The Realtor Who Gave $1.1M in Business to Others | Rachel Gilliam

Episode 46: BNI The Perfect 100 Podcast with Tammy Zurak

🎙 GUEST: Rachel Gilliam, Realtor at Crye-Like Realty
🌐 Website: https://rachelgilliam.crye-leike.com

CliftonStrengths: Rachel Gilliam: Positivity | Achiever | Adaptability | Woo | Competition

In this episode of The Perfect 100, Tammy Zurak sits down with Rachel Gilliam to discuss how strengths-based leadership, authentic relationships, and intentional BNI networking create opportunities for sustainable business growth.

Rachel shares insights on leveraging CliftonStrengths to improve self-awareness, communication, and leadership effectiveness. Together, they explore how building genuine connections, investing in professional development, and focusing on relationship-driven networking can help entrepreneurs increase visibility and create long-term success.

📚 Topics Covered

How to leverage CliftonStrengths in business for personal and professional growth
Why networking for referrals is built on authentic relationships
Practical networking tips for small business owners
How to build your personal brand with strengths
Ways to improve communication and leadership effectiveness
Strengths-driven leadership insights that help entrepreneurs thrive

👉 Whether you're focused on business growth strategies, improving visibility, or strengthening your professional network, this episode offers practical lessons you can apply immediately.

🔗 Websites: https://bnitheperfect100.com, www.tammyzurak.com
📩 Coaching Inquiries: [e-mail]
💡 Free Resources: www.tammyzurak.com
🎯 Book a Zoom to discuss Strengths and Coaching: Book a Strategy Chat
📸 Instagram: @zbusinesscoach
🔗 LinkedIn: Tammy Zurak on LinkedIn
🎙 Podcast Page: Listen Anywhere: https://bniperfect100.transistor.fm/subscribe 
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Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Rachel's Journey
04:09 The Early Days of Real Estate
07:15 Navigating the Real Estate Landscape
10:16 Building a Family Business
13:08 The Importance of Community Engagement
16:04 Joining BNI and Its Impact
19:11 Achieving Success in BNI
22:12 The Power of Networking
25:38 Measuring Success and Contributions
28:32 Creating a Welcoming Environment
31:38 Conclusion and Future Aspirations
37:46 Finding the Right Realtor
41:48 Understanding Strengths in Real Estate
53:36 Addressing Client Fears in Real Estate
57:37 Lessons Learned in BNI
01:03:08 Keys to Success in BNI

Creators and Guests

Host

Tammy Zurak

With 10+ years in BNI, I've experienced both the franchise and company-owned sides as a member, Director Consultant, Chapter Success Coach, and Managing Director. I've proudly maintained a perfect Power of One score of 100 for the past six months in the East Memphis Chapter (something that very few of BNI's 300,000+ members worldwide can claim!). I'm also a Gallup Certified CliftonStrengths Coach and I'd like to give you an overview of how you might use your personal Strengths to maximize your BNI experience!

Guest

Rachel Gilliam

What is The Perfect 100?

Hosted by longtime BNI leader and CliftonStrengths Coach Tammy Zurak, this podcast is your weekly boost of insight, inspiration, and action. Whether you're brand new to BNI or a seasoned member, these conversations will help you take your chapter engagement — and your business — to the next level.

Hello and welcome back to the Perfect 100, the podcast for BNI members who want to
maximize the results, their referrals, and ultimately their business.

In episode 41 with Bruce Upchurch, we looked at what it looks like to build this over
time.

Today we're gonna look at what happens when it clicks fast.

I am joined by Rachel Baggett Gilliam, a 26-year realtor, lifetime multi-million dollar
club winner with Crylike Real Estate Services, who has built an incredible business over

the course of her career.

But what makes this conversation so interesting is what's happened in just the last year.

Rachel has only been in BNI for about a year and she's already generated over $1 million
in Thank You for Club's Business in just seven months.

Placing her right at the top of the Tennessee region.

Different chapter, same opportunity, very different timeline from the episode with Bruce.

So today we're going to unpack what she's been doing, how her strengths show up in her
business, and what newer members can learn if they want to see results faster.

Rachel, welcome to the show.

Yeah.

Good.

All right, we're gonna start off with your 45 seconds.

Go ahead when you're ready.

Yeah.

My name is Rachel Baggett Gillum and I work for Crylike Realtors.

Crylike is the number four largest company real estate in the nation.

Um I'm currently ranked number twelfth in the mid-south with Crylike and I represent
residential, commercial, land and uh resale properties.

All right.

So you've been in real estate for twenty six years and I have seen you and your mom out at
events together.

Um in real estate, is real estate something that started with her or d did you both find
your way into it separately?

Yes, well we actually ran in different courses.

she has been in real estate for forty years, thirty eight of those years at Crylike.

so I am a second generation realtor.

Both of my parents were actually in real estate.

Dad had retired as an engineer at a very young age and got into real estate as well.

Um and has since passed, but mom is still currently a realtor.

Um so when I got married and had my children I thought this would be a great career path.

So in 1998 I went to real estate school alongside of a two-year college and got both
degrees the same month actually.

Pursued the other career first, which was in information technologies, and quickly learned
that's not what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.

I have a big personality and I needed to be outside and and meeting folks, not inside
working on computers.

So um I started with her in 2000 as her assistant.

for about six years and then branched off into sales myself after I had my children.

It was a great schedule that I could make and work as as little or as much as I could with
having the kids in school and and in sports and um and luckily it's just taken off since

then and it's been definitely the career choice.

I I made the right career choice now.

Awesome.

Well, you know, it's sometimes we have to take a lot of try a lot of doors and walk down a
lot of roads before we figure out what the right one is, but you've been in yours for a

long time, so that's a good thing.

So tell me about growing up.

were you, you know, did were you feeling like entrepreneurship since both your parents
were in real estate?

Was that something that you saw that path and kind of recognized that's something I could
do, or was that just something that came later?

It came later.

