Pamela Hoffman: Corporate Structure to Successful Real Estate Agent

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[00:00:00] Pamela Hoffman: I like to look for problems ~and I, ~and I tell my clients that so ~I, ~I'm trying to look ahead.

[00:00:04] Pamela Hoffman: Like what are the things that we could run into? ~What are the, ~what are the roadblocks, what are the potholes? And I'm going to tell you what they are, but I'm also not going to come at you hair on fire. ~I'm going to come to you and ~I'm going to say, look, okay, here's what's going on. Here's what I foresee.

[00:00:17] Pamela Hoffman: You can do a B or C, you know, like I try to present ~like ~options. ~Here's ~here's your paths you could take and I feel like being able to do that is what helps me and my clients get to a successful end because ~you're, you know, ~you're like, okay, things are going to come up throughout.

[00:00:35] Pamela Hoffman: Throughout the process whether you're selling or you're buying a home But being able to handle those challenges as they come your way I think that's important is being resilient being able to be resourceful ~and ~and overcome challenges. 

[00:00:47] Tracy Hayes: [00:01:00] Hey, welcome back to the real estate excellence podcast today. I have another Jack's real producer here to share her story. She has a vast experience in the cosmetic industry where she worked for over two decades. She was a rookie of the year for her brokerage in 2019. She is the Hoffman of the Hoffman and Crawford team at angle and Volkers.

[00:01:42] Tracy Hayes: Let's welcome. Pamela Hoffman to the show. Good morning. Good morning. How you doing? I'm very good. Excellent I appreciate you coming down. We've never met before so which is actually very common on the show. ~Um, ~and ~uh, ~Like I said before just feel relaxed and and we really want to get your story across [00:02:00] and out to your ~uh, ~Your friends and family and and new customers that get to meet you.

[00:02:04] Tracy Hayes: So ~Um ~as I kick off every show the easiest question, where are you from? 

[00:02:09] Pamela Hoffman: Originally from originally, yeah. Yeah. Originally from New York. Actually I'm from a New Yorker too. Born and raised. Yeah. . . So I,~ uh,~ was born, born and raised in New York, but lived in Long Island, also lived in New York City,~ uh,~ for many years as well.

[00:02:23] Pamela Hoffman: Oh. And,~ um,~ moved to Florida about six years ago. 

[00:02:26] Tracy Hayes: I did see that,~ uh,~ you were with Estee Lauder, I think on your, looked in your LinkedIn and were actually in New York. New York. Yes, I was. Wow. ~Um. ~We were just up there 4th of July,~ um,~ you know, of course, it's so interesting how,~ uh,~ you know, the difference of, yeah, living here.

[00:02:41] Tracy Hayes: Well, we do have a little bit of a yard. The houses are getting closer and closer. But, you know, it's a different lifestyle when you live in a city like that. 

[00:02:51] Pamela Hoffman: We lived, so we lived in New York City for about 10 years and I can tell you, I mean, it was It was great when we did it, and it was before we had kids, and so it was just, the lifestyle was awesome, and [00:03:00] I worked in New York City, so my commute was super short, but, you know, having everything at your fingertips, and restaurants, and bars, and shopping, and all of that was super fun,~ um,~ but I couldn't tell you who my neighbors were.

[00:03:10] Pamela Hoffman: It was like the weirdest thing, because you lived in a massive building, and you could get in the elevator, and I could not pick out my neighbors until they were literally standing next to me, opening their door, but we moved to this place where, and Everyone knows everybody. It's, it's a pretty, it's a different lifestyle, but, and for some, I think, I imagine, you know, a few, some people that may live in New York think, well, that's kind of weird, but like, I, you know, I know everybody, my kids know everybody, everyone knows my kids, and like, when we first got here, I thought it was really funny how I would take my son, who was, he was just learning how to swim, so he was like, Right.

[00:03:45] Pamela Hoffman: And I would take him to the pool and people would say, like, hi Christian, like they knew him before they knew me. Alright, alright. So it's just, it's, it's very cool living here and ~um, ~we moved here for the lifestyle, ~so. ~Right. 

[00:03:55] Tracy Hayes: Well, I remember, I just, you made me think of, I spent most of the 90s in Northern [00:04:00] Virginia and a lot of times, yeah, the only time you, you know, I was living with my cousin, we were in townhouses and it was really when it snowed and you had to go out and shovel the, you know, the driveway, that's, that's when most of the interaction went on with, with your neighbor and here in Florida, like you said, of course the kids, yeah.

[00:04:19] Tracy Hayes: Being involved in the kids things do put you out there, you know, you know, you're your child's swim team And you push everyone all the moms and dads are standing around. So You know you start to interact but yeah that there's there's no doubt and that's something we could definitely talk about You know highlighting real estate is the lifestyle here in Florida because I think that's the most important thing people move here for a lifestyle 

[00:04:44] Pamela Hoffman: And that was the main reason why we moved here, because we,~ um,~ I have family that lived in Nocatee, and they moved here about, I would say, 10 years ago, at least.

[00:04:53] Pamela Hoffman: So there was, it was still, it was in the plans, but it wasn't what it is today. And so we decided to come here because [00:05:00] we saw, in Northeast Florida, not only do you have sunshine, For most of the year, it's like, it's beautiful for the majority of the year, but you're really able to enjoy that, but then being able to have, you know, close access to the beach, you'd be able to go to the water parks and enjoy that, and it's just, it's such a difference in terms of, you know, you can work and work hard and be successful, but you can also enjoy your lifestyle, and that's really why we moved 

[00:05:23] Tracy Hayes: here.

[00:05:23] Tracy Hayes: 100%. ~Um. ~Suffolk County Community College. You have that on your LinkedIn. Is that something you graduated from high school and just kind of migrated over there? What, how, what, how did that come in? 

[00:05:33] Pamela Hoffman: Originally, I went away to school. So I, so I went away to SUNY Oswego. Upstate New York, almost by Canada. Say that again?

[00:05:41] Pamela Hoffman: SUNY Oswego. Okay. My accent. And ~um, ~So I went there, and I was a biology major, and I thought that I wanted to go be in the medical industry At the time and it was in biology was great chemistry was not so great [00:06:00] And I realized I was like I can't do eight semesters of this it was Yeah. Just not for me.

[00:06:04] Pamela Hoffman: And so I went home and then,~ uh,~ it was just by chance I ran into a friend who was working in cosmetics at Macy's at the time,~ uh,~ for a different company and, you know, Hey, how are you? And she, and she was doing something she really, she really loved. She's like, Hey, you should work here. Throughout high school, I worked in retail.

[00:06:22] Pamela Hoffman: Right. So my, my entire life has been sales and service and,~ um,~ yeah. So it was very easy for me. So I thought, okay, well, I'll apply for a job. And it was just kind of, because I knew I was going to go to school while I was at home. I was trying to kind of figure out my new path. Right. And it was probably just a couple days later, I got a call and it was, hey, we have this.

[00:06:41] Pamela Hoffman: This job opening for a clinic consultant. They're part of Estee Lauder companies. So I went, I did the interview and got hired right away. I was like thrown right into it. And at the time I also then got registered for school. Decided accounting was going to be, because I like numbers. I realized that I like numbers.

[00:06:59] Pamela Hoffman: And ~so, ~

[00:06:59] Tracy Hayes: I was a [00:07:00] math person too. And I thought engineering, but I didn't want to take that engineering and that chemistry either. 

[00:07:05] Pamela Hoffman: Yeah. Sorry, I can totally relate. But so I decided accounting was going to be my path. And so that's what I thought that I was going to have a career in and I, you know, and I loved all the classes and all of that, but I was also working.

[00:07:21] Pamela Hoffman: Clinique, and I was working full time and going to school, and,~ um,~ what I realized, though, was that I found a passion for what I was doing, and I, and I fell in love with the cosmetics industry, and I was very successful, and I, so I started, I started as a beauty advisor, as a Clinique consultant, and I ended up, or, it, it, it was just kind of like the stars aligned, because I ended up working with people that really invested in me, in me and my development, and they saw my potential, and, and ~so, ~I grew 

[00:07:49] Tracy Hayes: through that.

[00:07:50] Tracy Hayes: Tell me, tell the,~ so,~ the background to this question, actually 20 some years ago, I was working a, a,~ um,~ part time job at Dillard's. Dillard's had a travel [00:08:00] agency at the time. Oh wow. ~Um, ~and ~uh, ~so I was working part time there,~ um,~ thanks to, my mom made the connection. She was in travel,~ uh,~ through,~ uh,~ for a good bit, had her own travel agency.

[00:08:08] Tracy Hayes: But anyway, ~um. ~So I was in Dillard's and you walked through the cosmetic counters,~ um,~ almost seemed like they're, they're employees of the store, but then they're also cause they're representing the brand,~ uh,~ Clinique Estee Lauder. ~Um, ~they're, Almost on you because you're getting obviously getting different training.

[00:08:28] Tracy Hayes: ~Uh, ~I would you know It's it's there's a lot more involved than just that person hanging out in the women's clothing section and tell us a little bit What's involved? ~Uh, ~someone was listening right now or you know said oh, yeah My daughter would love to go work at the mall and in in the you know Kind of the thing they do what's entailed and actually when you step in and take that job I mean because I imagine there's like a good bit of training before they start letting you touch people's faces and, you know, do all that 

[00:08:53] Pamela Hoffman: kind of stuff.

[00:08:54] Pamela Hoffman: Correct. And so when I, when I worked with Clinique,~ uh,~ they're a, they're a company, they're a brand that [00:09:00] really pride themselves in the level of education that they provide to their employees. And ~so, ~and in, in cosmetics, those are co op positions. So yes, you're an employee of the department store, but you're also an employee of the brand and the brand gives all of the.

[00:09:13] Pamela Hoffman: The brand education from the service experience to how you connect with people, how you uncover needs. ~Um, ~whereas the, the retailer has their own set of education. But to give you an example,~ um,~ in the first year, Of working there. I had over 100 hours of education that was provided to me by that brand and it was a lot of in person training.

[00:09:34] Pamela Hoffman: ~Um, ~there was, you know, back then it wasn't online. We won't talk about what year, but,~ um,~ but yeah, it is a lot of coaching and education and then they come in and they spend time with you side by side to make sure that you, when you're interacting with people, you're giving them the right information.

[00:09:48] Pamela Hoffman: You're, you know, you're asking the right questions to connect with them so that you're successful, 

[00:09:53] Tracy Hayes: right? Yeah. How much, like if you were to balance roughly, you know, those hundred hours were spent in [00:10:00] obviously training you on the product, what it does, what's behind it so you could be educated on it versus the,~ um,~ interaction with the client from a sales and personability, you know, the,~ uh,~ the tangible assets that you need to be a successful salesperson.

