The founder and the Managing Broker of Vanguard Real Estate Boris brings over 12 years of experience in the Winnipeg real estate market including selling, purchasing and building various types of houses. A long record of diverse customers represented by first time home buyers, investors and returning clients.
[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 to another episode of The No Limits Selling Podcast today. We have Boris Mednikov, help me pronounce that right.
Boris Mednikov 0:49
Mednikov.
Umar Hameed 0:50
[Garbled]
Boris Mednikov 0:51
Thank you so much.
Umar Hameed 0:52
You [garbled] Vanguard Real Estate in Winnipeg, Canada. And I've been there once, I've driven through it once but I actually went there for a few days like a gazillion years ago. And that's what makes this country so great, it's like all the different vibes around the country.
Boris Mednikov 1:07
Right. Yeah, it's a good it's a beautiful place here. And people definitely visiting. We have lots of visitors coming every year. I think we've actually been featured on one of the last year one of the travel magazines as one of the destinations which many people here in Winnipeg been surprised to discover, but it was the one top 10 or something. So yeah, definitely a nice place to visit and until we will for sure.
Umar Hameed 1:29
Brilliant. And where was home country for you?
Boris Mednikov 1:32
Well, I didn't born in a country that does not exist any longer called USSR.
Umar Hameed 1:37
Interesting. It's amazing. So here's what intrigues me is, you know, people draw lines on borders to make countries but people have been there for like such a long time. They culture often Trump's country. They culture there Trump's religion. Kind of thoughts on that, how important culture is to defining a people?
Boris Mednikov 1:56
Well, the nice part about Canada, right? is that we have so many different people from different places, different culture. Cultures, different religions all live together in peace and enjoy the beautiful things. There's this amazing place have to give them. So this is, I think this is kind of as an example to the world how people can and should live. Instead of fighting for the differences, just find a common thing. So for example, one cool thing we have in August, every, every year in August for two weeks, we have what's called [garbled]. So we have those different places where we have different people from different cultural groups unite, and they show off their culture. So they have the the traditional food and dance and, and cultural display. So and we lost I think this year, we had about 30 something different locations, right? Showing 30 something different cultures...
Umar Hameed 2:48
Nice.
Boris Mednikov 2:49
...countries where people coming from that live in the city. So yeah, it's you know, in our world today, because the travel became so easy, right? You can take a plane right now and be anywhere you want. And basically up to 10-12 hours you can be in any place in the world. It's, it's different. It's not like you'd be living in someplace and never visited an island. To those days we enjoy and like you mentioned, right? You like to travel, we enjoyed that, that mobility, that new world, and we have to be able to embrace those people with coming from different places.
Umar Hameed 3:18
Yeah. What's kind of interesting is when you travel is you realise that there's more similarities and differences when you meet people. And one thing I've noticed wherever I travel in the world, and I've travelled a lot of places, people are kind, generous and go out of their way to welcome you into their home and make sure you're doing okay, which is beautiful.
Boris Mednikov 3:35
Yeah, sometimes, you know, we because we get a lot of information from the news, right? And news, not always positive to make to make itself to make it interesting, right? But the fact is, people are so nice around. And we just came back from Vegas when one of the biggest convention Inman Connect in Vegas for industry. And and the funny part was, you know, when we when, when somebody asked me where I'm from is Canada. They've been so happy or that they have such a great perception of Canada, "Oh, you're so nice." My wife went and one of the stores and the lady said and she she was like always polite, you know, "Thank you and please." And the lady in the store the owner said, "Are you from Canada?" She said, "Yeah. And she asked how do you know so you're so polite," right?
Umar Hameed 4:15
Yeah.
Boris Mednikov 4:15
So you know people are great people everywhere. There is good and better than please but we always try to concentrate on the on the best we can see get and give.
Umar Hameed 4:25
The reason and brought that up is right now you're in, in a broker, how many agents in the brokerage?
Boris Mednikov 4:30
Well, now we have we have some changes. So we just small group, we have four agents right now we have five more than learning and on the way to get their licence. We have some changes going on the brokerage so yeah, but we have lots of you know, different cultures, different people from different places working.
