Category: Carrot News

  • Real Estate Website Design Ideas | How to Structure Your Site for Marketing Success

    Real Estate Website Design Ideas | How to Structure Your Site for Marketing Success

    Real Estate Website Design Ideas | How to Structure Your Site for Online Marketing Success

    What’s up y’all?

    So you’re a real estate investor. You’re a wholesaler. You’re a flipper. You might be doing some cold calling, direct mail, but you’re going, “I need to get leads online now.”

    Well, you might not know how to do that, or what you put on the website, what do you say, how do you structure it so it actually performs well for you and you stop losing leads and deals. How can you finally get consistency?

    Well, we will show in this series how to do that, from start to finish. How to make your website finally perform for you, grow momentum, and get you more deals. So, let’s dive right in.

    My name is Trevor Mauch. I’m the CEO of Carrot, where we help thousands of real estate investors, and agents generate hundreds of thousands of motivated seller leads online every single year.

    There are a couple of things I want to go over first because we have a lot of misconceptions about online marketing when it comes to building your website.

    Do You Need a Website?

    The first one is, do you even need a website to be a real estate investor? Do you need a website as a wholesaler? Do you need a website as a flipper? As a land investor, do you need a website?

    I’m going to say right now the answer is no, you don’t need a website to do deals.

    Now, we have many clients who do deals before they make it over to Carrot. And you can do deals. You can drive for dollars. You can cold call. You can do all kinds of things and get deals.

    The question is…

    How many leads and deals are you losing because you don’t have a website or what we call an authority hub, as we’ll teach you in this series?

    Carrot Authority Hub

    Imagine you put out the direct mail piece. You send your nice, pretty fancy postcard or the letter out to 5,000 addresses.

    They get it in their mailbox, and they pick it up. What do they do next?

    Well, the very first thing that a lot of people do in this age of credibility, in this age of, honestly, mistrust, where people are skeptical, they pick it up, and they want to Google you to figure out if you’re legit.

    They’re going to Google your phone number. They’re going to your company name. They will Google anything identifiable to find you and see if your service is real.

    Same thing with cold calling. Same thing with text message marketing. Same thing with radio and TV advertising. All offline marketing drives online demand.

    So if you’re doing offline marketing, you can close deals without it.

    But I can guarantee you that you’re losing deals because you don’t have a website or the right structured website to win those deals, win those leads, and grow that credibility.

    All offline marketing creates online demand. Your website can actually help you get a higher ROI from all of your offline marketing.

    Quick story: Carter Steph, is one of the largest home buyers in America, the largest home buyer in Oklahoma City. And he does a lot of radio and TV advertising. He had a pretty website. It was a custom-developed WordPress website.

    Carter’s Website Before Carrot

    He was getting some leads through it, but after he switched over to what we’re going to teach you in this series, he showed that he was losing about $20,000 monthly in lost deals because his website was not structured correctly.

    Carter’s Carrot Website

    “Since switching to Carrot… the leads are converting to purchases at a MUCH higher level.”

    “We couldn’t be happier with the site so far…What we have seen is a DRAMATIC increase in web leads.  Since switching to Carrot, the leads we are getting are converting to purchases at a MUCH higher level.  

    Things have been moving so fast that we haven’t had the opportunity to accurately determine the lead-to-purchase ratio, but I would estimate it is in the 25 to 35% range, which means the leads we are getting are significantly better than our historical average.

    Thanks for everything, and we are now looking at expansion because of the success we have had in such a short time.” – Carter Steph, 18002sellhomes.com


    So, do you need a website? No, you don’t, but you are losing leads and deals every single month if you don’t have a website or have the right website structure.

    I want to ask you this question before we dive into the five real estate website design ideas

    How much is your business losing each year because either you don’t have a website or you have an underperforming one?

    As we go through this series, I want it to be interactive. I want you to write down things.

    I want you to write down what’s your average profit per deal. In many markets, let’s say it’s $20,000. It might be $10,000 in your market, or let’s say it’s $30,000 in your market. Write down your average profit per deal.

    Keep that in mind throughout the entire series as you build the website to operate correctly and perform correctly because you want to prevent yourself from losing any of those deals. If your average profit deal is $20,000, how do you now prevent losing a $20,000 deal this year?

    How many of those leads and deals are you okay with losing from an underperforming website?

    We’re going to help you win back those deals and put that money in your pocket rather than in your competitor’s pocket.

    Real Estate Website Design Ideas

    We’re going to dive into those five points right now to ensure that you go from just a website to a high-performing website or no website to winning back more deals with the right website as a real estate investor.

    Point #1

    The first point is your website has to be structured the right way, or what we call a tech stack.

    This is all the geeky technical stuff.

    Can you use a Wix website or something built on Fivver to really get real performance? Or do you need to have something that’s built for performance rather than prettiness?

    We’ve got an entire video that walks you through performance, not prettiness, to win back more deals and structure your website correctly.

    Wholesaling Websites: Carrot vs. Wix vs. WordPress, Etc. | Real Estate Sites for Agents & Investors

    Point #2

    The second thing that we need to do is move from no website to the right website or the wrong website to a high-performing website. Honestly, I want to ensure it’s optimized to rank well on Google. One thing that we’ve been talking about for years and years and years is what we call Evergreen marketing.

