How Justin Ford sets appointments by starting his calls at 8:00 every morning

Justin Ford00:02

You have to create a strong mindset. And, mindset, is the thing that causes people to get on the phones, and not get on the phones. Mindset is the thing that causes people to be consistent, and those that, kind of, back off when they don’t feel like it. And, what’s great about mindset is, you can learn how to create a strong mindset. So, maybe today, you don’t have a good mindset. Maybe today, you’re struggling with rejection. Maybe today, there’s things internally that are causing you to really struggle, getting on the phones and being consistent. But, what’s great is you can put a plan in place on how to strengthen your mindset.

Ren Jones00:41

It’s that time. Welcome to Roadmap. How to take three listings a week, until you’re ready for more. Each week we interview a great agent who is consistently taking several listings each month, and we have an exciting guest today. And, we encourage you to take notes, apply as much of the knowledge as quickly as you can, and then use the copycat principle. Let me introduce my co-host from San Diego, Carley Hathaway. That’s carleyhathaway.com. Hi, Carley, how’s everything in the real estate business?

Carley Hathaway01:30

Hi, Ren, hi, everybody. Real estate is fantastic. It is such a good time to be a listing agent. I’m loving it.

Ren Jones01:38

Let’s dive right in. Our guest today, who sells a lot of real estate in Michigan, Florida, and, is soon to be opening up in Chicago. Isn’t that the way real estate’s sold these days? This is exciting. Anyway, our guest, Justin Ford.

Justin Ford01:55

Hey, Ren, thanks so much for having me today. I appreciate it.

Carley Hathaway01:58

We’re so excited to have you. Thanks for being on.

Justin Ford02:02

Carley, thank you so much.

Carley Hathaway02:02

Yeah, for sure.

Ren Jones02:02

Good deal.

Carley Hathaway02:06

Okay, so, you’re doing quite a few different areas, but let’s just dive right into this. What is your goal for the year?

Justin Ford02:12

Goal for the year for homes sold, this year, is about 150. Last year I did 125, so the goal is to do 150 this year, and close to 40 million in personal volume.

Carley Hathaway02:24

Amazing, amazing. And, are you on track?

Justin Ford02:27

Absolutely, yeah. Actually just looked at the numbers for the first half of the year, and we are right on track, and looking to even go past those goals, as well.

Carley Hathaway02:38

Fantastic. Okay. And, you say we, so I’m assuming, do you have a team, or do you have buyers agents, or what does your setup look like?

Justin Ford02:45

Yep, so, I do have a team around me, but I also have my own personal team. I have three admins, and also a showing assistant. And so, the numbers that I just shared with you would be my own personal numbers, not including our team numbers.

Ren Jones03:01

So, that’s your personal production? Man, you are a rockstar.

Carley Hathaway03:05

Yeah, 150 homes. I love it.

Justin Ford03:08

Yes.

Ren Jones03:08

Good deal.

Carley Hathaway03:10

Okay, so, obviously, you’re not sitting on your tush, so what are you doing to get these listings, and get these homes sold?

Justin Ford03:18

Yep, great question. And, I’ll concur that it is a great time to be a listing agent right now. So, thankful, I’ve been in the business for eight years, and right off the bat I was taught how to use Vulcan7, and, literally, make prospecting calls. Right from day one, I was calling expireds, and for sale by owners. And so, over the last eight years I’ve really been able to build the habit of prospecting every single day from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Call for sale by owners and expireds just listed, just sold circle prospecting. And, over the eight years, I’ve, obviously, built up now a sphere of influence, a past client list. And so, I’ve really got a variety of different ways that I get business, but my core foundation is still calling for sale by owners and expireds.

Carley Hathaway04:03

That’s amazing. And, you’ve been doing this for eight years, and you’re prospecting for 4, 3, 4, 5 hours every morning, starting at eight. Did you have to build up to that or eight years ago were you just like, let me get on the phones for four hours?

