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From Cold Calls to YouTube Clicks: Jay Jones on Real Estate Agent Success | RARE Agent Show

• Dylan Tanaka

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🎙️ From Cold Calls to YouTube Clicks: Jay Jones on Real Estate Agent Success

In this episode of The RARE Agent Show, Dylan Tanaka sits down with Jay Jones, a real estate agent, investor, and YouTube creator with over 10,000 subscribers. Jay shares his journey from cold calling to leveraging YouTube to generate leads and build authentic client relationships. Whether you’re an agent looking to level up your marketing or just starting your real estate career, this episode is packed with actionable insights to grow your business.

🔌 SUBSCRIBE to The RARE Agent Show on your favorite podcast app 

💡 Jay’s story proves you don’t need expensive equipment or a massive following to get started. It’s about authenticity, solving problems, and staying consistent. Tune in to learn how to make YouTube work for your real estate business and hear Jay’s best advice for avoiding common pitfalls.

What You’ll Learn:

✔️ Why building relationships beats chasing transactions.
✔️ How YouTube can attract pre-qualified leads who already know and trust you.
✔️ Jay’s “start where you are” strategy for agents on a budget.
✔️ The secrets to staying positive and avoiding burnout.

Jay’s Most Powerful Insights:

🛠️ “Focus on people and problems, and you’ll make money.”
💡 “Analysis paralysis kills big dreams. Start where you are.”
🔑 “The game isn’t over until the clock strikes zero—stay calm and keep moving.”

🔌 SUBSCRIBE to The RARE Agent Show on your favorite podcast app

Connect With Jay Jones:

📺 YouTube Channel: Learn how Jay uses video to attract clients.
📱 Instagram: Follow Jay's real estate journey
📱 Facebook: Connect with Jay Jones
🚗 Check out Jay's Corvette Youtube Channel: BlackVettyC6

Recommended Resources Mentioned

📘 The Millionaire Real Estate Investor by Gary Keller – Jay’s must-read/listen for agents and investors.
🎥 YouTube Starter Tools – Get THIS gimbal to get started.

Stay Connected With Dylan Tanaka & RARE Agent Nation:

🚀 Join Our Community: Closings From Leads - RARE Agent Nation
📺 Watch on YouTube: RARE Agent Nation Channel
📸 Follow Dylan on Facebook: Dylan Tanaka, RARE Agent

🎧 Don’t miss future episodes! Subscribe to The RARE Agent Show and leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review to let us know what you think.

👉 Join the conversation: Join our thriving Facebook group, Closings From Listings - RARE Agent Nation, to connect with other agents and access exclusive resources.

Ready to elevate your real estate game? Press play and let’s get started!

Jay Jones:

Take action, take action now because time moves and next thing you know, you'll be a year in and you'll be like, Oh my gosh, I didn't do anything.

Dylan Tanaka:

Welcome to the RARE Agent Show. I'm Dylan Tanaka, a realtor, mentor, and author. This podcast is dedicated to helping real estate agents like you close more deals so that you can live the life you always dreamed of every week, my guests and I share the stories, strategies, and tools you need to inspire and empower you. Let's make it happen. I'm super excited to introduce you to today's guest. We've got Jay Jones here. Not only is he a real estate investor and real estate agent, he has a YouTube channel with over 10, 000 subscribers. We're going to dig in deep on exactly what Jay's done to build this kind of business and how he keeps track of everything. But first of all, Jay, I got to start with my favorite question. How do you take your coffee every morning?

Jay Jones:

And I like my, my chai tea lattes, man. I'm a chai tea latte guy, sometimes a white chocolate mocha. But you know, if I, if I do get some coffee, I kind of have some, some sugar in there, man.

Dylan Tanaka:

Amazing show planned for you guys today. We're going to dig deep on how to build YouTube channels, how to make money in real estate, multiple different ways. So make sure that you listen to the end of this episode. So Jay, what's your number one strategy right now for turning leads into closings?

Jay Jones:

Yeah, so I pretty much follow the cold call strategy right now. I have two, but I do cold call and that's what I've been doing for the last few years. And I know people absolutely hate it. They hate cold call and they hate talking to people. And I, I actually embrace it because what I get to do is I get to find out a lot about people on that first call. I also follow up with them for quite some time. But that is my primary source is cold calling and then turning them into a lead. I've noticed how much of a, how much easier it is as far as the relationship that I built with my clients when I cold call them. So that would be my primary source. And again, people hate it, but I absolutely love it because a lot of people don't like to do it. But when you spend time, I just do six to eight hours a week. So I don't think that's a whole lot of time. But over a month, you know, you're talking about over 24 hours on the phone and, you know, you're going to catch a lead and catch a deal. And that's, that's pretty much my primary source. I

Dylan Tanaka:

think that's what it is, right? It's those small actions that end up every single day, right? And then they, they lead to bigger things and you have to do the things other people aren't willing to do. Another one of those things that you're doing is you've built a. A pretty substantial YouTube channel. So how are you going to factor that and use that in your real estate business?

