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Thank you Michael Reese, Jay Kinder and Jeff Wilhems. These Guys Rock.

By Tim Maitski

Real Estate Agent with Atlanta Communities Real Estate Brokerage GREC #208281

June 28, 2007 10:22 AM

I had the opportunity to attend a 3 hour seminar this morning put on by Jeff Wilhems, founder of Agent Toolbox. Jeff flew in two "top gun" agents as his guests, Michael Reese and Jay Kinder. All three are members of ActiveRain. All three are doing phenomenal business.

Jay Kinder is out of Lawton Oklahoma. He said that he has 14% market share. Something like 120 listings out of around a total of 900 listings. He sold 523 homes in 2006. Lawton has a population of 100,000. He's number 3 in the world for Coldwell Banker. He's only 29 years old.

Michael Reese got in the business four years ago after mentoring with Jay. I forget how many homes he sold last year but it was in the hundreds. He is only 27 years old.

Jeff Wilhems has worked out an amazing system that he is now selling to agents all over the country. His wife is an agent in Tucson so everything is field tested. His wife's team sold 500 homes over the last two years. She's only been an agent for three years.

He gave out a lot of good information during those 3 hours.

It was kind of funny. All three have been on ActiveRain for a few months. They all feel that blogging is a great new tool to take advantage of. Michael Reese was sitting up front looking back at the audience of around 70 people and he happened to recognize me from my profile here and pointed me out to the crowd. I was way in back and kind of wanted to remain anonymous. I heard one agent close by say something about me being the agent with nuts. I was so glad to hear that my tag line is working. I'm still not certain about it but it apparently is sticking in the minds of a few people.

These guys are doing some amazing numbers. Jay Kinder is actually the guy who manages Mike Cositgan's radio and TV commercials. Mike Costigan is an Atlanta agent who blankets the area with some really good radio ads. He has 280 listings.

It was an honor to have met these guys. The neat and inspiring thing is that they aren't doing anything that anyone else can't do after a little practice. They've found a few things that work for them and they are out there doing it. You can re-invent the wheel or just do what the successful people are doing.

Jeff made a very interesting point near the end of his presentation. He isn't growing his business by competing for business with other top agents in his area. His competition and future source of business is from the agents who are only doing a few transactions per year. These low volume agents just won't be able to compete against everything that he is coming up with.

My problem has been that I always have to try to re-invent the wheel. Maybe I'll finally be smart and just do what the really successful people are doing. Shoot, if a young kid in Lawton Oklahoma can do 500 sales, a middle aged guy in Atlanta Georgia should be able to do 1000.

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Missy Caulk

Missy Caulk TEAM - Ann Arbor, MI

Savvy Realtor - Ann Arbor Real Estate

I agree, why invent the wheel. My daugher went to a class for 8 weeks and does everything Paul said do. She is way past my other buyer agents.

Jun 28, 2007 10:57 AM

Blue Ridge Ga Real Estate >> Real Property in Blue Ridge Georgia

United Country Landmasters - Ellijay, GA

Tim. i am agree with you. I just got throught reading the southwest Nuts book because I saw it in your profile..

Doug

Jun 28, 2007 11:13 AM

Tim Maitski

Atlanta Communities Real Estate Brokerage - Atlanta, GA

Truth, Excellence and a Good Deal

Missy, thanks for stopping by.

Doug, I'm glad you found value in that book.

Jun 28, 2007 12:05 PM

Bryant Tutas

Tutas Towne Realty, Inc and Garden Views Realty, LLC - Winter Garden, FL

Selling Florida one home at a time

Tim sounds like they certainly have good systems in place. It's hard to tell what folks do by their numbers. When someone says they sold 500 houses last year but in reality there are 15-20 people on the team it's not really a true picture. Now having said that, these guys are certainly very very successful. I would like to know how many folks split that 1mil in commissions though.

Jun 28, 2007 12:18 PM

Tim Maitski

Atlanta Communities Real Estate Brokerage - Atlanta, GA

Truth, Excellence and a Good Deal

Bryant, I know what you mean. But the exciting thing they shared were all of the leads that they generate from their websites. If you have enough leads, then it's just a matter of creating a structure to convert and close those leads. If you have the systems set up you then can step away and have a fully functioning business. I love working in the business but when I stop, business stops. It's interesting seeing how others are building self sustaining businesses. That's something that you can then sell at good multiples. That's where the real money is.

Jun 28, 2007 12:27 PM

Bryant Tutas

Tutas Towne Realty, Inc and Garden Views Realty, LLC - Winter Garden, FL

Selling Florida one home at a time

I do agree it's a profitable plan. If I were young like you I may go for it. :) It is definitely an advantage to have something to sell later. That's something I won't be able to do because I am my business. But I like it that way. For me it works because I'm more of salesman than a manager. I like small. One of the best things about our profession is all the different ways it can be worked successfully. Find what works for you and go for it.

