Ali understands that buying or selling a home is more than just a transaction: it’s a life-altering, emotional experience. That is why in today’s market who you work with matters more than ever. Ali prides himself on his level of personal service and attention to his clients’ every detail. He is a highly-seasoned real estate professional and is dedicated to providing exceptional, personalized service for all of his clients.
Ali takes great pride in the relationships he builds and will always work relentlessly on the client’s behalf to help them achieve their real estate and investment goals. He represents the best and brightest in the industry, and consistently strives to lead the field in real estate market knowledge, technology, innovation, and consumer education. Today’s buyers and sellers need a trusted resource that can guide them through the complex world of real estate. With Ali’s extensive knowledge and commitment to providing only the best and most timely information to his clients, he is your go-to source for real estate industry insight and advice.
[Podcast Transcript Using Artificial Intelligence]
Umar Hameed 0:01
Are you ready to become awesomer? Hello everyone! My name is Umar Hameed, I'm your host on the No Limits Selling Podcast, where industry leaders share their tips, strategies and advice on how you can become better, stronger, faster. Just before we get started, I've got a question for you, do you have a negative voice inside your head? We all do, right? I'm gonna help you remove that voice and under 30 days guaranteed, not only remove it, but transform it. So instead of the voice that sabotages you, there's one that propels you to much higher levels of performance and success. There's a link in the show notes, click on it to find out more. All right! Let's get started.
Umar Hameed 0:41
Hello, everyone. Welcome to another episode of The No Limits Selling Podcast where we talk to industry leaders about the human side of sales. Today, I've got the privilege of having a friend and consummate professional, Ali Davar, he is a group leader at Caza Group. Ali, welcome to the program.
Ali Davar 0:58
Hey, thanks for having me.
Umar Hameed 1:00
So Ali, how long have you been in real estate?
Ali Davar 1:02
I've been in real estate since 2014.
Umar Hameed 1:05
So that's a good long, like eight years.
Ali Davar 1:08
Absolutely.
Umar Hameed 1:09
So tell me about the early years. Did you ever second guess yourself when you first came into the industry?
Ali Davar 1:15
All the time. I started part time in the beginning. And going through the learning curve and not knowing actually the productive activity that produce income and create predictability in the beginning was a challenge. I spend a lot of times doing what I call feel good marketing, we can certainly talk about that. And I had to learn actually, what are the most effective things that are going to generate income?
Umar Hameed 1:39
Absolutely. Because when you're new, you just latch on to anything. And I suspect that you latch on to things that feel comfortable and shy away from things that feel uncomfortable. And unfortunately, in this world, it's the uncomfortable things that make you money and the comfortable things just make you feel I can give myself a hug but sent you to the poorhouse.
Ali Davar 1:58
Absolutely, absolutely. I had to learn what are the, what are the rocks that I have to move forward that actually produce income, I had to learn how to actually attract business over time and in the beginning of chasing business. So you're attracting business over time, you're cognizant of being able to build a business that's attracting clients. And if I was to do this all over again, I would have saved a lot of time. Being next to somebody, being next to a mentor is really important. In the beginning, I had mentors and they were awesome. And at the same time, we were kind of learning together, right? So..
Umar Hameed 2:32
Right.
Ali Davar 2:33
Yeah, you learned that.
Umar Hameed 2:34
I came across this guy, his name's Kyle. And he's does something crazy, like 500 transactions himself.
Ali Davar 2:41
Wow.
Umar Hameed 2:41
He was working part time real estate. And so it forced him to hire admin staff right at the beginning, because he couldn't do it without it. And that became his saving grace in terms of, "Alright, I'm gonna let the other people do the stuff that's non income generating, I'm just gonna focus on what generates income." So he forced himself to go down that path out of necessity.
