When is the right time to hire an employee or bring on a 1099 Contractor? What position should you hire first? How do you train your new business teammates? These are questions you are probably wrestling with as your Real Estate Media business grow. Todd and Craig discuss what you need to consider and how to scale your team so that you can serve more Realtors in your market(s).

The turnover of clients is a forgone conclusion right? They will come and go. Or will they? Todd and Craig discuss strategies and ways to maintain client loyalty, and KEEP your clients in an ever-increasingly competitive market. Watch and listen on ways to minimize your clients wandering to competitors.

We've all experienced it in Real Estate Photography & Videography: Walking up to an appointment, and the sellers are desperately trying to continue to pick up, declutter, and clean their home for their photos & video appointment with you; if they did anything at all. While being an inconvenience for sure, does a homeowner not having their home ready for their professional real estate photos actually affect your business? If so, how? And what can you do to minimize the effects of seller unpreparedness? Todd and Craig discuss how you can help your Realtors and sellers be better prepared so you can deliver your best to them, and impact your bottom line in a positive way. Watch, listen, and share your thoughts, tips and tricks! You can leave a comment, or email your tips and tricks to: [email protected].

Nick Kellis, a former LA Producer, joins Todd and Craig to talk about how to serve your Realtor clients with content and services that aren't listing dependent. With overall listing inventory down across the U.S., what are you doing to diversify what you can do on the marketing front for your Realtor clients?

WOW Video Tours Director of Production Ryan Lieurance joins Todd & Craig on the Spiro Podcast to talk about automated video editing, the newly revealed feature in Spiro's real estate photography & videography management software. That's right: automated video editing. Watch & listen to learn more!   To learn more about Spiro, check out: http://spiro.media

Massive news last week, as we all learned that Zillow has bought Aryeo.  Todd and Craig share their thoughts on how this affects our industry and our individual businesses.  And they also talk about the importance of taking time for yourself and your family amidst running a business that you're pouring your heart and soul into. 

What kind of mindset do you need to have and walk in, to have and maintain (and grow!) a successful real estate media & marketing business? And as you develop that mindset, what is the best way to take care of your VIP customers? Todd and Craig share some ideas to help you continue to grow your business with a healthy mindset and outlook!

How is your business doing? How are you measuring success? What indicators of business health should you be checking? Todd and Craig talk about all of this regarding our Real Estate Photography & Videography businesses this week on the Spiro Podcast.

Do you communicate the same way with every member of your family?  What about your friends?  Depending on who we're talking to, we may change how we communicate.  We don't speak to our children the same way we may talk to our spouse.  And we don't talk to our spouse the same way we talk to our colleagues.  But what about our clients?  Should we communicate the same way to all of our clients and Realtors?   Todd and Craig discuss the different types of clients we have as Real Estate media professionals, and some of the best ways to communicate with each group. 

Your Online Ordering Pages are critically important to the success of your Real Estate Media & Marketing Business.  Are your pages optimized to make it the best possible experience for your Realtor clients?  Todd and Craig talk about how to get your order pages set up to provide the best customer experience and help you increase your sales!

Upselling.  It's a way to increase your profit margin without adding much work to your process.  But it can also be intimidating for those that don't really like to "sell".  But that's ok, because Todd and Craig share how to serve your clients well with the products and services that will serve them and their clients well, without pressuring your clients.  Listen in for more on how you can act as a consultant rather than a salesperson in helping arm your clients with more to grow their business.

A Parable is a story told to teach something of value.  Our story this week is about Todd and Craig's differing experiences at their respective chiropractors, and what we can learn from both experiences.  (Yes, they're getting/are old.  Cut them a break.)  What does your customer service approach say to your clients?

Todd and Craig tackle the subject of the business moves that Zillow and Cubicasa are making that could affect our businesses as Real Estate Media providers. Is it good? Is it bad? How can we make the best of it? Be sure to share your comments and insight!

As Real Estate Media & Marketing Professionals, we talk to our Realtor clients quite a bit about branding themselves.  But, what do we do to brand ourselves?  Listen in as Todd and Craig discuss ideas on how to build your brand and set yourself apart in the mind of your clients, and soon to be clients!

One of the best ways to connect with Realtors is by joining your local Realtor/MLS Board.  Eddie Campos, Realtor for Re/Max Preferred Associates in Toledo, OH, and President-elect of the Northwest Ohio Realtor Board joins Todd & Craig for a discussion on how to join a Realtor Board as an Affiliate Member, the benefits of joining, and how to get the most out of your membership!  Don't miss this episode!

Todd and Craig speak with 18 year old Justin Boswell, owner of Bos Photography, a real estate visual marketing business in Central Pennsylvania.  Listened to get inspired and fired up about your business again!  Justin brings some great wisdom and fresh ideas on starting and growing your real estate business.  It's another Owner Spotlight Series episode, and we know this will spur you on to keep working on your business, not just in your business!  Check out Bos photography at:   Website:  https://www.bosphotoz.com/ Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/bos_photoz/ Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100074898049095  

We talk amongst ourselves quite a bit about what we think Realtors need and want in regards to the real estate marketing and media services we provide to them, but what about hearing directly from a Realtor? Lisa Sedlak of Danberry Reatlors in Toledo, OH joins Todd and Craig to talk about Real Estate Visual Marketing from a Realtor's perspective.

Todd & Craig invite on Michael Sarno from Webb Insurance Agency to discuss what you insurance you need to protect your business. You've worked hard to start and build your business. Don't be caught in a bad situation with no coverage or way to protect everything you've invested! 0:00-0:34 Preview 0:35-6:04 Intro to Michael Sarno with Webb Insurance 6:05-21:13 Do I need business insurance? Liability, property, equipment- there is a lot to insure, even when you’re just starting out Start with liability coverage at least, if not contents coverage as well You may also want professional coverage- covers problems like losing a client’s media Your personal policy will not cover you when you call yourself a business  A commercial policy pays for defense costs A liability policy extends to where you take your business; it follows you Drone insurance is a separate policy; your liability policy will not cover flying your drone Exposure- what your policy does not cover You can put your personal vehicle as “business use” on your personal auto policy if you’re a sole proprietor If you have employees using their personal vehicles for company use, you will want coverage for that This protects the company, not the employee When something happens and an attorney names you on a lawsuit (even if you hold little responsibility in the case), how can you protect yourself? Attorney fees add up; a policy will pay for defense costs 21:14-36:04 What other types of coverages should a new or growing business consider? Sit down with your agent and let them challenge you with what the possibilities are Employees add liabilities and exposures Employee practice policies cover discrimination and misconduct Cyber policies cover internet transactions and other internet activity Umbrella policies cover what your liability policy will not They are not expensive If you are an LLC, your personal assets are protected Going to an agent will help you much more than buying a policy online An agent will help you know what exposures you need to think about as you grow Having a relationship with an agent means they will be there for you when you have a situation you don’t know what to do with You don’t have to know everything; you just need to be connected with people who have the answers 36:05-38:43 What about covering subcontractors? Subcontractors must have their own liability insurance If a company says they have coverage for their subcontractors, they probably mean they have coverage for themselves 38:44-41:24 Feel free to reach out to Michael at (419) 228-3211 or [email protected]    Have questions? Email [email protected] or [email protected]. You can find out more about Spiro at spiro.media.

Managing your schedule, your day, your calendar, can be a true challenge.  Staying on task and getting projects done can feel like an exercise in futility.  Keeping it all organized when you own and run a real estate media business requires concentration, focus, purpose, and organization.  Todd and Craig talk about the tools that they've found helpful in getting projects and tasks done in a timely manner to keep the business moving forward.  It's not just about working in the business, but working on the business.

Say you're a prehistoric person, and someone gives you an axe, with no explanation.  What would you do with it?  What uses would you find for it.  Would you figure out it's intended use on your own?   Listen in on this episode of the Spiro Podcast about:  The Purpose of the Axe. Show Notes 0:00-0:10 Sneak Peek 0:11-3:08 Intro 3:09-11:58 Educating clients on how to use your products can be everything You have a new product or technology (the axe), but are they using it correctly (for trees vs. for shaving their face)? The definition of a real estate agent is a problem-solver They want your products, so you have an opportunity- what are you going to do with that opportunity? Will they get the value of what they invested in? If they don’t understand how to use the product, they won’t order it again Your clients’ reality is your reality 11:59-22:14 Add value to their business to become part of their team Where in your business are you too clever? (Agents don’t know what an AHHA video is) Call the product what it is Name your business [City] Real Estate Photos - Great for SEO; Realtors search “Photos” They will ask you for help and you can offer them a service to do that Creating content that serves your clients makes you the source of information for them; they’ll come to you for help Serving them adds value to their business and makes you part of their marketing team They will stick with you and refer you It might be helpful to create short guides for each product to help them understand what they’ve ordered and how to use it 22:15-29:14 How to create a guide What do people do with the product? Loom is a great tool for making how-to videos Vimeo business offers the same tool for making tutorials Tango.us (not a dance site) is another screen-recording tool that allows you to create and modify tutorials, as well as blur parts of your screen (free with Tango branding on each video or $20/month) Do you have a knowledgebase on your website? Spiro uses ZohoDesk Scheduled webinars can help teach clients about how to use products Content creation takes time; you can save time by cutting longer content (like webinars) into shorter pieces 29:15-32:56 What has worked for you? Let us know in the comments!   Have questions? Email [email protected]. Be sure to follow us on Social Media: Spiro on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/spiro.media Spiro on Instagram:  @spiro.media Spiro on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/spiro-media You can find out more about Spiro at spiro.media.

