Before you rush in for the “close” make sure you are following this process. First, have you established if your target audience “Likes” you. Second, have you built up “visible” capability with said audience. If you have, NOW you will have an opportunity to serve.

In this Edition of LiveTime with Alec…

• What these three key points will help you with.
• What you need to do with each of these before your next “close”
• Prioritize these three things. 
• Its complicatedly simple.

Episode Transcribe

What’s up, everybody.

 Happy Thursday in a world that has gone upside down.

 I can’t believe it. I can. I can believe it, but I can’t believe it because we’re not supposed to be in this kind of crazy interest rate volatility and this insane market right now. We’re not. We’re supposed to have higher rates, more stability, companies going out of business. And we’re going to have companies going out of business in a low rate environment, or I should say, in unstable rate environment.Thank you guys for hanging in with me today. I’ve got a really cool topic that I want, before we dive into likeability, capability, opportunity, we really need to talk about perspective, again, for 10 seconds.We are on a wild ride. This world is changing at such an aggressive pace. Sometimes it can be very overwhelming and hard to keep up with, but that is where the opportunity lies. Not in the kind of that I’m talking about right here, but in the opportunity to stay focused on what matters. And let’s land that really quick. What matters? What’s important in our businesses right now that matter? Well, I’m going to tell you, straight up, it’s consistency in the efforts that gain you more influence and more connection to human beings. It’s the efforts and actions that you need to do on a regular basis that keep you connected with other human beings and growing influence and relationship. Influence. I can’t speak well today.Hi Lisa. Thanks for joining over on LinkedIn. We’re on LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, having a blast. And we’re going to talk about something. If the priority is keeping consistent on the activities and actions that drive the future success of your business, then you can not let the crazy market swings and the Facebook warriors and the people who are quoting rates that aren’t even licensed, you can’t let any of that bother you. You can’t get stuck in the space that doesn’t drive your business forward.I see a lot of people getting stuck right now. They’re abandoning the practices that they’ve done before. They’re abandoning their consistency. They’re not talking… What’s up, Jeanie. Thank you. You’re awesome. They’re abandoning the actions that led them to success in the past. Hi Pam. Thanks on Facebook. You’re setting yourself up for failure. You’re going to be riding the roller coaster of originations, which is, I got a lot and then I got nothing. And then I try to get a lot again, and then I get nothing again. Hey Richard. You got to stay focused and consistent on what matters. So let’s talk about what matters.I see a lot of people, especially in this rate environment, diving in and smashing people in the face with low rate posts. Sure. There is something to recognizing the environment and sharing it with people so that they can see what’s going on with the industry. Got it, love it. But when you’re doing that and you’re forgetting the importance of this magic equation right here, boop. This one right here. This equation or process that I’m going to break down has been the same since I got into the business and I was going door-to-door, meeting realtors, and getting business that way. Which, by the way, if you’re still doing that, excellent. Realtors are the best partners in the world to have. Complement that by following this exact same thing with your digital efforts. All right, so let’s break it down.Likability. All right? Likability. Does your audience, the people you’re trying to influence, the realtors that you’re connected with digitally, the customers, the past customers that you’re hopefully connected to digitally, the community influencers, all the people that you’re trying to influence, the business owners, et cetera. Have you worked hard to establish any level of likability with that person? Have you?Guys, likeability matters. We do business and engage with companies and people that we like, that we are attracted to, that we think are fun, or fun loving, or that we are… Likeability matters. I used to joke hysterically that in real estate, meaning as a mortgage professional working with realtors, you don’t even have to be good at doing mortgages if everyone likes you. They give you more grace if you make mistakes and they’re more likely to refer business to you if they like you. I used to joke, we don’t get business based on our competency. We get business based on how much people like us.Now, that kind of mentality was in 2003. Fast forward, in 2020, man, likability still matters tremendously. If you don’t like someone, you’re not going to do business with them. Period. And so before you start hitting people in the face with like, “I have low rates, call me now. Just send me your mortgage statement.” Do those people even like you? Have you worked really hard to establish any type of likeability? Because if you haven’t, they’re going to see your post about, just send me a mortgage statement and I’ll refinance you, and they’re going to call the person they do like in mortgage and they’re going to do it for them. So I appreciate you marketing for your competitors, but that’s what’s happening.I mean, I put these words on my little ticker. Put these words on your monitors. Put them as your backdrop so that when you’re making content or when you’re deciding what to put out, did you cover base one first? This is first base. Are you likable? Got it? If you do that, then you have the chance to showcase if you’re credible. Humans aren’t dumb. People that are going to come to you for a loan with their purchaser ReFi, they’re not ignorant idiots. They have the same access to the Google that you do. So they’re going to check out. “I like this guy. I like this gal. They’re fun. They’re engaging. They’re around. But, are they credible? Do they check off the credibility box?” Because if they don’t, if you don’t, and this goes back into all the brand stuff we’ve been talking about, all the third party validations, the Yelp reviews, the five star ratings. If you don’t have that stuff, then they’re going to go, “I like you. You’re not super credible. I don’t think [inaudible 00:06:50].” And it’s not going to work.So again, if you’re just spamming, “Send me your mortgage statement.” Melissa’s saying, “Likeability’s…” Is that right, Melissa? Likeability is your saving grace? And by the way, it’s not a saving grace. It’s the first step in the process, is likeability. So it’s not a saving grace. It’s a skill. And leverage that thing. But, as you leverage it, realize that the next step, capability, is going to come right in.So, what are you doing to establish capability? I’ve done a million videos, it feels like, on branding and establishing yourself as an expert and how to do that. Use the Google. I’m not going