Alright. Good morning, and welcome to another real estate first Friday. My name is Matthew Hodge, executive vice president here at LPT Realty. I'm joined by my co VP Lewis Furman. Good morning. And we have a special guest today, VP of agent relations. Community. Community. Yeah. That's right. Nick, good morning. Something. Natalie Cox is with us and is also, one of our Florida State brokers. How you doing, brother? I'm doing well. I I feel horrible. I did not get the memo to wear the LPT shirts. Yeah. You could have told me I could have wore, like, red or green or to fit in, but, you know, I guess I Yeah. So we got the memo for the shirts, and you and I got the memo for the Because you left me out, I guess. It's okay. I'm only the completed one here. The full circle all the way here with me. Alright, guys. Well, welcome to Real Estate First Friday. Excited to be with you, today. We are gonna be talking through, you know, the the so we launched, obviously, a, Connect two point o this week. And a big part of that is the connections that we're able to to create and the meaningful connections. And and how does that help you shape your business? You know, there's a lot of things that as entrepreneurs, we can lean on other entrepreneurs in the same industry to help you jump start your business or get past an obstacle that you could be possibly facing that maybe they've already figured out, or maybe just something that you're not even obstacle with, just something that you can do better or add to your business. And so that is done through connections, purposeful connections. And, we've never had the ability to really create those connections with inside of our four walls. And so we're gonna be spending time today talking about some of the things that you can do from even just having a a complete profile that talks about maybe, hey. If you speak multiple languages or the type of real estate you, you know, specialize in or, you know, things like that. So people are searching directories they can find you. So we're gonna talk about some of the things that you can do there. And then two, how to utilize Connect two point o to, you know, build those relationships that help you navigate your business and ultimately help you go faster. So with that being said, Louis, I'll kinda turn it over to you for initial thoughts. Yeah. Absolutely. I mean, we we oftentimes say this, you know, here on Real Estate First, we're we're we're in a relationship based business and the importance of building relationships. And we oftentimes look at it through the lens of building relationships with customers to inspire, referrals and inspire more business. But relationships don't just stop at that level. You know, building relationships with other realtors in the industry is also something that's very important because we also say here oftentimes, you know, entrepreneurship is a very lonely business. You know, so not only building relationships with customers and not, you know, keeping your eye off of that ball, but you also wanna have opportunities where you are out there building relationships minded issues that you are ultimately going through. And the impact that that will have to your business and the way that you look at your, you know, files and overcome issues and just the the emotional roller coaster that comes with being an entrepreneur, those relationships building oftentimes can really help you get to a place where it's gonna help you move in a positive direction with when things are flying off the heels and fireworks are going off. It really unlocks a new avenue for you to to ultimately pursue. So, you know, I I love this. With LPT Connect two point o, we're now creating a way where our agents, our own family can now interconnect with one another in a very efficient way, in a very purposeful way, to build those relationships. But I also want you guys to understand, like, don't just also stop there. Don't just stop with customers. Don't just stop with our family. Like, go out there and build relationships in the industry. You know, me, you, Natalie, we attended an event here in Orlando. Four of our agents got nominated to join, part of the council. The women's council. And, you know, they they they took the award of becoming part of that panel and, you know, just being in a room where people are building relationships and they're going around, maybe people that haven't seen each other for some time and just catching up. And I work overhearing and eavesdropping on individuals who are talking through some of the issues they were experiencing and how to overcome those issues. Like, because of those relationships, they're able to just organically, you know, overcome some of these things that may be arising in real time in their lines of work. Yeah. You were eavesdropping in on people. You were listening like a little It's it's very easy to do when you're in line waiting to grab a cocktail. Alright. So I'm gonna kick it over to Natalie. Kinda give us your thoughts on how this is, kinda coming together and why it's so important to build connections that ultimately, you know, help you guide your business. Yeah. It's a really multifaceted subject, really. We do connect so much in our business, like you guys are saying, not just with clients, customers, consumers, but also with each other, within our LPT family, but also with other realtors in the industry too. I there's a definition of connection I really like, which is the energy that exists between people when they feel seen, heard, and valued. Love that. I think it's really