[00:10:15] Tracy Hayes: I guess I don't know if I'm saying that correctly, but,~ um,~ You know, because we talked earlier about that, the sales training at 100 hours, how much was, how much did they spend on roughly 

[00:10:23] Pamela Hoffman: each? I would say, you know, the, the product is easy because there's so many reference tools and they give books and tangible things.

[00:10:32] Pamela Hoffman: Like now they, they have online tools and they have, they give them iPads to use in the, you know, in their stores and all that. But at the time you had all those things at your fingertips. So if you weren't sure about, let's say a product ingredient or how something worked, you could easily reference that.

[00:10:45] Pamela Hoffman: So I would say like. 85, 90 percent of it was how do you work with people? How do you work with people, understand what their, you know, what their concerns are, what their needs are, and then how do you make sure that you're. recommending the right things [00:11:00] for them based on what they're telling you or maybe what they're not telling you what you're seeing because you learn a lot about that as well as kind of, you know, how do you interact with people and everybody has a different communication style.

[00:11:10] Pamela Hoffman: So how do you understand based on all of these factors and deliver what it is that person is looking for? 

[00:11:17] Tracy Hayes: ~Um, ~and from The male's perspective just watching because you're getting up close and personal with these people and You're at you're standing out there in the middle of the middle of the floor at the same time And so there there takes a skill like you said reading people and some people are very, you know bashful and that some, some don't care to sit down in the chair and let you do whatever you're going to do with them.

[00:11:41] Tracy Hayes: that takes a skill there. There's no doubt or a mindset, I guess. I don't know how, how would you, cause you then went on the training. How did you,~ uh, uh, ~you know, taking what you learned there, then you went on to train others to do it. What are some of the things that you took, whether you took.

[00:11:56] Tracy Hayes: You still use from that very first year in those hundred hours to stuff [00:12:00] that you may be because I imagine as you grew in Training you improved it In theory I 

[00:12:06] Pamela Hoffman: just did haha I did Well so I, when I moved on into my next role I was promoted into a management role ~Um, ~and I knew that I wanted to do that And I realized that it was, you know, I wanted something of my own like my own store and that's And it's not just where it all began, but when I became a manager, it was where I realized that training was where I was meant to be in my career and, and at that time,~ uh,~ because I really enjoyed developing people to be successful.

[00:12:32] Pamela Hoffman: And I, and I also had a passion for sales, so I had a volume that, you know, a volume that my store was responsible for, that we needed to achieve and all of these goals and driving events and,~ um,~ you know, growing our, our client base all of that, but then teaching other people how to do it. And, ~um. ~You know, in answer to your question, what I took with me, I would say, is,~ um,~ you know, I learn by doing,~ uh,~ and I also learn by, like, I'm a very visual person,~ um,~ I, I don't learn when people read things to me, like, I, like, you know, I have a business [00:13:00] partner, she'll, she'll be telling me something on the phone, like, you know, you know, I'm, I'm not taking any of that into, I know, I know, I know, okay, like, so I visually, like, I can, I, you know, I visually see things, and it's like, okay, got it, and then I also have to put it into place, and,~ um,~ And that's what made me successful, was that I, you know, I would never ask anybody that worked for me to do something that I was not willing to do.

[00:13:21] Pamela Hoffman: And ~so, ~that was what made me successful, and as, you know, I worked through my career even up to when I was the Vice President of Education. I, you know, I, if I wanted to try a new concept, I wouldn't send it out to somebody, I would go in with my team, we'd roll up our sleeves and like, Okay, let's try this, is this realistic?

[00:13:36] Pamela Hoffman: Is this what people want? Right. And then that's how I could take something and then, you know, essentially sell it to, you know, 10, 000 consultants around the world is because It was tried and true and I knew that I knew in my heart that it was like the right thing to do By people and that you know, it was going 

[00:13:53] to 

[00:13:53] Tracy Hayes: be easy Well, that's one thing about the industry is you probably do get an immediate feedback because you are face to face, [00:14:00] you know Um, I think it's it can be difficult.

[00:14:03] Tracy Hayes: I spent 12 years of my of my mortgage career working from an online with a headset on and and uh You know work, you know, you're not seeing the facial Interaction And it's it makes it a little easier when you at least you know, you're out there trial and error you can Immediately change your direction just by simply by someone how someone reacts.

[00:14:28] Tracy Hayes: Yeah In very subtle ways. What are if you can think of I'm putting you on the spot here a little bit But think you know a couple like real Concrete foundational things that you You may have actually ended up teaching yourself because as you're a trainer, you're being trained as the trainer, and then you're, like you said, you're bringing it to your students, and then you're tweaking it because, are they receiving [00:15:00] that?

[00:15:00] Tracy Hayes: Do I need to, you know, you know, converse it in a different way or teach it a different way? What are a couple, just some foundational things that you catch yourself still using today in real estate? 

[00:15:11] Pamela Hoffman: ~Um, ~simple things like asking, asking what someone's goals are. ~So, ~it, you know, I started out in, yes, skin care and makeup.

[00:15:21] Pamela Hoffman: And it might be just, you know, what are your skin concerns? But how that applies today is, okay, you're looking to make a move to Northeast Florida. Tell me about why. Tell me, like, what are your priorities? What's important to you in that move? Who's coming with you? I like to ask a lot of questions to understand what's the dynamic?

[00:15:38] Pamela Hoffman: Are they coming by themselves? Are they coming with their family? Why did they make that choice? ~Um, ~what's important to them in terms of, like, what do they need to have within the home but also near the home? Because if I can understand those priorities and what kind of the motivation factors are then I can I already have a better insight into that individual and what's [00:16:00] going to be important to 'em as we search 

[00:16:01] Tracy Hayes: for a potential

[00:16:02] Tracy Hayes: Do, do you find everyone has an answer to some of those things or you have to kind of like drill it in, drill a little deeper? Because I, Mm-Hmm. . I just know, obviously interviewing a lot of people. ~Um, ~you know, sometimes if you, you ask a, you know, a why mm-Hmm. , you know, or,~ um,~ you know, we see a lot of,~ um,~ trainings and so forth.

[00:16:19] Tracy Hayes: Or What's your why? What's your why? Well. I mean, yeah, I want to eat. I want to, you know, provide for my family. I mean, what do you mean? What's the why? Is it not obvious right but some of it's not obvious and how do you break through that? That you know, cuz you know some person they put up a there's a subtle wall cuz they don't necessarily know you so well yet They're not really they think it's personal information where it's you it's professional information 

[00:16:48] Pamela Hoffman: ~Uh, ~I share a lot of my personal experience.

[00:16:50] Pamela Hoffman: So going back to what you said, what are those things that you still apply today? ~So, ~my, I moved my family here six years ago, and I've been through it. I, I tell people about my background. When [00:17:00] I started, I was in, I was in corporate education. I had a global position. I traveled the world. It was a very cool experience, and I'm grateful for that time that I had.

[00:17:08] Pamela Hoffman: But what was important to me at the time was that my kids are really little, and I want to be present for them. And I want to give them, You know, the best lifestyle and I see that, you know, what we're living in a place where it's snowing all the time and, you know, they only spend like three months out of the year outside the way they get to play where we could go somewhere and they could pretty much play all year round outside and the schools are good and I'd feel comfortable with them riding their bikes down the street and everybody knows them because I saw that about it here.

[00:17:36] Pamela Hoffman: ~Um, ~and so I tell clients about that. So if I feel like, you know, I feel like there's an opportunity to share that. I do, because I want people to understand what, you know, what drove me here. Why did I come here? So that they can relate to me as well. Right. And they, and I find that a lot of the clients that I work with appreciate that.

[00:17:55] Pamela Hoffman: They appreciate my, my openness to share who I am and [00:18:00] why I made those choices. And what, what was important to me. Because what's important to me and my lifestyle may not be important to them. But if I can understand more. About what their priority is, then that's what's going to. And I was also make that connection.

[00:18:13] Pamela Hoffman: I share that with them. Like the more you share with me, the more I can understand what you're driving for. So that I'm going to, I'm going to make sure we get you, we get you to where you want to be in your dream home, or if it's selling your home as well, that like we're getting you to what, what you in the best way, the fastest way possible, at the best price 

[00:18:31] Tracy Hayes: possible.

[00:18:31] Tracy Hayes: How often do you find,~ uh,~ which I, I'm not going to say it's probably, the answer's probably common, but,~ um,~ So many are, are, have misconceptions of, you know, whether it's a CDD community or, you know, HOAs, obviously, you know, you say HOA to someone up north, they know, they kind of know what that is, even though they've not experienced it yet, but,~ um,~ You probably do get some pushback or you know, this person that wants a new construction home But really what they're [00:19:00] telling you is they want this existing home or vice versa, sure you have a couple stories where you've had that situation Someone's just wants that new construction home and then goes,~ uh,~ yeah, these new construction homes aren't ~Uh, ~I get a lot more square footage.

[00:19:16] Tracy Hayes: Convince, not I'm going to say convince them, but put them in the presence where they come to realization this is really what they want. Because that's, they're telling you one thing, but saying something. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, 

[00:19:26] Pamela Hoffman: and sometimes it happens even with couples where one wants one thing and then the other one wants something else.

[00:19:31] Pamela Hoffman: And so then they're like, okay, well they come to an agreement, but it's really not where they're going to be happy. I totally understand that. I think that the main thing is showing them. So I, you know, if I'm working with people that are from outside the area,~ Um,~ helping to not only give them an, and if they've never lived here, so helping to give them insights on Northeast Florida, different areas, whether it's, you know, looking at Ponte Vedra Beach in Naugaty or looking at Fernandina Beach or Palm Coast or Green Coast Springs, looking at all these different [00:20:00] areas and, and kind of listening to what they're telling me of what they're looking for and then I'll say, look, I'm going to start sending you information on community.

[00:20:06] Pamela Hoffman: So not just houses, but just different like links and I might send them links if, if the community has like. A website. Great. If it's like a particular area, it might come from Google, but helping them to understand what's in that area so that they can start exploring. And then, and then I'll also, if they say, okay, yeah, that's sort of interesting, then I might send them just groupings of homes in those areas.

[00:20:28] Pamela Hoffman: Mm-Hmm. . And say, this is just so you could see what you could get at a certain price point. When you come here, we're gonna take a look and I, and you know, because they might already narrow in on a specific, let's say, zip code, let's say, based on what you're telling me, I think you may also like. X, Y, or Z place.

[00:20:43] Pamela Hoffman: Let's just go and check it out. And, and what I find is that very often, because we do that, we either rule out specific areas, and they're like, you know what, I'm glad that we saw that, because that makes me know that I want this type of home, or I want to be in this area. ~So, ~being able to help them to see their options and rule [00:21:00] things out, I think, makes a difference.