Umar Hameed 4:43
True. But the reason I bring it up is when you have a team or brokerage, you can have the same company, two teams two brokerages, but you're gonna have a different vibe in this team versus Team B. Not necessarily one's better than the other but you get to define the culture you want to build within your organisation. And like that, it's like, you know, you've got some, I was working with a team in the States, and their culture was defined as we are hunters. And these guys prospecting was a critical part of what they did. And they enjoyed it, and they embraced it. And they've had like days where they'll basically, "We're going to do 1000 dials today," which they don't do often. But you know, they got a team of 10 people, they did 1000 compensation, not dials. A 1000 conversations that day, and they just racked up a tonne of business in the next 60 days out of it. But that's how they define themselves, support each other, we're hunters we're not get to a certain place, and we kind of rest. So what kind of vibe do you want to build in your brokerage? Like what kind of feeling do you want so that it attracts other agents to come there and it also keeps other agents away? It's like, "No, no, that's not the vibe for me." So what are you guys trying to build there?
Boris Mednikov 5:50
So we have, this is a great question. Thank you for that. We have that vibe basically, we work. We don't define ourselves as a team. But we work as a team, what I mean is, in many brokerages, you can see that agents are not open to each other. And basically, they see competitors in each other.
Umar Hameed 6:08
Yes.
Boris Mednikov 6:08
Try to see you as a new agent, you come to a brokerage, you have lots of other agents that you kind of are supposed to learn from, but everybody of them thinks, well, if I'm going to teach this new guy, he got to take my business, right. So the first thing I always tell my guys here is Hey, guys, listen, there's plenty of work for everyone who wants to do the work and who is good at doing it. Right? You have to do the right steps, we always put the client first and commissioned second. So we it's not about how much money you're going to make today, it's all about their long term business, we do so much every day. But we don't expect to get something back in the same period. Because it's always I would say it's almost like the farmers, but the farmers know they're gonna harvest in the fall, we don't know when, but we will, if we're gonna do it the right way. So the most important thing is, be honest to each other, help each other. And if you're gonna, you know, we we helping every agent and by that everybody's successful, we give advice to everyone. One is more experience withdrawal of properties. One more with development, one more commercial, we help each other instead of taking the business from each other. And this how we tried to create a friendly environment. Because I know so many places where people just don't like the place they come to. Because you know, they feel they come to a place full of competitor competitors. Were not pleased to come to please full of friends that help you do your business.
Umar Hameed 7:30
Brilliant, because at the end of the day, everything that we do is made up. I mean, one of the things great leaders do is make shit up. Because the reality is oftentimes reality isn't reality. So you can think of it as we've got a pie and we need to Slice the Pie up. Or you can choose the reality of let's make the pie bigger. Yeah, because business here, let's make it bigger for everyone. So everybody grows. And if that's the lie that everyone embraces, that's the reality. And I think that one of the ways I look at it is this is that the Einstein who was you know, like, genius, many of the things that he thought of had been proven not entirely accurate now, because we have a better model. But just because he wasn't totally accurate doesn't mean we didn't invent cell phones and space travel and all these amazing things. And so are you a team leader?
Boris Mednikov 8:16
Yeah, I know, I'm a broker. And basically, like I said, I treat all my agents as as team members, although we're not fully upgraded the team.
Umar Hameed 8:23
Excellent so Boris as you look down towards, don't name any names, But as you look down and you look at the different agents that are part of your brokerage, can you sometimes see that if John could be just bolder in this one area, his business would explode? Or if Jane could stop doubting herself over here, it would be a game changer. So sometimes can you see things really clearly? What needs changing?