Ali Davar 3:02
Mm hmm. Yeah, absolutely. You're forced to I think pain is a good motivator, sometimes. Um, I, I had the fortune to actually, in 2017, a lot of the efforts that I had done were, were coming together, so that was a good year. And 2018 wasn't, and all of a sudden, I'm like, this roller coaster of sales is real, and what activities are going to generate income or generate real results matter. So I had to get serious about, hey, change of habits, change of schedule, being very intentional about what I do, and how I control the day to actually build a business, have a schedule, rather than being entrepreneurial about the whole journey. I have to be very purposeful, as we say.
Umar Hameed 3:47
Yeah, it's everything that generates success is process-driven. And a lot of entrepreneurs are like, "No, not process. You know, I'm a free spirit, I'm at my best when I'm doing this." And the reality is people that are great at whether it's track and field, or it's real estate, or as being a CEO, is the processes they develop that keep them on track and guarantee success. Because if you don't have a process, you don't know what the problem is. So you're trying to fix things or try new things, it just doesn't work. So tell me about a time alley, where you went from non process, and you found a process that worked and how that changed your career and your mindset?
Ali Davar 4:23
Absolutely. So I think having a schedule is very important, right? First of all, understanding what your business plan is, what are the most and I mean, it's very simple business plan, what are the most effective thing that I need to do to generate leads and follow up with those leads to move them forward, forward and generate income, then creating a schedule around that, I had to hold myself accountable to that, so that's the system. I realized, I think, in real estate, a lot of agents in the beginning, they work hard there. They used to work harder for the, for the person that used to work for that and rather than themselves, they get into real estate and it's like, "Hey, like, you know, I don't have a schedule, I'll just do what, what it seems good." And we feel busy, we're making flyers, we're putting out signs we're working on on a contract way too long, rather than actually going on after, after the things that matter. So I had to get good with the process of, "This is my schedule, I'm going to protect my time, we're going to go after new business in the mornings, I'm going to do the difficult things in the morning, I had to get very systematic about my follow up, being able to be very fast with the follow up." And at the same time, I had to become valuable in the marketplace. So I had to actually sit down and learn the business really well. I always divided into three things, the process, the market, and also the product. Now as an agent, sometimes you don't have a product, you don't have a house you're selling. Or as a buyer's agent, if you're out there helping buyers, there's no product yet, you might want to know the area a little bit, you might know a few neighborhoods, but you're most likely driving around. But it's very easy to very quickly become good at the process. And how do you net a seller the most amount of money or help the buyer save the most amount of money or win in this market, so that's the process. And you can get really good at the market by just studying that there's tools out there that teach you the market. So I had to get serious, I had to practice, I had to become really valuable in the marketplace.
Umar Hameed 6:17
Absolutely. I heard this thing, I'm not sure how true it is but I think the messages is spot on. Someone was talking about subway, sandwich shop, there's like franchises all over the place. And the question was, "Who's more successful, farmers are MBAs?" And the farmers kick the butts of the MBAs because the farmers like, "Give me a process. I'm gonna doggedly do it," and the MBAs are like, "Nah, there's a better way? Let me show you. I know. And they don't know." And so I think, dear listeners, if you're in real estate, find a great mentor, steal their process. In fact, they want to give you their process. And it's a lot like Mr. Miyagi, "Wax on, wax off," sometimes it doesn't make sense why we're doing this. Don't worry about the sense, just follow it, do it, get great at it. And if you do that, you will be successful. If you try and reinvent the wheel, do that when you're a guru yourself not before.
Ali Davar 7:13
Yeah, that's very valuable. You have to believe in the process. So we, in our company, we take on some new a lot of new agents. And I always think at the six month mark is when everybody thinks is this really gonna work out or not. I've been lucky to have a lot of mentors online, virtually in person. And, and when you see somebody that was able to do it, you can say, "Hey, if they did that, why not me." It's very important. You said it right. Until you do it better than them, just follow their process. There's a, there's a reason and a logic behind why everything is set up the way it is. And until you get there, you shouldn't try to reinvent the wheel, you should just try and actually get to that level first.