Um, I recognized right away that mom was always on the phone, house phone, mobile phones
when they came about.

Um, always had a pen and paper i on her side or in her purse, you know, and it was
expected that if we were on vacation or you know, she was gonna check in and and see if

she had calls.

And so I knew it was a 24-hour day, seven days a week type job.

And at first I didn't think that would be something that I'd be interested in.

Um

and now I tell my adult children that, you know, that they still say they're not
interested, but one's showing a little bit more interest now.

So I think it is something that we kind of learn to love, if you will.

Um and then once um, you know, I'd answer the phone and start taking messages for her and
you know, just as a small child.

So I think just growing up in the business, it was something that I was destined to do.

Okay.

Well my husband has always asked me through the years because I love looking at houses and
you know, I love kind of just the whole like process of it.

He's like, You should become a realtor.

And I was like, you know, I don't know if I want to work all those evenings, weekends.

It's like kinda you're always on because you w you're available when your client's
available, which is at around the clock, right?

Absolutely.

Yes.

When when most people are off work nights, weekends, holidays, that's generally when we're
the most busy uh with clients.

Other than that, we're most busy with the paperwork and creating media and ideas and
things and how to service them, find houses for them, sell the ones that we've got listed.

It is definitely not something you you can stop at a certain hour and pick up on on Monday
morning.

It's absolutely not that job.

Right.

Well certainly if you wanna be successful like you are, um, that's uh it's definitely a
lot more time in than, you know, there's I think there's a lot of people that get a

license, but there aren't a lot of people that are actually successful at it because they
have to do kind of the you have to figure out how to I mean it's like any small business,

but you have to figure out how to do all the things and you have to go all in and you have
to be willing to go the extra mile, so to speak, to get people, you know

what they need so you get what you need and keep that moving.

Yeah.

it's definitely something that we keep going all day long, you know, whether we're at the
dinner table or trying to enjoy a meal or or not do work, it still tends to come back to

work.

that was a great idea, or maybe we could make a reel from that, or you know, did you did
you see this posting or have we tried that photographer?

It's always something that ends up being

dinner time conversation when we do get dinner.

Sometimes you're too busy.

But in this household being second generation, uh my husband's also a real tour.

So it's something that is top of mind at all times.

Yeah.

you first got licensed, tell me what that season was like.

gosh, very expensive.

it's very expensive to get your name out there and to be known and a lot of people reach
out and want to know if I would mentor them or help them get started in the business.

And I always just, you know, like any other career, it's not a a get rich quick scheme,
you know.

Some people are like, you know, I have a little extra time in my day, maybe I can sell
houses and I'm like, that's just not generally who is successful for a long period of

time.

You may have some family and friends that you can sell a house to a year and pay off some
of the dues that you owe to the board.

However, to make money you've got to spend money.

So the marketing, the advertising, um

And then again the time that you have to to be present to put into it.

Um I'm very present in the community that I live and reside in.

Um, you know, in every moment that I have free time, I try to be at an event that supports
the community or the chamber, you know, somewhere that my face might be of some s some

type of reflectant conversation that somebody can put towards real estate.

Um and not everybody comes to me and wants to buy.

house right then but it's a conversation and maybe a business card or my face that they
may remember later and pass on or you know they have kids that are trying to get married

and new stages of life they have parents that are also looking to you know find retirement
homes and what it looks like and the best way to to for that chapter.

So real estate is all ages, all ages from 18 and up um you know so it's it's very exciting
every day.

And and we still learn things every day too.

Yeah.

What do you think came more naturally to you than you thought it would?

gosh, you know, I think listing appointments, when I first got in the business, they would
say you have to list to last.

And I didn't really know what that meant.

And to me, I was more comfortable with buyers at that time.

Um, you know, buyers would kind of pick you.

Um, and when they pick you, you know, you feel like you've kind of got that secured a
little bit, and you show them houses when they're when they're available and it just match

up your schedules and you make it.

Well, listings were kind of

intimidating because you're most likely going to be interviewed, you're gonna have several
realtors coming in, dress the part, you know, who's gonna bring what material, what type

of advertising and and marketing are they going to do for this per for this homeowner?

And so now probably in the last probably 10 to 12 years listings are just

they're still as exciting as they were.

Like when I first started, there's still that that energy that's built up of the not
knowing if they're gonna select you or not.

And you go into or I go into each one of still

competing, you know, just because you are really good at what you think you do every day
doesn't mean you get every opportunity.

Um you still feel the same way if you don't get it, whether it's the first or the the
hundredth, you know, if it rejection is rejection.

Um so it's it's still the emotion and it's nothing that's

fell flat with me.

Um I'm just as excited to get every listing, whether it's a hundred thousand or whether
it's a million dollars, they're all exciting.

Um and you have to go into each one knowing that who is going to sell that house and who
is going to buy that house is perfect for them.

And you travel the same excitement pattern with them.

You know, just whatever they've worked their whole life to achieve, that's exciting to me.

And that's that's

I think I think it's unique that you get to be a part of someone's story, right?

Is that, you know, it's kind of what you just said is you're getting to meet someone where
they are in their life journey and figure out what's next for them and and hope that they

get the best thing possible for where they're gonna head, right?

Absolutely.

It's a great thing, you know, you you follow young couples that are just starting and then
as you follow them throughout social media and whatnot and you watch them become parents

or h or, you know, adopt dogs or whatever it is that's in their life that's exciting and
you get to just reach out to them and be as excited for them and follow their paths

through their life.

It's just it's extremely rewarding.

Well, and I think the unique thing that realtors do really well is follow that path,
right?

Is we a lot of the other businesses are transactional and once and once and done and you
guys stay through that journey, you recognize that you know it's a bigger sale far less

often.

So you've gotta stay throughout the journey with them in order for them to keep coming
back to you or else

you know, your yesterday's news because they don't even remember who you know, I can think
back to my I bought a condo and I have no idea how that happened at this point 'cause it

was so long ago and I, you know, lived in a different place.

