 Oh, Ricky, that's not now business. I need money, money now. I want you to know that this is my life. This is real. Relationships are universal. Tell us about, you know, how long you've been, I know a little bit about your story, but some people may not know, you know, your background in real estate. Well, I got into real estate when I was 20. It was 17 years ago. And it's been a roller coaster. Went through, you know, the boom where, you know, prices doubled in two years, made a lot of money, lost everything in the crash, you know, went back to zero bankrupt, sleeping on friends' couches, and kind of built my way back from that, you know? And so it's been a roller coaster, but through it all, you know, like a lot of people asked me what I would go back and tell my younger self. And my answer is the same every time I would literally not tell myself anything back in the day, because I wouldn't want to alter the lessons that I learned and everything I went through, because there were people that were like, you know, 50, there were people in their 40s and 50s and even 60s that were right next to me going through the same thing in their life as I was when I was in my mid-20s. And really, even at the time, I knew it was a blessing that I was learning all these lessons, you know, at that time in my life instead of 40, 50, and 60, like the other guys I was watching. And it ended up being true, you know? So I've always been really good, not the greatest, but I've been okay, I guess, above average of being able to kind of figure out, okay, this happened. So if I do this, then this is going to happen, you know, and kind of predicting the future, if you will, you know, in a way. So there were a lot of little things in my life that I was able to figure one thing out and then apply that and say, okay, if this happens, then this is what is going to happen over the next five, 10 years. It was like when I became the number one agent for Remax in the state in 2008 and 2009 when there were so many foreclosures in the area, there were these foreclosure agents that got all the listings. They got in with the banks and they got all the listings. No other agents could get the foreclosure listings. And all these other agents were envious of those agents because they were getting all the listings, you know, they were making, you know, 30, 40, 50,000 a month. They didn't have to, seemingly didn't have to do anything. You know, they were just taking orders from the banks, but I found a flaw with those agents and that was that they didn't answer their phone ever. Right. And so I could never get any of those agents on the phone and they knew they didn't have to answer the phone because they were getting so many listings at the time. They didn't really care. They were just more concerned with if the bank called, they were going to answer. But as far as those agents, they weren't worried about it because they knew it was going to sell. Right. So people have profiles that are not people oriented, their paperwork oriented. Right. I mean, it makes sense. But I sat back and watched those agents and I said, you know what? I took a hard look and I thought about how can I be one of those agents? So I was looking at those agents and I was realizing what was going on and I was like, I want to be one of those agents. So I looked into it and I realized I don't want to do all that. That seems like a lot of work for not as much, like it seems like way more than, than I really want to do for them. I said, you know what? I'm going to represent the buyers on these foreclosures and I'm going to, I'm going to sell as many as I can representing the buyers and I know what's going to happen in five years. These buyers are going to come back to me to relist the property and upgrade to another property and refer 10 people to me over the next five to 10 years and the foreclosure and I'll be number one in the area and all the foreclosure agents will be gone. And that's, that's literally what happened. Like all the foreclosure agents, so we're getting all those listings. I haven't heard from them since. You know what I mean? Right. And that's how it works. And whenever we do start experiencing downturn, they'll be bad. But that was a really smart strategy for you. And what a blessing in your 20s to have to go through that because so early on, having that lesson down, you've learned so much that I'm sure you probably are a saver and you put things away and you prepare a little bit more. That's huge. Probably the best of both worlds. Like I make 10 times more money and I save 10 times more money. You know what I'm saying? Successful people typically have a morning routine. So what is your morning routine? So I get up at 430 and I work for an hour. As soon as I get up, I go straight to my phone or the computer and I work for an hour. Then I go to the gym for an hour. Then I come home, eat breakfast, get ready for work. I'm at the office by eight. And then I have a little 15-minute meeting with myself to try to prioritize my day and make sure I know everything I need to know. Then I have a little meeting with my assistant and then it's off to the races. So that's pretty much my morning routine. With the reason I started the 430 is literally I needed an extra hour per day. I had to fit it in there somewhere because I answer