- Do you want to get smarter? Grow your business? Engage better with clients? Then you have to absorb the materials that will encourage that growth.
Now, I’ll be the first one to tell you how much I enjoy smut. Television, radio and books that are made for sheer pleasure and not a smidgen of intellectual quality are sometimes just the candy I need (because I have got to get off the refined sugar — but that’s a soapbox for a different day!).
For example, there is not even one good reason to watch “The Bachelor,” yet I sure do.
Like sugar, they are occasional treats, not the staple of my diet. Thinking about what you feed your brain is no different than considering what you feed your body.
Do you want to get smarter? Grow your business? Engage better with clients? Then you have to absorb the materials that will encourage that growth.
One way that I squeeze the good stuff into my day is through listening to podcasts. They’re free. Apple forced that little app onto your phone anyway, so fill it up. Here’s what I’m listening to:
1. “Serial“
This podcast is currently in season two, and it’s like old-school radio (think: “The Shadow Knows”). Each episode unrolls a different piece of the plot from a different angle.
I like it because I am forced to consume it in bits. I can’t gorge on it, so I relearn the beauty of anticipation and suspense.
It’s how your buyers and sellers feel while they are in the process of real estate — you can’t make it happen any faster than it’s going to happen.
2. “10x Talk with Joe Polish and Dan Sullivan“
I have made no secret of how much I admire Dan Sullivan — he has coached more entrepreneurs than anyone on the planet. Joe Polish knows marketing and how to be engaging.
Do you want to grow? Listen to these guys and implement what they say. Get outside of the real estate paradigm for a few minutes.
3. “Freakonomics Radio“
This is the broader economy broken into tidbits that are fascinating. You will think differently about real estate and your business when you consider a far larger forest.
My favorite recent episode was about whether you would rather your kids drink or smoke pot. Your answer might change after you give a listen.
4. “I Love Marketing with Joe Polish and Dean Jackson”
Let’s be frank. You agents call yourselves marketers, but you aren’t marketing — you’re utilizing a template over and over. Think about marketing differently.
Reconsider the product — whether you are talking about you as product or property as a product. You might just change the real estate perspective in your area.
5. “Real Estate Success Rocks“
This series of interviews with coaches, top producers and random people that Patrick Lilly likes is the best real estate podcast I’ve found.
You’ll get actionable takeaways from just about every episode.
If you’re not listening to Ashton Gustafson yet — you have to. He’s so gifted with words.
I feel like a better person after hearing him, and I can reach for the person I want to be.
Like you, I am not perfect, but I want to get better. So do my clients. I feel like I can be this rock star Realtor when I listen to Gustafson.
You know I’m a nerd. History isn’t just for kids; it’s how the past applies today. Learning about World War I helps me see the political landscape differently today.
And whether you like it or not — you have to pay attention to politics to protect real estate interests. I wish I’d had Dan Carlin as a professor in college.
I’m busy. Y’all are busy, too. I get it. It’s your top excuse for not doing what you should. There are a zillion great podcasts out there.
How about suggesting your own in the comments? And remember, there is no silver bullet for real estate success, but that’s no reason not to build your arsenal from the brain out.
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Leigh Brown is a full-time residential Realtor, speaker, coach and smartass. She works in the Charlotte, North Carolina, market with Re/Max Executive Realty and can be reached @leighbrown on all networks.
Did you know Brad Inman has a podcast where he interviews the best and brightest in real estate?