Umar Hameed 7:55
So today, I was on the squash court. And unfortunately, or fortunately, I got my ass kicked at three games to zip, but it was joyous. The guy was playing with we both know this one player who's pretty senior, and they call him the coach because he wants to coach everybody. And the guy I was playing with calling today said, you know, he's got such great knowledge but he's so bad at communicating it. Then three years ago, he was teaching me stuff that I just was not getting. And as I've progressed in my game, I started adopting what he was teaching and he works fantastic. And I just didn't realize what he was talking about till now. So I think people in the industry have a lot of wisdom and sometimes we don't have the capacity to understand why they do, what they do. And what you need to do is to really, you know, when there's a good fit with a person that's leading you cares about you, respects you. And hopefully they're hard on you too, because it's not like they're your babysitters, because they got a business to run. But if you find that connection, and you feel that trust, trust in the process, trust in them, and you will be successful. So Ali, tell me about don't name names, but tell me about somebody that came into, because you, want when you chose what you do now that you coach a lot of realtors, and then I'll ask the question, so give us a short shot of what's happening right now.
Ali Davar 9:14
So I'm the area director of Caza Group. And what that means is I am out there in production myself, I have my clients that I'm helping my job is to win market share out there in the market. And at the same time, I have my agents that we hire, I mentor them, I coach them in the beginning, we have a process that we're teaching them like everything that we do is put in a framework. So helping somebody understand the sequential steps to go from the very beginning, being able to build a database really go from step one to step two, and then mentor and coach them throughout the way till they get to let's say 100,000 in production and 250 and from there, right? So my job is is all about helping my clients and my agents through that journey.
Umar Hameed 9:59
Brilliant Tell me about one of the agents that came into your, into your team that you could tell like, "This person is going to be like, fantastic," and it never became reality. So don't name names but tell me, that person, why you thought they'd be a rockstar, and what got in the way and what sabotage their efforts to actually be successful. And then we'll talk about the flip side of that somebody that came in that you mentored and got them to just be rock stars. So let's take a look at the negative case first.
Ali Davar 10:30
Sure.
Umar Hameed 10:30
Specific person and just giving them a random name, like Umar.
Ali Davar 10:34
Oh, absolutely.
Umar Hameed 10:35
Don't call them Umar.
Ali Davar 10:36
Oh yeah. The Umar that came into group. So we love people, and especially as coaches, we believe in people, and we want the best for people. So it's also, it's also easy to talk about what you're going to do, right? And when it comes down to doing it, there's a lot of times, you know, all these great ideas are worthless, unless you can execute that. Executing 10% of something is better than dreaming 1,000% of it. There's been a lot of scenarios, I had to learn that, like, it's not really about what the person says, and it's not about how much energy I'm putting into them but it's really about the results that we're able to achieve the actions that we're able to take. So there's definitely people that have come in, they talk a big game. But when it comes to action, and I think a lot of times it causes fear, right? Fear gets in the way of what we really want to do. And the fear sets in and we don't want to go outside of the comfort zone where we actually grow, where we that fear slowly becomes norm and that you can keep going outside of your comfort zone. So there's been people that when for a long time, they're just constantly talking about it and not taking action, it becomes frustrating, especially as coaches, we want the best for people.
Umar Hameed 10:41
Yes.
Ali Davar 10:53
You have to pull back and make sure you're putting your time and energy in the right place. And I think for that person is really going back and looking at what what is one thing I can do today, that's going to make a difference. What is one action that's a little bit outside of my comfort zone. I heard that said best is what am I going to do that I'm actually going to do? What is the one thing that I'm actually willing to do today and go take that action.
