REality

Uncovering Your Edge

• Gary Scott

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Unlock the secrets to real estate success with the legendary Steve Woodruff as he shares his remarkable journey that began in 1971. Discover how Steve transformed challenges into opportunities with a little help from a dedicated manager and developed his unique edge in the competitive real estate market. Learn how his story of perseverance and growth offers a blueprint for leveraging personal strengths to thrive in the real estate world and beyond.

Join us on a transformative exploration of relationship-building in real estate, where the focus shifts from traditional sales tactics to a more empathetic, consultative approach. With insights from Steve and his mentor Ann, we redefine the real estate agent's role as a trusted advisor committed to understanding and serving clients' needs. This shift not only elevates the profession's sense of self-worth but also highlights enduring principles that remain pivotal from 1973 to 2025.

Sharpen your skills with timeless wisdom and practical techniques as we journey through the essentials of negotiation, sales talk, and continuous personal growth. Unearth strategies that align with iconic lessons from the lumberjack story and Stephen Covey's "sharpen the saw" concept. Get inspired by Steve's forward-looking perspective on the potential of 2025, and take away valuable insights to fuel your journey towards new heights in the real estate industry.

Speaker 1:

This is the reality podcast, and I'm your host, Gary Scott. With more than 35 years of experience in the real estate industry, working in 10 major markets from New Jersey to South Carolina and now as the president of the largest real estate company in the Carolinas, Allentate Realtors, I know what it takes to be successful in this business. This is real life in real time, sharing real experiences of industry professionals to help both new and seasoned agents achieve their goals and realize their maximum potential. Allentate Realtors is a proud partner of Howard Hanna Real Estate Services, the largest independent, family-owned real estate company in the country, With more than 13,000 sales associates and staff members across the combined companies. You'll have the opportunity to hear from the absolute best in the business. Hear from the absolute best in the business. Join me each episode as we unpack the reality behind what it takes to make it in this great business.

Speaker 1:

I'm going to say good morning. It is Friday, January 10th. Now. This is the day we're recording an exciting podcast with a guest that I have been looking forward to and, most importantly, I've gotten to know him pretty well in the last 48 hours. So first thing I'm going to do is I am going to welcome Steve Woodruff to Reality Podcast. Steve, good morning.

Speaker 2:

Good morning Gary. What a pleasure to be with you folks today.

Speaker 1:

Well, we're excited and while I know our listeners are not listening. On January 10th, steve, you are in Pinehurst, north Carolina, is that correct?

Speaker 2:

That is correct, yes, sir.

Speaker 1:

And I'm sitting in our office in Charlotte, North Carolina, on a very unique day in the Carolinas which is going to be a snow day, and so I think you have put your tea time off to another time and another day. Steve, so good to have you. Let's jump right in. Tell our listeners a little bit about Steve Woodruff. Ok, thanks, Gary. Where would you like me?

Speaker 2:

to begin, tell our listeners a little bit about Steve Woodruff. Okay, thanks, gary.

Speaker 1:

Where would you like me to begin? Well, so interesting. I'd like you to begin with, maybe 1971, which was when you got your real estate license. Tell us a little bit about your career, and then we're going to talk about something that I think is really, really exciting. And you, at the end of our kind of pre-conversation, I said what do you want the title to be? And I love it. So today, our topic, our title, is going to be Uncovering your Edge, and I love it Uncovering your edge and I love it Uncovering your edge. But I think it's important for our listeners to know a little bit about 1971, 81, 91, down to 225. I still struggle saying 2025, by the way. And then we're going to dig deep into Steve's philosophy on what it takes to uncover our edge. What is that edge and how do I leverage that edge to greater success personally and professionally in 2025? Let's start with real estate license, 1971.

Speaker 2:

OK, I'm going to go a little before. That that's fine. I was born and raised in Jersey, brought up in a traditional home. My dad was a self-made man and, as we've tried a little bit before, if I only listened to him earlier in my life I'd be a lot better. He was dumb as a rock when I was 16. But as I got older I realized how smart he was and so graduated from high school, went to Michigan State University, graduated in 68, got my diploma in one hand, my draft notice in the other. He immediately went to work for my uncle. Uncle Sam spent 14 months in Vietnam, came back, got married and started to look for a real job.

Speaker 2:

Well, that was 1971. Job market was saturated. I sent out maybe 28, 29 resumes. Everybody said love your credentials, we're not hiring. So I saw an ad in the paper that said real estate career. I had never thought about a real estate career. It was the last thing on my list.

