Unrelenting Tenacity and Persistence

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Welcome to beyond you'd why podcast, where we go beyond just talking about your why and actually help you discover and then live your why. You see, we believe that knowing your why, that driving force behind every decision you make and every action you take, is the essential first step to really knowing yourself. It allows you to move forward faster and have a bigger impact. If you're already a fan of the show, then you know that every week we talk about one of the nine whys and then we introduce you to somebody with that why so you can see how their why has played out in their life. This show will be more powerful for you if you've already discovered your why. If you still need to do that, head over to whyinstitute.com and discover your why today. It'll only take you about five minutes. Now let's meet today's guest.

Welcome to beyond you'd why Podcast, where we go beyond just talking about your why and actually helping you discover and then live your why. So if you're a regular listener, you know that every week we talk about one of the nine whys and then we bring on somebody with that why so you can see how their why has played out in their life. So today we're going to be talking about the why of trust. If you have this why, then trust means everything to you. You believe that trust is the driving characteristic behind all that you stand for and will work hard to create it. When the relations is based upon trust, the sky is the limit for you.

You will go to great lengths to.

Demonstrate that you are trustworthy and do such thing as become an expert in a given field or with respect to a particular subject so that you can demonstrate your expertise and thereby that you can be trusted. You will look to do things properly and correctly because that is what a trusted person would do. You want others to know that you can be counted on and will go the extra mile to demonstrate that with your actions, words and your deeds. Many people with your why enjoy numbers because numbers don't lie and endeavors such as gardening or sculpting that are predictable. While people with other whys may get annoyed by a validation of their trust to you, it's like a knife in the gut again, the feeling of life or death. Like those individuals whose why is contribute. You have a very noble why and work hard to be known as an individual who can be counted on you, build loyal and lasting relationships and friendships. So today I've got a fascinating guest for you. She has been a realtor since 1979 and a proud native of Albuquerque, Sandy Presley has listed and sold more homes than any other broker in all of New Mexico. Her dedication and commitment have enabled her to help over 12,500 families in buying and selling their homes. Out of the 42 years actively selling real estate, Sandy has been number one, the number one top producer for 35 consecutive years in Albuquerque as well as the entire state of New Mexico. Sandy is consistently ranked in the top 10 of all brokers in North America. For Caldwell Banker, Sandy has produced approximately $2.6 billion in sales in her 41 year career. Her passion for customers and her profession is second to none. Sandy, welcome to the podcast.

Thank you so much for allowing me to do this.

This is going to be fun. I'm excited to hear your story. So for the listeners that don't know you, bring us up to speed. How did you you were born here in Albuquerque. How did you get up to being the number one realtor in New Mexico for so many years in a row?

Great question, Gary. So the way I got where I am is by default. I was actually a musician, came from a family of musicians. My father was a choral teacher at Valley High for 30 years and became a professional opera singer. And my goal was to take over and do what he did, follow in his wonderful footsteps and become a chorus teacher. But I figured out at the wise age of 18 that I wasn't going to find a job teaching chorus. Even back in the 70s they were cutting music out. So I realized I better find another path. I got the desire and I would say I was inspired by the Olympics. It was the one thing that I wanted more than anything and that was to be the best at something. And I knew I was never going to be the best singer or get discovered and you know, hit the charts. So I had an opportunity to be the best at something and I ended up in real estate because I couldn't get a job.

Every sales position I attempted to achieve because I felt I'd be good in sales based on my love of people and my ability to talk, which is my greatest gift. I never could get anyone to hire me. I was too young and I was inexperienced. So after many years of singing in bars and bands and being a little rock star, I short lived realized that rock star career wasn't going to be my path either. So I ended up falling into real estate strictly because I was selling advertising. Realtors were my biggest clients. They talked me into getting into the business. That's how I started. And it was really the desire to Have a field and a path where I could be the best at something.

So when did you actually start? When was your first day as a realtor?

January 10, 1979. I was 21. I just turned 21, got my license and dove into the fire. And an interesting thing is that I had no formal sales training. I was a musician. I had zero clue. I played guitar and sing. That was my gift. And I had no clue about business or sales. And I would say failure was my classroom. Failure became my classroom, as I learned through trial and terror. I had no formal sales training. And where I started, I started in new homes because I had no base and no client base and no knowledge. So I started in new homes and that's how I began my career.