[00:21:02] Tracy Hayes: Well, I think you're describing, that's one of the unique things about, you know, our Northeast Florida region. ~ Um ~You know, there's so many similarities because whether if you're you know You're out at Naugaty or you're further out into st. John's County, you know towards the river, you know Rivertown and in each community in between is so You know could be the size of the homes~ Um, ~just, you know, the size of the neighborhoods, you know, ~uh, ~I think, I mean, one thing I've noticed in St.

[00:21:32] Tracy Hayes: John's Golf where I'm at, you know, how it's evolved over the years. When I first moved there in 2009, and on my,~ um,~ street, it ends in a cul de sac. There was a handful of kids. We didn't even have kids yet. ~Um, ~but now I don't know if there's two homes. One, I know of two. So there's probably maybe three homes now that are empty nesters.

[00:21:56] Tracy Hayes: The rest all have, I mean, when you go to the bus stop now, it's like [00:22:00] every house the kids are coming out of and how each community is, is different and really breaking it down. Like you said, it's, it's, it's, it's difficult on the real estate agent, but also it's like this treasure. Cause you could literally go like a half a mile down the street and have a totally different setting.

[00:22:16] Tracy Hayes: Yeah. Yes, absolutely.

[00:22:17] Pamela Hoffman: You asked me, you know, what are other things that I've, what are things that I've brought,~ um,~ to how I do business today, or, you know, or to real estate.

[00:22:25] Pamela Hoffman: ~Um, ~education. ~So, ~my career was corporate education. Mm hmm. In the beauty industry, and ~so, ~Teaching and being the, and I worked, I mean I worked at Estee Lauder companies, but that included Clinique,~ um,~ that included Origins, but I, I worked for a brand that focused on education and wanted their people to be the best of the best.

[00:22:45] Pamela Hoffman: And, you know, and the belief was, like, the more knowledgeable you are, the more expert you're going to be at something, the more that comes out to the client, and you're going to deliver a great level of service, but yes, you're going to be successful. And so that was ingrained in me throughout my career.

[00:22:59] Pamela Hoffman: [00:23:00] So when I decided to go into real estate, I came here and I, you know, I realized part of it was personal experience,~ um,~ which was important to me, but also being the best at what I do and how am I going to be the best at what I do is getting a lot of education. I pride myself, even to this day, you know, I've been in this now for five years, going on six years.

[00:23:19] Pamela Hoffman: ~Um, ~but I am a broker associate, I'm a licensed broker associate. I have my GRI, which is my graduate realist, realtor institute,~ uh,~ designation seller representation,~ uh,~ specialist. I am certified marketing,~ uh,~ luxury home marketing specialist. I also now just completed in the past year and it was a lot of hours of education.

[00:23:38] Pamela Hoffman: So this is, so I talk about this because it's. I've done so much real estate education as well for myself,~ um,~ but you know, most recently I just finished all of my education for certified residential specialists, which is great because that's a, that is considered like, the highest level of recognition you can get as a real estate agent.

[00:23:57] Pamela Hoffman: ~Um, ~because it's not only education but [00:24:00] it's tied to a financial result. Like you've hit a certain benchmark. And ~um, ~why do I do it? Not because I care about the credentials. Like after my title No one cares about the credentials. It's the knowledge Exactly. that I have. And then how I'm able to share that with my clients.

[00:24:17] Pamela Hoffman: Because that's really important to me. Like, I want to know that I'm doing. The best possible,~ um,~ I'm giving the best possible service and sharing the highest level of expertise with my clients. And if I don't know something, that's what I also tell my clients. Like, if I don't know something, guess what?

[00:24:32] Pamela Hoffman: I'm gonna find out for you. I'm gonna tell you I don't know. Like, I'm not gonna, I'm not one of those fake it till you make it. Like, that's just not my way. I'd rather say. You know what? I don't know. I'm going to find out for you and then going to different resources and leveraging them. But that's why education is important to me.

[00:24:45] Pamela Hoffman: So that's my advice to new agents out there is that, like, don't be afraid to, like, you know, when you're getting started, like, Oh, what do I do? Like, you know what? Do a ton of education, get a ton of it, because the more you know in this business, it sets you apart from everybody else. Well, I 

[00:24:59] Tracy Hayes: also [00:25:00] take that.

[00:25:00] Tracy Hayes: You're you. You are ambitious because you jumped ahead of my Sorry, that's okay. ~Uh, ~it brings up, you know, it's, it's, it's a topic I like to bring up and get everyone's angle on and everyone does have a different angle on it. ~Um, ~and mostly the bottom line is, is the,~ um,~ because it really top producing agents is who I have on.

[00:25:18] Tracy Hayes: there's 99. 9 percent agreement. , on all of that. But in the other part is,~ um,~ I think it's important, even the more going to the class, you get more than just the class, you know, especially if you're doing it in person. I don't, I know we've, we've gone since COVID, you know, a lot of people went to the virtual and, and as I'm on the faculty at Florida realtor,~ um,~ you know, to teach one of the finance classes and the discussion of how to handle people.

[00:25:46] Tracy Hayes: You know, using the online, supposedly AI is going to come out to tell you like who's engaged with you by how they're looking in the cameras. So yeah, so instructions. Good. But,~ um,~ the in person, you know, Patty Ketchum, one of the most respected [00:26:00] instructors is on the real estate board. You know, one of her classes for GRI.

[00:26:03] Tracy Hayes: Yes, she's awesome. And,~ um,~ she said on the, on the show, One of her regrets was for years, she never,~ uh,~ cast a shadow. That was her words, cast a shadow at the board of realtors,~ uh,~ locally where she's at in Tallahassee. ~Uh, ~and she regrets that because she didn't make a lot of relationships. I think she's caught up with the relationships part because she's all over the state and she's just a great person.

[00:26:28] Tracy Hayes: And,~ uh,~ not only are you in that class to learn. And get something for that instructor. But you're, you're talking to other agents, you're interacting. Tell me a little bit about how important it is,~ uh,~ to make relationships,~ uh,~ with other agents. And I'm sure you've had,~ uh,~ some people on the other end of deals.

[00:26:45] Tracy Hayes: You were like, man, I. Can't wait. I hope I do another deal with them. And I'm sure you had some others like, I hope I never see that name again. 

[00:26:51] Pamela Hoffman: No, absolutely. I think it's, I think it's so important to create those [00:27:00] relationships because,~ um,~ you, you continue learning and then there are resources for you when you, when you need it as insights.

[00:27:08] Pamela Hoffman: And,~ um,~ you know, I think that. Like the GRI class is a perfect example, you know, I,~ um,~ I met several other,~ um,~ Realtors that were in that course, one of which I met with her, bonded, and we were, we, we,~ um,~ we just had a similar learning style, so anytime we had, like, in the classes we had activities, I, we just ended up together, and it was great learning with one another, and we were, at the time we were at the same brokerage, but different offices, so I had never known her,~ um,~ And then,~ um,~ when I was looking to make a move to the new brokerage that I'm currently at, I had heard she recently went over like six months before.

[00:27:45] Pamela Hoffman: And ~so, ~or like I see, I don't know if I saw it on social or something like that, but you know what, it was easy for me to make the call and say, Hey, Tell me about your experience there. Because I already had that relationship. You know, and,~ um,~ and, and I've also had great relationships with, [00:28:00] with,~ um,~ agents that were, like you said, on the other side of a transaction.

[00:28:03] Pamela Hoffman: I had one where, you know, it was a gorgeous,~ um,~ home over in World Golf. And he was the listing agent and he was there and,~ um,~ he was, he was at a different brokerage at the time. And,~ um,~ just had a great experience from, from beginning to end. He needed to be really present for it because it was a high end listing.

[00:28:20] Pamela Hoffman: And ~so, ~but he was, he was there,~ uh,~ to help facilitate insights as needed. And that was interesting because that was, that was probably my first, First million dollar sale. And this is now going back a few years. But seeing that from that perspective, we had a great relationship. It was a great experience, but I learned a lot from him in that transaction.

[00:28:41] Pamela Hoffman: And then we stayed in touch and it was like, okay, well, you know, hopefully we get another deal together today. He's now at the same brokerage that I'm at. And it's just funny because you make these relationships with people in it and you can learn so much from one another, but it's so much easier if you have a strong relationship.

[00:28:57] Pamela Hoffman: ~Uh, ~through the process, especially if you're helping [00:29:00] clients on whether you're on the listing side or the buying side,~ um,~ to be able to say, okay, you know what? I trust this person because I've already done business with them and it's been a great experience and you can feel comfortable asking questions and getting information.

[00:29:11] Tracy Hayes: 100%. I'm going to have you pull the mic over just a little bit. Yeah, no, just bring it up a little bit because that way you won't hit it with your hand. 

[00:29:21] Pamela Hoffman: I talk a lot with my 

[00:29:22] Tracy Hayes: hands. Having, having done this so many times, I'm very, I can hear the, I know what I'm going to hear in the car when I play it back later, when it goes out on the podcast world.

[00:29:33] Tracy Hayes: And,~ uh,~ cause I know for myself, cause I know what I did. I turned my head. That was one thing I learned about podcasting is, Have the mic so you're always talking in the same direction. So your sound's always consistent versus if you turn your head you can yeah Good, but no that Because I think that's so vital I don't think agents do enough that well, there's some agents that are very social [00:30:00] And there's some agents so they You know, just have the attitude is why do I want to go there?

[00:30:06] Tracy Hayes: ~Um, ~they already have a house and they're a real estate agent. I'm not going to get any business there, but I think we found in 21 and going into 22 where we were having, you know, 20, 30 offers sometimes in the houses. ~Uh, ~Jocelyn,~ uh,~ about 69 offers on one house. I mean, and to have those relationships and when you're going, when you're the listing agent and you're going through all these offers to see some names that you're familiar with, does that, I mean, when you're, cause you have to present that to the sellers of what deal you think.

[00:30:40] Tracy Hayes: You know, would recommend. And 

[00:30:42] Pamela Hoffman: so when you're presenting in a multiple offer situation, you're, they're asking for your insights. How, so how do all these offers look? Well, so here's what I can tell you, obviously financially, you know, here's how they, they look side by side, right? And you know, Yeah. That you like that it has, let's say, the lender pre [00:31:00] approval, or that it has the proof of funds.

[00:31:01] Pamela Hoffman: It all looks, you know, everything is accurate. ~Um, ~the way that it is written,~ so,~ and, and so I think that's, that's also important. And, and yeah, there's a bit of, you know what, yes, I know this agent. They're, I've worked with them before, and smooth, like smooth throughout the entire process. Or, I'm not familiar with this person, so I can't really.

[00:31:18] Pamela Hoffman: You know, I can't tell you anything about that, but,~ um,~ or, you know, yeah, I once had an experience with, with this agent or brokerage and it's, yeah, and, and it was, you know, like it was difficult from beginning to end and sometimes, and you, you know that. So that's why it's important to build relationships because you never, you never know when you're going to need those resources and, and sometimes it's, it gets you the foot in the door, like.

