How Kari Kohler opened Las Vegas after 120 Chicago deals with 10 contacts an hour

Kari Kohler00:00

It’s those of us that actually dial the phone, make the contacts. If we’re at the gym and we’re talking to somebody and they come over and say, “How’s the market?” Be prepared to answer that question in your market so that you’re showing them that you are sharp, you’ve got background, you’ve got research, and you’re a hard worker.

00:18But the bottom line is just that old Nike saying, “Just do it.”

Aaron Wittenstein00:30

Hey, what’s going on everybody? It’s me, it’s Aaron Wittenstein, and I would like to welcome you all to Vulcan7 Roadmap. This is where we interview agents across the country, some that even cover numerous areas in the country, okay? And we learn from them how to take an additional just a lot of listings a week, people, okay?

00:49So today, we have three different markets, okay? Not one, not two, not three, and is actively lead generating in two of those markets. All right. We have Kari Kohler. Kari, how are you today?

Kari Kohler01:01

Doing fantastic. Thank you so much for having me on.

Aaron Wittenstein01:04

You’re so welcome. Thank you for having… So for those of you guys that don’t know or haven’t been watching Roadmap since years ago, Kari was actually…

01:14She was interviewed before by Ren, Ren Jones. If you don’t know Ren, by the way, I believe you said he was your first coach. Is that correct?

Kari Kohler01:21

He sure was. I truly had the honor of having Ren as my first coach, and all these years later, I can still hear him talking in my head, and they are all the things that I need to do every day to be a top performer.

Aaron Wittenstein01:35

If you guys don’t know who Ren is, Ren is the CEO of Vulcan7. So without Ren, guess what? We’re not here. So share with me what has been going on since your initial interview up until now. Can you kinda give us the rundown a little bit? Is that okay?

Kari Kohler01:53

Oh, absolutely. And I just wanted to add that I was lucky enough to be coached by Ren when he was unveiling Vulcan, so it is such a powerful dialing source. And I love that I was there from the beginning.

02:09It was really fun.

Aaron Wittenstein02:10

Oh my gosh. You’re an original then, huh?

Kari Kohler02:13

I am a… What do they say? OG? Is that what-

Aaron Wittenstein02:16

You’re an OG. You’re an OG. I’m an OG. You’re an OG to the… oh my gosh. I had no idea. That’s awesome. So, well, yeah. So just talk to me. Tell me what the business progression has looked like since the initial interview.

Kari Kohler02:32

Okay. Since the initial interview, we were doing about 120 deals just in Chicago alone. I just had that market. Super proud of that market. I’ve lived in Chicago for about 20 years, so of course I know a lot of people, and it was a great market to work in. And then I actually met a sweetheart that was running a Denver market, and he was also my…

02:57My overriding coach is Mike Ferry. I have based my business on that platform. He was also a Mike Ferry agent. And we joined forces and decided to open up an additional market. So he runs Denver, I run the Chicagoland area, and then we opened up Vegas together, and it has been fun and very challenging.

Aaron Wittenstein03:25

Okay. So, and by the way, for those of you who don’t know, anywhere within like 30 miles of Chicago in Illinois is considered Chicago, just in case you didn’t know that. All right? So you’re in three markets right now. You’re active, which is amazing, because what you were telling me was that you’re still calling.

03:44I mean, doing all those transactions, you’re still actively calling right now. Is that correct?

Kari Kohler03:50

Yes. It is built into my blood. I just can’t stop calling. I know it is a contact sport, and the only way to build a business and keep a business running at top speed is to make contacts. So I spend an hour in the Chicagoland area market, and then I spend an hour in the Vegas market.

Aaron Wittenstein04:11

Well, see, that’s good because you can do them at different times as well. You know what I mean? ‘Cause you probably start… Where are you? Are you in Vegas right now?

Kari Kohler04:18

Today I am in Vegas. Yes, beautiful Vegas. Sun is shining.

Aaron Wittenstein04:22

Today she’s in Vegas. Who knows where she’s gonna be tomorrow?

04:25Okay.

Aaron Wittenstein04:27

So you’re making these phone calls, all right? You’re doing one hour here, one hour in another market. What do you consider to be a successful prospecting hour? What does that look like?

Kari Kohler04:39

For me, it’s 10 contacts an hour, which I have found to be very challenging in today’s new environment, where there’s so many blocks on phones and people aren’t answering their phones, they’re on the go.

04:54But that is a successful hour for me, 10 contacts, live contacts.

Aaron Wittenstein05:00

Okay. Got it. So as long as you hit 10 live contacts, it’s a win for the day, correct?

Kari Kohler05:04

Yes, each hour.