Jun 28, 2007 12:49 PM

Michael Eisenberg

eXp Realty - Bellingham, WA

Bellingham Real Estate Guy

Best of luck too you, I too am trying to learn the tricks of the trade from others, And I learn alot here.

Jun 28, 2007 01:09 PM

Tony Gallegos

Cognicorp Mortgage Banking Advisory - Marietta, GA

Tim - It's all about being picking a system, tweaking it and faithfully working it. Many times it's not who's the smartest, rather who has developed systems around themselves that leverages their strengths and supports theirs weakness'.

Jun 28, 2007 04:52 PM

Anonymous

Jeff Wilhems

Thank You. Best of Luck to you Tim. Let us know if we can help you in any way!!!

Jeff

Jul 01, 2007 03:34 AM

#10

Anonymous

Buddy Blake, Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty

Holy cow... none of this is rocket science.. it all comes down to WORKING and not whining. Every system will work, if you work them. I can personally tell you that Jay (Kinder) and I are friends and use the same radio consultant and we have both been increasing our business nearly every year (our team will close around 400-500 homes this year), thanks in great part to the Guaranteed Sell program. We've recently launched a new site (http://www.guaranteedsell.com) to promote the program in out of market areas and started rounding up a number of top agents that typcially run "under the radar" and are much more interested in working on their business (and family) instead of working on the "ego" factor.

Thanks to everyone for all the constructive ideas... I look forward to reading more great ideas and learning more new systems. Keep em coming... good, bad, and the ugly... everyone has something to teach us... if we LISTEN!

Jul 02, 2007 05:37 PM

#11

Anonymous

Hmmmmmmm...........Thank you for the compliments on the radio ads Tim. I remember meeting you a few years back at a big convention. While my buddy Jay is one heck of a real estate agent he isn't the guy "managing" any of my campaigns. To be factual, several years ago I hired his media buying rep. to help me BUY ads and he did write the early "interview" style ads that I ran on smaller stations. Being sort of a copy writing expert myself I took over the positioning and ad scripting myself when I moved to the larger stations and began running my "no bull" style ads. I now am carrying 350-400 listings at any given time-none of which in any way are to my very good friend (seriously) Jay's credit. What many people know about Jay and I is that we REALLY make a habit out of literally abusing each other in front of others (one time I sat next to him on stage in front of 2,500+ people while he proclaimed that I was "stupid" to which I had to remind the crowd that they were listening to the ramblings of a "little boy"). So I guess in the end here I am glad to hear that's all Kinder had to say-definitely one of the lighter "shots".

Enough about me. You can get al the info. you need on Jay's premium listing inventory by visiting http://www.cityof.lawton.ok.us/CityCode/Lawton_City_Code/Chapter_14/1/index.html

Ha!-sorry brother-had to take my shot ;-)

P.S.-In response to the post(s) questioning Jay's numbers because he has a tem. Let me tell you for certain that Jay is highly profitable and extremely inventive and as much as I like to crack on him he is one of the very best team builders I know amongst the ranks of top residential realtors. His ability to highly leverage himself is part of why he is able to grow his market share in massive amounts. You see, it's about positioning yourself as the expert and creating a self-managing practice that creates wealth without required day to day oversight. Most doctors I know would trade for this model without second thought.

P.P.S.-Amen to JW's comment about a particular so-called "600 transactions a year" agent. Someone must be using a different MLS here in Atlanta than me and everyone else..hhhhmmmmm......

Mike Costigan

Mar 05, 2008 01:01 AM

#12

Chad McBain

RE/MAX R.E. CENTRE - Guelph, ON

Wow that is amazing he learned all he knows from Craig the god of real estate. I am sure he learned plenty, but I know how these endorsements work. He also learned from Russel Shaw, Mike Ferry , Buffini and more. Would Craig take credit for their knowledge as well. Speaking of wich, how come Craig never gives Dan Kennedy credit for practically designing the Quantum Leap System for him....but I digress. The truth....no only a small part of a perception.

Sep 28, 2008 03:10 AM

Anonymous

The Truth

We all know how easy it would be for a marketer, manufacturer or etailer to post fake reviews of a product - whether positive for their own products or negative for competing products. This is one of the challenges of not only building trust online, but cultivating authentic communities online.

Haven't we all read a review that goes something like this...

"WidgetXYZ is the best thing to happen since sliced bread. After I bought it, all my friends wanted one too! It's so quiet and fast, and I can keep all my Widgetizing in one place. I've tried lots of other widget solutions, and none can compare. I don't know how I ever made it before I found WidgetXYZ. I can't wait for version 2.0!!!"

Here is a prime example of someone using fake posts to promote their product over all others:

http://www.realestatemarketingcoursereviews.com/

Fake review sites like the above try to drive traffic to their product by offering praise for their product while downplaying the competition. It's called FRO Fake Review Optimization.