Justin Ford04:17

Yeah, so, the team that I joined back in 2013, the way that their whole entire platform was set up was, you had to be an inside sales associate, also known as the ISA for the first 90 to 120 days before you could ever meet with a seller or a buyer. So, you were literally given scripts, you were given a desk, and you were given a phone, and some leads, and you were told to go make it happen. So, it was what everybody did. You had to be on the phones as an ISA for eight to 10 hours a day. And so, to go from eight to 10 hours a day doing it for 90 to 120 days to only doing it three to four hours a day was a lot different, but, obviously, still very profitable.

Carley Hathaway04:57

Yeah. It sounds like you were almost in kind of like a bootcamp to get really strong on the phones.

Justin Ford05:03

That’s exactly what it was. It was a 90 to 120 day bootcamp, and the team that I was working with said, “If you can learn this skill, and really conquer this over the next 90 to 120 days, it’ll make you into a great salesperson.”

Carley Hathaway05:17

Yeah, sounds like it. And, you mentioned scripts. How important is it to use scripts, and not just kind of wing it, and have a conversation with a potential seller?

Justin Ford05:26

So, I always… Because, I, actually, teach a lot of real estate agents information, and I always say, “When you start off as a brand new agent or if you’ve been an agent, you’re getting on the phones for the first time, you have to have scripts, because the script is the roadmap on how to get to an appointment.” And, the reason why scripts are so important, is because selling is not telling. Selling is asking questions. And so, if you’re asking the right questions, it’s leading you to their motivation, and if you know their motivation, and why their home didn’t sell, or what their motivation is to sell, then you’re going to be able to lead into that scheduling an appointment. But, if you’re just looking to wing it, and trying to figure it out on your own, you’re going to have a lot of growing pains. But, I always say, “Follow what works.”, and scripts work. And, once you master them then you can make them your own. I don’t read off of a script every day, eight years later. I’ve internalized it, I’ve memorized it, and I’ve made it my own. But, if somebody’s starting out, absolutely, you can’t do it without scripts.

Carley Hathaway06:28

Yeah, agreed. Okay, so, for those people just starting out, how do you get past those hangups or those getting yelled at, and how do you overcome that and not let it get your energy down?

Justin Ford06:41

I love that question. I talk about this all the time, and I think this is the number one thing that cause agents to fear getting on the phones. And so, what I tell them is expect the nos, right? When I get on the phones, I expect people to say no, I expect them to say no, and I’m only looking for one to two people per day to say yes. And so, when someone cusses me out, or says whatever they say, because they say all types of stuff, I don’t take that personal. That just, is a sign, to me, that that’s not the person that I’m supposed to be working with. But, if I continue to make the calls… I love what Jim Roan says, he says, “Law of averages.” You make enough calls, appointments show up. And so, I teach, and, as you guys do, and you hear people talk on here is, when you get on the phones, and you’re consistent, and you make the calls, appointments show up. But, you have to go through the nos to get to the yes.

Carley Hathaway07:33

So, expect the no’s. That’s smart, because then it’s not going to affect your energy as much.

Ren Jones07:37

So, can I expand on the rejection piece? So, one of the things that we know, I mean, it’s easy to say, “Well, I did eight to 12, and I expect the nos.”, and all that. And, what we know is for a lot of human beings, that are watching right now, that maybe take zero to two listings a month somewhere in that range. But, one of the things they struggle with is, “How do I it on the days I don’t feel like it. How do… When I do get a knot in my stomach from all this rejection…” What are the structural pieces that maybe it’s a pre-prospecting routine, maybe it’s your mindset. What are all the little ingredients that will help them do what you’re describing? Because, we make it sound so easy, let’s be fair. We make it sound easy, here.

Justin Ford08:25

That’s great, Ren, and I appreciate you touching on that. I’ve created what I call the Six Keys to Success. And, the six keys, basically, give you that roadmap on how to overcome that rejection, and really set yourself up for success. And, number one, is you have to start with the goal. What is your goal? And, I remember my very first year in the business, my goal was to sell a hundred homes my first year. And, I remember coming back from a retreat, it was, actually, a Mike Perry retreat, and Mike had said… It was in January, he said, “Hey, what’s everybody’s goal this year?” And, my goal was to sell a hundred homes my first year. Everybody thought I was crazy, but I believed it. And so, I came up with a plan of what do I need to do every single day? How many people do I need to talk to every hour, every day, every week? How many listings, how many appointments? All the way to show, okay, if I do this, this leads me to this.