Boris Mednikov 8:45
Oh, yeah, for sure. And because I'm active, I'm selling broker, right? I'm not just managing and do you walk? Yeah, yeah, I see it every day. And I always try to watch the people watch the agents work for me and analyse their activity rates. So I'm not ever making them working my way because everybody has their own specific way of work. But I tried to see what you know the basics that they do correct or not, right? And then I tried to grab and say, Guys, listen, you're great, right? You do your job, but you have to be more open on this for you. You're missing some information you have to leave can tell people things that you don't know. That's the worst thing you can do. Right? Just tell them guys I'm not sure about it. I'll call my broker I'll find information. I'll call my lawyer whoever I'm gonna give it to you. You have to be honest, you have to be open people this is what people are looking for. They don't fake you know the very popular things those days the fake it till you make it. I really get it because when you fake people see it and they don't say it to be honest.
Umar Hameed 9:45
If they don't see it, they feel it like you've been in places where you meet someone and your eyes your intellect tells you oh my god, this is amazing. But there's a feeling in your body that says many wrong things wrong and kind of go oh, what's wrong? And so my philosophy is that The most authentic version of Boris is the most powerful one. And so your job as a human being is to really discover who you are with the amazing gifts, and also the shortcomings. Because once you realise what they are, you can go fix those go get help, but even with your flaws, if you are authentic, you're powerful is when you pretend they don't exist is when issues happen.
Boris Mednikov 10:23
I agree with you. Yeah, we all human beings, I will say we are human beings, we have our cons and pros, we were not perfect. Everybody, even the best agent have their issues that they cannot deal with. Like you said, we have to be able to recognise those to find help if we need another agent that can help you this field. This is important. But yeah, be real. And of course, reinforce yourself by knowledge by things you have to learn, you can just come yourself authentic with zero knowledge and say, Well, this is me, well, this is your great, but if you're a professional, you have to have a set set of tools you're going to use for your job. But there's the real you, right, and the nobody, not everybody gonna like with everybody gonna want to work with a person like you. And here's why it's good to have a team. So you know what, we are not a good match, I have a great person here, that can be exactly what you're looking for have maybe there enough sufficient time for a new agent, because the biggest issue here is the time right? Some people are very time demanding. And you know, some agents who are working in same time with many clients not always can provide a time, if you recognise that there was an I can give you 24 hours a day, but I have a new agent I have no business no are going to give you to him. Plus, they're gonna support him in any questions or helping you.
Umar Hameed 11:36
Brilliant because I think there's also something to be said, for authenticity and honesty. And what you just described is like a lot of people. So I think it's the first part of the relationship that's like the most important, it's where I develop a relationship with Boris. And Boris gets a sense of I trust Umar. And then once we establish that, then I can say, you know, bars, this is not going to be a great fit because of this, but we've got an agent, that's going to be perfect for you, I'm going to back you up. If you have this conversation before you build a trust, then it may not go as well. But if you've got that initial trust developed, then you can speak the truth. And the people like Oh, thank you so much for doing that.
Boris Mednikov 12:13
Trust is number one, our business. And you see, you mentioned people from different countries. Right now, immigrants, and immigration is a big chunk of our business here, right. And I work with lots of immigrants. And the way it calicoes, Canada's great place with great people who have not so good people. But generally, people rate many places where people coming from, they used to think of a real estate agent as basically a wire in theory, this is the perception, and we can do anything about it. And when I have this, you know, this person coming from a different country and looking at me kind of a bit strange. I know what he thinks. And I said, Listen, I mean, the word myself, you know, I know what you're talking about. What are you thinking about? Don't worry, ask me any question you have. And over time, you will discover that it's all good. So I had this this amazing example where I had a young couple. And they started to look for a house with me. And we're putting in first offer, right? So I told them, okay, we have to make a deposit deposit. So they asked how much they will spend 20k will be okay. And I see the husband and the wife look at each other. And they're icy, we're gonna give 20k to this guy, new guys out of here. But I said, guys, I seen that, listen, he had to explain it to you, that's how it works is gonna go to trust account is going to be this and that if you don't gonna get the hospital. So I made a small specialty, I'm explaining them. And then when the shaky hands, you know, he was saying checks, the check, we lost that one. But in the future, you know, we just kind of when we lost few houses, Nexus was like, Okay, sure. They haven't been so they kind of it was the first test for me, right? And then when they figured out everything is fine, everything's okay, nothing's going to happen. But you have to build trust, you can't expect somebody to trust you just because they have seen a picture of one, right? You have to earn the trust.
