Vince Gratta on Five Ways Realtors Can Be More Successful In Challenging Times

In today’s episode of The No Limits Selling Podcast, we have Vince Gratta with us. He is an award winning real estate agent.

Vince has been working for 11 years in the Real Estate market and he isn’t stopping anytime soon. 

Vince Gratta’s tip: Stay calm! Don't try to control things that are not in your control, like interest rate and do your best 

Guest Bio:

Vince promises his clients first class white glove service when working with his team of real estate professionals. His mission is to serve everyone with the highest degree of honesty, integrity and results.

He wants to make your home buying and selling experience stress free and smooth from start to finish.

Find Vince Gratta: Website, Instagram

[EDITOR’S NOTE: This podcast is sponsored by No Limits Selling. It is a fun, fast-paced podcast that delivers hard-fought business advice that you can implement today to improve your sales and performance]

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[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 Limit Selling podcast. Before we get started today, great announcement. We're finally releasing the app. It's called Mindset Boosters. And what this app is going to do is give you the ability to decide how you want to feel and how you want to act in any situation. So let's say one particular day you wake up, you're just not feeling the magic, you've got a critical meeting, you'll listen to one of the tracks is called unstoppable. And he shows you how to go into your mindset and crank up on stability from a two to like a nine. And in 5 minutes, bam, you're ready to go. And you feel like you can do anything. So I want to change the world by empowering people to decide how they act to feel in the palm of their hands. So the help you need is there when you need it. And today, we've got a brilliant guest. We've got Vince Grata here with us today. He is a realtor, a team leader, and welcome to the program.

Vince Gratta 1:36
Thank you. And thank you for that nice introduction.

Umar Hameed 1:41
Cool. So real estate, in some ways, is a super simple business. And if it wasn't for the human element, and the human element brings in a set of complexity to it, because you have buyers and agents and sellers, and in all aspects of life, you know, it's pretty easy till you get to money. And money isn't money, money is emotions. And it's like I will not discount my home and, and all that stuff comes up. So how do you navigate that? How? Because you get to be the person that, you know, connects your clients to the people that you're leading to your own issues. So what's, what does that look like in the world of events?

Vince Gratta 2:23
Well, I really liked how you said that how we make things complex when they're pretty simple. I've had that realization a few times. And I'm like, Why? Why am I making this so complicated? You know, like, pretty straightforward. But yeah, so how do I connect? Like, Sir, you said, my buyers..?

Umar Hameed 2:44
..empower your agents. Like you've got probably got some agents that work for you that for whatever reason, with this particular client, they don't feel as confident as they could be, all they need to do is the exact same thing they've always done. So how do you as a leader go in and get them to go "Baby, you got this"? And how do you help them get that competence they need to go take the actions they need to do to be successful? And of course to make us successful?

Vince Gratta 3:10
That's, that's a good question. So yeah, normally, you know, when a difficult or challenging situation comes up for them, you know, I tell them number one, I've I've been there, selling real estate for 11 years, you know, you come across a lot of challenges and whatnot. So, you know, I tell them, I've been there. And, you know, I also remind them of you know how great they are. And you know, I got two great agents on my team. It's third one that's just joining. And yeah, so I remind them, you know, you guys, you're good, good people and good agents. And I don't know, I guess maybe as humans, we kind of sometimes need to be reminded of, you know, how, how good we are at something. And sometimes we can kind of be our own worst enemy. Right? So just yeah, just lifting them up in that sense.

Umar Hameed 4:03
Oh, brilliant. Because at the end of the day, sometimes we just need that person we can rely on to let us know it's going to be okay. Because the reality is, while I'm not sure if this is the reality you tell me that you've been through challenging situations in your real estate career, and I would suspect the one of the lessons that you learned is you're not dead. Nobody with pitchforks as run you're out of town. That no matter what comes up even if you haven't seen it before, as long as you're calm and focus you can get through it would that be a correct read on the situation? Through going through all that experience you just got more confidence to take on whatever happens.

Vince Gratta 4:44
Oh, absolutely. Yeah, that's very well put. And yeah, being with my company, ReMax Scarman. We have the best broker of record, which is Conrad Zorini..

Umar Hameed 4:56
That guy? You sure? Oh, Okay, I'll take your word for it. No, he's, he's the bench. He is pretty awesome.

Vince Gratta 5:03
Yeah, he's awesome. Just having you know that in your court. It helps, right? So, yeah, we're confident. Right? When when the challenges arise that will will overcome those.