09:14But then, number two is, I have to discover my why. Why do I want this? Why am I getting on the phones? What is the end result, and what does that ultimately lead to, and why is that important for me? And, what I’ve noticed is you have to have why that’s bigger than that knot in your stomach when you don’t feel like it. You have to have a why that is bigger than I don’t feel like it. Because, if your why is not big enough, then you will. You won’t show up, right? You’ll be inconsistent. But then, number three, Ren, I think is the big one, to create a strong mindset. And, mindset is the thing that causes people to get on the phones, and not get on the phones. Mindset is the thing that causes people to be consistent, and those that, kind of, back off when they don’t feel like it. And, what’s great about mindset is you can learn how to create a strong mindset. So, maybe today, you don’t have a good mindset. Maybe today, you’re struggling with rejection. Maybe today, there’s things internally that are causing you to really struggle, getting on the phones and being consistent.

10:10But, what’s great is you can put a plan in place on how to strengthen your mindset. And then, number four is, you have to make a commitment, because, without a commitment, what’s the point in even showing up? Number five is discipline. You have to have discipline. Discipline’s the thing that sets people apart that are winning, and people that are not. And then, number six is accountability. If you’re going to commit to getting on the phones, and you’re going to commit to making calls, find an accountability partner, find a coach, find a mentor, somebody that can hold you accountable to the first five. And, when you put those six keys in place, I’ve found those are the six keys to success. It really equips someone, gives someone what they need to succeed on the phones.

Ren Jones10:49

I love that. Can you give an example of mindset? Because, some people they really get that, and some people are like, “I wonder what he means by that. What could I do to change that? My state of mind where I want to make that next call?”

Justin Ford11:05

Yep. That’s a great question. One thing that I did when I first started was, I had my vision board right in front of me. I looked at the things I wanted to accomplish in my life, and things that goals that I wanted to hit, and I knew that by making the phone calls they were ultimately going to lead to those things. Another one is reading. There’s a Bible verse. I always share this. “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” You don’t even need to be religious to even look at that. Just, if you change your mind, you transform. So, we transform our mindset by what we put in our mind, by what we read, by what we listen to, by the things that we put in. What we impress, we express. And so, I always say, if someone’s struggling with fear, then maybe you need to listen to some things on how to teach her how to overcome fear. Or, if you’re struggling with rejection, I always take people through a little exercise. Let’s go back and look in your life at to what time in your life did you start struggling with rejection? And, when people can look back, and work through some of those things, then they can show up more empowered and excited, on the mindset side, to make calls.

Carley Hathaway12:17

It’s so interesting. It goes back to your entire life, how to build strong mindset, and, I really love that phrase. What you impress, you express. That’s great. Love it.

Justin Ford12:27

Yeah, and here’s what I’ll say, Carley, is, especially as adults, right? Here we are, we’re adults, we’re big boys and big girls now. But, yet, so many of us have never dealt with this stuff from when we were kids, or when we were teenagers, when we were bullied, when we were rejected, when mom and dad got a divorce and dad left and it left me insecure, or whatever it may be. And, we grow up, we get our big boy, big girl pants on, but those things are still lodged into our subconscious mind, and so, when we show up to make prospecting calls, all of a sudden all of those things start triggering in our subconscious mind, and we’re afraid to make calls, because we were afraid to be rejected, because we never dealt with it back when we were teenagers or when we were kids.

Ren Jones13:08

All right, moving away from pain, moving towards pleasure. And, I like the vision board, places you want to go things, things you want to do, things you want to have. I mean, I got to tell you, for me, building a wonderful vision board, and all the exciting things I wanted to do, most… I think, all of them have come true. You put those on, and a lot of people say that. They’ll have a picture of a house, or different things they want to do, and 3, 4, 5 years later they get there, and it’s a great thing. You’re making a call, you look at the vision boards, you’re rejected. You’re feeling like, “I want to go have a cup of coffee.” But, you look at the vision board and say, “No, I’m going to make another call.” It’s a powerful tool.

