How Loida Velasquez has helped over 400 agents go after listings by phone

Loida Velasquez00:03

So along with selling real estate and helping agents, I think it’s just really important for agents to understand that right now, skills pay the bills. You have to work on your skills consistently and all the time. Because I don’t think we’re in a market where now we’re getting 30, 50 offers.

00:22Now you might have to have some skills, especially if you’re meeting with sellers, and turn away some clients. I have done that many times, where I have sellers that are unrealistic, and I think it’s important for everyone to understand that it’s okay to turn away business if you know that you can’t help them.

00:46I’ve always loved to focus on listings, and I say, “I would hate to put a sign in the yard just to put a sign, when I know a property’s not gonna sell.”

Ren Jones01:01

Welcome to Coaches and Mentors. I’m Ren Jones, CEO at Vulcan7, and we have an exciting guest today. Coaches and Mentors is here to bring you the most influential people in our industry. So first from California and then relocated to Miami, welcome Loida Velasquez.

Loida Velasquez01:23

What is going on? Thank you, Ren, for having me and for that intro.

Ren Jones01:28

Yeah, and it’s a lot of fun because Loida often hosts this show, and we flipped it here, so I’m interviewing her as she not only is in production, I think you’re still in production, well, we will learn, and she is also coaching and mentoring, if you will, helping a lot of people in the industry to find their way.

01:49So we’ll have a fun discussion about that, and any upcoming things that she may have, and learn a few things. So let’s dive in. Are you still in production?

Loida Velasquez02:00

Currently, the production that I am doing is mostly referral-based. I started my business back in 2015. A lot of cold calling, door knocking, expireds, for sale by owners, using Vulcan7, and it got to the point that I built my database, I built my clients.

02:18So now with my past clients and agents, people are coming to me instead of me hounding the phones all the time. So that’s

02:26kind of it, yeah.

Ren Jones02:28

And then they say, “I wanna buy a $4.7 million something or…”

02:32Fun things like that. And those are fun to show, aren’t they?

02:36Or maybe you don’t get much for 4.7 million in Miami, I don’t know.

Loida Velasquez02:41

Yeah, you definitely don’t get a lot in California. The prices out there are pretty crazy.

Ren Jones02:45

Yeah, that’s crazy, too. Well, that’s fantastic. And you have been involved for a while now, I don’t know how long, you’ve been involved for a while with some coaching projects and working with people to help them get stronger in the business.

03:04Tell me a little bit about that. Give me a thumbnail on that.

Loida Velasquez03:07

Yes, absolutely. So back in 2020, I started my New Agent Boot Camp. I would always get a lot of questions from agents that watch me on YouTube just asking what it takes to succeed, “I just got my license, how can I get my first listing,” scripts, objection handling, all of that.

03:24So in 2020, during the pandemic, is when I launched my New Agent Boot Camp. I’ve been able to help over 400 agents across the country just gain more confidence as agents and being able to go after listings and secure contracts. So that’s what I’ve been focusing on since then, and I love to teach. I’ve been creating content all of these years, and it’s just awesome to hear all the stories, the success stories of agents implementing what they learned from me.

Ren Jones03:52

That is great. So you’ve got a lot of testimonials and people are all like, “Thank you, thank you, thank you.” We love that. Virtual, in person, have you done both? What are you doing typically

04:05at boot camp?

Loida Velasquez04:07

For the most part, I have done them virtually. So pretty much all of them have been virtually, and then earlier this year I did do one in person.

Ren Jones04:16

Okay, great. And do you have anything coming up now?

Loida Velasquez04:19

I do. So anyone that has been watching me, you know that I love to post my cold calling videos, and it’s unfortunate, I always hear, especially now, that cold calling is dead or it’s antiquated and agents shouldn’t really do it. But I have had a lot of success doing it, and I love to tell agents about that, so I’m gonna be doing a Calling with Confidence Challenge.

04:42So pretty much what that is, is I’m inviting agents that want to get better with their calling skills, objection handling, communication, to come together. We’re all gonna be making calls during a week, September 11th through the 15th, and this is just a way for them to also see me in action, because I think it’s really important.

05:01If you see me, you can go back to my very first videos on YouTube when I was really bad and I didn’t know what to say. My for sale by owner videos, horrible. But now you can see my recent ones and you’re like, “Oh, that’s great, and Loida, I can see the entire transformation.” So that’s what I have coming up soon.

Ren Jones05:16

And so all they have to do is mirror and match that and learn, and then just pattern after the ones that, why reinvent the wheel? Just do it in the same manner and get a similar result.

Loida Velasquez05:29

Yes. And the whole thing is consistency. I feel that a lot of agents give up pretty easily, especially when they’re making calls, and it takes some time, and it takes a lot of dedication.