every single DM on Instagram. I'm getting hundreds of day now and it takes me a good hour to really get through them all. I'm too busy selling properties and trying to run my business to really do that during the day. So I was like, where can I fit an extra hour in? Because I have to answer the DMs because it's people that are crying and desperate for help. And if I turn my back on these people, then I'm not doing the industry any good really. I mean a little bit, but I want to maximize. I want to make sure that I'm really helping people, not just putting content out there and then ignoring people when they really need help. You know what I mean? You have to be available. It's the same thing with any business I think. Real estate, any sales, any business at all. If people are reaching out to you asking questions and needing help and wondering what the property's worth or do they want to, if you're not staying on top of those inquiries and that engagement, you're losing so much, especially in today's world, where it's all about engagement. It's all about social media. It's all about brand. It's all about service. It's all about giving. You have to do that. So that was the reason I chose to start getting up at 430. You were famous for what is called circle processing. Can you share what the definition, what is that and how do you work that? Well, sure. I built my entire business on circle prospecting. I tried everything, but at the end of the day, I realized I'm really good at figuring out what's most efficient and what's most effective. That was what I kind of settled into. Now, I'm a big believer in everything works and I think the biggest reason why a lot of people know who I am is because of the philosophy behind what I do, which is you got to put the relationship first over the deal. The circle prospecting is literally you pick a neighborhood, any neighborhood, and you just call the owners and you say, hey, how are you doing today? Cool. I'm enjoying the weather. Isn't it great? I don't want to take up too much of your time, but a house around the corner of Seoul didn't know if there's anything in the world I could do for you today. You're literally asking people what you can do to help them instead of have you thought about selling? Who do you know that might want to sell? What if I could get you the price? What if I could sell it for this? Instead of trying to jab at them to try to get them to do something, you literally flip it into, I don't care what you don't want to do, I want to know what I can do to help you. And then you listen to what they have going on and then you help them create a game plan around what they have going on. If they're thinking about doing something in six months, it's like, okay, cool. Why? Why are you selling in six months? Let's figure out what the bigger reasons are. Oh, my kid is going to graduate from high school and then go to college and we're going to do this and that. Oh, great. That's incredible. Tell me about your house. And then when you start to realize why people are buying and selling, this is the biggest question ever for prospects is finding out the deeper reasons behind. They're not just going to buy or sell something for the fun of it. I mean, even if it's an investment, it's still an investment for a reason. I mean, there's always a bigger reason behind the purchase or the sale. So finding that out is so key. And from there, then now we can really separate ourselves from all the other agents because now we're caring about their bigger reason versus just trying to sell a house. You know what I mean? Which is what most agents, that's their target is just to do the deal, get it sold. They're not even listening to, they're not, it's so crazy because the prospect may have even told the agent why they're selling, but the agent didn't even listen because that's not even what they're so blinded by the fact of the deal. They're not even really listening to the reason behind it. So circle prospecting is unlimited. It's an unlimited resource because you can't call all the property owners in your area ever in your life. And if you did somehow, which would never happen, but let's just say you did, let's start over and call them all again because, you know what I'm saying? 60% of those properties have changed hands. People changed their minds overnight. Like it's so unlimited. It's such an unlimited, untapped resource, right? Oh Ricky, that's not now business. I need money, money now. I have agents across the country, like you said, that get listings their first week, their first month. I have a guy that got in real estate. He started, you know, doing this, just circle prospecting, sold 106 properties as a single agent in his first year in Mississippi. Wow. He just finished his first year and he sold 106 properties, just circle prospecting. What did you say when you first called? Oh, okay. Yeah. So like when I call them up, like first off, like the first impression, as in the very first word you say, like it's all about the tone and the body language and the speed of the voice, you know, because a lot of people are so concerned on what to say, but they fail to realize it has a lot to do with what you say, but also how you say it and how you're, and how you're presenting yourself to these people. Because the thing is, is that, you