[00:31:43] Pamela Hoffman: I have 

[00:31:47] Tracy Hayes: that reputation. Mm hmm. Okay. Correct. Because, you know, there's definitely the agents who,~ um,~ You know, I, I think I've, I, I, Kim Knapp comes to mind when we're having discussions with her talking about negotiations, right? I mean, there's always going to be something, [00:32:00] I mean, you, you have pretty much go into every deal assuming there's going to be some, after that inspection, there's going to be, you know, some sort of negotiation in one form or another.

[00:32:08] Tracy Hayes: ~Um, ~and how some just make it very miserable. Versus coming to a collaboration that hey, we've got a buyer who wants to buy the home and we got a seller who wants to sell the home. We're, we're already knee deep in this. Let's Come together and find that that meeting of the minds and not be so abrasive.

[00:32:29] Tracy Hayes: Yeah you were Educating a new agent today that showed up or had, you know, only had a few sales when it comes to negotiation. What is, tell us a little bit about your mindset when, when you start a negotiation. Let's say if you're on the buyer side, you just got that inspection report.

[00:32:47] Tracy Hayes: There's a few things I think, I'm sure you could probably think of a story right now where you, where you had it, how do you. How do you approach,~ um,~ your buyers,~ uh,~ on that? And then obviously to prepare what you're going to send back to the seller. 

[00:32:59] Pamela Hoffman: ~Uh, ~[00:33:00] so what I, what I like to do with my buyers in an inspection process is help them understand, even before the appointment, what is the inspector looking for.

[00:33:08] Pamela Hoffman: So they're looking at the roof, they're looking at the structure, they're looking at the HVC, the electrical, the plumbing. Sure, you know what, they're also going to, Depending on if it's like new construction, they might be looking at some cosmetic items for you as well because they're, they're an extra set of eyes.

[00:33:22] Pamela Hoffman: ~Um, ~but let's say it's, it's a resale we're talking about. ~Um, ~I help them understand what we're looking for is anything that is safety related. So if it's safety related that should be at the top of our list or obviously like HVAC like that's important as well, right? But if it if it falls under those those items that I told you so structure the electrical the plumbing The HVAC then those are likely going to be priorities like You know, little nicks and things like that, it's like, you know, those are easy things for you to fix and either do it yourself or have a hand, like, let's prioritize the more important things on the home that are going to, let's say, maybe they're going to be the bigger ticket items, but the items that can create more of a problem for you [00:34:00] financially.

[00:34:00] Pamela Hoffman: Pick your battles. Yes. So I try to set that up before we even get the report. And then what I will do is once the report comes through and I say like, okay, you're going to get the report, I'm going to get the report. ~Um, ~and we're going to review it together, but I usually will review it before I even, you know, talk to them.

[00:34:13] Pamela Hoffman: And I already have a mindset of here's how, here's how I would recommend prioritizing. ~Um, ~and because I at least share that in the conversation, but ultimately the client is in the driver's seat. And then same thing if I'm working with a seller. I let them know, here's what. Here's what they're going to be looking for.

[00:34:30] Pamela Hoffman: And here's what you can anticipate that may come in terms of requests. ~So, ~and I, even before I take a listing, I might say, are there any things that are, you know, that you're concerned about that you've seen? Like, is there anything leaking in the home? Are there any outlets? Like, are there things that you know that need to be fixed?

[00:34:43] Pamela Hoffman: Why don't we try to get that fixed before we even list your home? So that it's not, it's not a concern or say that like, 

[00:34:49] Tracy Hayes: Well, I'm a big supporter of pre listing inspections. Just because I think,~ uh,~ well, I think I don't know if you experienced, but I heard stories, especially during,~ uh,~ with [00:35:00] inventory low and the rates were low and people were scrambling and multiple offers on house.

[00:35:04] Tracy Hayes: People were making offers on houses and it was just because they were kind of settling for that house. And all of a sudden, two weeks later, they found a house that they thought was better. And then now they're wanting out of the contract that they're, that they're in. So if you leave them room to get out with not Solving some of these lists, the issues,~ uh,~ that would come up on that,~ uh, um, ~you know, report it's giving them the out, it's giving them an easy out.

[00:35:30] Tracy Hayes: They can say, Oh yeah, your AC is too old. I don't want to buy the house. Yeah, 

[00:35:34] Pamela Hoffman: correct. Correct. And so I think, you know, preparing your client, whether you're working with the seller or you're working with the buyer of like what to expect and then, and to anticipate, yeah, it's a negotiation. So remember you negotiated on price, you came to an agreement.

[00:35:48] Pamela Hoffman: Don't think that it's smooth sailing to closing because we have to get through the inspection process and recognize that it may be a negotiation on the, the inspection side. And, you know, we're trying, [00:36:00] our goal is to get you to the finish line, so be open and I think helping, helping a buyer or seller.~ Um, ~so that they don't dig their heels in over, over the small stuff,~ um,~ is what's going to help them to be successful.

[00:36:12] Pamela Hoffman: So that's really what I take into a negotiation. And then the other piece is, again, how I'm communicating with the other agent. ~So, um, ~you know, I've had some transactions where it, maybe the other side only communicates by text and email, but they refuse to get on, on the phone, like that's how they like to do business.

[00:36:26] Pamela Hoffman: Okay. But that's not how I do business. But personally, because I feel like when you're able to talk to one another, you're able to. Yeah, that's where you're able to connect and understand what's the priority on this like, you know, where is the seller? Where is the buyer? You know, what's your take on this and you can understand again?

[00:36:44] Pamela Hoffman: What are their goals and then how do we how do we work together to get there, 

[00:36:48] Tracy Hayes: That part right there is going back to what we were just talking a few minutes ago the relationship part and Having the relationship with the other real estate agents You can you can say things and [00:37:00] know that the agent on the other side is going to Filter it and clean it up because there are agents that will almost basically verbatim or take the email That you sent to the other agent and literally just forward it to the to the their client instead of filtering it and then It just calls causes angst in my Because there's 

[00:37:22] Pamela Hoffman: a lot of emotion on both sides.

[00:37:23] Pamela Hoffman: Yes, exactly. ~So, ~it's our job to be the buffer for the emotion. Exactly. And to make it more, I would say, black and white, so it's simple. And That you know, so that you're helping to kind of deescalate and people because it's personal. It's a home It's personal property whether you're buying or selling and so being able to be that buffer and 

[00:37:43] Tracy Hayes: well They had to have that what if conversation, right?

[00:37:46] Tracy Hayes: Well, what if we were able to do this? Do you think you're you know, your buyer would be okay with that? Well, I don't you know I'm not saying we can do it. I'm saying what if you is that, you know, you have those kind of open conversations And that's having that [00:38:00] that relationship that we talked about earlier ~um ~Let's take a step back because we we dove deep into high level, ~uh ~real estate stuff ~um ~What was you know, so you're in corporate america You decided you wanted to move to northeast florida or your husband got transferred.

[00:38:15] Tracy Hayes: What was it brought you to? Ponte 

[00:38:18] Pamela Hoffman: Vedra. Well, so my,~ uh,~ my brother and his family lived in Naugaty. Okay. They, they work, he's, he's a lender. ~So, ~and my sister in law has also worked in the banking industry for like their entire careers. And so they lived, they moved here with one of the big banks and they, and that was probably 10, 12 years ago, and we kept visiting Naugaty.

[00:38:40] Pamela Hoffman: And it was like, at first, I was like, where did you guys move? Because there was nothing. Right. And they were one of the first neighborhoods. But then, once they got their splash park, and they, you know, they had their golf cart life, and we, and I, we would come to visit, and it was always nice, the weather was always nice when we would come to visit.

[00:38:55] Pamela Hoffman: Right. I loved how my nieces and my nephew, like, they would go down the street, and it was like, [00:39:00] you know, everybody knew them. And,~ um,~ they had this, like, wonderful, like, Vacation lifestyle and the schools were good. And you know, the beach is close by. And so that's what really drew us here. ~Um, ~and we were,~ so,~ we were,~ uh,~ I think it was like around President's Day.

[00:39:15] Pamela Hoffman: It was like a horrible snowstorm in New York. And it was like my,~ uh,~ I was looking out the window like, ugh, . I, no. And, and I kind of made a joke to my husband, like, you know, we could just move to Florida. Is you a nonstop to Jack ? And I said to my like, we could just move to Florida. He's like. Yeah, why not?

[00:39:33] Pamela Hoffman: And ~so, ~and I did not expect, it kind of was just like on a whim and we came down for Easter and just looked at homes and there was, you know, a brand new neighborhood and like some, you know, model homes for like, This one and it was just like, I mean, you would think that I was just buying a car, a car or a pair of shoes because it was like such a quick decision and it was the best decision ever.

[00:39:56] Pamela Hoffman: And so my husband had his own business. He sold it in [00:40:00] New York and I worked in a corporate job and so we moved here and so he ended up going to work for. So he went corporate and then I and, you know, wanted to open up my own business. It's like, well, I've got so much experience. I have, you know, financially, you know, well off that I can start my own business.

[00:40:19] Pamela Hoffman: Like why not? Because I have all this experience in sales and service and beauty. Like what can I do? And I was probably here for about three weeks and, and I had. Like, really, I mean, I was, we moved here for me to enjoy life with our kids and all of that. It was like, totally changing gears. And ~uh, ~I was in the process of selling my home in New York, selling my secondary home that I had in South Florida, and building a new home.

[00:40:46] Pamela Hoffman: And I was like, managing that whole process. And I realized, like, the stars aligned, and I realized, like, I could do this. Because I, and it was, it just clicked for me because I [00:41:00] realized, like, I, I understand people. I understand how to uncover needs. I understand what it, what it is like doing this relocation process and building a home and selling another home and all, all of those factors.

[00:41:13] Pamela Hoffman: And I realized, like, I can do this and I can be very successful and so I just remember like being three weeks later like okay So I'm gonna go with this and my family had worked in the banking industry So it wasn't like it wasn't new to me, right? But then I decided to sign up for real estate school and went in person So I was not about doing it online Like I wanted to like see like am I gonna like this if I'm spending money on this course like I'm gonna get something out of it and and I just And I just loved it and passed right away.

[00:41:40] Pamela Hoffman: So I passed the class, took the, you know, the state exam less than a month later. And then I started like I was here for five weeks and I got my real estate license and started at Watson Realty Corp at the time. 

[00:41:52] Tracy Hayes: ~So, ~well, I asked this on every, I think every person. What, where did you go to Watson's class?

[00:41:59] Tracy Hayes: [00:42:00] And it just led you into the brokerage there in Ponte Vedra. ~So, ~cause I. One thing I've found You know, real estate, you're like, you've moved brokerages now after a couple, two and a half years, roughly at,~ uh,~ at Watson, you moved and, you know, occasionally like, you know, as I'm sure in your corporate world, you know, you might've been changing offices or going to New York.