So there are going to be people listening to this that are just getting into business, whether that's a realtor or whatever they're involved with. What advice would you give them or what did you do actually to go to gain that experience, to gain the sales approach that you have. How do you go from sitting in new homes to being number one? And how long did that take you?

So, great question. I would say it came from sheer hard work and unrelenting tenacity. I love the quote from Calvin Coolidge that nothing in the world takes the place of persistence. I lived by that mantra. Talent doesn't command success, genius doesn't command success, tenacity and persistence does. And those were two qualities I very much, very much possessed. And I can tell you right now that how I did it was through tenacity, persistence. And my favorite saying, Gary, is that no means maybe. I never took no as a no. I just. My mantra has always been no means maybe. And I work until I get the yes from the no. So I would say one of the biggest mistakes people make in real estate is lack of follow up and they give up too easily. And if you knew me, you'd know that I never give up. I do not give up. I am like a junkyard dog with a bone. So if you give me the ability and any type of client or opportunity, I am going to work that and work that and work that. I also had a really strong sense of persistence in that if someone told me to call me in six months, I called them in six months. To the day. I lived on a legal pad and note cards and I kept every single person who ever even had a resemblance of interest. And I tracked that person and worked that person and called that person until they would give me an opportunity. So I also learned about building relationships.

One of the greatest gifts people, I think are missing, especially in the technology world that we're in, is the art of building relationships. My husband always says, I could make friends with anyone, anywhere, no matter where I go, and I will make a friend wherever I am. And it's about that. It's, you know, we're really losing the art of relationships and our technology, where everything's email and text and Facebook and Twitter, and I'm all about talking, I'm all about sharing. I'm all about learning about that person. And what people need to know when they're starting in this business is they don't have to have a degree in real estate. You know, I had one year of college, so unlike some of your podcasts that have, you know, an enormous wall of honors and degrees and pedigrees, I have one year of UN and because I realized I couldn't get a job teaching, I went into a field where you don't need to have a formal education. So for those people who don't have a formal education, don't be discouraged, because the sky's the limit. In real estate, you can do as well as you want to do. Everyone has the same 24 hours. Everyone's on a level playing field. It's what you choose to do with them. And it's the tenacity and the persistence and taking a no as a maybe that will turn it around. But one of the greatest things I can offer to people, too, as I did a lot of motivational speaking in my career and don't do it anymore, because people aren't doing anything live. And I don't get into zoom teaching is that I learned about passion. If you don't have passion for what you're doing, you got to do something else. You will never succeed in anything you don't have passion for. And I love real estate. I love everything about it. I love everything about it. Now, are there days that I want to be a barista at Starbucks? Yeah, there's days I want to be a hairdresser. But like any profession, but the most important thing is I have enormous passion for what I'm doing, and I'm very dedicated. So it's your passion, it's your dedication, it's your unrelenting tenacity and persistence that will make you successful.

And so how did you learn to build relationships? What is the key that you learned as far as building relationships?

Gary? What I do is I learn the art of asking questions. I think I learned it as a little Kid, if you ask my dad, God bless him, he would say, oh, if she asks one more question, who put a nickel in you? He used to always say, I've always had an inquisitive mind and I've always been a very inquisitive person. But there's an art to asking questions. If you ask questions in a way that makes people feel like you're nosy or you're meddling or you're delving into a personal part of their life they don't want to share, they're going to close up and they're not going to tell you a thing. It's the art of asking questions. And where that comes from, Gary, is genuine sincerity. If you genuinely care about people, they know it. People are very perceptive, Very, very perceptive. And if they feel like you generally care about the answer, they'll give it to you. If you also ask it in a non confrontational way, you ask it in a loving way. There's this symbol that I call Ford F O R D. What Ford is, is family, occupation, recreation and dreams. And people's very favorite topic is themselves. Nobody that you'll ever meet doesn't enjoy talking about themselves at one point or the other. So first you ask about their family, you find out where they're from, what is their family, what's their story, and then you ask about their occupation, you ask about what they enjoy doing recreationally, and then what are their dreams, what are their goals? What would you do in a perfect world? What would be your perfect home? Where would you live if you could choose, you know, asking questions that are going to get you into a relationship, but doing it in a genuine way. And people know and sense my genuine care and interest in what they have to say.

