Tactical Agent - Real Estate Coach In a Box

3 Pitfalls & 3 "Worth Every Penny" Investments into a Successful Real Estate Career

• Scott Ziegler • Episode 5

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Unlock the secrets to skyrocketing your real estate career by learning from our guest, Jack Bouvier, as he shares his transformative journey from novice agent to closing an impressive 54 deals in just his second year. Jack opens up about the financial pitfalls he encountered, like investing in overpriced lead generation services, and the invaluable lessons he drew from those experiences. He underscores the power of personal lead generation skills and authentic relationship-building, offering a refreshing look at how to cultivate success without relying heavily on expensive marketing tools. <br><br>In this episode, we explore the essential strategies for building a thriving real estate business on a budget. Jack discusses the importance of prioritizing meaningful connections over flashy gadgets, and investing in tools like a CRM and a transaction coordinator to streamline your operations. He also highlights the impact of mentorship and careful budgeting, illustrating how these practices can steer new agents away from costly mistakes and towards sustained success. Whether you're just starting out or looking to refine your approach, Jack’s insights offer practical guidance to enhance your real estate game without breaking the bank.

For more information or to connect directly with Scott visit www.tacticalagent.ca. Also follow and send Scott a Dm on INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK OR LINKEDIN. Scott is also active on TIKTOK and YOUTUBE.

If you're currently stuck in your business and need advice, looking for mentorship or want a FREE coaching session contact Scott at the links above or send him an email at scottzrealtor@gmail.com


Speaker 1:

Realtors and entrepreneurs have a habit of learning things the hard way. On today's episode, we're going to talk to an agent that's going to outline the three things that he thinks has been an absolute waste of money in his career so far. Three things that he thought was worth every penny. And I think that you're going to get a lot of clarity and value out of today's episode. So set your speed to 1.25 or 1.5 and let's get tactical. Welcome to Tactical Agent, your real estate coach in a box.

Speaker 1:

I'm your host, scott Ziegler, and if you're looking for no nonsense, straight to the point real estate training, you're in the right place. Each episode, we'll dive into expert interviews and break down step-by-step strategies you can start using right away to level up your real estate game. No fluff, no filler, just real-world advice and practical tools to help you succeed. So get ready. This is where agents come to get tactical. Welcome everybody to the Tactical Agent Podcast. I am really looking forward to today's conversation because I think that it's going to help a lot of agents, whether you're a new agent or a veteran agent, when it comes to things that you should be focusing on and spending your money on. And today's guest is somebody near and dear to me, a business partner, a friend and somebody that I've seen come up in the business over the last 18 or 20 months. Mr Jack Bouvier, welcome to the Tactical Agent.

Speaker 2:

Thank you, Mr Ziegler. I appreciate the honored guest of being here on your podcast and sharing my experience and getting deep in tactical Great.

Speaker 1:

So you tell us a little bit about yourself and, I guess, your beginning of your career. You have hit uh icon, your first full year in real estate and, for those of you that don't know, that's sort of the highest uh achievement or sales award at at the company and um. So what's the? What's the first 18, 20 sort of under two years been like for you?

Speaker 2:

yeah, so just to give people a frame of reference, it'll be two years, this June 2025. It's February right now as we're recording this podcast, and so the past few months as I've got into this industry, it's been a lot of learning, to say the least, a lot of trial and error and getting my feet wet in kind of a lot of different areas. I read Rich Dad, poor Dad, which a lot of people probably have, that got them interested in real estate and, along with a lot of other factors. I read Rich Dad, poor Dad, which a lot of people probably have, that got them interested in real estate and, along with other, a lot of other factors. But I wanted to get into the real estate space, so started investing before I became a real estate agent, bought a property and then that really got me the bug and then did a little bit of wholesaling and, yeah, eventually just got my license and then real estate kind of just took off a little bit faster and, as a lot of people know, once you focus your energy on is really what's going to grow.

