few seconds about, because I think a lot of people are probably listening to this and they're thinking to themselves, I can't manage one more thing on my schedule. The idea of being inside of a local community group answering people's questions, providing some feedback, because here's what you see everybody do. Somebody posts that, I'm looking for a realtor, they post in there that I'm looking to sell my house. I need to buy a house or whatever. And then you see literally the 5,000 people who comment, all the realtors, all the agents who throw up in a comment that say, sure. Hey, here's my phone number. I'd love to help you. That's definitely not the best way to do it. I would encourage all agents and realtors to be more personable than that as a first introduction. But what's interesting is how did you rise above the noise is through participating. Often I think that most realtors and most agents though, who are listening to this are thinking to themselves, I can't spend time doing that. They feel kind of crushed. They feel under the weight of all the tasks they got to get done. How do you manage it? How do you stay on top of comments and be one of the first that offers some value, some value when people need help
Nathan Whitworth:
You got to have a visibility plan. And I do that. So at the beginning of the year, you have to plan your business strategy. So I know on Mondays and Tuesdays, that's my office days. Now if I have a listing or I need to do a showing after four o'clock on a Tuesday, I can do that. But just coming to visit you today, that's scheduled on a Tuesday. So it's in my office marketing whatever day, right? Paperwork day. My networking days are on Wednesday. So I have to strategize at the beginning of the year and make that my plan. And so you don't want to do so good everything. You want to do two or three things, but do them consistently over and over and over. God,
Deanna Morton:
That is such good advice.
Nathan Whitworth:
So that's just the way I'm going about it. And it's worked well. But to your point, when someone asks for a realtor in these Facebook groups, imagine that you're that person and you're wanting to sell your house, not only do you get 500 comments within minutes, right, of realtors, you're also getting your inbox blown up. Oh yeah, not nice. Nobody said,
Deanna Morton:
Nobody wants
Nathan Whitworth:
That to throw those messages. And you're not even friends with them. There's no connection. So what does that say about you? They're not going to use you. They already feel like you're harassing them because they ask for an agent. It's better to have referrals from people. For instance, a lot of times when I'm referred on Facebook, it's not somebody that I helped with real estate. It's somebody that knows that I'm very detail oriented, that I'm an event planner. I've done that for years. That's how I got in the hospitality industry. So it's a lot of different things that build your character up to where they want to use you a hundred percent. So it doesn't even have to be experienced. You don't have to bombard them with private messages or offer any incentives. Just do what you do well and take them the information they need. And I feel like you're going to get a lot more appointments that way.
Deanna Morton:
Super well said. And I think it's worth noting that if you're starting from scratch, that it will take time to build up that credibility, right? Sure. I mean, this is any other marketing strategy where you can't expect to do it for a week, two weeks,
Nathan Whitworth:
Right? Exactly. Three weeks. It's ongoing.
Deanna Morton:
It's ongoing, right? Because in the beginning, somebody's going to be like Deanna Morton, Deanna Morton, and they probably won't paying attention to it the first time, the second time, the third or the fourth, the seventh, they're going to be like, okay, who's Dean Anna Morton. Sure. And they're going to click on that profile and they're going to be like, oh, it's a realtor. Got it. Okay, cool. That's how you build that credibility. That's how you build that relationship, and you build that trust with the people who's out there seeing the comments. And again, the valuable feedback that you're leaving for people, if they want know where to go for the fish and chips, let 'em know where to go for the fish and chip. It's not, it's, it's literally not hard. It's not a secret. It's not secret.
Nathan Whitworth:
We're here to help each other. That's
Deanna Morton:
Right. And I think that's so smart. I can't tell you how smart it is that you're sitting there going, okay, so what are going to be my two or three methods of lead generation? Let me schedule consistent time each week that you're treating it like a job. You're treating the lead generation like its own job. I've got to show up when I'm supposed to show up. I'm going to do what I'm supposed to do. I'm going to accomplish that task, and then I'll move on to the next thing. And so I think that's so smart. But very few realtors I think, do that.
Nathan Whitworth:
And another thing that very few realtors do is LinkedIn. And LinkedIn. Yeah. To me, LinkedIn is a higher scale of audience. It's more business owners. So a lot of 'em are on there for their daily blob and connecting. But there's a lot of people on there, business owners that don't have time to get on Facebook. So their goal is to get on LinkedIn and find stuff. So on LinkedIn, not only can you put your name, you can realtor in your title. So every time you respond to a comment on any post around the world, it's saying Deanna Morton, right? South Carolina, upstate realtor,
Deanna Morton:
A hundred percent.