important, especially after the year that we've had. Like, twenty twenty four has been a big one. I mean, we've been through so many changes in the industry, and the idea that connecting with your peers, with your LPT family can only help you feel more encouraged about your business, be creative, get more ideas. I love the intentionality of Connect two point o and what RP has built as far as the tokens go. Right? So it's not gonna be a community with an LPT where we can necessarily spam each other. Right? I think I have twenty five hundred Facebook friends. I probably know, like, a very small fraction of that. Right? Not that I don't wanna connect with people. We do. Like, we've become so social. But at the same time, that idea of not diluting that connection, of it meaning something, of it being valuable and intentional, that's the aspect I really enjoy about Connect two point o and what we're launching because we can be calculated with it. We're wanting to bring value to other agents so that we can solicit more connection, and I think that's what it should be about. Like, how how can I be of service to my other agents That's right? And members to help us all be better together. Yeah. That's awesome. It's a great thought. You know, one thing I wanna do real quick is just, guys, as we as she's kinda talking about this piece and the importance of us connecting, I just wanna make sure that, because Connect two point o is so new, I'm gonna just take thirty seconds to walk you through the first part of what we talked about and how to update your profile. So once you log inside Connect two point o, up at the top right, you are gonna see a picture. If you haven't put your own picture in there, it may be that little, avatar, like the little gray symbol. You're gonna hit right there. You're gonna hit edit your profile. And inside of that, you're gonna be able to fill out your phone number, your email address, your title, x y z. And then there's a spot at the bottom that talks about bio, and so that's where you fill out your bio. I've seen some people just say, hey, Florida, whatever. I've seen some people say, hey. Realtor for twelve years, experience in waterfront properties, you know, short sales, whatever whatever their expertise are gonna be, and then the area and then the languages that they speak. And so that to me is a is a great profile because up at the top right, when you search and maybe you hit short term rentals, we did this example yesterday, it pulls up not only the short term everything that has short term in it, but the profiles that have short term in it. And so if you were looking for a referral or you were looking to connect with someone who specializes in something that you are also specializing in, that's how you can find each other. So just take a moment to update your profiles and make sure you put inside your profile the areas of the business, your niches, or your areas of expertise with inside of real estate and even outside of that, maybe some of your hobbies so that people have ways to connect with you, when they're searching keywords. Hey. I'm looking for soccer. Like, hey. I'm a soccer mom. You know, whatever. That is a great way to to find, you know, individuals who you're searching for with those same connections. That's so important. Right? Like, don't don't just keep it to, you know, the professionalism or line of work. You know, also tie it to some of your hobbies, you know, because you do wanna get in community with like minded individuals. And I think one example that we saw earlier this year I mean, our industry got flipped on our heels earlier this year within our settlement. Right? And, you know, we saw in real time the power of building relationships and being in community during that two week marathon that we did back in September Mhmm. Where we entered that marathon with a high level of fear. Right? We were all anxious. We had a level of fear. What is this going to mean? We spent so much time crossing our t's and i's to figure out how to go on the tail end or the or the other side of the whole in our settlement, but you're still nervous. And the only way that those stresses decrease and the anxiety decrease was being in community with each and every one of you. Right? That is what created the the decrease in that anxiety. Sharing the story, sharing different ways to think through the problems as they're arising. That's a real time example of the power of being able to be in community with like minded individuals going through a problem simultaneously. And all of that could be the only way that's done is because the relationship is built. Right? It's easy here because we are one family. But, you know, imagine when you can extend that even further when there are these niche issues that you may be experienced. I mean, we are oftentimes tested on on resilience. Right? And being able to be in community with others that can help foster that level of resilience is important. Foster growth. Foster the ability to overcome issues as you're experiencing. You know, we're in a line of work where there are a lot of losses at times. You know, you can get into a bad cycle where you're dealing with a whole bunch of inspection issues, escrow issues, appraisal issues. It feels like everything's falling down. And if you're lonely dealing with that in and of it so very isolated, sometimes it could be very difficult to get on the other side of that. But being able to be in community with others who may be experiencing at at the same rate as you or, you know, with you at that same