Speaker 2:

But I sat down with a guy named Stanton Elsie who was the owner of Real Estate One, and this guy ate, slept and excreted real estate. I mean, he was excited about it and he got me excited about it. So I went home and told my wife. I said I'm going to get in the real estate business and she was the type of person who always supported me. She said God bless you, I know you can do it.

Speaker 2:

So I got in the business in the first two years. Hey, gary, I was a total failure. I mean, they were learning years, they were rough years, they were ugly years. And I was just about ready to get out of the business and my manager pulled me aside and he brought me into his office and he said Steve, I'm going to have to let you go. I said what? His name was Clark Archibald. We called him Archie for short. He said I got to let you go, steve. I said why? He said you're no agent. I said what do you mean, arch? He said what do you mean Arch? He said well, you're personal, you're a nice guy, you're smart, you've got great people skills, but you're not doing the things that need to be done. You're no agent. I said well, what do you mean? He said well, I'm going to let you go. I said well, would you give me a second chance? And he said pause for a moment. He said okay, under one condition that you do exactly what I tell you to do with no questions asked. And I thought for a moment. I said what the heck? Okay, he said okay, go back to your desk, grab a couple of business cards, get your coat and follow me out to the back door.

Speaker 2:

So I got my coat, got the business cards, followed him back to the back door and he said, okay, follow me. And I said where are we going? He said don't ask me any questions. So we went in the parking lot. He said get in the car, got in the car, drove about five minutes. He found a subdivision and stopped at the corner. He said okay, get out of the car. I said what he said get out of the car. I said what's going on? He said there's three or four FISBOs in this area here. I said okay, here I am out here.

Speaker 2:

So I found the first for saleway owner, took a deep breath, walked up to the front door and, lo and behold, right over the doorbell, gary was. This sign says no agents. And I said, oh my lord, is this going to be a great day or not? So I took a deep breath, rang doorbell and the guy opened the door. He said who are you? And I said hey, I'm Steve Wooder from Real Estate One. He said can't you read the sign that says no agents? I said, sir, from my manager's perspective, I'm the closest thing to a no agent you'll ever find.

Speaker 2:

And at that day I had an epiphany, and what I mean epiphany was an aha, and I realized that if I got in front of someone, I needed to know what to say and how to say it and how to engage people and start to open that relationship. So I went back to the office and Art sat me down. He said, said, steve, I think you got potential, and the reason being is you. You did what I said, you were going to do what I asked you to do, so you'll follow direction. So he gave me a coach. He gave me a mentor, gary. Her name was Ann, she was one of the in our organization and Ann accepted me as someone to coach under one condition, and that is that when I was in front of people with her, that I keep my mouth shut and just be a dummy and just listen and observe. So in one week we went on five listing appointments. I shadow her for five listing appointments and the first listing appointment was a revelation for me. I mean, it totally shifted my perspective.

Speaker 2:

We went out to the seller's house and before we got out of the car, she said okay, steve, this is where the lesson begins. I said okay, and she said why, when we go in and sit down with these sellers tonight, what's our goal? What's our purpose? Why are we here? I said well, it's to get the listings to sell ourselves. They get hired.

Speaker 2:

She said wrong, wrong, wrong. I said well, I'm confused. She said, yes, you are. Let me share with you why we're here. She said, yes, you are. Let me share with you why we're here. We're here to help these people make good decisions. Because what I found, steve, is the only reason why a homeowner doesn't get where they want to go, if they're serious, is they don't make good decisions. So our whole objective today, when we go in and sit down with these folks, is to open a relationship, listen to them, ask questions, find out what's going on in their life and help them make good decisions. And hey, gary, prior to that, I was told to go in and sell Fact benefit tie down, you know, clothes three times and often, maybe, use the concrete. Clothes sit there like a bag of concrete. So this was a total shift in the way of approaching people.

Speaker 2:

And as we went in on that first interview, I watched her and it was so interesting because the relationship she built she didn't talk about herself, she got to get the other people talking about them. You know, you can use that old acronym Ford, family occupation, regulation dreams. So she really got in their heart, got in their head and found out what they were looking for. You know, dr Covey says, before you can be understood, you first must understand. So she really understood the importance of asking questions but, more importantly, listening and empathizing, really empathizing and getting in step with those people. And as I watched her do this, I watched the body language of the other people, those sellers sitting there, and all of a sudden their arms weren't crossed anymore, they were more open, they were leaning forward, they were engaged and she really built a relationship. And that was the beginning of that relationship, getting of that relationship.