Nathan Whitworth:
So you're getting free advertising just by commenting and interacting with other posts.
Deanna Morton:
A hundred percent.
Nathan Whitworth:
So yeah, that's even better, I think, than some community groups, right?
Deanna Morton:
Yeah. So funny, because again, I think it's it the person who's in the group providing value consistently over time will be always the person that not only when you need something that you'll look to, but it's also who everybody else will come to see as the expert. You know what I mean? So I think you said that the seller for this 1.2 million listing, she went in there and she said, Hey, I'm looking for an agent. And so many people recommended Deanna, right? Because they've known you. I'm sure some of you probably I'm, some of 'em probably know you personally, maybe. Correct. Right. But there was probably also a good many that just kind of know you digitally correct through Facebook. They just know you through Facebook. And just knowing that you're a very helpful person. You love to serve. You were in the hospitality industry, right? You love to serve, you love to help and you're kind of a trusted resource your way around the upstate. And you literally prove it every day that you're posting and showing people where to go and what to do and what's available. So that's so cool.
Nathan Whitworth:
I don't know if you've seen it on Facebook, but there's a lady that, she's friends now, but she is in a lot of the groups I'm in. So every time I refer something or somebody, she'll comment and say, there you go again, <laugh> such a resource, such a resource where everything is in Greenville. And that's great because not only am I comedying, but she's coming right behind me every time and solidifying that I'm this community resource. I love it. I'm like, thanks Kibby.
Deanna Morton:
<laugh>. Going back to LinkedIn for a second. Is your approach there any different than it is on Facebook?
Nathan Whitworth:
It is a little bit. I don't post as often. I don't give. It's more of a conversational type thing. When LinkedIn first started, I was in the top 5%, and it's grown exponentially since it first started. I'm still probably in the top 10 to 15%. Cool. But I didn't do it for a couple years. So I'm trying to build that back up. But you want to stay top of mind everywhere. And my thing is, I'm not a video person. I'm trying to get there. I have a YouTube channel. There's nothing on it.
Deanna Morton:
Well, good for you. I didn't know that you started a channel.
Nathan Whitworth:
I'm trying. Good. My motto is moving in the upstate. Cool. So my YouTube channel was moving in the upstate. I do have a couple videos to post. One of them you guys made for me, of the million dollar listings. Cool. So I want to get that on there. But it's all new. I'm not a nanny's child. So this whole video thing kind of scares me. So I don't do the talks and stuff and you know, go to all these seminars and they're like, you got to do reels. You got to do reels. And I'm not a cold caller. I like meeting people and connecting. So cold calls and knock door knocking, that's not me. So I had to find my niche. And that's just connecting with business professionals that I'm used to working with and being a community resource. And that's not for everybody. And I'm glad.
Deanna Morton:
Yes. Yeah. Right? Yes. Thank you. Yeah, a hundred percent. But I
Nathan Whitworth:
Mean, everybody has to do what's right for them, but you have to try this stuff and then set your visibility plan. And I hired a real estate coach. She's in Richmond totally unrelated to the market here, but she services agents all over the country, and it's all women. And I think that's important as a female realtor you've got to focus on the needs of women and run your business. Our motto in there is she's a CEO agent.
Deanna Morton:
Interesting.
Nathan Whitworth:
And that's what we are, is CEO E agents.
Deanna Morton:
Well, yeah, I mean, because you're the CEO O of your own business, correct? Right. Yeah, a hundred percent. That's really interesting. Can we talk about that? Cause I didn't intend to talk about that, but Yeah, sure. So I do think that anytime that a person comes into a new industry or is a part of a new thing, the number one thing that they can do to accelerate their success is to get with people who's been there before and who knows the way, right? And so always, anytime I've ever started something new in my life, I've always been fascinated by how much faster it moves once I find a mentor, correct, or a course, or I acquire some education. And has it felt that way for you? Has the, what is it called?
Nathan Whitworth:
CEO agent.