Speaker 2:

So I knew I wanted to grow this real estate business of mine, so really focused on that side of the business to get it to the stage that I wanted to get it at, so focused on it 100%, 100%. And yeah, what that looked like for me was a lot of prospecting, a lot of conversations, a lot of just talking to people about me getting into the business and how I could help them with either buying, selling or investing. And for me, at the very beginning, was a lot about helping people invest, even though I was a newbie in the field. But I had some experience under my belt by investing prior to getting my license, so I felt like that was a niche that I could help out with other people. My first year in June, from 2023 to the end I did about 10 deals, and then last year, in 2024, I did 54 deals. So it was a big, exponential lift and this year just planning on continuing to grow.

Speaker 1:

So that leads really great into what we're going to talk about on this episode of your big three things that in your first two years of business that you thought were a waste of money and three things that you thought were a tremendous value to you, and then some of the learning lessons that that you've had. And you know, the first thing that you wrote down here that you thought was a waste of money was paying for overpriced lead generation. So what was your experience with lead generation?

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

So as I first got into it, there's a lot of other third-party companies that were approaching me to say, hey, if you haven't had any success with lead generating, as you read a lot of books, everyone knows that main part of business is generating leads and converting it to sales, so you need to have leads, and so once you hear another third party company saying, hey, we can provide you leads, you think that's a good option, but you've got to know that they are legitimate and able to provide what they say that they're going to be able to do.

Speaker 2:

So there's some companies I'm not going to say their names, but that were approaching me, and some of them AI driven, and the fees to get set up were very high and about like maybe 10,000, to give a frame of reference, with continuous monthly payments and whatnot and those services. I did end up going with one and just way too much money for the amount of results returned in the very initial phase of the business. I think it's important to have a grasp on those skills on your own so you know what you are looking for to generate your leads and then also in the future, you have a better understanding on how to vet the right company that you're looking to work with.

Speaker 1:

Right, and you wrote down here that most of your business ended up coming from family, social media, your sphere of influence and the lead generation really was just kind of a waste of money.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, exactly, lots of my leads in business did come from prospecting my sphere and, as well as, honestly, just lots of cold calling, door knocking, open houses, just some random conversations and lots of people that I knew in the space of real estate from my investing days and networks as well, that ended up referring me to other people that were looking to either transact, buy, sell and invest in real estate. So, yeah, good good.

Speaker 1:

And then the second thing you wrote down here was and I think a lot of agents fall into this trap of paying for every fancy real estate tech tool right away. I mean CRMs, mics, websites, everything that the flashy bells and whistles that are thrown at us, and you did some of that as well, but you found that there was some cheaper alternatives and some free alternatives.

Speaker 2:

Lots of people just use iPhones now to shoot videos, and some other people spend thousands and thousands of dollars on all this fancy equipment to try to make the best video and, yes, it probably does look good.

Speaker 2:

But also, people want to relate to the authentic version of you on social media as well and, if it's maybe a little bit too edited, they seem to not have that direct connection. However, yeah, at the very beginning I was paying. I mean, there's certain devices that I think are necessary when you're maybe doing a property tour. You want a gimbal to stabilize the phone or having a good mic to be able to hear you things like that that are basic, and a drone, example as well, if you're not hiring that out from another real estate photography company. But those things I think are pretty important as a real estate agent. But yeah, with all the fancy lights and camera and all these other excess things can be a little bit excess and probably not worth the money. I think there is importance of staying authentic and having that connection of maybe shooting a video in your kitchen, versus having a fancy backdrop that you spend $50,000 on creating.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, chasing every shiny object. And then here's another one that I think is very relatable in sort of today's day and age. I know that when I joined the cloud-based ecosystem, where we don't have offices, the next point that you had down here was spending money on fancy office space or a private desk at a brokerage, and I know that that was a major concern for me, leaving a traditional model and looking back, it hasn't manifested at all as a negative. So tell us a couple of things that you feel like you kind of wasted money on in that realm.

Speaker 2:

But at the end of the day, us as real estate agents, we're on the go showing clients properties or meeting sellers at their property to go through the listing, appointment and whatnot, and oftentimes we're making the calls or we're trying to make some content and whatnot, and you don't always need to be at an office.