Todd & Craig talk all things software and systems to help you manage your real estate media business.  Our brains weren't made to manage task lists.  So let software do that, and more, for you. Show Summary: 0:00-1:00 Sneak Peek 1:01-3:44 Intro: Spiro was built to help grow and scale Wow Video Tours; it was built out of necessity 3:45-16:08 The importance of software and new features in Spiro Todd has a background in software and is always thinking about efficiency- how can I get the most done in the least amount of time? In 2022, Wow shot over 12,000 tours; each tour requires a number of tasks How do you do each task and make the client feel taken care of? It requires systems Spiro just launched Task Workflows: you can now define the building blocks of each job Example: Each shoot requires shooting the house, uploading and organizing the media, sending it off to be edited, quality-controlling, and sending to the client; how do you make sure this all gets done for each shoot each day? Integrate your Dropbox account with Spiro so Spiro will create a folder for every job, organized into quarter folders within year folders You can add your editing teams to Spiro and assign a distribution to those editors so Spiro will distribute jobs to them for you Our brains are not meant to manage tasklists; let software do it for you Each task has a due date to make sure it gets done Email white-labeling: integration to send emails from your domain We are close to finishing variable pricing for add-ons Add-ons previously had fixed rates; they will soon allow for variable/tiered pricing 17:58- Other software Wow uses to manage tasks Wow receives most communication through email and phone calls; team members have a system to organize communication to prevent over-communication Remember: 2023 is going to be a tough year for your clients as well with inventory, interest rates, and other changing factors Celebrate their listings with them; make them feel like their part of your team because they are Position your business as not just their photographer, but their marketing department; let them know that your job is to help them grow The industry is relationship-based; if it is a cold transaction, they can go to anyone  When you have that relationship, they will pay for your work; they will look beyond lower prices because they know you care about them Todd’s encouragement: think about how you spend your time  Track how you spend time (can search “time tracking” for a log to print and use) Time is a variable that is the same for everyone that you can not buy more of; you have just as much time in a day as everyone else Don’t allow the market to become an excuse You can control what amount of time you put into your business Categorize each activity: low (can I delegate this, was it worth my time), medium (okay use of time, can not delegate it, have to do it), high (building business, will yield growth) Are you spending your time on activities that will yield growth? Eliminate bad habits and outsource what others can do for you You are accountable to how you spend your time 30:51-35:55 Other software and systems Wow uses Communication with photographers: Slack Office communication: Email or in-person communication (messages disappear in Slack so it’s not ideal for in-office communication) CRM for managing client contacts and communication: Pipedrive (integrate with JustCall- logs every phone call, records and transcribes it, and categorizes it by client, allows you to set reminders for follow-ups and write notes about the client for other team members to see; listening back to phone calls can also be helpful for growing in client communication) Let us know what software you have found useful No system is perfect; sometimes you have to combine or use multiple systems to fill your needs 35:56-37:40 Closing   Have questions? Email [email protected]. Be sure to follow us on Social Media: Spiro on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/spiro.media Spiro on Instagram:  @spiro.media Spiro on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/spiro-media You can find out more about Spiro at spiro.media.

This week Shawn Beltran, owner of Spacekraft Media in Denver, CO joins Craig on the Spiro Podcast. Shawn shares his experience as a Real Estate Media company owner, and some of the things he's learned that has helped him grow in a major market.   0:00-0:47 Sneak Peek 0:48-7:31 Intro to the podcast and Shawn 7:32-14:39 How Shawn started out Shot his first house in 2003 Shot portraits for a time For Shawn, composing a shot was like putting a puzzle together It was hard to get started- many people got their work done for free by photography students Found he was not passionate about marketing for others, especially social media marketing Joined networking groups, including BNI Can track 80% of his current business back to one agent from whom he gained referrals Being genuine is key to networking Giving referrals is important to gaining referrals 14:40-26:12 Shawn’s business Business has shifted to commercial shoots for builders Averaged three shoots/day when he was shooting MLS listings Busiest season is April-October Now averages 1-2 jobs/day because they are bigger listings Contracts some work to other photographers who own their own businesses It’s more important to be part of a community than to look at everyone else as competition It sticks out to people when you deliver what they need in a timely manner and they will pay for that Sometimes you have to decide between being busy or being well-scheduled Being well-scheduled at the right price can sometimes be more sustainable Work-life balance is hard as a business owner 26:13-39:12 Shawn’s brokerage experience Have been working with this company for 7 years 3rd or 4th tier referral, business that specializes in luxury homes Did timelapses and stop-motion videos for this company and the company realized that they wanted that content for every listing Found that it is the same cost to use Shawn as to bring someone in in-house Considerations for a photographer who is offered an exclusive deal with a brokerage: You will no longer be making your own schedule Copyright and ownership rules change (if you feel like you have reached your potential, the wisdom you can offer others may be valuable) Can you keep growing your business? Are you happy owning a business or do you want to be employed and be able to turn off work? 39:13-46:44 Advice for other business owners: be aware of your mental health and get a business coach Therapy is not a bad word; it’s okay to show your weakness Have somebody you can talk to who is willing to help you grow as a person Shawn’s business coach: new business owners will grossly overestimate what they can do in one year and grossly underestimate what they can do in five to ten years Put in consistent effort to see growth Contact Shawn via email at [email protected] or by text or call at 720-369-9169   Have questions? Email [email protected]. Be sure to follow us on Social Media: Spiro on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/spiro.media Spiro on Instagram:  @spiro.media Spiro on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/spiro-media You can find out more about Spiro at spiro.media.

In this episode, Todd & Craig talk about the current state of the Real Estate Market for a majority of the country, and what we can do to continue on with our business, and gain market share.  Use this time to build your business relationships! Show Summary: 0:00-0:47 Sneak Peek 0:48-4:08 Intro Spiro has new integrations coming out for Vimeo and MergeFleet (an auto-editor) 4:11-10:05 The state of the real estate industry Wow covers markets as large as Columbus and North Carolina to as small as rural areas in Ohio, such as Lima and Van Wert People are used to low interest rates and there is some uncertainty; Wow has seen numbers trending down 15% Todd projects Wow will catch up in the second half of the year Wow has worked hard at building relationships and they are beginning to see some of that hard work come through A Realtor may love you but not have any listings Listings are down; inventory is extremely low, even for experienced Realtors Let us know what you are seeing! 10:06-16:19 So what can I do? Look for reports on your local MLS website Wow focuses on market share Market share: the percent of the market you shoot for If the market is down, are you still shooting the same percentage of jobs out of the number of jobs in existence? This shows whether you are growing We gained new clients; how many clients are we not shooting for now? Calculate your market share: number of new listings last month for your city/ies divided by number of jobs you show that month That number will stay consistent when the number of listings fluctuates Interest rates aren’t actually that high People still want to move; the number one factor driving the economy is the housing market 16:20-33:05 How to increase market share 1: Get new clients Build good relationships; get to know them and show them that you care Celebrate their listings with them Don’t take it lightly that they chose you to be part of their marketing team Show gratitude; don’t take them for granted Care about them as human beings; they are trying to put food on the table just like you are Send out handwritten notes; try doing one per day every morning to start your day by succeeding at a task 2: Innovate and launch new products Wow launched Zillow 3D (it is cheap and easy to shoot) and floorplans (Wow uses Cubicasa)  Every agent will respond differently Try automatic scheduling; Wow just switched and clients love it Wow offers marketing assets and toolkits with fliers and social media 3: Ask for referrals It’s easy- “Can you put me in contact with…?” Know who you want an introduction to Craig tries to keep it within a brokerage; some brokers might not want to introduce you to their competition Feel out the client and see what seems possible; the worst that can happen is them telling you no You can also institute a referral program; people will do whatever they can to save money Remember, you are selling salespeople; they will recognize a good deal Tell them, “I know I can’t sell you, but I can find out what your goals are and see what we can do to help you achieve them; I’m not going to try to pressure you” and mean it 33:06-37:31 The market will bounce back; keep working hard Feel free to share the podcast with those who might find it helpful, including Facebook groups   Have questions? Email [email protected]. Be sure to follow us on Social Media: Spiro on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/spiro.media Spiro on Instagram:  @spiro.media Spiro on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/spiro-media You can find out more about Spiro at spiro.media.

Derek Mayer, CFO for WOW Video Tours joins us to take a deeper look at accounting for our real estate media businesses. Learn some best practices to make sure your business is financially healthy, and able to make the business decisions you need to with accurate, reliable financial information.   Show Summary: 0:00-0:54 Sneak Peek 0:55-4:32 Intro 4:33-27:59 What costs are important to track? - Brian from CT All costs are important to track; “every dollar you spend is a dollar less in profit” Revenue: Everything you take in Two cost categories: Costs of goods sold (how much it costs to do each job) and Overhead (everything else) Put every accounting task on a calendar; set a rhythm for accounting and do it each month Calendar item #1: Make sure every job is invoiced Spiro can have clients pay when they order, pay before downloading media, or pay weekly or monthly Give them a call after a few weeks of not being paid Automatic invoicing means you don’t have to do it Calendar item #2: Reconcile your bank account It’s important to make sure all your items are accounted for; it’s important for taxes and planning If you don’t want to do it, hire someone Make sure your transactions are allocated correctly QuickBooks and Xero are built to help with this (QuickBooks is more user-friendly) Calendar item #3: Look at your profit/loss or income statement and make decisions “An income statement won’t give you answers; it will just allow you to ask questions” It helps you identify unnecessary costs and see changes year to year Look at how you can answer and fix those questions Calendar item #4: Cash Look at your cash flow statement (can find it within your accounting software)- this tells you where the money went Shows what you actually brought in, expenses, and other cash (withdrawing money, paying) Cash flow statement includes investments and owner draws (income statement only shows if you pay yourself a salary) Derek’s challenge: Systemize your monthly accounting Bonus tip: start tracking monthly average sale price (total revenue divided by number of jobs shot) and challenge yourself to increase it Increased ASP means you are doing more at each job, which saves you time and money This means you don’t have to worry as much about raising prices each year  Also, track your monthly cost of goods sold (any expense related to shooting a job, such as shooting and editing) by dividing costs by how many jobs you shot Track operation costs Tracking these metrics can help you determine why costs may be rising or revenue may be decreasing and help you make strategic decisions 28:00- Contact Derek at [email protected] with questions Find a trustworthy professional for more advanced questions   Have questions? Email [email protected]. Be sure to follow us on Social Media: Spiro on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/spiro.media Spiro on Instagram:  @spiro.media Spiro on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/spiro-media You can find out more about Spiro at spiro.media.