Speaker 2:

And then, as I watched her take these people through the process, I started to realize that what she was doing really was kind of orchestrated. I mean, it wasn't manipulative, but she had a specific way of doing business. Well, that was the first interview. Now we went out the following evening on a listening appointment and as I watched her, I realized, gary, that she was doing the same thing. I mean, when I first saw it, it looked spontaneous, but as I watched her I said, hey, she's doing the same thing. At the same time she actually had a process, a decision process that she guide people through, a decision process that she guide people through. And as I watched and listened to her, I said you know that I can do that, and the reason I can do it is because it matched the way I'd want to be treated if I was on the other side of that table and it felt comfortable with me not going out to sell, but to open a relationship and help people move forward in their lives.

Speaker 2:

She also made me aware that we don't sell real estate. I mean, the only thing you can sell is your time, knowledge and expertise. I mean you can't sell real estate, you don't own it. So what do you sell? You sell your time, expertise, but also what we really do is we help people move forward in their lives.

Speaker 2:

So all of a sudden, from seeing myself as a salesperson, I started to see myself more as a consultant, as an advisor, a trusted person who could guide people, help them make good decisions and get them to the promised land. And all of a sudden that increased my self-worth, increased my self-image. All of a sudden I realized you know what? I'm in a noble profession. I'm not selling real estate, I'm helping people change their lives. Now that may sound hokey, but when you really come back down to it, that's what we do. I mean, that's a huge responsibility. And when we can do that effectively, professionally and help those people get what they want, then they become our advocates, they become our ambassadors. They tell other people about us because how we treated them, how we respected them, how we put their interests first before anything else.

Speaker 1:

So our Alan Tate listeners are locked and loaded into your message, right? We are trusted advisors, so we are in concert, steve, chapter to verse, which is why, when you and I had our pre-call, there was a huge connectivity. We call, you know there's the concept of raving fans. Our mantra is Red Penguin service experience. You know, differentiate yourself in a sea of sameness. Our company's why, steve is make a positive impact on the lives of the people you come in touch with. So that is why this connectivity that you and I garnered here in a short period of time because you know, and you and I talked yesterday about, the more things change, the more things stay the same You're sharing an experience in 1973 that is relevant and holds true in 2025.

Speaker 1:

I always like, after a segment, steve, to highlight some of my takeaways. Number one I want everyone to think about what Steve said after two years, he was thinking about not continuing in the real estate industry. There are times, if you are new, that you will ask yourself that question and you and I have all seen the quote. The great performers, the high success individuals, are the ones that don't give up in that moment because they're just another day, another week, another month away from great success. The other thing that I took from you is I, like you, believe in the importance of mentors and you leaned in on your mentor, ann, if I believe and she was, I love Ford. It's funny as you describe that experience. As I told you, we subscribe wholeheartedly to Ninja and Ford is part of the Ninja strategy, and people want to talk about themselves and you know, the other piece that you and I have to elevate today in our messaging to our folks is relational, not transactional, and never, ever, ever, been more important.

Speaker 1:

And then the other thing I'll share is you talked about three or four for sale by owners in 1973. Nar stats just came out only 6% of sellers for sale by owner in 2024. And 90% of buyers and 88% of sellers or 88% of sellers and 90% of buyers used you and I. I think that is an important message for our audience to understand is the consumer today wants and needs us more than ever, but they want that relationship that's authentic, genuine and sincere. So, steve, great, great insight. I love the story. That story could be told about somebody who joined us in 2022, right, yes, more things change, the more things stay the same. Yeah, let's talk a little. A couple of questions, a couple of clarifying questions In 1971, so I know the Real Estate One guys well, the current leadership, dan and Stuart, good friends of mine, where were you geographically back in the early 70s?

Speaker 2:

I was in Royal Oak, Michigan, so a suburb of Detroit.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, gotcha. So let's fast forward a little bit. And what are some of the other real lessons that you learned I wouldn't say early in your career, but throughout your career that are relevant today? I love, and our listeners love, the story you just shared, because so many can relate, whether I've been in the business 30 years, 30 days or thinking about getting in there. And remember our audience, steve. Our audience is real estate professionals that could be people listening or thinking about getting in there. And remember our audience, steve. Our audience is real estate professionals that could be people listening, thinking about getting in. I think all of our brand new agents listen to every one of our podcasts, so let's talk about some advice and counsel you can give to every real estate professional as they think about their success and their business and their processes in 2025? Sure.