[00:42:22] Tracy Hayes: You have sometimes a change of scenery gives you a little boost or whatever. ~Um, ~you know, I, I, I can't stay doing the same, although the podcast, I have to say this is probably the most consistent thing in my life, but,~ uh,~ because I love doing it. Right? But the, the brokerage, how important in what, you know, now, six years into this.

[00:42:43] Tracy Hayes: Looking back, if you had a girlfriend, basically the same thing, Hey, I'm moving down here. Should I, you know, what do you think about real estate? How would you,~ uh,~ describe to them the importance of the brokerage and how that plays into your success as an agent? 

[00:42:59] Pamela Hoffman: [00:43:00] Oh, it's super important. I think you need to make sure that you pick a brokerage that feels like the right fit for you and your learning style and that it has the resources in order to make you successful.

[00:43:12] Pamela Hoffman: We'll 

[00:43:12] Tracy Hayes: say help you make you successful. Yes, help 

[00:43:14] Pamela Hoffman: you, yes, not make you, help you. Like it's just, it's an assistance really. ~Um, ~but I went, I, it was by chance. I didn't even know Watson before I moved to Florida to be honest with you. ~Um, ~but, Talking to my brother, I was like, hey,~ so,~ you know, if I want to take, I want to take this course and I want to do, who do you, you know, who, and he knew, I knew he knew so many realtors, obviously, doing what he does for a living, but he's like, you know, you should go with Watson, they have a whole school that, you know, you can go in person, and ~so, ~like, Googled it and whatever, and ~so, ~when I went,~ um,~ I, I met with the broker that happened to be, like, in that same building, and, and she, and she was,~ um,~ She was blown away.

[00:43:49] Pamela Hoffman: She's like, I'm gonna hate this, but I'm gonna recommend you to knock it to you because you're gonna live over there And so but what 

[00:43:56] Tracy Hayes: you go to the one on 210 don't they heal the classes? 

[00:43:58] Pamela Hoffman: No, they were I think it's like hint [00:44:00] San Jose I think it's okay. It's like yeah They're like Atlantic~ Um, ~and so anyway, the reason why I didn't even meet with any other brokerage is like, so I, you know, in retrospect, in my experience, I would say meet with multiple brokerages so you could find the right fit for yourself.

[00:44:14] Pamela Hoffman: But for me at the time it was a good fit because it felt very, it felt the most corporate. So it was a safe choice, you know, I liked it. And what caught my attention while I was at their school of real estate, cause they did a little presentation. They're not supposed to like recruit during, cause you're paying for just a course, right?

[00:44:30] Pamela Hoffman: ~Um, ~but I like that they, they talked about the education tools that they have for new people. And I know that there's lots of brokerages, so like, ~uh, ~KW has, you know, new education Coldwell has. So like, go with a, with a brokerage that's designed to teach you where you're at, where you're at and, and the basics, right?

[00:44:47] Pamela Hoffman: So you're also, so you're doing the right thing because you don't want to get. You don't want to lose your license, but you want to be successful. You want to know the core stuff. And then you might find it, maybe that's a good fit for you, or maybe it's not, and then that's where there's all these different kind [00:45:00] of brands and brokerages and you know, how they're 

[00:45:04] Tracy Hayes: It's not necessarily the big night names too.

[00:45:06] Tracy Hayes: Yeah, I mean they're You know, some of the big names, you know, whoever might be the leader at that time may not actually be moving the needle. You know one of these smaller boutique brokerages,~ uh,~ which are often someone who's probably made it through those tracks and went on their own might be The feed for you because I think one of the if I if I asked every real estate agent why they went to a certain brokerage Education if it's not the first one is the second one.

[00:45:33] Tracy Hayes: So we know So, not every brokerage offers this outstanding, you know, thing. How would a new agent find out what's really behind the scenes? 

[00:45:44] Pamela Hoffman: Talking to other agents, really, reaching out and asking, and I've had phone calls from people that are about to get their license, even just as a real estate agent where people call me and they're like, you know, I found you because I see that you're in, you know, you're in St.

[00:45:57] Pamela Hoffman: John's County and you're successful. I'm looking at [00:46:00] my license, like, what's your advice? It's like. I think that's the big, that's the biggest thing is,~ um,~ talking, don't be afraid to reach out to people or if you're interviewing with a broker,~ um,~ just remember that you're interviewing them just as much as they're interviewing you and it needs to feel like a good fit.

[00:46:15] Pamela Hoffman: Like, do I feel like I can learn from this person and they're going to guide me in the right direction? And does this brokerage have the tools available to me for my learning style? And then if you're in that building. See if you can talk to some agents while you're there and just what's the vibe that you get right?

[00:46:28] Pamela Hoffman: I think that's really that's really important. 

[00:46:32] Tracy Hayes: Did you? ~Uh ~coming from corporate america and then you you know, you probably sat down with this broker that we're talking about or the your original broker ~Um, ~did you have that initial mindset? Are you or did you feel? You know, a more of an employee standpoint versus this is your business and you need to match up your business with that broker's business to, you know, have a successful business because.

[00:46:56] Tracy Hayes: They're not going to really fire you. You're going to fire yourself. [00:47:00] But I think a lot of people like, Oh, I wouldn't, you know, this broker really likes me. And they, they'll, they'll use the term hire and I correct them. No, you're, you're really teaming up. You're really looking for a business consultant. 

[00:47:12] Pamela Hoffman: ~Um, ~so the broker that I met with at the time, he was very old school and like.

[00:47:16] Pamela Hoffman: And he, I mean I could tell he really wanted me to join. He was like, he, because he loved my experience and my background and I, and I knew that I was not looking for somebody to, because obviously with my experience, like I'm coming in, like I was a VP of global education. Like I, I'm self sufficient and I'm going to drive my business, but I need, I just need resources.

[00:47:37] Pamela Hoffman: Like, so I want to know that you're going to be available when I need you and you're going to teach me the stuff that I don't know in this business. And so I liked that he had that type of experience. I keep different style to me and I could either, you know, I could take the advice or I could leave it, but that it was.

[00:47:52] Pamela Hoffman: They are of like, okay, so here's some things that are tried and true that I've, you know, used with many of my team or I've used myself and that was important to me. And ~so, um, ~[00:48:00] that's why I chose that, that path and it was a good one,~ um,~ at the time. And then once I realized that I mean, I had a great. I had an outstanding first year, I had an even better second year and I realized, okay, so I've, I'm ready for more resources in a different way because I felt like I was also using tools outside of my brokerage, like a lot, like I was paying for resources, whether it was a website or a CRM tool or, you know, how I was doing my marketing, like those types of things.

[00:48:29] Pamela Hoffman: I felt like, okay, I'm using all of these different things, like I'd like to go somewhere where it feels like a Now based on where I'm at that it's a better fit and then that's how I ended up at Angle and Volkers Because I really loved all of the comprehensive Approach that was offered there and the broker there polar opposite Cory's been on Cory is I mean like, you know, I think so, but he I think he's 36 now So I want to find 

[00:48:57] Tracy Hayes: someone to say something bad about Cory 

[00:48:59] Pamela Hoffman: [00:49:00] I 

[00:49:01] Tracy Hayes: don't think he's 36 I don't think he's that old.

[00:49:04] Tracy Hayes: He might be 35. I have to go back and remember the episode. 

[00:49:06] Pamela Hoffman: We talked about it. Oh, I think I'm aging him right now. Forgive me, but I, cause I feel bad for myself. How old I am. When I met him, I was like, oh my god, he's so young. Yeah. But he, I mean, he is a true salesman. And when I went in, so that was three years ago, I went in to meet with him.

[00:49:20] Pamela Hoffman: ~Um, ~it was just funny cause he was like, here's all the tools that we have and all that. Were you 

[00:49:24] Tracy Hayes: actually looking or did they call you? They called 

[00:49:26] Pamela Hoffman: me. Okay. So like I, I had just, I had just been completing my,~ uh,~ my broker licensing. So it was kind of like I was at this place where I was like, what's next?

[00:49:37] Pamela Hoffman: And,~ um,~ and also my business partner was also at Watson with me. We met there and she was in the same place. So she was doing, we were not a team, but we just. Started together and we gravitated and started learning together and whatnot. She was in the same place getting her broker's license Not by us sure, but it just kind of happened.

[00:49:53] Pamela Hoffman: Yeah. Oh, oh you're doing that and and I had gotten the call from [00:50:00] Engel and Volkers and You know, they said would you like to meet with our broker and it and you know We can as real estate agents we get these calls all the time, but it was like they call me on a day I was like, hmm, you know what? Let's go for it.

[00:50:10] Pamela Hoffman: I'd like to come in for a meeting. Like it was a brand that I was like, okay, I know about them. Like there were some that are like, no, no, thanks. It's not a fit. It's not a fit for my brand and who I am, you know, but it, I went in 

[00:50:21] Tracy Hayes: your brand. I think coming from the corporate, you like the corporate. Brands you like because I know English Corey's been a lot of he's very proud of his offices because they really Project that corporate correct our 

[00:50:36] Pamela Hoffman: presence.

[00:50:37] Pamela Hoffman: I I mean you see me like I live in black Black and white. It's like, you know, it's sometimes I'll put out a pop of color in the summer but when people you know, it's You know, it's just been ingrained in me right and And I like structure, and so that's what's important to me. I want to feel like I'm in an environment that feels very buttoned up, that's very professional.

[00:50:59] Pamela Hoffman: [00:51:00] I like, I want my clients to see that, and you know, they view me that way, but I also want The brokerage that I'm associated with to, to appear that way. And so that's what I liked. And so when I met with Corey and he showed me all the tools that they had and all of that, I was like, wow, this is really impressive.

[00:51:15] Pamela Hoffman: Like all of it was amazing. And,~ uh,~ and you know, and he is, he's a true salesman and it's like, you know what? It totally polar opposite to the last broker that I worked with. I like learn so much, but like there was, there was something within unique within Angle and Volkers at the time is Angle and Volkers Jackson Jacksonville, but now first coast bigger.

[00:51:34] Pamela Hoffman: ~Um, ~but I saw that. It was just, there was, like, there was something there, and that's what made me take the leap and go. ~ um,~ and I also encouraged my, my now business partner to go and meet with him. And she did, and she took the leap with me. She's like, yep, let's go. Give, give, give 

[00:51:50] Tracy Hayes: me a couple things that Corey said that really resonated with you.

[00:51:53] Tracy Hayes: ~Um, ~I think At least at that time, anyway. 

[00:51:56] Pamela Hoffman: I mean, I think at the time, it was,~ um,~ he, we, I think that [00:52:00] the, one of the things that I loved, which is true today, he talks about it all the time, is that he wants us to be He wants us to be the best of the best. He wants us to appear the best of the best. He recognizes that he only wants to bring top talent.