Umar Hameed 5:16
Brilliant. So you've been in this game for a while. So let's, let's take a look at five ways realtors can be more successful in troubled times. What would be the number one piece of advice you'd give people? Because right now we're in troubled times, interest rates are up. The people that are in the buyers and sellers, they're panicking a little bit. Buyers want a better deal? Sellerslike no, no, my house is worth this much. And it seems to be like this struggle going on and the realtors caught in the middle. So from your point of view, what's the number one thing that realtors can do in troubled times to still be successful?

Vince Gratta 5:56
Okay, so number one, yeah, I would say yeah, definitely stay calm. Like don't don't get caught up in your own mind. And, and, you know, with the media and everything that's happening around you, because, you know, we can't control interest rates that's beyond their control. We can't really control how our clients feel about that. So yeah, stay calm. And, and I you know what, I actually read something the other day, and a gentleman referred to real estate and he said, real estate's like a river, you know, where the water is always flowing. And I love that, because it's true, no matter what's going on in the economy. People always need to either buy or sell or rent, right, we all need shelter.

Umar Hameed 6:42
Absolutely. I think that's I agree. That's totally brilliant in terms of the still people buying and selling houses. And so don't There's a quote from Helen Keller, you know, "When the door of opportunity shuts, people are so occupied by looking at the closed door, they don't look at all the other doors that are open." So brilliant, stay calm. What's the advice number two?

Vince Gratta 7:05
Okay. Yeah, so to navigate it, I would say, you know, don't don't forget the things that got you to where you are today, right. You know, there's a lot of great realtors in the industry, a lot of successful realtors. And I think, once again, we we complex things, and we make things challenging, but if we kind of go back to the basics, and remember what got us to where we are. And a lot of those, the foundational things in real estate is the relationships, right, that we've built in our database and, and really just staying in contact with those people, you know, telling them the true news, like what's really going on in the market, because I'm sure they're getting all of these mixed opinions and what not. So just reminding them of of what's really happening. And yeah, I think that's definitely another way.

Umar Hameed 8:01
That's number two. Excellent. So here's a couple things on what you just said, which is excellent advice. Think of any team in the world as a professional team. When they start going wrong, a new manager comes in a new coach comes in and they always do that interview, we're gonna go back to the basics. So whether you're a goat herder in Afghanistan, or you're an NFL player in Dallas, going back to the basics is the way to success. It's also something you already know. It should be the foundational stuff you do so realtors that are watching this, do not squirm away from prospecting and doing those activities and relationship building when the times are good. Because those muscles that you build will a let you do better and good times. But more importantly, when times get when there's blood in the streets, the people that can do that consistently make money. So brilliant. What's number three? If you didn't think you had to get a workout when you came into interview? Oh, I'll be like a prima donna. It's like no who was making me work?

Vince Gratta 9:01
Yeah, you're making me think but this is good. This is good. It's coming like from the heart and mind. Right?

Umar Hameed 9:08
Absolutely, And coming from the heart, I think is like, we're gonna go, we're gonna help you here. We're gonna go number three, if you're a realtor come from the heart. Because when you try and be Conrad Zurini you're not him. When you're trying to be less than you're, you're capable of you not being true. So being yourself.

Vince Gratta 9:28
Yeah.

Umar Hameed 9:29
Speaking the truth like you did a number, advice number two is is really critical. And in my worldview is very much sharing data is really important with people. But it's kind of useless at the same time unless you use this phrase, and the phrase is, and here's what this means to you. And then the client, the home buyer, and the seller goes, Oh, I get this. So we got one, two and three. Number four? So what's number four?

Vince Gratta 9:58
I guess I would say Maybe doubling down on, you know, on the things that are have been working for you. You know, when when the market gets tougher, we got to work harder, right? So, you know, if you're making 10 calls a day, make 20. And just, you know, put that extra effort. And I think that's going to help us all get through the challenges.

Umar Hameed 10:25
So the advice you gave is totally crap advice. If you're playing dice. If you're playing dice, and you're losing money, do not double down and keep doing that. Because the odds are against you. But if you believe in yourself, and instead of 10 calls you do 20. Phenomenal. If you do instead of 10 calls you do 10 calls twice as good. And really connect with people and really figure out what's going on for them. Even better. If you do both of those things. 20 calls twice as good. That's how you become a frickin Conrad.

Vince Gratta 10:56
Oh, yeah.