Speaker 2:

One of the things that, after visiting with Ann, I became a student of learning and learning how to sell, or probably not so much how to sell, but the how to build those relationships and deliver value. And so before you can deliver value, you have to make yourself valuable. You're the vessel, so if you're going to bring value to people, you have to make yourself more valuable. So it's important, I believe, for us as an industry, as professionals, to take a step back and say what is our value? What do we do? So I always looked at a listing appointment as a job interview and we're applying for a very specific job and we need to be able to demonstrate what that job responsibilities are. So I believe there are six components, six job responsibilities that create a successful sale. We need to know what they are, we need to know how to execute those and, just as importantly, we need to know how to communicate them and showcase them to the people we're sitting down with so they can make a good business decision and select us as the agent of choice. So what are those six job responsibilities? Well, let's talk about the listing side. Our first job responsibility is to show and help the seller enhance the buyer appeal and the value of the home before that sign goes up, how to package it for profit so it sells for more money. So that's our first job responsibility. Our second job responsibility is to guide the seller in positioning the home at the best list price right from the very, very start, because the best list price always results in the best and highest sales price. But you know what? Pricing is a lot trickier than it appears. It's a real balancing act. So we need to guide the seller not to think with their heart but to think with their head. So we need to guide the seller not to think with their heart but to think with their head. So we need to give them accurate, detailed information so they can make a good decision and guide them into an effective pricing strategy so they price their home in the market to sell, not just on the market for sale. Now that's our second job responsibility Leads us to our third job responsibility is to make certain their house has total market exposure, maximum exposure, because we know if we create more buyer flow, we create more offers, better offers. You know, when buyers compete, the seller wins. So we should have what I call a coordinated three-pronged strategy global, national, local. They create that more buyer flow. The end result higher and best sales price.

Speaker 2:

From there we go to our fourth responsibility and that's where we need to negotiate on the behalf of the seller. And many times this is where the sale begins or ends and sellers don't get what they deserve. They get what they negotiate. So, as a skillful negotiator, we know how to bring the parties together, never alienate the buyer, but never weaken the position of our client. Secure the sale Leads us to our fourth responsibility or, excuse me, our fifth responsibility is to make certain their transaction is worry-free.

Speaker 2:

That's where we really are the project manager and we use a transaction management system, weekly communication, to smooth out things, eliminate problems. You know, my dad always said problems are situations that weren't handled properly in the beginning. So we don't want to be problem solvers, we want to eliminate problems. The way we do that is we have attention to detail and process that we put in place and that leads us to the final, and that's where we become that trusted advisor, where we guide counsel, make certain we put their best interests and put all this together to have a successful sale. And when we do that, again, successful sale. And when we do that again, we create that relationship.

Speaker 2:

So here's my point, gary we need to understand what those responsibilities are, we need to know how to do them and, just as importantly, we need to be able to sit down with that client, that potential client, and be able to talk these, not present them, but all it is is just explaining your job in an orderly fashion so they can evaluate you and determine if you're worth what you charge. Because when you think about it, boy, we charge a lot of money for what we do. Some of us are worth it, some of us are not. So we need to build value in ourselves before that other person sees the value. So I believe it's so important to have the right words to be able to explain who we are, what we do.

Speaker 2:

You know I've been, you know, the greatest salesman in the world. The book he said I will practice, improve and polish the words I will utter to sell my goods, for this is the foundation on which I will build my career, and never will I ever forget. Many have attained great wealth and success with only one sales talk, delivered with excellence. So here's the question I have for your audience When's the last time you practiced your sales talk? When's the last time you wrote out your sales talk? When's the last time you recorded your sales talk? Oh, and, by the way, do you even have a sales talk? So it's critical. You know, knowledge without practice has no value. So we've got to practice, you know. Can I tell a story, gary?

Speaker 1:

Absolutely. I think that makes the best interview for sure.