Jay Jones:

Yeah. So I kind of stumbled upon this YouTube thing and it's kind of a personal YouTube, you know, I just kind of just share different things or whatever, but you know, it's easy to, to turn those into leads because you pretty much have a bucket of people that want to click subscribe and they're learning you through the content. And when you tell them you're a real estate agent, when you say, Hey, I'm here in this area, you know, you start getting people sending you DMS and things like that. So just being authentically you and telling people what you do and then you turn them into, to leads. I think that's one thing that I've always done since I've been in the real estate game is just, just be yourself. I'm just trying to. Make the most out of it. And people will start watching your channel. They start liking you. And next thing you know, they start binge watching your stuff and then they feel like they know you and then you could turn them into leads. Yeah, man, I've been blessed to come across the, the YouTube channel and platform to do that.

Dylan Tanaka:

So, yeah, Jay, talk about being authentically you, that's something I like to say too. And for those of you who don't know, Jay, I always say he's got a likability factor of a 10. Which is important because if you're only listening right now, you can't see this man smiling. He's got a happy face. He's always coming with positive vibes. And I think that that bleeds through even when you're just cold calling it on the phone with people. And then again, as, as you're creating and you're on video, people can see your face. They can see the emotions behind it. I think it's very, very important for real estate agents today to be able to convey that to people, not to be a doomsday or talk about the market's tough or rates are high. You want to be the person that they come to, that your clients come to, to bring them the good news.

Jay Jones:

I don't know. It's just a trait of mine. Just to, you know, just try to enjoy life, right. As much as you can, everything comes right. You get curve balls, but again, I enjoyed. Working with people. I enjoy helping people. So I find joy in that and whatever it is that I'm doing, whatever it is or whatever I'm doing, I find the joy in it. So I've just been built that way, wired that way, and it does help. You know, I have had many clients that just say, you're such a joy to work with. Things like that. And I just say like, well, you know, I didn't do anything special that I felt like I was doing. And they're just like very patient with us. You know, you gave us a lot of information and again, I treat everyone like I want, you know, someone to treat my mother or my grandmother. And so you know, I just take my time. And again, it's a joy to work with people. And I think that's a trait that many agents should take. Think sometime when they bring money into the equation and they're they're really focused on the money. They just, they lose that. Think you just gotta just focus on your client and understand that you're there to help. You're just there to help. You know, you're not the big shot real estate person, you know, you're just there to help and then you will get more business that way. And your clients will love you for that. So just, you know, try to enjoy yourself while you're, you know, out there making money, you know, smile, dial, make a pile is what they say if you're cold calling. So that's kind of just my, my MO there.

Dylan Tanaka:

Well Jay, you kind of stole my thunder. My next question was going to be what's one trade or something that agents could work on that's outside the box, right? To help them become better agents. I think that's it. It's being a people person. If you're not a people person, that's okay, but it's really hard to be in the people business. If you're not a people person, even if you are a people person, you can get better at it too.

Jay Jones:

Absolutely. Absolutely. And again, I think when you can take out. The 3% outta your mind and you take out all the processes and you just focus on the person. Think about if you are that person, what do you want someone to do? Right? So you just wanna focus on who, who, who you're working with. And I think to me, that's what I do. I don't worry about the transaction at the time where I'm showing them a house or, or I'm doing a listing. I'm focusing on them. Every person. And so when you do that, you know, the byproduct is, of course you're gonna get paid. You're gonna have these, you know, great paydays. But I think you just got to focus on people. And again, this is a people business. This is one of the first things that I learned about real estate was, Hey, this is a people business and you have to do right by the people. Ever since I have, I have been able to close transactions and literally sometimes things are just coming to me. I just try to do right by people. And you know what? Real estate is all about relationships. It's all about people. And you have to find a way to just be a people person. And you don't have to be this super jolly person. You just have to be authentic and that's it. You know, don't worry about trying to say things the right way. Where's certain things. I know some agents that literally just a regular t shirt and polo type guy, but they have clients and they love them. So just be yourself. And that's one thing I would tell agents to do. Stop trying to focus on being something you're not.

Dylan Tanaka:

Why don't you try to give us an example, give the listeners an example of when your positivity helped you through a deal, even if it didn't close and how that turned into something that you didn't think it was going to.

Jay Jones:

Oh man, I was helping a couple out. They actually stayed in my subdivision and it was a kind of a rough transaction. Right. So I had to stay positive. We were doing a couple of things at one time. They're moving out of a house and then they're trying to move into a new home. Deadlines are not working out. And so I had to stay positive because it put me in the mind frame of. How do I figure this out? Instead of working in this panic mode and just going crazy, how do I figure this out? When I calmed myself down, I was able to communicate with my client, which is number one, always communicate with them. I communicate early and often, even if it's bad news, just get it out there and let's work together. And that helped me through the transaction, even though it wasn't, you know, the smoothest transaction. We were able to get it closed and my clients were happy at the end. Plus I saved them like 20 grand on their house that they bought. So they were, they were pretty excited, but things worked out. Right. And so I'm a big sports person. So I'm a person where the game's not over till the get to the clock hits zero. So you got to just remain positive, remain calm through it all. And I think that's something that real estate agents should just do, you know, no matter how bad the transaction is. Stay positive, relax, right? You're learning something as you go through this transaction. That's going to make you better. And, but again, just communicate with your client.