Umar Hameed 13:57
And you also, like what you described was very much you have to be aware of what's happening to the other person and not be in your world. And I think one of the skills that we need as human beings to be enhanced, but especially in your business is the art of listening, and paying attention to body language. Because sometimes people say the right thing, and you notice the look between the husband and the wife, and it's like, wait a minute, something's going on here. And one of the ways to kind of handle that I find is, you know, John, I noticed the way you looked at your wife. And that meant to me that you have a little bit of misgivings about the check. Did I read that? Right? And just by asking, Did I read that, right? They kind of go sometimes No, no, that's not right. Or there they go. Absolutely. But if you say, you have a look that you don't trust me, then all of a sudden they're like defensive, but if you go I saw the look, and this is what I think it means. Did I read it? Right? And then people go, yeah, there's a little bit of things there. So I think learning those skills, how to communicate and connect are so essential to building that heart to heart connection.
Boris Mednikov 14:52
Oh, yeah. And again, the cultural part is very important to hear because different people, different cultures do differently. Right. And Some so your example might be great with a Canadian couple. But with immigrants, if you're going to point it to them, they will say no, no, you didn't get it right. But they will have a bad feeling that oh, you kind of read them. Right? You read them.
Umar Hameed 15:12
Interesting.
Boris Mednikov 15:13
So it's really depends with you with in this way you said, you know, the fact there's so many cultures, you have to understand and try to understand we're dealing with you have to be open, honest. But sometimes, but by doing something that will be fully acceptable to you, it might not be acceptable to somebody else, and they're going to be insulted. And you don't even have a clue what's happened because you haven't had any data eventually.
Umar Hameed 15:36
Yep. Guilty. Brilliant.
Boris Mednikov 15:37
So, but yeah, and here's why, you know, it's great when we work with, I love so much working with different culture with different people, different agents, because I know, let's see, if I work with an agent came from China, right? I know that he will have a best intent as learning of his client. But I know I can give him this, this support in knowledge in marketing and sales, so I can give him the technical support, but I can never be better than him in company. Culture. Yeah, for sure.
Umar Hameed 16:05
So tell me about a hard one lesson for you maybe a place that you screwed up ours, where it's like, oh, I made a mistake. But I learned an important lesson. Tell me about one of those instances in your career.
Boris Mednikov 16:16
Okay. So I'm trying not to and I'm trying to learn from all my lessons. So just something that happening right now, right? It's not a big thing but it's something I always tell my agents would put something on the listing as a feature, right? And it was sort of by mistake, if it's not good, right? So I have a client, my agent called me and says, "Well, I gonna get this." I said, "Well, it's my mistake so we'll work on it, right? So, so everything has a price, but I always look at it as a tuition fees, right? I pay the same like they're going to the school. You pay to the school to be able to know that. So if we have some mistake with it, there is a good saying that said that, "Every problem that can be solved with money is not a problem, is an expense".
Umar Hameed 16:56
Yep, it's a...
Boris Mednikov 16:58
I'm not sure who said that. But I love it because you know, there's real problems that people have like health and stuff, you cannot solve it. This is a problem. Everything that can be solved with money is just an expense and a lesson for you to learn.
Umar Hameed 17:11
I heard it articulated slightly different. If you've got a problem that can be solved with money. You don't have a problem.
Boris Mednikov 17:16
Yeah, you have an expense.
Umar Hameed 17:18
They see that as an investment. But just like it's not a problem. You got the money to solve it. Yeah, money.
Boris Mednikov 17:22
And it's all this idea is the same, right?
Umar Hameed 17:25
Yeah, absolutely.
Boris Mednikov 17:26
We have to take everything in proportion. Sometimes people get panicked, and because of small things that not going to affect anything, right? If you have that experience, just get the best of it, learn. That's it.
