How Tiffany Jones prospects 3 hours a day with paid accountability

Tiffany Jones00:00

My time management skills are good, and it’s something I consistently work on. That is a point of conversation constantly with my coach. I’m a part of two accountability groups and one accountability partner, actually, I have to pay if I don’t produce my prospecting time in the morning. So it really helps to keep me on track.

Aaron Wittenstein00:26

Hey, what’s going on, everybody? It’s me, it’s Aaron Wittenstein, and I would like to welcome you to Vulcan7 Roadmap. This is where we interview agents across the country, even some that cover two areas, two states, okay? Where we teach them how to take one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10 listings a week.

00:42All right? So Tiffany Jones, not only does she cover Toledo, Ohio, she covers Detroit, Michigan as well. You were saying this is like hour and a half radius areas, something like that. Is that correct?

Tiffany Jones00:57

That is correct, Aaron.

Aaron Wittenstein00:59

Okay. So we all talk about time management, right? Time management is a thing. It’s a big thing.

01:05All right? For me, when I work, I work like 30 minutes from my office or my house. An hour and a half would be crazy. So I’m imagining that your time management skills are just boom, right?

Tiffany Jones01:20

My time management skills are good, and it’s something I consistently work on. That is a point of conversation constantly with my coach.

01:28But it gets better. I would say year over year it’s getting better in following my schedule. I have actually more than one. I’m a part of two accountability groups and one accountability partner, actually, I have to pay if I don’t produce my prospecting time in the morning. So it really helps to keep me on track.

01:48I have a few different ways of managing that.

Aaron Wittenstein01:50

Okay, so let me just get this straight here, ’cause I wanna dive into your calendar a little bit, if that’s cool.

Tiffany Jones01:56

Okay.

Aaron Wittenstein01:56

You’re prospecting on a regular basis. Yes. You’re driving to here and here and here and here and here and here and here, okay?

Tiffany Jones02:02

Yes.

Aaron Wittenstein02:02

You have two accountability groups. I caught that correct, right?

Tiffany Jones02:05

Yes, that is correct.

Aaron Wittenstein02:06

And something else that I didn’t catch, on top, people that make you prospect, otherwise you pay them money, right?

Tiffany Jones02:13

Yes.

Aaron Wittenstein02:13

So you have to be on point because you have to know where point A and point Z are going, otherwise you’re just gonna be a disaster, am I right?

Tiffany Jones02:24

Yes. I will be a disaster. And I probably won’t make it from point A to B on time if I really don’t coordinate my schedule. And what’s been really helpful is the day before. So with one of my accountability groups, the day before we have to list our goals. So our results for the current day, and then the mission for the following day.

02:46And it really helps to put things in alignment and perspective. And then I also, of course, with any of my appointments, I call just to confirm that we’re all set so that I can make sure if I don’t have to drive from point A to point B, I can have more time to prospect or try to fit another appointment in that slot.

Aaron Wittenstein03:05

Can I put you on the spot for a second? Is that cool?

Tiffany Jones03:06

Yes, you can.

Aaron Wittenstein03:07

So you said you put in something, you put in your successes the night before. What was that again?

Tiffany Jones03:14

So the results from the day before. Yeah. So right now we’re doing a challenge, and it’s a 90-day challenge.

03:21We’re really trying to finish the year very, very strong. And so with that 90-day challenge, I have to put all of my goals for the next day in that the night before. So today-

Aaron Wittenstein03:34

Can you share? Can you share?

Tiffany Jones03:35

Can I share what the-

Aaron Wittenstein03:37

What your goals are for today?

Tiffany Jones03:39

Oh, what my goals are for today. Yes, I can.

03:41Yeah.

03:42So prior to our call, I had to at least have two and a half hours’ worth of prospecting done in Vulcan7. So if the conversations were had outside of that, at least two and a half hours dialed. I texted my accountability partner already to knock that off the list. I had to have that done before 12.

04:00So I’ve gotten that done. I have role play at 7:30 in the morning, so Monday through Friday, role play. And then I also have to finish up my just listed, just sold calls after lunch. So at least three hours of prospecting, at least one hour of follow-up. Today I have to preview one property in person.

04:20I’ll take a look at three online, and I have a listing appointment and a conversation with the seller for a price reduction. And I want to be done by 5:00. So I’m really trying to make sure that I have all of that done by 5:00.

Aaron Wittenstein04:34

So you fit this all in within like a 7:30 to 4:30, 5 o’clock day. Is that right?

Tiffany Jones04:42

Yes, in a perfect world. So the plan is, and sometimes things may go over, but 7:30 to 5:00 is the timeframe that-

04:50I try to have everything locked up by.

