Can you do what you love to do and still have a ton of fun? If you ask Nick Baldwin and Tristan Ahumada, the answer is a resounding “Yes!” Followed by a whole lot of laughter!
Tristan and Nick are the driving forces behind Lab Coat Agents. And just because they love to laugh and goof around, don’t think they aren’t working incredibly hard and crushing it out there. It is possible to do both in this world, and sometimes doing what you love makes it possible to have so much fun and work so hard.
In case you’ve been living under a rock for the past year or so and don’t know who Tristan and Nick are or anything about the Lab Coat Agents, I’ll tell you. Lab Coat Agents is a group of real estate agents, brokers, vendors, speakers, industry insiders, leaders and experts collaborating together and discussing the latest tech to help leverage your time.
There’s been discussion and debate on whether social media/learning groups (outside of your company) are important and good to rely on for proper information. I personally believe that there’s always something you can learn and take from anything in life. Everyone has different ideas, concepts, methods and outside groups like Lab Coat Agents can help others learn new ideas and get their creative juices flowing.
I got to hang out with them in this episode of SamSpeaks! so of course, I had to find out how they got started.
When Steve Pacinelli left TechSavvy Agent, there was a void for technology-focused information in real estate. Tristan carried on with a smaller group in Realtor.com, but it wasn’t robust. So he moved the group to Facebook, growing it to about 1400 members.
In an effort to empower Tristan and double the muscle of the group, Steve introduced him to Nick Baldwin. Together, they created the brand we now know as Lab Coat Agents, expanding the group to 35,000+ member agents and counting.
In addition to running a highly successful real estate group, Tristan and Nick run successful real estate businesses on their respective coasts, too. So they juggle the two brands they care about — Lab Coat Agents and their own firms. How do they do all that?
For Nick, his mother was a huge influence on him and how he runs his business. She was a veteran agent with a nonstop approach to real estate. “I learned a lot of great things from her. I learned that real estate is about relationships and customer service.” In that time, Nick went from RE/MAX to Keller Williams, adapting to their models.
“The great thing about selling real estate is that I can choose what time of real estate I want to sell. So I’m going to market to those people via direct mail or Facebook.”
And how Tristan and Nick run their business is directly influenced by what they learn about and share in the Lab Coat Agents group. They try out technology and report back. And they speak from experience when they make recommendations. And that’s important — they try out all the tools they review. And they use the techniques they promote.
“I do cold call,” said Tristan. “I do door knock. I do open houses. We do everything we say you should, because if we’re not, there’s something missing there.”
Watch this episode to see what makes Tristan and Nick such a dynamic duo — and why there’s a lot to learn from the Lab Coats! And don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss anything new.
Here’s what you’ll find in this episode?
Here’s what you’ll find in this episode:
1:00 How did Nick and Tristan meet?
3:40 Who is in LabCoat agents and how do you manage the membership?
4:00 What’s the top question your members ask?
6:00 Did Tristan have a group as a resource when he first started?
8:30: How has Tristan’s own business transitioned through the years?
11:00 What do shoes have to do with luxury real estate?
12:00 How was the Keller Williams structure helped Nick with his business?
15:00 How has LCA helped Nick and Tristan grow their business?
16:00 What’s the downside to being a real estate professional on television?