Umar Hameed 10:57
Advice. Number five, what is number five?

Vince Gratta 11:00
Yes. So next on the list, I'm gonna say, Oh, you're gonna you're making me think and I'm on the spot. What else would I say?

Umar Hameed 11:09
So I'll give you number five, you get to think number six.

Vince Gratta 11:12
Okay.

Umar Hameed 11:12
Number five is get a mentor.

Vince Gratta 11:15
Yeah!

Umar Hameed 11:15
there's people dying right now that have been through the cycle. Four times. They've lived it, they breathe it, they've survived. They're gonna be really, really useful. And if you get some good mentors in your life, what it does two things. Number one, is mentors dying to get mentees out there that are just waiting. So when you say will you be my mentor? People are gonna say yes. And two, what it does is it shortens that learning curve, because you can go oh, okay, I can call up Vince. And Vince is going to tell me how to do this. And I can trust that and execute. And if it's not working, I can go back because not working that well. What do I need to do? Oh, you need to tweak this thing. So get a mentor is essential in good times and bad times. And as soon as you can become a mentor, too, because that's where you really deepen your learning.

Vince Gratta 12:03
Okay, I got my my next one. I gotta say, try something new. For myself. I recently started using a program called Bom Bom.

Umar Hameed 12:13
I use it all the time. I love that. Tell us about it.

Vince Gratta 12:15
Yeah, so it's video messaging, either like email or text. And just before we hopped on the podcast here, I had to follow up with someone that I stranger that I met at one of my listings on the weekend, and was just following up with them. We kind of were going back and forth through email, but it's been about two days. And I'm like, You know what, I want to follow up and I'm going to use bom bom. So I did a quick video. And, yeah, I want to start using more of that. I think it's powerful to put the, you know, in this like digital age, a lot of it's like texting and emailing. And it's nice to kind of re-humanize it if, if we can.

Umar Hameed 12:53
Som I just won a really big contract, consulting contract a few months back. So one of the reasons we picked you is one of the biggest because I'm awesome, but B is when I gave them the proposal, it was all written down. And then I had a short Bom Bom video embedded in it. And that they said, hey, guys would love to work with you guys. And here's what this means to you, we're going to help you get the correct vision for your company. And from that we're going to provide coaching and training to reinforce your teams so they can align with your vision and achieve all of your goals. And I could have written that down and it would have been okay but adding that little video in just humanized it and it made sense of everything. And so I love that bom bom idea. Here is something that another Realtors doing what they do is they send a video birthday message to all of their clients, instead of a birthday message they type is you know, "Hey, John, how are you? Happy birthday, I was thinking about you. And the best thing I loved about your house, you know, when you purchased it was the porch. And I hope you get to enjoy that some like that." It's like, oh my god, yeah, this realtor knows me, trusts me. And it's a birthday message. And his assistant couldn't have done that because it's him.

Vince Gratta 14:07
Yeah. making it personal. Right. That's, that's awesome.

Umar Hameed 14:11
All right to dare to dig deep before we change topics you want to do one more thing people can do in troubled times?

Vince Gratta 14:17
Troubled times? Okay. Yeah, I guess we could do one more. So maybe this is like myself, this is something that I've been doing more of is kind of working on yourself and your mindset. I know we touched on that a little bit earlier about you know, you can't really control things that are going on in the world, the economy, but I do believe you can control you know, yourself and your thoughts and feelings. So maybe doing some like self development. How about that?

Umar Hameed 14:45
I love that all rounded out. Whatever number we hit is do something to help someone today. And that doesn't mean real estate. It just could be "Hey, let me help you or you've got this thing going on." If it's on the street Somebody's homeless if it's somebody. So I was at a grocery store and this old couple way in their 80s. And they've got their grocery cart full of groceries, but they've got this case of water. And so I go up and say, "Excuse me, Sir, may I help you lift that case of water into the trunk of your car?" And he goes, "Yeah, that'd be nice." So I lift the water into his car. And as I turned to walk away, he says, "Can I give you some advice?" And I go, "Absolutely, Sir. What advice do you have?" "Son! Don't get old."

Vince Gratta 15:33
I wish we couldn't.

Umar Hameed 15:36
Yeah, so just helping someone just makes you feel good. And makes you feel valued. And especially on a day where you feel like crap and the world is coming down. You can be woe is me, or you can go help two, three people, and changes everything. Because it's all about mindset. And changing your mindset like that is really difficult. Unless you have the mindset booster app, no good plug there.