What does it take to legally start your real estate media business? What are the various business structures to consider? S-Corp? LLC? Sole Proprietorship? What's the correct one to use? What about whether you hire employees, or bring on contractors to shoot photos and video for you? Catch this episode to get started on the legalities of starting your business, and what you need to consider! Show Summary: 0:00-1:00 Sneak Peek 1:01-2:45 Intro 2:46-12:25 How to legally set up a business This podcast is not official legal advice; we recommend you find an attorney for official legal help There are three main business types: sole proprietor Sole proprietor: an individual who functions as a business; you can file taxes and report business income and expenses It’s the simplest to set up; in many states, you can do this online LLC: becoming an LLC separates your business from your personal self If you set a house on fire as a sole proprietor, the insurance company can come after you personally, including everything you personally own (your car, house, possessions, and financial assets); if you are an LLC, the insurance company can come after whatever your business owns (usually just equipment) S Corp: You as the owner pay yourself a salary and treat yourself as an employee This helps with tax savings (you will want to discuss this with your accountant) Depend on high-level people, such as a good accountant, to know what your business needs The owner of an LLC or sole proprietor generally gets paid through a disbursement or draw 12:26-18:09 The legalities of hiring: 1099 or W-2? You have control over a W-2 employee; you do not have control over a 1099 contractor Most states put out a list of characteristics of each A simple way to determine: you set an employee’s hours, while a contractor works when there is a job (you are a contractor to real estate agents) An employee has tax deductions from their paycheck, while a contractor takes care of their own taxes An employee may have paid time off, while a contractor does not 18:10-24:39 How do you legally end a business relationship? For W-2 employees, Ohio is an at-will state, which means that termination can be at any point for any reason (although you can not discriminate for reasons outside their control) Todd always calls his attorney before terminating an employee; they can help with the verbiage Be honest with the employee/contractor; tell them what they did well and the direct reason why you are terminating them (you are not obligated to tell them why, but they are human) Never surprise an employee with termination; if they are surprised, evaluate how you led because you need to communicate with them how they are doing Employees want to know if you are unhappy with their work; use the conversation as a training moment and look for the positive 24:40-31:46 It’s okay if this intimidates you; find an expert who can help you through the process.   UPDATE: Tasks and to-dos in Spiro have launched!   Have questions? Email [email protected]. Be sure to follow us on Social Media: Spiro on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/spiro.media Spiro on Instagram:  @spiro.media Spiro on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/spiro-media You can find out more about Spiro at spiro.media.

Spiro listener/viewer Justin wrote in to ask us to talk about the benefits of using Spiro software in his real estate media business. Todd and Craig talk about Spiro in depth. To find out more about the software, you can visit: http://spiro.media - thank you to Justin for the question! Show Summary: 0:00-0:49 Sneak peek 0:50-4:17 Intro 4:18-11:36 How can Spiro be used for scheduling? Wow historically has done Manual Scheduling (the Wow team schedules the appointment) Wow just switched to Automatic Scheduling (the client gets to choose the appointment date and time) Spiro offers all kinds of variables, including photographer skills, service areas, listing size, and listing price that allow Spiro to intelligently schedule This allows you to spend more time accomplishing your goals 11:37-28:37 How does Spiro handle brokerage deals differently than other softwares? One broker wanted consistent marketing and wanted to make it easy for his team and staff; it was also important to him as a marketing and recruitment tool Brokers want to grow market share, and this is done by getting more agents or getting more listings A simple media marketing plan is the cornerstone of agent recruitment Ask for a distribution of listings It’s easier to sell ten thousand things to ten people than ten things to one thousand people To create a brokerage deal, you can set company pay (what the company pays), agent pay (what the agent pays), and display price (what price the agent sees) You can build in an upcharge that allows the broker to make money from providing your products to their agents Sometimes the broker will pay the cost upfront since the agent gets paid when the house closes Spiro sends an invoice email for the broker with a spreadsheet of the agent and what the agent owes 28:38-36:28 Other benefits of using Spiro Custom order pages for clients or companies make them feel special Selling in bundles helps you sell more (start with a photos and video package) and create a luxury bundle- some people just want the top product Bundles make it easy; agents want to be able to press one button and get a lot of things Spiro has upsell opportunities Easy to pay photographers based on multiple variables, including where they shoot, how much they shoot, or how long they have been working for you Editor tasks for each service can be assigned to each Spiro user (or multiple users) that they can access through an editor portal, separate from your admin portal Spiro has been built out of necessity 36:27-40:16 Spiro costs you $5 per job   Thanks to Justin Boswell for asking this question!   Have questions? Email [email protected]. Be sure to follow us on Social Media: Spiro on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/spiro.media Spiro on Instagram:  @spiro.media Spiro on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/spiro-media You can find out more about Spiro at spiro.media.

It's a tough market out there. Few listings. A saturated market with more real estate media companies than ever. Fierce competition. Sales are slow. Is it time to throw in the towel? Do you give up on the dream? Todd and discuss the realities of what we may be facing, and how to handle the decision on whether to continue in the real estate media/marketing business or not. Episode Resources mentioned: Cheviron Coaching: https://chevironcoaching.com/ Truth @ Work: http://truthatwork.org Show Summary Notes: 0:00-0:29 Sneak Peek 0:30-3:18 Intro  3:19-8:03 How to handle the question of when to throw in the towel It’s impossible to control the market It’s happened before (2006-2012) The only thing you can control is the messaging you take in and the soundtrack you play in your mind (Todd has been reading Soundtracks by Jon Acuff) Start by changing your soundtrack 8:04-17:27  You’ve hit a plateau; that’s normal As you grow, it’s harder to grow at large rates Are you focused on growth? What do you want to become? Take a blank piece of paper and start writing your answer. Revisit why you started- reconnect to the excitement about what the company could be Craig’s story of starting his business Excitement and nervousness at the beginning are normal- revisit the “dating period” of your business You will be in the same place in a year if you don’t change The pain of staying the same is worse than the pain of change 17:28-33:02 Action steps (many taken from coach Austin Cheviron) Change your soundtrack Bet on yourself- get excited about why you started and what you’re going to do in 2023 Step 1: Evaluate whether your people feed your negative thoughts; surround yourself with people who want to see you succeed and who are betting on themselves Who do you need to be around less, and who do you need to be around more? Step 2: Upgrade your systems and skills What was a pain point this year? Documenting processes and procedures may be helpful Step 3: Get a guide Who is going to guide you? Find a Mr. Miyagi Coaching costs about $200-$600/hour; stop spending money on bad habits and reallocate money that can be better spent by investing in yourself Email Todd ([email protected]) with questions and learn from his mistakes Step 4: Invest in yourself Read, listen to podcasts, go to events “You can’t give what you don’t have”- if you’re not pouring into yourself, you can’t pour out into your company and employees Buying a $20 book = stealing a lifetime of information from that author Exercise- a lack of activity lowers good brain chemicals and aids depression and anxiety Are you eating clean food? Don’t buy it and you won’t eat it Poor health will inhibit your abilities You may need to go get another job to supplement your income; just don’t give up. You started your business for a reason. “If it was easy, everyone would do it.” Give yourself credit for taking a leap of faith and doing something hard. Craig recommends Truth at Work Don’t beat yourself up. Keep moving forward. 33:03-35:59 Conclusion   Have questions? Email [email protected]. Be sure to follow us on Social Media: Spiro on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/spiro.media Spiro on Instagram:  @spiro.media Spiro on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/spiro-media You can find out more about Spiro at spiro.media.

We love highlighting owners of successful real estate media businesses around the country, and this week is no exception.  Todd and Craig talk with Joseph Gonzalez, owner of Miami Real Estate Images, and hear his story of how he started and built his business.  Joseph is a first generation American, and you won't want to miss what he shares!

Brandon Cooper, owner and organizer of the PMRE (Photo and Media for Real Estate) Conference joins Todd & Craig on the podcast to talk about what the PMRE Conference is, what to expect in 2023 (but they can't give it ALL away), and the benefit of going to YOUR real estate media business. To learn more about the conference, check out: http://pmreconference.com Show Summary: 0:00-0:48 Sneak Peek 0:49-0:56 Intro  0:57-9:28 Intro to Brandon Cooper 9:29-19:47 History of PMRE 2016: Reached out to photography coach about creating workshops Overarching theme of feedback: amazing to learn and meet other like-minded people, share best practices without getting back-stabbed by competitors Decided to scale workshop to once-a-year event for people from anywhere 2017: Learned about PFRE  2018: Bought blog  2019: Used blog to ask if there was a demand, did audience research Chose Las Vegas because it is easy to get to from basically anywhere in the world If it had failed, Brandon would have been bankrupt First event: 300 people from 12 different countries 2020: Virtual; 530 people from 23 different countries Event was designed for in-person connection Community rallied behind PMRE 2021: Returned to Vegas 2023: Registration opens in May for 5th annual conference The “why” was clear 19:48-28:38 What made the “why” worth it? Seeking purpose in everyday work over living for the weekend Emerging niche; really nowhere to get support or learn new things Fostered relationships online for years; conference means meeting the community in person Easy to feel like an island in your market A need for a place to gather It didn’t matter where everyone was from or how much experience they had Todd and Craig: “Like a big therapy session” Created with the intention of plenty of opportunity for people to bump into each other A chance to take a break from working in the business and take a moment to work on the business You can learn many skills, such as Photoshop, at home, but you can not run into people with experience at home 28:39-32:15 How does PMRE help photographers with business knowledge? You can bump into people who were where you are a few years ago They might share one thing that can change your business and save you trial and error Come to the conference to meet people with experience and to build relationships 32:16-45:44 Information about PMRE 2023 November 8-9 Returning to South Point (venue) If you know a good venue with capacity for 500-600 people, Brandon is looking for suggestions! Planning to do workshops on November 6-7 Many workshops will be once-in-a-lifetime experiences Registration opens in May The roster will not be launched immediately to allow for the best presentations Fifth anniversary; will be special Pre-registration get-together  Working on other ideas Opportunities for networking Learn more about PMRE at pmreconference.com  Pre-registration tickets sold out within an hour last year; get on the list! Can nominate a speaker or apply to speak, sponsor, or host a workshop For those who are new: Click the button at the top banner to see what PMRE was last year Worth the investment Contact Brandon through the website, email [email protected], or call/text Brandon at 587-645-7427   Have questions? Email [email protected]. Be sure to follow us on Social Media: Spiro on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/spiro.media Spiro on Instagram:  @spiro.media Spiro on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/spiro-media You can find out more about Spiro at spiro.media.

