Wake Up to Wealth — "From Real Estate Challenges to AI Innovations"

Host: Brandon Brittingham
Guest: Steve Trang
Date: August 20, 2025

Overview of the Episode

In this high-energy episode of Wake Up to Wealth, host Brandon Brittingham sits down with renowned real estate investor, entrepreneur, and sales authority Steve Trang. The conversation dives deep into the rollercoaster journey of building—and exiting—multiple real estate-related businesses, the psychological hurdles of entrepreneurial identity, and the rapid rise of AI in real estate sales and operations. Listeners gain actionable insights into strategic focus, high-impact sales training, and the critical importance of adapting to technological shifts for long-term wealth and freedom.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Steve Trang’s Real Estate Origin Story and Evolution

• Background: Started as an engineer, inspired by "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" and a dislike for having a boss. Became a realtor in 2007 during the market crash, did foreclosures, short sales, and ran his own brokerage.

  • Quote:
    "I bought properties, they didn't work out. Became a realtor in 07...Eventually started my own brokerage...I need to get good at marketing, because at that point, I wasn’t good at marketing, I wasn’t good at sales, and I wasn’t good at leadership." (03:12 - 04:17)

• Transition to Wholesaling and New Businesses: Unique selling proposition (“your home sold guaranteed or I’ll buy it") led him into wholesaling, flipping, and eventually launching a podcast and multiple related businesses, including a title company and a mortgage joint venture.

  • Quote:
    "Anything and everything, just all these opportunities because we were consistently taking action." (04:23 - 04:50)

Lessons from the 2008 Crash: Leverage and Asset Acquisition

• Cash-Heavy Approach: Due to traumatic experiences seeing others over-leveraged and losing everything, opted to purchase properties in cash for security, even though it limited asset accumulation.
  • Quote:
    "The lessons I took—right, the baggage I got in that time—was own everything free and clear. Because you saw what happened to everyone that didn't." (05:25 - 06:09)

Pivoting to Sales Training: Identifying and Filling a Void

• Discovery Moment: Speaking at Max Maxwell’s event led to overwhelming demand for sales tactics, prompting the creation of a training program.
  • Quote:
    "People tagging me on Instagram, hey, I used this Steve Trang line and it made me money, right? People were asking me...do you have something I can come attend?...Let me figure something out." (07:39 - 09:09)

Game-Changing Sales Objection Techniques

• Positioning and Reframing Offers:

  • “Hey, listen, I don’t make offers. I buy houses...If I make you an offer, I promise you it’s going to be less than what you think.” (11:15 - 12:06)

• Confronting Contradictory Priorities:

  • “Hey, Brandon, it kinda sounds to me like getting more money is more important than actually spending more time with your grandkids right now.”
    (12:19 - 13:44)

• Principle: True persuasion means helping clients make the decision they really want.

  • Quote:
    “They decide to give themselves the haircut...But I could put both in front of you, and you pick.” (13:45 - 13:54)

The Entrepreneur’s Dilemma: Focus, Identity, and Letting Go

• The ‘Burn the Good for the Great’ Struggle: Letting go of profitable but misaligned businesses to focus on greater opportunities.

  • Quote:
    “Probably one of the hardest things any entrepreneur can ever go through...I gotta burn the good to get to the great.” (16:02 - 17:08)

• Breaking Identity Attachment:

  • “To stop buying properties in 24, that was the hardest one...that was the closest, most tied to my identity.” (14:54 - 15:28)

• On Brainspace and Focus:

  • “The actual brain space that it occupies is way more than you can quantify...once I got free from it, I was free in my brain to compartmentalize something else.” (20:38 - 21:40)

• Taking Hard Advice:

  • “The biggest thing I hate as a coach is when someone pays me and they don’t take my advice...and I was that person.” (23:50 - 23:58)

Rapid Evolution: AI in Real Estate Sales

• AI-Powered Tools:

  • Call Review AI: Instantly scores and analyzes sales calls—immediate feedback.
  • Role-Play Bots: Realistic AI seller simulations for reps to practice overcoming objections.
  • AI Lead Manager: AI immediately calls/qualifies leads, schedules appointments, fills after-hours and overflow needs.
  • Quote:
    "We created an AI tool...call review tool. Every single sales appointment, uploaded, AI, scored, reviewed, and analyzed...The other thing...role play bots...the last, AI lead manager, caller." (25:29 - 26:28)

• Competitive Advantage—Efficiency and Cost:

  • "Forget about AI being more productive and more reliable. If nothing else, it's just a reduction in cost." (27:05 - 27:35)
  • “If you’re not in the top 10% as a lead manager within your organization...you’re probably gonna be in trouble.” (31:12 - 31:42)

• The Paradigm Shift in Sales Management:

  • Sales is now “demystified”—AI exposes what happens in every call, boosts accountability, and allows everyone to learn from the best reps.
  • “Sales is like a black box. Leads went in, contracts came out. What happened...we don’t know. And now we do.” (29:37 - 31:01)

• AI Will Disrupt Jobs—Soon:

  • Most inside sales lead managers not in top percentile will be out of work by year’s end. Voice and decisioning are nearly indistinguishable from humans.
  • “I was panicking...AI literally called me 15 times in a row...It has zero call reluctance.” (33:33 - 34:50)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the 2008 Crash’s Impact:
  “Some people getting divorced, some people killing themselves—it was a dark, dark time in real estate.” — Steve Trang (05:04 - 05:25)

• On Sales Mindset:
  “True influence and persuasion...is not forcing them to make a decision, but getting them to make a decision based on the information you presented them.” — Brandon Brittingham (14:20 - 14:33)

• On Identity and Entrepreneurship:
  “It’s the hardest one...man, I’ve got to break my identity. Which is a tough one, right?” — Brandon Brittingham (23:12 - 23:13)

• On Focus and Letting Go:
  “I never accounted for that...When I finally shut that down, not only did I have more time, but I had more clarity and presence. Now I can think about the problems and how I can fulfill our clients even more.” — Steve Trang (18:43 - 19:24)

• On AI vs. Humans in Sales:
  “The computer is like 80% as good as us, but it’s never sick, never fights with their spouse, never goes on vacation...On our best days, we’re monsters. But on our worst days—you know, we might have a milkshake for lunch.” — Steve Trang (33:03 - 33:31)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Steve’s Real Estate Journey: 03:12–04:51
• Lessons From 2008 & Cash-Heavy Strategy: 05:02–06:10
• Shift Into Sales Training: 07:39–09:43
• Top Sales Objection Handlers: 11:03–13:54
• Closing Businesses to Focus: 14:52–20:38
• Entrepreneurial Brainspace and Identity: 20:38–23:13
• AI Tools: Review, Role-play, and Lead Management: 25:29–28:26
• AI’s Coming Impact on Sales Jobs: 31:12–34:51
• How to Connect With Steve & Try the AI Tools: 35:05–36:18
• What “Wake Up to Wealth” Means to Steve: 37:01–37:56

Action Items/How to Connect

• Objection Proof AI (call upload and review): ObjectionProof AI
• Role-play the AI bot: Text "ROLEPLAY" to 33777
• Test the AI Lead Manager: Text "AI caller" to 33777

Final Reflection: What “Wake Up to Wealth” Means (37:01–37:56)

"For me, wealth is very closely tied to freedom...I have obligations that I choose to fulfill. I don’t have any obligations that are required of me that I don’t have a say in...I get to do whatever I want, whenever I want, however I want, with whoever I want." — Steve Trang

Listen to this episode for a powerful blend of real estate wisdom, tactical sales advice, and a look into the AI-powered future of the industry.