LeadingLane Podcast

Steven L. Burch (00:00)
All right. Welcome back to the leading lane podcast. This is a random one because we couldn't figure out a topic. So I'm just throwing Ashley on the spot. My, my question for you, Ashley, do you think a fish realizes it's in water?

Ashley (00:09)
Love it. ⁓

Yeah.

Steven L. Burch (00:22)
Okay, we're gonna have to go back to the... We're gonna have to make sure we go back and get your facial expressions on there. All right, so the question is, do you think that fish realize it's in water? The answer is they're the last to discover they're in the water because that's all they know. And so...

Ashley (00:23)
not what I thought we were going, but okay.

That's what I was thinking of

like when my fish jumped out of the fish tank it was going to die.

Steven L. Burch (00:48)
Yeah, they, I mean, they thought there was gonna be water. They didn't know, right? There's gonna be something else. Well, so what I did is I pulled up like my favorite quotes and just random things that I've seen over the years. And I thought this was really interesting. I remember typing this out and like, like I thought it was the most bizarre thing. But in reality, it's so true because there's people that are, you know, always stuck in this constant rut, if you will, or

They have this same bullshit story that they continuously tell themselves like they don't realize that they're in the water, right? Like they don't know anything different. They don't know anything different other than the victim mentality or whatever it may be. And I think that's where, you know, I keep on calling us the disruptors. Like we have to help those people and you know, that's kind of the goal is to be able to push them through.

and have them see from a different perspective and realize that, yo, you're over here drowning and you're creating this chaos yourself. So don't be a fish. Okay, my next one, it's not a question though. So I just wanna see what your opinion is. Urgency versus important. What's the difference between urgency and important?

Ashley (02:10)
I think that people mis-instrued them often. What is that saying? It's like, something about like your lack of preparation doesn't constitute an emergency on my part. I think there's something like that. ⁓ So like, important is not necessarily urgent. So important, I think is just something that...

Steven L. Burch (02:22)
Yep.

Ashley (02:35)
needs to be addressed, everyone is aware of, where like urgency is like if this doesn't happen in the next 30 minutes, something bad is going to happen.

Steven L. Burch (02:44)
Yeah. I think I wrote when I did a training with my team on this, like important is knowing where the bathroom is. Urgent is you're about to piss your pants. Like you can find that bathroom right now. Like there's a difference, right? Like, and I think the other thing here too is like, it's understanding that you may think it's urgent and you want it right now, but that may not be perceived or received on the other side as the same.

Like we all prioritize things completely different and it's how we interpret whatever the task or whatever is being brought to us. And so I think that that clearly goes back to making sure that you have clear communication of if this is something truly important to you and urgent and there's timelines and deadlines.

you need to articulate those and you have to be able to put that to the other person so they know where you are at and they can meet you where you're at if they have to adjust those timelines accordingly.

Ashley (03:45)
I think like just finding out like what, because all sellers are different, right? Like and buyers, some buyers, some sellers, like don't bother me unless you think I need to know about it. Or other ones want to know everything all the time, right? So think like it's also a matter of just having those conversations with your clients of like, you want me to touch base with you, even if there was no showings for a week, do you want me to touch base with you every two weeks just after showings, right? Like figuring that out. And I had to figure that out the hard way because

Remember a transaction where she had said, like, I don't want to hear from you unless there's a showing in. This was the market when houses would sit for a year or two. Right. And so I hadn't talked to her for probably like three months, but it was also like a 700,000 dollar house, which also super unlikely back in the day. And then she told someone she hadn't heard from me at all. And then I called her and I was like. I thought you told me not to bother you until we had a showing. she said, well, you could still let me know that there's not a showing. And I was like, well, I mean, I.

Obviously, you know that there's not one, but I think that it means I should just give you an update as far as like any traction online, any views online, any other feedback. mean, like we're in this for the long haul. So just know like weekly ones. And if you really want that, she's like, no, no, no, I don't want you calling. So I think, right, like it's just a matter of maybe someone thought that their expectation might be that. But then when it came to reality, they're like, maybe I don't like that. So maybe even just rechecking back in.

Steven L. Burch (05:09)
And I think there too is like, there's a level of your own expectation, right? Like I may not want those weekly emails or whatever else, but from my side as the agent, I never want the seller to question like what's going on. And so I try to make sure, like I do make sure that like we have the NLD program, the national listing distribution program, right?

I put my sellers on a weekly email, very simple, and it automatically goes out. It looks like it's branded to me that I put this together. And really what it does is I think that that's part of, even though they say, oh no, I don't want it, sometimes you just need to continue on with whatever your service is and what you provide and be consistent with it and not allow others to be able to dictate or have you try to remember when you're supposed to be reaching out to them. So systems for sure.

Let's see what's the next one. Committed versus non-committed agent. I think we kind of talked about it before, but it's kind one of my favorites. What's the difference between committed versus non-committed?