time, maybe they can give you suggestions on how to overcome it. And even if that's not the suggestion, how to just emotionally overcome it and to keep your eye on the ball for that next one and to just go out there and win in the next degree because it is normal for some of these things to happen sometimes in our lines of work. Yeah. Absolutely. I mean, we all have experienced, obstacles or things that have not gone as intended with inside of your business. And you're right. Without an outlet for that where someone can either walk you through it or help you get back to a centered place where you're making the best decisions for both yourself and your clients, it can be difficult to even continue, you know, your high level of service towards, you know, your your client or the consumer who you're helping. And so, those things are important. So, Natalie, real quick, as we continue to think about how Connect two point o, we know that we are at at the very beginning of this, I can say the birth of this technology. And I kind of give the example all the time. Like, hey. When YouTube created its platform, they were like, hey. We're gonna be able to find information. This is what you're able to do here. But on day one, no content creators have added anything to it. So it was just what they had, I guess, in this I don't know. I don't know what they actually started off with. Right? But, eventually, people started to come in there, and they started to, you know, put their own information in there. And so now you can go back and basically search a ten year database of almost anything that you wanna find. I mean, you could literally find how to change my tire on a BMW two thousand and two. Right? Like, and you could find that video. Day one, that didn't exist. And so when I think about Connect two point o, it's the same way. As we start to put more information in there, as we start to ask questions and that starts to get answered, it builds this database of information with inside of our four walls of people who are, you know, within the same brokerage, who experiencing the same tools and technology, who are obviously, you know, going through the same environments that we are. And that is where this thing really starts to become very powerful. And so while we're working out the bugs to make sure that that's a seamless process when that eventually does happen, you know, we are we are excited to see the birth of this idea coming inside of real estate because it has not existed in the fashion. And the only way it's existed in the past is if you've gone to, like, say, Facebook and you are just in a general real estate feed. Right? Or maybe sometimes it's a referrals. Like, it's something like that. It's never like an entire community of real estate professionals who are connecting based off of topics or, you know, parts of businesses or you know, it's also the same place where you go to get paid. I mean, it's just it's never been so connected before, and that's why I'm so excited about it. So, Natalie, what are your kind of your thoughts on how we can be viewed? Collaboration opportunity that exists on what we're building is really unmatched for our industry. The idea that as a cloud brokerage, we have the opportunity to build a community of agents as opposed to being so segmented and compartmentalized in our everyday, you know, real estate practice. It really is a game changer. You know, from, like, the open house platform where you can bid and host a open house, you can leave reviews, the different marketing options. There's just so much there. I know we're rolling it out piece by piece. I don't know if some of you may be asked about the tokens. I don't think we've released those yet. Those are up and coming. Yep. But once we're able to fully launch this, to your point, can you imagine the kind of collaboration when maybe I'm an expert on Dotloop. Right? And maybe you're a new agent coming into the company, and you know nothing about Dotloop. And I can create a whole content library around that concept on my connect circle, and then I'm able to then extend help to realtors, right, in my expertise. But it can be on any subject, luxury, commercial, you know, all the things. To what you said earlier, when we do find ourselves in a rut or in a space where we need practical help or maybe we need emotional help to get through a rut, you know, just a hard time. Having those options and connections available within this community, I think, is mind blowing. Yeah. Absolutely. Mind blowing. Yeah. And that that to kinda speak about the thought process around the tokens and that being something of value because it's it's finite. Right? It's something that's limited. And I think that everyone started off with, like, three or four tokens, and then the thought process is that they're issued. I think Robert was saying maybe thirty per week or something like that. I forget the exact numbers. But there's, like, a weekly allotment that you basically get refilled on. And the the purpose of that is, like, you know, you you talked about twenty five hundred people on your Facebook group earlier, and you actually only having a handful of real connections there. Right. It's the same thing with me. I I'm I don't even know how many people I've got on there. But for sure, you know, constantly when you're getting that connection or you're getting that friend request, half the time they're bots. Sometimes it's like someone trying to sell you cryptocurrency. Sometimes they're trying to sell you a home warranty. Like, it's so hard to, you