Deanna Morton:
CEO Agent. Has that been really beneficial for you? It
Nathan Whitworth:
Has. And that's another part of my visibility plan. So I do all my networking on Wednesday, and I'm a part of some local networking groups. And then immediately after that, I run home 1230 to two is my CEO agent, cool coaching. And every week she has valuable content. She has a whole academy online that we can resource any time. Actually, for my 1.2 million listing, I had no idea. I'm like, what do I do? I don't know this lady. There's nothing online. The house is never sold. And she's like, go to the academy. There's a whole listing presentation. Personalize it for yourself. And that's what I did. And she's there to help me. She said, when you get an offer, call me. We'll run through it on the phone. Awesome. She was with the xp. She sold her brokerage or her team and became a full-time coach.
I did not know she was with the xp. That was just coincidental. But XP is a cloud-based brokerage, and that's why I joined them because I'd been virtual since 2008 with my own business. And they assign you a mentor. I love my mentor, Tara. She's been a huge resource here locally. But what my c e O agent coach does is completely different. Tara helps me on the front lines here. So she's helping me with all the paperwork and making sure I get everything documented correctly and put in the computer correctly, which I can do that. But there's always questions. I mean, every cell is different to where Jan, my coach, she's more there for support. And on the business side, she teaches you how to set up your real estate business, how to have systems and processes that will take you through every single transaction, you know how to run your pop buys, how to do special events, that type of thing.
Deanna Morton:
That's very cool. And I think that that's worth mentioning, and that's worth putting a pin in just a little bit, is that, and I think most brokerages do a mentor type system, a big brother type system, they're starting where I think most people do that. But just because, you know, have somebody who is a mentor, if you're not feeling confident. Now, again, in the beginning, none of us are all that confident in the beginning, right? Sure. But if you don't feel like you have access to the information that you need in order to take the next step in order to move ahead and be more successful than you are now, it might just be a matter of finding the other puzzle piece for you. It was the ceo sure agent, right? You were like, Hey, I love my local mentor. I'm getting so much value from that on the front lines, but I have so many questions about how to set this thing up and how to do these other things that she just doesn't have experience with. Is it she, or here, I'm sorry, that just doesn't have experience with. And so you're like, well, so let me go out there and let me find a resource that I can bone up. I can get some information on how to do this stuff well from the people who actually has real experience doing it.
Nathan Whitworth:
And I actually started watching coaches online on Facebook and in different groups and with all different brokerages. And that's the thing, they don't just, bro. So a coach is not just going to coach X exp or Keller Williams or whatever, for sure. These women are from all different brokerages. But I listen to what these coaches were saying, and I resonated with Jan the most. Got it. So it's not, I mean, I could have chosen any of 'em. Mean it's not cheap. I mean, it's an investment in your business, but I feel like for what she provides to me, and she doesn't recommend cold calling and door knocking, and that's what I was after. I don't want somebody to tell me, Hey, you have to go knock on a hundred doors today. I'm not going to do that. I know I'm not going to do that. So I wanted to find, you're
Deanna Morton:
Literally, if that is not who you are, and I think we should, because this was something you said earlier that I totally forgot about. You know, were like, Hey, these are not the methods of lead generation that's going to work for me. This isn't who I am. This is not what I feel comfortable with, but this is what I excel at. This is the area that I want to dive into and this is how I want to do lead generation. And I love that fact that so self-aware. Now in the beginning, if you're younger especially, and you don't have a ton of experience, try do some different things and try to figure out what your lane is. But I'm starting to believe more and more and more and more that instead of having, because I mean every age has got what a plethora of lead generation options in front of 'em, right?
Yes. There's so many things that they could be doing to choose, like you said, the two or the three that you can really dial in. And you can work to be exceptional at those two or three methods of lead generation that's going to serve you more than literally setting your business up for failure by saying, Hey, okay, well I guess I got to a go door knock today. And then you get out of bed late, you don't go do the thing, and you're not doing it enthusiastically and you're not evaluating well, what can I do better next time? Cause you just don't really want to,
Nathan Whitworth:
Or how many slam doors in your face can you really take? Yeah,
Deanna Morton:
Yeah. Right, right. Yeah, it takes a special person for sure. Right? Yeah. Yeah, for sure. Okay, that's awesome. That is so cool. And that's all that is. So well said. Let's move now to the listing appointment self. So I think what's really kind of cool is that you kind of figured out, because so I don't know if you want to give the story on the house, but it was kind of a unique situation where you said it was a neighborhood of Mongo homes. They were all builder, builder homes, essentially. And then this one house in this neighborhood, <laugh>, right? It's the had two gigantic islands and a walk through Butler pantry, walk through Butler Pantry, and I mean, had a movie theater it, you know, looked around and you're like, I think I'm in the wrong neighborhood. Right? Yeah. So I'm sure that there was a lot of issues for you going into that about how am I going to market this thing? How am I going to sell this thing? How am I going to help this person get the most they possibly can for it? And so talk to me about the listing appointment. Cause I think what was kind of cool was you were talking about bringing in your prior experience and showing them some of the things you've done in the past and how that's going to help benefit them today and trying to get this household. Talk me through that. Was there your approach? Was that really what you were intending to do?
