How Jessica Rojas coached a former lender to 35 listings on a structured schedule

Jessica Rojas00:00

The biggest thing is the mindset. Them thinking that the action is not gonna provide them with the result. A lot of people feel like, “Ugh, that’s not gonna work. They’re getting called by so many people. I’m just gonna be added to that list of people that are annoying them.” And once you get rid of that limiting belief and that mindset, that negative mindset, and the fact that you can have these results, then you are going to be successful at it.

00:22You have to push through the no’s to get to the yes. I wish it could be that easy. It’s not. You have to trust the process, you have to be consistent, and you have to be resilient.

Loida Velasquez00:35

What’s going on everyone? Welcome back to a brand new episode of Vulcan7 Coaches and Mentors, where we bring you some of the best in the industry to share with you their tips and strategies so that you can implement them in your business immediately. Now, on today’s episode, make sure that you have a pen and paper ready because we’re gonna be talking about exactly how you can leverage Vulcan7 in your business, and our special guest is going to be sharing her experience along with what her clients are experiencing with this platform.

01:04So with that being said, Jessica Rojas, welcome.

Jessica Rojas01:07

Hello. How are you?

Loida Velasquez01:09

I’m doing great and I’m so excited to have you on. For everyone that’s watching that maybe is not too familiar with you, go ahead and give us a little bit about your background.

Jessica Rojas01:19

So I’ve been in real estate, all different aspects of real estate, since ’97.

01:24I had a mortgage company and I worked for corporate real estate before I opened up my own brokerage about 10 years ago. And I’ve been a Tom Ferry business coach for approximately six years. I’ve been his coaching client for longer. So it’s been my privilege to be in the real estate industry and be able to help other agents grow their business.

Loida Velasquez01:48

That’s awesome. I know that you mentioned that you’ve been in real estate in a lot of different aspects, but can you take us back to maybe what got you into the real estate business? Because I always love to ask that question. Sometimes people come from a previous career, they have had family, but what was it like for you?

Jessica Rojas02:04

No, definitely a different career. I definitely always thought I would just be a lawyer. Shout out to amazing lawyers out there. I think they do a phenomenal job. I was working in the law field and I had a lot of clients that were coming to me for different aspects, but for real estate closings.

02:28And so at that point in time, I started looking into the mortgage aspect before I got into the selling as a real estate agent. So at the time, my ex-husband and I got into the business, and then from there I moved into selling as a real estate agent.

Loida Velasquez02:46

That’s awesome. And I know right before we started the call and pressed record, we were talking about prospecting, expireds, and for sale by owners.

02:54So can you share with us kind of what your experience has been and what your journey was like when it came to prospecting?

Jessica Rojas03:00

I love prospecting. I started in the business when social media wasn’t so prevalent as it is right now. Literally my little black book and calling people and just reaching out and saying, “Hey, this is what I’m doing.

03:16How can I best serve you?” And getting a lot of opportunities. Now we have so much more available to us. We don’t have to do so much of the hard work in the back end, and we can have systems like this that can give us the opportunity to get in front of more people quicker than doing all the sweat work in the back.

Loida Velasquez03:36

So as you’re training the agents that you’re coaching, you had mentioned earlier there was a specific agent.

03:43I would love to hear the success or the stories that you can share about them.

Jessica Rojas03:48

Such great success stories. I’m so proud of the agents that I’m coaching right now. I mean, being able to… This one gentleman started in the business in the real estate aspect of selling real estate, because he was a lender before, and he started just last year.

04:04And within months, just from June to the end of the year, using Vulcan7, he ended up getting 35 listings in that short period of time, being resilient, just following a structured schedule. And out of the 35, 15 of them had already closed by the end of the year, 15 were under contract. One, he ended up Airbnb-ing, and out of the 35, only four didn’t close.

04:32So that was a tremendous type of response that he was able to get. And a lot of times people wonder in this market that they say has very low inventory, depending on what area that you’re in around the world, what should I be doing? And it’s like, think about the low-hanging fruit, the people who already said they have a real estate need.

