Noel (00:07):
Hi. I’m Noel with Today’s Brew, where top producing real estate agents share their tips on taking more listings, making more money, and having fun doing it. On today’s episode, we welcome April Hunter from Atlanta, Georgia. Hi, April.
April Hunter (00:22):
Hi, Noel. How are you?
Noel (00:24):
I am well. How are you today?
April Hunter (00:25):
I am wonderful. Thank you for having me.
Noel (00:28):
Thank you for joining us. Let’s get right into it and hear a little bit about yourself and your brokerage and how things are going for you this year.
April Hunter (00:35):
Oh, great. So, as you guys know, I am April Hunter based in Atlanta, Georgia. I am the broker of House Hunters Realty. I started real estate in 2016, and when I started real estate, it started off a little bit slow for me. I immediately started doing expireds, and we took it from there.
Noel (00:55):
That’s fantastic. So, starting off, was it an easy transition for you or a little difficult?
April Hunter (01:01):
It was a difficult transition. Let me tell you why, and I tell this story to everyone, Noel. If you have met me before, you’ve heard this story. My first year in real estate, when I first got into the business, guys, honestly, I did not truly know what an expired was. I did not, and a withdrawn, I didn’t know what that was. And once I learned, I immediately took off.
(01:25):
My first year in real estate, honestly, in 2016, I got my license. In November, 2016, I’d only made five grand, $5,000. In 2017, that year, I finished out at 115,000 and it’s been up ever-
Noel (01:40):
Congratulations.
April Hunter (01:42):
Thank you. It’s been up ever since. And it was because I did. I learned my niche. I learned what was good for me. I remained consistent, and I stuck to it. And I used this platform. I have been using Espresso Agent ever since 2017.
Noel (01:59):
So, for viewers that are unfamiliar with Espresso Agent, when you say that you use us, what does that entail? What do you do daily?
April Hunter (02:06):
So, every day, I’m very consistent. If I look right here, I have a daily schedule. Every day, I’m very consistent.
(02:12):
So, the first thing I’m going to do, and I know it sounds cliché. So many people will say that people just say something. No, every day when I get up, I’m going to say my prayers. I’m going to read my devotional, and I am immediately going to visualize my day, every single time. And then, I’ll come into the office around about 8:00, 9:00 at the latest because sometimes, I’m going to be honest, I’m human. I may not get here on time, but when I do, I’ll immediately start to make my calls. I’m going to have my scripts out, and I’m going to be able to be in tunnel vision, and I’m going to focus in on my goals. I even have my vision board sitting right here right beside me. So, I’m going to do that. I’m able to look at that, and I know what I’m doing.
(02:53):
So, if I hear a no, it’s okay because I know I’m going to hear a yes. So, that’s definitely not a problem. So, every day, I wake up, and I do the same thing.
(03:00):
And so, for now, for this year, and even last year, I’ve added on layers to my business, right? So, and again, all of our leads, everything comes directly from Espresso Agent. So, I take those leads. I’m doing mailers. I’m doing postcards. I have a whole system. I’m doing text messaging. I’m putting them all into my Follow Up Boss, into my CRM, and that’s working for me in the background. So, I have a whole system of things that I do. And as of right now, today, I have a listing appointment when I leave here just from sending out a text message from a lead that I got from Espresso Agent.
Noel (03:41):
Congratulations. That’s awesome. So, how many calls do you generally make every day to get to your contact goal? How many hours do you have to put in for that?
April Hunter (03:52):
Good. Okay. So, I have a rule up thumb to where again, I have this, my contact sheet. You must get 20 contacts a day.
Noel (04:00):
Okay. So, how long does that take you?
April Hunter (04:02):
So, honestly, to tell you the truth, since I have a new system, in order for me to get 20 contacts a day, I will probably dial and text. I may do that, and it’ll take me about two or three hours.
Noel (04:13):
That’s not too bad-
April Hunter (04:15):
That’s not bad at all.
Noel (04:15):
… to get 20 contacts?
April Hunter (04:16):
Actually, two hours is what it’s going to take me, and I’m getting at least two to four appointments a day. So, that’s not bad at all.
Noel (04:23):
That’s incredible.
April Hunter (04:23):
It’s not bad at all. Yes, I have a system. If I show you my calendar, you will see that I have them lined up. I have a system now.
Noel (04:33):
So, how many transactions are you doing a year?