Nathan Whitworth:
I did. So I got there and it was pouring rain, and I rang the doorbell and they didn't come to the door. So that was kind of like, oh gosh, what happened? And then I found out there was another agent inside interviewing. Oh. And they didn't hear the doorbell, but when you're there, that's not what you think. You're like, why are they not opening the door? When I left, there was another agent there on the porch waiting to be interviewed, so she had 'em stacked up. So that's a little bit intimidating.
Deanna Morton:
I've literally never been in that situation before, but I've always felt that it's probably one of those things where you're looking at the other person when you're walking
Nathan Whitworth:
<laugh>, right? And you're like, do I know them? So anyway, so there was a lady there when I got there, and there was a guy there when I left, and they're all agents. It's like, Hey, how are you? We all know where meeting. So I go in and they give you a tour, and as soon as you walk in these double arch doors to this house, you immediately realize, this is not a Mongo home. This is not what's in my information I'm prepared for today. Right? And they're like, let's do a tour. So we do the whole tour, and you're writing as fast as you can taking notes, and you get back downstairs, and of course the iPad doesn't connect to the internet. If anything could go wrong, it went wrong. And her husband's like, it's okay. Just take your time. We can give you the wifi. So we get to the point, and I'm like, well, I'm sure everyone you've met with has given you this information. Her kids are grown, these are the local schools. She's like, oh, nobody's even told me this. And then we go into the fact that I help a lot of corporate executives relocate to the upstate. Was
Deanna Morton:
That really interesting to him? It
Nathan Whitworth:
Was. And her husband was kind of standing to the side and he's like, I like that. And I'm like, there's no guarantee that one of these corporate guys are going to buy your house, for sure. But these guys also don't go to mls. Most of 'em are not from the us. They're from Germany, France, Brazil. So if I can put that out to their corporate office, to their HR manager, that's a whole different audience that you're not reaching online. And he really liked that. He was like, she does have an audience. And I did that. I mean, I prepare a whole presentation, send it over, and there's no guarantee. But it's reaching people that would not otherwise necessarily know a hundred percent. Or maybe they thought they weren't ready to buy, and then they see this house and they're like, wow, let's go look at it.
Deanna Morton:
Did the seller end up coming from that audience?
Nathan Whitworth:
They did not. Okay, that's cool. No, but it is a corporate executive, so it's the market for a million dollar house off Rope Mountain Road. I mean, it's location, people that want to be close to the airport, people that want to be close to everything. 85, 3 85 downtown. It was just a perfect location.
Deanna Morton:
God so, so awesome. Yeah, it's really interesting because I do think that every agent should consider, what is your unique selling point? What's the thing that does make you different than everybody else? For you, it was your experience with the corporate stuff that you were able to bring that information and that knowledge to bear on this situation. And it sounds like you pretty much locked it up in that listing appointment because of it, right?
Nathan Whitworth:
I think so. She communicated with me for about two weeks after and asked various questions. I told her when I left that appointment, I came in here thinking you had a 650 to $700,000 house. Just looking at it without doing any more research I feel like we're probably in the $900,000 range. And that was just a ballpark. And the reason I couldn't find anything on this house is she built her original Mongo home in, I want to say she closed in April, 2018. And on Christmas day, the house burned to the ground. There was a house fire. So she rebuilt, and the Greenville County records were not clear. So there was no agent that went into that appointment that could possibly know what happened. So after we communicated for several weeks, I was like, what's the deal here? I have to ask you why is this house in this neighborhood? And she told me the story and she said the developer signed off and allowed her to build this custom home that she'd always wanted, but she thought she was going to be there forever. And that's how that house become part of this neighborhood. And the houses in there are not bad. I mean, they're Mongo homes. Oh, for sure. But they're nice brick front homes just hers is bigger and a lot more upgrades, like you said. It's got to, it's
Deanna Morton:
Highly custom. Yeah,
Nathan Whitworth:
Highly custom. Everything in there onsite. Wood floors were done on site. The bathroom, M t I, jetted tubs, you right. See those? Home theater? We're not talking about a movie room, we're talking about
Deanna Morton:
Theater. No, it was a theater
Nathan Whitworth:
With risers in <laugh>. Yeah, for sure. So
Deanna Morton:
There was a popcorn machine in there,
Nathan Whitworth:
Guys. Yeah. I mean, it's got a wet bar in there. Full cherry, solid cherry wood cabinets throughout the house. I mean, benches under all the double windows. I mean, it was highly custom, and she really thought she was going to be there forever. But we've connected. I mean, I love her. She's great. And like I said, we thought maybe we've crossed paths before and we hadn't. So since then, I've she's had two deaths in the family. She's had a grandson that was just born. So we've really
Deanna Morton:
Oh, just since, yeah. Oh,
Nathan Whitworth:
Wow. My goodness. Really since December. It's been a lot. So we've really connected more on a personal level too but we're about to get this household.
