Close The Deal Podcast with Mike Cuevas

 Founder - Referral Sweet

In the podcast episode, Ewell Smith interviews Mike Cuevas, a 20-year veteran in the real estate business, focusing on personal branding and its significance in building a successful career. Mike emphasizes the importance of personal relationships and how crucial it is to be liked on a personal level before achieving professional success. He shares his strategy of taking clients to mutual spots for meals to build trust and likability, rather than immediately seeking a signed listing agreement. Mike's early career in real estate involved personal branding and establishing trust with clients, which led to his initial success despite his young age and inexperience.

Mike attributes his success to his hustle and understanding of the importance of staying top-of-mind with his contacts. He recounts a pivotal moment early in his career when he realized his best friend forgot he was a realtor, prompting him to focus on never being forgotten. This led him to read extensively and adopt strategies to constantly remind people of his profession. Mike stresses that everyone has a database of relationships, whether they realize it or not, and the key to success is engaging with this database consistently. He advises new real estate agents to focus on building and maintaining their database, as their network is their most valuable asset.

Mike also discusses the significance of client events in building his database and personal brand. He shares how he hosted events that created multiple marketing opportunities, allowing him to stay relevant and visible in his clients' minds. These events were not just about the immediate interactions but were designed to gather valuable contact information and expand his network. Mike highlights that having a large, engaged database is more important than having a vast number of contacts. He believes that most people already have a valuable network, but they fail to leverage it effectively.

The conversation shifts to the importance of attention and personal branding in the real estate industry. Mike points out that the most successful agents are not necessarily smarter or better but have more attention on their brand. He emphasizes that building a personal brand is essential and cannot be taken away, even with the advent of AI and other technological changes. Mike warns against relying solely on platforms like TikTok or Zillow, as these are rented spaces and can change or disappear. Instead, he advocates for building a brand that is recession-proof and enduring