Aaron Wittenstein04:52

So that’s a lot. I mean, it sounds to me like a lot. Do you feel that’s a lot, or do you feel like that’s a normal day?

Tiffany Jones04:59

So I’m trying to reach certain goals in a very short period of time that I haven’t reached just yet in the past. So it is very challenging, I will be honest with you. What I’ve noticed with the challenge is adjusting and kind of tweaking things as I go. It’s just, the biggest part is staying on schedule, taking my lunch when I’m supposed to take my lunch.

05:21And it’s really crazy because when I worked for an employer, you mindlessly have to follow a schedule. You have to come back from lunch on time or you won’t have a job. But then when you work for yourself, you find it very difficult to follow a schedule. And so that piece is very interesting, and it’s constantly helping me tweak certain things to make me even more efficient.

05:45So it’s a work in progress, that’s one thing I’ll say.

Aaron Wittenstein05:48

So you work, I assume, from a written schedule, correct? Or in your calendar-

Tiffany Jones05:50

Yes, I have a written schedule.

Aaron Wittenstein05:52

You have a written schedule.

Tiffany Jones05:53

And this is my planner, actually. It’s my work planner.

Aaron Wittenstein05:57

What? I haven’t seen one of those

05:57since like 2011.

05:57Oh my gosh.

Tiffany Jones05:59

So it’s really thick, and honestly it’s, well, I’ll show you, I’ll show you next week because next week I’ve already… well, the months are color-coded.

06:08I know it’s kind of difficult to see. But I kind of color code things based on what’s gonna happen, and then the days… So to kind of give you an example of a day, this is what a day’ll look like. It’s color-coded as well. Well, from the side. It’s color-coded based on what it is. And the green is the money.

06:28Oh, I’m covering it up. Of course the green’s money. Yeah, the green is the money. So it’s very helpful because when I’m prospecting I have a sticky note, and my sticky note lists what time slots I can fit in for the week. So that way when you’re on a call, you’re ready to go. You’re not hesitant, “Well, I can be double booking.”

06:48So that way it keeps me organized.

Aaron Wittenstein06:51

See, I can’t do color coding ’cause I’m color blind. So I can’t. I mean, you look at green and yellow, they look exactly the same. I just can’t do it. Pink and red, they look exactly the same to me. So I can’t color code. It’s very, very frustrating.

07:03Very frustrating. All right, so I assume this all starts first thing in the morning, right?

Tiffany Jones07:08

Yes.

Aaron Wittenstein07:08

Okay. So are you a super early waker-upper, or what does your morning routine look like?

Tiffany Jones07:15

So honestly, before I got a coach, before I did all of that stuff, I was nothing before 8:00, except the doctor.

07:27That was my thing. And then this year, I would say around the summertime, I’ve made a pivot to sign up for a cycle class. I love attending a cycle class, and I wanted to get back in the gym and I needed something to hold me accountable. I’m realizing in every area of my life it’s helpful to have accountability.

07:46So I got into a 6:00 AM cycle class, which means that I have to be at the gym by a quarter to 6:00 to get the bike I want, so I’m usually up at 5:00. And starting September 1st I got a trainer, so I’m taking it up kind of a notch. So usually I’m up at 5:00 and I start the day at 5:00 and stop at Costco to get gas because it’s cheaper on the way home and there’s no line at lunch.

08:13So I’m noticing the whole world isn’t up and you can get so much done, so it’s very helpful to start the day earlier.

Aaron Wittenstein08:20

All right. So how long… To me it sounds like this change has not been short. I mean, I’m sorry, it hasn’t been an elongated change. It’s been a relatively short period of time.

08:31Is that correct?

Tiffany Jones08:32

That is correct.

Aaron Wittenstein08:33

Okay. ‘Cause it sounds to me right now like you’re committed full bore to making this all happen, correct?

Tiffany Jones08:41

That is correct.

Aaron Wittenstein08:42

Okay. When did this change start?

Tiffany Jones08:46

So I would say that the… Well, I’ve been a part of a role play group since 2021.

08:57So since 2021, 7:30 has always been the time that I dedicate

09:02to role play. So the day starting closer to 7:00 has been going on for three and a half years now. So that’s where things have been in that regard. And then outside of that I started… Well, I’m sorry, it’s been two and a half years, because I hired a coach, and it’s kind of crazy because I would say all roads started with… When I started, I’ve been with Vulcan7 now for like three years, and I would…

09:35Jim, I don’t even know if Jim is still holding all the sessions on the Tuesdays, Thursdays. But I would hop in and I would listen. And so I then noticed a lot of people that were talking all the time and that were really giving a lot of input, they talked about having a coach or just really kind of following some type of schedule.