Deanna Morton:
And wouldn't you say that's the way it should be?
Nathan Whitworth:
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I sold a $200,000 house in Spartanburg a few months ago, and I tell all of them, and I told this seller when I went on my listing appointment, once I work with you and we get this done, you're family. So you're part of the Morton Homes family and you will always be family. So
Deanna Morton:
Yeah, I was looking at the research from the N Na R, and I think I just made a video about this a couple days ago, but it's something like 70% of people say that they would use their agent again or use their realtor again. But it was like 14% actually used them the second time. It, it's like a big difference. Which basically means that people were happy with their agent, they were happy with their realtor, and they'd be happy to use them again. But they don't,
Nathan Whitworth:
When
Deanna Morton:
Around
Nathan Whitworth:
The second time,
Deanna Morton:
It's so many agents possibly.
Nathan Whitworth:
And it depends on what circle you're in at the time. I think. So you're right, you may use me this time, but if you move to Spartanburg, you may use an agent up there next time and not even think Dean
Deanna Morton:
Covers Dan's covers Spartanburg. But you could really mitigate that by keeping in touch, which is something that most agents don't do. Most every agent, and I think we were talking about this on the podcast last week, but most agents, they're always worried about the next client. They're always worried about getting the next quick dollar. Correct. Instead of cultivating relationships and working to get repeat business,
Nathan Whitworth:
Repeat business. And referrals.
Deanna Morton:
And referrals. Right? A hundred percent. The more connected that you stay with that person after you help them buy or sell, the more likely they're going to be to refer you to somebody when somebody else needs
Nathan Whitworth:
Something. And staying connected to that existing client is a lot cheaper than paying for new leads. You know, send a birthday card, you send a Christmas card, you just stay in touch throughout the year. You put 'em on an email drip campaign. And it doesn't have to be sellsy. I hate Sellsy. It just needs to be communicating. If you need anything, call me.
Deanna Morton:
Just stay
Nathan Whitworth:
Top of mind, stay top of mind, that's all it's, and just stay in their inbox, call them, send 'em a text. I did that with my couple from Spartanburg. Like, Hey guys, they're from Philadelphia. This is not cold to them. I was freezing. So I sent 'em a text one day and said, how are you making out in the South Carolina winter, da da da da da. And she's like, Deanna, you've been a resource since we moved here. We couldn't have made it without you. And then I get a Christmas card and she basically put their whole year of moving to South Carolina into a Word document and put it in their Christmas cards and send it out to everybody they know. That's cool. And I mentioned in their family life, <laugh>, come on, come on.
Deanna Morton:
You cannot get better advertising than
Nathan Whitworth:
That. No. And it's like, they may not be here, but what if her kids and grandkids follow her to South Carolina,
Deanna Morton:
Which honestly most people are right now. Yeah,
Nathan Whitworth:
Exactly.