    Evergreen Marketing

    Evergreen marketing is getting in front of the flow of your most motivated prospects.

    I was on a call yesterday with one of the biggest home buyers in Baltimore, CR of Maryland. They were reporting their numbers from this past year, their number one, highest profitable, most profitable marketing metric, and they’re a multiple seven-figure a year business.

    Their number one, most profitable marketing method was SEO.

    They spent about $20,000 in SEO in that year, and they brought in $700,000 in gross profits with that one channel. By far the highest, most profitable deal.

    So that’s why we need to ensure that our websites today are not just online. They don’t just look pretty, but they actually have an amazing chance to rank really, really well on Google.

    Go check it out in the series when you’re ready. It walks you through the four main points you need to focus on when setting up your website correctly for SEO.

    Now, am I qualified to talk about that? Well, if you guys were to Google, “Sell my house fast,” or “We buy houses,” or “Cash home buyers,” in any city in the country or any motivated house seller phrase, you’re likely going to find somewhere between three and eight Carrot sites controlling page one in Google in almost every city in the country.

    Carrot member websites top 3 rankings

    The number one lead generation source of the 400,000 plus leads that come into our system every single year with our clients is search engine optimization. So, we know a thing or two about this topic.

    Point #3

    The third thing that we need to focus on is once someone comes to that website, its structure is credibility. We need to build credibility massively and insanely quickly right now in this market. It’s a cluttered market. It’s a busy market. We need to build credibility.

    Check out that video on how to build credibility, start to finish, and win more deals to pre-frame the person who wants to work with you versus your competition.

    What's Your Credibility Score? Ranking Your Real Estate Website

    Point #4

    Now, number four. Number four is that once they’re there, we now need to make sure that we’re converting them into a lead.

    This is the thing that we really pioneered in this industry. And you’ll see a lot of people in the market have emulated what Carrot pioneered, and we’re going to continue to stay ahead of that game is we change the industry from just getting a website online to making it perform and convert.

    We run what’s called split tests each and every month with dozens of websites that test little elements like the size of a button or the placement of something. Or we test something, “Is this going to work better on mobile or not?”

    And it goes back to if you lose one lead every single month, and the average number of leads it takes to close a deal in SEO is about 10 to 15, which means you lost 10 to 12 leads that year. And if you lost one deal and it’s a $20,000 deal, you could be losing $20,000 or more every single year at minimum, just because the website isn’t optimized for conversion as well as it could be.

    So we’ve got an entire video to show you exactly what you need to do to put on your website to make it convert your visitors into leads at the highest rate possible.

    Ingredients For Crazy High Converting Real Estate Lead Forms

    Point #5

    Number five. This is one of the most important things that we need to focus on as real estate investors when we’re setting up our website or what we call an authority hub is when you’re doing it, just work with your cousin Eddie, who can set up a website for a couple of hundred bucks, that’s not going to cut it.

    Once again, how many leads and deals are we okay with losing every single year from an underperforming website?

    We must focus on working with people or a team that has done this before in this specific market.

    We’ve worked with agencies that have been really, really good at generating leads for plumbers or attorneys, but then they move into the investor market, and they struggle because it’s a completely different dynamic.

    It’s a high-margin service business. Motivated sellers and buyers search for different types of things than other types of prospects do.

    So, number five is we need to make sure that we’re focusing on working with people or a tool that is specifically focused on generating motivated seller and/or buyer leads for investors specifically, for you specifically as a wholesaler, a flipper of land, or houses.

    Conclusion

    All right, guys, let me run through those five real estate website design ideas really quickly again.

    1. Number one, we’ve got to make sure we nail the tech stack and the website’s structure. Check out the video on that.
    2. Number two, we have to be ranking well in Google today to win the highest, most motivated prospects. And so you show up high when people Google search your name so that you can win more deals from your offline marketing.
    3. Number three is we’ve got to build credibility the right way on that website, to stand out from your competitors so you can win more of those leads and do deals.
    4. Number four, we’ve got to structure the elements of the website to convert at a high rate, especially on a mobile device. We’ll show you how to do that in that video.
    5. And number five, work with someone who specifically does this for you, for investors, as we do here at Carrot.

    So those are the five main chunks, the five main things that we need to do to set up a website, to make it perform the right way, and to stop losing leads and deals from an underperforming website.

    Now, there are a lot of things you can do and that you should be doing in between those as well. While you’re going through that journey, you’re going to have to pick and choose where you are going to go to get the website set up.

    You can use a system like Wix or WordPress or go hire a custom web developer. They all have pros and cons. In some of them, you will make big trade-offs between speed and performance, or you might lose leads, but this will be cheaper for you.

    We work with many of the top investors in the entire country, and we work with a lot of newer investors as well. And we’d love to work with you if it’s a fit.

    The thing that I’m most passionate about here at Carrot, and it’s actually our stated mission in the business, is to help you build a business of freedom and impact. And we’ve done that with so many of our clients.

