Stay Paid Podcast

Latest Episodes:

424 - Branding Your Business with No Money (with Medicare Misty) Jan 23, 2023

Show notes

We've met entrepreneurs across many industries who shy away from investing in their brand because it's difficult to trace the ROI back to specific actions. Still, we know that branding drives business. In Chattanooga, Tennessee, Misty Bolt's brand, MedicareMisty, is synonymous with Medicare insurance. However, it took some creativity, patience, and persistence to make it so—and she started with no money for marketing. Her story is proof that where you start isn't where you have to finish.

Be sure to check out our show notes at staypaidpodcast.com for more in-depth information and added details not included in the episode.

Connect | Resources

Website: medicaremisty.com

Office phone: 423-240-0794

Free e-book: Lead Generation for Insurance Brokers

0:00 Introduction

1:50 Misty's backstory

5:46 The road to brand awareness

10:31 Cost and benefits of building brand

13:32 Where's the payoff?

17:19 Some words of inspiration

20:43 Action Item

423 - 5 Direct Mail Tips That Increase ROI, Response Rate, and Conversions Jan 19, 2023

Show notes

Every marketing plan must include a mix of channels to reach its full lead-generating potential. But while each channel has its advantages, there are some distinctly unique benefits to using direct mail that earn it a special status among savvy marketers. In today's Silver Dollar episode, we talk about these benefits and five reliable ways to maximize the overall effectiveness of any direct mail campaign.

Be sure to check out our show notes at staypaidpodcast.com for more in-depth information and added details not included in the episode.

Connect | Resources

Blog: 5 Proven Direct Mail Marketing Ideas for Real Estate Agents in 2021

Cited statistics: Direct Marketing Statistics for 2022

0:00 Introduction

1:02 Direct mail cuts through the noise

1:38 Direct mail is remembered

2:42 #1: Personalize your direct mail

4:14 #2: Use data to target your niche audience

6:03 #3: Marry print and digital advertising

7:25 The frequency illusion

8:21 #4: Attend to the design

9:28 #5: Automate your direct mail

11:04 Action Item

422 - How to Make Money as an Insurance Agent (with David Alvarado) Jan 16, 2023

Show notes

It took David Alvarado five attempts to pass his insurance exam and get his license, but once he did, he made a cool $4,500 in his first month. Easy peasy, he thought, but after that first month he couldn't close a sale. In his interview, David tells the story of his rise, fall, and resurrection in the insurance industry, including the decision that turned his career around and enabled him—at age 24—to buy a new Lexus and a $400,000 home. It was a decision we're all capable of making.

Be sure to check out our show notes at staypaidpodcast.com for more in-depth information and added details not included in the episode.

Connect | Resources

0:00 Introduction

1:54 David's backstory

5:01 Reality check

8:58 Turning point

11:01 You're one decision away

12:22 Thoughts on prospecting

15:48 Shorten the learning curve

19:15 Thoughts on scripts

21:03 How to attract and keep talent

27:43 David's words to live by

31:43 Action Item

421 - Overcoming Self-Doubt: Strategies for Building Confidence and Achieving Success Jan 12, 2023

Show notes

At one time or another, we've all heard the voice inside our heads that diminishes our confidence and tells us we can't before we even try. The difference between being able to push forward in spite of your doubts instead of succumbing to them is finding your courage—and knowing how to silence that voice. In today's Silver Dollar episode, we take a closer look at self-doubt—what it is and what it can do—and offer some behaviors you can practice to hush your self-defeating thoughts.

Be sure to check out our show notes at staypaidpodcast.com for more in-depth information and added details not included in the episode.

Connect | Resources

A networking event is one situation where our confidence can waver and our self-doubt can take over. See our blog post, Arrive and Thrive: Networking Event Tips to Put You at Ease, and its accompanying free resource, Small Talk/Networking Scripts, that will help you to prepare for your next networking event.

0:00 Introduction

1:07 Your younger self would be proud

1:45 What you say to yourself matters

2:56 The Dunning-Kruger Effect

4:20 When in doubt, be pragmatic

5:21 Even the most accomplished feel doubt

6:18 Thoughts on Imposter Syndrome

7:09 Authenticity is a superpower

8:09 7 actions to mitigate self-doubt

9:24 Keep the promises you make to yourself

10:57 Action Item

420 - Real Estate in 2023: The Top Priorities for Agents to Achieve Success Jan 09, 2023

Show notes

Representing nearly 50 years of combined real estate experience in three different markets, Lauren Rocco, Jamie Tulak, and Tara McCarthy—the founders of the Girls with Grit Collective—share their advice for success in what is promising to be a very interesting year in real estate. You'll discover the hottest niches agents should target in 2023, why old leads you haven't touched in at least two years are going to be your best source of new business, why you absolutely must stop calling it a "shifting market" and what to call it instead, why client events are the girls #1 recommendation for generating new leads, and how to dominate your local market and become "5-mile famous."

Be sure to check out our show notes at staypaidpodcast.com for more in-depth information and added details not included in the episode.

Connect | Resources

Website: Girls with Grit Collective
Private Facebook group: Girls with Grit Collective
Facebook event page: 2023 Girls with Grit Rhinestone Cowgirl Conference

0:00 Introduction

2:26 Business biographies

7:13 The 3-part mission of Girls with Grit

11:55 4 hot real estate niches in 2023

14:33 Tips for your messaging

18:02 Strategies for keeping in front of audience

20:20 CRM of preference

23:28 Lead gen: being 5-mile famous

25:33 The issue with online leads

26:46 Lead gen: client events

30:03 How do you get started after relocating?

