In this episode, Leigh interviews Tracey Hicks, a realtor and co-owner of All Things Real Estate Store. Realtors are indeed entrepreneurs, but Tracey’s story and career shows you that there are a lot more opportunities out there than just listing and selling homes in real estate. Tune in to see how Tracey turned drab real estate signage into a business opportunity.
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Time Stamped Show Notes:
- 00:21 – Introduction for today’s episode
- 00:44 – Leigh introduces Tracey Hicks
- 01:03 – Tracey is located in Portland, Oregon and she’s co-owner of All Things Real Estate Store
- 01:19 – Tracey’s store sells marketing products, signs, and etc
- 01:48 – Tracey founded this store because she was tired of the ugly and boring real-estate supplies available
- 03:01 – Tracey has been in real estate for 12 years before she founded her business and she still owns 50% of a brokerage, to this point
- 03:12 - She’s still licensed, but is non-practicing since last year
- 03:24 – Realtors are now her clients
- 05:56 – Tracey transitioned from a realtor to a business owner
- 06:39 – Tracey always says realtors are different breeds
- 07:34 – Yard signs are the 2nd most important thing that gets noticed by consumers
- 08:49 – Tracey’s customers are a mix of both baby boomers and millennials
- 09:12 – The older clientele are as excited as the younger realtors
- 10:32 – Tracey’s stories are now about realtors
- 11:11 – Tracey’s latest crazy story was from a woman on the East Coast
- 11:14 – The woman ordered a flyer box and was upset that the posts didn’t come with it
- 11:56 – Tracey deals with realtors all across the US
- 13:49 – Realtor is a trade name that can’t be used for free
- 14:13 – The use of Realtor would cost Tracey $15K upfront and 15% of everything she sells
- 15:27 – Tracey is also trademarking something now
- 16:16 – Tracey wants people to be inspired – not to copy ideas
- 16:50 – They got in trouble for a domain they bought on GoDaddy which was “realtorcarkits”
- 17:37 – Another story comes from the doggy t-shirts they were selling
- 17:48 – A woman bought a size small t-shirt for her labrador
- 18:07 – The woman called and was upset because she got the wrong size
- 18:35 – Tracey’s stories are not as fun as they used to be, but she’s totally okay with that
- 18:56 – Start branding yourself
- 19:16 – When a client chooses you to work for them, they’re working with YOU, not just because of the company or what you sell
- 20:57 – Being a brand makes you stand out
- 22:45 – Regular consumers also buy from Tracey’s store
- 23:12 – Connect with Trace on All Things Real Estate Store or on Facebook and Instagram
- 24:20 – Tweet Leigh Brown for your very own crazy story in real estate
3 Key Points
- Being a realtor can open up a whole new world of opportunity for you.
- Finding the need and niching down can be the gateway to a new market.
- Work on your brand and remember that people are choosing YOU, not just your company or product.
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