And how does that relate to building relationships based upon trust?

Well, I think my most important.

Form of trust is doing what you say you're going to do. I think we come from a society where it used to be your word was your bond. You know, you shook a hand with someone and you kept your word. Those days are really very faint right now. People don't do what they say they're going to do. And my trust and my desire when building relationships is to always do what I say I'm going to do, no matter what it costs me. And there's been times in my life where I've had to make huge sacrifices in order to keep my word and in order to do what I, I say I'm going to do. So trust is built through keeping Your word, doing what you say you're going to do, and always doing the right thing. Always taking the high road in all aspects of life. I've always taken the high road.

So I know you, and I see you. I've seen you for many years just observing you. And there'll be people listening to this that'll be saying, well, I'm just too busy to do that kind of stuff. I have too much on my plate to be able to ask those questions and spend that kind of time with somebody. I don't know that there's anybody I've ever met that's busier than you, and you do it. How is that? How are you able to do that? There's times when I've seen you have two phones going at the same time, one in each ear as you're walking into someplace and talking.

Yeah. My husband always says, I have three brains. I've got this great ability that I can be talking to you, and I swear I can listen to the conversation on my phone or the person behind me, and I can understand all three of those conversations. So my brain is designated that I have three working it all the time. I have three brains. They're working at all times, Gary. So you know what I think it's all about, is when it all comes down to it, and you know better than anybody, based on what you're doing for a living, is life is all about relationships, everything. When it all comes down to it, life is all about relationships. And if you don't have time to build relationships, then you don't have time to be successful because of all the people. And I've listened to so many of your wonderful podcasts. When it all comes down to it, it's about relationships. And no matter who you're talking to, it all comes back down to that. They have built their careers, they've built their fortunes, they've built their happiness through relationships. And if you can't take the time to do that, then you need to do something else, like maybe work for the irs.

So, yeah, so if you're, you know, the excuse of I'm too busy doesn't really hold a lot of weight for you.

No, no. It's because if I can do it, they can do it. As I say, one of the things I love about real estate, Gary, is that we all have the same 24 hours. We all are on a level playing field. It's what you choose to do with it. And I think that people create relationships if that's what their desire is. And if the desire is not relationships, they're in the wrong business.

So what is a typical day like for you? Because I know you start early, and you. You've been going long, and you've been doing this for many, many, many years, and I don't know how you have the energy for it, but I would love to know, because you need to bottle that up, what's a typical day like for you?

I do have a big, stuffed pink energizer bunny in my office that I look at on a regular basis because I am truly the Energizer Bunny. So I start my day in prayer. I start my day with devotionals. I think that's something I would love to share with everybody, is there's nothing more important than your mindset when your day begins. And if you open your phone and you get on your social media and you start polluting your brain with all of the demands and tasks, because I wake up to hundreds of messages and hundreds of emails, and if I dive into that first, then I've let it be my taskmaster. You have to control your time. And my time is my greatest asset, as is everybody's. You can't make it. You can't sell it. You can't manufacture it. Time is our greatest gift. And it's one thing that people will abuse if you let them. And I work very hard at starting my day with devotions because, you know, God is the reason I'm doing what I'm doing. God's the reason I can do what I do. He gives me the gifts that I have, and I couldn't do anything without his gifts, that this is all him using me. And I prayed before we did this today, praying that God would use me and speak through me, because he is the foundation of what gives me the energy and the strength to do what I do. So I start my day. I have two devotionals that I read every day, and I start my day in prayer. And I want to tell you something. You'll love this. I have a saying every day that I got from the Coffee Bean from Damon west, and it's that, you know, I say it every day is, lord, go before me and reveal to me what you'd like for me to do today and help me to recognize it when I see it. And ever since listening to that podcast, that's how I start the day. And the other thing I say, every day is today is the day the Lord hath made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it, because really, every day is A gift. And every day has gifts in it. And I find those gifts by starting my day that way. So it's really about focusing your mind and my brain on positive, joyful, happy thoughts. How do you start your day really, really drives the rest of your day. So I dedicate my time to my mindset and to starting with a positive mindset. And another thing I do is about staying positive. Gary, we're all magnets and we give what we get back. Whatever you give out, you get back. You attract whatever you give out. So if you think you're going to have a bad day, you're going to have a bad day. If you think you're going to have a good day, you might not. But it took a lot less energy to think you were going to. And it'll also help you deal with it if you don't. So it's all about your mindset and you have a choice. As my wonderful husband says, you make your own weather. You know, everything is a choice. You have a choice how you're going to deal with things and how you're going to handle your day. So if you start with affirmations, you start. If it's not prayer and devotionals and start with affirmations, read positive things. So your mind starts with positive energy. And don't watch the news.