Speaker 2:

And I thought that was important at the very beginning. And to me, what the most important aspect of being at an office is is the collaboration and networking with other agents that you can connect with, and you can do that obviously remotely and through phone calls and etc. And so I thought that it was important to have an office to meet clients and whatever else. So I was looking for some co-working spaces and I went to a couple and just didn't get the right connection and right environment that I was looking for. At the end of the day, I don't think it's necessary to spend a lot of money on an office space because at the end of the day, you're going to be doing most of the work, most likely at home or out and about in the neighborhood or at the properties with your clients, so an office space isn't that important in my opinion.

Speaker 1:

That's where we make the money is out shaking hands and kissing babies right, not sitting in an office. We had overpriced lead gen services, paying for every little shiny object that comes and wasting money on office space and co-working space, and I think that a lot of agents fall into those traps, especially newer agents, thinking that they need to do those things, versus what you just ended up saying is being out meeting people, making your phone calls, and I think that's where the money is made. And then the three things that you think that were worth every penny in your first couple of years. The first one you put down was coaching and mentorship, and I think, as real estate agents, it is ingrained or pounded into us that we should have a coach, we should have a mentor or you should join a team, and I think too many agents suffer it out their first few years on their own when they just don't need to. So what's your experience with coaching and mentorship been yeah great question.

Speaker 2:

I think that is a huge importance in every area of life, not just business, but maybe health and fitness and whatnot. Training to become an agent it doesn't really teach you about how to go out and do a buyer consultation and actually help close the deal and lead, generate and prospect and follow up all that stuff. So by having a coach and mentor who's been through the process and has experience and success, that you can ask questions and they can dissect your business and essentially tell you what to do in order to actually be successful in this industry, is worth absolutely every single penny. There's so much more that goes behind the scenes that people really realize and at the very beginning you don't know what you don't know, and trying to wing it and just figure it out on the fly, you don't want to re-event a wheel that's been already created, so why waste all those years trying to figure it out on your own when you can pay someone to speed up that process?

Speaker 1:

in my mind, that's what mentorship really is yeah, they've made all the mistakes already, so pay them so that you don't have to make those mistakes. Um, the next one you wrote down here and this was a lesson that took me a while to learn. But you have a transaction coordinator, slash assistant and, just a bit of a funny story, or an aside, jack wasn't even licensed for two weeks and I asked him a question. He's like, oh, I'll check with my assistant. And I was like what do you mean an assistant? I don't even know that you had done a deal yet. So, right from the get-go, you invested into a transaction coordinator and assistant, and what has that allowed your business to do? How has it helped you grow? How has it freed up time for actual income producing activities for you?

Speaker 2:

I'm a firm believer that we get paid to do certain key money producing activities. Everyone's got a specific role in their field of work and you get paid to do that specific work. And us as real estate agents? As you know, we wear many hats and whatnot, but at the end of the day, I think our main money producing activities are to prospect for new real estate conversations, talking to people to either buy, sell or invest, follow up with those people, make offers on properties or present with clients with either sellers, buyers or investors and negotiating contracts. Those, at the end of the day, in my opinion, are probably where we're going to be making our money to put in our best skill set.

Speaker 2:

But I knew the importance of trying to spend my time on more of those key money producing activities. So by hiring an assistant that was the idea initially and there's been lots of learning along the way. That's kind of made me where I am today. If you are doing those lower money producing tasks those $20 tasks, those whatever smaller activities, then you're really losing money. Because if you are worth $100 an hour or whatever by doing what you do, then you are essentially losing money doing those $20 tasks, paperwork and whatever else. So by trying to delegate those out, then you're doing your business a favor.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I couldn't agree more. And then the last thing that you think was worth every penny and I know this is a big, big topic of conversation with agents is a CRM and what's the best CRM? And ultimately the sort of cliche answer is the one that you will actually use. But I've been impressed the way that you've implemented your CRM and you know, just tell us a little bit about that your CRM and just tell us a little bit about that.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I think that is huge important. As we all know, relationships and who you know is more important than sometimes what you know. Your network is your net worth. So by nurturing the people that you do know through a customer relationship management software is vastly important by having your conversations noted within the people that you do contact and all the information that is relevant, you're not going to be able to retain all the information in your mind as much as you think you might be able to, even if it's a simple spreadsheet. Honestly, like you said, the one that you're going to use is as important in this business. It's not an an immediate transaction. Sometimes it is, but it takes time for people to. It's obviously a big decision to buy, sell and invest in real estate. It's a big financial decision, so it's not going to be most often an immediate decision for people. So it's another great way to nurture those clients and leads that you do have in your so-called database to then hopefully help them out in the future, whether it's buying, selling or investing.