But I know the realtors that I worked with where I live now because they've stayed in
touch, right?

So

I definitely recommend any realtor should do that.

I should definitely keep up with you.

ahh

a life lesson for every business owner is, you know, obviously if you're depends on what
you're selling, if you're selling a foundation to a house, maybe you're not staying in

touch, but a lot of the other positions that people take or work that they do can stay in
touch and can come into their life later on.

So that's a good thing.

So you built this great foundation and now your business includes your husband.

Tell me how did that come together?

Yes.

Well, it was and it was an an eventful

stage um in our life where I was just busy enough that I needed an assistant, but I didn't
need one all the time.

And I thought, well, instead of doing that, if we built into a career where we were
essentially a team, um, you know, we're not just in life, but also with our clients, it

would be better that I would have more time that I could place, you know, at other places,
or time that I could put pla elsewhere.

And he could kind

do the same but yet we would still have we have the conversations in the evenings about
who I'm representing or who I'm working with or what the floor plans of these houses are.

But he was working in IT.

He just listened to me rant and things.

So he knew all the information anyways and was part of the story by name.

And as my clients got to know me they got to know you know my family and they'd hear me
say my husband's name.

So it was it was kind of just an easy transition to um to get him through

The real estate testing and to get him right into sales with me.

Um, and done a great job.

He outsold me last month.

We won't put too much cheer on that.

No, I'm teasing.

Um, but yeah, he's done great.

He's been in just over three years, um, and never have been in sales before, but um had to
get him on social media.

He wasn't even on social media, but now he has the max amount of friends allowed by an
individual, and so to friend him, you have to unfriend someone, which is just

crazy amount of people that he knows, but we were born and raised in this city and we do
know a lot of folks.

So um it's been it's been a great three year ride.

And then so we've got mom also who my mom who is still sells as well.

So we're kind of a three for one type team, you know, if if we go on vacation and mom
steps in or same with her, you know, if if she's

wanting to garden that day or something, you know, we we've got her as well.

So um it's been really great.

So I think that co the the common when you think about working with your family, there are
some built in, you know, potential landmines.

So do you feel like having family in your business sharpens you or sometimes complicates
them or a little bit of both?

guess maybe both.

It's mostly beneficial again because everything's top of mind and that's kind of where
we're all headed in the same path.

We all are really great at understanding a couple of different things.

Like real estate is probably the biggest investment most people are ever going to make and
we want to be a part of that journey again no matter how small or big.

And we don't look we don't count the dollar signs or the commission numbers as the
contracts come in.

you are it's not money, you know, you're a family to us who we're trying to help through
the through the process.

And a lot of realtors get things twisted a little bit and overspend and then try to budget
back up and and keep tally with where they're at money wise.

And that's just not something that any of us look at.

We

We try to look at it from a different stance.

we all drive older vehicles.

I mean, it's not like we're trying to to claim the world in any way.

We're actually trying to help you achieve ownership.

and Heath has been really great at guidance for people.

So mom and I've been in for so long, we feel like maybe some things we do have been, I
guess they're more

old school.

So instead of taking paper notes, you know, he's he'd been at T has got us all these great
tools and and ways that we can take notes electronically and share them amongst the the

group without having to stop and make copies or, you know, things like that.

Um and he has been very helpful in helping people build their credit.

Um, which is there's a few great ways that you can do that quickly, which has been really
great because we usually

want to help people and send them to maybe a mortgage lender that will help them over
time, but will they remember, you know, will they get lost in in the paperwork shuffle?

Um, so he's been really great at

guidance provided to our clients to help them build credit.

Or if we're selling a house to parents that have children that are maybe preteens or
teenagers, he knows how to help them be put on credit cards as authorized users or, you

know, things like that will help them build their credit because no credit is just as bad
as bad credit.

So it's been very helpful um along the journey to

listen to him guide folks to when they are ready, we're ready to go.

So it's it's been very it's been good.

So he adds innovation in in some ways to the party that you hadn't thought you even would
consider needing until someone else shows up with a different set of eyes and sees things,

right?

Yeah.

right.

Bullsaw.

I like to think that's what I do as a coach 'cause that's what, you know, people come to
me and they're so you know, we're very line when we're in our own business we're very

linear.

We you know we do this and then we do this and then we do this and we don't really ever
stop once we've been doing it that way for a long time to stop to think, but is there a

better way, a different way, a faster way, you know?

So sometimes having outside eyes freshens things up.

Um

You know, and that's often how it works in BNI because you know, people come into BNI to
transition over to BNI with a new set of eyes and they don't know, they don't have any

preconceived ideas, they just look at it for what it is and and decide, okay, what am I
gonna make of this?

Um so so let's talk about that f with you.

So you've only been in for about a year.

what made you t decide after a you know, pretty decent career in uh what you're doing to
di now's the time to join join BNI.

Well, uh, like I said before, I really like to put any free time I have somewhere that's
that's helpful um to the community or to myself.

Um and I was on the board of directors for the Memphis Association of Realtors for two
years.

it was an elected position.

So alongside of being a realtor, you get to be on the board of directors, you get to do a
lot of great travel, um, learn a great

great deal of information before it is kind of produced out, right?

You get to vote, go um to board meetings and things and see how it kind of works from the
background.

So as you're overseeing, if you will, 4600 realtors that are licensed in the Memphis area,
you think well, you know, only 13 of you, that's a big job.

So after those two years, I had a little bit of extra time that I wanted to place and just
kind of talk to my managing broker to see the best

Way that I could do that.

She encouraged my membership at the Chamber of Commerce with my local city.

She also encouraged maybe to visit a BNI group.

um A mortgage lender that's in the group had reached out to her with an opening and just
said, you know, this is a big position to fill.

We're looking to fill it with someone that is, you know, that produces that they can that
can send referrals.

That's ultimately, you

know what a tear does.