That's not a good way to start your day. No.

So the reason I'm asking you this and for all the listeners is because there are very few people as productive as Sandy. You know, you said $2.6 billion in homes. That's unheard of. And so how do you. What time were we talking about? When do you get up, do the devotions? First thing out of bed. Devotions. And then what?

So then after, as soon as I'm done setting my mind in the right.

What time is that? What time is that?

8 o'. Clock.

You get up at 8?

Oh, no, I start at 8.

Start your day at 8. Okay.

And after I'm done with that, I try to give anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes to devotion and to setting my mind on a positive path. And then I dive into my most important tasks. I'm a very big note person, so I plan my day the night before. I'm a major night owl and you'll get emails from me at 2 in the morning. I don't get a lot of sleep, I just never have. But I'm very much a night person. So the night before I plan my day and by. And really setting my tasks so that I Stay on task because people will pull you, especially in this business, in a million directions. And I, you know, I often have my fire hat and my fire engine ready to go to put out the fires all day. But I really try to stay on task to focus on the dollar productive activity and to focus on the things that are most important each day. And I try not to let, don't let time become your taskmaster, but try to control your time. So I work very hard at staying focused on my important tasks. I make my top 10 of what I need to get done that.

So the night before you've picked your top 10 for the next day.

Exactly.

And then you just start working those.

That's right. And then every day is new and different in this business. I mean it is never a dull moment and it changes so much. This business has changed so much in the 42 years. It's phenomenal. But the one thing that hasn't changed is that you always have to have time left in your day for the unknowns. So I always make sure that I'm not so tightly booked that I can't handle the surprises and the trials that come up in our business. So I always leave open time. I call it my open time. I leave enough time to handle tasks and handle things that were unexpected. But I work very hard to stay on task with the items that are absolutely the most important.

And so you work. So you do that through the day. And when do you typically stop your day?

Well, okay, so being honest here. Right. Okay. So I stop and spend time to have dinner, enjoy my husband, you know, have some time to unwind. But I literally work until about 2 o' clock in the morning.

And what happens after? What happened? So he goes off to bed and there you go back to for round two.

Exactly.

And what happens during round two? What is your.

It's actually my most productive time because nobody's calling me, nobody's interrupting me. And that's when I do all my follow up. That's when I do my. I do a lot of handwritten notes which I think there's an incredible art to handwritten notes. Who writes handwritten notes anymore? I mean you don't even get wedding invitations in paper that's on email now. You know, everything is an E vite and an e thank you and an E birthday. There's an I have always my whole life. And I give my mom credit for teaching me to write thank you notes. Well, I really believe very strongly in the art of personal notes. When I know someone's Had a death or a loss or a victory. I hand write notes, and that's part of what I do at night. And I always remember people's birthdays and anniversaries and I have a campaign for my clients for those things. But personally, like my good clients that refer a lot of business to me, they get personal notes from me. So I do a lot of note writing at night. And I also review what we call our warm list. You take your prospects that were on the fence about selling or on the fence about buying, and I work them. I carry over every day what I didn't get done or what I need to get done. I carry over through my daytime or through my notes, and that's what I work on at night. And then following up with people that I didn't have time to follow up with during the day that were not code A. I have a code A, a code B and a code C. My code A's get taken care of no matter what. My code B's I hope I can. And my code C's are what I do at night. And those are the people who think they'll buy in six months or think they'll sell in six months. The people who I've gotten a lot of, you know, have built over the years, a lot of relationships with. And I'll follow up with them just to say I'm thinking of them to see if they have anybody that wants to buy or sell a house and just to check in on them, to let them know how, how they're doing through, especially through Covid. I've used this a lot at night to really touch base with people. And I can't tell you how powerful it's been for me to check in with people, care about people, see how they're doing through these times, and just to let them know I care.