33:40 Girls with Grit conference

35:52 Action Item

419 - 4 Instagram Approved Tips to Popularize Your Reels in 2023 Jan 05, 2023

Show notes

No one can predict with certainty which Instagram reels are going to take off. Even so, the insiders at Instagram have identified four production tips that will give your videos an edge over others. In this episode, we discuss these tips, along with a few of our own, in detail with examples to help illustrate how to implement them. Listen to discover two ways you can make your Instagram reels more relatable to your audience, four tips you should be using to make creating reels easier (including one that will encourage Instagram to promote yours), and more hacks and tools we use at Stay Paid to improve our production quality that you can easily use to popularize your reels too.

Be sure to check out our show notes at staypaidpodcast.com for more in-depth information and added details not included in the episode.

Connect | Resources

Check out our reels and model what works!

Instagram: @staypaidpodcast
TikTok: @staypaid_podcast

To add captions to your reels, try captions.ai

0:00 Introduction

1:14 Instagram's Professional Dashboard

1:52 Tip 1: Create reels that are uniquely you

3:46 Tip 2: Be relatable

4:48 Tip 3: Keep it simple

5:10 Extra tip: Use trending audio

6:25 Tip 3: Keep it simple (continued)

7:12 Extra tip: Develop attention-grabbing hooks

8:48 Tip 4: Add text to your reels

11:22 Consistency builds trust

12:30 Action Item

418 - How to Close Every Deal in the First Meeting Jan 02, 2023

Show notes

Erin Botsford is the founder and CEO of The Advisor Authority and the developer of the Elite Advisor Success System. As an advisor, she has been named to every category of Barron's Top 100, and she's the author of Seven Figure Firm: How to Build a Financial Services Business that Grows Itself. Our conversation with Erin focuses on two topics: her strategies for attracting prospects

Be sure to check out our show notes at staypaidpodcast.com for more in-depth information and added details not included in the episode.

Connect | Resources

Get your free copy of Erin's book, Seven Figure Firm: How to Build a Financial Services Business that Grows Itself, at com
Register for webinar: com/unforgettablewebinar

417 - The Life-Changing Power of Gratitude and Appreciation Dec 29, 2022

Show notes

Jumping off the numerous studies that have shown how practicing gratitude positively affects feelings of happiness and improves our physical health, today's Silver Dollar episode is about how you can shift your focus from lamenting about what you may lack to being grateful for what you do have. We offer four ways you can think deeply about all that is good in your life—no matter how hard it may seem in the moment.

Be sure to check out our show notes at staypaidpodcast.com for more in-depth information and added details not included in the episode.

Connect | Resources

Article: "Giving Thanks Can Make You Happier"
Book: The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life (Before 8AM)
Purchase Stay Paid swag

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416 - A 3-Part Plan for Agents to Generate Leads in 2023 Dec 26, 2022

Show notes

Michael Snow is a managing broker with Pearson Smith Realty in northern Virginia. He's a masterful prospector and spends most of his time coaching approximately 1,000 agents on how to attract and find new leads. We asked him to share with us what he's telling them as they head into 2023. Listen to Michael's interview to find out the three-part plan for success that he has all his agents implement, understand why he is an enthusiastic fan of hosting open houses and how you can approach agents to run theirs, and discover the necessary steps to getting the maximum ROI from online leads.

Be sure to check out our show notes at staypaidpodcast.com for more in-depth information and added details not included in the episode.

Connect | Resources

Reach out to Michael via email: snow@pearsonsmithrealty.com

0:00 Introduction

2:18 Michael's backstory

6:24 #1: Define categories of lead generation

7:33 #2: Write a detailed business plan

8:45 #3: Create a detailed schedule

10:46 Figuring out your daily activity

14:24 Thoughts on hosting open houses

16:08 Asking agents to host their open house

18:49 Generate multiple touchpoints with events

21:37 The expectation when calling online leads

25:21 Anecdotes about closing rates

28:15 Action Item

415 - The Power of Perseverance | Just One More | Real-life motivation Dec 22, 2022

Show notes

Steve Guilfoile is one of the best relationship builders we've ever met. About a year ago, he and his business partner, Shane Shafer, talked with us about how they successfully built AffordaCare Insurance by providing value to potential customers before ever asking for their business. But as with every business, there were bumps along the way. Listen to Steve's interview to discover why focusing on your goal may not be the best approach to reaching it (and what you should focus on instead), find a new way to think about and integrate failure into your processes, and hear some of the best advice for 2023 that will help you determine your priorities.

Be sure to check out our show notes at staypaidpodcast.com for more in-depth information and added details not included in the episode.

Connect | Resources

The Power of One More: The Ultimate Guide to Happiness and Success

0:00 Introduction

1:48 Mindset and motivation

3:27 Breaking goals into parts | Incremental progress

6:30 Failure is an inevitable part of the game

8:47 Just do one more

10:36 Reading vs. doing

12:44 Success leaves clues | Don't reinvent the wheel

13:37 Advice to agents moving into 2023

15:54 Action Item