Um and she was like, so maybe you should reach out and visit with that.

and unfamiliar with what the group was, um, I thought, well, I'll reach out to that person
and I'll find out when they meet.

And it was the very next day at 8 30 in the morning.

And you know, realtors don't really or banks, you know, nobody really gets going until
about nine.

So I thought, well, I could do that from 8 30 to 10.

I could make that work tomorrow.

So I went and visited

the group and I had no idea what to expect, but I'm gonna tell you the energy in that room
was great.

I've only had to miss it like a couple of the meetings over the last um year or so that
I've been in just maybe a pre-planned vacation or two.

But with that being said, like the energy was great and to hear all the people in the
group talk about shifting business from this person and thank you for closed business and

The 10 minute presentation that was provided that day was extremely enlightening.

Um things that I didn't know a CPA could even handle, or you know, it was just it was
really good.

Um so, anyways, I just threw my name in the hat.

I didn't realize how many names were in the hat, perhaps until after the interview.

Um, but um, God willing, I was the one that they chose for the group, and it's been a
great fit.

And I've you know, just I've I'm excited to wake up and go there on Wednesday morning.

So it's been really good.

you said a couple of things in there.

So the first thing was they were looking for and I think I used top notch, but um you
know, looking for somebody that they their realtor was exiting and they're looking for a

good one.

So it wasn't just you.

They wanted a good they didn't want just a realtor, they wanted a good realtor who was
selling in, you know, active and all those things, not just somebody starting out

necessarily because they don't have the database.

Um, somebody who's producing makes a significant difference.

And they also went

they didn't just ask you, they asked others.

So you I guess I don't know good news, bad news, they didn't tell you there were others,
but there the good news is is you got it.

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I think that

it's important for me at least, um, when we in my chapter we have uh often had seats open
where we had two, three, four, five, depending on the position, or seat available um, for

a role opening like real It's where we had that happen and it's important for me, I think,
to say, look,

you know, we're gonna try to find you another opportunity if it doesn't work out, but we
want, you know, we want to make sure that you're the best fit for us and you're you know,

that we're a good fit for you, frankly, 'cause you've got a busy business and you wanna
make sure it's gonna be the right time you're spending and make it, you know, fruitful for

you.

Yes.

I think you said that perfectly.

I mean it was very much a good fit for me and I was hoping it would be a good fit for
them.

Um and I think, you know, once you kind of prove to them that you're going to show up and
and try to provide leads and and good referrals, you know, uh to them and help build their

business.

And kinda that's what I say to them each week is I believe in you and I want you to
believe in me.

Right, awesome.

Well, let's see how good a fit it actually is.

So let me um let's put up on the screen here.

I've got your palms report.

Now we were actually um we we had a little bit of a tech glitch.

So we were recording we were originally recording this about a month ago, so we're gonna
just count those four weeks out.

But this goes from October first through about four weeks ago.

Um so you had from left and I've got Bruce up on the screen also because

We had um the intention we initially w I said in Bruce's episode yours was next and we
just kinda skipped a couple people and came back.

But so I've wanted to show everybody that listened to Bruce's episode and if you didn't
now sure when you're done with this one you can go back and listen to that one.

Um but present, so you um eighteen present, zero absent, zero late, zero uh managed, four
subs, referrals given inside three, referrals given outside fifty-two.

Referrals received inside one, referrals received outside five, visitors zero,
one-to-one's fifty-seven.

Thank you for closed business given one million one hundred twenty-one thousand eight
hundred seven dollars and twenty-four CEUs.

So for anyone that didn't hear that, that's from October first through this is June
sixteenth, so it'd have been through about April was May sixteenth.

Um

Rachel's total given was $1,121,807.

The and I looked up the total region, Thank You for Close Business.

That is across 344 members, a total of 19,330,708 at the moment in time.

So Rachel equals 5.8% of the entire regions Thank You for Close Business uh given, not
even a year in.

So that is pretty amazing.

Um so if you're listening, go look at you can look at your 12 month um what you've given
or received actually um in Thank You for Close Business in the app.

Um so it'll really give you a sense of how rare that level of contribution is, especially
in that time frame.

So

Walk me through what did you do in your first ninety days ish, um, that most members or
maybe now that you've been in a little bit, you're you maybe see other members aren't

doing or just what you thought was a good track that got you this way.

Um, completed all the education.

I've got my picture up and and running and followed all the rules so that I could be a ten
minute presenter.

I think that was that was pretty first key.

Yeah, that was I again I didn't really know what I was getting myself into, but I knew I
wanted to be in that room full of great people.

So, um I once I got into that room and was given the position, um

Paid my dues, got all the the CE done, tried to do it within like the first week or two.

Um, and then I could start on my 10-minute PowerPoint presentation.

And then I just kind of opened my book to again being old school.

I've worked with many people um for many years and had to kind of open that to um to some
new people, you know, see how new people are doing the work, or maybe offer two or three

referrals for each job.

That was needed instead of one and let the clients decide.

so yeah, it was great.

And then we went right into one of our quarterly socials and had a great event.

I got to meet some of the spouses.

Um, even some of them brought their children.

And we just kind of grew.

I just kind of fit in like a puzzle piece into our our chapters family, and don't have any
intentions on going anywhere.

It's just been really good.

Yeah, so you again said a few things in there that I want to highlight.

So the the first thing you said, to take it back a minute, is you said what impressed you
about the meeting was the featured presenter when you went as a visitor, right?

Is you learned all these things about this person that you had no idea that they would be
do, you know, would be that would bring opportunities to them.

And you internalize that enough to say that is my goal when I join is

I want to get to that.

I want to be standing there saying those things and let people know what I do, right?

So that was kind of a a key trigger there for me.

Um and I think that your innate ability to figure out how to work a network, um, this was
an opportunity for you to get in there, see what's happening, and just immediately start

that process over again, right?

Absolutely.

Yeah.

So that's great stuff.

So is it did it click so early for you just because of your background that that's you
just see an opportunity, you recognize it.