I'm sorry. It's mainly working on my follow up. I am the follow up queen. And I think that's one of the biggest things mistakes realtors make. I think I don't know anybody who follows up to the degree that I do. I mean, I follow up. If someone says, call me in a week, I call them in a week. If they say call me in a year, I call them in a year to the day. And I have done that since I started in new home sales. And I have been faithful to it. And it's so powerful. And every day I have a list in my daytime of people that I was supposed to call six months from now. Well, today's the day. So those are the things I do at night. And people do get a kick out of it. They're like, do you sleep? I got an email from you at 2:30 in the morning. Either you're up very early or you never go to bed. But it's impressive to people because they're like, wow, this chick is dedicated. And so it comes from this passion and this dedication. And part of it is that I've worked hard to be the best that I can be at what I do. And I wanted to win the gold. And my whole mentality, even 42 years later, is I really don't want to get the bronze yet. I mean, there'll be a point where I'll be ready to step down and hand the baton to someone else, but for right now, I still want to win the gold. And I have that driven mentality. And I also know that I'm the best for my clients, that there's nobody who can do it better. And I mean that. And I feel it. And I want them to have the best because they deserve the best. And I know that's going to be what I can give them. So my tenacity and my follow through is a huge, huge portion of my success. Huge portion of my success, which is.

Right in line with the why of trust, right? Doing what you say you're going to do and be there for people like you said you would be.

And probably one of the biggest compliments I get from people is that they can trust me, that they, you know, people want to do business with ones that they know like and trust. And who doesn't want someone to have their back? I think never more than now have people wanted to know they have someone who has their back. We've kind of turned into a society of, I call it the me generation. It's me, me, me, me, me. It's all about me. What do I get, what's in it for me? And one of my big focuses, Gary, is it's not about what's in it for me. It's about what can I do for you. And there's an act of service. And I have a very, I have a servant leadership mentality, very much of a servant leadership mentality where I lead through serving and I lead through example. And I serve people. I, I do whatever it takes to help them and to come alongside them, not just to try to make them a commission. And I truly care more about them than my commission. I've never put my commission first. Even when I was struggling and super Poor and barely making my car payment. I still put that client first. And people, as I said earlier, are very perceptive and very intuitive, and they're going to know if you care about them or you care about your commission. It's you can't fool them. And people know that I truly care about them and their outcome.

While we take a moment to give our guest a quick break, I hope you're hearing how important it is to know your why. If you're ready to put an end to your frustration and unlock the code to your personal and business success, then after the show, make sure, sure to head to yinstitute.com and discover your why. Today. It only takes about five minutes. Let's get back to the show.

So things have not always been peaches and roses, right? It's not always been, hey, I'm the best of the best and nothing happens to me because I'm perfect or whatever. I mean, you've just like everybody else, there's these big ups and downs.

Oh, yeah. I am absolutely where I am against all odds.

If we had another hour, I could tell you that, as I say, failure was my classroom and obstacles became my opportunities because against all odds, I am where I am. I won't go into it all on your interview, but I can just tell you that the trials and the tribulations that I've been through in these 42 years is like everyone always tells me, you got to write a book. You should write a book. So just know that, you know, I've been in, I learned what I'm doing. I call it trial by fire. You know, I had no formal training. I had no guidance. I had nobody helping me. I had no sales schools or, you know, I got thrown into it with absolutely no training. But I've been through all kinds of obstacles and all kinds of trials through these 42 years. And believe me, against all odds, I am where I am.

What's the biggest obstacle you're most proud of overcoming?

Boy, I would say.

I would say overcoming. There's a couple of things. First of all, when I became successful, people were very jealous of me and I was very young, so I took a lot of potshots. I had a hard time overcoming the jealousy and the people trying to discredit me in the profession. I went through a lot of struggles with people trying to discredit me and trying to knock me off the top, shall we say? You know, when you're on the top, you're a target. And so being a target, it was hard. It was Hard to overcome the jealousy and the unfair practices that people would try to say about me or spread about me because Albuquerque is a small town in so many ways. And the jealousy was hard to overcome. I've also had health challenges that I've had to overcome. I've been battling skin cancer, and that's been a very difficult thing to overcome through my career that I've had to battle those health challenges. I went through a very, very bitter and difficult divorce through all of this. I've had many challenges in that regard. And then my wonderful husband has had a lot of health challenges that I've been helping him with that have been very difficult to overcome and never ever let that get to me. I've always had the ability to find the good, find the positive, and overcome all of the different challenges that have been put in our path.