[00:52:13] Pamela Hoffman: ~So, ~you know, that, that spoke to me. Because I, that's how I want people to view me. And I know that there's a lot of talent here in Jacksonville. And,~ um,~ to know that I am amongst the best of the best,~ um,~ It, it, it's a very, I mean it makes me proud to associate with those individuals, but to learn with them.

[00:52:30] Pamela Hoffman: But also giving us the resources so that we can do what we're meant to do. Like we can, we don't get tied up doing things that,~ um,~ you know, that someone on a support team, our marketing support team can help us with because they're like, whatever we need there, you know, we have a big support team in the office.

[00:52:46] Pamela Hoffman: We just call and they'll take care of it for us so that we can do. What we're meant to do which is connecting with clients 

[00:52:52] Tracy Hayes: getting the face to face correct, correct and money generating 

[00:52:56] Pamela Hoffman: activities, correct And that's what ~um, ~that's what I [00:53:00] appreciated 

[00:53:01] Tracy Hayes: ~um ~The best the best,~ um,~ maybe you made me think about something here and i'm working with one of the volunteering because my son's involved but one of the basketball programs and Kids are entering at You know, you might have a kid that's been there since the fifth grade, has all the skills and doing, and you're trying to keep moving forward, right?

[00:53:22] Tracy Hayes: Just like you're going through school, you next year, you learn a little bit more. And then all of a sudden someone enters in at seventh grade and they're no good as that kid was in the fifth grade. And now you're dulling it down because now you're starting to,~ um, uh, ~flood the classroom with Kids that need to be brought up to the level and it's hard for you to take those kids who are already at the level to the next level and When you said that it resonated with me that I can imagine that some of these larger brokerages,~ uh,~ that have a lot of new agents in there, the experienced agents, at [00:54:00] some point, they probably stop going to the sales meetings because, or, you know, or the trainings, because the trainings are dulled down for the newie people, which there's generally a lot more of than those who might be five or six years in, because, you know, just, 80 percent don't renew.

[00:54:15] Tracy Hayes: Right. And when you said that, that clicks, when you go, when, when Corey calls a meeting, you've got some people in there that, you know, you're, you're teaching, he's, whether him or whoever can teach at a high level or talk about high level,~ uh,~ thought processes versus being dulled down with,~ uh,~ because there's a new person in, you know, in the room, 10 new people and only five people who might be six years in like yourself.

[00:54:41] Tracy Hayes: Okay. I mean, that's got to like start raising level 

[00:54:45] Pamela Hoffman: quicker. It does. And, and it's also, it's giving us a platform. So it might not always be. It's him facilitating those conversations and allowing it, giving us the platform to allow that to happen. And,~ um,~ I think that's what is really amazing [00:55:00] is that,~ um,~ we've got 130 advisors right now in Northeast Florida.

[00:55:04] Pamela Hoffman: And. You know, they're and everyone is super successful with inside our brokerage and at any given point experiencing something with listings or with buyers or, you know, whether it's a new agreement that we're now having to use or how we navigate certain situations, how you're navigating the market. So that's really what is amazing is being able to leverage that.

[00:55:25] Pamela Hoffman: ~Um, ~so that you so that you can then go back and be more successful in your daily role. 

[00:55:30] Tracy Hayes: Yeah. Yeah. ~Um, ~yeah. Because that's one of the I think one of the challenges of agents is you reach a lid right? There's only so much you personally Can do yourself before you're having to do all this back you're searching for homes or what's popped on or you know Whatever those things are you doing that a lot of people don't see you doing.

[00:55:50] Tracy Hayes: Yeah ~Um, ~and we could talk about the nora lawsuit and my opinion on that, but I don't know if you're up on that ~uh, ~but ~uh ~all those things that real estate agent does that we don't actually See or perceive that they do [00:56:00] unless we're in the business and know what they're doing those things But somebody's got to do them and At what point did you did you feel or did you reach it at Engel and Volkers or did we did you reach it at?

[00:56:10] Tracy Hayes: Watson where you kind of felt that lid like I I can't personally do any more in the course of the day I need to start spilling some of this stuff off to someone else. When did you reach that? You know feeling or felt that you were at that point. I 

[00:56:23] Pamela Hoffman: recognized it when I was at Watson I think that's what made me leap was that You know, I had My first year I did three million as it As a new real estate agent, which is, I mean, that's, 

[00:56:35] Tracy Hayes: and this is 2018 at that price point.

[00:56:38] Tracy Hayes: So yeah, yeah, that would probably be 5 million today, 

[00:56:41] Pamela Hoffman: correct? Which is considered a, you know, that's a great volume. And ~so, ~and then my second year I tripled my volume and that was me working my business and I, and ~um, ~and what I realized was that I did, I did that. All of the business that I had was because of what I had done.

[00:56:56] Pamela Hoffman: It wasn't because I was learning it. Like I, I. [00:57:00] And I, like I said, I was also spending money in other places for tools that I felt like, okay, well, I'd rather have it all in one, and so that's what I realized. And I, and I wanted marketing support. I realized that, like, I don't have the time to always be You know, I, I know what I want.

[00:57:16] Pamela Hoffman: If I could tell somebody what I want and they can put it together, that saves me a lot of time. Send me 

[00:57:21] Tracy Hayes: the proof. Okay. That looks good. Get it. Correct. And then 

[00:57:24] Pamela Hoffman: like, Oh, here's an edit, you know, and that's what I realized. I hit, I hit that point in my second year as I was, you know, and I was getting my broker's license that I realized, okay, it's, it's time because I, there was only 24 hours in a day.

[00:57:35] Pamela Hoffman: And again, my, my, you know, I work full time, but I also, you know, want to make sure that I'm around for my kids like, and, and, and. You know, in order to be able to do that there, I have to work smarter, 

[00:57:46] Tracy Hayes: not harder. 

[00:57:47] Tracy Hayes: Just touch a little bit on, you know, you're reaching outside, you, you were finding these other tools that, you know, you were utilizing.

[00:57:55] Tracy Hayes: That takes a lot of time because it's not like you see a tool go, I don't realize you could do [00:58:00] that. Like right now with. You know, the A. I. Technology. Some of this stuff. If you just wait a couple of days, there's another company pops up with a similar and like, okay, who's gonna give me the best price and what actually are they going to do for me?

[00:58:10] Tracy Hayes: ~Um, ~that takes time to evaluate all that stuff. And then the next step is okay. I made the choice. Click the button. I'm gonna I want to You know, involve myself with that, then you got to learn how to use it, correct? And how much time and energy and it takes you away from the income producing activities, which ~Uh, ~we haven't you know tapped into marketing, but if ~uh, ~if you want to we'll spin into that What is your where is your business coming from?

[00:58:36] Tracy Hayes: Where how do you like to mark? Are you a cold caller? You're a door knocker. What do you like to do? Well, 

[00:58:41] Pamela Hoffman: so my ~uh, ~The majority of my business is my sphere of influence. So it is ~Um, ~I would say, I would say more than 75 percent of my business is MySphere. And that is through the relationships that I've built and,~ um,~ you know, yes, I, I am on social media and,~ um,~ I do, I love to do video.

[00:58:59] Pamela Hoffman: I [00:59:00] like to engage with people,~ um,~ 

[00:59:01] Tracy Hayes: but you need to put more in your YouTube, 

[00:59:03] Pamela Hoffman: I know, that's it. Yeah. So you're helping me with that. Absolutely. ~Um, ~but I,~ uh,~ Okay. Bye. It is being able to connect with people in my community. So when I look at my, you know, do I, I joked before, I shared before that, you know, it could be Fernandina or Green Cove or whatever.

[00:59:17] Pamela Hoffman: Yes, I go to those, or Palm Coast, I go to those areas, but I, majority of my business is in St. John's County. And the reason is because of the connections that I have. And so staying connected with people and then referrals for from past clients. So I keep those relationships going. ~Um, ~and then they remember me.

[00:59:35] Pamela Hoffman: So I, you know, like this past summer I had,~ um,~ a military family. I helped them five years ago. They were probably my, my second sale. ~Um, ~and They had a great experience, but I kept in contact with them, and then they, when, you know, he got the call, they're now moving out of state, they're, you know, they have to move to another area, they called, and they were like, hands down, like, we wouldn't work with anybody but you, right?

[00:59:55] Pamela Hoffman: Well, so I helped them, and then they also referred me another military client that was coming [01:00:00] from Japan, and then I helped her and her family move here, and ~so, ~that is majority of my business is because I've built those kinds of relationships with people and they, and they recognize me as someone who like, she's an expert.

[01:00:11] Pamela Hoffman: She knows what she's doing. She's going to do, she's going to give us an outstanding experience. She's looking out for our best interest. And I think that is what makes me successful. Do I advertise in places? Yes. But the majority of my business is my sphere, right? 

[01:00:25] Tracy Hayes: You used the word relate we've talked we said relationships a couple of times here and this is something because I think everyone has a different Definition of that I was talking with a very well known broker here in town and She was talking about One of her agents said that they wanted they You know work very hard, you know, like while while you're in process and getting home, you know that having that relationship But she was didn't really want to be friends with everybody which kind of confused me I guess like every you never have enough friends, right?

[01:00:57] Tracy Hayes: ~um, ~I think we all have you know, only a few really [01:01:00] true friends and the others are Associates and we're friendly too and hang out every once in a while ~um ~When you say relationship and when you, if you've ever sat back and just looked at your process or some of your past clients like this particular one, five years gone by, what you gave them great service up front, you did all the things a great agent should do,~ uh,~ and in this case it was only your second sale, so you, you did, there was something personable about you that you did, but what do you do after the sale?

[01:01:31] Tracy Hayes: What is your mindset? What is your strategy after the sale to keep the fire burning? 

[01:01:37] Pamela Hoffman: ~Um, ~part of it is continuing to provide value. ~So, uh, ~helping them to, you know, help every year. So whether it is reminding them about. Did you make sure that you filed for homestead exemption? ~Uh, ~let's take a look at your value of your current home.

[01:01:50] Pamela Hoffman: Like, I know you're not looking to move, but you might be curious about what your home's value is today. Just want to make sure you have this information. ~Um, ~so that, so valuable information on what's happening. Sometimes it might [01:02:00] be, hey, this house sold. Down the street and from you and it's the same floor plan because I've done that like look look at the value of that house Now and I'm like, you know My clients appreciate that 

[01:02:15] Tracy Hayes: was your brother in law Tell them they need to refi and take the cash out.

[01:02:20] Pamela Hoffman: And,~ um, so, so, ~you know, those are elements of value. But then also,~ um,~ staying connected with them through social media, through, like, in the neighborhood as well. Like, I, so many of my clients live. In close proximity of me, and so it might be like cool stuff like,~ uh,~ you know There's a certain event going on.