Vince Gratta 15:57
Yeah, that was good.

Umar Hameed 15:59
...Difficult. And one of the ways to change it is to use a trick and one of the tricks I use is help other human beings. It just changes your mood. You can't be grumpy and help someone.

Vince Gratta 16:08
Absolutely, yeah.

Umar Hameed 16:10
Just by the human to human context. So Vince. Here we go. As I've got you here a captive, Vince, what's one area in your life right now that you wish you could change?

Vince Gratta 16:21
Oh, okay, one area that I wish I could change? Well, I'm a big family, man, I got three young young children, three boys, all under the age of six. And, you know, sometimes I struggle with, I work a lot, right? And even if I'm not in the field, I'm working on the business or, you know, thinking planning and all that. And then you know, it's hard because it's like, I would love to be with my children all day, every day. So I guess if I could change one thing, I'd love to have more time with my kids.

Umar Hameed 16:58
Absolutely. That's beautiful. That's what it's all about. At the end of the day is our relationships and the key relationships, our kids, significant other, family dog, Conrad at the end, you know?

Vince Gratta 17:12
Can't forget about him!

Umar Hameed 17:14
And forget about him. So brilliant. So here's something that you can do just to..How old are you kids?

Vince Gratta 17:21
So my oldest just turned 6. Oh, excellent. Yeah. And then I have a three and a half year old and a one and a half year old.

Umar Hameed 17:29
Brilliant. So what I'd like you to do is I'd like you to take a deep breath in, hold it for three seconds and slowly let it out. And close your eyes just for a moment.

Vince Gratta 17:41
Okay, so say that one more time?

Umar Hameed 17:43
You can grab your breath in..

Vince Gratta 17:44
Okay

Umar Hameed 17:45
Hold it for three seconds. And as you do that, close your eyes and slowly let the breath out.

Vince Gratta 17:50
Okay, so.

Umar Hameed 17:54
And I want you to think of a particular time, when you will, with your six year old, where that six year old made you feel loved, go back to that specific moment. And when you have that memory, let me know.

Vince Gratta 18:09
Okay, I'm going to try to breathing one more time.

Umar Hameed 18:12
Breathe in, hold for three seconds, slowly let it out. And close your eyes and just relax. And as you're relaxing, think of a specific time when you were with your six year old, where your six year old made you feel loved. When you have that memory, nod your head. Excellent. Go back there with your eyes closed, and see that memory, see your son or a son or daughter?

Vince Gratta 18:41
So I have all boys, so my son.

Umar Hameed 18:44
And then see that situation fully and completely. Hear whatever was going on. And when you do those two things, you get to re-experience that amazing feeling in your body. Where in your body do you feel it?

Vince Gratta 18:56
I would say like my my heart, you know, maybe yeah, my chest area.

Umar Hameed 19:00
Yeah. So with that hand that you touched your heart with, imagine you have a volume knob and crank that feeling up so it gets stronger and stronger. Crank it up so it gets stronger beyond your heart to your chest, crank it up. So it goes down your torso, your legs, your arms, crank it up, so goes to your head, your whole body is radiating that love and that immense feeling and crank it up even more. And then make a fist with that hand. Go ahead and make a fist with that. And as you make that fist, just say your son's name inside your mind, and then release that fist and crank up the feeling one more time. So it gets a little bit higher, crank it up a little bit more and make a fist and say your son's name inside your head. And now come on back to me. Open your eyes. And what I want you to do is just have you ever been late to meeting by the way?

Vince Gratta 19:49
Unfortunately a couple of times yeah, not many though.

Umar Hameed 19:53
Good, right. So what I want you to do not many makes you feel not so good, right?

Vince Gratta 19:57
Oh yeah. I I'm usually early because I hate being late, so, okay.

Umar Hameed 20:02
So what I want you to do is in a minute, I want you to make a fist and say your son's name inside your mind. And as soon as you do that, notice how quickly that amazing feeling comes back. Comes back pretty quick, right?

Vince Gratta 20:14
Yeah, very quick

Umar Hameed 20:15
Whenever you want to dear listeners and viewers, whenever you want, use that technique and be connected to your family instantly. That's how you stay connected. That's how you do your best work. And Vince, thanks so much for coming on the show. I really enjoyed the conversation.

Vince Gratta 20:30
Yeah, that was really good. Thank you for having me.

Umar Hameed 20:36
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.