Persistence, again.

Nothing is stopping you.

And finding the good in everything. I definitely say that my dad gave me that quality that no matter what happens in life, you have to focus on how blessed you are and how much you have to be thankful for. And it is about gratitudes. That is one of the things I do in my prayer time every morning is I just think of all the gratitudes and to focus on the gratitudes. And although between my health challenges, my husband's health challenges, which have been quite difficult over the last few years, I still manage even though my husband had his toughest year health wise. We had Covid, which was incredibly challenging. I had my best year of my entire career. Last year. I sold 350 homes. I did 106 million during my health challenges, my husband's health challenges, and Covid. So I think that is proving that I can make lemonade out of lemons and I can overcome all obstacles through faith and through sheer determination and just through gratitudes, focusing on all the things I have to be thankful for and not letting the trials get me down.

I love that. So, Sandy, how long are you going to do this? Because you've done it 43 years now, I think you. 43.

42.

42. Oh, yeah. 41 to 4. Okay, 42 years. How many more years of a foot, you know, pedal to the metal does Sandy have in her? And. Well, let's start with that.

Well, you know, that's a very good question.

I guess where I'm at, Gary, is that. But I'm so passionate about what I do. I love what I do and I just can't imagine doing anything else because I love it. And as long as I have the energy And God gives me the ability to do it. I'm just doing it. And I really. I have a plan to. I don't want to be doing this when I'm 80. You know, my desire is to travel and to be able to spend time with my husband and to be able to enjoy all the beautiful things that we have in this world to enjoy. And that is my goal, is to be able to travel and to scale down and to not work like a cuckoo bird. But at the same time, I'm so passionate about what I'm doing, and I'm still so driven, and I still have that crazy drive that until that goes away, I'm going to keep doing it.

Yeah, I don't see you ever stopping, because it's, like, who you are, and it's in your blood. And, you know, why would you stop it? You love it. You're doing. You're doing what you love. So why stop doing what you love to go do something you don't really love.

Exactly. Exactly. And it's who. You know, I always say what I do is not who I am, but it's who I want to be to other people as far as being genuine and trustworthy and caring. And it's about being a person of character and quality and just. I think we're losing so much of the personal aspects of our lives and the interaction and the relationships that I'm probably more passionate now about doing what I do because of the lack of relationships. Nobody talks to each other anymore. Everything is text and email and Facebook, and it's all about being the person who cares, the person who's genuinely interested in the other person as a human being and who cares about people. It's like people are getting to a point where everything's so electronic that they're losing the art of relationships. And so I think I'm more passionate about building and doing what I do now than ever.

Well, I think the last time I saw you at my office, you had still a flip phone.

Oh, that's so funny. So, yeah, isn't that a riot? So I'm hell on wheels on my iPad, by the way.

I am a ninja iPad girl. Yeah. So people laugh at me. And I actually have had three different appointments to get my iPhone, but Covid shuts the stores down each time. Covid shut the stores down. I'm like, okay. But I am on a mission. I promise that by the next time you talk to me, I will have my iPhone.

Okay.

But I have done everything I've done on a flip Phone. It's true. Flip phones, legal pads.

Yeah.

So what's. I know there's got to be your number one and there's always people wanting to knock you off. And so what's happening with the competition and how are you going to be able to fight off the new young guns coming their way? Coming your way?

Well, it's. It's interesting. I've. I've actually. Although I. I keep saying I still want to win the gold, I've actually stopped focusing on that because there are the new guns that are out there and I've really stopped focusing on that. I've really focused more on doing what I do, which is taking better care of my clients, having more knowledge, having more expertise and being able to do things other people can't do. Like, it's interesting, when I get to a closing with someone who had their house listed with somebody else before and it didn't sell, and then they work with me, I'm like, do you see the difference between what I do and what everybody else does? I mean, nobody does it the way that I do it. And so that is going to keep me in my position of success because nobody can do it the way I can do it, and nobody's been able to figure it out the way I have. So all the new fancy smoke and mirrors and technology, it's going to come and there's always the young guns after me. But when it all. When it's all said and done, it's what's tried and true, it's like there's nobody who's going to be able to say they've been number one for 35 years. I mean, most of the people after me are only 35 years old, you know, so, you know, they haven't even been alive as long as I've been selling real estate. So many of those people are flashes in the pan. You know, they'll come and they'll go, but do they have the staying power? Do they have the longevity? And if there are, there is always going to be people after that position and they're always going to be the young guns. But I don't consider it a threat anymore, and I don't worry about it. I focus strictly on doing the best and being the best I can be.