Ashley (06:22)
I think people like to put that toward a part-time versus a full-time, which I don't think is true. I think that you can have someone that is full-time, not committed, and someone that is part-time committed and vice versa. So to me, committed is putting in the time and effort, showing up, ⁓ right? Like doing the trainings, going to the places to meet people.

doing all of the things that you should be doing where the non-committed is you never see them, you never hear from them, they're not doing anything to better themselves, they're not taking any CEs, any additional designations. ⁓ You might not hear from them in months or weeks or see them. So I think for me, committed is the people that are actually like showing up and investing in themselves.

Steven L. Burch (07:12)
Totally agree. You can have somebody that's full time, that clocks in at seven in the morning, clocks out seven at night, and does jack shit during the day. They're not committed, they're just here to clock in and clock out. So I think that it's all about ⁓ what somebody's willing to invest.

And I think that goes into the investment. You either have time or you have money. In my opinion, you do not have both, right? Like it's very rare that somebody has time and money. So if you have all the money in the world, that means that now you can invest monetarily into something to be able to help you buy back your time or starting out committed with no money. So what you have to be able to invest is your time to be able to then make that money in the future. So definitely.

fun little things I've written out over here.

Ashley (08:02)
think that's too,

especially with new agents, right? Like we talk about it, but everyone's looking for the shiny object that fixes everything when in all reality, it's literally the time that you invest into your business.

Steven L. Burch (08:17)
And I think too, sometimes it's people overcomplicate it and have it so elaborate and so wild and like this huge, to me it's not like that. it's get down to the basic kiss it, right? Keep it simple, stupid. And really the things that make you successful in business are the things that are not sexy in business. Like it's not the sexy stuff that.

you get to go and do all the time, the fun stuff all the time, and that's how the business thrives. It's the stuff that you have to be committed to and have consistency and it's not fun. They're not fun tasks, but you gotta do them. Let's see what the next one is that I have on here.

Luck favors the prepared.

I think my opinion of this has changed over the years too.

Ashley (09:16)
That's a tough one luck favors the prepared I Think I can see how that happens over time because I Feel like over time when you're prepared you end up being in the right places at the right time is that luck I'm not sure right, but I think that when you're prepared for the Unusual

the out of the blue, the random phone calls that you're not expecting. I think it happens sometimes because of luck. It's just a matter of the right place, the right time, or the right person. But if you were unprepared, you might not be as lucky because you wouldn't be able to handle it or you're not prepared to answer those questions. So think that they kind of work together.

Steven L. Burch (10:07)
You know, I think that that's you know, when I first heard that, was like, I like that. Just because it like, you know, I get what it's saying. Like to me, like it comes to you, Lucky, but like.

I'm not hoping and praying things come to me. Like I'm not hoping and praying that, ⁓ you know, all of a sudden it's going to all fall in my lap. You are the designer of your own world. And if it is something that you want, you have the ability to create it. It's your life. So luck is something I don't feel that you can create. So therefore I feel that prepared is something that you can create because that is the natural something you can contribute to. So I don't think that necessarily my opinion of it is the same anymore because

I think that opportunities come to those who are prepared. Luck doesn't just fall in their lap because they are prepared. They create those opportunities as they are prepared. So definitely has changed over the years of what I once thought it was versus where it is now. What are some?

Ashley (10:58)
Thank

that that's also right. People

say like, ⁓ like, she's so lucky or he's so lucky, which I'm not a fan when people say that because I don't think that people understand the years of preparedness, the years of work that you put in to get the quote unquote luck when now it's just really your hard work is reaping its reward.

Steven L. Burch (11:26)
Absolutely. I had a thought. It flew away. I don't know where it was. Like at all. Okay. Anyhow. So what are some of the, I know you have some very catchy phrases and different quotes and such that you have and you may not have them right there, but what are some of the ones off the top that you constantly relate back to?

Ashley (11:31)
Bye.

I think one that we've used for a very long time is be the change that you want to see in the world. I think that that probably gets harder.

I don't know if it's the times or my age, ⁓ but I think that overall we probably live in a little bit of a narcissistic, negative-ish world. I think it's easy for people to fall into that trap. And I think that I just try to really think more so of maybe somebody just needed that smile today. Maybe somebody just needed that re...

connection or just the simple, how are you? Because a lot of people don't ask that even anymore. They just assume you're okay. So I think it is just like if you could have an effect on people, like what would that be? And I would hope that you would choose to be kind. I don't know if we talked about it in one of our podcasts, but it's kind of like the, I don't know, it's like Dateline, they like set up where like somebody falls and then or like there's a blind person that's trying to cross the crosswalk and like

no one helps them and like that is always mind-boggling to me because I always feel like, which I think Ben probably like hates, like I'm always the one that like I see a car like on the side of the road I'm like, oh my god we should stop. You know or like there's an animal or like I think I've told this story about like our friends like dog is missing and like we have to help them you know and I always try to relay it back to like if that was me and my dog was missing or if that was me and I was stuck on the side of the road and no one I don't have any help I would hope that somebody would help.