    We really think that our tool, Carrot as software, our training, our support, and the ecosystem we put you into, just like with thousands of other successful clients of ours, is the right tool to help you get there.

    But guys, don’t take our word for it. One of the biggest things I want you to do is go out there, do your research, and find information online.

    Take a demo of Carrot today!

    Also, we’ve got an amazing set of videos that can walk you through many of the most successful clients and their stories, that probably are pretty darn parallel to yours as well.

    So, do your research!

  • EP 330: Tom Ferry on Where the Market Might Be Heading + Growing your Team & Expanding Your Mindset

    EP 330: Tom Ferry on Where the Market Might Be Heading + Growing your Team & Expanding Your Mindset


    About this episode:

    Enjoy this exclusive interview from Carrot Summit 2022. We had a chance to sit down with Tom and find out his outlook on the real estate market for 2022 and beyond, learn what roles to hire if you’re an agent looking to grow your team, and how to a crazy strong create a sense of urgency and motivation.

    Get access to all the recordings from Carrot Summit 2022 for only $199 before they go away on April 7th at Carrot.com/Summit

    0:00 – Teaser Intro

    02:19 – Tom’s real estate story

    07:36 – How to prioritize your top ideas to move the needle

    11:08 – Tom on the first hires to make to grow your team- personal assistant, operations, and a marketing manager

    19:55 – 2021’s 9% increase in RE transactions and where the market is headed in 2022

    25:00 – The highest-converting traffic for motivated sellers from across all Carrot sites

    27:00 – Tom’s chilling and heartwarming story of his 10 yr old that sparked a deep motivation

    Mentioned in this Episode: 


  • The Carrot Summit Is Back for 2022! Tom Ferry, Pace Morby, David Greene, and more!

    The Carrot Summit Is Back for 2022! Tom Ferry, Pace Morby, David Greene, and more!

    Carrot Summit 2022 is Back!

    The Biggest Virtual Gathering Of Real Estate’s Most Influential Investors And Agents.

    The real estate market is insane right now… Investors are up against a saturated wholesaling industry, iBuyers & tighter regulations. Agents are feeling burnt out from bidding wars and defending commissions.

    We’re all looking to get more seller leads, but we want is some of our sanity back.

    This year’s sessions & guests were specifically crafted to transform your marketing, recharge your mindset, and dial in your systems & process. No matter where the market heads, we will give you the best shot at standing out & succeeding… and ultimately building a business of true freedom & impact. The question is – will you be there?

    Get surrounded by people who can teach you everything you need to know in order to achieve the freedom you want and the financial predictability your business needs.

    The only question is… ARE YOU READY?


    Carrot Summit 2022 Is The Free LIVE 2 Day Virtual Event For The World’s Top Performing Real Estate Investors and Agents. Sign Up To Save Your Seat!


    Learn From 30+ of The Best Real Estate Minds in The Nation

    Want to learn Pace Morby’s creative finance skills to buy any house and how agents and investors can prepare and adapt to anything in 2022 with BiggerPockets, David Greene?

    Or how about how Anthony Beckham and Josh Culler have used tactical video marketing strategies to generate seller leads, build buyer trust, and stand out in their mark

    Or the exact negotiation skills John Martinez and Beau Hollis use to close more deals?

    Or how to fix your agent seller pipeline and build a brand with Krista Mashore who has been in the top 1 % of realtors nationwide for 20 years. She is also the author of four best-selling books focusing on digital marketing and has been named Yahoo Finance’s number 1 digital marketer to watch in 2021!

    Those are just a few of the things you’re going to learn at this year’s Market Leader’s Summit!

    You’re going to be learning from the likes of 6-figure investors and agents like Mike Hambright, Tyler Ford, Cris Chico, Krystal & Dedric Polite, and many more.

    You’re going to learn the exact strategies they’ve used to grow their businesses and learn the strategies they’re planning to use for 2022.

    If you want to grow your real estate business, then you need to attend this summit.

    After all, if you could spend two days learning from some of the nation’s top real estate minds for a ridiculously low price (not even close to $1,000), you’d be crazy not to take that offer.


    Free LIVE Online Summit with 30+ Top Real Estate Minds on March 30th-31st. Sign up to Save Your Seat.
    Learn More and Save Your Seat


    The best part is, this summit is totally online, so no need to buy plane tickets or fly cross-state. All you need is a comfy couch, a computer, and a willingness to learn. ;-)

    Here’s What People Said About Other Summits…

    Here are some of the things people said after experiencing last year’s summit.

    “I was able to watch most of the Market Leader Summit. It was my first introduction to Carrot and to investing beyond my little world of Ft Lauderdale. Let me say it was an eye opening event. The accumulation of talent, ideas and successful people was unlike anything I have experienced before. And I would say that the flow of the conference went well and Trevor is an incredible host.”

    – Jeff Dixon / Ft. Lauderdale, FL

    “I just attended your 2-day carrot marketing summit and have been watching all the videos on how to improve SEO, let me tell you that we got 4 deals into contract this week, 2 of which are SEO.”