The Spiro Podcast started with an episode about Brokerage deals (find it here: https://youtu.be/5NWcfnWkjvE ) - we wanted to revisit the topic and dive a bit deeper to help you land brokerage deals and grow your business in 2023. Join Todd & Craig as they discuss landing those deals, and being able to get them set up in your Spiro portal!   0:00-1:02 Sneak Peek 1:03-4:08 Intro 4:09-11:20 How the brokerage deal began (for Wow Video Tours)  Todd’s initial idea: a monthly plan for his largest clients The broker liked it and gave him backing by selling it to her agents Selling from the top down- speaking the broker’s language and selling what they want, partnering with them Not many brokers will guarantee you a number of listings per year because their agents are subcontractors; a broker can not tell their agents what to do unless they pay for it Most brokers do not pay the entire bill because it is the agents’ responsibility to market their listing Instead of looking for a guarantee, make the brokerage responsible for fronting the bill 11:21-17:25 Agent and Company Pay Spiro allows you to split payment between companies and agents Suggestion: Don’t sell photos only; start at photos and video Put the products into a bundle on an order page just for that brokerage Put in your custom pricing for that deal Discounting is up to you; a frequent user will like a discount, however, it can be worth it to make brokerages feel good about using you Custom pricing and order page can help your image as a high-end company Company pricing means you know you will get paid  You can also ask them to write a check so you can avoid merchant fees When the company agrees to front the bill, you can invoice the company, get paid, and the broker and agent work out repayment on their own terms Broker bill: The agent’s tab with the company (office fees, commissions, etc.) Most brokers don’t mind fronting the money because they see the value of having their agents use you Agents will be able to pay the broker bill after closing 17:26-20:17 Companies can make money from your deal by adding an upcharge for their agents Use the Advanced toggle in the Bundle setup window Put Agent Pay as $0, Company Pay as the bundle price, and Display price as the bundle price + the upcharge Agent will see the upcharged price and know what they will have to pay the company (Company receives display price, has already paid you the bundle price, and profits the upcharge amount) If the broker does not want their agents to know what they pay, put $0 as the display price to hide what the broker pays Contact us for help 20:18-28:38 How do I approach a broker? You usually will not be in touch with the broker directly Todd’s strategy: get in with many of their agents, especially top agents, and make their agents happy Brokers want to work with vendors who make their agents happy Suggest to agents- “Wouldn’t it be great if…” - often they will agree Ask for a warm introduction or an appointment with them and the broker Once you have the meeting: research them and their metrics- number of agents, offices You want to show your desire to partner with them Bring up what you know and show that you’ve done your research Then talk about what is important to them: market share  Market share: the percentage of the total volume of sales in the market that they do (if your city has 10,000 listings/year, and a company does 2,000 of those, they have a 20% market share) You don’t have to know their market share Can grow in market share by getting current agents to sell more or recruiting more agents A broker is looking for tools to enable them to do those two things so they can grow in market share Get soft closes and get them to say yes - ask: “Do you think that if your agents could market consistently with photos and video that your brand value/image would increase? Do you see how your agents could use these tools to be more effective at a listing presentation?” This raises their marketing floor (their bottom level of marketing) “What if we could put together a process to make this easy for you?” - a custom order page, an easy process for your agents to order, easy access to your media for your marketing department, easy to pay (all features in Spiro) “Do you think having a media program like this would help you recruit more agents?” - when recruiting, the broker is trying to present tools that other brokers don’t have A brokerage deal is both a sales tool and a recruitment tool for brokers 28:39-30:46 How formal should the contract be? It depends on your comfort level with the broker Contracts protect both parties; people can also get leery because they may not want to be locked in Make sure it’s a win-win As long as I am bringing value, keeping the agents happy, and helping the broker grow their market share, I am earning trust and showing my value to the broker If you’re planning on writing a contract, enlist the help of an attorney 30:47-32:47 How often should I check back with the broker? Todd likes to sit with them once a year; sometimes it may need to be less No news is good news Make strong connections with their office managers and try to go to their office meetings and events as often as you can Just because you have the deal doesn’t mean you have the business Build relationships  The more appearances you make, the more they will view you as their marketing department and part of their business versus an outside contract or vendor 32:48-35:27  Contact us with more questions; we would be happy to help Much more efficient to sell top-down   Have questions? Email [email protected]. Be sure to follow us on Social Media: Spiro on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/spiro.media Spiro on Instagram:  @spiro.media Spiro on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/spiro-media You can find out more about Spiro at spiro.media.

Welcome to 2023! Todd & Craig welcome WOW Video Tours CFO, Derek Mayer, to discuss setting up your company budget for the new year. What really IS a budget? Why should you use one? How do you create one? Derek shares some easy to understand advice and direction to help you get your company started off on the right foot financially as you manage and grow your business another year.   Show Summary: 0:00-0:18 Sneak peek 0:19-4:18 Intro to Derek Mayer 4:19-13:34 What is a budget? Budgeting is about being proactive and trying to hit your goals It’s about looking at every aspect of your business - revenue, products, expenses, staffing, investments Step 1: What are your goals? What do you want to achieve?  Set your budget around profit goals Personal goals are important as well - do they affect your business?  You want your business goals to work with your family goals instead of fight with them Step 2: “External Considerations” - What is happening outside that would impact your business or goals? What is the market like? Most boards of Realtors have Market Updates you can view External considerations Step 3: Project revenue - How much revenue do you think you will get in the next year? Based on economic considerations, current Average Sale Price (ASP: total revenue/total number of jobs), and number of jobs  What is a realistic amount of growth? What has been your pattern of growth in the past? Keep your goals as realistic as possible; unrealistic goals can cause overhiring or underhiring and wreck your profit 13:35-24:17 Know (from the past year): Gross revenue - How much you receive from the client; all of your sales The more data you have, the better (Derek usually looks at the past three years of data) Total number of jobs Your ASP (gross revenue/total number of jobs) The fun part (according to Derek) - Step 4: Expenses Revenue and growth do not equal profit Wow’s lean budget strategy: Every expense should be reviewed to determine if it is helping the company grow and/or costing the company money Ask: Why did we spend this?  Do we need to spend this?  How is this helping the company grow?  If we remove the expense, what would happen?  Are there tools or automations that would eliminate this expense?  Will this expense change at any point during the year? - Ask vendors if their prices will change or if they have discounts Step 5: Bottom line - After combining projected revenue and expenses, does the resulting number align with your goals and make sense for you? If they don’t, you will need to increase revenue or cut expenses What is your action plan to do that? Ask your clients what would help them Step 6: Review your budget monthly and make changes as needed The most important part of creating a budget is taking the first step 24:18-28:52 Contact Derek by email at derek@wowvideotours or by phone at 937.505.0444 Use Google - search “small business budgeting”; Derek prefers Google drive You have to make the time to do it January is a great time to start but it’s never too late Accounting software can be helpful; Spiro is helpful in tracking data For those who don’t enjoy numbers, a budget plan allows you to lay the foundation to dream and create a vision   Have questions? Email [email protected]. Be sure to follow us on Social Media: Spiro on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/spiro.media Spiro on Instagram:  @spiro.media Spiro on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/spiro-media You can find out more about Spiro at spiro.media.

On this episode of the Spiro Podcast, we highlight a relatively new business in our Owner Spotlight Series.  We want to introduce to you, Pixel Dawg Interactive and owner Sathish Samiappan of Starkville, Mississippi.  Todd and Craig met Sathish at the PMRE Conferrence in November 2022, when Sathish expressed interest in learning more about Spiro Software.   You can learn more about Pixel Dawg Interactive by emailing Sathish at:  [email protected] or following him on Instagrarm at:  @ PixelDawgMS   Products, Services & Conferences mentioned in the podcast include: iGuide:  https://goiguide.com/ PMRE:  https://www.pmreconference.com/ FAA Part 107 License:  https://www.faa.gov/uas/commercial_operators/become_a_drone_pilot FAA Part 107 Study Course:  https://www.faasafety.gov/gslac/ALC/CourseLanding.aspx?cID=451 FAA Party 107 Recurrent Study Course:  https://www.faasafety.gov/gslac/ALC/CourseLanding.aspx?cID=677 Show Summary Notes: 0:00-1:04 Preview 1:05-3:57 Intro  3:58-12:37 Intro to Sathish and Pixel Dawg Interactive 12:38-21:21 Best piece of business advice: focus on the customer With a coffee shop, customers care more about how the coffee tastes and how quick the drive-thru is than how much skill it took to make the coffee Focus on improving your photography, but more importantly, focus on whether your customers are happy Agents in smaller areas, such as Pixel Dawg’s and Wow’s markets, are very connected and give referrals Strategy for growth: continuing to do good work and marketing For Craig, taking care of clients represented them well during the appointment and positioned him as part of their team They appreciate when you help sell them to the clients and will help you build your business in return Sathish is interested in Spiro because one of his pain points is scheduling; he would like to streamline the experience for both himself and his clients You can’t shoot thousands of listings a year and give good customer service without systems and technology  21:22-24:30 Biggest takeaway from PMRE: the community 24:31-29:30 Set yourself up for success and enjoy the learning process Contact Sathish at [email protected] or on Instagram @pixeldawgms  Share the podcast with others who would find it helpful Let us know what you would like to hear about by contacting us at [email protected] Now is a good time to start thinking about systems for your business- Spiro can help you optimize whether you are a team of one or twenty-one Thanks to our new subscribers, Daniel L, Tara Costello, and Francisco Lopez You can listen on YouTube, any major podcast platform, or on Podbean    Have questions? Email [email protected]. Be sure to follow us on Social Media: Spiro on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/spiro.media Spiro on Instagram:  @spiro.media Spiro on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/spiro-media You can find out more about Spiro at spiro.media.