05:41I like to tell everyone, you can’t take things personal, because I will always get people that are upset or maybe they tell me things that might hurt my feelings if I didn’t have a strong mentality. But at the end of the day, I know that there’s a family, I know that there’s a homeowner that needs my help, and that’s what makes me continue pushing and making my calls.

Ren Jones06:03

Right. Good. It’s kind of an interesting thing when you think about it. And people say it’s not easy, the mental side of this, to reach out and make these contacts with people. The mental side of it. It would be easier in a lot of ways to flip french fries than it is mentally to talk to 20 people on a Thursday.

06:30That’s a lot harder, especially in this sort of a situation. And if it was easy, everybody would do it. So the good news is, if it was easy, everyone would do it. And it’s easy in some ways, ’cause you can sit, you can do it from home. You can do it from anywhere. It doesn’t cost you anything.

06:51You can do that. In fact, you don’t have to drive to McDonald’s to work. You can do it from home. And one pays a little bit better than the other, which is interesting. One sale, what’s one sale in Miami in a commission check typically?

Loida Velasquez07:09

Probably 15,000 or more than that.

Ren Jones07:12

Okay. And maybe at worst, it’s half that in some states.

07:16I mean, one of the things we’ve seen, even though this could be a difficult year as far as the number of transactions, this will be the third best year on record based on commissions earned. Just because the size of the commission checks have gotten way up there, which is fascinating. But I mean, one of the highest paying jobs if you’re willing to work through the mental side of this.

07:41So how do you work with them on the mental side? Or do you just show them the fundamentals and hope that part takes off because they’re getting wealthy?

Loida Velasquez07:53

Yeah. No, I do both. I think affirmations is really important. So what I like to do and what I tell them, even before you start making your calls, write down things like, “I am the best agent in this…

08:07whatever city you’re in,” or, “Everyone that answers the phone is excited and happy to talk to me.” Because even though I might get a whole bunch of people that are upset, I’m already putting it out there that everyone loves to talk to me, and that’s kind of how I start to flip the switch in my mind. And at the end of the day,

08:24I tell myself, “Look, there’s a family that needs my help, and if I’m not making that call, there’s going to be another agent that’s probably worse than me that is gonna set the appointment and get that listing and get that paycheck. So why not it be me?”

Ren Jones08:38

Right. Exactly. And you’re probably gonna do a great job for them and serve them well.

08:42And sometimes we have to look at it that way. The worst thing that can happen is they get some of these other agents out there handling the property. So.

Loida Velasquez08:51

Yeah. Exactly. And I think the great thing also is that a lot of agents can go back and see some of my very first videos where I’m a new agent, I’m getting used to calling, and you can see that I was never a pro at this.

09:06I started just like everyone from the bottom, but over time, making thousands of phone calls, every single phone call, I kept on getting better, and that’s what I want agents to understand. You’re not gonna be perfect the first call. You’re not gonna have all of the objection handlers, but the more consistent that you are, you’re going to know exactly how to answer the next call, and depending on what they tell you, over time it’s going to get to the point that, for me, I was excited to make calls to for sale by owners and expireds because I had three or four, five different objection handlers for anything that they would tell me, and I knew if they were motivated and serious, that I would probably set an appointment.

Ren Jones09:48

Yeah, this is a hard one for them to understand, and you’ve experienced it, I’ve experienced it. Once you’ve done this a lot, you can get on the phone and there’s nobody that’s going to affect you because you can almost feel it coming and you know what to say and how to work with that person to where the call outcome is good, where they’re delighted that you called, as opposed to trying to figure out what works and what doesn’t work.

10:16So what you’re teaching them is gonna save them a lot of pain in that area.

Loida Velasquez10:21

Exactly, yes. And at the end of the day, as an agent, I like to say we have to be problem solvers. For some of these expireds or for sale by owners, there’s a reason why they need to sell or they want to sell, and it’s our job to understand what their motivation is and how we can come in and facilitate that process.

10:40So it’s not so much us selling ourselves like, “Oh, you need to hire me ’cause I’m the best over this person.” It’s more like, “You know what, Ren, what’s so important to you about making this move? What happens if it doesn’t happen?” Little things like that.

Ren Jones10:54

Right. We’re actually figuring out what their pain points are so we know how to serve them so we can come in contribution.

11:00We can be there, come in contribution, and serve them, and get what they’re trying to accomplish, accomplished. Yeah, I think a lot of agents are remiss in that. They’re busy pitching themselves and not asking enough questions to get the background information. Well, where are you moving to? How soon do you need to be there?

11:19What’s important about moving to Iowa? So they can explain what they’re trying to accomplish and give you the full background so you can help them in that process.