Because you've also had an impact not only on the real estate market itself by the number of homes and the way you sell homes, but you've also had an impact on the real estate market by the people that have trained with you. You know, you're like the coach who. His assistants are now head coaches. And there's people that have learned from you.

I love that. Thank you. Because it used to upset me and make me sad when I would give everybody all my knowledge and all my training and just literally give them the shirt off my back and become their mentor. And then they went, thank you. Now I'm going to go compete with you. And that used to upset me, and it used to really bother me. But guess what? I changed my mindset. I changed my mindset quickly, and I realized, hey, guess what? If I'm making better realtors, if I'm helping to create people to have a good life, then that's what it's about. It's about inspiring people. It's about making other people's lives better. And that's what I do in my profession, and that's what I do for my clients, is to make their life better. And that's what I've done for a lot of people. So I look at it now as a blessing that I've been able to create people to be better realtors and I'd be able to create up the level of professionalism and also help them have good lives. And I feel really great that I was able to help them have a good life.

And what does that feel like to hear the number 2.6 billion?

It's interesting. I actually didn't even know that number until I did a speaking engagement, and the owner of my company came up with that number, and I went, wow, how about that? I didn't even know that number until a few months ago. So it's kind of surreal, shall I say? Because I've never thought of it like that. I'm kind of like that person in the relay race, Gary, where I don't ever look back at where the baton is. I just keep going forward. I know I do. Very opposite of what other coaches tell you to do, where they're like, track your goals, keep track of your production, stay on track. I don't do that. I don't even know what my production is until the end of the year. I know I'm doing well. I can feel that I'm doing well. But I'm the opposite of most people in the sense that my goal is just to be the best I can be. And I know I can't work any harder than I'm working, so I'm going to do what I do by being the best I can be. And I don't stop to focus on my numbers and crunch my numbers and see how I'm doing, because I feel like it's looking at the baton behind me in the relay race, as soon as you turn behind and look at where the baton is, you drop it. So I just focus strictly on full steam ahead, and I literally don't even know what my production is until towards the end of the year.

Wow. Well, it's a different way to do it.

I know.

So, Sandy, if there's people listening that want to get ahold of you, whether that's to sell their home or have you come speak or learn from you, what's the best way for people to get a hold of you?

So my cell phone is with me pretty much 24 hours a day. And that's 50598.

Again, that's.

982, 999. Yeah.

That's probably the only way to get a hold of you because that's it.

You just call me and I will pick up.

It's awesome to hear your story. You know, obviously I've known you for a long time, but I never really knew your story like you're telling it today. I didn't know the ups and downs. I didn't know a lot of it. And the hard work and the way you, the way you think is just awesome. It's different, but it's worked and it's been proven and it continues to work. And it'd probably work for anybody who follows the same thing.

And I like to encourage people with the fact that, you know, I started out, you know, we lived in a 900 square foot house with two bedrooms, five people and one bathroom. And, you know, I grew up with very modest means and I learned a strong work ethic. I've had a job since I was 10. And I think the work ethic has so much to do with it because we're kind of in a society where people don't want to work that hard anymore. The new generation just does not really understand that. And I, you know, I was sad growing up that we didn't have money, but it was a blessing because growing up in a very modest means created an incredible work ethic. Do you remember Casino de Carlos?

Of course.

Remember that? I was a bus girl at 10 years old. And the reason I could work there is because I could walk there. I lived down the street and I was tall and they didn't know how old I was and everyone cared, so I worked there. And until I worked my way up to the very illustrious role of waitress at age 12, and then worked at Heidi's Pies and I worked my way up just by sheer hard work. And, and that's what I want to encourage people that are listening is that you don't have to have pedigrees and 10, 10, you know, fancy schools that you went to. I not to take anything away from all those people because God bless them and I admire them. But I'm a person who came from very, very, very humble beginnings and it really was my sheer passion, hard work, dedication and tenacity that got me where I was. It wasn't schools or degrees. And I just want to encourage people because so many of your podcasts are these amazingly brilliant scholars that there are many, many avenues, such as real estate, where you can become a great success without all of that.