Dylan Tanaka:

I love what you said there, Jay. The game's not over until the clock strikes zero. And here's the thing, Jay's a young man. So this clock isn't striking zero for another 50 years. Hopefully he's retired before then, because he's building some great things. But the reality is you as agents who are listening and watching this, know that the easiest. Client to work with as someone that you've worked with before or a referral from a past client, because now you don't have to leap over all of those hurdles and be like, here's the way, and here's what I've done to like, you got to call Jay, he was the guy who got it all done for us. We had some tough times in the middle, but we got it done and we love him. So that's worth so much. So, so the game is not over even when that transaction's over because. I guarantee if I talked to those people today and said, Hey, I'm just calling to check on how things went with Jay. They would say nothing but wonderful things about him, which means as he works them the right way with his sphere of influence and reminds them, Hey, I'm always looking for new clients. Those are the people who are going to advocate for him. And they're going to bring him more deals than probably cold calling will over the next 30 years.

Jay Jones:

Absolutely. And just to piggyback off of that really quick. Yeah. The transaction is not over just because you get paid and, you know, your clients in their home. Again, what I do, I'm very old school, man. If you look at my office, I have papers everywhere of lead sheets. And what I do is I make sure six months after, give them a call six, eight months after, give them a call. How are you doing? And I follow up with these people that I have closed deals with. Because they have family members. They have friends. You, you are their realtor. You want to be the guy or the, or the, or the girl that they brag about when they come to the house. Oh, I had this realtor. Oh, you're looking for a house. And as you stay on the top of their minds by calling them every six months, which is two times a year, or send them a text message if you're not really a call person. You'll find out you're getting referrals and that's the best way to do business. So even though I've started off cold calling and that was a hard part, you get them as a client and then you refer and now it's a little bit easier.

Dylan Tanaka:

That's how you turn contacts into leads and leads eventually into closings. And then those closings into more closings, right? So Jay, every real estate agent and entrepreneur or investor has made some major mistakes. I love talking about mine, but I want to know what's the biggest mistake you've made in the real estate business.

Jay Jones:

One thing that comes to mind buying my first fix and flip, and at this moment, I'll keep it short, but a million thoughts just went through my head because it kind of still relates to being an agent to where it was my first deal. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know where to go. I did this thing on my own and it's. This idea that I sat on for some time, I probably did so many things wrong on that flip. You know, I didn't know what I was doing you know, trying to manage the money and trying to work with contractors and things like that. I didn't know. The funny thing about it was I learned a lot on that first transaction and I closed it and I, and I made pretty good money on there. And that's the same thing with real estate. Like when I first got in that first year, I was learning. I thought. Deals were just going to come to me and I had to go work for them. And I learned a whole lot through failing. One thing that comes to mind was buying my first fix and flip doing the thing wrong. But in the end, you know, I got paid and I closed it. And that kind of groomed me for being an agent, which that was my first transaction as an agent, which was close to my first flip, but I learned a lot, man. I learned a lot by failing. So that was one thing, just not knowing what I was doing and then figured it out. And then I said, you know what? It's really not that bad, as long as you can take that step forward and you're diligent and you stay in it, you'll figure it out. You know, that's my mindset with everything.

Dylan Tanaka:

No, that's perfect. And when I talk about the biggest problems or mistakes we've made, I like to call it avoiding landmines. My goal for this show and everything we do at the RARE Agent Nation is to help other agents. Create as many predictable paydays as possible, right? So they can build the life that they want to live. What advice would you give agents new or old? What's a landmine that you have learned to avoid?

Jay Jones:

I've learned to avoid just thinking about the payday. And I know some people are like, Hey man, that's everything. Like, what are you talking about? For me, money is, is, is great. It's a necessity. And I know that, but money kind of clouds your judgment. I focus more on people and I know it's kind of boring. It's cliche, but I focus more on getting people helping folks instead of thinking about the transaction and the number and what my 3 percent looks like. The more I think about clients and the more I become focused on individuals, I've noticed the more money I've made. When I started thinking about, okay, this is 130, 000, this is 3%, this is, but you know, it's just, you just start doing business wrong. You just, you really just get clouded. And so I would say just don't get greedy. Understand that it's an abundant amount of clients out there. Just focus on solving problems. That would be my main thing for agents is focus on solving problems because we all have them. Your clients have them and help them every step of the way. And you will be rewarded from that. It's just the way that I look at it, man. So that's what I would say is focus on value, man. Focus on helping your clients. You'll get paid, but don't go in that transaction. Oh, I need to make my 3%. Oh, I got to pay my cardinal. Like you're going to mess around and make some mistakes because you're thinking about yourself. So that's just me personally.