You know, for me, I I have high strategy so I can look at an opportunity and just see the
path.

Is that something you feel like that's just innate for you?

So I'm a huge competitor in anything that I do.

I like to produce big numbers.

and whether that came out of one-to-ones um or whether it came in thank you for closed
business.

I mean I I understand that I can send a sub um a repair job much easier than they can
probably send me an entire house to list for sale.

Um but they have done a great job in using me as resources um if somebody the banker

Needs to refinance a home or mortgage lender is looking for you know certain specs, or
just some people just don't know the process and they're afraid to ask what they think is

a dumb question.

Um, and I don't.

So, you know, it it was just kind of a good fit for me to to just kind of roll in and say,
This is me.

I'm not afraid to um to sell a small house.

In fact, I sold a meth lab a few years ago.

I'm kind of that person that.

at my office, if you don't know what to do with it or where they should go with it, I'll
do my best to figure it out.

Um down to

lab wasn't the n the next juice wasn't another meth lab.

Just one.

Um, and it was completely rebuilt.

you know, after we had a hazmat suit in to go look at it the first time, it went down to
the studs and was rebuilt.

It was a brand new beautiful home.

Just had a a stigmatism on the address, but we got past it.

Um, but again, i just being who I can be and helpful in any way, whether it was just to
answer questions or if I don't get into rental properties or property management.

But I did have people that have questions with that and I'm not gonna blow off or not

return their calls, I'm just gonna send them to someone who can offer them more education
on that.

So, you know, it's just been a great opportunity, if you will, to be a resource for so
many people.

And our group is very versatile in in career paths as far as ages as well.

Um, people that are starting out or second move ups or, you know, or retirement.

So it's just it's been a really a great experience.

Love that.

And let's show your, I didn't show your power of one, but um, you know, this is the
perfect one hundred.

So let's talk about that real quick.

So you had a score of seventy-five.

Um, you had 15 points in the yellow for attendance because you had you were you had subs,
and that's just unfortunately it counts against you a little bit.

Um you had 20 points for referrals given, zero points for visitors, 20 points in the green
for ones who ones, and 20 points for CEUs.

Um any

Thoughts on that?

I need to bring more visitors.

You see my weaknesses.

You see my my greats points.

no.

I I just I I really am truly committed to what I'm involved in.

Um if I can be there, I will be there.

Um if I have something that overlaps, you know, in advance, I will certainly try to have a
a sub in my place because the group graciously appointed me to be in that seat and they

expect me to be in that seat myself.

Everyone's

So I try to be present myself.

And so

Yeah.

Well.

looking at that report I guess I'm a little surprised.

I just assume that's what everyone was achieving was numbers.

So to say that I sit at home and try to think of ways to to boost those numbers, I don't.

But I am I am pleased to see those.

Um only because you're the one that can point out to me what that means um regionally, I
had no idea.

Yeah, well green is good.

Um as you know, I I always like to correlate green and money.

You know, it's if you're gonna maximize the opportunity not only for you but for everybody
in the room, then green is the way you wanna be.

Um do we expect everybody to be, you know, green all the time or at a hundred?

No.

Um but the the process of doing what you're doing is obviously being successful.

So

Um, you mentioned the visitors.

I think that it is important to have visitors because that's what helps the chapter grow.

And you never know right around the corner who that next visitor could be bringing you
that dream client that you don't have yet.

So, you know, that's the way we I like to look at visitors is the more people I can bring
to the room, the more opportunity for us all.

So um but you're you're knocking it out of the park.

number two and thank you for close business.

So we're gonna we're we're gonna s rubber stamp that one um gold.

So when you're operating at your best, what does that actually look like in terms of
feeding the room?

Um, as far as for like each week, Tammy.

Yeah.

kind of the overall when you you're there, you know, and you know, and actually I wanted
to make one point before I go through with that question because you said something a

minute ago and I wanted to highlight that as well, is you said that they chose me to be in
this seat and you , you assigned a certain level of respect to that, right?

Is that I I was chosen to be here, so I'm wanna deliver for the room.

And that I think kind of feeds into the question is, you know, when you're doing

what you think that means, what does that look like?

okay, sure.

I mean, really it means to show up a few minutes early and network.

because there are always visitors in the room.

And if you are not the presenter that week, you only get 30 seconds to tell them all the
great things about yourself.

So essentially it's a great time and visitors feel very welcomed, even with the simple
hello, or do you want to sit by me?

It makes them feel more invited um and welcomed as well.

So that's kind of where I always like to try to put myself is is

Bringing when visitors do come in in a comfortable spot, you know.

making sure everyone knows that you're happy to see them is always good, even if it's just
a simple wave across the room once the meeting is started, or um in the group meets, you

know, something good morning to everyone, or you know, just a simple way of showing that
you're there and that you want to be there has been really great.

Um, of course, we have a we have a really great group as far as what they like to
approach.

applaud for missing other chapters.

I I don't I don't feel all the applause.

It's not like that everywhere else.

Um so you know it it's just um it's very comfortable.

And then again sometimes at the end, you know, when you're doing your thank you for close
business, some people tend to go over their allowed speaking time because they have so

many people to thank for close business.

And I'm thinking that alone is a statement.

You know, like if you

can't in ten seconds say I'm thankful for this person and this person and you have to go
over because of how much business you're getting from just this group.

That's fantastic.

Like that's exciting.

That chills.

Love that.

All right.

So help us help others.

Um, I recognize I worked with a lot of realtors in my photography days.

So I I'm I've been a little more in in I don't know, behind the scenes, I guess, of what
what that what it looks like to be a high producing realtor.

Um when we have a seat open in a chapter, we're looking for those people, right?

We want like you, we want somebody who's

you know, been in the career for a good amount of time who is h we c I said multi million
dollar club.

I don't know if that's a universal thing or that's just a Memphis club kind of situation,
but how does one go about finding if they have an opening in their chapter, how does one

go about finding the right realtor to, you know, that's gonna bring lots of opportunities
for everybody?