09:56And I joined, through Vulcan, some role play groups. Not role play, but prospecting groups.

10:01And so one of my friends now, my really good friends, we met through Vulcan, and he sent me a message and said, “Hey, do you wanna role play?” And so I was like, “Sure.” And super nervous, and then he said, “Well, hey, I’m a part of a morning role play group.”

10:16And I said, “Oh, nice. Okay.” And he gave me the information, and I contacted the person. Unbeknown to me, they were a coach. And so I was like, “Oh, wow.” And he said, “Well, if you wanna join our role play group, you gotta get into coaching.” And I had already actually had a conversation even with Jim, and I was interviewing different companies to decide what was gonna be the best fit.

10:39So two and a half years, 7:30. The last year, and I would say over the last three months, I dedicated myself to going to 6:00 AM fitness classes, and that really changed the game ’cause I had to be up by 5:00. And so now I’m just kind of rolling with it in regards to the 5:00. It’s very helpful for me.

Aaron Wittenstein11:00

No, this is great. ‘Cause I think a lot of people, they just get like, how do I start? And then you just start is the best way to do it. You have to be ready, committed, mentally there to be able to start. Like, how do you wake up at 5:00 o’clock in the morning? I just do, right?

11:17I mean, that’s pretty much the way that it is. It’s just ingrained in you now, right?

Tiffany Jones11:21

It is ingrained in me, but I would honestly say one thing that has been really helpful is, and my piece of advice is, to find your community. Find a group. Find someone, if it’s not a group, that can hold you accountable.

11:36And me being the person that I am, knowing how I operate, number one, I needed to be a part of a very close-knit prospecting group because on the days that… It’s a mundane task. And so the days when I don’t wanna do it, I have other people, I’m listening, overcoming objections together.

11:56But then the other piece of that was that paid accountability. So last year I did a whole year of paid accountability for prospecting in the morning, and that was very, very helpful. And each year I set professional goals on something I wanna do better. So this year, one of the biggest things was being very, very consistent with that.

12:16And then, ’cause I have my vision board right next to me as well, another thing that I wanted to do, I wanted to really work on my fitness goals, so getting back in the gym. And I didn’t realize how much that would help me professionally as well. And they say do the hardest thing first, so whatever that is that’s super hard for you.

12:35Some people say, “I make calls to my database first because it gets me comfortable, it gets me moving, gets the blood flowing to easily set an appointment.” So I think that whatever it is that you decide to do, get that tribe so that it can help encourage you on those days when you just don’t feel like going.

Aaron Wittenstein12:53

Exactly. No, and like I said, it’s control your day before 8:00 o’clock in the morning. I even probably control it, for us, before 11:00. And once you’ve succeeded from 5:00 to 11:00, you’re good, you’re good for the day, right? You could go home. You could… I mean, you’re not going to.

13:12Yes. And you know you’ve done what you have to do. Okay.

Tiffany Jones13:15

Yes.

Aaron Wittenstein13:16

So I think part of it that I find to be interesting is you work two different markets, okay?

Tiffany Jones13:20

Yes.

Aaron Wittenstein13:21

And that has to be very, you gotta run light and tight with that because when you’re driving an hour and a half, two hours to an appointment.

13:28Now, do you ever see yourself in one day hitting Toledo and then hitting Detroit, like that day? Or are you spacing them out? Or how does that work?

Tiffany Jones13:37

So some days I do have to hit both markets, but it’s very interesting because some months it’ll be more business in Toledo, other months it’ll be more business in Detroit, Metro area.

13:52And so it really has its ebbs and flows. And so very seldom do I have to… ‘Cause I live in Toledo, so I live right on the border. I never thought I would live in Ohio. It’s so funny. Of all places in the world, I never thought I would live in Ohio. Born and raised in Detroit, and it’s just really funny.

14:14I went to Michigan and then I met my husband.

14:18And he’s like Ohio State fans. ‘Cause Toledo, so Toledo’s really, I mean, everybody in Toledo, I shouldn’t say everybody, but a large population. It’s like two and a half hours from Columbus, so Ohio State is really close. I’m like Buckeye, Wolverine type of thing.

14:33And then-

Aaron Wittenstein14:35

How does that work?

Tiffany Jones14:35

How does that work? It’s funny. We’re house divided, right? Oh my gosh. So it was really funny with that whole process, but people ask me, “Well, you ever just work one market?” It doesn’t make sense for me because I prospect both markets, and so I prospect both markets on purpose, and then I also find sometimes I have clients that are looking on the border of both.