know, some people make calls and don't have really good results and they're say, oh, this doesn't work. Well, you know, you made 500 calls. I mean, you know what I'm saying? Like, I mean, it took me like thousands and thousands and thousands of calls to get to where I was comfortable. And then another thousands and thousands and thousands to get to where I was actually in the groove, you know what I'm saying? So, but what I say is, is they say, hello, I say, Hey, Mr. Johnson. Hey, Mr. Johnson, it's Ricky Krooth, Remax of Orange Beach. How are you doing today? And it's like, how are you doing today? You know what I mean? Like, I really want to know. You know what I'm saying? Like, you know what I mean? Like, I'm trying to really figure out how they're doing. And like, it's real, like it's authentic, it's genuine. The intent is there not to try to sell, but to literally help. And so like that I'm telling you, it's the tone that you use, which is what is what matters. But from there, it's like, they're like, Oh, I'm doing good. How about you? I'm doing good too. I'm just enjoying the day. Isn't it gorgeous? See, I'm throwing them off with a little bit of non-cellsy. I'm throwing them off with a question. And that can be like, you're getting ready for Christmas. How was your Thanksgiving? What about them saints? Like, it can be anything, but it has to be kind of a statement and a question. It has to be really quick. I'm enjoying the day. Isn't it gorgeous? Or, you know, trying to stay dry and it nasty out there? Like, whatever the case may be, it needs to kind of roll off the tongue. And they're like, Oh, man, I get into so many conversations about the weather that like take up five minutes. I mean, it's nuts, man, because everybody can relate to the weather, you know, and then next thing you know, it's like, when that comes to an awkward point, now here comes our transition. Okay, this is the transition. You got to be ready for this, because this is what makes the, makes the phone call go smooth and keeps the conversation going in a positive way. And there's no awkwardness. Because when you get down talking about the weather, it's like, Oh, I got roped into this weather conversation. Now what are we doing? And so it's like, Well, cool, man. Look, I don't want to take up too much of your time. That's the transition statement right there. And when it comes to the awkward point in the call, it's like, it's like, Well, cool, man, I got you a look. I don't want to take up too much of your time. That's the transition point you have to nail. But a house around the corner from you sold recently, and I didn't know if there's anything in the world I could do for you today. So one of the things I like behind your head, Ricky, is that get 1% better every day. That is like so Brian Tracy, and he brings that home all the time in all of his videos. And I love that he is still doing videos. I know it's crazy, right? Yes. But when you strive to be 1% better every day, that is attainable. And over a whole year, and you become so much better. And my dad always gets mad at me for having certain goals that are set, because he said when you reach home, it's disappointing because you could have probably gone way farther. So he always says, make your goals where they're never, they never end. And that's a perfect example of get 1% better every day. Yeah. Yeah. So, you know, with goals and everything, I don't really, I make a goal at the beginning of the year and everything, but I don't really focus on it through the year. I'm more focused on my daily actions, because like I really can't control the results. And if I start to look at the results, then if I'm not hitting my goal, I could get down to myself. Or if I'm, you know, if it's just in like most people make goals they can't, they can't attain. So when they focus on that, then they start to become down. And I really got, I got into that loop of feeling down to myself and frustrated, why can't I hit my goals? And so I went through this and, and it's, it's tough. So I like to make really big goals, but I don't, I'm not hard on myself when I don't hit these huge, crazy goals that I have for myself. What I'm hard on myself about is, is when I go to sleep at night that day that I put in as much effort as possible. And if I did see the thing is, is if I wake up December 31st and all I sold was 50 properties, I would be just as happy as if I sold 150. Because the amount of effort I put in is the same. I can't control what comes out the other side of my actions. I really can't. But I can control the actions themselves. And so my, my happiness on a daily basis doesn't come from the goals. Of course, as soon, you know, at the end of the year, I look back and I say, yes, but, but, you know, you know, that's short lived and now it's back to, okay, you know, I have to put as much effort as I can in today and then whatever happens happens, you know what I mean? And so that's, that's been really big for me. We just thank you for your time. We know how valuable it is. And we can do anything for you at all. Definitely let us know. We're always happy to support. We all have the same goals and it's to see our industry do well and be more professional and to, to serve and help people. Absolutely. Thank you guys so much for having me and we'll do it again.