Stay Paid Podcast – Live Call-In Special

Episode Title: How to Survive When Savings Hits Zero, Use 25 Hours Wisely & Recruit Agents
Release Date: January 5, 2026
Hosts: Luke Acree (President, ReminderMedia) & Josh Stike (Chief Marketing Officer, ReminderMedia)

Episode Overview

This lively live-call-in edition of the Stay Paid Podcast features hosts Luke Acree and Josh Stike tackling real-world challenges from agents and entrepreneurs across the country. The episode focuses on overcoming growth obstacles in real estate brokerages, maximizing productivity with limited work hours, and surviving the financial squeeze when savings run out. The hosts deliver tailored advice rooted in experience, emphasizing tangible actions, relationship-driven business, and the importance of volume in both prospecting and recruiting.

Key Segment Summaries & Insights

1. Recruiting Agents as a Small Brokerage (Gene from Texas)

Timestamps: 00:42 – 12:44

Gene's Situation

• Small, growth-minded Houston brokerage: Four agents, ~21 transactions totaling $6M YTD.
• Key challenge: Difficulty attracting new agents; relies on close mentorship and relationship value as selling points.

Hosts' Advice

Why Standard 'Mentorship and Attention' Isn't Enough

• Luke Acree:
  “Everybody can say [they offer mentorship and attention]. It’s very hard to prove that one person is going to be better than the next... you’re really looking for a unique value proposition.” (04:06)

• Urges Gene to reframe her brokerage’s value through her personal story and specific results (“What has been Gene’s experience and why should they want you as a mentor?”).

Database & Funnel Thinking for Recruiting

• Emphasize the importance of building a targeted database of potential recruits, just as with client lead generation.

• Recommendation: Drip meaningful, relationship-based content (education, entertainment, endearment) to agents, focusing especially on those with 2–3 years’ experience who aren’t yet fully successful.

  “The number one way you are going to recruit agents over is through relationships … you got to get people to know, like, and trust you.” – Luke Acree (06:10)

Building Recruiting Events / Masterminds

• Strong suggestion: Host brand-agnostic agent masterminds featuring local top producers (08:45).
• Gene positions herself as a connector and knowledge resource, not a recruiter, which builds long-term trust and visibility.

Volume is the Real Game-Changer

• Activity level needs to scale up: “You actually just need to increase your volume of activity because … you’re not doing enough volume. Two a month is not nearly enough.” (12:03)
• Quantify and increase touchpoints: More calls, more coffee, more consistent outreach.

Notable Quotes

• “Volume creates visibility. And if you do the two Vs – volume and value – all of a sudden you get known, liked, and trusted.” – Luke Acree (12:03)
• “Recruiting is marketing.” – Josh Stike (10:08)

2. Making Part-Time Hours Count for Real Results (Naquata from California)

Timestamps: 13:45 – 29:29

Naquata's Situation

• Military wife, new in town, working 20–25 hours/week.
• Brand new database (~100 people), goal is $116k GCI to net ~$74k for the year.
• Concerned about effective use of limited hours and how to maximize growth in the lead-up to going full-time later.

Hosts' Advice

Prioritizing Prospecting & Relational Marketing

• Luke Acree: "All 25 of those hours really should be prospecting." (21:50)
• Focus first on sphere of influence: 65% of listings and 56% of buyers come from repeat and referral business. Calls, events, personalized outreach are key.

Layering Lead Generation Pillars

• Open houses: Especially high-value for new agents/new areas as a fast way to create leads and relationships (18:46).
• Suggests asking team for any “old” or unworked leads; prospect through these if available.

The Power of Consistent, Measured Outreach

• Phone work wins, but texts can supplement. Actual conversations (aim for 20+ per day if possible) are the metric that matters most (24:36).

• Track activity through a CRM and set quantitative conversation/appointment goals.