Growth of your real estate media company is an exciting thing! Most likely you've started as a sole employee/owner business, but it's come time to hire someone to help you manage and grow the business. What is a good, consistent way to approach hiring the right people to help you grow and scale? Jess Paxson, the Operations Manager for WOW Video Tours joins us on this episode of the Spiro Podcast. She shares WOW's process of hiring, and some important things to consider when bringing someone on to your team. Resources mentioned on the podcast (no paid mentions): http://Indeed.com Crystal Knows (DISC and enneagram tests) - https://www.crystalknows.com/ “The Road Back to You” - Suzanne Stabile & Ian Morgan Cron - https://a.co/d/5Vz4L2M “The Path Between Us” - Suzanne Stabile - https://a.co/d/3SAWWWz “The Five Love Languages” - Dr. Gary Chapman - https://5lovelanguages.com/ “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team” - Patrick Lencioni - https://a.co/d/6LPF4B4 Independent Contractor (Self-Employed) or Employee? - https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/independent-contractor-self-employed-or-employee   Show Summary: 0:00-1:02 Sneak Peek 1:03-2:04 Intro  2:05-3:19 Craig’s story with Spiro Craig was the first Spiro beta-tester His business grew to shooting over 1,000 listings/year in about four years 3:20-4:40 Please like, share, and subscribe if you have found the podcast valuable, and let us know what you want to hear on the podcast 4:41-10:11 Intro to Jess Paxson 10:12-12:50 When is the right time to hire an employee? Ask yourself how many hours/day you are willing to dedicate to the job Someone usually pays the price, whether it’s you, your family, or your clients Can I scale my business alone? Usually not Determine what your time is worth If you set hours when you can’t work, you likely can’t scale If you can’t afford to hire an employee, you may need to raise your prices Having an employee or a team can improve your customer service 12:51-19:39 Wow’s hiring process Assess what position is needed and list the title, responsibilities, and hours Post job and application on indeed.com (Indeed features job assessments and allows you to see a candidate’s resume) Sometimes post on job boards for local trade schools or Ohio Means Jobs  Screening process: How professional does their resume look? How are their communication skills? What is their past work history? (How long have they worked at each job?) 19:40-30:12 How to find the right fit for the company’s culture Culture is important Phone screening, then first interview, then second interview Second interview: same questions as first interview, but with different employees running the interview + a DISC personality test (Jess loves the enneagram as well) Personality tests help you understand how people work and communicate Recommended books: The Road Back to You, The Path Between Us, The Five Love Languages, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team All employees who interviewed candidate meet in a room One of the biggest concerns is how a candidate will mesh with the current team Hire slow, fire fast- the wrong hire can sometimes do more damage than having an unfilled position Virtual assistants- hire a pool, contract for a few weeks, and then keep the one who does really well 30:13-32:21 Is it more important to hire the right personality or the right set of skills? Personality is super important, and skills can be taught A great personality with drive and determination can be molded and taught Taking the time to invest in an employee can build loyalty 32:22-36:44 What does a good onboarding program look like? What do they need on their first day? Have a solid training plan in place- Wow uses Basecamp or Trello to track and gain feedback Have the ability to track progress Set goals for them to work for and clear expectations Having procedures allows a manager to delegate training 36:45-39:12 Best piece of hiring advice: Just do it. Recognize you can’t do it all  Don’t be afraid to hire someone who is better at you than the job; you are not threatened by them Learn from each other 39:13-41:49 Closing    For information on the differences between a 1098 contractor and a W-2 employee, look at the U.S. Department of Labor and your state laws.   Have questions? Email [email protected]. Be sure to follow us on Social Media: Spiro on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/spiro.media Spiro on Instagram:  @spiro.media Spiro on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/spiro-media You can find out more about Spiro at spiro.media.

At some point in your business, if you haven't already: you're going to make a decision on whether to maintain your current size and volume, or try to expand. If you are doing your own editing, one of the key decisions you'll make related to that decision to maintain your current size or grow is: whether to hire an editor to help you edit your photos and videos. What do you need to consider in making this decision? What is the cost of hiring an editor? What is the cost of NOT hiring an editor? How do you find someone? How do you communicate? How do you determine workflow. Let's dive into these questions on hiring an editor as you consider the implications on your real estate media business.   0:00-0:36 Preview 0:37-3:42 Intro  Thanks to our new subscribers What would you like to hear about on the podcast? Let us know by reaching out to [email protected] or leaving a comment 3:43-10:05 When do I need an editor? Should I hire an editor? Are you looking to scale? You’re probably asking this question because you’re feeling some kind of pain- ask yourself why it’s coming up right now and what you want to accomplish by finding an editor or by continuing to edit yourself Consider the cost of bringing on an editor or continuing to edit yourself Craig’s story: wanted a higher number of jobs, realized he would rather pay someone to do the time-consuming work at a higher quality than he could so he could focus on bringing in more jobs Concerns about maintaining creative control: challenge yourself to find a high-quality editor If you do niche work and you’re high-end, find a high-end editor- they will do it more cost-effectively than you can One hour of outsourced work to the right editors could be one hour for you to build your business or one hour for you to recharge 10:05-11:56 Are you conforming your business to their editing style, or are you giving them direction? Wow gives the direction they want for a defined look They also give creative space by asking how the product can be better Quality-control their work Make sure they are delivering what you sell but use what they know 11:57-21:30 How does outsourcing work? Find an editor- upwork.com, fiverr.com, onlinejobs.ph, pixlmob.com If you have a resource, share it with us and we will share it! Make sure you can communicate with your editor- can they speak or type in English? You need a system- ours is integrated with Dropbox Our system creates Dropbox folders for the team to upload to  Wow assigns editors based on volume and quality Let the editor know they have a job Make sure the editor understands how to do the job- how should they edit windows? The editor should upload them back to the folders You should have a quality-control process Get them out to your clients Using editors from other countries is helpful because they can edit during what is night-time in the U.S., meaning you will get your photos back the next morning Price range: anything from $0.30-$5.00 per image- range depends on quality and how much detail they are editing Most basic: single exposure, probably shooting in a RAW format, one photo, only so much you can edit HDR: taking multiple (3 or 5) images in each location, bright to dark, editor blends them and edits tone Flambient: similar- multiple images from same location but uses flash to highlight different parts of the room Approach will differ according to your market and business goals 21:31-24:10 Cautions when choosing an editor They will have a level of access to your systems- interview them  Do you know the individual editors if you hire a team? Will you know which editor did which job? Are you able to pay them? Some countries are harder to reach Who tracks how much they work? How do you determine whether you pay for images you are not satisfied with them? Talk about these issues 24:11-28:18 Conclusion What will hiring an editor do for your business? This will help you decide what kind of editor you need to hire Develop relationships with your editors Growth isn’t easy, but it’s good   Have questions? Email [email protected]. Be sure to follow us on Social Media: Spiro on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/spiro.media Spiro on Instagram:  @spiro.media Spiro on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/spiro-media You can find out more about Spiro at spiro.media.

The Winter Season can be a concerning time for a Real Estate Media Company. Business typically slows way down. Sometimes it can get so slow you wonder if you should be doing other types of photography, or if you'll even survive. Todd and Craig discuss things to do to strengthen your business in the "slow season". Be sure to check out these past episodes for ideas on how to strengthen the relationships you already have with clients, and how to find new clients during the winter season: Networking with Realtors One on One - Part 1  Networking with Realtors One on One - Part 2 How to Sell to the Needs of Realtors Brokerage Deals How to Increase Your Average Sales Price   Episode Summary: 0:00-0:58 Preview and intro 0:59-7:05 Don’t panic during slow season; take a breath Develop a plan for decreased revenue during slow season Don’t pay yourself everything you make during the busy season One tip: pay yourself a salary so you can spread it out over the year Sit with an accountant and asked them to help you figure it out A business is a profitable enterprise that works for you; it should suit your needs 7:06-19:13 What do I do with all my free time? You have to decide what you feel the most comfortable with If you’re excited about the amount of work you have now and want to sustain that, it’s time to take care of your clients or work on your business Take care of your top 20% clients- ask what they need, send Christmas gifts If you’re okay with not growing, put the time back into yourself- you’ve earned it If you want to grow, ask yourself: Where are your gaps? What was painful last busy season? Your business is in a shell- as you grow, the shell will crack; identify and record those cracks, then work on them during the off-season Get the right people together and start brainstorming with a whiteboard, then evaluate your ideas and figure out what you need Assign people to collect data and schedule a follow-up meeting to look at the data and find the solution You will need to write procedures- what to do when this thing happens/when we do this thing Slow season is a great time to look at pricing changes so you can roll them out at the beginning of the next year It’s also a great time to evaluate your current software and decided whether it’s doing what you need it to or if you need to implement new software (like Spiro!) and plan for that change Look at your marketing materials and decide if you’re going to change or update any of your materials Write personal thank you notes and Christmas cards to your clients to thank them for their business Wow’s gaps to work on during the busy season: unify communication, improve culture, organize the CRM, educate clients about home readiness, work on new products, create a method for photographer feedback 19:14-25:55 Working with current clients  Slow season is a great time to re-establish and develop relationships with clients Go over the year, thank them for their business, ask them about goals Pick the five you get along with best if a meeting scares you Start with a phone call; the way Realtors do business is face-to-face Ask if you can treat them to coffee Ask what went well and what can improve, how many listings do they want this year, what growth percentage do they want to see, what is their traditional marketing Ask about their social media marketing- what platforms and content do they want to use? What are their needs for personal branding? What products do you have that will help them reach these goals? You are part of their marketing team This is not a selling meeting; you are asking how you can better serve them Ask if you can take notes and write- don’t use your phone or computer 25:56-28:25 What should I do to prospect and establish new relationships? Ask (usually toward the end), “Do you know any other Realtors that we can serve? Is there anyone in your office you can refer me to?” Realtors ask for referrals all the time The worst thing that can happen: they say no If you’re talking with a broker, be more specific- “Do you know _____ broker in ____ city (that’s thirty or forty minutes away)?” 28:26-30:20 How do you get an introduction to a broker you don’t know? Ask your current clients to introduce you- “I would love to put together a package for your company” Brokers listen to and serve their Realtors Find one of your biggest fans and best clients who’s a high-volume producer- brokers want to keep their Realtors happy 30:21-33:38 A full-color catalog or brochure to put in Realtors’ hands is still valuable There’s something about the physical marketing material  33:39-38:07  Agents are more available during slow season Craig took the slow season to get in front of as many agents as possible and increased the number of listings he shot during the next year by over fifteen times   Have questions? Email [email protected]. Be sure to follow us on Social Media: Spiro on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/spiro.media Spiro on Instagram:  @spiro.media Spiro on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/spiro-media You can find out more about Spiro at spiro.media.