Dylan Tanaka:

So Jay talked about being a real estate investor, a real estate agent, a YouTuber subscribers. But what I'm most excited that he shared with me earlier. Before we got on camera is he has a goal to make over a hundred thousand dollars in retail commissions this year on top of everything else.

Jay Jones:

So, yeah, those are my goals on top of everything. So that, that's my, that's my my aim for this year to just improve on what I've been able to do.

Dylan Tanaka:

Talking about landmines, talking about problems. Let's move on to some positive action now, Jay, cause you're a positive guy. So if I'm a new real estate agent, I don't have anything going on. On YouTube right now. And as far as I know, you're the top YouTube guy around that's in, in my in my atmosphere. Right. So what advice would you give if I said to you, Jay, I don't have a YouTube channel. How should I get started so I can get content down there and start getting calls from clients as soon as possible?

Jay Jones:

Oh man, I'm doing that right now, actually. And, and what I would do, and I think this will be an. Excellent strategy for somebody getting started for the first time. Listen, go and pick up some type of gimbal, right? Something, you know, where you can put your phone on. And I would encourage you to start showing clients and people cities that you already live in. I'm doing this right now where I'm going through houses. That I love going into houses in general. I literally do it for fun and said, you know, I'm showing them what these cities look like. I'm going through, Hey, this is what you can do in the city. Start actually being an expert in your area. And even if you're not an expert in your area, you're learning as you're going through these houses. And so what I would do is, and I've started gaining subscribers by doing this. I actually had a lady call me three weeks ago. She says, I love your content. I'm watching every video. She wants to move into McCombs township. And it was incredible because you started, you start gaining people that are actually interested in real estate by shooting content in places that you want to sell houses in. So that's what I would do. I would focus on, of course, you got a lot of marketing strategies, but now if I started all over again, I would pick up my camera. I would go through these homes. I would show people what, you know, your city looks like and ins and outs, all the little stuff that's all content, because if you got to think about it, if someone is in California and they want to move to Michigan, they don't know a whole lot. So show them that, show them that area in Michigan. And that's what I would do. And then you'll start seeing your subscriber base go up again. Don't think about the money all the time. Just think about gaining subscribers and getting clients and also. Put a call to action in there. And I think that's a great way to first start off. Don't make it your only marketing strategy, but make it part of you doing kind of your busy work because you'll eventually start seeing that over time, those people will turn into leads. Great idea.

Dylan Tanaka:

So what I'm hearing is you start creating content by going to listings, I guess, in neighborhoods that you already know, or that you'd like to do business in. So I think the next question the audience has is, well, what the heck do I say when I walk in that video? Because I've never really done video before. Do I have to be perfect? I, I walked around the house as

Jay Jones:

if my two daughters were there and my wife, because I've walked through some of these houses with them and we just talk and I'll say like, Hey, how do you like this kitchen? You know, me and my wife will go through it. So I walk through the house. As if my client is walking through with me, I know it's weird. You're in this big house talking to yourself, but really you're talking to someone that, you know, maybe potentially someone that's going to work with you. So I walked through this house and I'll literally say, Hey, look at the floors. Hey, do you like the floors or, Hey, I don't really like this and that. And you, you kind of talk about some things and you just make it authentic, right? Everything about being a real estate agent should be. Authentic. It's your brand. So when I walk through that house, I've walked through that house, like Dylan's right next to me. And I'm saying, Hey Dylan, how you like this faucet? Oh, do you like, I like the black. I love how builders do this and that. And I'm actually in my videos sounding very excited because I am excited. Right. Because I'm like, Hey, look at this patio. Look at this master bedroom. And you just walk through the house. And again, you can share some of your expertise as an agent about a builder, about an area while you're walking through, talk about your family, talk about these things because people are watching. And so as they start binge watching your content, they'll see you and say, Oh, he's got a wife. Oh, he's got a daughter. He's got a son. Oh, he likes to do this. And people are learning about you. Through the videos, what do they call it? Subtly, right? It's like a subliminal. It's a great way to start first year out, pick up the camera, stop being afraid and, and just be you.

Dylan Tanaka:

That's what can set you apart from other agents in a crowded market. There are 2 million real estate agents in this country. Why Jay? And that's, what's going to set you apart. People are going to get to know who you are. As Jay said, you have to be authentic and that's, what's going to make you different. So Jay, the next question they're going to have is, do I have to spend like 5, 000 on cameras and sound guys? And how does all that work?