Speaker 2:

It's a story about two lumberjacks. It's an old story. Probably everybody's heard of it. But I heard from Earl Nightingale a long time ago one of the dean of self-help and he talks about these two lumberjacks. You know, one guy is huge, he's 280 pounds, got arms like jackhammers, and the other guy is small, so like my size, woodruff size, and they're going to have a contest to see who can split the most wood over a six-hour period of time. Well, the big guy looks over at the little guy and thinks to himself no contest. So the contest begins.

Speaker 2:

So they start chopping woods and within 45 minutes the little guy kind of disappears for about 15 minutes. Now this happens every hour on the hour. Now at the end of the six hours they take a sit back and look at the wood pile and lo and behold the little guy. Now the little guy almost has twice as much wood as the big guy. The big guy looks over the little guy says hey, how did you do that? You must have cheated. And not only did you cheat every 45 minutes, you went and took a 15-minute break.

Speaker 2:

And the little guy turns to the big guy and says I didn't cheat and it was easy to beat you because, when you thought I was taking a break, I was sharpening my ax. So the question is how often do we sharpen our ax? You know too many of us. We work in our business, but we don't work on our business. We need to work on ourselves, and most people don't do that. Oh, they want to be successful, but they don't put the time and energy to master this. You know, it's not a matter of being good. You've got to be brilliant at the basics.

Speaker 1:

And there's no secrets, there's no magics, there's no secret sauce, it's just the basics, but you've got to be a master of them, and the only way you do that is you master the mundane. As Jeff Olson said in the Slight Edge, master the mundane and the stuff that you don't want to do. You've got to have the discipline. Great story. I wrote a blog recently on the importance of sharpening the saw. I love your preparation. I love your practice. We talk about it all the time. We talk about you can't practice when you're with the client. You can't practice when you're in front of a customer. You know that's not the time to practice to your point. The time to practice is when you're with your branch leader or with your mentor or with a colleague, and you know, you remember the days when the public speaking, you know, do your speech in front of a mirror, so you're watching yourself. You know all of those things that often make people feel uncomfortable. And one of the things that we talked about this week, steve, we had a two-day leadership advance where we took our leadership team away to do exactly what you just said. How do we, as leaders, sharpen the saw so that we can be more impactful and influential to our teams? And you know, one of our conversations was about.

Speaker 1:

You know, our word of the year for 2025 is growth and I share that with you today. You know, growth isn't just simply one more buyer, one more seller, one more closing, one more seller, one more closing, one more mortgage, one more title, one more insurance. It's really about personal growth, because what you and I know from our collective experiences, if I grow personally, if I grow in my community, if I grow in my knowledge, if I grow in my faith, if I grow, my business will grow, because the better I am with me, I will be better with everyone that I come in contact with. So you know I love your practice, I love I write down often. You know I'm going to challenge us a little bit. I love know your value and valuable, but you know I will share with you. We talked the other day about let's maybe change that word to you're not valuable, you're invaluable.

Speaker 2:

I like that.

Speaker 1:

Invaluable. You're not just valuable, you're invaluable to the process. And so I think those are some of the evolutions of things, because I do think that we've been stuck on value proposition and we've been talking to our team, steve, in the last six, eight months. Don't know your value proposition, know your invaluable proposition, that proposition that cannot be matched by anybody, right? What are the things that you're doing to separate yourself in the sea of sameness, as you said, to create the relationship raving fan and provide red penguin experience? So, love your six. I'm going to encourage our listeners, because half of them are doing it when they're walking or driving Sit down pen paper, take down those six and then ask yourselves the questions how am I doing in those six Shift gears, buyer consultation, listing the buyer, our buyer, invaluable proposition. Walk us down the buyer path, steve.

Speaker 2:

You know, zig Ziglar had a quote. He said if you haven't recorded yourself, you're not half as good as you could be and you're definitely not serious about your industry. So if you want to get good, record yourself. But here's a word of caution and this was Zig, zig was zigzag. Before you ever play it back, go to your medicine cabinet, get your most favorite minus johnny walker black. Pour yourself about two fingers full, because when you hear yourself for the first time you will need a nip or two so the uh, so so it's.