We wanted to bring you another recap episode of the PMRE Conference. This time, conference speaker Emily Olman joins Todd & Craig to talk about her topic of The Metaverse and NFTs.  What's coming for imaging for spaces?  We have 3D Tours like Matterport and iGuide now, but what else is coming?  And how else can you profit from your work besides copyright and licensing?  Listen in to learn more about some cutting edge information on developing technology. Episode Summary Notes: 0:00-1:00 Preview 1:00-9:24 Intro to Emily 9:25-17:30 Advice to entrepreneurs You are always working for someone- your client is now your boss Imagine you’re a big company from the beginning and build systems that will grow with you Know your market and figure out if you want to differentiate from everyone else- you can try a lot but at some point, you will have to choose what you are Don’t be discouraged if it doesn’t go how you think it should; keep trying 17:31-38:24 The Metaverse  A virtual showroom can prevent expensive mistakes Augmented and virtual reality are becoming more common The Metaverse may not be an oversight success The S Curve and the Gartner Hype Cycle People will reach for whatever’s next 38:25-49:20 NFTs Making something an NFT (“minting”) makes it traceable and “copyrights” it as yours Non-fungible Token- singular, can not be traded one to one Virtual reality could upend the industry 49:21-53:59 Reach Emily on YouTube (Hopscotch Interactive), Instagram (@hopscotchinteractive), LinkedIn (Hopscotch Interactive), and email [email protected]  Agents are always looking for something new Use the information you’ve learned and give it to your agents Continue to learn- you have to start somewhere Have questions? Email [email protected]. Be sure to follow us on Social Media: Spiro on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/spiro.media Spiro on Instagram:  @spiro.media Spiro on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/spiro-media You can find out more about Spiro at spiro.media.

In case you missed the PMRE Conference, here's a wrap up episode!  Todd & Craig welcome PMRE Featured Speaker, Devon Pastorius on to the podcast to review his presentation in Las Vegas. "Professional Photos Sell More Houses, and Other Lies we Tell Ourselves and Our Clients." What do we as Real Estate Media Professionals REALLY do for our clients?

This week we talk with Pete Stagl, owner of Servant 360 for the continuation of the Spiro Podcast Owner Spotlight Series.  Pete share's about his company, but dives into a timely topic for all of us:  how to market your Real Estate Media company through a recession.   0:00-0:48 Preview 0:49-6:27 Intro 6:28-7:36 Intro to Pete and Servant 360 7:37-12:38 Pete’s perspective on the current market and economy 12:39-13:27 Will some real estate media companies fold? Companies have to be prepared and continue to marketing their business 13:28-15:15 What to say to a Realtor who can’t get buyers into the home Real estate media companies can shine when houses do not sell as quickly Agents need media to stand out This is the time to educate clients on what you offer  15:16-22:34 How can real estate photographers market themselves and survive the recession? Some of the biggest, most profitable businesses started during recessions If you eliminate your marketing, who will know that you’re still in business? Agents are similar to photographers - they are islands and mainly compete with each other Come alongside your clients and offer to help; look at it as serving them and helping them generate more business Keep your name at the forefront during difficult times Agents think about real estate photography about once a month 22:35-32:02 What is a first step in marketing? Connect with potential clients through social media, email, calls Make sure they know you’re still in business Offer as many services as possible so you can serve an advisory role to your clients They are already looking for new ways to market; if you don’t offer these services, they will find a company that does - be a one-stop shop Having an efficient ordering and delivery system (such as Spiro) walks clients through what they need and helps you upsell If an agent is really looking to survive the recession, they will want more than photos It’s hard to increase your average order value if you only do photos A Realtor is marketing themselves to their clients through their past listings; some clients decide on their agent based on the media for their past listings Put yourself in your client’s shoes and understand what they’re trying to solve Spiro’s ability to show past listings is a sales tool for prospective clients An agent has to show that they will do more 32:03-37:46  Stay positive and avoid fear-based news Focus on opportunities over challenges; focus on what you can control Surround yourself with the people who build you up Craig’s book recommendation: Winning the War in Your Mind by Craig Groeschel 37:47-43:15 How should businesses prepare to absorb new clients? Those who focus on fear will be more likely to give up Some competitors will close; some may offer clients to you Pete created a coupon code for the clients he received from a closing competitor Their use of the code put them in his system 43:16-47:20 Contact Pete at [email protected] or follow him on social media at @servant360   Implement something from this podcast today Find a marketing group Start talking to your agents Find an accountability partner, such as Todd ([email protected]) to motivate and remind you to accomplish your goals   Have questions? Email [email protected]. Be sure to follow us on Social Media: Spiro on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/spiro.media Spiro on Instagram:  @spiro.media Spiro on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/spiro-media You can find out more about Spiro at spiro.media.

We're starting a new series on the Spiro Podcast.  It's the Owner Spotlight Series!  Each episode in this series we will spotlight a Real Estate Photography Business owner and their business, both large and small businesses.  There are some incredible stories out there of how these business owners started their businesses, and they have valuable insight and wisdom to share with you!   In this first Owner Spotlight Series episode, we'd like to introduce you to Tashara Milligan, owner of Open Peek Media in North Carolina!   Show Summary Notes: 0:00-0:31 Preview 0:32-2:53 Intro 2:54-6:42  Introduction of Tashara Milligan - Owner of Open Peek Media How Spiro & Open Peek Media connected - Beta Testing Software Tashara worked in the Healtchare Industry during COVID-19. Needed to do something different Found a Real Estate Photography Class online and signed up Finished class, bought equipment, did practice shoots Opened Open Peek Media in July 2020 6:43-8:12 Current Business Situation for Open Peek Media Solo photographer, shooting around 250 listings per year Considers herself a Boutique Real Estate Photographer, likes relationships she’s been able to build and manage with her clients by staying smaller Has 3 kids, so to allow time for family they pace themselves. Her husband has joined her to help with Admin work and some of their commercial work 8:12-15:18  What role do strategic relationships play in Open Peek Media’s business? What is a strategic relationship? At start of business, she was hyperfocused on just real estate agents to build customer base Discovered that the more business owners she met and built relationships with and served, the less work she had to do in marketing Joined Women’s Business Networking Group - focus was on strategic network referrals She didn’t consider herself a networker, but tried She connected with other business people that were connected to Realtors Because of these relationships, her business name was mentioned in rooms she wasn’t present in Web Design and SEO companies have been a very valuable relationships By connecting with related industry businesses, you brand yourself as an industry expert 15:19-18:36  If you’re hesitant to reach out to other business owners in related businesses, what should you say or do to make those connections? Find events you can attend where you can just meet people.  Repeat this, and you’ll start seeing the same people Do a follow up call/contact after you’ve met people in person, makes phone call easier once you’ve met someone Use your photography/media to get out in the community and serve at events/meetings to get to know people Do work in community and non-profit organizations - those in that field will get to know you and refer 18:37-21:48  What advice do you give to a business owner that may be more introverted? Think about the outcome of where you want to be, and what you want to get out of every interaction Think about what environments are serving you Know that the effort to connect with others will be worth it There are times you don’t want to go to an event as an introvert, but it’s always with it due to identifying where you want to end up in life 21:49-24:46  Selling versus Serving Serving others well will build your business more effectively than selling someone. Serving takes you farther - go beyond even just a little bit what’s expected Serving results in appreciation Staying small has allowed her to serve which fulfills her 24:47-25:42  What plans do you have for 2023? Working on doing more virtual tours 25:43- Closing Set goals and enjoy what you’re doing Contact Tashara/Open Peek Media at:  http://openpeekmedia.com, [email protected], and Instagram:  @OpenPeekMedia   Have questions? Email [email protected]. Be sure to follow us on Social Media: Spiro on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/spiro.media Spiro on Instagram:  @spiro.media Spiro on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/spiro-media You can find out more about Spiro at spiro.media.    