11:30So much…

Loida Velasquez11:31

Sometimes these conversations can be 15, 20 minutes long. So for any agent that’s watching this, it’s not gonna be like a five-minute conversation and you’re gonna set an appointment.

11:41It might happen, but for some homeowners that you’re talking to, they’re gonna tell you their whole life story if you ask the right questions, and at that point, they will tell you enough for you to figure out if this is a serious lead that you wanna go after and set an appointment with, that you can actually help, or maybe you can’t help them, and you just let them know the truth.

Ren Jones12:00

So this is sort of a recipe that you’re offering. You’re giving them guidance, you’re giving them the what works and what doesn’t work, and then is it ongoing? Can they get involved with you and be involved with you seven years later?

Loida Velasquez12:13

Absolutely, yes. I mean, there’s always something going on that I’m gonna be working on.

Ren Jones12:17

Okay, good. All right. And how do they reach out if they want to get involved? Is there a website that they should go to to check it out and see what the offerings are, get involved in the next boot camp, or get involved before the next boot camp in

12:33one

12:33way or another?

Loida Velasquez12:34

Of course. So you guys can visit my website, loidavelasquez.com. The challenge that I have coming up soon is callingwithconfidence.com. All of the details are there. I love prospecting. I love making calls. It still works. I see ads all the time that it doesn’t, but if you watch me, it definitely does work, and you’re gonna make a lot of money.

12:55And yeah, Instagram is just loidavelas.

Ren Jones12:56

Yeah, it’s kind of interesting. They’re like, “Oh, cold calling doesn’t work.” Now, these are not cold calls. These are warm calls in one way or another. Often they have a home for sale and no agent. Or they’re in some… It’s a well-thought-out process.

13:14You’re just not calling people randomly.

13:17Okay. So there’s that. So there’s a science behind this whole process, and how many people have we seen that go from whatever they’re making now, 90,000 a year, to quickly making 300,000 and 500,000 and 700,000, and it’s very common.

13:37Not everybody. For some people, it’s just not in the DNA.

13:42No. But for those that believe and are willing to have the patience and work the process. Is there some sort of a community as well? Do you have a Facebook group or things like that, that get a little collective going, or?

Loida Velasquez13:58

Yes. So in my website, loidavelasquez.com, you’ll be able to see links to the different Facebook groups that I have that are free for agents, where I also do additional trainings. And of course, on YouTube, I’m always posting content, so any training content, you guys can go there. I have over 300 videos that I have done over the past almost eight years.

Ren Jones14:19

So they can just start watching those.

Loida Velasquez14:21

Yes. If you have a question, I probably have a video on it.

Ren Jones14:24

Good. So what else should we be talking about related to your business that you’re offering?

Loida Velasquez14:33

Yeah, so along with selling real estate and helping agents, I think it’s just really important for agents to understand that right now, skills pay the bills, and you have to work on your skills consistently and all the time.

14:46Because I don’t think we’re in a market where now we’re getting 30, 50 offers like we were in 2021. Now you might have to have some skill, especially if you’re meeting with sellers, and turn away some clients. I have done that many times, where I have sellers that are unrealistic, and I think it’s important for everyone to understand that it’s okay to turn away business if you know that you can’t help them.

15:09I’ve always loved to focus on listings, and I say, “I would hate to put a sign in the yard just to put a sign when I know a property’s not gonna sell, ’cause then I’m gonna be known as the agent that couldn’t sell that house.”

Ren Jones15:23

So a pre-qualifying process?

Loida Velasquez15:26

Yes, exactly. Pre-qualifying process, asking questions, and listening.

Ren Jones15:31

Okay. Yeah, and that last one.

Loida Velasquez15:33

Yeah. Listening.

Ren Jones15:34

That’s it. This is what I see happen a lot. They get involved, they get excited, they list four or five homes. They really get excited. The four or five homes in this market sell, and then they have three of them that they have to immediately find a home for.

15:56They stop their morning routine getting listings. They spend the next month and a half to two months taking these people around looking at properties, and then those people decide to sit on the fence and wait till a good one comes up, and they get away from doing what got them successful. How do we get them, ’cause you talk about sellers, sellers, and sellers.

16:16How do we get them to stay focused on the sellers?

Loida Velasquez16:20

It’s really important to have a disciplined schedule, first of all, and understand that there’s no emergencies, and also know that if you tell yourself and your schedule is prospecting or making calls from 8:00 to 12:00, even if a buyer tells you, “I wanna see a home at 9:00 o’clock,” you have to have your standards for the way that you run your business to know that showings are gonna be in the afternoon, or maybe have a buyer’s agent or a showing agent that can help you.

