Stay Paid Podcast: "How to Stay Motivated, Fill Your Pipeline & Close More Deals | Live Call-Ins"

Date: November 10, 2025
Hosts: Luke Acree and Josh Stike (ReminderMedia)
Special Guest Host: Cody Smith (Director of Operations/Sales, Acre Brothers Realty Team)

Episode Overview

In this interactive, live call-in episode of Stay Paid Podcast, Luke, Josh, and Cody field real-time questions from real estate agents and business professionals. The main themes center around how to stay motivated when deals stall, strategies to fill and manage a robust sales pipeline, and practical tips for closing more deals—especially when facing hesitation from clients. The hosts also tackle how to differentiate yourself as an agent, structure your working day for maximum impact, get more comfortable with prospecting calls, and convert cold leads more efficiently.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Motivating Hesitant Sellers & Overcoming Deal Stalls

Caller: Jude from Michigan (04:44–13:52)

• Focus first on seller motivation:
  • Ask directly what the seller's reason for moving is. The more detailed and emotionally resonant the motivation, the easier it is to move them forward.
  • Cody Smith [01:55]: "My job isn't to make someone sell, but... to find out their goals and help them get there."
• Double down on the reward, not just the process:
  • If prepping the house creates stress, clarify what life looks like after the sale and keep returning to that vision.
  • Luke Acree [05:23]: "You gotta get them thinking about what does life look like on the other side of this sale."
• Problem-solve tangible obstacles:
  • Offer to arrange contractors or landscapers; take items off their to-do list directly.
  • Cody Smith [09:00]: "My job in this is to make it efficient to problem solve and figure out how to get there."
• Avoid ‘commission breath’:
  • If you're overly invested in one deal closing, it's a sign your pipeline is too thin.
  • Luke Acree [07:36]: "You need to have so many deals happening and so much potential... that it doesn't bother you at all if Cody doesn't buy or sell right now."
• Actionable step:
  Spend frustration energy on prospecting for new clients, not on pushing hesitant ones.

2. Daily Structure for Realtor Success

Write-in from Melody (Florida) [13:52–19:58]

• Honor your calendar and habits:
  • The challenge isn't knowledge—it's consistent execution.
  • Luke Acree [14:36]: "The biggest pain point... is that you're not actually sticking to your calendar commitments."
• Ideal day structure:
  • Early start: body, mind, and spirit (gym, meditation, education).
  • 7:30/8:00am: arrive at the office.
  • Morning: Prospecting (2–4 hours—calls, follow-ups, new leads).
  • Afternoon: meet clients, showings, closings.
  • Late day: wrap up and systematize tasks, possibly return to prospecting.
• Timeless morning habits:
  • Cody Smith [16:31]: "From the start to the finish of your career, your morning should never change... Prospecting, following up should always be."
• Prospecting must be daily, no matter how busy you get:
  • Even top producers see declines if they let this habit slip.
  • Luke Acree [18:52]: "If you want to make sure your business never runs out, you have to prospect every day."
• Quantify your outreach:
  • Shoot for 20 conversations a day with unique people.

3. Getting Comfortable Making Prospecting Calls

Write-in from Brian [19:58–24:13]

• Repetition is the secret:
  • The more calls you make, the more comfortable you get.
  • Luke Acree [20:14]: "Cold calling is not dead. You just suck at it... Frequency creates greatness."
• Develop and adapt scripts:
  • Memorize, internalize, personalize. Use proven scripts as a starting point, then make them your own.
• Track your numbers:
  • How many calls? How many real conversations? How many times did you ask for the appointment?
• Everyone starts bad:
  • Cody Smith [22:12]: "Every single person that started weren't good... it just takes the time."
• Compress your learning time:
  • Do more in a shorter period to get comfortable faster.
  • Josh Stike [23:21]: "Increase the volume, compress the learning time, and you'll be on the other side."