Aaron Wittenstein05:06

Got it. ‘Cause I mean, maybe you could speak on this as well, because I think that there’s a lot of agents out there that we could speak to that think if they don’t set an appointment, it’s not a successful day.

05:16What’s your opinion on that?

Kari Kohler05:18

Yes, I understand why they would say that. However, it is simply a numbers game, and once you figure out your numbers, once you use a numbers analyzer and you figure out your numbers, it’s going to happen. You just have to be consistent and keep building. I mean, basically, bottom line is I should be doing more than two hours a day.

05:39There’s no doubt in my mind. I need more contacts. It’s harder than ever to get business, so I should be putting in more time. But the bottom line is I do take that 10 contacts per hour as my gauge for success, because I know it is just a numbers game. And if I’m going to get that listing appointment, it’s going to happen if I just keep down that same routine.

Aaron Wittenstein06:06

So when you’re doing the hour, let’s say in Chicago, for example, okay, what does that hour look like? What are you doing in that hour?

Kari Kohler06:16

Sure. I always start with expireds. Actually Ren taught me this, and it’s always such a good visual. I’m not a cook or a baker, but it was a great visual though.

06:26He’s like, “Call right at 8:00 AM because you’re getting the expireds. It’s like a hot cookie coming out of the oven. It’s still warm. Call them right at 8:00 AM. They expired the night before. You’re the champion then that’s gonna come in and save the day and give them an excellent real estate experience that they deserve.”

06:45They deserve that sold sign in their yard, and you need to have confidence in your own ability through coaching to be able to deliver that.

Aaron Wittenstein06:54

All right. So it’s getting the new ones squared away right off the bat. Okay? And then after that, what does your progression look like, if you have the time to do so?

Kari Kohler07:06

Sure. So I always hit the expireds. Those are my favorite because they’ve already advertised to us that they need to sell. There’s motivation there. They’ve already ridden in the rodeo once. I wanna make it a very, very pleasant experience for them and take them across the finish line. So I always do expireds first.

07:27I will then do my for sale by owners, and I think it’s always been a challenge for all of us in real estate, or at least the majority of people I mastermind with. We all have a little, eh, when it comes to for sale by owners. Yet again, they have a sign in their yard and they are advertising that they want to sell.

07:49Clearly, they’re advertising that they don’t want to sell with an agent. However, you need to break through that barrier, and you need to have the right mindset again that you’re going to create the most pleasant and successful and efficient real estate experience for them, and you are the best one for the job, and there’s so many reasons why they should hire you as their agent.

08:12So that’s my second category. Then I do calling around our listings and calling around our sold signs, and have great success with that as well, because those people aren’t being bombarded by agents. So that’s a very good resource. And then for sure, especially in order to get my contacts and be able to conclude that hour, I will start calling my sphere of influence and follow-ups.

Aaron Wittenstein08:38

So it’s putting in the time and the effort, correct?

Kari Kohler08:42

It really is. And I’ve been doing this since 2006, and I’ve had my Ferry, the whole thing, since 2006. What I would say though, when I moved to Vegas, I was a brand new agent again in this market. I did not know one person in Vegas. And in fact, the whole time I was like, “I don’t think I wanna move to Vegas.

09:03The culture is so different than the Chicagoland area.” But then when I came here and saw the beauty of the suburbs, I fell in love, and then it turns out the people are absolutely wonderful. So I had this preconceived notion. Yet the bottom line is I did not know one person.

09:20So when I called and I said, “This is Kari Kohler,” nobody knew who I was. When I call in the Chicagoland area, I definitely have a leg up. It’s not that every person knows me, but in the area that we sell the most in, people have seen our signs. We have some foundation to build on. So when I moved here, I felt like a brand new agent, and it was a very, very interesting experience.

09:46Had to learn the culture, had to learn the heartbeat of Vegas, had to learn the streets where everything was located. And so I really put myself back in the shoes of being a brand new agent. Although I knew the scripts and I had the skill, I just had nothing to stand on. And every state is so different too when it comes to culture and the rules for real estate.

10:10Everything’s so different. So there was a huge learning curve, just like a brand new agent.

Aaron Wittenstein10:15

Oh, I can just imagine. So I mean, right now, being in the markets that you’re in, you’re keeping yourself pretty busy. And I found time management, at least for myself… which I’m just gonna venture to guess, I’m gonna throw it out there that your time is managed very well, okay?

10:31What’s your tip-

Kari Kohler10:32

It could always be improved, but I focus on that. I absolutely focus on that, and I reflect on it at the end of the day and make goals for the next day. That’s the one thing that I think all of us can improve all the time. We can be great at the scripts and the objection handlers, but the time management, if you don’t do the work, then nothing comes out the other side.

Aaron Wittenstein10:56

Exactly.