Steven L. Burch (13:11)
You

And that is how Ashley dies. The stranger on the side of the highway.

Ashley (13:32)
But also, now I've been

watching that stupid shit about like, right? People like play this thing about like needing help on the side of the road and all as it is a scam to like kidnap you. So now I feel like I might not be as likely to help people, which isn't necessarily good.

Steven L. Burch (13:51)
Maybe not,

maybe don't do it alone.

Ashley (13:54)
That's a good idea. It was even funny. We were golfing a couple of weeks ago and of all people that need help, there's like a sheriff pulled over to the side of the road with his hood up. And then I was like, we should probably stop. And I think like, I don't know, like radiator fluid or something. So he's like, there's nothing you could do to help me, but I appreciate you stopping, you know, I mean, I would hope that someone would stop.

Steven L. Burch (14:16)
I mean, there's not a lot of that nice genuine.

just wanting to help people, at least I don't see it very often. And I think right now is the time, it's almost, it's crazy because I feel like over the year or two years that we've done this podcast now, we always say like, you know, do better, help others, et cetera, et cetera. And we continuously say like the world is crazy right now. And I feel like the world continues to get crazier and crazier. It's almost like a reality TV show that like this really can't be real. This is happening.

Ashley (14:43)
Thank you.

Steven L. Burch (14:52)
where we're living in that reality TV show. So be the spark in somebody else's day that they need.

Ashley (14:56)
mean, it's

as simple as like holding the door open for someone. Like, I'm, I, that happened like the other day and I was, I was shocked because it doesn't really happen that often. And I was like, thank you. And I think too, like, it's just so easy to just give someone a compliment about, I mean, like their shirt, their earrings, something that's so simple, could just change the trajectory of someone's day. So I guess that's why I've always, that was like a back in college thing that we like had shirts.

or graduated that said be the change you want to see in the world and it stuck with me for a long time.

Steven L. Burch (15:30)
I it. You know, it's really funny because in between our recording of the two episodes here, Ryan handed me a card. I was like, why did he hand me this? And then I didn't read it all yet, but I will. And I just looked at the name and it's Caitlin Hall. And I was like, how do I know that name? Like my brain is not working today. And then as I'm sitting here and I think that's where my like thought and flew away. Cause I was like, Caitlin.

So it's even simple things like a handwritten little card thinking of you, right? Like it's so freaking simple that how big of an impact that they maybe that's something that somebody needed that day and.

And I think it's great to be able to just ⁓ slow down a little bit. I continuously say I need to do better and do emails and messages, but the handwritten cards, like, that's unheard of anymore. I think that that's a huge impact on something so small.

Ashley (16:26)
Mm-hmm. Yeah, I think,

you know, the other one is just, it's just really...

you know, just honestly just like how can you help someone it's not necessarily nice but like I always tell people that if somebody could just like lend a hand like follow me this way or I always think about it, know, right, I feel like high school maybe wasn't the best for me and I'd love to go back today only as the person that I am today. But you think about like the people that like sat at lunch tables by themselves, right. And I think we've talked about this now like when I

and somewhere and like you'll see someone that has like sat down by themselves. I don't know what it is for me, but there's like this immediate like need to be like, hey, like we got room over here. Like let's make this circle bigger. You know, just those simple, simple things. I just don't think people think about enough. And maybe it's just because I've had enough experience of being on the other side of how that feels that I think that people could just literally just try to help someone else that looks like they're out of.

out of touch or they're not fitting in with the group. And, you know, I know that girls are mean. I mean, let's be honest, right? And like they don't like it when there's like an odd number, which I remember this happened to me like 10 years ago, this group of stuff. Like she'd get mad if there was like a group of three of us because one person should be left out. And I was like, my God, like I can't like, right? Like all those things are beyond me. So just those things of like realizing how simple it is to just include other people. It's simple. Just

ask them if they want to join, ask them if they want to sit down, ask them how their day has been. I mean, you know, you always look at, too, like when you go to these conferences and, you know, people try to like group themselves together and then you'll see this like table where there's like two people left or like someone's walking around by themselves, like just, you know, here we have an open spot over here, like don't know who you are, but like there's no good spot. So just trying to figure out ways to, I don't know, brighten someone else's day.

Steven L. Burch (18:27)
I mean, you see the people, same people all the time. Like that's something with my team. I always try to encourage them to go sit with other people. You got a conference, like go mingle. Like we see each other all the time. This is the time to go make an impact and broaden your reach to everybody else. think it's challenging yourself to step out of that comfort zone that may be so normal for you. So, love it. Love our little random pop-up.

conversation that we didn't know what we were going to talk about. So thank you for going with it because I had no idea what the topic was going to be. All right. Thank you guys for tuning in and make sure you listen next time.

Ashley (19:03)
Yeah, it was great.