Speaker 1:

Absolutely. I mean, at the end of the day, if you want longevity in real estate, you're going to have to do the majority of your business with past clients, repeat clients and referral clients, and the best way to do that is to stay in touch with them and, like you said, to continue to educate them. So yeah, so your CRM, your assistant and transaction coordinator and your coaching and mentorship in your opinion have been some of the best bangs for your buck, which I think is great advice for every real estate agent. And then on the last part, here I just wanted to get into some of the sort of learning experiences that are takeaways you've had for your first couple of years and that you know.

Speaker 1:

All three of them have a consistent theme setting a budget and tracking your expenses. You know not spending a fortune, you know just on willy nilly things, but you know spending your money wisely. And then you know being teachable and being able to figure. You know not not having to figure everything out on on the first try. So can you just elaborate a little bit on what you think has been sort of your biggest learning experience in this last 18 months or two years?

Speaker 2:

comes down to being teachable.

Speaker 2:

Don't assume you know everything, but being willing to try anything and not give up throughout the process as simple business.

Speaker 2:

But it's not easy. And to continue to do the things that you need to, that you know you need to do, is not easy. But and what I mean by that is by making the calls first thing in the morning, by practicing your scripts and your role play in the morning, doing doing what you need to do, door knocking, whatever that is tough, to stay consistent with that. So by continuing to learn how to optimize your business and staying teachable in the sense of learning from others that have had good success within the industry, by talking to other agents in your market or getting mentors and whatnot, to excel in your skills and your overall business practices, I think is vastly important and you're going to optimize your overall business as you go along, for sure, but I think by staying teachable, coachable and doing what you know you need to do by having those real estate conversations and doing what you know you need to do by having those real estate conversations continue to prospect, follow up, role play and just try to make a presence within your local market.

Speaker 1:

One of the things that I've always been impressed by you, since day one, is I've seen you fail a lot, but I've also watched you fail forward every single time. You're making mistakes, moving forward. You're making mistakes moving forward. You're making mistakes, trying things, You're figuring things out and you know. Really, you've honed your skills tremendously dramatically over this last two years by basically just implementing everything that you know we've talked about today. So congratulations on all your success. If agents want to know a little bit more about Jack, follow you in your journey. Where's the best place to connect with you and how would they find you?

Speaker 2:

Best place to connect would be on Instagram. That's the social media platform that I am most engaged with, and my profile is the real Jack Bouvier, because the previous one got hacked. That's where people should connect with me, yeah.

Speaker 1:

And I think that they should. You're posting a lot of good information. You host a lot of seminars. You're really engaged with investors, so if you're looking for that type of content, reach out to Jack. Hey, I appreciate you making the time for me today. Jack, I appreciate you getting tactical with us and thanks for being on the podcast. Thank you, mr Ziegler, I appreciate it. Thanks for tuning in to Tactical Agent, your real estate coach in a box. I hope you're leaving with some actionable steps to take your real estate business to the next level. If you're ready to go even deeper and want personalized mentorship to the next level, if you're ready to go even deeper and want personalized mentorship, accountability or coaching, head over to tacticalagentca or slide into my DMs to schedule a free coaching session with me and let's build your success step-by-step. Until next time, keep it tactical and keep pushing your business forward, because I believe in you. Outro Music.