04:52That’s the expireds and the FSBOs. So why not learn, sharpen your tools, know what you need to say so that you can convert those and get in front of those opportunities.

Loida Velasquez05:02

So out of those two, the expireds and the for sale by owners, is there one that you specifically prefer over the other?

Jessica Rojas05:09

I love both, but I would say probably the expired.

05:13They already have agreed to pay a commission, so you’re not dealing with that objection handling. You’re just more showing them why it should be you and what you can do differently, versus the for sale by owner that thinks they can do everything by themselves, and they can still provide themselves with the outcome that they didn’t get. That’s why they’re still on the not sold.

05:34But I definitely like both, but I would say probably the expired.

Loida Velasquez05:40

Yeah. I know for me it’s the same thing. When I got started I went after the expireds and for sale by owners. And just like you mentioned, the expireds, they have already raised their hand and are okay with hiring an agent. Now you just have to come in and demonstrate your value to actually getting the job done.

05:55So what are the mistakes that you see agents making when they are going after expireds or for sale by owners, whether it’s their dialogue, their follow-up, maybe the lack of follow-up? What are you seeing?

Jessica Rojas06:08

The biggest thing is the mindset, them thinking that the action is not gonna provide them with the result.

06:13A lot of people feel like, “Ugh, that’s not gonna work. It’s not…” They’re getting called by so many people. “I’m just gonna be added to that list of people that are annoying them.” And once you get rid of that limiting belief and that mindset, that negative mindset, and the fact that you can have these results, then you are going to be successful at it.

Loida Velasquez06:33

It’s funny that you mention that because I hear that all the time, and it’s almost like agents, we’re making an excuse to not call because we’re experiencing these things. And then once agents do actually make the call, they’re like, “You know what? They actually said that no one else is calling,” or, “I was able to set an appointment.”

06:50So I think mindset is huge in this business. And working on your skills. So for you as a coach and with the agents that you’re training, typically what does a schedule need to look like in order to have the success that maybe even this gentleman that was in the lending side had?

Jessica Rojas07:10

Well, that was one of the biggest things that he said to me just recently that was a game changer for him. With coaching, that’s one of the first things we do a deep dive into, is that schedule and making sure that they have different zones to their schedule, including their morning routine, their administrative time, their skill building time, their…

07:31They wanna skill build before making those calls, so they’re not practicing on the client and the opportunity on the phone. And that’s huge because so many people just wing it and just pick up that phone, and they wonder why they’ve made so many calls and they’re not converting. You need to take the time out to skill build before you do make those calls.

07:51And then having that appointment setting time, having time to end your day. There’s no reason as a real estate agent that you’re still answering calls and text messages at 11:00 at night. So a morning and a night routine is extremely important for your health and for your business and for your family.

Loida Velasquez08:08

Yeah, and I think along with that, it kind of ties into what you just mentioned, the setting the boundaries for the calls, ’cause I know it happened to me early on where it was like 9:00, 10:00 o’clock at night, and you almost feel like, “I need to answer because if I don’t answer, they’re gonna freak out.”

08:25So how do you train or get through to an agent that feels that everything is like an emergency? Because some of them are like, “I gotta be available for my client all the time.”

Jessica Rojas08:36

Believe it or not, for many of them, their body ends up giving out on them. So their body will tell them enough is enough.

08:44And so when we’re having those conversations and we’re talking about… I mean, with coaching, it’s mind, body, and soul. You can’t be successful in business if you are not taking care of your mind, your body, your temple. And so we do go into so many different aspects of that. So many of us in my coaching group are doing 75 Hard together.

09:02We do different things together to really help that mindset and help the physicality of how to deal with being successful in this market. You have to have everything in place. So it’s important.

Loida Velasquez09:16

Yeah, absolutely. And going back to this gentleman, right? Because I’m thinking whoever’s watching this is probably thinking, “Okay, well what do I need to do to replicate and hopefully get the same results in that short period?”

09:28So do you have an idea of how many hours he was prospecting, or was there a goal for appointments a week or a day, or what was that like?