Deanna Morton:
Yeah, there's a lot of people. It's coming to Greenville. Right. Well, Dan, like all, that's all. That's so cool. Congratulations. Congratulations on your success. Thank you. I mean, all the things, you know, being able to start out as an agent less than a year, and you've already hitting the ground running, doing what a lot of agents want to do, which is listing appointments and doing and working listings that is a testament to the fact that, like you said, you plan your lead generation well, and then you go out there and you execute it day in and day out, or Tuesdays and Thursdays or whatever. I'm going
Nathan Whitworth:
To say, yeah, my visibility plan is different, the visibility, Claire, throughout the week. So I do a lot of office stuff, but I may not do social media, but an hour or two hours
Deanna Morton:
A week. I don't love that term visibility plan. I've never heard that before. Because
Nathan Whitworth:
I'll send you the email a whole, I have it typed up, and you can circle the days you want to do, but you just keep it in front of you, put it on your desk, and every week you're like, okay, this is in, you don't have, it's not, you have an emergency come up, your kids are sick. You don't have to stick to this. Right? But it's a great guideline to keep you focused and to make sure you're staying top of mind. And in these groups or whatever you're doing,
Deanna Morton:
This is entrepreneurship 1 0 1. If you're sitting down and you're looking around and you're going, what should I be doing right now? Right? That's your first mistake, right? You're far better off to just spend your Monday. If that's what happens on Monday, you're far better off just to stop and then sit down and plan
Nathan Whitworth:
From being in the event. Business weekends are crazy. Same thing with real estate. If you're showing houses, it's typically on the weekends. Sometimes you just need Monday to reboot. Sure, get your stuff together, let's plan for the week ahead. But sometimes, I think it's Thursdays at eight, I have to look, but it's a great time to reach Facebook audiences or Friday at 8:00 PM So you can schedule that stuff. You don't have to be on the computer. There's apps like Buffer, you can go in and schedule all this stuff a month ahead.
Deanna Morton:
So you're batching all your content. When you're scheduling Facebook posts and things like that. You're using Buffer. I tried. We use later. Okay. That's another one. Okay.
Nathan Whitworth:
Yeah, I'd be interested in checking that out. I hadn't heard of that
Deanna Morton:
One. Yeah, well I, but I think it's a great idea that overall, right? Sure. Because again, it's talking about how can I leverage my time most effectively? And it's far better to sit down for two hours on a Thursday and get the next month of post done. Exactly right. Instead of, you know, get to it sometimes, but then, and it's like something came up so I can't get it done, so it actually doesn't get posted. So again, just being strategic about how you're spending your time, I think is incredibly
Nathan Whitworth:
Important. Absolutely. January's been crazy for me, so I've not been as strategic but February's coming. And Allenton is all about love. So we're going to be doing some Popeyes and you know, got to love where you live. And that's the thing. So we'll be doing some drop bys, dropping off some champagne and goodies to people.
Deanna Morton:
Oh, very cool. That's cool. So for you, what do you think is one of the biggest reasons why a lot of agents have trouble finding success?
Nathan Whitworth:
I feel like a lot of agents get into it thinking they're going to make money really fast. And it doesn't happen. You spend a lot of money really fast. You spend a lot of money on advertising in your license, the class. I mean, you have all these expenses before you even make a dollar. And I'm in these real estate groups, of course, and there's all the time people talking about, I've been doing this for six months, I have nothing. I've got to go back and get a job. Or I'm doing this part-time in the evenings and I'm not getting any appointments. You've got to, to me, and I understand as a single parent, I've been there some people can't quit their full-time job, but you've got to take the time you have and go a hundred percent so you can get out of that nine to five or whatever you want to get out of do real estate. But I feel like a lot of agents, especially since the pandemic, were like, let's jump in. We can make a lot of money quick. And they did, right? They did. But if you look at the Greenville, greater Greenville Real Estate Association, they have a report of how many agents are in Greenville, it's thousands. But then you look at how many have current activity,
It's probably a quarter, maybe a third. So yeah, there's a lot of licensed people, but they're not outwork. So there's plenty of business, but everybody, I mean, seriously. How many agents do you know? A lot? A lot. Because everybody got their real estate license. And it's kind of funny, I say it's like when the economy crashed in 2008 and everybody that had a camera became a photographer. Right. You remember?
Deanna Morton:
Right.
Nathan Whitworth:
And that's kind of the way it was with real estate. When the market took off during Covid, they just all became real estate agents, but now they're dropping off. And that was part of my strategy when I told my husband, I want to do real estate. I'm like, all these agents have been making money hand over fist. When this market shifts, they're going to go away.
Deanna Morton:
And I haven't talked about this at all, but I firmly believe that 2023, I think I sent out maybe even Got it. We sent out a newsletter and the header of the newsletter that we sent out to all of our agents said 2023. 2023 is the year of opportunity, because I firmly believe it.