Sure.

I think that's really good.

That's a great question because I feel like every chapter should really work together
universal you know universally to try and to determine who will be the best fit um for

everyone, you know.

I would probably recommend word of mouth.

Um you can check with different brokerages.

Um they all have a managing broker that are sitting in their offices uh most every day.

That's probably the best

source um to me.

I know if I'm sending a referral outbound to another company, I can see credibility online
so much, but I also would like to call and have a conversation and say, this is the type

of client I have.

Who do you feel would be a great source?

Um, you know, who would have time to do this or who would work well with the buyer, you
know, so I think seeking into a managing broker would be a great idea.

Also maybe who you've used in the past.

You know, did you use a certain realtor that was really great at their job that went above
and beyond, that always showed up and was on time?

Maybe somebody that's kept up with you well, that you feel like was organized.

Um, to me that's probably the best ways to go about finding really great um

realtors to interview.

And then too, you know, you've got to be a good fit for them.

So, you know, ask them to come visit maybe more than once just to see how they respond to
the group and and and vice versa.

I know when I left the first meeting, um, I had kind of gone through the Rolodex and they
say, you know, you can take a card out, don't put one in if you're not a member.

And I took one out from every single person and by the end of that day I had already found
everyone I could on LinkedIn and Facebook and tried to make some type of connection with

them.

just so that I was another person in their database, whether they chose me or not, my name
was in front of them.

So again, I think it goes both ways that you've got to be a good fit for them as well.

Yeah, that's great.

That's great um advice.

Reaching out to the managing broker because they work with everybody in the office.

So everyone is under their purview and they understand kind of what what's happening and
they have access to what the results look like and they know the personality of the

person.

So if somebody's, you know, morning chapter at 7 a.m.

and someone they know is not a morning person, they might not say that would be a good
fit.

So love that.

All right.

Yes.

because someone is producing big numbers doesn't mean that they're real pupily.

You know, they may not like meetings and groups and networking.

So it it's definitely a a needle in a haystack.

Yeah, well, and it also you have to look at the relationships in the room because there
are people that would also wanna work closely with their relator.

You know, we call it the firm finance, insurance, real estate mortgage.

So if the mortgage person and the realtor are not two folks that are gonna get along,
that's probably not gonna be a great fit.

So, you know, that's definitely things to think about.

So all right, let's take a turn to your strengths.

So let's get let's ev educate everybody on

All things, Rachel.

So your number one is positivity.

You have contagious enthusiasm.

You are naturally upbeat and can energize others.

Your number two is achiever.

You work hard and possess a great deal of stamina.

You take immense satisfaction in being busy and productive.

Your number three is adaptability.

You prefer to go with the flow.

You take things as they come and discover the future one day at a time.

Your number four is woo.

You love meeting new people and winning them over.

You enjoy socializing and making connections.

Your number five is competition.

You measure your progress against the performance of others.

You love contests and need to win.

So that sounds like a good recipe for a great realtor.

Tell me what you thought when you first saw that report.

dead on.

I might switch up a few in each day, you know, but within the those top five is definitely
everything that describes me.

Yeah, and I think that if people are regular listeners that by now they're probably
starting to hear the language up to the point that we start covering what your Clifton

strengths are.

You said so many things in there that actually are those those strengths, right?

So, you know, it's an interesting thing to um hear how strengths it kind of play out into
what we do for work, which I love, obviously, because I'm a Clifton strength coach.

oh

Which of those do you think drives your success the most?

Ooh.

Gosh, a little bit of all of them really.

what drives me the most is probably this the strength of uh positivity.

it so many things can go awry each day.

Um and something I I guess I've learned and and kind of thought of my entire career is
something my mother once said um we had she had a contract under um on a property.

Another realtor was the selling agent.

My mom was the listing agent.

So we had she had one represented one side.

The buyer backed out.

I don't remember the reasoning why, um, but it was more probably financing or changed
their mind or something.

And I was the one that was undoing the paperwork and just so sad that had to go back on
the market, you know, and all the things and start over.

And mom came in and she wasn't sad at all.

And I said,

What's the deal?

You know, like like how is why are you not affected?

And she was like, Yeah, I can try to sell it myself.

And I was like, Oh, I love that.

So it's kind of been that way of thinking.

It's like you don't want to show your clients that something is discouraging or possibly
going the wrong path or devastating.

You've got to be the one on the other end with the level head that makes the shoe fit or
the one that calms them down without saying calm down.

Right.

Um, because there are so many things that can go wrong and people will just give up or
quit trying or get upset, and that's not what we want anyone to feel.

We're essentially there to try to take the stress off of them, not put the stress on them.

So I think trying to find the positive in any out outcome has got to be number one.

Yeah.

Well and achiever, um, so your number two is achiever.

And I know you've won some things in your career.

So um do you feel like your success is more about discipline or energy?

Ooh.

I would say energy.

I I I think to get to this level discipline is probably in there, but I don't see it that
way.

Um, but I see things in one direction and that's go.

One speed, one energy, one level, like my that's my word, it's just go.

Um whether it's I'm not feeling well, you know, we've got people counting on us, we gotta
get up and go.

um

it's uh bad news is on the rise, we've still gotta go towards it.

So I I I just kinda take it as it as it comes and and spin it in that direction.

Yeah, well and I think that that high achiever really fits for you is you know that that
kinda all the things you just said are, you know, that stamina to continue forward and be

positive.

You know, they all kind of interweave together to adaptability, you know, we're gonna go
and figure it out, whatever happens, you know, those are really dead on for what you bring

to the table.

You know, and that is I don't know if you I'm sure at this level you

do take those things into consideration.

When we when you said earlier where when it's a listing, eight when you're trying to get a
listing, it's you selling against other people yourself, essentially.

So, you know, those are the things that make the difference in your business is you embody
those things and that what's the why of the forty, how many, four thousand, how many

realtors here?

six hundred.