    – Erin Pennington / Marketing Manager / Laurel Buys Houses

    See the Full List of Speakers

    This Mind-Blowing Agenda Will Change How You Do Business…

    Our goal is for you to walk away from this 2-day summit with a new empowering, perspective on how you can grow a sustainable business for yourself and your family.

    In fact, our mission here at Carrot (and we’re extremely passionate about this) is to help people like you reclaim time in life for the things that matter most… spending time with family, time on hobbies, time doing what you really love.

    And that’s where creating a financially predictable business that makes you money every single month comes in.

    At this year’s Market Leader Summit, you’re going to learn…

    That’s why we’re bringing you the topics & speakers that matter most to help you:

    • Advance your marketing skills to stand out and attract more sellers…
    • Learn the industry-defining expert strategies to Safeguard your business for any direction the market heads…
    • Experience world-class training led by industry leaders to dial in your systems, strategies, and mindset to build a business of freedom and impact.
    • Meet and connect with like-minded industry experts and leaders, in our diverse networking events.
    • And tons more!

    The best part is, you’re going to learn those things from people who’ve been there, done that — people who’ve been through the trenches and really know what it’s like to create a successful, sustainable business.

    So… are you ready to build the business of your entrepreneurial dreams?

    Are you ready?

    Is your business ready?

  • EP 326: The State of The Industry: What’s Working to Generate Motivated Seller Leads w/ Mike Hambright

    EP 326: The State of The Industry: What’s Working to Generate Motivated Seller Leads w/ Mike Hambright


    About this episode:

    Marketing is ever-evolving. And as entrepreneurs, we want to know where to get the best ROI on our marketing dollars (and our time). That’s where Mike comes in. Not only is he a veteran real estate investing entrepreneur that has rehabbed and wholesaled ~400 houses, and has built a rental portfolio consisting of single-family properties and an ownership stake in over $35M of

    multi-family investments, he’s also one heck of a marketer. He’s currently a sought-after advisor to over 100 of America’s top real estate investors. He’s here to share with us how marketing is evolving and what’s working exceptionally well to get more motivated seller leads.

    Catch Mike live on Carrot Summit 2022, March 30-31 at CarrotSummit.com

    Mentioned in this Episode: 

    Check out InvestorMachine for better lists & data: https://www.theinvestormachine.com/carrot 

    Work with Mike & learn from other investors at Investorfuel.com/carrot

    Mike on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mikehambrightre

    Mike’s FlipNerd Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/flipnerd


  • EP 322: 50 Rentals. 15X Net Worth. 1 Year w/ 28 y.o. Marco Padilla, Agent/Investor

    EP 322: 50 Rentals. 15X Net Worth. 1 Year w/ 28 y.o. Marco Padilla, Agent/Investor


    In this CarrotCast podcast, we’re covering:

    How does a guy go from grinding 60 hours a week to 15 hours a week? How do you go from losing over $100k in 2019 to acquiring 49 rentals in 2021?

    Marco Padilla, investor/agent from South Beach, will tell you. He built a wholesaling business that resulted in his “money on fire” as he describes it.

    Fast forward to today, he runs his business with all VA’s, is a travel junkie, and most importantly, has found a way to focus on what gives him the most energy.

    This is one heck of a comeback story. Listen in.

    Mentioned in this Episode: 


  • EP 320: The “Beer Box Condo” Deal w/ Keith Sant

    EP 320: The “Beer Box Condo” Deal w/ Keith Sant


    In this episode of Behind the Deal we’re covering:

    • How Keith nearly doubled his ROI by wholesaling a hoarder condo
    • How to retain quality contractors for your flip
    • Wholesaling a storage unit, and more!

    Join us live every other Thursday at Carrot.com/deal!

    Mentioned in this Episode: 

    EP 296: The “Top-Dollar Teardown” Deal w/ Keith Sant | Behind the Deal

    EP 282: The “Contractor Bailed on Me” Deal w/ Keith Sant | Behind the Deal

    EP 97: How to Gain Influence Through Generosity w/ The Go-Giver, Bob Burg


  • EP 314: How to Take Your Wholesaling Operation National (and virtual!) w/ Cris Chico

    EP 314: How to Take Your Wholesaling Operation National (and virtual!) w/ Cris Chico

    You need a baseline of education and more repetition. I can give you training, but nothing takes the place of the actual doing of it. 

    – Cris Chico

    How to Take Your Wholesaling Operation National (and virtual!) w/ Cris Chico

    Read the Full Show Notes Below…


    Cris is an OG. He’s the godfather of virtual wholesaling and has been doing deals in outside markets for almost 20 years. Without the luxuries of Google Street View, specialty mailing lists, or even a CRM, Cris has been able to innovate, teach, and change the way deals get done.

    Here’s how Cris has used a nationwide strategy to create the most opportunity. 

    Why Take Wholesaling National?

    There are many reasons why wholesales should take their business to a national market. Today, deals can be done anywhere. You don’t necessarily have to live in the same market as the house you are wholesaling. Expanding to a nationwide market will also help you expand the volume of leads you are bringing in the door.