Jay Jones:

I'm, I'm a big guy on start where you are. Analysis paralysis, right? Is the, is the killer of big dreams and big ideas. You know, if you could just start where you are, you improve. It should be a gradual, it should be a gradual or natural. You know, progression, because if you start where you are, say you got your phone, okay, you shoot with your phone and eventually you say, Hey, I want to get me a camera. But by that time, maybe you had pieces of content before you get your cameras. The way I started my, my real estate career was I started where I was and then you progress and everyone that I've seen when it comes to being an agent. That is doing really well. It said, Hey, you know, my first year was not the best, but I just started where I was at. Hey, I didn't close any deals. I learned a lot. I would say you don't need to go out there. Like you said, and buy the 5, 000 camera and do this and that you don't want to increase your expenses and you haven't done anything. Just get out there and use what you have to get what you want. That's what I've been able to do. Whatever you have, use it. And and then you can upgrade. As you start closing deals or doing things, just start where you are and do not get into that analysis paralysis stage. Take action, take action now because time moves and next thing you know, you'll be a year in and you'll be like, Oh my gosh, I didn't do anything. Take action

Dylan Tanaka:

now. A ready fire aim. If you sit around thinking about it too long, it's never going to happen. So you talked about the call to action, that that's something you cannot skip. So for the last piece of advice, for those people who want to start their YouTube channels or who already have, let's pretend you're walking through a house right now. It's at the very end of your video. So what's your call to action?

Jay Jones:

And my call to action is right in the description below. I have my information. I have an email and I have a phone number. You can call or text me on if you guys have any questions about this area, the builders, or if you're looking to buy a house in the next six months or even a couple of years. Love to follow up with you. That's my call to action is for them to give me a call. Give me an email just for something. I want them to contact me because once they call me, right. I'm very big on follow up. So the moment I get your name, the moment I get your number, I got you locked in. You know, and that's all I need. You want them to reach out to you on that video. And eventually I'm telling you guys, someone will, right. I have had a very small subscriber base and I had someone reach out to me, you know, and so again, if you make that a hundred, a thousand, that's a thousand something people that are looking at your YouTube channel for real estate while you're talking about places that they want to live in and the numbers. Are there. And so you want to always have a call to action. Do not skip on call to action because there's no point in you making that video. And it's a very highly produced video or whatever. And then you have no way to tell someone what to do. And I was reading the book that you actually sent me and the guy says, Hey. People need to be told what to do. I do it all the time. Like the video. And I'll literally see someone like the video because some people just forget and they get entertained, but you gotta have that hook and tell them you gotta call me and you don't have to be super salesy. Just keep it simple. Have a call to action is a absolute must.

Dylan Tanaka:

So I feel like the real reason to use video marketing, Jay, is so that people are reaching out to you. You kept it super simple. You're like, Hey, it's Jay. Here's the number you can call or text me on. Here's an email. If you'd rather go that way, I'd love to have a chat with you about the builder of the area. And what's the difference between receiving that phone call from a YouTube subscriber versus when you're cold calling and you're jumping into somebody's life.

Jay Jones:

Oh my gosh. Total. Different conversation, I'll talk about what it looks like when the subscriber called me right when she called me super excited. I think for the first minute and a half, I didn't say anything. She just went through. I seen this video. I love this house. You had here in this area and literally for a minute and a half. I was like, wow, total different conversation from a cold call because when I have the cold call, I have a 10 second window to capture that person. Hopefully it'll hang up. I've had thousands of hangups, but it's a different conversation. They're more excited and interested because guess what? Things watch your content. They feel like they know you and now they want you to help them. I'm going through the line of questioning, which is, Oh, you know, Hey, sorry, didn't catch your name. Got your name. Where are you trying to move to? Now I have everything I need. And so when I call the next time she knows Jay, Oh, Jay, I watched your last video. Oh, wow. So I'm not having to work as much. They're coming to me then when I'm cold calling, which I still encourage you to do but if you do this, it does take a little bit longer. But that's because it's a much better lead. They come to you and it's just easier. It's almost kind of like a cheat sheet. It's like, wow. Like I've never had such a good conversation initially with a client where they're excited to speak to me. And I'm not like trying to sell myself to them.

Dylan Tanaka:

So we talked about your tactics, what you're using right now to get clients. What do you see on your real estate radar 12 months?

Jay Jones:

You know what, I'm thinking the market's going to be really good. In my opinion, I think that, you know, real estate has been a little bit rocky. We had a really big boom and then we've had kind of a slowdown. There's so many things happening in the real estate market that I think it's that time for it to now start to go up. So I think the real estate market is going to be really solid here for, for this year. I think there's going to be a lot of opportunities. I think what kind of just happened in real estate, I think you may have lost some people. But the people that stick around are the ones that are going to win because they're learning how to pivot. They're learning how to maneuver. And I know some real estate agents that are doing phenomenal, even in this little weird time, they're doing phenomenal. So as this year comes on, I think that, you know, we're going to get more buyers and more inventory. I think it's going to be a great time. And of course, springtime, summertime, you know, you're going to have people out there buying. And that's one thing I seen even during this weird market. People were still buying homes and people need a place to stay. And so I think it's going to be even better in my opinion,

Dylan Tanaka:

kind of in a weird market. And it's probably always a weird market because it's always different than the one that we were just previously in. Right. So people get conditioned, but what do you think agents could do to stay ahead of the curve right now?