Forty six hundred people, um, why you're in the top ten percent or whatever percent, I
know it's high that you are, is because you have those things, right?

That's what makes you unique and different, which is why I love being able to talk about
seeing what your strengths are, because that's what you are able to communicate to someone

without even having to say those words, right?

Is you just bring that so the the difference from what everybody heard from the interview
from now, you know, from the beginning until now.

they will hear how those things come out naturally in you.

And so it isn't even I have to speak that I'm just positive and I'm a high achiever.

You know, it is that I am you just radiate those things.

So it's it's pretty cool how that works.

Um competition is your number five.

So are you competing with yourself or others?

Who?

Hmm.

That's a good question, Tammy!

I think the

I think the competition with myself is always something that's on site.

Um, I have a marketing team.

I just completed a one-on-one marketing phone call right before this conversation and it
was how to strengthen strengthen my listing presentation.

And we went over the the stats of the listings that that are

that I've achieved or you know that I've gotten this year and well ahead of last year.

But in my mind, I didn't get one of them last week and I couldn't put pinpoint why 'cause
I left there very positive and was already marketing it in my head, you know, and thinking

of what to do.

And then you get the the email of thank you for your time, but we chose someone else.

And again, like I said earlier, it's just as mind blowing or

upsetting because so I did what probably no one else would do and reached out and said
thank you so much for letting me know.

Can you please tell me what set the other role for aside?

Um

Not knowing if anyone else does that or if I should have done that, but I really wanted to
know, and only that one person knew the answer.

Um and very, very kindly she responded to the text, and and it was really just something
minor, it was more of a pricing thing.

It wasn't this person did something or promised something more.

Um, and that was dead on because where I had priced my marketing analogy on a
three-year-old home with no

Comps is exactly where it will sell for, mark my word.

Right.

and I didn't fluff it to get the listing and then come and ask for a reduction in two
weeks.

Like that's I'm very knowledgeable on what's selling and where and for how much.

And I feel that that's that other choice was probably more of a a lead on.

So but because I didn't get the listing, I wanted to have a comp a conversation with my
marketing department to beef up some things.

And um, and you know, it's probably not just because

because of that one, but still the remarks that were kind of humorous of you can't get
them all, Rachel.

And I'm like, why?

I mean if I'm gonna take my time they asked they yeah, they asked me to be there and I was
there and I had all the information.

So, you know, why not me?

So I mean you can't compete with

four thousand and somewhat people.

Um, I mean, I compete with myself hard enough, so I can't do it with all those folks.

But anyways, I would say probably compete with myself more so.

I know the numbers that I'm wanting to hit for my company.

Um, I'm knowing um

And not volume wise, just company wide, you know, of where the numbers are.

And I think they're important too for the world to see what you are doing and what your
numbers are.

So that's what's important.

And trying to to to get the houses sold is always the the priority.

So could I have done this better?

I I I to come back and I guess to rationalize your whole question.

It's definitely myself.

You know, when you first asked it, I was unsure, but I definitely know the answer.

Well, and I think you also uh I'll answer your question.

Does everybody do that?

No, they don't.

Should they do that?

Probably yes, because depending on what what you're selling, um if you're if you're up
against others and you're not being chosen, now in your case, yeah, I'm sure you track

what your percentages are because you had the the the um

You're going back to look at your process to make sure your your process is sound, which
I'm sure that it is, um, because other people promise things that maybe they can't deliver

and you can't control that, right?

But you can control what you do and what you bring to the table, what you're going to
offer to a client.

But if you don't know why they chose someone else, then there's a lot of information in
that, but most people are afraid to ask that question.

Um, you know, it's it it feels uncomfortable to say, why me?

You know, why not why not me?

I guess this is the way I think people look at it, but there's some very useful potential
information is in that moment you found out that that person probably overpromised and

will underdeliver.

In your case, there's nothing you could have done differently, right?

So then it's on to the next is you can't control how people will react to the information
they're presented.

You can only present the information in the best way possible for their outcome.

Um and sometimes maybe you can educate them against what others will say.

Um and I find that that's but y that's a very fine line because you don't want to
disparage anyone else, but you have to position yourself as the best option, right?

And but even then you're not gonna get it's it'd be very unusual to get a hundred percent
of the opportunities.

So I know, right?

Why?

Why not?

uh Well clearly for you it's not because you're doing really well.

Um so um you are sitting with people making one of the biggest financial decisions of
their life.

Um what fear do you hear that they don't usually say out loud?

Ooh, what fears?

Mm-hmm.

probably making purchases from a rash decision, extreme um cases, you know, maybe over
budget.

Um of course coming in after the COVID years, we saw a lot of d poor decision making in
real estate.

They had really low interest rates which were very helpful, but people were overpaying.

Um, they were not getting inspections, therefore they walked into problems that they had
to fix with money they may not have had because they overpaid.

Um and still five, six years later, we are running into people that purchased during that
time that can't get out because the market hasn't recovered significantly.

ah

They're taking a loss to sell.

So, you know, it's it's really a great idea for the public to not only get pre-approved or
pre-qualified from a mortgage lender prior to looking at property for sale, but it's best

to understand what that pre-approval looks like.

So you could get pre-approved for $500,000, but most of the time you probably should not
purchase a house of $500,000 if you're

Family is adjust or used to going out to eat three times a week or taking two trips a year
on vacation, or you know, it looks different for everyone's family and budget.

However, there's a comfort zone that's pretty big that you want to hit into versus
spending all of your money and being house poor, if you will, um, or that we love our

house, but we can't do anything else.

Like if someone ever said that to me and I was a realtor, I would feel like that was a
person.

Personal attack because we should have already had that discussion before I led you down
that path.

So

What's funny, my um it's very timely, uh my stepson is buying his first house.

He's in the military, he's out of the country.

So sight unseen, this and without our support, I shouldn't say like not support like
financially, but he didn't call and say, we knew this was on the horizon, but we we he's

old enough to where we're like, you know, he needs to make his own decisions.