    Your cost per lead will go down, and you will have more opportunities to see deals, connect with people, and learn the business. When you are only getting a lead every few days, you’ll feel a lot of pressure to perform. But when several leads are coming in per day, you have more freedom to test sales tactics and gain valuable experience. 

    Tactics of National Wholesaling

    Throughout his career, Cris has been a master of innovation in this industry. He was using public data to insert people’s names and property addresses onto direct mail before anyone else.

    He had a system of taking messages before CRMs were a thing. As digital marketing evolved, Cris dove into the world of Facebook advertising. First targeting people by zip code, and then expanding his reach to be nationwide. 

    When utilizing digital marketing to reach a national audience, here are a few tips Cris recommends… 

    • Aim to get $10k on average per assignment.As you get better, aim for $15k. Of course this will vary by market. 
    • Utilize a detailed form to ensure the respondent is legitimately interested in selling. 
    • Always make a loose offer on the first call. This will help you gauge the sellers flexibility on the price. 
    • When a lead comes in, quickly look on Zillow to ensure it is viable. 
    • Offer additional benefits that aid in relieving pain points – ie allow them to stay in the house for two weeks after the closing. 
    • Use professional paperwork and contracts. 
    • Request pictures of the property with the agreement and be specific as to how the pics should be taken. 
    • Utilize Propelio or similar program to find buyers in the property’s market
    • Start with Facebook ads, then move on to Google
    • The creative is the most important part of your ad
    • Don’t get too personal, insinuating that Facebook or your company knows too much about a person. For example, don’t say, “Are you in foreclosure?” Instead mention that you buy houses in foreclosure. 
    • Don’t yell at people. 

    Our Affiliate Program

    Did you know that we are cutting upwards of $70k in affiliate checks each month? Cris Chico is typically at the top of this list. You can sign up to become an affiliate — it’s EASY + FREE!

    Start earning by sharing your affiliate link with your customers, prospects, and on your website. Once you’ve made $50 in sales and we’ve received your W-9, we’ll cut you a check each month! Learn more at Carrot.com/affiliate

    Cris Chico

    Chico’s virtual wholesaling method is the engine that powers the FlipAnywhere Academy training program, a revolutionary system being used by students to create countless millions in markets all across the USA.

    When he’s not helping people create the financial freedom they’ve always wanted, Chico spends his free time with his family in Florida.

    Follow Our Guest: 

    Mentioned in This Episode:

    We want to hear your thoughts on the podcast! Drop them in the comments section below or hit us up on Facebook or Instagram!

  • Get Laser-Focused Results in 2022 Using Carrot’s Annual Planning Process

    Get Laser-Focused Results in 2022 Using Carrot’s Annual Planning Process

    In order to make your goals a reality, you need the right mindset. Heading into 2022 I want to help you have your best year yet so that means getting into gear now – it’s time to walk you through how to gain momentum in the New Year and focus on what matters most by making some adjustments for success.

    Keep reading this post if you fall into one of these…

    • Keep chasing the next goal or achievement but find it never brings lasting joy or fulfillment… and you know there’s got to be more to life
    • You’ve already achieved your “someday goals” you set years ago… but still not as happy and fulfilled as you thought you’d be
    • OR… you feel like you’re working your butt off but not getting closer to your ultimate goals (or your goals keep shifting) 
    • Every year you have the same goals you set, then re-set… and have thought “Maybe I should aim lower” or “Maybe it’s just too hard for me”
    • You want a better system for setting and achieving goals that sets you up for success in the new year
    • You dip into “Entrepreneurs Funk” but don’t know how to get out
    • You’ve been grinding for months (maybe years) and things just don’t seem to be breaking through for you… 
    • Start each day feeling overwhelmed at everything you have to do and the little time you have to do it
    • You keep hitting up against a wall and can’t crack through to reach your
      Vision for “success” and are getting discouraged…
    • You want to find ways to create more happiness and joy in life and business

    Before you dive into this post … here is your chance to WATCH the replay “Make 2022 Your Best Year Yet!

    My Process For 2022 Planning to Achieve Laser-Focused Results

    My 5 biggest learnings/mindset shifts of 2021

    • Gap vs. Gain
    • The Work IS The Reward
    • Don’t run from the problem, grow into the solution
    • Creating Magical Moments / Life Resume (thanks Jesse!)
    • Thinking In Longer Time Horizons

    3 Key Resources In Our Lives (and how to protect them in 2022)
    Planning An Epic 2022

    • My NEW for 2022 Personal Planning Template + My 1 Page Business Plan (Watch the replay for in-depth information)
    • The G.R.O.W. model to transform your planning

    Part 1 – My 5 biggest learnings and mindset shifts of 2021

    1) The Gap vs. The Gain

    “When you’re in the gap, despite growing success… happiness and security will never be yours because the GAP mindset eventually stops growth altogether”

    The Gap vs. The Gain

    Most people, especially highly ambitious people, are unhappy because of how they measure their progress. We all have an “ideal,” a moving target that is always out of reach. When we measure ourselves against that ideal, we’re in “the GAP.” However, when we measure ourselves against our previous selves, we’re in “the GAIN.”