into it in this session of just hanging with you guys, but it’s pretty obvious, right? Hey, I like this person. I see them a lot. I need a haircut, man. Look how terrible that is. Not just the balding part, which is amazing. And it’s a gift from my family, but I look like a ragamuffin. I know, ragamuffin. No one says ragamuffin anymore, but I’m bringing it back.If you don’t establish your credibility and your capability, you’re not going to get opportunity. You’re not going to get opportunity. If you post, “Send me your mortgage statement”, but you haven’t created any type of effort to make yourself likable and to expose who you really are in your business and cut away the billboard bull crap… Don’t cuss on live. Lesson number one of livestreaming is don’t cuss, and I almost broke rule number one. I’m not Gary V, all right? It’s not going to happen. I’m not going to build my business off cussing. But if you have not established likeability and capability, you will not earn opportunity. All right?And then, of course, since we’re talking about it, we might as well just go there, opportunity. And what I mean by opportunity is, leads, business. Oh, Lisa, stop. Can you stop it? It’s the chance to actually engage a customer. They’ll send you their mortgage statement and be like, “What can I do?” If you’ve established the first two, likeability, capability, they’re scrolling across the screen right there. That’s what does it right there, guys. So if this is a sticky note on your computer monitor or wherever you need to focus on it, make sure you’re hitting all of these buckets. Make sure you’re showing up as a real, authentic human being who can be likable.And by the way, this also means don’t be fake. I come across with a lot of energy. When I talk, when I present, when I do whatever I do, I come across like, “I’m here. Let’s go.” That’s me. That’s my style. I like that style. I’m comfortable in this style. Do not copy whoever you’re seeing out there. Show up as you would want to show up with your own self, with things that matter to you. Some of the greatest comics in the world are deadpan. They’re not energetic storytellers dancing around the stage. They’re delivering hysterical comedy with just no expression and they’re just right here. And then that’s funny. It just shows there’s a spectrum for likability guys, and play your card. Play your card. And then don’t forget to play in the capability space. How are you showcasing that you’re capable?That will lead you to opportunity. And an opportunity, guys, you have to live in a space of abundance. There is so much going on around us right now that if you’re living in scarcity, then you’re going to see opportunities as a threat. There’s someone always trying to take it from you and you got to protect it or you got to bad mouth somebody else or whatever. That’s never the game. People who want to live in scarcity and see opportunity as a threat, and somehow they’re getting it but it could be taken from them, those people never win in the long run. And you see them all the time. So, pause for a quick hot second here. Take a sip. Got to have those electrolytes, because, you know, coronavirus.Does this make sense? It’s a simple equation. But to me it makes a ton of sense because it really breaks down the sales process, if you will. It really breaks down the relationship building process, or the priority process. Do not go in for the kill, the sale, the close, if you haven’t spent the time earning the right to have that kind of a conversation with somebody. And the only way I know you’re going to earn that kind of right, is if we focus on these three things, guys. All right?What are you doing to create likability? What are you doing to showcase your capabilities? And then from there, you get the opportunities of actually influencing and working with customers and providing them with an awesome opportunity ahead of them. You get me? It’s not complex, but it’s hard to do. And it’s only hard to do because we as humans are terrible at execution, aren’t we? We’re terrible at execution. Because here’s the deal, if you want to become likable, or liked, let’s just go through that. If you want to be liked by your audience, by your past customers online, by the realtors you’re influencing, by the community partners and whatever, on your social sphere, how often do you need to hang out with them?I love that dating always kind of has this amazing parallel connection to sales. Okay? No one on date one bends the knee and is like, “Will you marry me?” No one does that. Well, some people. Don’t do that. I’ve watched Frozen enough times to know that’s a mistake. That’s a bad guy. Don’t do that. No one does that. You don’t go in for the marriage proposal on date one. But how many dates does it take to understand if you like somebody? Everyone’s got a different answer to that, don’t they? It’s probably not one.So how many times do you need to show up in people’s social feeds? How many times do you need to show up at the soccer field where your kids play and love on your local community and serve them? How many times do you need to show up and be in relationship with people to establish likability? How much work do you have to put in to establishing credibility? Is it one Yelp review? Is that it? You did it? That’s success? I got my one. No. No, of course not. So how hard do you have to work to hit likeability and capability before you can make the post that says… Oh my God, are you guys getting attacked by robo texts? I’m getting texted by people that are like, “You want $5,000 for free?” Talking about being over marketed to, right? Your customers are experiencing the same thing. So have you established likeability, have you built up your capability so that you have the opportunity to serve your customers?That’s the game. That’s it right there. Bang, bang, bang. Done. But if you don’t follow it, if you don’t follow it, and you go right to the close… I call it opportunity now because I don’t want to call it close time or sales time or sales, because that’s not what we’re here to do, right? We’re here to talk to a customer about their opportunities that could be in front of them. Whether it’s a cash out refinance, written term, or a renovation loan, or re-purchase they’re considering, all of that stuff is our job. So if you don’t hit one and two, you will not get an at bat at number three. All right? Serious. Put it on your monitor. Old school it. Sticky-note it. Focus on it. Because if you got to choose to show up in the online community, then you’re going to have to figure out how to hit one, two before you can hit three. Otherwise you’re just noise and you’re not going to get a response.All right. Appreciate you guys hanging out with me today. Please do me a favor if you’re still hanging right now at the very end, will you throw a comment or a like or a share on this thing and help me get my reach out? I need your help. Can’t do it alone. Got to do it with you guys. That’s the game. Community. Appreciate everybody jumping in. I hope you have a wonderful rest of your week. Stay safe, stay dry, if you’re in my world out in Southern Cal, it’s raining like crazy. And wash your hands. See you guys.