If you’re going to sit down with Peter Lorimer, you’d better have that second cup of coffee first. Because the man has buckets of energy and enthusiasm, as you’ll see in this episode of SamSpeaks!
Like many of us in this industry, Peter shifted into the real estate world from another career. We found out we had a lot in common, actually, with his work in the music industry and mine in nightclubs.
But real estate almost didn’t stick for Peter.
“When I joined my first real estate company, I tried to fit in and hated it,” Peter shared. “After a couple of years, it was like coming out of the closet! I told my wife I was done. I need to be me and I don’t give a shit if it fails. And the moment I did that, everything took off.”
This is incredibly inspiring to me for so many reasons. It’s so important to find your own path and your own way in whatever you seek out — despite seeing everyone working and performing through “the norm”. Being authentically you is one of my constant refrains — it’s your brand, it’s your personal mark in the world and it’s what will make you successful. And Peter has lived that ever since. He’s even brought that spirit into building out his business with other agents.
“I made a distinct decision to not fit in,” he said. “I didn’t want the brand to fit in, either. I created it to attract other wild horses and misfits.”
Those wild horses, as he calls them, are the agents that also don’t want to wear the suit and tie. They’re the agents who might be a bit scruffy around the edges, but they know their stuff. They’re the agents who can work with the kind of clients Peter calls “skateboarding millionaires.”
The agents aren’t the status quo and neither is their approach to a listing presentation. Peter doesn’t want any piece of paper coming between him and the conversation and that’s not what makes him comfortable; and frankly, that’s not what he’s about. He has it all his head — the comps, the market outlook, the marketing plan. The minute he cracks open a folder, he knows he’ll lose the momentum of the moment and he wouldn’t be true to himself or the client. I always tell people, you can’t be everything to everyone, so you may as well be yourself and build business from that — Peter definitely has.
Peter has made a name for himself within the market because of his videos. He brings out his personality, shows people what he’s all about…and it works. In fact, one year before we sat down together, he made his very first video in his hotel room after hearing Chris Smith talk about creating free, valuable content by video. A year later, on day we spoke, Peter presented on his own video process and approach at Inman Connect 2016.
How much can change in one year, can you imagine?
Today, Peter is a master of video and using it to build his brand and expand the reach of his business. But I had to ask: what’s the ROI of all this content? What does he use to measure it?
“There is no formula,” Peter said. “There will be in ten years. But right now, the metrics are like catching a greased pig.”
So the lesson here is this: try, try and try again. Follow your gut, be yourself and whatever you do, do it with gusto. Peter sure as hell does.
Watch the full episode to get the full effect of the amazing Peter Lorimer. And subscribe to SamSpeaks! To get every episode as soon as it’s out.
Here’s what you’ll find in this episode:
1:25 How do you use your personal brand to grow your business?
6:00 How did the concept evolve and what makes it unique?
7:53 Is there a difference between being focused and being creative?
10:09 What’s a cool agent to you — who do you want to work with?
11:09 What’s the PLG listing presentation like?
14:30 What other channels is Peter using
15:35: how does Peter stay on top of new technologies?
16:55 what is the real return on social media and which platforms work best?
18:01 How did Magic Minute begin and what has that brought you?
21:46 What is the process after the first video?