The market is changing.  Realtors are having a harder time getting listings, which can mean there are fewer listings to photograph.  So how can we make more per shoot to make up for potentially fewer appointments.  Or, alternatively, maybe you have you have all the appointments you want to shoot, but you need to make more.  How do we increase our Average Sale Price per real estate photography appointment?  Todd, Craig, and VP of Sales at WOW Video Tours, Steve Musser discuss how you can maximize every appointment.   Show Summary Notes: 0:00-0:32 Preview 0:33-4:15 Intro 4:16-7:28 What if I want to increase the value of each job instead of my number of shoots? You can either cut costs or seek to serve your client better Cutting costs involves trimming how much you’re spending to produce and deliver your product(s) Seeking to serve your client better involves maximizing what each client gets during their shoot- try to move beyond your base products and shoot other products since you’re already at the shoot Make sure the client has everything they need to market their property and help them grow their business Sales can be intimidating, but you’re serving the client and helping them achieve their goals instead of pushing useless products on them 7:29-10:33 How do I learn and practice services outside photography? Lots of resources are available for learning how to shoot video or fly a drone  You will create your own system as your business grows Email us for specific resources 10:34-13:50 How can photographers help their clients understand why they would want other products? Serve clients instead of selling to them Make sure they know what you offer; let the public know you offer services beyond photography Cater your services to what your clientele wants; get to know them and what they’re happy with and what they want Wow follows a consultative selling process and helps clients determine what they need product-wise to market key features of each listing Consider how you can help them reach larger goals, such as branding to help them build their business 13:51-18:46 What has Wow’s experience been with scaling their average sale price (ASP)? Wow did not pay attention to ASP until recent years Wow increased around $15 per shoot over the last year ($15/shoot x 12,000 shoots/year = $180,000 increase since previous year) The main factor was the sales team’s relationships with agents  Ask Steve’s question, “Tell me about the features of this property”, and they will give you information that you can use to learn how they can market better Yearly price adjustments can fall through the cracks, but they can be a big factor in increasing ASP If you don’t have a sales team, that’s okay- build relationships with clients on your own! Don’t assume clients already know about your products You will retain more clients with more products because they will not have to outsource Every time a client uses another company, you risk losing that client because the other company becomes a one-stop shop 18:47-20:17 What kind of question(s) can I ask agents to get them thinking about branding products? “Have you ever thought about putting your face in your video?”- Often, they have and didn’t know that was an option “What are you doing to keep your brand in front of everybody?”- Having that conversation can help you determine where they are in building their brand and follow them through the process of realizing they need to brand themselves If you have those conversations with them, they will come to you when they decide to build their branding The agents who have worked with Wow to build their brand are winning more business now when homes are not selling as fast 20:18-24:06 To summarize: We have to educate ourselves about what products agents need and want Implement those products and offer them to increase ASP Ask clients the right questions to get them thinking and to know what they want “What do you want to see? Is there something you’ve seen that you want to have?”- If you get the same answers over and over again, there is a need and market for that product 23:38-26:52 For someone who wants everybody to be happy and doesn’t enjoy selling, how do you pivot from a no? No’s will happen, so brace yourself Approach the situation as a consultant- how can you make them better?  If they know you are trying to help them in the long run, they won’t be afraid to answer your call Answer their no with understanding and follow up consistently so they know you’ll be available when they need the service you’re offering Take the no with grace and stay consistent 26:53-31:22 Don’t overthink it Nobody wants to be told no; take it as a “No, not today” Do something different to show that you care about them and it will pay off Take the servant mentality over the salesperson mentality People appreciate knowing you’re there to help them grow their business Analyze your online ordering system to see if it can help you upsell; if it won’t, find a system that will (Spiro helps you easily create bundles and automatic upsells for clients who order online) Clients will repay your helpfulness by using you to help them grow   Have questions? Email [email protected]. Be sure to follow us on Social Media: Spiro on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/spiro.media Spiro on Instagram:  @spiro.media Spiro on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/spiro-media You can find out more about Spiro at spiro.media.

One of the most often asked questions we see is "How should I price my real estate photography?" Closely related to that is: "How do I package my services?"  In this episode of the Spiro Podcast, we tackle both of those questions! Show Summary: 0:00-3:52 Intro  3:53-14:35 Should I package by the number of photos I deliver or by the home's square footage? Keep it simple You know what you offer and what your packages mean; your Realtors don’t Put yourself in their shoes- they are busy and want easy marketing What do they need? What do they value? Schedule coffee meetings to connect with Realtors and find out what they need Brokerage meetings can also be helpful Price and package based on what your client needs, not based on your competition Wow has found that Realtors classify listings by average, above-average, and below-average and will want to market accordingly They will want to see packages based on how they think- for example, “Luxury”, “Premiere”, or “Gold” for their above-average listings They may be limited by how many photos they can post on the MLS, but they may want to use extra photos for other purposes Shooting by number of photos is also more difficult 14:36-23:18 How do I determine package pricing and discounts? Discounting can be a slippery slope- decide what your company’s mission is (to be the cheapest, best, most efficient, or something else) Discount cautiously Discounting may get you business in the beginning, but the Realtors who want the cheapest products are also likely to be the ones who complain the most and expect favors Todd recommends reading The Pumpkin Plan, a book by Mike Michalowicz You are selling to a salesperson who is used to negotiating- expect them to ask for discounts and sell them your value; show why you are worth what you charge and do not waver Realtors see photography as a commodity and will seek the cheapest photography they can find, but you are their marketing consultant and represent them to their clients; when they see you that way, they will pay you to help them build their brand  Remind agents they will make money from you because you will help them grow Sometimes you have to fire your clients Set clear expectations with discounts- let them know it is a one-time discount, not the standard price Do not feel bad for giving them good value in your services and products 23:19-28:31 Times Wow will discount Clients in Wow’s social media management program receive a discount on social media video products; this is a win-win because add-ons have a higher profit margin for Wow and it benefits their marketing when the social media team posts the videos Wow generally discounts on brokerage plans Craig discounted based on the number of memberships (the client pays a fee for access to discounted pricing) a brokerage signed up for or referrals from clients and brokerages Most companies have moved away from memberships; it can be beneficial in keeping clients’ business 28:32-32:18 What about offering mini-packages? Make decisions based on metrics Are you trying to entice new clients to order a full package from you? Or are you booked already and would have to trade a full shoot for a mini-shoot? Do you have a loyal VIP who needs one every once in awhile? Will you be able to use these to target a different market, such as builders? 32:19-35:48 How do you price and package? Let us know in the comments or by emailing us!   Have questions? Email [email protected]. Be sure to follow us on Social Media: Spiro on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/spiro.media Spiro on Instagram:  @spiro.media Spiro on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/spiro-media You can find out more about Spiro at spiro.media.

Like almost any industry right now, finding qualified contractor and employee photographers & videographers to help grow your business is a challenge.  Todd & Craig speak with Ryan Lieurance, VP of Training at WOW Video Tours to discuss how to not just find, but also retain photographers and videographers that can help you grow your real estate photography business.   Show Summary Notes: 0:00-4:16 Intro  4:17-5:47 Ryan’s experience as both a photographer and VP of Training 5:48-7:04 Challenges WOW has faced Picking the right person out of many good candidates Finding qualified people to hire out of a few candidates Don’t settle for someone who’s "okay" 7:05-09:54 Where do you start in looking for candidates? WOW uses Indeed.com  Facebook groups can be a good resource 09:55-11:49 How do I use Indeed.com? Create an account They have a simple form to use Email [email protected] for the form WOW uses 11:50-14:23 What are applicants looking for in the job? Most people are looking for consistent work Consistency is not guaranteed in the real estate media business Communication and expectations - be transparent and communicate exactly what the position is to build trust 14:24-17:51 How important is a good culture to employee retention? Culture is everything Treat people how you want to be treated Anyone wants to know they have people behind them who care about them Connect with your photographers and employees on a human level 17:52-23:15 How can business owners show that they care? Be available Check in with them, whether over the phone or in person, and find out how can you make their life better or easier Let them know you appreciate them Visit them at appointments if you can The little things go a long way - don’t underestimate the value of the small things Be deliberate We communicate and receive love and appreciation in different ways, or love languages - discover what makes different team members feel appreciated, write it down, and use it 23:16-26:32 What is a 1099? A 1099 contractor is paid per job The company and contractor sign a contract of compensation A W2 employee is paid hourly As a business owner, decide what works best for you and make sure you talk to an attorney so you can treat your hires legally - it is worth the cost You owe it to your company and employees to do it right It varies by state 26:33-29:11 Who do I hire? Hire for the quality of the person over the person’s experience You can teach someone to use a camera; you can’t always teach someone great attitude, character, and personality 29:12-31:19 Reach Ryan at [email protected]    Have questions? Email [email protected]. Be sure to follow us on Social Media: Spiro on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/spiro.media Spiro on Instagram:  @spiro.media Spiro on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/spiro-media You can find out more about Spiro at spiro.media.

It may not be the most glamorous topic in the world, but let's face it: staying on top of our accounting and having at least a basic understanding of our numbers, balances, reconciliation and the like is critical to running a successful real estate photography and videography business.  Accounting may not be your favorite topic (but maybe it is), but knowing the basics of running your books is important.  WOW Video Tours General Manager Derek Mayer joins Todd & Craig to talk about basic, solid accounting principles to help you get your business started, and to keep it running smoothly.   0:00-0:52 Preview 0:53-7:21 Intro 7:22-11:15 Why to not let accounting fall to the back burner Need to prioritize accounting to know whether you are making money Figure out whether you want to be the one to do it or find someone to do the numbers- Upwork, go local, get two or three quotes and clearly define what they will do for you 11:16-12:52 Generally costs $200-$400/month for a company shooting 300-2000 shoots/year 12:53-17:05 Business owners should have a basic understanding of accounting, even if they outsource For those who want to do it themselves, it’s not that complicated Take advantage of any resource you can find- YouTube has tons of videos, Google can help Lots of software is available- QuickBooks (Derek’s recommendation, ~ $50/month), FreshBooks (~ $30/month), Xero (~ $35/month, bigger learning curve), Wave Accounting (free) Try a variety to find what you like 17:06-18:52 What else does a photographer need to think about? Get a business bank account and a debit or credit card for that account Keep business and personal accounts separate- makes taxes easier Software will help you import your transactions Pick a payment provider- Derek recommends Authorize.net (no longer supported by Xero), Stripe and Square are also good 18:53-24:34 Basic reconciling Reconciling is making sure every dollar is accounted for Easiest way to know your numbers are correct Whatever software you use, learn to reconcile, even if you have to pay someone to teach you Easy to lose money when not reconciling Don’t assume the bank is always right; they make mistakes, too 24:35-28:03 Find your system and lay a foundation Sometimes you have to spend money to make money; you may need to hire someone to do your accounting  If you don’t focus on the numbers, things will slip by One last tip from Derek: Have fun! Learn about your business and go make money. Have questions? Email [email protected]. Be sure to follow us on Social Media: Spiro on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/spiro.media Spiro on Instagram:  @spiro.media Spiro on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/spiro-media You can find out more about Spiro at spiro.media.