4. Differentiate Yourself as a Realtor & Work Cold Leads

Caller: Greg from Indiana [24:13–46:32]

• How to stand out from other agents quickly:
  • Focus all early questions on the client’s motivation, not yourself.
  • Tell them directly: “I might not be the right agent for you—let me hear what you want in a realtor.”
  • Cody Smith [31:31 and recapped 32:01]: “Have you worked with a realtor before? If yes, what did you like about them? If no, what would you look for in a realtor?”
  • Avoid “I”, “me”, “we”; focus on “you”, “your goals”.
• Opening lines for cold leads from Facebook (list of homes):
  • Use a pattern interrupt:
    Luke Acree [35:50]: “Hey, I saw you were looking at homes. Just wanted to see if you found what you were looking for.”
  • Don’t remind them they're in a sales process. Let their own goals direct the conversation.
• Seller lead specifics:
  • Conversion averages: About 3–4% conversion for cold/paid leads.
  • Expect 36 touchpoints (calls/texts/emails) and 10.8 months to close an internet lead.
    Luke Acree [37:12]: “10.8 months to convert and 36 calls on average... 18 before we got them, 36 to the commission check in hand.”
  • “No” means “not now,” not “never.” Keep nurturing via database/email.
• Drip campaigns & follow-up:
  • A simple, high-performing follow-up email:
    Luke Acree (quoting Sahil Bloom) [39:51]:
    “Are you still interested in buying a home in [your market]?”
  • Don’t underestimate the value of nurturing your database—with regular email, direct mail, and property alerts.
  • Utilize technology (CRM, RealScout, MLS drips) to see who is engaging and follow up accordingly.
  • Cody Smith [44:20]: “As soon as you see it open on the email, you call them immediately.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Cody Smith [01:55]: "My job as a salesman is to find out their goals and help them get them to their goals... I don't know that unless I talk to them and figure out what [motivates them]."
• Luke Acree [07:36]: “A lot of times when we feel the pressure to try to get somebody to move, it's because we are so... we want that deal so bad… You’ve got to stack your pipeline.”
• Luke Acree [20:14]: “You just have to do a lot more of it. My philosophy is you need a script and a process: you memorize, you internalize, you personalize.”
• Cody Smith [22:12]: “You can never get to that third stage without the [first two]… You’ve got to do it, suck at it, and get better at it.”
• Luke Acree [39:51]: “Are you still interested in buying a home in [your city]?” [On the most effective nine-word email]
• Cody Smith [44:20]: “As soon as you see it open on the email, you call them immediately.”
• Luke Acree [48:37]: “The difference between top producers and mediocre producers is top producers take action.”

Key Timestamps

• Motivating hesitant sellers: 00:44–13:52
• Pipeline & mindset: 07:36, 08:56, 13:52
• Realtor daily routine structure: 13:52–19:58
• Beating call reluctance: 19:58–24:13
• Differentiate yourself, cold leads, and scripts: 24:13–32:50, 32:50–46:32
• Lead conversion stats, follow-up, tech tips: 37:12, 39:51, 44:20

Actionable Takeaways

• Relentlessly focus on client motivation, returning to their “why” in each conversation.
• Remove obstacles for your clients; show value by action, not persuasion.
• Build a big, healthy pipeline to remove pressure from individual deals.
• Stick to a daily structure with dedicated prospecting time—never skip it.
• Embrace the discomfort of cold calling—do more, track, and adapt.
• Use pattern interrupts and lead with curiosity/questions, not pitches.
• Nurture every lead for the long game; automate where you can, but add personal follow-up based on engagement.
• Always follow up when someone opens your email or takes action.

Closing Thought

If something from the episode “prompted you to go, ‘yeah, I should be doing that,’ the difference between top producers and mediocre producers is top producers take action.”
—Luke Acree [48:37]

For further details, show notes, and episode video, visit: staypaidpodcast.com
To submit live questions: remindermedia.com/ask