I love that. And you know, you're bringing up a really important point because people think their life needs to be comfortable. They need to make everything perfect for their kids. Their kids have to have every possible.

Gift or every possible chance. But maybe that's not necessarily where our next group of leaders are going to come from. The cushioned and the ones that have been given everything, but the ones who had to work for everything.

And I think through your amazing Y Institute and the phenomenal people you've interviewed. Gary, wouldn't you say that that so many of the people that are hugely successful did it through growing up in impoverished ways and in very modest incomes where they had to work and if I wanted something, I had to work for it, period. No matter how young I was, we just didn't have the money. And I'm grateful for that. When I was growing up, I thought woe is me. But little did I know what a blessing it was going to be. And my parents did the very best they could and they worked their tails off, but they were schoolteachers with three girls. Yikes. And the hard thing is that people don't realize is that when you give, it's like teaching people to be the fishers of men. I always say if you give everyone everything they need, how are they ever going to learn to be self sufficient and successful? So I just think it's important that people make their kids realize the art of work and the art if you want something, work for it. And I think we're losing that mentality.

You know.

I have found it fascinating to look at different generations recently and we have five generations in the workforce and the new generation, the Gen Z, I have found them to be very hard working. I have some that work for me and they do an incredible job and they are very disciplined and hard working and it gives me hope for the next generations, the generations to come. Not every generation is that way. So I hear exactly what you're saying. But I think you might be surprised how strong and hard working and motivated and ready some of the people in that generation are, or a lot of them, actually.

Yeah. And I've got some working for me, too, and it's very encouraging. Yeah, very. Well.

Listen, Sandy, I know we're probably over our time, but I am so glad to finally get to have you on the the podcast. I know you and I are going to be in touch for many, many years. And just thank you so much for being here and sharing your story.

Well, it was a privilege and thank you for asking me, Gary.

Awesome. Have a great day.

You too.

While we take a moment to give our guest a quick break, I hope you're hearing how important it is to know your why. If you're ready to put an end to your frustration and unlock the code to your personal and business success, then after the show, make sure to head to why institute.com and discover your why.

Today.

It only takes about five minutes. Let's get back to the show.

Okay, so it's time for our new segment. And this is called guess your why or guess the why. And this is for let's guess the why of famous people that we all know. And so today we are going to talk about the why of Oprah Winfrey. What do you think Oprah's why is? You've seen her on tv. You've seen all the success she's had. You've seen all the interviews and the great guests. You've also seen her struggles. You know about her life. You know that she had some childhood problems with a family member. So based on your knowledge of Oprah, what do you think her why is? Well, let me tell you what I think her why is. I think that Oprah's why is the why of our guest, which is trust, to create relationships based upon trust. And the reason I believe that is because of her childhood. Some often people with the why of trust had challenges in their childhood where somebody important to them broke their trust, somebody that they trusted broke their trust, whether that's a parent, a sibling, a family member. And that's what happened to Oprah, if you remember. I think she was molested by a family member when she was very young and lived with that her whole life. And she learned the value of trust and relationships. And her show is about trust and relationship. She's a visionary. She's learned to trust herself. She's somebody that's a big picture person. She helps people figure things out. But ultimately it's about being able to trust yourself and trust those around you. So that is what I believe. I'd love to hear what you believe. And if any of you out there know Oprah, connect her with me so we can find out what her why is. So thank you for listening. If you have not yet discovered your why, you can do that@why institute.com use the code podcast50 and you'll get it for half price. If you love the beyond, you'd why Podcast. Please don't forget to subscribe below and leave us a review and rating on whatever platform you're using to listen to our podcast that really helps spread the word. Have a great week.

I really hope you enjoyed today's episode and that through today's guest, you heard how important it is to know your why and how impactful it can be in your life and the lives of those around you. Be sure to head over to whyinstitute.com and discover your why today. Remember, the more you know about yourself, the more you'll know about others. I'm Dr. Gary Sanchez and I'll see you on the next episode.