Justin Ford13:47

Yeah.

Carley Hathaway13:47

Yeah. And, let’s talk… Okay, so I know, kind of, going back, you said you get on the phones by 8:00 AM. Do you have a very set morning routine that, kind of, gets you in that mindset to get on those calls, and be prepared, and be strong mentally?

Justin Ford14:03

There’s a saying out there, and I’m sure a lot of us have heard of it, is, “Own the morning, win the day.” And so, when you own the morning, you win the day. And so, how you start your day does matter. And so, for me, sometimes, it depends. I might go to the gym first thing in the morning, or I might go at lunch. So, I like to keep my day a little bit more balanced. But, for me, it’s spending time in prayer, it’s reading, it’s meditating, it’s getting my day ready to be at my best when I get on the phone. So, I’m at the office, I’m putting my headset on, I’m getting on the phones at 8:00 AM. I’m ready to go. And so, my morning is the same, every single day, and that’s so important, especially for those that are going to do this, and do it right.

Carley Hathaway14:42

Yeah.

Ren Jones14:43

You’re going through a lot of steps. You’re going through some pretty amazing steps that really builds that energy to the point when you do get on the phone, you have built up your mindset physically, emotionally, mentally. You’re prepared. I love that. So, that morning routine, and you gave so many examples, I think that’s going to help a lot of the people watching.

Carley Hathaway15:07

And, knowing, mentally, you’re going to start at 8:00 AM, you’re going to be ready, you’re going to be there. It’s really, really helpful.

Justin Ford15:13

Yeah, and I tell people. When I talk to some agents, like, “You prospect?” “Yeah. I usually get on the phones at nine or 9:30”. And, my thought is, people, like me, that are on the phones by 8:00 AM have already set appointments, and those people that you’re calling at nine and 9:30 are probably not even answering the phone anymore, and so, the start time truly does matter. You want to be first to that lead, and, a lot of times, people will set an appointment with the first agent that they talk to. And so, 8:00 AM start time is vital.

Carley Hathaway15:45

And, who do you like to start with at 8:00 AM?

Justin Ford15:49

Yep. I call expireds first, and then for sell by owners next.

Carley Hathaway15:51

Okay. Perfect. And then, do you get into old expireds at all, or do you always stay with the new expireds?

Justin Ford15:57

That’s a great question. So, I’ll, kind of, tell you my routine. So, I go new expireds, new for sale by owners, and then I, usually, especially, in this market right now where there’s a lot more for sale by owners than maybe in a more balanced market. And so, I’ll, actually, start calling for sale by owners from two weeks ago, maybe seven days, and more. A lot of times, what I find is people who haven’t sold their for sale by owner in seven, 10, 14 days are usually ready to sell, or really ready to list.

Carley Hathaway16:28

Great.

Justin Ford16:28

Yeah.

Carley Hathaway16:29

Great. Love it. Okay. And then, you were saying, you like to read books in the morning. Are there any great books you can recommend that really help you become a stronger salesperson and be better on the phones and…

Justin Ford16:40

Yeah, I think it’s, there’s so many different types of books that are out there. I can just share a handful of mine. My first and foremost, number one favorite book is the Bible. I read it every day. That, obviously, motivates me, and inspires me every single day. I love Robert Kiyosaki’s book called Cashflow Quadrant. That is an absolutely incredible book. I’m reading a book right now that talks about just being committed to what you say, having the discipline, showing up, being focused. I don’t even… Oh, here it’s right here. I was going to say, “I don’t know the title off the top of my head, because…” But, it’s called The Willpower Instinct. It says, “How self control works, why it matters, and what can you do to get more of it.” So, we’re talking about prospecting, and being disciplined, and showing up on the phones. This is a good one. And then, everybody is familiar with… What book is it? There’s… Three Feet from Gold is a really good one, and, there’s just so many good books. But, I would say those are my handful of my favorites.