Umar Hameed 12:13
Because what's interesting is, you know, I'm gonna do this amazing thing after we finish this call. There's something comforting about it, like we hit envision ourselves doing it, and it kind of soothes us. And then when we get close to doing it, then fear comes up, and then we don't actually execute. But that half an hour, two our feeling before the event, we felt good about ourselves, and that's like a drug. Then we need is more wishful thinking to, to continue. And it's the coach's job to prepare people that this is a natural human instinct. Let's identify it, let's fight it, let's overcome it because on the other side of fear is something amazing. But it's just getting through that little two steps, getting through the fear, there's amazingness on the other side. So Ali, tell me about, somebody that came into your team that you thought, "Huh, you know, they might do okay," and that they surprised you or they took your, your guidance and really took it to heart. So tell me about one of those stories, how you got somebody to basically go from average to being exceptional?
Ali Davar 13:14
Absolutely. There's, there's a few examples of that I can think of and every time it's about when somebody when you when you tell somebody go do 1-2-3 and they come back and they've done 4-5-6. Everybody has that fear, everybody has the fear of, "Am I good enough?" "Can I really do this?" "Is this really going to work." And there are some, you know, individuals that they're able to just get it done, and they come back, and they surprise you about what they've done.
Umar Hameed 13:41
Oh, yeah.
Ali Davar 13:42
Um, so in the beginning, it's just about those sequential steps of like, being able to do what matters today to lay down those bricks. So there's been there's been times where I'm like, I'm not sure if this person is really gonna make it. But but one quality they have in common is, no matter what happens, no matter how they fail, they still show up, right? And that quality of being willing to show up tomorrow, no matter what, for more, is what gets you there, right? So I have a just that definitely have failed their way to success. And I think that's always the case, you have to fail in order to success because we learn from those and we improve from those. And I have agents that that really surprised me and I'm proud of them. And it's been an amazing journey.
Umar Hameed 14:27
Absolutely. And I think we are trained from childhood that failure is bad. And even though somebody might say well fail your speed back, but the reality is people look at you at a different way. And sometimes it's your mindset determines how you see people looking at you. And but if we can train people that no matter whether you succeed or you fail, the first thing you need to do is to analyze what happened and stuff that went well, you need to go, "Oh, this is what led to success." And when it fails, this is what led to failure and that's what you meant comes in, that's where a coach comes in, is you can go back to the coach and say, "I tried this thing, but this happened, not sure how to overcome it." And the coach is going to help you overcome that and give you some guidance, then go out and try it, because it's showing up is the most important thing, because if you don't show up, nothing changes.
Ali Davar 15:18
Mm hmm. Absolutely. No pressure, no diamond, right? You can look at it two ways that you failed, or you learn something, and this is actually a blessing that now I can use and and use it to move forward. Because, you know, we say, you know, failure is good. But as you know, as humans, we are biologically designed to care about what others think, right?
Umar Hameed 15:41
Oh, yeah.
Ali Davar 15:41
Social, or social individuals. So we care about what the what people around this thing. So it's a matter of rewiring that slowly, right? And, and no matter what you still going to care what people think, to a certain extent. But more and more, you're able to reframe that. And you tell yourself this failure is what I this is what I've learned from this failure, this is how I can use it. Literally, I failed my way to where I am today, right? Every every change in habits came from, well, this is not working, and I want something different. And when you're going, you know, your goals are over here and your actions over here, you realize, hey, but they got to match, right? So I'd say it's just about being able to reframe that and remind yourself constantly and you get better at it. It's really a skill that you get better at.
Umar Hameed 16:26
So tell me about a time where you were crappy at it in terms of you were failing, and then it's like, "Oh, it's not working," and then who's your mentor at that time and what advice did they give you that allowed you to kind of see things differently, and all of a sudden, overcome that?
Ali Davar 16:40
Yeah, I feel that all the time, right? I can't think of a good example right now. But I tell you, I'm always learning and I'm always looking at what can I improve in this process, whether it's as an agent, whether it's as a, as a coach or helping my agents, but in 2017, right? when, when I went from like having a good year to all of a sudden not having a good year, I realized this motion when somebody did this for me, which was virtual like today, nowadays, like you can find somebody you connect with somebody that, Umar, we connected online and a man met you actually through a, through an event that you were teaching us online.