10:57And at least for me, I don’t know, my morning is the most important part of my day. And the moment that my morning gets thrown off for whatever reason, I’m, ah, you know?

11:09So would you be open to sharing your morning? Your morning schedule, what that looks like, until you’re on the dialer?

Kari Kohler11:15

Yes, absolutely. It’s a little trickier here when I’m in Vegas ’cause I’ve gotta convert to the Chicagoland hours, but I’ll talk to you in the Chicagoland hours. So I leave for the office at 7:00 AM. I get to the office at 7:15. First 15 minutes I’m there, I’m just taking care of any loose ends, that kind of thing.

11:337:30, I’m role-playing with another professional, sometimes beginners, sometimes somebody that’s in the middle, and sometimes advanced people. Personally, I like doing the beginners and the middle of the road, because I love to teach, too, so it’s fun. And that’s just like stretching when you’re going to work out.

11:56You’re just warming up. You’re full of mistakes. Maybe your voice doesn’t sound that great yet. You’re just warming up and you’re learning from that other person. And there are really strict rules with role play, so it should only take, like, five minutes, and there’s no chitchat. There’s no talking about your weekend.

12:16It’s just right into role play. Do it. Give the other person feedback. Rock and roll. You’re ready to go. Then I take a few minutes, get collected, take care of anything that’s loose ends. 8:00 AM, I’m on the dialer again for an hour in Chicago, and then depending on which time zone I’m in, I might have to take a break, because I’ve gotta wait for eight o’clock to hit in Vegas.

12:38And then I’m back on the dialer again. And if I wasn’t running so many markets… because I also help with Denver, I mentor the agents there. I’m not licensed in Denver, but my partner is, of course, and everybody else on the Denver team is licensed in Denver. However, I help mentor those agents. So I just have so much time during the day where I am working on that, as well as building this new Vegas business and taking care of all of our clients at the same time.

Aaron Wittenstein13:13

I want you guys to realize what was just said, okay?

13:16Is she’s been an agent for a very long time, extremely successful at what, you know, Kari’s extremely successful at what she does. And every single morning she’s still doing role play, okay? And I’m just going to assume that’s a non-negotiable, right? That’s what you do every morning, right?

Kari Kohler13:38

It is a non-negotiable, and we were talking just a second ago about the rules of role play. That’s the thing. If somebody doesn’t show up on the role play call, I have like a B and a C, A, B, C I can call, because I’ve got to get my voice going. I’ve got to get the energy flowing, stand up, feel alive, because it’s not that easy at 7:30 in the morning to feel that way sometimes, especially when you’re floating between all these time zones.

Aaron Wittenstein14:04

But see, like you said, I personally just love that, because from what I found, the most successful agents, someone that’s been doing it so long, still finds the need to work out in the m-… basically, they’re exercising, right?

14:16Is what you’re doing. So let me ask you this. So you’re in three separate markets right now, okay? So you’re running left, right, up, down, sideways, every way you could possibly imagine. What do you feel, number one, is the most challenging part of doing all of this?

14:34And then follow-up question after that.

Kari Kohler14:37

Yes. Initially, it was learning the vibe, the culture of this whole new environment. Chicagoland area, I’m so spoiled. I raised my kids there, I know all the schools, I know… I just don’t even have to look anything up. I’ve lived and breathed it for so long, I know what’s going on there.

14:58In Vegas, I had no idea. I didn’t even know what the sports teams’ names were. I mean, I was just a complete fish out of water. So I would feel like, okay, I learned this, I know this, and then something new would happen in Vegas and I would just… I didn’t have the heartbeat of this place. And so I feel like you need to have that.

15:19You need to have the groundwork and understand the culture, because everything is so different between all of our different states, even in America. It’s amazing. And the rules when it comes to what you can do as a licensed person and a non-licensed person, and all the contracts. I mean, everything. The way everything closes here is different.

15:42We use attorneys in Chicago, we do not use attorneys in Vegas. I mean, just everything. And then the other thing, of course, this is Vegas. Do you think anybody answers their phone at 8:00 AM in the morning? Absolutely not. I mean, it is 9:00, 10:00 o’clock before you get anybody rolling in Vegas. So there were just so many challenges and little quirky things I had to learn and work out in order to be successful in this market.

16:10I would say I can’t call myself a successful agent in this market yet, because I’m not reaching my sales goals yet, but I’m hell-bent on getting it done. So it will be done by the next time we talk.

Aaron Wittenstein16:23

I know, for sure. We’re gonna do a follow-up to the follow-up. So then, I mean, being in multiple markets then, what’s the most rewarding part of it?

16:32Because to me, just doing it and being successful, I think is amazing, but what’s the most rewarding part to you?