Next time you do online research about products and look at the reviews, be careful which site you are looking at! It's probably owned by the one giving himself the best reviews.

Oct 28, 2008 02:56 AM

#14

Chad McBain

RE/MAX R.E. CENTRE - Guelph, ON

Wow, you seem to be blind as well as funny. READ MY POST BEFORE COMMENTING on it please. I stated that he learned from other trainers not just Craig. He ( Jeff ) told me that himself. Now I have no way of knowing wether or not your statement about Russel Shaw is true or not but I do know that he gladly gave an interview to Jeff for use on his training program so he hardly seems upset. I also asked why Craig gets so upset about this stuff when he got his system from Mr. Kennedy. Perhaps it is the copywrite issue you claim. Not sure you didn't respond to it. If you have read these forums and I know you have then you have seen me post that Craig's system works ....I own it and went to the seminar myself and believe it is effective when put to proper use. That said I have also PAID FOR Jeff's system, Todd Bates, Mark Mckee, Rob Tucker and some Dirk Zeller. I find that many are similar to Craig or vice versa but hardly identical so lets not pretend Mr. Truth that Craig created or even influenced all these people. Direct Response marketing is what they have in common and Craig hardly came up with that. In my opinion people like you actually hurt Craigs rep on these forums with your silly lectures and lazy assumptions. Settle your petty issues with other trainers on your own time and allow those of us who have paid good money for these systems to discuss our unbiased experiences freely on our own. My name and phone number are in my bio and I don't hide behind any secrecy so feel free to drop me a line some time if you wish to have a normal conversation and not behave like some Jim Jones follower.

Nov 27, 2008 11:59 AM

Anonymous

The Truth

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

DISTRICT OF ARIZONA

Craig Proctor Productions, Inc., a

foreign corporation; CP Coaching, Inc.,

a foreign corporation,

Plaintiffs,

Jeff Wilhems and Marcee Wilhems,

husband and wife; Top Agent Systems,

LLC, an Arizona company,

Defendants.

No. CV-08-562-TUC-DCB

Upon stipulation of the parties and good cause appearing, the Court finds:

1. The copyright in the materials used in the Craig Proctor Quantum Leap Real Estate system is owned by Plaintiff Craig Proctor Productions, Inc.

2. The copyright in the materials used in the Craig Proctor Twelve Month Coaching Program is also owned by Plaintiff Craig Proctor Productions, Inc.

3. The copyright in the materials used in the Craig Proctor Platinum Program is owned by Plaintiff CP Coaching, Inc.

4. Defendant Top Agent Systems is not authorized to use Plaintiffs' copyrighted works for any commercial purposes.

5. Defendants Jeff and Marsee Wilhems are not authorized to use Plaintiffs' Copyrighted Works for teaching others or for publication on the Internet.

IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED, Defendant Top Agent Systems, LLC, its officers,

agents, servants, employees and those persons in active concert or participation with it

who receive actual notice of this Order by personal service or otherwise are prohibited and

enjoined, pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 65 and 17 U.S.C. § 106, from reproducing, preparing

derivative works based upon, distributing to the public or performing or displaying

publicly the materials used in the Craig Proctor Quantum Real Estate System, the Craig

Proctor Twelve Month Coaching Program or the Craig Proctor Platinum Program (the

"Copyrighted Materials");

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED, Defendant Top Agents Systems, LLC has no license

or authorization to use the Copyrighted Materials for any commercial purpose, including

publication on www.topagentinstitute.com or any other electronically accessible location,

or in connection with any real estate business or real estate agent training;

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED, for purposes of enforcing this injunction, that

Defendant Top Agent Systems, LLC shall provide to a representative designated by

Plaintiffs full access to any materials used in Defendants' real estate agent training,

whether in print or electronic format, and will not publish, sell, distribute or otherwise

transfer or disclose any materials identified by Plaintiffs' representative as a copy or

derivative of the Copyrighted Materials. Access pursuant to this paragraph shall be

provided within ten (10) days of entry of this Order.

Dated this 7th day of January, 2009

STIPULATED INJUNCTION

Jan 13, 2009 06:30 AM

#16

Chad McBain

RE/MAX R.E. CENTRE - Guelph, ON

For a better and more up to date system then Craig's (imho) Check out www.kinderreese.com

Oct 24, 2009 08:28 AM

Bill Dean

Haggerty Team St. Louis, Mo. - Fenton, MO

William Dean - Broker, Salesperson

Tim

I found your post while trying to research who Kinder and Reese were. I just recently got an email about the new program they have out. Since it has been 3 years since you wrote this, I would appreciate your opinion of them. I hope to here that your business has improved greatly from your association in the past 3 years. If not I would value your input on whether or not I should consider dealing with them. Since this is such an old post I will also email you. Thanks, Bill

Jul 28, 2010 06:33 PM