Carley Hathaway17:39

I love it. And, that really helps, because it takes your brain into a different space that it’s like, “Okay, this person’s doing it this way, I can do it that way.” You can take little pieces from everything you’re reading.

Justin Ford17:48

Yeah, absolutely.

Ren Jones17:50

What do you do with your data? What do you do with your database? The people you know.

Justin Ford17:54

Yep. That’s a great question. So, believe it or not… So, hopefully, this may encourage somebody out there. I’ve been in the business eight years, and I didn’t even have a database until two years ago. So, for the first six years I had so much business coming in from for sale by owners and expireds, I didn’t have time to work my database, which I know sounds crazy. But, once I hired a coach, she really started to help me get more balance in my business, and so, then I started building a database, and now I actually get quite a bit of repeat referral business, past client business, sphere of influence business. But, before, I didn’t even have one. But, it’s just staying in touch with them consist consistently, and taking care of them while they’re in there.

Ren Jones18:36

Awesome. What about your listing process? You pre-qualify them before you go, and make sure they’re, sort of, vetted, and then you go, and then your presentation. Is that a two and a half hour to three hour presentation?

Justin Ford18:51

Yeah. Well, for me, I actually do my pre-qual right on the phone, before, when I’m taking the appointment, for some reason. I know some people do the pre-qual right before they go out, I’ve never really done that. It’s just never stuck for me. I know everybody does things differently, but, for me, when I’m setting the listing appointment, I’m asking those prequalification questions, right on there, because I’m really vetting that lead before I set an appointment. And then, I always call in advance, and I always confirm the appointment to make sure that, obviously, they’re still going to be available to meet with me.

19:23And then, this is a tip that was given to me that I think has worked great, and so, for anybody else that may… I don’t even want to say has a punctual, being punctual problem, but, for me it’s… When I set an appointment, I always say, “Hey Carley, I’m available tonight between five and six or between six and seven, which one works better for you?” And, they’ll say, “Well, between five and six.” “Great. So, I can be there as early as five, or as late as six, depending upon my appointment before yours.” So, rather than setting that on the button dot, 5:00 PM, you get stuck in traffic, or your appointment runs over, I give myself that window, so that if I’m there at 5:15 or 5:30, I’m not late, because I told them between five and six, and that always works great. And then, when I show up at the appointment, my appointments are about an hour.

Ren Jones20:11

Okay. And that’s with the signed contract too, right?

Justin Ford20:16

Signed contract. Just got one last night, 415,000.

Carley Hathaway20:19

Woo hoo.

Ren Jones20:19

Good deal.

Carley Hathaway20:22

I like that window. I’ve never heard that before. And, that’s really smart, like you said, because if you’re running a little late from a previous appointment, the last thing you want do is show up all flustered to their front door.

Justin Ford20:32

That’s what it would do. Even when it’s not your fault, or even like, “Hey, I got stuck in traffic.” In their mind you’re late, especially for an analytical, right?

Carley Hathaway20:39

Oh, yeah.

Justin Ford20:40

For an analytical, so, I always say, “Hey, and I’ll text you 15 minutes, or I’ll call you 15 minutes when I’m about 15 minutes out.” And, it worked. Nobody’s ever had an issue with it.

Carley Hathaway20:50

Good. And, I like that you just brought up the personality style, analytical. How do you change your presentation depending on their personality type, and how do you figure out their personality type before you show up at the listing?

Justin Ford21:04

Great question. So, when I was introduced to the personality styles, it really made sense to me, because, before I really understood them, there were certain people that I would feel uncomfortable with more in an appointment, than others. And, being a high expressive, and a high driver, I realized why I wasn’t comfortable with analyticals, is because they’re the exact opposite of an expressive. And so, I was wondering why could never… Because I, being an expressive, you play off emotion, body language, all of that, and analyticals are just like…

Carley Hathaway21:37

Yes. Yes.

Justin Ford21:42

I was like, “What’s wrong? Is there no connection here?” And then, when I found out that that’s just how they are, then I could change my body tone, my body language, my emotion, and be more… I become more like them. I want to take on the analytical personality, and the way that you learn what they are is, you have to study the four personality styles. And, when you really learn them, and identify them, you can look at key things that each character trait or personality trait displays, and then, you can kind of find out which one they are. And, you can do that over the phone even before you get to the appointment by asking certain questions.