14:59Right. Because Toledo, like right there, I’m literally in Toledo three minutes from, like five minutes from the Michigan border. So it makes it very helpful to be able to work both, and I have clients that sometimes are interested in both, so it works out.

Aaron Wittenstein15:15

So do you divvy up the time, or do you have specific days for this and days for that?

15:19Or are you calling the brand new ones in both? Or what does that look like?

Tiffany Jones15:22

So for me, I call the expireds in Michigan because it’s so many, and then I don’t call the expireds in Ohio. I just call the FSBOs in Ohio. And then I call the FSBOs for Michigan as well, and then I do just listed, just sold calls for both Michigan and Ohio.

Aaron Wittenstein15:39

You wanna do me a favor?

15:41We haven’t done one in a while. You wanna call me FSBO?

Tiffany Jones15:44

Okay.

Aaron Wittenstein15:44

Are you sure about that?

Tiffany Jones15:46

I’m sure about that.

Aaron Wittenstein15:47

All right, cool. Because I haven’t done a FSBO role play in, like, three days or something. I don’t even know. All right.

Tiffany Jones15:53

You say three days? Okay.

Aaron Wittenstein15:54

Three days, it’s been three days.

15:55It’s been a whole three days. All right, give me a call.

Tiffany Jones15:58

Okay. Ring, ring, ring.

Aaron Wittenstein16:00

Hello.

Tiffany Jones16:00

Hi, Aaron. This is Tiffany with Key Realty, just giving you a call about the property at 123 Cherry Street. Is that your home?

Aaron Wittenstein16:08

It is. Are you a realtor?

Tiffany Jones16:10

I am a real estate agent, and just doing a survey of all the for sale by owners in the area, and just wondering, when you sell this home, where do you plan on going to next?

Aaron Wittenstein16:18

I mean, we’re gonna stay local, but we’re looking to sell on our own. You’re like the 193rd and a half realtor to call us, and, yeah, I just… We’re gonna sell it on our own.

Tiffany Jones16:30

I can appreciate that. So you’re gonna sell it on your own. Well, let me ask you, and I understand you wanna sell on your own.

16:37Once you sell this, are you looking to purchase more properties? Are you just off-boarding? What’s the plan?

Aaron Wittenstein16:42

We’re moving, actually, to Lincoln, Nebraska.

Tiffany Jones16:46

Nice. Lincoln, Nebraska. What’s taking you to Nebraska from Detroit?

Aaron Wittenstein16:53

We’re big Cornhusker fans.

Tiffany Jones16:54

Oh, big Cornhusker fans. Okay. So ideally, in a perfect world, how soon do you wanna be there?

Aaron Wittenstein16:58

We’re flexible on the time.

Tiffany Jones16:59

You’re flexible on the time. Okay. So do you wanna get there before the snow, or you’re fine if it sells next year? You don’t have any kind of timeframe in mind?

Aaron Wittenstein17:08

No, we’re good. Like I said, once we get our money, we’ll move.

Tiffany Jones17:11

Okay. So once you get your money, then you’ll move.

17:13And then how are you marketing the property?

Aaron Wittenstein17:16

I mean, I’ve got a flyer up at work. We’ve got the Z word, open houses, just the internet stuff like that.

Tiffany Jones17:24

Nice. Okay, so you have a flyer, internet, you’re marketing those type of ways. Okay. And I see you have it listed at 359,000. Is that correct?

Aaron Wittenstein17:32

Yes. Yes, that is correct.

Tiffany Jones17:34

Okay. And how did you come up with that sales price?

Aaron Wittenstein17:36

Oh, it was estimated online. What we did, we’re really smart, we took the three of them and we put the middle one in there.

Tiffany Jones17:45

Oh, nice. Okay, so you took the median of the three. Okay. So you have your sales price.

17:50And are you prepared to adjust that price down when working with a buyer?

Aaron Wittenstein17:53

No.

Tiffany Jones17:54

No? Okay. So you’re not prepared to do that. And so you said you’re selling it on your own. What made you decide to do that? Have you sold before?

Aaron Wittenstein18:03

We just want to save money.

Tiffany Jones18:05

Okay. So you’re looking to net as much as possible.

18:07Is that what I hear you saying?

Aaron Wittenstein18:09

100%.

Tiffany Jones18:09

Okay. Well, I completely get it. And if you did use an agent, who would you work with?

Aaron Wittenstein18:15

My cousin’s uncle’s brother’s sister’s mechanic.

Tiffany Jones18:20

So the mechanic is also a real estate agent?

Aaron Wittenstein18:23

Oh, yeah. It’s Bob. Bob the mechanic.