If he asks for advice, we're happy to give it, but

Kids don't want your advice unless they ask for it, right?

So we got a call the other day where he's looking, he sent us a listing that he already
put an offer on and for a a townhouse, and the realtor told him because it's new

construction, he doesn't need an inspection.

And I was like,

Um, I don't think that's a good idea.

Because you don't know e well and the realtor said, Well, there's a warranty, so if
anything's wrong in the first year they're gonna fix it and I was like, that's not really

kind of how that works.

Um, so you know, and but it's too late because he's already well, it's not too late
necessarily 'cause they've already they're in the process, but you know, it's one of those

things you don't know until you don't

Until you ask somebody if you're new it new in the process or just no buy houses all the
time, right?

That's what a professional realtor is for.

Yes, lots of questions that that should be asked prior to just saying, Hey, I want to go
see this house, I wanna buy this house.

They're that's a long process of questions.

this is a recurring theme here on the podcast that were someone to come to us before they
ever thought of doing the thing that we actually are experts in and they got they sought

our advice first, you know, they don't have to work with us necessarily, but we're
certainly going to be a point of information that would influence them potentially to work

with us when they have the right information and they would be much better positioned to
make those decisions.

with that guidance than if they were to do it first and then come and ask us later.

And unfortunately that's the way it goes, right?

So all right.

So you've been in business for many years, but BNI is relatively new.

So what have you learned about people in the last year that surprised you?

in BNI I guess the difference is um it's emotional when people leave.

It's not very often, but sometimes they even change careers and they come right back
through BNI w with a different

name a different face.

Um so I guess that's just been something that's been I've had to get used to a little bit.

Um just with some people that come and some people that go or it may not be a good fruit
for them.

Um or maybe just the people that are so busy um that they have to, you know, send subs
more often than some others.

And

I just feel like at least they're sending someone from their company, not just getting
someone to sub in that used to be in the group or something.

So it's being handled very well when a sub is needed because if they can send someone in
their place versus just having a random sub, I feel like that's still doing their company

service.

So I completely understand a busy schedule.

You know, at some point somebody's gonna have to step out and take a phone call and you
know and make money.

So that's

But um but overall

For the majority, you know, most people that are able to make the commitment and pay to be
a part of the group want to be there.

Um, and I think it's it's the numbers are showing well for for everyone in the group.

It's it's just so great listening at the end is my favorite part for all the thank you.

It's like thank you for close business.

It goes back and forth like a tennis match of this person and this person and the ones
that I can send like multiple people out at one time is so cool because I'm hearing my

name bounced around so much just in a thing.

away.

You know, and again, I know I can send them a lot more than they can send me.

But, you know, I can have five or six subs there and then like I'll get a selfie of the
group.

They're all there, one's pressure washing and one's working on this and fixing that.

And it's so cool.

They'll just put it in the group text.

Like, hey Rachel, thank you.

And there's four or five different people from the group in there.

So it's very rewarding in small ways.

Well, in in second highest, thank you close businesses in the region, you hear your name a
lot.

So I'm gonna tell 'em.

All right.

So let's go into quick fire.

So these are just short answers to fast questions.

So which which do you prefer f most?

First time buyers or repeat clients?

Okay.

Most emotional part of buying in a home.

Um negotiations.

Yeah, I bet.

Um one mistake buyers always make.

Ooh.

Just one?

No kidding.

Oh gosh.

Oh what a mistake they always make.

I would say overpaying.

Yeah.

Yeah.

interesting.

So that's that's working with the wrong realtor, I think.

best referral you've received so far.

Ooh.

I received a referral this past week.

It's supposed to list um on Thursday um for a large listing, one point one million in
Lakeland that came from a client in from an open house two years ago that I haven't seen

or heard from since.

I kept their information, I keep plugging away and sending hey, thanks for coming by text
and I might get a thumbs up every now and again and then it was like,

Hey, remember me, we came to this open house, we're finally ready to sell.

I was like, sure, give me your property address, you know.

So always stay in contact.

I I am very good.

If I meet you, I'm probably at some point contacting you, and I have a whole list.

And as I have a free minute each day, I go through a list and and send out something, a
handwritten card, or some way I'm touching you in some way.

Yeah.

that's a and that's a long runway for buying a house, right?

So it it might be four, five, ten, whatever years.

So that that runway, you've got to be hitting those points all along the way or else they
they don't remember who you are.

So um

why repeat clients, because if I can get a first time buyer, I can make them create them
into a repeat buyer and that's the highest form of compliment.

All right, so one BNI habit that drives revenue, 'cause obviously you're doing that.

Oh, one that drives revenue.

believe in your in your sphere.

Yeah, I have huge belief in them.

Love that.

So you tr trust is uh one of our um core values, I think.

Yes it is.

Yes it is.

put your name on somebody, it needs to be uh reliable.

For sure.

All right.

Finish this sentence.

A great relator.

is a great communicator.

All right, and this one, um, success in BNI requires

Attention.

Mm-hmm.

a good one.

All right.

So you have had a long career, but what has happened in your last year is what a lot of
people are trying to figure out.

If somebody is in BNI right now and wants to see the results, what do you think matters
most?

Showing up.

All right, that's a good one.

Well, Rachel, thank you so much for being here.

I'm so glad this was such a wonderful and informative conversation that I'll I'm sure a
lot of people can take away from.

So thank you.

Thank you so much, Jamie.

I really appreciate it.

There's a lot of people you could choose from, so I'm honored.

Yes, well I go right to the top when I'm choosing the best guess.

All right.

And for everybody listening, if this gave you something that you can apply this week, um,
make sure you subscribe, share it with somebody in your chapter, or send it to anyone

who's trying to grow their business because there's a lot of good content there for them.

Um, because you're not gonna grow by accident, you're going to grow with intention.

And don't forget to give yourself a CEU credit.

And make sure again you subscribe.

Just another reminder.

And we'll see you next time on the Perfect 100.