April Hunter (04:37):
So, for us, here at my company, I have kind of what I do is I take my leads and I disperse them amongst our agents. So, we can do anywhere … And I think it’s about, what is it, 10 of us. And then, some of them are part-time. Some of them are full-time. So, we can do in-between 50 to a hundred transactions a year.
Noel (04:53):
Wow. So, you’re on target this year.
April Hunter (04:56):
I am.
Noel (04:58):
What’s your goal for next year?
April Hunter (05:00):
So, my goal for next year is to … Honestly, that’s more on a broker scale for me is just to collect more agents. That’s my true goal. But for me, for myself is to remain around that 10 to $15 million mark.
Noel (05:12):
That’s so awesome. What’s the average price point in your area?
April Hunter (05:16):
In our area, I think our price point … It goes up. So, I believe our average price point is right about 450 to 475 here.
Noel (05:24):
Okay. So, my question for you is, since you’re using a dialer and you mentioned expireds earlier, where are you getting most of your business right now since I know in my area there’s not a lot of expireds? Is that true for you as well?
April Hunter (05:39):
Well, you know what? Since I am in Georgia, there are expireds here only because, well, how I do mine is I do a wide range. So, when I’m using your system, when I’m on Espresso Agent, I say, “Hey, I need to go to 50 miles out.” And so, therefore, every day I may be able to get about 10 to 15 leads a day, you know? And when we get those leads, we’re going to go ahead and call them. We’re going to send them a message.
(06:06):
And not only that, they’re going to go on my mailbox postcard system that I have, and I get people now to start calling me. And I call them. And when I call them, a lot of times it turns into a warm call. It’s not a cold call anymore. So, we have different ways that we do it on top of me dialing that day.
(06:25):
So, just because you do not get the person to answer the phone that day or at that moment, another rule of thumb is when you hang up, you call them right back. If you call them twice, they’re more than likely going to pick up that second time. And if they do not, you make sure that you turn around and you call them back that very next day. I will call them every single day until I get an answer.
Noel (06:47):
Okay.
April Hunter (06:48):
That’s what I do. It’s no more of that a call every other day, a call two or three days. We are in the middle of a changing and a shifting market. You must be on top of your business because if not, Joe is, Brandy is, whoever she sees going to be doing it. Whoever markets the best, whoever’s top of mind wins.
Noel (07:11):
How do you keep your positive mindset?
April Hunter (07:15):
The reason why I keep my positive mindset is because I am a broker, and not only that, even before I became a broker, I knew once I started to reach my why and once I started to get to my goals, I never wanted that to not happen again for me. So, if I had a bad month, I would have to double it. I mean, I’ve seen a hundred thousand dollars in December just last year, okay? And for most agents, that’s time for them to take off work. That’s time for them to kick back and relax. For me, that’s time for me to do something different. That’s time for me to get ready for the up and coming year. So, so many people take that break, and that’s the time when I say, “You know what? The competition is not there.” That’s when I go into four-wheel drive.
Noel (07:57):
And so, that means you’re no days off. You work every day. Take weekends off or no?
April Hunter (08:02):
You know what? No, so, no. I am. I am days off. Let me tell you. Monday through Friday, I’m going to work. I’m Superwoman Monday through Friday, and I work from 9:00 to 5:00. You may catch me doing 9:00 to 7:00 here and there if I have a late afternoon appointment. There is not a weekend that I work. I do not work on any weekend because I lead with listings. I leverage my listings. So, I don’t have to do the weekends unless I want to do an open house at that time. Other than that, I may send someone to do an open house because there are several people who love them. So, I work so hard during the week, that’s how I reward myself. I do not work on the weekends.
Noel (08:38):
Okay. So, do you work with buyers at all, or are you strictly listings at this point in your career?
April Hunter (08:43):
At this point in my career, the buyers that I work with are the people whose house I’m selling.
Noel (08:49):
Okay. And do you ever pass them off to your buyer agents?
April Hunter (08:54):
I do. I do have give leads here at my company. So, I do have a plethora of buyers that I do give to my agents. I do.
Noel (09:00):
Okay. You mentioned scripts earlier. How do you use them? Have you memorized them completely? Are they internalized, something you stick with all the time?
April Hunter (09:09):
So, let me tell you something that has truly worked for me. This is something that I thought of myself. So, first of all, of course, I have had had a coach. I’ve had a few different coaches, right? And so, what I’ve done is I’ve taken what I’ve learned, the top three things, the top three to five things that I’ve learned and I’ve merged them all, and I put my own sauce on it. And then, so now, I’m able to become a coach, and I do those things for myself.