One of the most common questions real estate photographers ask is about copyright and licensing of their photos.  Who owns the rights to the photos?  Do they need to be licensed?  What happens if a listing changes hands and the new Realtor wants the photos the first Realtor paid for? Can the photographer use their own photos in other applications?  Our special guest, Adam Taylor joins Todd & Craig this week to tackle these questions and give you some creative ideas on what licensing your photos can do for your business. Check out Adam's Website at: https://adamtaylorphotos.com/ For Adam's Licensing Educational Resources, visit: https://adamtaylorphotos.com/education/   Show Summary Notes: 0:00-0:57 Sneak peek  0:58-2:55 Intro 2:56-4:04 Why copyright and licensing can feel scary 4:05-9:57 Adam’s story  9:58-13:47 Intellectual property Your photos are not a tangible goods or a service; they are intellectual property  Licensing is selling the rights to use intellectual property Music as an example- you have to buy the right to use it in a monetized YouTube video or commercial 13:48-15:39 Licensing makes sure you, as the photographer, get paid When you take a photo, you have the copyright to that photo and must give others the right to use it Working with an attorney is helpful Know how the images can be used to set an agreement with your client Licensing is priced according to the value of the intellectual property  15:40-18:04 How to compete with photographers who sign away their rights Educate yourself and others When you sign your photos away, you give up creative control and the money you could make from licensing those photos elsewhere 18:05-20:17 What other ways can you license your photos? The “Licensing Mindset”: View every shoot as a way to make money- “I’m taking photographs that companies will pay for; how can I use the work I’m already doing to make more money?” 20:18-22:21 How can I license my photos to other companies? Find the email address for the company’s marketing department and reach out to them Craft a good cold pitch email- make it quick and easy to digest 22:22-25:59 Adam’s resources Adam's website | Resources    Full course on the licensing mindset Mini-course on cold pitching Virtual workshop replays on architectural shoots, editing, portfolio-building, and more Email templates 26:00-27:48 Licensing can be profitable The types of homes you shoot will be a factor in how much you make from licensing Set a goal for how much you want to make from licensing each year Think about homes you’ve recently shot- were there any logos or new fixtures in the photos? 27:49-30:37 Be transparent For photographers selling their copyrights, ask what their goals are There might be a solution that can help you both We can’t assume our clients understand copyright and licensing; they might be scared, too Be open with your clients about licensing and how you incorporate it into your business  30:38-32:47 Contact Adam and us   Have questions? Email [email protected]. You can find out more about Spiro at http://spiro.media.

Dominic Wilkerson of Dom Does Media joins Todd & Craig on the Spiro Podcast to talk about the upcoming PMRE Conference, and how he got into Real Estate Media.  His story is an inspirational one that will encourage you to keep going after your business! Dominic Wilkerson's Social Outlets: Instagram: @DomDoesMedia YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/DominicWilkerson Website: http://domdoesmedia.com Facebook: REPuNDERGROUND Group   Show Summary: 0:00-2:02 Intro 2:03-3:05 PMRE 3:06-7:26 Introducing Dominic Wilkerson 7:27-13:11 How Dominic has developed a social media presence Created REP Underground- join by messaging Dominic  Realized a good conversion rate on Instagram is better than a large following- built 75% of clients from Instagram conversions Three accounts on TikTok- yelling at traffic, gardening channel, and real estate photography DomDoesMedia on all platforms | domdoesmedia.com 13:12-20:09  Targeting- find what hashtags niches are using and then use them in posts and interactions Be sincere in interactions Authenticity attracts people Look at balance of profit and spending and how it helps your lifestyle over your numbers to measure profit 20:10-28:09 Preview of Dominic’s workshop at PMRE Entry to advanced drone workshop through Drone Launch Academy Hands-on and interactive For people who want to grow their business by adding a drone service Adding a drone service to an appointment increases ASP (average sale price), which is another method for increasing profits besides increasing shoots Increasing ASP makes it possible to grow by hiring people and make lifestyle changes- moving from an apartment to a house 32:07-34:30 What to expect at PMRE  Registration the night before Favorite part is socializing with people who aren’t local competition Learning how to grow from industry specialists 34:31-35:42 Dominic’s workshop On Monday of the conference Sign up at pmreconference.com and click on the workshops tab A few spots left- sign up today! 35:43-39:51 Drone Launch Academy Online database of drone classes Dominic is an instructor for the Academy Just launched a course geared toward real estate photography Teaches gear needs, theory of real estate photography and videography, editing, and more Priced at $400, or the price of one or two invoices 39:52-42:54 Contact Dominic on Instagram, @DomDoesMedia It takes the right mindset to succeed Find a group or a mentor Come find us at PMRE! Dom's Workshop at PMRE:  https://www.pmreconference.com/workshops/drone-launch-academy   Have questions? Email [email protected] or [email protected]. You can find out more about Spiro at spiro.media.

Jordan Powers of Jordan Powers Photography joins us this week to talk about marketing ideas that are on the more creative side, to help you build your client base for your Real Estate Photography & Videography business! Check out his website at: http://jordanpowersphotography.com, and his Instagram account at:  @jrdnpwrs Show Summary: 0:00-2:19: Podcast Open/Teaser: No One Cares about Real Estate Photography, except us. 2:20-3:53: Welcome & Introduction of Spiro Software 3:54-5:35: Introduction of Topic & Guest:  Outside of the Box Marketing Ideas with Guest Jordan Powers 5:36-9:12 : Jordan Powers shares his business story: Started Photography in 2005 with weddings and portraits 2011 was looking for a house in Minnesota, and had idea to shoot real estate because photos were so bad Eventually got into Architectural Photography. Only difference between residential real estate photography and architectural photography is who the client is 9:13-10:58: How Jordan entered “educational” space of photography Worked in corporate America for a time, and was part of award winning training program and coaching/mentoring others.  Has always had an interest in psychology 10:59-29:54: Outside the Box Marketing Ideas: How can we set ourselves apart from others in the industry in our market? Do a “self-awareness” analysis. Identify what you are uniquely good at. Make yourself more than just a photographer to your client Created a Video Podcast/Show that featured his clients, and did a giveaway for commenting/sharing.  Business doubled as word of the show spread. Have to make people care about what you do Marketing almost takes care of itself as you build authentic relationships with clients Can go back to traditional marketing methods like presentations at brokerages, but have follow-up plan.  Bring an iPad with you, and have a follow up event like a free listing shoot or headshot session. Pass iPad around to gather contact info, and get Realtor to take action while you’re there to follow up on. Have a special page on your website for brokerage meeting you’re presenting at. Put QR Code up on TV screen and have them scan. Everyone that goes there can pick up FB pixel you put on page, that then targets ads to them for you. Be intentional in your follow up. 29:55-32:54 : Educational Resources from Jordan Powers: http://jordanpowersphotography.com Mastermind Calls & Coachings Video Series on starting a business from scratch Instagram: @jrdnpwrs Eli Jones Rich Baum Rich Cool Constantly be educating yourself and don’t take shortcuts Don’t be afraid to experiment 32:55-34:39 : Closing Have questions or comments? Email [email protected] or [email protected]. You can find out more about Spiro at http://spiro.media.    

Realtors are asking for more and more in regards to services that Real Estate Photographers & Videographers provide, up to and including installing signs. Do we need to provide every product or service that a Realtor asks for?   Show Summary: 0:00-3:00 Intro 3:01-5:52: Introduction of Question: Do Real Estate Photographers need to offer every product or service a Realtor asks them for? Real Estate Photographers today are largely offering more marketing services beyond photography than they used to. Real Estate Photographers do need to adapt and change to what a Realtor needs. But does every service need to be offered?  5:53-9:06 : Personal Story on Offering a New Product for Realtor Client  Most the home video tour work he did when company first started was in Northwest Ohio Realtor in Dayton (hour and a half south) saw video tours and wanted WOW to shoot for him in Dayton Realtor asked for Photos and video, and Todd didn’t offer photos, but agreed to job If you don’t know how to do new service, learn first before trying to sell/offer it to clients 9:07-11:43 : How to determine whether a new product/service should be offered Develop spreadsheet to share amongst company tracking client requests for products/services, to measure what is needed and what are one-off requests Don’t create product/service because you think it’s “cool”, but market hasn’t expressed need for. Ask clients what products/services they need.  Send questionnaires to clients.  11:43-19:21: Is there a point of diminishing returns on how many services your company provides? Look at how you can make your company “sticky” to a client (so they are less likely to leave you). Returns long term worth it. Again, ask agents what they want to determine whether to offer service. Gather data on the decision you need to make. 19:22-23:50 : Closing Have questions or comments? Email [email protected] or [email protected]. You can find out more about Spiro at http://spiro.media.

The concept of an exclusive agreement to provide Real Estate Photography, Videography and other image marketing services for a large brokerage in your market can be a tempting one.  But is it a good idea?  Listen in as Todd & Craig discuss the pros and cons of Exclusive Agreements with Broker Clients in this episode of The Spiro Podcast: Managing Your Real Estate Photography & Videography Business.   Show Summary: 0:00-2:33 Intro 2:34-5:28: Introduction of Idea of Exclusive Contracts/Agreements - Craig’s Story Top brokerage in town wanted an exclusive agreement for Craig to shoot for them and only them What exclusive agreement entailed Weighing the options  If tempted by such an arrangement, have agreement in writing and have attorney review 5:29-8:30: Can the brokerage asking for the exclusivity agreement “guarantee” a certain volume of appointments? No. Brokerages can’t guarantee volume. Individual decision to hire a photographer lies with the Realtor, not the brokerage. Ask for a retainer fee to protect against this. It’s a “safety net”. This type of agreement can take you from being an owner of your own business, but really turns you more into an employee, but worse, still a 1099 with no real guarantees.  Do you really want to limit opportunities? It might be a good situation for you by providing some security if there’s a retainer if your business is just part time/side gig.  Not an ideal decision if you want to take business full time and to grow it. 8:31-15:47: The Math of Whether to Take an Exclusivity Deal or Not Look at current business, and breakdown of percentage of business amongst all brokers you shoot for. What revenue are you giving up by taking Exclusivity Agreement? Look at how much potential growth you can see both with Exclusive Agreement, and without it and growing through other brokers/realtors. Decide what you’re comfortable with Talk to an attorney about anything we haven’t covered in this podcast How saturated with real estate photographers/companies is your market?  Write down the Pros and Cons of the agreement 15:48-16:50 : What is best for your business.  There’s not just one approach to this.  If you’re facing this situation, feel free to contact us. We’ll whiteboard it with you and help you think through it. 16:51-19:41: Closing Have questions or comments? Email [email protected] or [email protected]. You can find out more about Spiro at http://spiro.media.