Nathan Whitworth:
Yeah, right. Yeah, I do too. And I knew that going in last year. I was like, this is not going to last forever. We've never seen 3% interest rates. This has got to change. And when it does, these people that went in and put a sign in a yard and their household, they didn't have to market. Right. They're not going to work. That's right. They don't want to put in the work. So that's why I took that year and got my license and started building. And today I have two pending listings right now. And hopefully I'll get those soon. And it's just working your sphere of influence, stay on top of mind and being ready for what's coming.
Deanna Morton:
And then go going back to the Facebook thing, what makes that so beautiful is you didn't spend a dollar on, not a lot, just going into the groups and participating. Sure. Oh yeah, that's free. I mean, you're spending time, right, for sure. But I mean, absolutely. If people are like, I don't have two pennies to rub together for an advertising strategy. Right. There you go. There's ways to do it. Right? Absolutely. The Deanna, this has been amazing. Do you have any resources, any podcasts you like to listen to? Any books that you really love on business or real estate? Or what would you recommend to a new agent who's getting starting out? Things to listen to? People to listen to?
Nathan Whitworth:
If you like selling and listing, Brian Tracy's a great resource. Let me look at my list. Yeah, you can. Podcasts, I would say women of real estate, women rocking real estate. Okay. She's in Canada the podcaster there but she has some great knowledge. There's a lot of back podcasts that you can go back and listen to, but they're all relative to us. I do audible because I can listen to it in the car or while I'm in the office working, but there is one How to be a boss bitch. Oh, really? Yeah. And that's from Christine Quinn. I don't know if you've seen the reality show Selling Sunset in California. Yeah. She's on there. She's a mean girl. But her book was good. I actually read it before I even knew who she was. And it's
Deanna Morton:
Funny. What did you take away from, because the titles got me curious. What? What'd you take away from
Nathan Whitworth:
The book? I mean, she's really nasty on the show. Let's be real. But I mean, it's just basically owning your business, kind of my coach, being a ceo, e agent, being a boss bitch. It's all the same. You're an entrepreneur. So if you want to grow your business, you have to treat it like a business. And that's another thing with agents that don't make it. A lot of 'em treat it like a business.
Deanna Morton:
Right. Yeah. It's very funny. Cause I've always interesting. Most agents, it's a second or third career for most agents. Exactly. And most agents are coming from a W2 job, and it's where they were told what to do and how to do it, and they spent their entire day just kind of doing the thing that they were told to do. They go home. At the end of the day, when you become an entrepreneur and you are running your own business, it's very different.
Nathan Whitworth:
No, you fly by the seat of your parents and you,
Deanna Morton:
There's nobody to tell you. Right. Which is why the coaching and going and finding those groups and that The CEO agent. The ceo, yeah. That's
Nathan Whitworth:
Ceo. Agent Academy.
Deanna Morton:
CEO Agent Academy. That's why things like that are so valuable. Right. I mean, I participate in groups like that for my industry and even outside of my industry just for personal growth and development. I'm a part of groups that I kind of do the same thing. Right. Because you have to be around the people. I can't tell you how much this is so true. If you want your life to change, you have to put yourself around the people who are emulating the characteristics of the life that you want. Right. You know what I mean? For sure. Because if you're just sitting there going, well, I don't, well, yeah, you're going to get, that's what you get <laugh> like That's right. You are like that thing I used to tell my students all the time when I was teaching, you are the sum total of the five people you spend the most of your time with. That's right. That you will think the way they do. You will act the way they do. You will believe the things that they do. And they may not be right.
Nathan Whitworth:
They may not be in. People will see you as them.
Deanna Morton:
A hundred percent. Yeah, for sure. And it's so funny because when you start the process of leaving that group and becoming a better person, yeah, often, sometimes they'll worry, aren't you for it? Sometimes that happens. For sure they do. Yeah. And that's getting way off topic. Yeah.
Nathan Whitworth:
Yeah. That's okay.
Deanna Morton:
This is the whole thing I get excited about. Deanna, tell me, where can people find out more information about you? If they have a question or there's something they can <laugh>, honestly, probably just go to a Facebook group and ask her
Nathan Whitworth:
<laugh>, just go to all things Greenville, tag me. I'm always on Facebook. People are welcome to message me. If you can't send me a friend request, just tag me all things. Greenville. I'm a moderator, so as soon as you tag, usually somebody lets me know if I'm not on there Air. But also moving in the Upstate is a website moving in the upstate.com. You can go on there, put in your information to get more info from me or go to email me moving in the upstate gmail.com. That's awesome. Trying to make it simple. I have my ex feed. It's so long. It's like moving in the upstate is so much easier. But another great resource for anybody, and it doesn't have to be real estate, is the Millionaire Real Estate Agent. That's a book.