Jay Jones:

I think one thing they can do is just to brush yourself up on the market, right? I mean, obviously, you're going to have clients are going to ask you questions that they see on the news, always just let. them know that if you're looking to buy a home, the best time is now. Things are only going to get more expensive. And then you have to educate that buyer or that seller. I think that's the, the best thing you can do whenever someone's trying to call you, whenever they have something, you know, where they say loom and doom, you have to let them know of the positives. And that's what I did. Hey, I know you've seen this on the news. I know they talked about this and that, but let me know where you. Want to be right where, what do you see your family? What do you want to do? Educate your client and don't let them get too caught up in the news because it gets all of us, you know, and, and then you get to talk to the experts. You talk to the mortgage lender, you talk to the realtor, and then you start to say, okay, this may work for me and my family. So I would say, just continue to educate yourself during this time and educate your, your clients as you work with them. And that's, that would be my advice.

Dylan Tanaka:

Better at your craft to bring more value to everyone that you're doing business with. So what would you say maybe is something overlooked by a lot of agents that could give them an edge against their competition?

Jay Jones:

I think working in some form of a team is important being resourceful, right? So even though you're this big top agent, you know, being able to have some form of a team around you, I think is going to help you even more. Everybody's going to work together. Everyone's going to know how to be resourceful. So that's one thing I think would be a. Really big edges is being a part of some team, right? So you can be a part of the big team, or if it's just a group of agents together that you guys create when you're sharing ideas, because again, iron sharpens iron, I believe that. So I think that's one thing that people can do as far as agents is start working together and sharing information to go further,

Dylan Tanaka:

you go about. Finding a team if you are an agent looking for one,

Jay Jones:

there's different Facebook groups to be a part of, see who is selling, you know, in your area, you know, sometimes you could just kind of run across that. So you have a really great group called RARE Agent nation, and that's something that I would want to be a part of, right? Join the group. Ask questions, see what events are there. Again, it's kind of like another form of education. That's what I would do because the only way to get better is to study up and again, work together. That's how you go further, right? You can do so much by yourself, but you do much more when you're part of a team. And so me being a part of the team, it makes me feel better. It makes me feel confident. I never feel alone. And then, hey, I'm asking other guys what they're doing. Came across a great idea from being in this group itself. So that's what I would say. Be a part of a great group, RARE Agent nation. That I think is very valuable to you as an agent that will then translate. I

Dylan Tanaka:

think the agent world has changed so much in the last 20 or 30 years where the old days, like if you were on the team, you had to give a certain amount to the team leader and then the broker took a different amount. The agent world has changed so much because. There are unstructured teams where you guys are kind of just in a mastermind together or your accountability partners. And there's just a lot of flexibility out there. So make sure that you dig deep when it comes time to find the people who should be in your tribe, because it doesn't really have to be your team. That's just what we call it in real estate. I just call it my tribe or my crew or the people who I can trust and throw ideas off of every single day I'm on the phone or texting someone who's in my group, because I have an idea about. A client or a listing, and I'm not a hundred percent sure if I'm thinking right. So I need to bounce it off somebody.

Jay Jones:

One last little point. Cause when I first started real estate, I won't say the brokerage I was with, I was doing it kind of by myself, even though I had some investor experience. I knew a little bit about paperwork. It was just a longer road. And then when I came over. And you know, we started working together and it was a team felt a little bit better. There were investors in the group, there were agents in the group, there were new people, there were experienced people, and then you just learn. And so that's why I said, you know what, if I did this all over again, I would join a team, whether you want to join a team and give them commission or like you said, a mastermind, right? And I think the mastermind is an Excellent idea. You don't feel like you're having to owe someone something. And then I feel like you get more value out of people because everyone's just sharing information. So something you guys should just kind of take a look at.

Dylan Tanaka:

So now listen, we're going to have a little bit of fun. I've got three rapid fire questions for Jay and get his answer right away. So what's your favorite real estate app?

Jay Jones:

The ShowingTime app.

Dylan Tanaka:

So what's the best book you've ever read about real estate or business?

Jay Jones:

It's the Millionaire Real Estate Investor by Gary Keller.

Dylan Tanaka:

Most. Important. What do you do to de stress after a long day of flipping houses, dealing with clients, going to closings?

Jay Jones:

First thing is the gym. Absolutely. If it's a nice day out or, you know, the sun is, is beaming. Sometimes I like to just drive the Corvette, man. It's the most peaceful thing I can do. Those are, those are the two things that come to my mind, man. I

Dylan Tanaka:

told YouTuber at heart, right? So he even has a separate channel for his vet and all the people he hangs out with, all the mods he's done. All of his information is going to be below in the show notes. You'll be able to get his contact info, all of his different YouTube channels and everything else that we've talked about today. Do you brought up the, the idea of the mastermind or team and community building and that's something that I've really been doing for the last 20 plus years in real estate. It's something that's super duper important to me. So why do you think being part of a community like RARE Agent Nation can be so important to other agents out there?