    2 things are needed to create a healthy gap… 

    1. A clear vision for where you’d love to go
    2. Clarity on where you are now

    The GAP and the GAIN concept was developed by legendary entrepreneur coach Dan Sullivan and is based on his work with tens of thousands of successful entrepreneurs. Dan’s coaching clients periodically took stock of their accomplishments both personally and professionally, they are often shocked at how much they actually achieved. They weren’t able to appreciate their progress because no matter how much they were getting done, they were usually measuring themselves against their ideals or goals.

    In his book, “The Gap and The Gain: The High Achievers’ Guide to Happiness, Confidence, and Success“, you learn that measuring your current self vs. your former self has enormous psychological benefits. That’s really the key to this deceptively simple yet multi-layered concept that will have you feeling good, feeling grateful, and feeling like you are making progress even when times are tough. Which will in turn bolster your motivation, confidence, and future success.

    If you’re finding that happiness eludes you no matter how much you’ve achieved, then learning this easy mindset shift will set you on a life-changing path to greater fulfillment and success.


    2) The Work IS The Reward

    Life is work. But not just life… really living life.

    Growth is work. Change is work.

    Anything worth having or doing takes work. And it takes lots of it.

    Simply existing takes little work. It carries with it a meaningless and miserable feeling.

    If you’re not willing to work, then you’re either lost in illusion, you’re lazy, or you just don’t get it.

    Joy and fulfillment come from action. Neither exists without it.

    Get to work!


    3) Don’t Run From The Problem, Grow Into The Solution

    The reason you may not have the business of your dreams today is that you’re not capable of running it right now.

    The “Rule of 3 and 10”

    “Everything breaks at multiples of 3 and powers of 10”

    • Decision making
    • Marketing
    • Sales
    • Benefits
    • How you schedule meetings
    • Business systems
    • Accounting
    • Payroll
    • Infrastructure
    • Leadership structure

    4) Create More Magical Moments

    “Perfect moments more often make time stretch out and the years become more fruitful. Time slows down, senses arouse, everything in those moments is just right. These moments are what make life sweet. Busyness makes having perfect moments hard. Examples, a shared glance, letters to loved ones, phone calls, walks in the park, fabulous meals, and intimate conversations.”

    Let’s show this visually…

    This is human life in 90 years:

    A 90-Year Human Life in Years

    And, a 90-Year Life in Months:

    90 year human life in months

    And, in weeks. How are you going to choose to spend your time?

    How are you going to spend your time?

    … Are you using your time wisely?


    5) Think In Longer Time Horizons

    How Much Of Your Schedule Reflects 6+ Month Out Strategy/Vision Time?


    Watch the Replay – Planning An Epic Year: Make 2022 Your Best Year Yet!

    My 3 Promises To You: 
    1) Gain insight into the biggest mindset shifts I made in 2021
    2) Get full access to our updated planning templates
    3) Craft a CLEAR 2022 strategic plan from start to finish…


    Part 2 – Key Resources + Creating Your Plan

    3 Key Resources In Our Lives

    The common mistakes we often make

    • We seek “new”, can then look to start new things / innovate outside of the primary business that got us where we are
    • Continually optimize for $ metrics, but rarely optimize for energy, freedom, or impact… which causes burn out
    • We think “I’m a starter, I don’t like running things” (which may be true) and think the best way out of this job we don’t like anymore is by creating a new one (vs. reinventing our existing one)
    • We think too short-term to keep the business operating in the day to day, but rarely pull up to think long-term
    • We aren’t clear on our vision… so we run out of runway

    Starting Your Personal Plan For 2022

    Before you begin… grab My Free Annual Personal Planning Template

    About every 4-6 months I hit a wall… I’ll often find myself thinking stuff like…

    Next, start thinking about this “how do I define success?” Is it a career that exceeds expectations, lots of money, or bigger toys? Or, is it an abundance of family time, getting into shape and health, or relaxing and enjoying life?

    There are five essential elements to include in your planning to be a complete success. You can certainly be successful in one or more areas, but strive to have high scores on all six to be a complete success. Try this little test…

    Take This Quick Test of the 7 “F’s”. Write Down a Score of 1 – 5 (5 Being You’re Crushing It)

    Fitness ____

    Family ____

    Friends ____

    Financial ____

    Faith ____

    Fun ____

    Learning ____

    So how do these seven F’s play into becoming a complete success? As we set goals and strive for success in our lives, our goals should fit into one or more of these areas.

    Having goals that will better each of these areas of your life. They will enrich your entire life and help you to achieve the success you desire.

    The next obstacle you need to hurdle is how you view urgency.

    Starting Your Business Goals For 2022

    Everything you “focus” on in 2022 takes your mental energy and physical time. 

    If you start and stop and spread yourself around… 

    Now, Since We Only Have One Go Around… … are you using your time wisely while you have it? 

    Before you can plan 2022… you have to have a clear vision for what you’re building and why.

    Paint an exciting and clear picture… 3 Year Vision Template

    Now let’s set goals for 2022

    GR: Setting Key Annual Goals

    O: What are the best Options to hit the goals?