[01:02:37] Pamela Hoffman: Hey, and you know sending them a message. Are you going? Are you going to this? I'd love to see you and then and they see me they see me at the pool They see me, you know, and you know, let's say at the restaurant or wherever and it's it's nice because it's like they're They are, they're not just like a past client, they're somebody that I stay connected with.

[01:02:55] Pamela Hoffman: And then I also, you know, remember them, like, their birthdays, holidays, and all that, and I [01:03:00] reach out to them,~ um,~ because I think it's important to, and, and with something personal, and not like, I don't like a generic, like, You know, Merry Christmas, would you, 

[01:03:08] Tracy Hayes: would you agree that people are touched just the fact that you thought of them, you know, telling them, Hey, they're having an event up at the community center or whatever.

[01:03:19] Tracy Hayes: We're going to be up there. I'd love to see you there. You obviously, the thought of them went through your head. You didn't, you probably didn't go through your, you know. Hundred clients and go. Oh, let me go just touch everybody But but you reaching out to certain ones at certain times and touching them and letting them know you're thinking about them I think you it's not like you I mean, you don't have to have them over there.

[01:03:41] Tracy Hayes: There are some people I Forget who I was listening to he was talking about Hit taco Tuesday every that every And he had to have someone different over the house every Tuesday. That was his family thing That's how he built relationships with people. He found, you know, key people that you know And [01:04:00] he did he obviously he was interested in and he couldn't invite the same person twice Had to have taco Tuesday, and he was inviting someone different over Yeah, that was one of his was it in a tight community like Naugaty There's plenty of people that you could probably find 50 people to have over different every Tuesday night whether you've done business with them or not But maybe future business with them or or our vendor contact Mentors Looking looking back.

[01:04:29] Tracy Hayes: Maybe you have one now You know, I think you talked a little bit about that broker, but you ever, did you ever have that maybe more senior agent or how important it is to have a mentor? You know, we're talking to new agents and making those phone calls, but to couple up with someone who's doing the business successfully and watch and evaluate what they're doing in, you know, steal some of their.

[01:04:51] Tracy Hayes: Best practices. 

[01:04:52] Pamela Hoffman: I believe and that goes back to the learning process. ~So, um, ~always educating yourself. So part of it was me going for additional education and, and [01:05:00] designations and learning things that were, I felt like they were important to me and my business and also the types of clients I work with.

[01:05:06] Pamela Hoffman: Right. ~Um, ~but then working, yes, working with a mentor and it might be a broker for somebody that might be a team lead. ~Um, ~the route that I went, I actually,~ um,~ had explored ~Um, ~I explored a couple of options. One was Tom Ferry, and I felt like, you know, I, I liked, I liked some of the stuff that I saw from 

[01:05:25] Tracy Hayes: them, but then when I more to Tom Ferry so I can talk about him more on the show, because I know a lot of people follow him.

[01:05:30] Tracy Hayes: Well I don't listen to him enough personally from a mortgage side, so 

[01:05:33] Pamela Hoffman: Well, so I, so when I talked to them, though, I felt like, ~uh, ~it kind of felt like it wasn't the right fit for me, right? And then I explored Ryan Serhant. I signed up for the,~ um,~ the pro community and it's based, and it was amazing because it's very focused on you and what you're looking to achieve, you, your brand, they teach you.

[01:05:54] Pamela Hoffman: And that was, that was cool to me because for me, given my experience, it was more like what is the [01:06:00] stuff that I want to learn stuff that I don't know. Right. I don't, I don't need someone to coach me on drive and schedule or, you know, setting appointments and connecting with people. Some people need that.

[01:06:11] Pamela Hoffman: And if you know you need that, look for a mentor that's going to do that for you. Right. And I felt like maybe Tom Ferry was structured that way. Right. Whereas the sell it like Sir Hant pro program was all about building you and your brand and understanding how you're going to set yourself apart. And that was a cool experience.

[01:06:28] Pamela Hoffman: So it was like a, it was a,~ um,~ yeah. It's a seven month program that I signed up for and now I'm still part of that member community. ~Um, ~but it, when I did that specific pro program, it was really cool because you're, you're connected with people from all over the world that are, they're investing quite a bit in the mentorship and you have a, you have a assigned coach,~ um,~ that is like a brand strategist and then you're also in this pro network that you're, you know, you're on these like 

[01:06:57] Tracy Hayes: I gave out Ryan's books for a good bit of my [01:07:00] first hundred.

[01:07:01] Tracy Hayes: Podcast or so. Okay. I actually bought yeah, I read I haven't read the third one. It just came out the branding one I haven't read that one yet. I need to 

[01:07:08] Pamela Hoffman: get that. Yeah, and so Anyway, so it was really cool because I you know, I was on monthly,~ uh,~ facetime calls with ryan Like it's like i'm on the with ryan sir hand.

[01:07:16] Pamela Hoffman: This is so cool. Was it one on one or 

[01:07:18] Tracy Hayes: you had a 

[01:07:19] Pamela Hoffman: little bit of a group? I know it was group, but it was like, he was talking directly to me. Like you got to interact directly with him and it was so cool. Like it was, you know, and I'm interacting with him and other people, same position as me in terms of, you know, and they also put you in brackets.

[01:07:33] Pamela Hoffman: Like, so your volume brackets, so it feels relevant. ~Um, ~so it was interesting, you know, where, where you are and where you're trying to go. and so that's what was really cool is that I was connecting with people whether it was here in the U. S. or another part of the world and like now. We're all learning together and, and helping one another grow.

[01:07:51] Pamela Hoffman: And so that was a cool experience. Yeah. 

[01:07:53] Tracy Hayes: Well, no, you bring up something, that's something new that I mean, you know, I've talked about the broker stuff, like finding the right broker that matches [01:08:00] your business style or you feel is going to add, but you've, you've added a new dimension,~ uh,~ to this, to my conversations now, because like you said, you came with this certain skill set.

[01:08:12] Tracy Hayes: We talked about pre show you, you know, your story resignating with,~ um,~ people, you know, just coming from corporate America and that kind of thing. And you know, my wife is like this. She's a, she's a,~ um,~ project,~ uh,~ manager mentality type thing. She's, she's the detailed person. I'm the visionary. She's definitely the integrator, you know, and,~ um,~ But when it comes to selecting,~ uh,~ well, in this case, you as a, you basically select them as a coach, but knowing what you need and finding the coach that provides that the best, that's, that's, that's the learning thing today.

[01:08:45] Tracy Hayes: Yeah. Volkers. ~Um, ~let's just, let's tip on,~ um,~ Social media,~ uh,~ and what, what is your mindset for you? ~Um, ~I wouldn't say you're a social media guru. You don't have, I don't know how many Instagram followers you have, but,~ um,~ [01:09:00] but what is your, cause I think it's gotta be, would you agree?

[01:09:03] Tracy Hayes: It has to be part, real estate agents have to make social media some part of their marketing. 

[01:09:08] Pamela Hoffman: Yes. And I think you have to do the one that makes the most sense to you. ~So, um, ~So I, I'm on, I'm on Instagram, I'm on Facebook. Yes, I'm on LinkedIn, but I don't really, let's say, play on LinkedIn that often. It's more like, it's a way for me to stay connected with my sphere from my past life.

[01:09:27] Pamela Hoffman: Right. I think that's, you know, because like I may not be connected with them in other channels, so it's kind of a different,~ um,~ well, 

[01:09:32] Tracy Hayes: I use Linked, I think LinkedIn is just that, the, you know, who is this person? I can go to LinkedIn. Yeah. Mm-Hmm. . And if they have a nice LinkedIn, I can say, oh. Oh, she worked at Estee Lauder and you know, I immediately saw your at least, you know, for a little bit where you came from and then obviously gives us a piece of something to talk about where it's not Well, although you, you know, ~uh, ~LinkedIn's wanting you to put more videos and stuff on there to be relevant, but it's not that place where you're putting your, I don't really think even putting your listings on LinkedIn is [01:10:00] worth it, you know?

[01:10:00] Pamela Hoffman: No,~ so, um, ~so for me, I think, well, I think what I would give in terms of advice to other agents is pick the, pick the social media channel that, is the one that you connect with the most and start there. ~Um, ~and then once you master that, then you can start to build in, you know, one or another one. ~Um, ~Instagram is the one that I connect with the most with, like, I'm a very visual person.

[01:10:23] Pamela Hoffman: I told you I'm a visual learner, so that's why it's like, I love watching video. I love, like, seeing cool pictures. That's just how I engage, right? ~Um, ~Facebook. I'm also on Facebook, but it has more to do with, like, that is a whole different channel of users that don't like to go on Instagram. So I find that, like, certain people engage 

[01:10:42] Tracy Hayes: there.

[01:10:42] Tracy Hayes: So it's more of a chat. It is more of a social thing, right? You can, I'm sure there's a Naughty Moms group or whatever. Yeah, there's so many, you know, where you're on there and you, you want to interact. Instagram. Although, you know, I have messaged in instagram and they're obviously facebook and instagram is the same [01:11:00] company And you if you post on instagram, you can set it up to post over to facebook or vice versa or whatever Or or take your reels and say yeah put it on instagram as well.

[01:11:09] Tracy Hayes: So they do cross over But ~uh, ~yeah, I think there's a different subjects or different, you know, the listings I think ~Uh ~in my if I was a real estate agent, I would definitely have my listings on Facebook~ Um, ~you know, ~uh, ~you know, yeah, you can throw them on Instagram, but I think, you know, the Educational videos and so forth or just hey here.

[01:11:31] Tracy Hayes: I'm up at the splash pad. This is awesome, isn't it? You know kind of videos. I don't know that that would be my that's my mindset between the two But I think those two are the the cornerstone right now. Well, 

[01:11:40] Pamela Hoffman: and I find that you know, whenever I'm marketing listings They go on both because they're I have And like I said, there are certain people that love Instagram, there are certain people that love Facebook.

[01:11:50] Pamela Hoffman: So I want to get the most eyes on these listings as possible, and that's what I tell my clients. And I, and,~ um,~ but I've had, I've had clients, different clients find me because of [01:12:00] Facebook and I've had other clients find me because of Instagram. And what's, what I find is that Instagram, more people have reached out to me for me to work with them because they get who I am.

[01:12:11] Pamela Hoffman: They see a flow to my thought process, and who I am, and my lifestyle, and how I portray myself, and like, you know. They're like, I like you because I like your experience, I like, How you know, I like what you say about how you work with clients and all of that I think they feel like they feel like they can connect with me and 

[01:12:33] Tracy Hayes: that because there's more you think is Being video having a lot to do with that Or do you you know if I just looked at your one on your Instagram right now and just saw the you know Whatever you want to call it a thumbnail or whatever set that alone, but actually the video Is helping them connect with you 

[01:12:49] Pamela Hoffman: video is helping connect them connect with me but also you know how you can you can scroll and you can see pictures and you see um everything that That I share [01:13:00] in there.