Jay Jones:

I think it's extremely valuable. And the reason why I think it's extremely valuable is because you're getting probably hundreds of years of experience inside of a group. Everyone knows something, you know, something that someone 20 years in can say, you know what, I didn't think about that. So you're getting instant experience. So let's just say you're brand new and you're like, Hey I'm really nervous to talk to people. Well, you can go and tell your client that, you know, I'm in, I'm a part of a group and we have. 50 years plus of real estate experience behind me. So don't worry about X, Y, and Z. It gives you that confidence, right? If you're brand new, it gives you that confidence that someone's there to help you. And again, being a part of a mastermind, people are sharing ideas. They're not going to be scared to share an idea with you. And a lot of times they keep you accountable, which is very important. That's what I have been able to get from the RARE Agent nation is because I'm able to see guys are doing deals. They're able to share information with me. Very encouraging. And so again, you just feel like you're being a part of a situation where everyone's providing value and you want to provide value and you want to help that next person. And so it provides a very helpful environment. And I'm being honest with you guys. Like I tell you, I'm authentically myself. I'm not up here lying. That is what I've been able to get from here. And I ask questions. I ask my dumb questions all the time. And someone's able to say, Hey, do this. Hey, I've been in this situation. Hey, don't worry. Try this. And if I've messed up, they say, listen, man, you messed up, but this is what you need to do the next time. That is what I've been able to get from being a part of a mastermind group is valuable information, years of experience. People have been through things that I haven't, and they're able to help me through. Whether it's just a phone call, whether it's a Facebook post or it's a text, you know, I don't ever feel like I'm in the water alone. And so that's why I say it's very valuable. It's been the best decision

Dylan Tanaka:

I've made. I think the cool thing about masterminds way I explain it to people is while someone's reaching out for help. Somebody else is reaching down because we love to help other people. And then the person who's reaching down still has their other arm up and is being pulled up by someone else. So there's so many years of experience and things that people have been through. And Jay said, he even uses it for credibility. I don't even think of it that way, but to be able to brag and say, listen, I've got 300 years experience inside my office or inside my group, they'll help us figure out what the answer to this question is, because we don't always know the answer. And like Jay said, being authentic, you want to say. I don't know a hundred percent how to answer that, but I will find out the answer for you. So Jay, for, for agents who are experiencing a little bit of burnout, what's the best advice for them?

Jay Jones:

Oh, man. Whenever you're experiencing some type of burnout, it's because you just feel like you've been. In the game, right? So I'm going to use an analogy. You just feel like you've been in the game. You're you're super tired. You need a water break. You have to find a way to distress, right? Some people, again, that's the gym. Maybe you need a vacation. What you need to do is you've got to find a way to restart and reset. And it's sometimes not doing more work. Sometimes doing more work just makes you feel like you said, burnt out makes you feel like you're overwhelmed. And what I would say is you have to find a way to restart. Find that thing that brings you joy. Like I've talked to a mortgage lender and he said, Hey man, I had, I've learned to take some of these days off. I'm still working, but I'm just taking more time for my family, more time for myself is I come back and then I'm way more energized and I'm ready to go. Whatever that thing is for you, whether it's creating music, if it's a vacation, if it's taking a ride, you know, or whatever, find a way to distress and focus on yourself. For me, you know, that's going to the gym, right? Getting my mind right. You know, it may be going into the pool or whatever. You gotta find a way to pull back. I know you guys want to close deals and you want to keep going, but whenever you're feeling barked out, you have to take that step back and find that thing that brings you joy. And for some people, it's their family. So go spend time with your family. You can come back to real estate. Like it's going to still be there. Right? So that's just my advice, right? I'm not telling you to quit. I'm just telling you to find a way to restart. And then you come back and you're ready to go. And that's all we need because we're human beings. We're, we're, we're literally human beings and we all need to come back and say, all right, I'm done. And let's go.

Dylan Tanaka:

So we talked about burnout. That's kind of for the agents who've been doing things for the, for the other agents who are out there who just are struggling to make that breakthrough. What's your one best piece of advice for them?

Jay Jones:

Yeah. So if you're struggling to break through, I'm gonna keep it very old school with you guys got to keep working. I'm, I'm serious. I know it's probably not what you want to hear, but you've got to keep working. This is the time to start looking at ideas that maybe. You don't think you want it to do and start figuring out, okay, what do I need to do? So for some people, it's, I hate getting on the phone. I don't want to call. This might be your time to call. I don't want to really go to an event and I don't really want to talk to people. This may be your time to do that. You may stumble upon something that you don't really like and enjoy, but it's going to be something that fits your business. And this is the time to basically, what I'm saying is experiment. You have to start experimenting. If you feel like something's not working, that's sometimes a sign to say. Let me try this. Let me try that, but also give it time. Don't just say I'm going to do it for two days, one week. No, no. I usually say if it's a marketing strategy, I say four months, give it a solid four months, see the numbers. And this is your time to try things out because I've come across a lot of great ideas. Whenever I feel burned out, I don't know what to do. I have really, like, when I think about it, there have been times where I had to do things I didn't enjoy. And it worked. And then I said, ah, well, at least this works because I wouldn't have thought about this if everything was working right. So this is your time to experiment. If you're feeling that burnout and you know, you're kind of early in the game, you got to experiment.