    W: What Will You Do In 2022? Creating Your Macro Plan

    W: List Out Your Quarterly Initiatives

    My “Planning Stack”

    • Each Year… review your 3+ year vision. Are you on track? Still clear? Still exciting? What’s important for the next year? 
    • Each Quarter… review your annual plan and create your plan for the quarter
    • Each Month… review your quarterly objectives and goals/scorecards for your monthly plan
    • Each Week… review your monthly plan, scorecards, and craft your “top 5 commitments”
    • Each Day… review your top 5 weekly commits and craft your focus for the day

    In recap… 

    • Focus on buying back your time while the energy and health is still there
    • Don’t fall into the “if I hit this goal then I’ll [insert desire]” trap… the work IS THE REWARD.
    • Think on longer time horizons and get clarity on your vision 3 years out
    • Create “gaps” personally and in business but measure yourself on your progress / gain (this creates fulfillment and joy) 
    • Create magical moments more often and more intently, they extend the life in the years we live

    Watch the Annual Planning REPLAY: Make 2022 Your Best Year Yet!

  • Carrot Recap 2021: Highlights From The Year!

    Carrot Recap 2021: Highlights From The Year!

    2021 Carrot Review

    Here’s to you Carrot members! You had an amazing year. Here’s a brief recap reel of some of the stories and things that happened in 2021.

    It was another fantastic year for our Carrot members and another year of growth for our team and company.

    Let’s recap some of the cool stuff in this quick post!

    2021 Carrot Review

    A Year of Giving and Inspiring

    It was another year of giving… when all said and done…

    • We made donations in 38 team members names for a total of $16,500.
    • The shareholders chose a few causes to donate to as well for a total of $10k
    • We donated to food banks across the country 10 times for a total of $55,428.86
    • Our team also went out in December and between just over 50 people each handed out $100 for the giving challenge – to things that were important to each individual employee – with things like over tipping waiters,  buying coffee for everyone in line,  buying toys for needy kids,  helping elderly people, helping recently widowed mothers, etc was about $5300+.
    • We also hosted a toy drive here at Carrot HQ and from our community here in Roseburg collected over 130 toys for Toys for Tots.

    The CarrotCast Podcast continues to inspire our audience. Our sales negotiation series was the most popular this year! Catch all four episodes:

    Part 1: How to Deliver a No-brainer Offer & Close More Sales, Faster w/ John Martinez

    Part 2: How to Eliminate Competition by Negotiating With Sellers as a Hybrid Agent/Investor w/ Steve Trang

    Part 3: 9 Magic Negotiation Phrases Guaranteed to Turn Sellers into Your BFFs w/ Creative Finance Junky, Pace Morby

    Part 4: Closing 20 Deals a Month Using 1 Simple Conversation Recipe w/ Beau Hollis & Adam Johnson

    Our team grew by 22 this year as we continue to innovate and be leaders in our industry as well as in our communities.

    We’re Honored Again – Carrot On the Inc. 5000 List for the 4th Straight Year!

    This year we were placed at the 2,509th fastest-growing company in the nation according to the Inc. 5000 list. Again, major kudos to the Carrot team and our members. We wouldn’t be here without an amazing product, team, and amazing members.

    … and more!

    Here we go!


    Hundreds of Thousands of Leads … You’re Crushing It!

    Carrot members crushed lead generation.

    You’re pulling in more SEO, paid, and social media online leads as a collective group than any other real estate investor and agent lead generation platform… by far.

    Keep crushing it!

    Here are some states based on site types…

    Seller Sites

    • 11.1M Sessions, 199K leads

    Buyer Sites

    • 2.6M sessions, 102K leads

    Agent Sites

    • 1.6M sessions, 13K leads

    All Other Site Types

    • 2.9M sessions, 146K leads

    Other interesting stats…

    • 33.3M pageviews across our network
    • ~32% of all sessions came from organic search
    • Mobile accounted for 53.4% of all sessions, steep increase from years past (mobile first is way to go)
    • Mobile conversion rate is 28% higher than for desktop (could be a function of site types and traffic sources)
    • 60.1% of all conversions occurred on mobile compared to 37.3% for desktop and 2% for tablet
    • Paid search saw a big year of growth on our network (sessions up 6.9% and conversion rate up 16.6%)
    • Total organic traffic up 8%

    Major NEW Features Launched in 2021

    We launched many NEW Features for our members.

    Core Value of ours is “Adapt, Evolve, & Always Improve“… and both our members and Carrot continue to push this value. In addition to the features we released in 2021, we helped our members spend more time focusing on their business.