[01:13:00] Pamela Hoffman: So you see like you see I'm talking about Florida lifestyle. I'm talking about obviously Yes, you know that I'm in real estate, but you know, Florida lifestyle and Family. Yeah is like the big core to who I am, right? So you scroll through and you see that and you people see like oh she's She's a mom and she's, you know, her 

[01:13:17] Tracy Hayes: kids are roughly the same age as mine.

[01:13:19] Tracy Hayes: She must, she must know about the schools. 

[01:13:22] Pamela Hoffman: Correct. And you know what? Oh, they'd spend a lot of time out on their boat on the intercoastal. Like, you know, we love doing that. We're like, so it is those types of things that people can relate to,~ um,~ which makes them decide that they want to work with me because they understand that I've been through it.

[01:13:37] Pamela Hoffman: And then that makes them want to work with me. We're like Facebook isn't set up that way. Like you'd have to like do a long scroll on my page to, to get all of that. But it's just, I would say they're just two different platforms in how you present yourself and what you share. Well, 

[01:13:51] Tracy Hayes: that's why I'm a big fan of YouTube.

[01:13:52] Tracy Hayes: I mean, obviously anything comes from the show. You know, I randomly post on Facebook every real in the thing, you know, for the, [01:14:00] cause my Instagram is my, is the show stuff, but the,~ um,~ You know, it's cross referencing, but everything goes to YouTube because I feel YouTube's a library. It is. You know, they can go on there and they're going to put Pamela Hoffman on there and my reels are going to pop up.

[01:14:15] Tracy Hayes: My, your, the full length video is going to pop up on you and so forth. ~Um, ~where Instagram, yeah, if they put Pamela Hoffman, they're going to take the top of your page. They don't see, you know, what's, what's down there. Mm hmm. You know, ~um, ~unless, I don't know, I guess maybe if they search, hey, Knocketsy Splash Bark.

[01:14:29] Tracy Hayes: Which, I mean, I imagine there's a million videos on that. . , yeah. ~Um, ~for the,~ uh,~ topic. I forgot the question I was gonna ask Next there. ~Um, ~I'm gonna throw, I'm gonna, I'm gonna throw,~ uh,~ throw this back at you 'cause I'm gonna think of this question. Mm-Hmm. I was, I had in my, I had it locked in my mind and then I lost it.

[01:14:43] Tracy Hayes: ~Um, ~we're. hour and 17 minutes into this, tell us something. ~Uh, ~is there anything that we didn't cover that we, that you want to express out there,~ uh,~ to,~ um,~ you know, being top of mind? I think that's another thing to talk about the social media. ~Um, ~how important in [01:15:00] using the social media, okay, this is the question that's just coming out on me now.

[01:15:04] Tracy Hayes: ~Um, ~I think a lot of people will, you know, are you getting business off social media? Is it really measurable? Because personally, I feel people are using multiple platforms, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook. They're finding out about you. They may they may saw a billboard about you. They're going online and going, who is this person?

[01:15:27] Tracy Hayes: And they're going into those those platforms to find out more about you. Is there a real measure? To say, hey, yeah, I put this post up and I got business from it. 

[01:15:39] Pamela Hoffman: ~Um, ~so I think it's important to, I think it's important to ask clients when they reach out to you. So I've had sellers that have called me directly and say like, okay, so I'd like to set up an appointment with you.

[01:15:49] Pamela Hoffman: We're interested in selling our home. They, and I always ask, so how'd you find, how'd you find me? Right. Because I need to understand what I'm doing right and what I need to do [01:16:00] more of. Right, ~um, ~and so I have, I've had people point blank say, like, we found you because of, you know, your ads on Facebook. Or we watched you, we were like searching,~ um,~ northeast Florida and looking for, a particular area and then videos of you came up and so we watched and then we started and then and I see people follow me So I might a name might like I I see okay, sir.

[01:16:24] Pamela Hoffman: So and so just followed you I look at their paint like oh, I'm not even connected with them And then like I get a cup I'll call a couple days later and it's because like they're they're what they're watching passively to kind of see if you're The right fit for them But I I can attribute specific clients to social media and things that I've done that like they would have never found me any other way 

[01:16:44] Tracy Hayes: Which reminds me make sure you friend me on Facebook so I can put the link over on to your page Mystery question to everyone, you know, because I think there's these people like, well, you know, I tried social media for a week and no one called me.

[01:16:58] Tracy Hayes: It doesn't happen like that. It's [01:17:00] a long game. And then, you know, the fact that you might actually be friends with someone they're friends with as well. And then they put in some sort of search mechanism. Is the algorithm giving them you because you have a mutual relationship with someone else? We don't know.

[01:17:18] Tracy Hayes: Yeah, that I'm 

[01:17:18] Pamela Hoffman: not sure about. Yeah 

[01:17:21] Tracy Hayes: But entering into other people's circles. I mean I and I can attest to it because the show I've never met you before we friend of theirs. There's so many people so many agents I met first time coming on the show But soon as they friend me and then of course I take this show and I post it on there all of a sudden their friends Are now seeing me and You know, you just I entered a whole new circle.

[01:17:46] Tracy Hayes: There's there's people you that you're friends with that I don't even know but now when I post that over they're gonna know who's this real estate excellence pie What's going on here? And all of a sudden you enter into this circle Yeah, so I mean when you're interacting with your clients to friend them [01:18:00] Over and share the social media.

[01:18:01] Tracy Hayes: You now start entering their circle because I assume the algorithm is you know It well, we've talked about it here like minds attract each other, you know And in the in the in the different things that you've gone through so To keep expanding your circle. You don't know where that information is going and when it will come up.

[01:18:20] Tracy Hayes: So 

[01:18:21] Pamela Hoffman: ~um, ~you were just talking about, you know, frequency and, and, you know, you were using the example of how an agent can say, Oh, well, you know, I did it for about a week and nothing happened. I think, I think it's important to, to stay consistent. I think it's also important to be yourself.

[01:18:37] Pamela Hoffman: ~Um, ~because, you know, You could hire sure you could hire somebody to do your social media I don't personally and that works for some people and maybe at a certain say i'm also a control freak. I probably shouldn't~ um, ~but I it's that's something I won't dole out because I need people to see me as me and you know, and and ~Um, ~there are people that will look me up and say like, okay, you know, maybe, maybe she's a little too [01:19:00] buttoned up, maybe she's a little too structured, she's not for me.

[01:19:02] Pamela Hoffman: That's fine. But like people that find me, they, they see the real me and they're like, I want to work with you because of X, Y, Z. They, they understand kind of like, you know, who the person is. And I think that's, what's important is that in your social media is being able to just present yourself as you are.

[01:19:18] Tracy Hayes: Sean Carpenter, I don't know if you went to RE Bar Camp or not, but Sean Carpenter was one of the speakers. He's from actually from Ohio and he speaks nationally. And he speaks just, he spoke just about that. To be the same person online that you are offline. If you're this persona online and they run into you in the grocery store, You, you've got to be that same person if you're, you know, I'm, I'm sure around this country you have these newscasters that are, that are,~ um,~ you know, seem so friendly on, on the six o'clock news, but then you run in the grocery store and they don't even want to see you.

[01:19:49] Tracy Hayes: Right. It's just, that's, that's the way they were, but,~ um,~ in the relationship business that we're in to be the same person online, offline and vice versa. 

[01:19:58] Pamela Hoffman: Yeah. Absolutely. A hundred percent. ~Um, ~[01:20:00] something else that makes me successful, that I feel like makes me successful, is resilience. ~So, ~I, You have to be 

[01:20:05] Tracy Hayes: in this business, right?

[01:20:07] Pamela Hoffman: Exactly. You can't take things personally. But you also, I think you also need to be able to bounce back from, You know the challenges that come your way and also be resourceful ~Um, ~you know my when I was growing up. My dad taught me and it's and so i'm colombian. ~Um, ~and first generation born here, but my dad my dad, ~uh ~always taught me like You're going to get a flat tire in life.

[01:20:32] Pamela Hoffman: And so when you get a flat tire, what happens? You get out of the car, you change a tire, which I don't even know how to change it. And thankfully I have run flats. 

[01:20:40] Tracy Hayes: The way people drive today. I'm not getting out of the car, 

[01:20:45] Pamela Hoffman: but it's a great metaphor for life. Right. ~So, ~but he's like, you know, you're going to get a flat tire.

[01:20:48] Pamela Hoffman: What do you do? You get out of the car, you change it, you get back in the car, you keep driving. And that is. You know, that was something that was ingrained to me growing up and so what does that mean for me today? Is that like [01:21:00] I, you know, I like to look for problems and I, and I tell my clients that so I, I'm trying to look ahead.

[01:21:05] Pamela Hoffman: Like what are the things that we could run into? What are the, what are the roadblocks, what are the potholes? And I'm going to tell you what they are, but I'm also not going to come at you hair on fire. I'm going to come to you and I'm going to say, look, okay, here's what's going on. Here's what I foresee.

[01:21:20] Pamela Hoffman: You can do a B or C, you know, like I try to present like options. Here's here's your paths you could take and here's what could happen. And I feel like being able to do that is what helps me and my clients get to a successful end because you're, you know, you're like, okay, things are going to come up throughout.

[01:21:42] Pamela Hoffman: Throughout the process whether you're selling or you're buying a home But being able to handle those challenges as they come your way and and not oh, you know Like it happens, but how are we like, you know, let's let's get back at it. Let's figure out like, okay How do we navigate through this so that we're getting to our end goal in mind?

[01:21:58] Pamela Hoffman: and I think that's important is being [01:22:00] resilient being able to be resourceful and and overcome challenges. 

[01:22:04] Tracy Hayes: Well, that's the value you bring to the table. You know, I mentioned the NAR lawsuit the other day, and to me, the bottom line of the NAR lawsuit is agents,~ uh,~ haven't,~ uh,~ I don't know, I'm going to use the word lazy, just kind of complacent or whatever.

[01:22:16] Tracy Hayes: You know, what you just to me, we need to cut that out and we need to put that on your YouTube of you expressing that because it's very important because that's the value you bring to the table. People don't understand and the transaction is stressful when you've got an agent like yourself. That's already hey, these are this is what could happen.

[01:22:37] Tracy Hayes: These are how are we gonna handle it? No big deal so they can stay focused on what they that makes them happy and that's signing and well I don't know if they're looking forward to moving their stuff in but living in that home, right? That's what you want them picturing through the whole process So when you do that one your professional shows your experience that have been Through it a few times and you're gonna [01:23:00] handle it.

[01:23:00] Tracy Hayes: So when it happens, you're like, hey, yeah, You remember I told you that was gonna happen But that's the value you bring in the table and that's what every agent needs to do, but that's why you're successful 100 Good yes. All 

[01:23:12] Pamela Hoffman: right. Appreciate you coming on. Thank you so much for having me. This is so much fun.

[01:23:15] Pamela Hoffman: Thanks