Umar Hameed 17:21
Yup.
Ali Davar 17:21
But I came across you later on social media, right? And before that, I have a lot of mentors on that I would follow on YouTube, right? So in 2017, I realized, this is the direction I'm going is not what my goals are over here, I really care about these big goals. And one night I'm sitting, I'm watching a Tom Ferry YouTube video. I mean, he's talking about you know, your goals are over here or your actions going to match them? And you care about which one is more important, do I want this lifestyle or do I want these goals? That was a moment for me where I realized, "Okay, I really want this, these things are important to me, I'm willing to sacrifice what I have right now." I started waking up super early, I started changing my schedule that led into a lot more mentors that I went deep in the world online. And it got me into a world of learning and having a mindset around learning and being introduced to people just like you. So habits in 2017 became super important. From the time I go to sleep, to the time I wake up, to your workout because that energy translates into your work, if you...
Umar Hameed 18:30
Oh, absolutely.
Ali Davar 18:30
...don't have I heard Tony Robbins says that, "If you have the biggest goals in the world, but you don't have the energy to do them, you're never going to accomplish them." So I think it's about actually, you know, your, your daily habits that create energy for you to carry on.
Umar Hameed 18:44
Absolutely.
Ali Davar 18:44
And then also I want to add, you know, I had the privilege to, to kind of look further back and say, "Hey, where I want to go, I'm better off being next to somebody and being an apprentice for a period of my life where I can grow at a faster rate," right? So I was able to actually come to the company I'm at because surrounding myself with people that are ahead of me caused me to grow really fast and be where I am today. So those mentors around me today, like you and others at my company, make a huge difference. And I'm doing what I'm doing today, way faster than somebody next to me that in 10 years and I'm privileged for that.
Umar Hameed 19:23
Brilliant. So, Ali, if there was a lesson you want to share with the viewers and the listeners, what's one lesson that you would teach people that would allow them to get better results like today?
Ali Davar 19:34
Yeah, I would say anything, you're one Google search away from changing your life. Anything that's a problem, you can find it out there, it's online, it's on YouTube, it's in a book. So be open minded, read everything you can and what you think you don't have the answer, but the answer is out there, just, just be open to learning all the time.
Umar Hameed 19:53
Brilliant. And is there one mind hack you could share with the viewers and listeners that you use that allows you to be happier or more productive or more successful?
Ali Davar 20:02
Yeah, I think physiology, right? like being able to move your body when I'm in the mornings making calls when I'm going to make a call, every day we have this anxiety around, can I do this, right? You're never going to feel like doing something until you start doing it. In middle of it, whether it like I run a lot, I never, I never feel like running. But when I go for a run, and I finish I never regretted. I never want to make my calls in the morning, but when I make them I never regretted and in the middle, I love it, I love the energy. So moving your body actually, like I have a trembling, a little trembling in my office, I jump up and down on it in between my calls. Moving your body will create confidence and it will cause you to take actions rather than sitting and thinking about it. So I would say in still thinking about it, move your body and just take quick actions. Throughout the day, not just workout once a day, but throughout the day, move your body. Right now we're talking I'm standing up because I know I performed better standing up that city.
Umar Hameed 21:00
Absolutely. And I think in my world I call it, "Physiology trump's psychology." This way to change how your thinking is change your body posture. So brilliant. Ali, thank you so much for being on the program. This was super valuable, I took a bunch of notes and thanks so much for being on the show.
Ali Davar 21:18
Thank you, Umar. Appreciate you.
Umar Hameed 21:24
If you enjoyed this episode, please go to iTunes and leave a five-star rating. And if you're looking for more tools, go to my website at nolimitsselling.com. I've got a free mind training course there, that's going to teach you some insights from the world of Neuro-Linguistic Programming and that is the fastest way to get better results.