    Here is a look back on some of the features our AMAZING team rolled out in 2021 (but not limited to)…

    • Improved member site speed by up to 50% through our Core Web Vitals optimizations.
    • Added more data and insights to the SEO Keyword Rank Tracking tool to make member sites even more competitive in Google Search.
    • Offered members the all-new ability to purchase more SEO Keyword Packs.
    • Launched an enhanced version of our Visual Editor including new + improved content generation along with a friendlier and more powerful Lead Form creation toolkit.
    • Created and enhanced site templates: Agent Seller, Motivated Seller and Hybrid.
    • Enhanced our IDX feature with a more polished site appearance, advanced map search and made it FREE for Advanced Marketers (minus pass-through fees).
    • Added the Onboarding Checklist to our Motivated Seller site to get members up and going (and producing leads) faster.
    New SEO Keyword Rank Tracking Tool
    Enhanced Visual Editor

    Getting Ahead of Google’s Core Web Vitals Update – We Made Carrot Websites 69.8% Faster Than Custom Websites on Mobile

    Core Web Vitals was introduced to Google’s search ranking algorithm. Google partially introduced the update in June and by the end of August, it played a full role in Google’s ranking mix.

    Our Dev team worked extremely hard to exceed this Google update. Here’s the data behind Carrot sites vs custom WordPress websites…

    [Data] Carrot Sites Now 69.8% Faster than Custom WordPress Websites

    Design

    Carrot members have seen many design elements scattered around their websites. Changes that make it easier to navigate checklists, read reports, and track leads. Shouting out just some of the amazing work the Design team created in 2021!!


    Our Amazing Success and Support Teams

    The Success team made a positive impact on many lives in 2021 by fielding 425 onboarding and strategy calls. These calls help our members succeed with inbound and outbound marketing.

    The Support team also turned in an amazing year.

    Here are some support stats:

    • Total Conversations: 36993
    • Total CSAT: 96%
    • Response time via Live Chat: 2 minutes 9 seconds
    • Response time via Email Support: 59 minutes 22 seconds

      Premium Support Call Numbers
    • Calls scheduled: 1049
    • Impromptu calls: 107
    • Total calls executed: 507
    • Average phone CSAT: 4.89/5

    These two teams always align with our core value: “Craft Amazing Experiences” for our members!


    Excellent Net Promoter Score

    How do you know if you’re providing value and happiness to your members? How do you know if you’re failing? By using “Net Promoter Score”. It’s basically a question that asks how likely you are to recommend Carrot to a friend or colleague.

    how to calculate NPS

    With thousands of responses in 2021, the majority scored us 8-10… leaving us with an impressive NPS of 54%.

    To put that into perspective

    Image Source: Medium

    NPS Scores range from -100 to 100. They vary based on industry and anything above 50 is considered as “Excellent”.

    The Support team’s vision is “Putting customers at the heart of everything we do.

    We’ll continue to go all out in 2022 to help make our members successful, excited, and happy… the way people expect companies to serve them in the future after they experience service the “Carrot Way”.


    Hundreds of “Doses Of Awesomeness” From Our Members

    Hearing amazing stories never gets old! We’re in business to change lives. So much that we have a dedicated #Awesomeness Slack channel.

    Here are just a few examples of notes we get each and every day… not counting the hundreds that happen that we never hear about!


    We Added 1,246 YouTube Subscribers and Accumulated Over 21.3K in Watch time hours!

    2021 Youtube Totals:

    Views:                          220,443
    Likes vs dislikes:         97.4%
    Watch time:                 21,360 hours
    Shares:                        2.093
    Impressions:                1,323,213
    New subscribers:        1,246        
    Videos published:       129

    Our favorite videos of the year…

    The Story of Carrot.com | About Us

    1 Zip Code, 30 Days, 200 Leads | How to Optimize Your Digital Marketing for Maximum Conversions

    $40k Profit Per Deal | The Power of Inbound Marketing w/ Beau Hollis | A Carrot Success Story

    Two Carrot Team Retreats + Growing Our Team…

    Carrot Team First Retreat 2016…

    Carrot Team 2016

    Carrot Team Retreat 2021!

    Carrot Team Summer 2021

    The Carrot team grew by 22 this year as we continue to innovate and be the leader in our industry. Our winter retreat again took virtually but we meet up for the summer retreat in beautiful Hood River, Oregon.

    Retreats are a great way to pull back, celebrate wins, and deep dive into high-level planning for the future.


    CarrotCamp (Spring and Fall 2021)

    Since its inception in 2017, CarrotCamp has been a success for our members. It’s not just a workshop or seminar, nor is it a retreat.

    CarrotCamp is designed to be more like an immersive experience. We deep dive into the campers’ world. We allocate time to unplug and get out of the office and into nature. It’s also time to work with the Carrot team to get massive things done to uplevel business. All the while building relationships with other high-level real estate entrepreneurs that will hopefully last a lifetime.

    Thank you again 2021 CarrotCampers!

    Spring 2021
    Fall 2021

    Be on the lookout for CarrotCamp 2022 Editions. Kicking off May 2022. Learn more about CarrotCamp.


    We Lost One of Our Own…

    Sadly, the Carrot team and the world lost a great person. Adrian Nez passed away in the fall. He is missed by many…

    Headshot of Adrian Nez

    We’re Grateful To Have You On This Journey With Us

    How Was Your Year? 

    How was your 2021? Let us know below in the comments section. The amazing, the fair, and the awful :-)

    Also… want to fire up your 2022 and get momentum building?

    These resources are the most shared and commented we’ve ever made. They can change your life…

    Thank you for all you do and for inspiring us every day to do great things.

    Chat with you in 2022!