Deanna Morton:
That's a great one. Gary Keller.
Nathan Whitworth:
Yeah. That's a good book. And you can use it to different applications to a lot of his knowledge. So I think there's a lot of books and podcasts out there that if you don't have the money to hire a coach right away, start diving in, listen to the Audible, listen to the podcast. There's so much information. I'm going to Dallas in April for an all women's real estate conference. Oh, very cool. And it's a week long. Phenomenal national speakers will be there. So it's things like that. Maybe you can't pay for a coach, but save your money and do a week long seminar once a year. Do what you can to build your business and set yourself apart.
Deanna Morton:
A hundred percent. Dan, I can't thank you enough. Thank you. Yeah, this was so good. And you provided a lot of, again, valuable information on a lead generation method that again, I have not heard a single other brokerage or agent and talk about. So this has been very, very cool. And I think hopefully will through sharing this, we'll be able to help some people. So thank you so much.
Nathan Whitworth:
Thank you. And by the way, the million dollar House is under contract and we are set.
Deanna Morton:
Yes, yes.
Nathan Whitworth:
Less than 60 days on the market. Woo woo. Yep. Phenomenal photos, by the way.
Deanna Morton:
Oh, thank you. Thank you.
Nathan Whitworth:
And we are set to close March 1st.
Deanna Morton:
Congratulations. Thanks. Yeah, that's that Got, that's got to feel good. It's
Nathan Whitworth:
Great. It's great. We don't know with the market shift, you got a million dollars on the line. Is it going to sell? Is it going to sit? But we did everything broker opens, and that's another thing. Sorry, I know we got to end this. No, please. Is open houses. I feel like a lot of agents aren't doing open houses. You don't see as many anymore since the pandemic. You've got to get people in there. You've got to do your broker open, get your co-agents in there, get brokerages from all over the upstate. You've got to do the neighborhood open. Let the neighbors come, let 'em be nosy because they know people. That's right. That they want to live in their neighborhood. Then open it up to the public. That's right. And I tried to do every other week, and that's with any listing, it doesn't have to be a million dollars to do this. You just got to get people in these homes so that they can see it and see and visualize how they would live in the home. So it doesn't have to be a million dollar listing. I'll take any listing. Yeah. But it just so happened this was the first official. Yeah.
Deanna Morton:
So yeah. It's so funny. When people enter a space, they just start automatically telling themselves stories about that space, right? Like, oh man, could you imagine this kitchen's big enough to have literally both of our families in here? Correct. Could you imagine getting to have Thanksgiving dinner down here and the kids are upstairs in the theater room watching 'em and
Nathan Whitworth:
We can't hear them
Deanna Morton:
And we can. Yeah. Right.
Nathan Whitworth:
Thankfully,
Deanna Morton:
Yeah,
Nathan Whitworth:
Because most houses that big, the kids are going to be running around the circle, the Oppa floor planner, they're going to be running up and down the stairs. That house had a pool table and a loft area for the teenagers. The home theater you could have a workout space. I mean, there were so many options and it was well thought out. So you're right. I mean, people walk into any house and they immediately say, yep, this is us, or it's not us. So
Deanna Morton:
Well said. Well said. Well, Dana, thank you. Thank you. Hopefully you guys were able to pull a few things, few nuggets of wisdom from this conversation. I think so highly of Dana and she works. She's worked very hard to get her business up and off the ground and succeeding in such a short amount of time. I know that there's hopefully a few things that you're able to pull from that conversation about lead generation from Facebook and participating in the community groups and things like that. Guys, we appreciate your time. We appreciate your attention. Thank you for being here. It means the world to me that you spent a few minutes to listen to this conversation and to check out everything that we're doing. I hope that you have an amazing week. Go out there and crush it. We'll see you next time.
Nathan Whitworth:
Thank you.
Deanna Morton:
Hey everyone, thanks for listening. Hopefully this was really helpful to you in your journey of building a business. If you like what you heard, please click subscribe and go to iTunes and give us a rating that helps us out tremendously when we are producing hopefully content of huge value to you. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it, and I hope that you have an amazing week. Go out there and crush it. I'll see you soon.
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