know, to kinda declutter all of that. But with inside of these four walls, when you get a connection, you know, a request, it's a pure connection. It's someone who actually means something to you or who wants to build a meaningful relationship with you, and that's fantastic. And that's the point of having the thought process of saying, hey. I only have a certain amount per week, so I'm actually spending it on what I believe is most valuable. So when you receive that, it's actually a pretty big deal because someone is using their limited resource to connect with you. And I think that that is you know, it kinda brings the the purity back to the the relationship aspect of it. I mean, that's definitely one of the we mentioned this yesterday in our call that that that is one of the biggest challenges in any type of social technology that interconnects the the community where there's not a purposeful level of connection. I mean, we can sit now in social media. We receive a whole bunch of friends requests, and it doesn't really mean very much. Right? Like, you don't have very much incentive to wanna connect at a deeper level and to reach out to the other individual. Like, it looks great. We're increasing our our friends' work, but there's very little, you know, give back, you know, a give and take kind of scenario. Here, because a token is being burned on an individual, like, it means something. Right? You have a limited scarce supply of this item that now if somebody uses a token on me, like, I'm gonna make sure that I'm building a deep relationship with that person. Like, I wanna now foster that relationship. I wanna go in there and empower growth and understand who the person is and and and just connect at a much more deeper level. And that connection is gonna resonate so much differently than me just having a thousand people who have spanned me to try to sell me cryptocurrency. You know, this is now, you know, individuals who are truly looking to grow together and to collaborate and to be in a in a more intimate community that has not necessarily existed before. Yeah. Yeah. That's, that is that, again, it's it's something new. And, like, we were talking through, you know, what is it I kinda, I guess, the mechanics of it. Like, hey. When you use a token, maybe when does it get actually taken out of your bucket? Or what if someone denies it? Does it get returned? Like, you know, we kind of looked at all those things, and it's interesting to just be thinking around the topic of what we're talking about, which is building pure connections to help you run your business. And, again, it's so important to really understand how powerful that can be. And so you talked about actually, I'm sorry. It was Natalie who said earlier, like, hey. This could be someone who's a new agent and someone who's a dot loop expert. In my mind, I think that that's something I would love to add to my profile. Hey, guys. Expert with dot loop. Looking to learn whatever. You know? Like, there's just so many different ways that you can build these connections. And, again, it doesn't work if you don't work it. Right? If you don't put the energy and time and to say, hey. I really wanna start building those connections so that I can, I guess, increase my skill set in this area of the business or have more access to this type of information or people that are running this type of business, then it it doesn't work? Right? You have to understand what you're searching for and then take the actions to actually try to connect with those people. Yeah. Using I I see using the token kinda like the equivalent of inviting somebody out to grab coffee or lunch. You know, if you send out that invitation and you actually link up for the coffee and lunch, like, you are gonna build a deeper relationship than friend request to somebody on a social media platform. And to kind of go back to the initial, you know, theme of today's conversation of just building relationships also in the industry. You know, one thing I would encourage everybody to do is as, you know, you are interacting with other realtors as you come across cooperating agents on on files, you know, make it a habit to find a way to connect with them on a deeper level after the fact. You know, that's an easy way for you to open the door to start building relationships with another agent in the industry. You know, I I would make it a habit where after closing, maybe you, you know, reach out to that cooperating agent who was on the other side. Granted, if you guys had a great experience with each other, but reach out to that agent and see if maybe you guys wanna grab lunch and just talk, you know, through your experience and just get to know each other. You know, you are now afforded an opportunity to build a relationship with somebody at an at a deeper level that's just, you know, pretty easy. You know? As you're going through your closing schedule, make that part of your follow-up, you know? And that in and of itself will start building and building and building, and you will never know where those relationships will ultimately land over time. Yeah. Yeah. I would I would argue that the best realtors are actually master connectors, and real estate is really a byproduct of of how it is that they're relating to their peers, to people around them, their sphere, their community, that they are selling who they are in a sense. Right? Because we we do have practical things we can tweak and, yes, sales tactics and and things. But, however, that trait is invaluable when it comes to this industry, and