Jessica Rojas09:38

Yes, because as I mentioned, with the coaching system, we go through that schedule. And minimum one hour of power every optimal working day is what Tom always has us coach our clients on.

09:51However, he made sure that his hour of power wasn’t just calls. It was actually making sure that he had communication, at least a certain number a day. So when we track and measure with coaching, we track not just the fact that you’re making calls, but how many contacts have you had, how many conversations did you actually have, and from there, how many appointments?

10:12If you’re saying to yourself, “I’m not gonna end my hour of power until I have at least five appointments set,” then that’s a great way to start making a difference and moving forward with your goals and making sure your actions are in alignment with those goals.

Loida Velasquez10:27

So for someone that is watching this and they’re like, “You know what, Jessica, I’ve done this, but it gets to the point that people are not answering,” how do you stay motivated to keep on just pushing through when you’re getting the nos and just not the results that you think you want?

Jessica Rojas10:42

We’re all gonna get the nos. We are all gonna get the nos. You have to push through the nos to get to the yes. And so I honestly would say you have to trust the process. With anything else, I wish I could walk in and walk out of a gym, I tell this to my coaching clients every day, with a six-pack, right? I wish it could be that easy.

10:58It’s not. You have to trust the process, you have to be consistent, and you have to be resilient. And that’s what this gentleman did, and many of my coaching clients are doing right now that are seeing the results.

Loida Velasquez11:11

I love that analogy with the gym because sometimes we’re like, “Yeah, I wanna be fit, and this and that and the other.”

11:17And we start going to the gym, and we see it all the time in January. Everyone’s excited, and then they fall off like three weeks later. And I hear the same thing when it comes to prospecting. “Oh, I’ve done it for two weeks. It doesn’t work, the phone call.” It’s like, no, you gotta do it for a long term and start getting those leads and talking, and it goes back to the skills that you mentioned, too.

11:37So when it comes to building those skills, are there any suggestions that you have for agents that maybe are solo agents? Obviously coaching is important if they want to really take their game to the next level, but what else can they be doing to better their skills?

Jessica Rojas11:53

Yes, 100%. I’m definitely gonna tell you, I have a coach in all different aspects of my life, right?

11:58That’s a game changer for anybody that wants to really up their game. But also, right now, you have so much available to you with AI. So I use Revii, R-E-V-I-I, right? It’s AI that we can role play with, and you can put how hard you want the objection handling to be.

12:19It will give you that. You can role play with it, and then it’ll grade you afterwards, and it’ll give you some great criticism as to how you can grow with your objection handling. I think everyone should take the time and just role play. Some people are afraid to do it with other people because they’re embarrassed, or they just simply didn’t pick the right person to role play with and they’re having fun.

12:41If you really wanna up your game, you need to role play. You need to make sure you’re really going over the objection handlers so that when you are in front of a person, it’s not a script, it’s just second language to you.

Loida Velasquez12:52

Exactly. I used to think when I was new in real estate that role-playing was corny.

12:58I had memorized the script. I’m like, “I know the scripts, I don’t need to role play.” But once I started to incorporate it, I was like, oh man, I’m calling with a little swagger smile because whatever I heard, I knew exactly what to say. And maybe for those of you that are watching, maybe you’re shy or you’re like, “Oh, I don’t wanna hear the other…

13:16I don’t want the other person to judge me or think that I’m bad.” That’s how you’re gonna get better.

Jessica Rojas13:20

Exactly. And put those objection handlers right into AI. Have it give you the options of which one you feel most comfortable responding with. Because sometimes you’ll say, “Okay, that doesn’t resonate with me.”

13:33That’s fine. You can find something else that does, that is more of your tone and personality, so that you can have that ready, have that ammunition ready in your toolbox so that if something comes up, you’re able to use it.

Loida Velasquez13:46

Yeah, exactly. I know that I had role play partners all over the country, different accents, different attitudes.

13:53I remember, I’m from the West Coast, I had people in New York, and I’m like, “Man, this is scary.” But this is good ’cause I don’t know what I’m gonna get when I’m calling these expireds. And sometimes that’s what it takes. You stepping outside of your comfort zone, working on your skills, doing everything that you just mentioned, Jessica.