16:50So that’s a great way to start building a team, because if you’re going after listings, naturally you’re probably going to get buyers as well, but you always want to focus on being able to control what you can. And for me, that’s why I focus on listings, because sometimes buyers, I will take them out.

17:06Turns out our offers don’t get accepted, and I have to go back to showing homes again. Versus listings, I meet with the seller, we put a lockbox if we need to, or if not, once I get the contract signed for a listing, I move on to prospecting, possibly finding a buyer and getting that next listing.

Ren Jones17:25

I agree with you, and I agree with you entirely. Because if they go, “Well, I wanna go look at property at 9:00 AM,” like, no.

17:34And if they’re homeless, I get it. So getting a buyer’s agent or referring them. And people are like, “Well, I’m not gonna split it if they… I sold their $800,000 house.

17:46They’re gonna buy a $4 million house, I’m gonna work that one.” Yes and no. What if you have somebody that you share in it, and on a large trade-up like that, they make 25%, you get 75%? So you get 90,000, they get 30,000. They should be very happy to show the four houses that exist in that $4 million range.

18:10So this can be done. I remember someone, she had five kids, single mom. All she could do was list property. She could not take buyers out. It just wasn’t in the cards with five kids, single mom. So because of that, and making arrangements for all of her buyer business to be handled by a couple of very stellar agents, and setting up an arrangement where the referral fee was 25, 50, or in the case of a big trade-up like that, 75%, you can stay on that course of only working with the seller.

18:52Which is Monday through Friday.

Loida Velasquez18:55

Yeah, exactly.

Ren Jones18:57

It’s Monday through Friday, what a deal.

Loida Velasquez18:59

And there’s so many ways that agents can structure that. Just like you mentioned, it could be 50/50 or 60/40 or 75/30.

19:07And you continue focusing on listings, and you’ll still get a paycheck.

Ren Jones19:11

Right, and then you don’t have to work any Saturdays and Sundays, except for maybe seven minutes to negotiate the contract. But that’s easy, because the agent for the buyer has to write it up and rewrite it up, and show it, and then go to the next property, and then the next. I mean, all the labor’s on the buy side.

19:33All the labor. I think there’s that one exception of working with a buyer. They know which house they wanna buy. They say, “Loida, I wanna buy that house.” And then you say, “Sure, come in and we’ll write it up.” “Well, can we go look at it one time? I know I wanna buy it.” “Okay. Sure.” But it’s that one house, and then refer all the rest.

19:56It can be a wonderful life. It can be a wonderful life.

Loida Velasquez19:59

Yeah, and I have another example where sometimes maybe a buyer goes to an open house, but you’re their agent. And they say, “Hey, I just came to this open house. I wanna submit an offer.” And that’s happened to me a couple times

20:12where I just write an offer. I know how to negotiate, call up the other agent, submit an offer that I know will probably get accepted. We go under contract and I wasn’t even there.

Ren Jones20:21

Yeah. Interesting. Exactly, and so there is a system, and we have a lot of agents, and I know a lot of them, that the only buyers they would work would be those two examples, where in each case, they know the one house they wanna buy, and that’s the only one you would work.

20:37And then you just list and sell 80, 90, 100 properties a year, which, run the math on that.

Loida Velasquez20:46

A lot of money.

Ren Jones20:47

It’s a perfect plan. So get involved with Loida. Go to loidavelasquez.com, and what’s the name of the other site?

Loida Velasquez20:55

It’s Calling With Confidence.

Ren Jones20:57

Calling With Confidence.

Loida Velasquez20:59

Yes, ’cause that’s what everyone needs.

21:01They need to be calling with confidence to set more appointments.

Ren Jones21:04

Calling With Confidence to set more appointments. Good. Get involved. Have some fun. Well, thank you for this, and you have a fabulous business. And thank you for helping us out and hosting this show as well, ’cause normally it’s reversed.

Loida Velasquez21:20

Yeah, it’s not. I’ve had a great time interviewing other agents and other coaches for this show, so I’m glad today we reversed it a little bit and I got to do it with you.

Ren Jones21:32

Let’s talk about this one last item. We see a lot of people that are not involved with any kind of a coaching company, and my observation is you make less money than if you’re paying somebody

21:52to save you all this time, show you best practices. It’s an investment that you can’t lose money on. Whether you’re paying 1,000 a month or 1,200 a month or 400 a month or whatever it is, that money, it’s trading nickels for quarters. And regardless of what you’re doing or whose coaching program, get involved with one, anyone.

22:16You will not lose money. You will come out way ahead. I mean, way ahead. Which is why we have this show.

22:25So

22:26good deal. Thanks again, everybody. We’ll see you next time, or she’ll see you next time.

Loida Velasquez22:34

Yes. Thank you.