Tiffany Jones18:25

Oh, wow. Okay. Well, you know what? That would be a great reason for us to get together.

18:30I would love to just give you a second opinion should you decide to go the route of using an agent. It looks like I have some availability today at 3:00 or possibly tomorrow at 5:00. What works better for you?

Aaron Wittenstein18:42

But what about Bob?

Tiffany Jones18:44

What about Bob? I know. Well, that’s your decision to make. I’m just here to give you a second opinion.

18:48Does today work at 3:00?

Aaron Wittenstein18:50

Sure.

Tiffany Jones18:51

Sure. Perfect. Okay. Well, are there any other decision-makers involved with you selling?

Aaron Wittenstein18:55

No, just me.

Tiffany Jones18:57

Just you. Okay, perfect. Well, I look forward to meeting you at 3:00. And I am going to prepare and put together a package of information to send over for you. Do you have about three more minutes for a few questions?

Aaron Wittenstein19:09

You can call me back.

Tiffany Jones19:11

Okay. All right, and I’ll give you a call back at, like, 2:00. Does that work?

Aaron Wittenstein19:16

Yeah, that’s fine.

Tiffany Jones19:17

Okay, perfect. And then I would pre-call. But in a perfect world, if I’m gonna call back and we’re meeting at 3:00, I would have to push in until 2:00.

Aaron Wittenstein19:25

Oh, 100, 100%. No, I agree. I just, for sheer

19:27time purposes. Yeah. No, I mean, you sound, to me, the way that I hear, you’re very well scripted. You know what I mean? You’re very well, like you’ve said this before. Joe Seller, you know what I mean? They’re not gonna see that, but you stuck to your script, you stuck to your guns, you were extremely confident in what you’d said and what you did, and it was very nice to listen to you.

19:47And I think even Bob the mechanic would think you did a good job.

Tiffany Jones19:51

Yeah.

Aaron Wittenstein19:52

I can-

Tiffany Jones19:53

And you get a lot of those. That’s the interesting thing. So FSBOs are my jam. I probably love them more than expired. So you just, the gold is in the follow-up, and I think that’s the biggest thing.

20:06Sometimes it’s not necessarily a yes right away, but just making sure that you follow up and that you’re consistent and persistent, it’s very helpful.

Aaron Wittenstein20:16

100%. All right, Tiffany, so someone walks past your desk, brand new agent, brand new agent.

20:21Knocks on your door and he’s like, “Tiffany, I hear you’re amazing.”

20:24“What is one piece of advice that you could give me that would make me bring my business to the next level?”

Tiffany Jones20:30

One piece of advice I would say is to prospect. That would be the biggest piece of advice if you’re a brand new agent.

Aaron Wittenstein20:37

All right. Well, that’s about as easy as it gets right there. Okay. So to tie this in a nice little bow here, what are your final, last words for good old Vulcan7 Nation here?

Tiffany Jones20:50

For good old Vulcan7 Nation, I would say the biggest thing is to follow… Create a schedule. Create something that you can commit to. Find somebody to hold you accountable. That, and again, it goes back to having that tribe. For me, I didn’t get into coaching right away, but I think that organically, everything fell in place.

21:13I started off, I was very consistent with showing up to the Vulcan community two days a week. Jim did a great job. He had a lot of different people on the platform, a lot of agents. And then through that, you can find your role play partners. That’s what I did, right? And so I think having that community, people that are like-minded and that are interested in taking their business to the next level.

21:34And then once you lock that in, training consistently, always being a student of the business. I mean, everybody’s aware now of all the changes with NAR, everything that’s happened. There is just a lot of room to get more business now. And so I would say once you have that tribe, staying committed, and just don’t give up because it can be sometimes a little difficult, lonely journey.

22:00A lot of people don’t prospect, right? So I think that when you find a group and you get around people that are gonna encourage you to do better, just keep pushing.

Aaron Wittenstein22:15

All right. So someone’s moving to either Toledo, Ohio or Detroit, Michigan. How do they get in touch with you for all those referrals, people coming from Lincoln, Nebraska, huh?

Tiffany Jones22:24

Coming from Lincoln, Nebraska. I appreciate that, Aaron. So you can give me a call at 734-265-0408, or you can find me on Facebook as well, Tiffany Jones, Real Estate Agent. And all my info will be there as well.

Aaron Wittenstein22:38

Beautiful. Beautiful. This was great. I wanna say thank you so much for coming and hanging out with us for a little bit, okay? And everybody there, I want you to remember one thing, trust the process. And go make some money. Take care of yourselves. Everybody be well, okay?