Uncovering Your Edge

This is real life in real time , sharing real experiences of industry professionals to help both new and seasoned agents achieve their goals and realize their maximum potential .

Allentate Realtors is a proud partner of Howard Hanna Real Estate Services , the largest independent , family-owned real estate company in the country , With more than 13,000 sales associates and staff members across the combined companies . You'll have the opportunity to hear from the absolute best in the business . Hear from the absolute best in the business .

Join me each episode as we unpack the reality behind what it takes to make it in this great business . I'm going to say good morning . It is Friday , January 10th . Now . This is the day we're recording an exciting podcast with a guest that I have been looking forward to and , most importantly , I've gotten to know him pretty well in the last 48 hours .

So first thing I'm going to do is I am going to welcome Steve Woodruff to Reality Podcast . Steve , good morning .

Where would you like me ?

And you , at the end of our kind of pre-conversation , I said what do you want the title to be ? And I love it . So today , our topic , our title , is going to be Uncovering your Edge , and I love it Uncovering your edge and I love it Uncovering your edge .

But I think it's important for our listeners to know a little bit about 1971 , 81 , 91 , down to 225 . I still struggle saying 2025 , by the way . And then we're going to dig deep into Steve's philosophy on what it takes to uncover our edge . What is that edge and how do I leverage that edge to greater success personally and professionally in 2025 ?

Let's start with real estate license , 1971 .

But as I got older I realized how smart he was and so graduated from high school , went to Michigan State University , graduated in 68 , got my diploma in one hand , my draft notice in the other . He immediately went to work for my uncle . Uncle Sam spent 14 months in Vietnam , came back , got married and started to look for a real job . Well , that was 1971 .

Job market was saturated . I sent out maybe 28 , 29 resumes . Everybody said love your credentials , we're not hiring . So I saw an ad in the paper that said real estate career . I had never thought about a real estate career . It was the last thing on my list .

But I sat down with a guy named Stanton Elsie who was the owner of Real Estate One , and this guy ate , slept and excreted real estate . I mean , he was excited about it and he got me excited about it . So I went home and told my wife . I said I'm going to get in the real estate business and she was the type of person who always supported me .

She said God bless you , I know you can do it . So I got in the business in the first two years . Hey , gary , I was a total failure . I mean , they were learning years , they were rough years , they were ugly years .

And I was just about ready to get out of the business and my manager pulled me aside and he brought me into his office and he said Steve , I'm going to have to let you go . I said what ? His name was Clark Archibald . We called him Archie for short . He said I got to let you go , steve . I said why ? He said you're no agent .

I said what do you mean , arch ? He said what do you mean Arch ? He said well , you're personal , you're a nice guy , you're smart , you've got great people skills , but you're not doing the things that need to be done . You're no agent . I said well , what do you mean ? He said well , I'm going to let you go .

I said well , would you give me a second chance ? And he said pause for a moment . He said okay , under one condition that you do exactly what I tell you to do with no questions asked . And I thought for a moment . I said what the heck ?

Okay , he said okay , go back to your desk , grab a couple of business cards , get your coat and follow me out to the back door . So I got my coat , got the business cards , followed him back to the back door and he said , okay , follow me . And I said where are we going ? He said don't ask me any questions . So we went in the parking lot .

He said get in the car , got in the car , drove about five minutes . He found a subdivision and stopped at the corner . He said okay , get out of the car . I said what he said get out of the car . I said what's going on ? He said there's three or four FISBOs in this area here . I said okay , here I am out here .

So I found the first for saleway owner , took a deep breath , walked up to the front door and , lo and behold , right over the doorbell , gary was . This sign says no agents . And I said , oh my lord , is this going to be a great day or not ? So I took a deep breath , rang doorbell and the guy opened the door . He said who are you ?

And I said hey , I'm Steve Wooder from Real Estate One . He said can't you read the sign that says no agents ? I said , sir , from my manager's perspective , I'm the closest thing to a no agent you'll ever find .

And at that day I had an epiphany , and what I mean epiphany was an aha , and I realized that if I got in front of someone , I needed to know what to say and how to say it and how to engage people and start to open that relationship . So I went back to the office and Art sat me down .

He said , said , steve , I think you got potential , and the reason being is you . You did what I said , you were going to do what I asked you to do , so you'll follow direction . So he gave me a coach . He gave me a mentor , gary .

Her name was Ann , she was one of the in our organization and Ann accepted me as someone to coach under one condition , and that is that when I was in front of people with her , that I keep my mouth shut and just be a dummy and just listen and observe . So in one week we went on five listing appointments .

I shadow her for five listing appointments and the first listing appointment was a revelation for me . I mean , it totally shifted my perspective . We went out to the seller's house and before we got out of the car , she said okay , steve , this is where the lesson begins .

I said okay , and she said why , when we go in and sit down with these sellers tonight , what's our goal ? What's our purpose ? Why are we here ? I said well , it's to get the listings to sell ourselves . They get hired . She said wrong , wrong , wrong . I said well , I'm confused . She said , yes , you are . Let me share with you why we're here .