Dylan Tanaka:

What is next for you on your real estate journey?

Jay Jones:

You know, so we talked about my commission goal, right? So, so right now I'm kind of focused on. Analytics, right? Kind of thing, metrics, analytics. And so I want to hit my commission goal. I also have a goal as far as sales that I wanted to accomplish, right? How many millions of dollars in real estate sales that I want. A lot of this is what I've done before is measuring, measuring stick. I want to now accomplish it. I want to have my personal best this year. Units sold, commissions. That's my goal. Really, you know, I'm just on doing better than I've done my previous four years of being an agent. So everything's personal best for me and also the YouTube, but just for the real estate one I also want to get that thing over a thousand subscribers because I see a thousand people hitting that button that will turn into clients. I have a lot of things that I'm working on here in this year. And I got a lot of work to do. So those are my goals, just personal best. Year is what I'm trying to accomplish here.

Dylan Tanaka:

Let me remind you guys, Jay has a nine to five career still. He's flipping houses. He's building out the YouTube channel. He really just wants to ride around in the vet when it's a sunny day. What's excited about is he's got a hundred thousand dollar commission goal in retail real estate on top of all that as an add on to the other businesses that he's already built.

Jay Jones:

Yeah, man. So those are my goals. Yeah. So, you know, for some of you guys that are out there that have a nine to five. And when I do real estate, be honest with you, it is tough. It is weird. Your schedule is all over the place, but if you want it to work, it will work. And the biggest thing that I would say, if you're looking to do this is time blocking. I know you may have a family, but you have to time block these things, right? Like I say, your nine to five has you for your nine to five hours. After that, it's your time to shine two hours a day. It can do wonders in your business. If you're doing this for a couple of days and Saturdays and Sundays, I will tell you had been my catch up days to do a lot. And again, we said earlier over time, those small wins are what you need. And that's how you create your client base. That's how you get some deals done. You can do both. Right. And eventually, if you want to go full time, go all out agent, you can do that. If you want to do both, you can do that as well. And I've been able to flip some homes, which I've been blessed to do. So I've been all over the place, man. But again, I start where I'm at and I just continue. That's just me, man. That's, I don't know, I don't know any other way to say it.

Dylan Tanaka:

This question for you yet and this whole show, and this is probably going to be the best answer. So you guys listen to this. Jay, so through all your years in real estate and investing and everything as an entrepreneur, you can put all that stuff you've been through in a big bowl and mix it together and pour it out. What's the one sentence you would say that sums up everything about your business?

Jay Jones:

I would say focus on people and problems. He did it in one sentence. That was, I literally, I was going to add a little bit more sauce to it, but I think that was it, man. Focus on people and problems is really the most simple form. Even myself, like, you know, if I got a car, right? Like you mentioned the vet, right? If I have a problem, I have to take it to a mechanic. I have to let them do their thing. But I'm going to go to someone that I like, someone that I trust. That's it. And that's my problem. I have a problem, but he, you know, I'm focusing on that. And that's what I would do. And you will, you'll start to see that when you start figuring out actively listening to someone, what is it that they're actually needing? What is it that they, that they want? Not what I'm trying to do. What is it that they want? Cause they may say, Hey, I'm looking for a mover. And then you can help them with maybe finding a house or something. Just find out what people want. You'll start to find yourself in the middle of that. And people just like for you to be that connector. So focus on people. Focused on problems and you will make some money. And that is, I put everything all in one, like I said, investor and being an agent, the only reason why I've been able to do this is because I've been able to focus on people and problems.

Dylan Tanaka:

Love it. Focus on people and problems. Jay, thank you so much for having this conversation with us today. If you guys want to know Jay's number one top secret on what he thinks you should be doing right now in your real estate agent business to make the most money this year than you ever have, you need to be a member of our Facebook group called closings from leads. Jay is going to drop what we call the RARE edge in there. It's the only place that you can hear it. So you can scroll down below in the show notes, get a link to the group and join and all of Jay's contact information, all of his YouTube channels, how you can get ahold of them is all going to be available in there also, I can guarantee Jay's going to get us some subscribers from the show and people reaching out and Jay's got a famous tagline when he ends all of his content. So I'm letting him take us out.

Jay Jones:

Absolutely. And like I say, after every video that this is chess, not checkers, I'm going to see you guys at work.

Dylan Tanaka:

Thanks for listening to the RARE Agent Show. I hope you got as much value out of this episode as I loved bringing it to you. If you're ready for more, make sure to subscribe so you don't miss a single episode. And don't forget. To join our free Facebook group closings from leads. It's a community where agents like you are connecting, sharing strategies, and getting exclusive resources to close more deals. You can find the link in the show notes. I can't wait to see you there until next time. Keep it RARE and keep it real.

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