it crosses every line. It's, again, it's not just peer to peer. It's customer, client. It it really is multifaceted. Yeah. Absolutely. I think Deb Scott is in here. I think I saw her write something earlier. She is and, Deb, correct me if I'm wrong in the chat. I think you're in Venice. I think she's in Venice, Florida. And, I remember when I was speaking with her a little while ago, she had ordered some luxury collection products when we it's kinda first launching, and she was continuing to grow her career. And she was, like, I think, top three in her area. And she's fairly new in the business just a just a few years, but she had a a really sharp curve upwards. And so, you know, when I think about like, I I and the reason why I'm saying this is because I had someone recently saying, like, hey. I was moving to, Venice area. I'm moving to Venice area is my my my brother who's run runs our team, and he was searching for someone down there. And so, you know, I obviously don't hey, man. Go find out put in the Facebook group and, you know, figure out who you wanna work with. But if I think about that, right, because of her expertise now in that area, and she built a connection with maybe someone who has a referral. Maybe that's a ongoing thing. Hey. Listen. I've got my people in Venice. I've got my people in Miami. I've got my people in Jacksonville, whatever. It allows you to service your clients at a higher level and with more confidence to know that you truthfully can have a more holistic solution for them. I'm not just gonna sell your here house here locally. I'm then going to connect you with an expert in wherever you're trying to go. I'm gonna create the full solution. And again, that sounds easy, right, in concept, but the reality is is how do you really find the best talent or who would be the best for your clients in another city? And that's something that's been a gap for us. And so we've got to be able to do that. And then I also think about the ability to recognize people now because, you know, again, one of the the best things about the cloud based brokerage is that we get all these cost savings and these efficiencies and all these things from being a cloud based brokerage. But one of the downsides is is that you don't have a great way to really organize recognition. Right? Do I do it by single agents? Do I do it by team? Do I do it by city? Do I do it by stick? You know, there's all these different kind of parameters that pop up that make it difficult to really, you know, recognize, you know, people. And so Connect two point o gives us the ability to do that now, and that's not something that we've really had the ability to do before. And it's something that I think has has really been missing. So I'm so excited to see that piece be bolted on. So, again, growing your connection to your business and getting better solutions for your customers, having the ability to have access to information from people who are running same businesses or maybe having success in the area that you want, and then lastly, the ability to recognize a peer or someone who's impactful to you. Like, all of that is, you know, part of this connection piece and what we are unlocking here with with Connect two point o. Yeah. I mean, it's it's making it easier to build relationships, which is what we are promoting to ultimately do. Like, now it's it's you have a platform now that you can easily build relationships with other fellow family members here at LPT Realty. And I love that example that you gave with, you know, a client who's maybe, you know, selling a house in in one side of town and is moving to another side of town that you may not necessarily service. I mean, that's a great point because of a relationship that was built with another agent. When that client or customer, you know, tells you their intention of the reason why they're selling, their reason why they're selling is to relocate to this side of town, you don't service that area, you're now able to quickly, you know, give them a solution and make their process easier if they were to hire you. And that resonates so much differently with that customer. Hey, you know, I love that you're moving to that side of town. I hear it's beautiful over there. I actually have an agent, like, don't even give them the option. I actually have an agent I'm going to connect you with after I leave here today. I know we're still considering whether or not we're gonna build stats of this agent. Here's some of the accomplishments of this agent. Here's the agent's name. Like, you know this person. You've just solved a problem for them. That's right. You know, you have a customer who's like, okay. I gotta shop an agent here. I gotta need I gotta find an agent who's gonna sell my house, someone that I'm gonna love to work with. But then I also gotta find an agent in another market that I'm gonna have to let love to work with as well and so forth. This person came to my doorstep and has solved both of these problems for me. Right? Like, I saw this as being a stressful issue. They have solved it. They have a plan. They are setting things in motion. They're moving the ball forward. They're helping me accomplish my goals. I think you just increased your odds on winning that list. Yeah. A hundred percent. One hundred percent. Alright. Well, we are gonna kinda wrap it up here with some final words. So, again, the takeaway from today is something that I really want you to do is make sure that you are fulfilling your pro you you are filling out your profile, and make sure that it's