  “If you can set a goal for yourself to set four to five appointments a week, you will be a rock star.” – Luke Acree (25:59)

Building for the Referral-Based Future

• Each new relationship goes into the drip campaign for ongoing nurture; goal is eventually to have a big enough sphere so referrals alone drive the business.

Notable Moments

• “I am a part-time agent, not a sometime agent.” – Naquata (14:24)
• “The best CRM is the one you use.” – Luke Acree (25:26)
• “You need to be measuring, well, how many combos did I have? Because combos is the outcome you really want that turns into an appointment.” (24:36)
• “Stay focused in those 25 hours, you’ll kick their butt.” (29:19)

3. Surviving the Savings Crunch While Building Momentum (Stefan)

Timestamps: 30:22 – 49:52

Stefan's Situation

• Agent in 3rd year, facing the end of his savings; has $1.5M pending (closes in Jan), $1M listed, but needs ~$5,000 now to survive another month.
• Strong anti-debt, “Ramsey fan” mindset; wants strategies to bridge the gap and not give up just short of the breakthrough.

Hosts' Advice

Ultra-Transparent Reality Check and Action

• Stefan’s activity level (5 convos/day) isn’t enough: “That needs to be 20.” (39:19)
• Luke Acree: “You’re not putting in the level of work with intensity that you need to... that's so normal, and we all face that.” (48:06)

Short-Term Survival Tactics

• If strictly opposed to debt, seek support from friends/family or find items to sell; if considering small debt, do so only as a bridge with clear plan to pay back from upcoming closings.
• Run open houses for others: Fastest route to possible immediate buyers/sellers. (47:12)

Mindset & Self-Awareness

• Discusses the emotional battle with call reluctance, “the self-worthiness issue,” and encourages pushing through.

  “The difference between mediocre producers and top producers is top producers take action.” – Luke Acree (51:38)

• Use personal and family ‘why’ as the drive. Referenced John Wetmore’s tough-love motivation tactic: “If my kid got kidnapped and I had to call 200 people, would I have a problem making those calls?” (41:15)

Practical Steps

• Structure every day with a full schedule of outreach (e.g., four hours of calls or 20 conversations).
• Maintain faith, stay focused on the mission, and refuse to yield to discouragement or analysis paralysis.

Notable Quotes

• “Your goal is bigger than your embarrassment. Your goal is bigger than the pain of being rejected.” – Luke Acree (43:14)
• “Environment matters. The flower in the desert dies. The flower in good soil blossoms.” (50:44)
• "Call them all today and ask them for referrals. If that gives a sinking feeling in your gut … that's the difference between making it and not making it.” (45:39)

Notable Quotes and Moments

• “The riches are in the niches, but really zero down the type of agents you want on your team.” – Josh Stike (10:08)
• “Give your sphere a chance to give to you.” – Luke Acree (30:01)
• “You gotta rethink how you share your value prop through the lens of your story.” – Luke Acree (09:20)
• “You’re in this stage where you essentially are doing the right things but not enough of them.” – Luke Acree (12:27)
• “I am a part-time agent, not a sometime agent.” – Naquata (14:24)
• “The best CRM is the one you use.” – Luke Acree (25:26)
• “You have it. You're just not doing enough of it. Your day is too unstructured.” – Luke Acree (45:39)

Key Takeaways & Calls-to-Action

• For Recruiting: More visibility and volume in outreach, unique storytelling, and hosting 'value-first' events (like masterminds) trump generic value props.
• For Part-Time Agents: Highly focused prospecting with consistent, measurable metrics beats fragmented effort. Open houses and sphere work are foundational.
• For Financial Survival: When savings hit zero, the answer is radical action, maximum structure, and leveraging every possible warm connection—while considering short-term sacrifices that don’t violate your core values.

Final Thoughts

(51:38)
Luke: “The difference between top producers [and] mediocre producers is top producers take action … You can't overthink it. You’ve got to do the thing. Do the thing. As Tom Ferry says, 'Have the power.' ... Go take action on that today.”