Kari Kohler16:39

The most rewarding part, the biggest feel good in Vegas for me is the come list me call, ’cause I’m thinking then that I’ve done my work that I’ve been trained on.

16:53For example, my coaches that I’ve had all along, they’re just like, every single person you meet, you need to have a small real estate conversation, then follow up with them, show them that you’re there to provide value. Doesn’t have to be real estate value. It can be something a little different.

17:14“You’re looking for a painter, a plumber, I’m here to help. I run a full service. I can give you those things.” I wanna be sharp in Vegas too, so when I go golfing and somebody says, “How’s the market?” I have a good answer for that. So… I’m sorry, I think I lost track of your question. And just to make sure-

Aaron Wittenstein17:33

Oh no, I think that was perfectly fine.

17:35It was just what the most rewarding part of it was, you know?

Kari Kohler17:38

Oh, yes. The come list me calls from my sphere of influence that I’m meeting in Vegas, that’s the most rewarding, because I feel like I’ve done the layers to achieve the goal of earning their respect, and then obviously taking them across the finish line and reaching their goals is what’s super exciting to me.

Aaron Wittenstein18:00

That’s awesome. No, because I mean, especially when you’re in a new market and you’re talking to people you really don’t know, and you’re learning it, and they have the… That you’ve built enough trust and respect where they’re like, “You know what? Come list me.”

18:16That’s a phenomenal feeling, you know?

Kari Kohler18:20

And I feel like one of the things, and we don’t talk about this very much in the coaching that we do with the coaches, yet I feel like something that really helped me in Vegas is… Well, I’ve always done it, but I do a lot of social media, so I’ve got that social media proof that I have successful sales in the Chicagoland area.

18:45And then my friends in Vegas started seeing that and they’re like, “Oh man, you really have the Chicagoland suburbs especially locked down.” So they took that success and started to build trust, and then started hiring me here. So that was fun to watch that progression, but it was impossible to be able to show them that I had done a lot of work without social media, because it’s not like I could sit there and go to lunch with them and brag about, I wouldn’t do that, just talk about the number of transactions.

19:19But they saw it day after day after day after day, all these beautiful homes in Chicagoland area being sold, and I think that really helped. And then just getting to know me on a personal basis hopefully helped as well.

Aaron Wittenstein19:34

All right, so let me ask you this, okay? So you’re in your office, okay? And a brand new agent walks by your door.

19:40She’s like, “You’ve heard about this Kari lady, she seems pretty good. She seems pretty good.” Knock, knock, knock on the door. And they’re like, “Kari, what is one piece of advice that you could give me for my new business?”

Kari Kohler19:53

Prospect. Just do it. Do it. I heard Karen Bernardi, for anybody that knows Karen Bernardi, she is a massively successful agent in the Boulder area.

20:04And I heard her on a couple of interviews say, “You know, I’m not perfect at all. I’m not perfect with the scripts. I’m not perfect with my interactions. Yet I do it.” And if you just do it and work harder every day to just become a little bit better, you’re going to be so successful. It’s those of us that actually dial the phone, make the contacts.

20:29If we’re at the gym and we’re talking to somebody and they come over and say, “How’s the market?” Be prepared to answer that question in your market so that you’re showing them that you are sharp, you’ve got background, you’ve got research, and you’re a hard worker. But the bottom line is just that old Nike saying, “Just do it.”

20:48Do it, right?

Aaron Wittenstein20:49

All right. Well, let’s tie this up in a nice little bow here, okay? So what are your final last words for Vulcan7 Nation, Kari?

Kari Kohler20:59

Well, of course, if anyone has buyers or sellers in Denver, Vegas, and Chicago that they’d wanna refer out, I would love to help you with that. Secondly, and most importantly, I love to be a mentor.

21:15So if anybody has questions, they are more than welcome to call my personal cell number, and I will get right back to them and help them with their challenge or whatever their question is.

Aaron Wittenstein21:27

Would you like to… So let’s say someone comes in with a referral for Vegas, Chicago, or Denver.

21:34How does one get in touch with you?

Kari Kohler21:36

They can call my personal cell, which is 630-673-4586. I can also be reached on my email at kari@thekohlergroup.com.

Aaron Wittenstein21:47

Awesome. Kari, thank you so much. This was great. I really appreciate you being here today. I’m sure Vulcan7 loves you. We’re gonna do a triple follow-up, by the way.

21:55In, like, a year I’m gonna come back to you and we’re gonna see you being in 17 different markets, okay? Three’s not enough. I love it. We need 17 markets. All right? Other than that, everybody do me a favor. Go make some money, and never forget to trust the process.

22:09Kari, thank you so much. Take care, everyone.