things that people should know about you. If you have expertise or niches that you really want to be known for, make sure that's in there. I have some personal information and maybe a ways that you know, if you're an audible wheel enthusiast, I know that's a hashtag I'm gonna search for for sure, and connect with my with my gearheads out there. You know, so make sure you've got that ability to, you know, put that in inside of your profile. And then lastly, actually start utilizing those things. Like, don't just put it in there and then wait for incoming, you know, connections or incoming information. Go out there and find people who are running businesses in the way that you want to run your business or they're maybe, you know, doing like businesses as you, and you can learn some things even if your business is running well. Like, use a connection to actually grow your business and enhance your skills. Yeah. Natalie, final words from you. Yeah. Spotlight right on you. You thought I was gonna end it? Nope. I'm passing that top prize. Always get me, don't you? Yeah. I like to Surprise. You look like you were just about to start thinking about something else I want you to No. I mean, I LPT is about to be open in we're open in fifty states now. Right? We've expanded across the country. Like, you have this amazing knowledgeable network, not only just of people, but also tools that we have developed so that you can fulfill your individual definition of success at LPT. There's there's so much. And within my role of the company as far as VP of agent community, I think I got picked for that because it's something I'm super passionate about. Making sure that people connect, that they belong, that they are seen, heard, and valued. Right? So as many ways as you can do that with all the LPT agents, like, to your point, put your stuff in your profile because maybe I am somebody said soccer mom that resonated with me. Right? Or dance mom or whatever it may be. Like, those connections will mean something because you're more than just your work. Right? You you are a whole person. And so really being your authentic self, putting yourself out there and looking to connect and help with your peers, it's not just something that you're giving. There's also something you can take from that and learn as well. So super exciting. Awesome. Cool. Yeah. Don't don't go at it alone. You know, you have an opportunity now. If if you've never been one to build relationships in the past, this is your moment now to go out there and start incorporating that as part of your, you know, your growth inside of this industry. You know, it it it will feel so much more refreshing when you have others who are, again, like minded individuals, people who are their organic self. I love this notion of, you know, connecting with others who's not just necessarily pertaining to real estate. Like, you are connecting at levels that are it it just breaks the ice. Estate. Like, you are connecting at levels that are it it just breaks the ice so much differently, you know, to your point, like, you know, being a gear head and being able to break the ice to talk about automobiles or to talk about, you know, dance or or soccer or sports or basketball. Like, it doesn't matter. Like, it just unlocks a way to break the ice to find a like minded individual and then business will come up. You know, the relationship will lead to that and it will grow into that. But, you know, take that first step. You know, take the first step of first making sure who you are is out there, you know, so people can find you because people are going to wanna find you. And then also take that step on being that person to find that like minded person as well. So that way you guys can just connect. You know, please, guys, I encourage you guys use this piece of tech. Like, it's going to be so impactful in your day to day, and then it's gonna resonate to the real world too. You know, you're gonna then just make it so much of your habit to build relationships inside of Connect that you're gonna wanna go out there in the industry and build connections. You're gonna not only wanna build connection with other agents, but you're gonna wanna build connections with your customers to inspire, refer like, you're gonna just put a bow on all of this together. So please, guys, go in there, and a great opportunity is being afforded right now to, you know, do something that has never existed inside of this industry. That's right. Okay. Well, we are gonna wrap it up just to give you a heads up. The the classes that we still have left today is attract top talent with Connect two point o and initial circles and overview. Those are the two classes that are gonna be taught this evening. The topics, that will then conclude halfway point of our two week marathon. Next week on Sunday, we'll be putting out a new calendar based on the feedback that we received this week on the topics that people wanna know and things that we should cover. And so that will come out Sunday. And, again, we will repeat this schedule of five days five times a day, Monday through Friday next week, and then we will have our final day next week, Friday. So hope you guys are joining the experience so far. We will continue to refine the system. I don't know if I'm gonna be on today's calls. But if not, I will see you on Monday for motivational Monday where we will kind of recap what happened this week and kind of pave the way for the the second half of the the marathon. So have a blessed and prosperous weekend, and we'll talk to you soon.