Speaker 1:

It's funny. This is I think we've done over 100 of these reality podcasts in the last three years and people ask me all the time do I listen to them? And the answer is I don't. And I don't listen to them because I'm not going to drive down the road and listen to myself and I do the interviewing, so I'm very familiar with the content. Right and as we reinvented 2025 podcast, one of the things that Ashley Bryant, who is our individual here, who makes this a reality, no pun intended, listen to the podcasts and I need you to listen to them and I need you to. You know, be vulnerable and I need you to. Uh, it's game film. You know, being the football guy that I am, you know you got to watch game film of yourself. Plus, I want you to really take notes sitting down because your guests are amazing and the content in which we are delivering is invaluable to our ability to grow our business, and you know you asked me yesterday great question what is the goal of our time together? Today? Our goal is to give every single person listening at least three nuggets that they can turn into reality. So here's what I know to our listeners and, by the way, I appreciate everybody listening today. I don't say that enough, but you know, you and I don't get to do this if we don't have an audience and we're super excited to be able to bring this particular podcast to you.

Speaker 1:

You know, steve and I have known each other from afar for a lot of years. I've admired his career, which has spanned over 50 years. But let's move past recording. I wrote that down Preparation practice record mentor. I've already got my takeaways, my friend. Let's go to the buyer side Critical as a result of some of the changes in our industry the changes that, steve, you may not. We simply call it the new approach to real estate. I am personally inspired and motivated by the change because we will be better at our craft and I think that's a good thing for the industry and it's a good thing for the consumer. So I'm excited about 2025. Walk us through your key success components for the buyer outside of the transaction.

Speaker 2:

I think there's such an opportunity for us with buyers, because most buyers don't really understand our value, because some of us don't understand our value of ourselves. So it's really critical for us to take a step back and say, okay, what are our responsibilities? What do we do for a potential buyer? Well, I think there are six things, six components that really come together to help a buyer have a successful purchase. And a successful purchase is not just finding and buying a home, it's making certain they secure that home of their choice on their time schedule. It's a smooth transaction and they secure it at the best purchase price, which is not always the lowest price. So what are those six components? Well, first of all, I think it's our responsibility to make certain our buyer has their financing in place. It's the first step and the most critical step. Do they know what their buying power is? Do they know what vehicle they're going to use to secure that property? Do they know their out-of-pocket expenses? Do they have that written mortgage approval in their hand? So that's critical. That's the first step. So it's important how we get them to that point in time so they're ready to take action when the time is right, so they don't lose out. Once that happens, then we need to make certain we give them total access to the marketplace, not just the MLS, but also do some target marketing for them to reach out and find those areas, those hidden properties, the quiet ones that are on the market yet, to give them more opportunities. Once we do that, then we need to, when they find that property is, guide them into secure it at the best purchase price.

Speaker 2:

And here's the thing that I think is so important To help buyers realize that the best purchase price is not the lowest price, it's the price that secures the property. I mean, I bought four homes in my lifetime. Two of them I paid over and above asking price. Now why the heck would I do that? I'm in the real estate business. I could be more knowledgeable than that. I bought them because I wanted to live there. It was my home and I wanted it over and above anybody else. So I knew because of my knowledge, my expertise, because I was in the real estate business, that if I wanted to secure those homes as my home, I needed to come over and above asking price.

Speaker 2:

So we need to help buyers have that awareness that best purchase price is not always the lowest price. It's the price that secures the home. So we need to give them the appropriate knowledge and statistics so they can make those good decisions and guide them From there. Then we need to negotiate on their behalf, because a buyer doesn't get what they deserve. They get what they negotiate. And again, many times that's where the sale begins or ends.

Speaker 2:

And I think negotiation is so important. It's a critical skill and a lot of us don't really understand what it is. And there's something called pre-negotiation. It's how you package that offer, how you present it to the other agent, how you develop that relationship with them. So negotiation, and then the following entity is being that transaction management project manager to make it certain it's a smooth transaction, that all the T's are crossed, all the I's are dotted, that there's action management system to make certain everything's in place. And then the final element is, again is being that trusted advisor, guiding them, counseling them, putting their best interests first and making certain that all this comes together in a successful purchase.

Speaker 2:

Because, again, gary, if we do that with the buyers, if we did a seller, they become our advocates, they become our ambassadors, they tell other people about us and we build more business because of how we treat people, how we brought them to the promised land, so to speak, and how we help them accomplish their goals. You know, selling all comes down to this Find out what the other person wants and do your very, very best to get them there. It's so darn simple. Oh, it's not easy, but it's simple. And if we keep that in front of us, you know what is your purpose. Because that's going to impact your behavior.