Umar Hameed 17:36
So one of my hopes, which we didn't happen often thank God and unfortunately, was when I made a mistake, or we made a mistake. Because everybody in every industry, Boris, we're gonna look after you, baby, there's any issues, we're going to look after you and everybody says it, and it almost becomes a cliche. And if you ever happen to screw up and you take care of it immediately in the right way, then people don't lose trust in you. The trust goes up dramatically. It's like, Oh, my God, you said you take care of it. And you did most people talk a good game. But when a problem happens, they're like, being difficult. And so a don't make mistakes. But if you do make a mistake, when you handle it, well, what you end up doing is building a stronger trust for that client. And more than likely, a great referral source that's gonna recommend you to a lot of people is like, Hey, this guy is amazing. We had this issue and they look after it right away. And so don't hide the mistakes, embrace them and solve them quickly and use them as a way to increase the bond with your clients.
Boris Mednikov 18:33
Yeah. And to add to that, only one thing is always admit your fault. Don't try to say no, it's not me. It's happen. And there's no, you know, what I would prefer, even though it's my system, even though it's from somebody from the office, and the owner and the boss, so it's my mistake, I haven't pleased with the length right person, the person, it's my problem, and I'm going to solve.
Umar Hameed 18:53
Absolutely. And even sometimes when it's not your problem, and it's like, the other agent or something else, just saying, Oh, it's the other agent is not me doesn't help. It's like, Hey, I'm on your side, I'm gonna take care of it done. Brilliant. So you see a lot of agents, we are some of the places where agents struggle that if you could help them overcome those issues in the first year, that they'd be a lot more successful and last in the industry longer, what would be the three biggest areas that you'd like to improve?
Boris Mednikov 19:20
Okay, so, first one, I think most important is the long term vision. Many people come to this business, they seen it on TV shows, they seen it in movies, if they seems like I had a guy that's coming in half joke of this isn't worse. So when do I buy my first Lamborghini? So I don't know. Don't ask me depends on you. But if this is all you think about, just live the business. It's not about that. It's not about winning that either. You have to have a long term vision and you have to understand that things does not happen overnight. The only place what happens in the movies, but it's not real. It will take the time it will take you tonnes of work in an effort right. But if we always say, clients first, right, it will always take care of the best of your client. Over time, they will see that they will send you referrals, though today, I think 95% of my business, is referrals is referrals and repeating clients, right. And I have to work so hard to promote, because they coming back and they be so but it's takes years to build isn't somebody who comes tomorrow to the business cannot expand that he has to first prove himself gain trust, gain the knowledge, right? So first, I always say, Guys, it's not about what you're going to make tomorrow. And this one, when people come to me support us, I want to get my licence and listen, you have to be sure you have both 810 to 12 months to pay for your family house for the kids, right? Because you're gonna make much money in this third takes the pressure off. And if you have this pressure, because one of the officers didn't warn you when I started, I remember this agent, he was like, he's a good guy, but he was super nervous running around the office. Hey, what's up? So well, you know, I have bills to pay. I haven't sold one house this month. So listen, nobody cares about your bills, your business, if people will feel that you're pressuring them to sell or buy, because you didn't pay your bills? Well, you have no chance to succeed. Right? So first, you have to have the long term vision. I think from that vision, many things come to perspective. And you understand what is right, what is wrong. And again, to add to this is the patience to work with the clients. Because know how long it will take you to sell a house? Well, sometimes a certain date, sometimes it's a year, you'll never know. Right? And so when I have this heart client, I use an example my father, he has a pretty difficult client. When he No, I have a client that the one this one that no one know what he wants, and change his mind every day. And that I feel almost like you know, now I'm gonna tell him, I don't want to work with him. I see myself kind of slow downs, okay, with my father, right, and somebody will kick him out. Basically, it's an add on and feel good about, right. So I'm gonna treat them the same way, I'm going to be super patient, and I'm going to do everything he needs, and guide him and show him of course. And over time, you know, those very hard clients when they're happy. I think this is kind of like the top level. And when somebody gets the referral from them, go to Boris. Well, it's a, they know, he's a hard climb, though. So they know if he is happy, you have to go there. So lots of patients, it's a must. And and just motivation, you have to keep yourself motivated. So must again, you can no, you can demotivate everyday, right. But you have to have your own kind of I know some people do the wish wish board some people do have goals, it doesn't matter depends on the person how he can to keep himself motivated. And we you know, we have our our guys here for that to help if you need to, to meet with a more experienced agent and a broker that already been there done that. It's it's always good. But the motivation, I think has to come from inside a person, when he wakes up in the morning, he wants to do things, he don't just want to lay down in bed and wait for somebody because nothing's going to happen if you're going to create it. So this is something that people have to learn. There's a lot of books about it, probably about again, we can always talk to somebody who can mentor you and guide you and lead you. But it's a must.