14:10Because I think if any agent wants to thrive and be in this and succeed, you’re gonna have to do things that other people are not gonna do. And you have to know that you have to be consistent in doing it in the long run.

Jessica Rojas14:23

See, you said one of the most important things, and that’s stepping out of your comfort zone.

14:27So many people who have been in the industry for a long period of time say, “This has always worked for me. This pillar has always fed me,” and all of a sudden it went dry. So it’s like, yes, because you have to evolve with real estate, and you have to think about having different pillars. You have to think about doing different actions and stepping out of your comfort zone so that you can have these different actions in place to get different results.

14:50If you’re doing the same action and now it’s run dry, it’s time. It’s time to step out of your comfort zone and get a different result.

Loida Velasquez14:58

Yeah. So currently the market that we’re in, obviously everyone that’s watching this is in different places. Some homes might be selling quickly, others it might be taking forever.

15:08Is there something specifically that you would say right now agents need to be focusing on to make sure that they have a successful 2025?

Jessica Rojas15:18

100%. Be a lean, mean listing machine. That’s the bottom line. That’s how you know you’re taking control of your income and your business. You have the property, you can keep moving forward.

15:30Right now, of course, I love servicing buyers as well. I’m not saying it’s not, but when you have that listing, you’re gonna get the buyers.

15:38Okay? So it’s important to just focus on the fact that you already know in certain areas, and things are shifting as they always do, that there’s low inventory, so go after the inventory.

Loida Velasquez15:49

So how about for those that are in areas where maybe homes are taking a long time to sell, and then maybe it requires having conversations with the sellers. Is there a timeframe that you would recommend before that conversation comes up of adjusting the price, or what are you coaching your agents to say?

Jessica Rojas16:07

I think those conversations need to be had at the listing appointment. You need to set those expectations ahead of time. You can never overpromise and under-deliver. You should be able to discuss all different things that can happen and what those steps would be, so this way when it does come to that time of having that discussion about that price expectation, you can…

16:29It’s easier to have that conversation and easier to make that adjustment.

Loida Velasquez16:33

Exactly, yes. So Jessica, for anyone that’s watching that maybe wants to connect with you with your coaching and have you as a coach, what is the best way that they can get ahold of you?

Jessica Rojas16:43

Oh, I would just say contact me at jrojas@yourcoach.com.

16:48That’s my email. I have all my social media channels as well. So jessicarojasbroker on Instagram, and I’d be happy to connect with you. And whether it’s myself or another coach, Tom has so many amazing coaches with him that you will definitely have someone that can provide you with the value and guidance that you need.

Loida Velasquez17:09

Awesome. And now as we wrap up, what are three things that agents need to be doing right now as soon as they finish watching this? What would you say?

Jessica Rojas17:18

I would say number one is the schedule because so many agents get into this industry thinking about the freedom of time. It’s a double-edged sword because you could do a whole lot of nothing if you don’t have a schedule.

17:30So I think it’s important to have those five zones that we talked about in your schedule. I would say number two is decide what it is that you want to accomplish. You need to know what that is, why, and start tracking it, okay? Because that’s the only way you’re going to be able to accomplish something, is by tracking where you are and where you need to be.

17:49And just be resilient. Don’t give up. It doesn’t matter what market we are in, you can absolutely be successful, but you have to take care of your mindset so that the actions can follow.

Loida Velasquez18:00

There you go. So yes, everyone, you might need to rewatch this video. And we’re gonna put all of Jessica’s links below so you can watch that, follow her on social media.

18:09And yeah, Jessica, thank you so much for hopping in here on Coaches and Mentors. I know that everything we just went over in the past 17 minutes is jam-packed information.

18:19And I really appreciate you being here, so thank you so much.

Jessica Rojas18:22

I really appreciate you having me. It’s been a pleasure, and I love the program.

18:26I love Vulcan7, and I definitely know that it has worked tremendously for many agents.

Loida Velasquez18:31

Awesome. All right, everyone, we’ll see you on the next one. Bye.

Jessica Rojas18:34

Take care. Bye.