Speaker 2:

You know, psychology 101 tells us this, gary, that attitudes create behavior styles. So your attitude affects how you behave. If you're out there to get a sale, to get a commission check, then your behavior turns aggressive. And I don't know about you, but when I'm in front of a salesperson and they turn aggressive, it turns me off. But if they're there to look out for my best interests, guide, educate me, counsel me so I can make good decisions that are best for me me, so I can make good decisions that are best for me Then I see that relationship different. I see them on their side, on my side, and I want to have that relationship. I'll lean towards them because I want to do business with them. No one wants to be sold, but everybody loves to buy. So what we do is we create that customer mood where people want to buy. But we need to know what our value is before we can demonstrate and showcase it to the other person. So we need to be able to talk our walk, so to speak.

Speaker 1:

So, steve, do me a favor, because you went six to the buyer, six to the seller, real quick one, two, two, three, so one was financing. Just recap quickly the six keys on the buyer side okay.

Speaker 2:

First one is financing. Make certain the financing in place. Second is to give them total access to the marketplace so they don't lose out. Okay. Third is making certain that they, when they find, find that property, they secure it at the best purchase price, which is not always the lowest price, okay, love that. Fourth is negotiate Never alienate. Bring the parties together, secure the sale. Fifth, making certain the transaction is worry-free. Being that project manager, makes sure everything is done. And then the sixth element is bring yourself in as being that trusted advisor, being that counselor guiding them, counseling them, putting their best interest and conducting your business the highest degree of integrity.

Speaker 1:

Awesome.

Speaker 1:

So, steve, I'm going to challenge the audience In both your six to the buyer and six to the seller negotiate came up in both and you made a comment which I believe very much, and that is it is maybe the single most important thing we can bring to the table single most important thing we can bring to the table. But I'm not sure that every one of us, every one of us in our industry, spends time honing that skill. And I think back to the first couple of comments you made about early in your career and that that learning, right Learning. You shared the lumber Jack, or the the lumber Jack story about sharpening the ax or sharpening the saw. You know, you alluded earlier to to one of Covey's seven habits of seek first to understand, then be understood, and he's a sharpen the saw guy, right. So I'm going to challenge everybody that in 2025, I want you to do something with intention to hone, expand, grow and perfect your negotiating skills, because I believe that that's something that our industry has not spent enough time on. Do you agree with me?

Speaker 2:

Absolutely, most certainly.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, good, well, I'm going to challenge our folks to do that. We're coming to the end of our visit today with Steve Woodruff. I love it. I wrote down here. I'm a theme guy, steve. I got six by six, success by the sixes. You got six to the seller, six to the buyer. Gosh, some super great learnings early in the interview regarding the importance of mentors, the importance of in that moment in time when you think you're not going to make it, just stay true to it, what is my, why I love my. What is my why, and to your point, we're not selling, we're building long-term sustainable relationships. That will cover time. You and I spoke a little bit about I'm a book recommendation guy and you, in our preamble this morning you showed it to me. So take a minute and share your book recommendation to our audience, if you would take a moment to do that.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely. It's an old time classic. It was copyrighted in 1947, before Gary was born, 1947 before Gary was born. It's called how I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling. It's by Frank Boettcher. It is a classic.

Speaker 2:

I read it every first of the year. Someone gave it to me a number of years back and I don't know how it got past me because I'm not a reader. I'm a slow reader so I don't like reading. But I like to read to increase my value. So it's how I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling. By Frank Boettcher. It is a classic. It is just so down to earth and the whole thing is is just selling. So damn simple. It's just helping people get what they want but be able to connect with them. And he gives you concepts. It's very similar to Dale Carnegie, uses a lot of the Dale Carnegie concepts. Matter of fact, frank was coach by Dale Carnegie. That's how we got into selling by Frank. So it's a wonderful, wonderful book. So that's what I would suggest. Whether you're new or whether you've been around for a long time, I'll guarantee you there's pearls of wisdom in there for you time.

Speaker 1:

I'll guarantee you there's pearls of wisdom in there for you. So one of the things you and I talked about also is that and we mentioned it earlier today is the more things change, the more things stay the same. You mentioned Dale Carnegie and it reminds me. As most of our listeners know, I grew up in the real estate business. Father founded a real estate firm in Wilmington, delaware, in 1961. And as he built his company back in the day when you were doing it, one brand new agent at a time, one new office at a time, one new branch leader at a time. You know, in the early days of my father's company, steve, he made I say made he highly encouraged and recommended everybody that joined the B Gary Scott Company would read Dale Carnegie's how to Win Friends and Influence People right. And so it's interesting that you share your book recommendation with. You know one that is certainly tried and true to my family, my real estate family, and that is Dale Carnegie's how to Win Friends and Influence People.