Carley Hathaway22:17

Yeah, agreed. That’s amazing, and it is so important. And, your person… Once you learn your own personality type, you’re right, you can kind of bend, and mold, and mirror, and match to be more comfortable with them.

Justin Ford22:28

Absolutely. Yes.

Ren Jones22:28

It’s a beautiful thing.

Carley Hathaway22:29

And, knowing analytical, you’re going to show up with all the facts, and numbers, and data, and not be scared of those questions.

Justin Ford22:35

And, if you’re a driver, you just want to sign the contract, and say, “Get to the… What’s the bottom line? Sign the contract.”

Ren Jones22:43

That can be the quickest appointment, and a very happy day. Yes, good deal.

Justin Ford22:47

It is.

Carley Hathaway22:48

We love drivers, right?

Ren Jones22:49

Good deal.

Carley Hathaway22:49

Good.

Ren Jones22:52

I’ve got to tell you there, there’s such a wealth of information here. My gosh, we’ve covered a lot of good stuff. And in rapid fire fashion, too, Justin. I mean, you were rattling off all these things that they could, obviously, they’re going to have to play this over and over and over and over and over again, because this is the guide for if you’re trying to get to where you take an extra listing a week, this is a good guide for you. This is fantastic.

Carley Hathaway23:20

Yep. Good stuff. So, Justin, if people want to reach out to you, and send you referrals, or ask you questions, or anything, how can they best get ahold of you?

Justin Ford23:28

Yep. Yep. So, I’m, again, located in the Detroit, Michigan area. I cover all Southeast Michigan, also South Florida, soon to be Chicago. You can find me on Instagram or on Facebook, and it’s theofficialjustinford. And, the reason I had to change it to “official Justin Ford”, because I thought there was only one of me, but, if you put in Justin Ford, there’s like, hundreds of me. I’m the only official Justin Ford on social media. So, all you got to do is look for this cheesy smile, and you’ll find me. There’s only one smile like that.

Carley Hathaway23:58

Yeah, agreed.

Ren Jones23:59

You’re right. Because you have real estate agents with that name. And, I didn’t think there would be a real estate agent with my name, but there’s a guy with Coldwell Banker, and there is a gal with Keller Williams with my first and last name. Wow.

Carley Hathaway24:14

How funny.

Ren Jones24:16

I guess it happens to the best of us.

Carley Hathaway24:18

Official Justin Ford. We will find you. Send Justin your referrals.

Ren Jones24:21

Yes. Is that the website? The official Justin Ford?

Justin Ford24:26

I don’t have a… I mean, Justin Ford, justinfordsells.com or justinfordteam.com. That’s my real estate website.

Ren Jones24:33

Okay, good. So, they can find you that way too, because I have a feeling you’re going to get some. And, typically, you’re going to get some people are going to reach out to you from this. So, good. Perfect. Wonderful. We really appreciate you being here. This is just exciting. This is something to play over and over and over again. I have a feeling it’s going to be one of our high volume views for darn sure.

Carley Hathaway24:56

Yes. I’m going to keep re-watching those six key steps. Those are key.

Ren Jones25:05

I know. I know. I know. I was rapidly taking notes, because it’s, basically, when he talks about your goal, having a goal for every hour, every day of the week, basically, I wrote down, “Keeping score.” And then, he talked, then he talks about the why, and then he talks about the mindset, and the commitment, and the discipline, and the accountability. Those are great, great, great tools. And, we appreciate you going over those. We want to thank everybody for being here. Spread the word. You know, folks, what you may want to do is share this video with somebody not in your market that you like. Because, you don’t want them to watch this, and then beat the pants off of you. So, thanks everybody for being here. Thank you, Justin. Thank you, Carley. We’ll see everybody next week.

Carley Hathaway25:51

Thanks guys. Thanks, Justin.

Justin Ford25:52

Bye. Bye guys.

Carley Hathaway25:53

Bye.

25:53