(09:35):
So, I do look at my scripts every single day. Let me tell you what has truly worked for me. I have taken my scripts. I have hung them in my shower, right? I put this plastic on top of it, and it’s up. And so, I can look, and I can do my listing presentation. So, there is not a time when I do not get in the shower that I do not look up and I do not do my presentation. That has worked for me and my company.
(10:01):
And every Wednesday here, we are having training. In the mornings, I am role playing with myself. I even record myself to listen to myself. These are strong nuggets that you can take to definitely take your career to the next level.
Noel (10:16):
That’s incredible. This is great. It’s a lot of wonderful information for everybody. How do you repeatedly go back and try to get someone’s business if they keep turning you down or refusing to take a listing appointment with you?
April Hunter (10:30):
One of my coaches that I had when I first started out in real estate, maybe in 2018, he would say, “This is what I want you to do, April. I want you to have seven pennies as you’re dialing.” And I would just put my headset on, and I would just have those pennies. And I would talk to them, and they would try to … And they may not outright say, “No.” They may say, “Well, not right now,” and I’d slide a penny down. That means this is first time. That means I have six more times I need to ask for that deal. So then, I’ll say something again, and then I’d slide it down.
(11:02):
So, up until seven times when I’m on that one call is what I’m going to do. Then, at that time, I would definitely make sure that I try to at least get a tentative appointment. And then, at that point, I’ll give them a call back, and I’d requalify. And I’d go from here.
(11:19):
So, for me, no is not something that I’m really good at. I’ll take a no, but I’m going to keep pushing is what I’m going to do.
Noel (11:27):
So, if you can’t get that appointment after you’ve tried that technique and you followed up that evening as well and they don’t answer, do you call them back the next day and try again?
April Hunter (11:37):
The next day and the next day, I’m going to send a text message, and the next day, I’m going to do a voicemail. I have a whole system. Yes.
Noel (11:42):
Yeah, okay.
April Hunter (11:43):
For sure.
Noel (11:43):
For sure. So, at this point in your career as far as accountability, can you just make the calls on your own, or do you have someone sit in the room with you-
April Hunter (11:51):
I don’t have any-
Noel (11:52):
… and make sure you’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing?
April Hunter (11:54):
I don’t have to have anyone sit in. I do not have to have … Because again, and, guys, honestly, this is the truth. This is what’s going to distinguish a true agent from an amateur. I am a pro, okay? The professionals are going to get up, and they’re going to work their business. Mad, glad, sad, happy, whatever have you, the professionals … If you want to be a professional, you’re going to get up, and you’re going to do what you have to do.
(12:21):
You do not want to be an amateur, right? Because the amateurs are the ones that slide by the wayside, and we’re not doing that. So, I don’t need someone to tap me on my shoulder. So, that’s what I want most people to do. Become consistent, basically, is what I’m saying. Consistency is going to take you to the next level. That’s how you’re going to become a superstar, a rockstar agent in your city.
Noel (12:41):
And it sounds like you’ve nailed it. Is there any one piece of advice other than what you’ve already provided, which has been great, that you would give to a newer agent, something that they should really focus on and do every day?
April Hunter (12:54):
Yes, be very consistent and understand that education is first. The best thing I would tell anyone is to learn your scripts. Practice, practice, practice every single day. Do not feel like you have to just jump on the phone until you can kind of learn what you’re saying. And also, immediately understand that you have to have a dialer. You cannot not have a dialer.
Noel (13:20):
Awesome.
April Hunter (13:21):
You have to have one. In this business, you must have one if you’re looking to do numbers.
Noel (13:27):
Okay. So, there’s no more singing in the shower. It’s writing down your scripts, memorizing it, and rehearsing them in there. That’s great.
April Hunter (13:36):
Absolutely.
Noel (13:37):
So, if anyone wants to reach out to you and send you any referrals, what’s the best way to reach you?
April Hunter (13:42):
Yes. So, please do so. You guys, my company number is 678-974-1199. If you have any questions, concerns, or to ask me, and also you can follow our Instagram by my Instagram @iamaprilhunter.
Noel (13:56):
Wonderful. Thank you so much, April.
April Hunter (13:59):
Thank you, Noel. Have a great day.