Speaker 1:

So our common theme today and it's why I was so excited to have this interview with you, particularly after we had our pre-call and get to know one another is our values are so compatible our beliefs of relationship over transaction, preparation over, you know, non-preparation, and you know whether it's your value proposition or your invaluable proposition. You know, be prepared, practice, be vulnerable. And I'm going to leave this. I was, I'm going to leave my final thoughts, steve, and then I'm going to ask for your final thought and I'll give you your question to give you a little chance to answer it. And your question is the one bit of advice you have for every one of our listeners. But I want to share a story.

Speaker 1:

I was in one of our offices the other day doing a business meeting and you know what we were talking about is this concept of challenge the traditions of the past. It's important as companies and individuals and you made a comment we don't spend enough time working on our business because we're working in our business. And you know, if I was going to share one of my three great takeaways that you provided today, other than my six by six success recipe is make sure you allocate time on a weekly basis to work on it, not in it, and one of the things I talk about is we all have to look back in the rear view mirror. Take a little look at 2024. Don't spend too much time there because you'll crash in what's in front of you. But you got to learn from what you got to learn from. And an agent came up to me afterwards and she said you know what I did this year, gary. For the first time I said what she said. I did a transactional audit. I said what is a trans?

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Speaker 1:

So to our listeners, steve and I can see each other and I just got the greatest body language from Steve, right? He's like, yeah, tell me. I know your question is what is a transactional audit? And this agent came and said what I did is I looked at the end of the year and I went and looked at every single transaction I did and I looked and I basically said what did I do right and what could I have done better? And I went every deal by deal and again I go back to the football coach in me that's looking at every single play and that's looking at you know, the football coach in me says there's 11 players. Is everybody doing their 111th?

Speaker 1:

And she did a transaction audit and what she came away with were common threads of what she did well, which is critically important, right, but she also found some things that she can do better. And the best thing is, steve, she figured it out herself. My takeaway, my giveaway everyone transactional audit 2024 by each one. Did you learn? How did you grow and how do you do it a little different in 2025?

Speaker 1:

steve, your final thought okay thank you so much for being here, my friend hey, it's my pleasure I got.

Speaker 2:

I got two, two thoughts. Um, it's been said that highly successful people don't compete. They reflect, they take a step back and ask themselves what am I doing, why am I doing it and can I get better at doing it? So it's all a matter of reflection. I got a final story, and it's my end of the visit with you, gary.

Speaker 2:

It's about the preacher who's driving down the country road and he looks over to his right and he sees this most glorious farm, the way it's laid out, the farmhouse, the white picket fence, the gardens, everything's just lush, the fields, the way they're planted and organized, everything's ready for harvest. I mean, it's just a gorgeous farm. And he's admiring this. And as he's admiring it, the farmer's coming down the road on his tractor and he waves the farmer down. The preacher says sir, sir, I've been admiring your farm. It's the most glorious farm I've ever seen and I really applaud you. And the farmer says yes, and the preacher says the Lord has probably really blessed you. He said yes, he has, and I'm so grateful and I wish you had seen the land when he had it all to himself.

Speaker 2:

So what's the point of the story? We've all been given a plot of land. It's called our life and it's what we do with it. And there's an old progression of life Plant, cultivate and harvest. So you've given a plot of land. It's your life. Take advantage of it, plant, cultivate and and harvest and make it a great life. Thanks, gary.

Speaker 1:

Steve, the law of the harvest. I love your final story. To our listeners. Thanks for being with us. Pumped, excited, jazzed about 2025. Really excited that Steve Woodruff agreed to spend a few minutes with us. I can promise you that there are way more than three takeaways today, steve. I can promise Ashley Bryant that I'm going to listen to this podcast and I'm going to take some notes. And I got to believe I've got a theme coming on a presentation in the future six by six to success in the real estate industry. Steve, thank you. And to our listeners, have a great day. It is be safe out there. I know you're going to listen to this in a couple of weeks. By the time you listen, it's going to be 68 and we're going to enjoy living in the Carolinas. Steve, stay in touch. My friend, thanks for being with us.

Speaker 2:

God bless.

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