Umar Hameed 23:12
Brilliant. So before we parted company. Two questions. Number one, Boris, what makes you happy?
Boris Mednikov 23:19
Well, I listen to a few of your podcasts. And I think that question, this question comes back and the answer is come back as your family. Right. And this is the most important thing, and we forget about it when we started to work till 11pm or 12am. Or I know what, but I have I have my six kids, you know, and
Umar Hameed 23:35
Wow, six? Yeah, like an army, half a soccer team fine.
Boris Mednikov 23:39
Yeah, we have small brokerage in the house. And it's, you know, it's a pleasure to be with them too. But but this is the thing, right? It's not just about you know, having fun with them going to movies and play sports. My older one is directly involved in the business. So if I get give them to serve the receipts, if I give them to to shred the paper in the office, if I get inflamed office, and I say Guys listen, you know, as a family, and we have a big family, you have to help each other. You cannot. It's not like I'm working, you're having fun. Now, if you are a five year old, I'm going to ask much from you. But I'll ask you to you don't have to pick up the garbageman for it's not a big deal. But if you're a 17 Well, yes, you're going to do accounting in this and I'm going to teach you all that. And you don't have to be in my business. You don't have to work my business the future. But this those skills are so beneficial to any place you go if you have a good working ethics, people will will fight for you to have you there because I'm getting it from the child, why we put so much effort into kids because things you learn in the early age will stay with you forever. So this is very important to them.
Umar Hameed 24:46
So I'm elling you why I like that a lot. Number one it's like you said skill set for other work that they do. But more importantly, it builds integrity and ethics within them as human beings and they're going to do the same thing with their kids is just basically allow them to be better human beings because they learned that from their dad. Nice.
Boris Mednikov 25:05
This is the idea is the hope right? And but it's also great good bone between kids and parents because it wasn't just for fun, you know, when when the kids many kids he those days as he was a family, right? You basically use the parents as a as a wallet right as a walking wallet. And it's, it's a key, but it's another good one, I think you have to be, you know, you have to understand that if you get you must give. Many people think they deserve something just for being there, but they're not. Right. And many parents trying so hard to make their kids happy. So they're just spending a gift. But now you have to get back here, this is how you build a normal human being. Just pulling up. So part of being that sometimes when, you know, I take a child with me look and see if it's a friend of buying a house, right? It's happened to me a few times I took a kid with me and he's in the process of signing and explaining you just sit quietly and aside and I when I would come I present I say hey, so it's so this is my house, this is my assistant, his name is such and such right and he gonna be here and just verify I'm doing everything properly. Don't make any sense. They they happy about it. So they feel quiet, they feel involved. They feel important. And I think this is what creates a big bond. So this is this is part of being with your family and join them with them because our one or not when business like our what we do is most of our Day and most of our life, right? So instead of splitting the way I see split saying okay, this is kids is work now, let's merge it all together. Let's let's be in it all together.
Umar Hameed 26:34
Brilliant. Boris, thank you so much for being on the programme. I learned a lot and I really appreciate your commitment to your people, your family and your career.
Boris Mednikov 26:46
Thank you so much for hosting me. It was pleasure and have a wonderful day.
Umar Hameed 26:55
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.