She said , yes , you are . Let me share with you why we're here . We're here to help these people make good decisions . Because what I found , steve , is the only reason why a homeowner doesn't get where they want to go , if they're serious , is they don't make good decisions .

So our whole objective today , when we go in and sit down with these folks , is to open a relationship , listen to them , ask questions , find out what's going on in their life and help them make good decisions .

And hey , gary , prior to that , I was told to go in and sell Fact benefit tie down , you know , clothes three times and often , maybe , use the concrete . Clothes sit there like a bag of concrete . So this was a total shift in the way of approaching people .

And as we went in on that first interview , I watched her and it was so interesting because the relationship she built she didn't talk about herself , she got to get the other people talking about them . You know , you can use that old acronym Ford , family occupation , regulation dreams .

So she really got in their heart , got in their head and found out what they were looking for . You know , dr Covey says , before you can be understood , you first must understand . So she really understood the importance of asking questions but , more importantly , listening and empathizing , really empathizing and getting in step with those people .

And as I watched her do this , I watched the body language of the other people , those sellers sitting there , and all of a sudden their arms weren't crossed anymore , they were more open , they were leaning forward , they were engaged and she really built a relationship . And that was the beginning of that relationship , getting of that relationship .

And then , as I watched her take these people through the process , I started to realize that what she was doing really was kind of orchestrated . I mean , it wasn't manipulative , but she had a specific way of doing business . Well , that was the first interview .

Now we went out the following evening on a listening appointment and as I watched her , I realized , gary , that she was doing the same thing . I mean , when I first saw it , it looked spontaneous , but as I watched her I said , hey , she's doing the same thing .

At the same time she actually had a process , a decision process that she guide people through , a decision process that she guide people through .

And as I watched and listened to her , I said you know that I can do that , and the reason I can do it is because it matched the way I'd want to be treated if I was on the other side of that table and it felt comfortable with me not going out to sell , but to open a relationship and help people move forward in their lives .

She also made me aware that we don't sell real estate . I mean , the only thing you can sell is your time , knowledge and expertise . I mean you can't sell real estate , you don't own it . So what do you sell ? You sell your time , expertise , but also what we really do is we help people move forward in their lives .

So all of a sudden , from seeing myself as a salesperson , I started to see myself more as a consultant , as an advisor , a trusted person who could guide people , help them make good decisions and get them to the promised land . And all of a sudden that increased my self-worth , increased my self-image . All of a sudden I realized you know what ?

I'm in a noble profession . I'm not selling real estate , I'm helping people change their lives . Now that may sound hokey , but when you really come back down to it , that's what we do . I mean , that's a huge responsibility .

And when we can do that effectively , professionally and help those people get what they want , then they become our advocates , they become our ambassadors . They tell other people about us because how we treated them , how we respected them , how we put their interests first before anything else .

You know , differentiate yourself in a sea of sameness . Our company's why , steve is make a positive impact on the lives of the people you come in touch with .

So that is why this connectivity that you and I garnered here in a short period of time because you know , and you and I talked yesterday about , the more things change , the more things stay the same You're sharing an experience in 1973 that is relevant and holds true in 2025 . I always like , after a segment , steve , to highlight some of my takeaways .

Number one I want everyone to think about what Steve said after two years , he was thinking about not continuing in the real estate industry . There are times , if you are new , that you will ask yourself that question and you and I have all seen the quote .

The great performers , the high success individuals , are the ones that don't give up in that moment because they're just another day , another week , another month away from great success . The other thing that I took from you is I , like you , believe in the importance of mentors and you leaned in on your mentor , ann , if I believe and she was , I love Ford .

It's funny as you describe that experience . As I told you , we subscribe wholeheartedly to Ninja and Ford is part of the Ninja strategy , and people want to talk about themselves and you know , the other piece that you and I have to elevate today in our messaging to our folks is relational , not transactional , and never , ever , ever , been more important .

And then the other thing I'll share is you talked about three or four for sale by owners in 1973 . Nar stats just came out only 6% of sellers for sale by owner in 2024 . And 90% of buyers and 88% of sellers or 88% of sellers and 90% of buyers used you and I .

I think that is an important message for our audience to understand is the consumer today wants and needs us more than ever , but they want that relationship that's authentic , genuine and sincere . So , steve , great , great insight . I love the story .

That story could be told about somebody who joined us in 2022 , right , yes , more things change , the more things stay the same . Yeah , let's talk a

little . A couple of questions , a couple of clarifying questions In 1971 , so I know the Real Estate One guys well , the current leadership , dan and Stuart , good friends of mine , where were you geographically back in the early 70s ?

I love , and our listeners love , the story you just shared , because so many can relate , whether I've been in the business 30 years , 30 days or thinking about getting in there . And remember our audience , steve . Our audience is real estate professionals that could be people listening or thinking about getting in there . And remember our audience , steve .

Our audience is real estate professionals that could be people listening , thinking about getting in . I think all of our brand new agents listen to every one of our podcasts , so let's talk about some advice and counsel you can give to every real estate professional as they think about their success and their business and their processes in 2025 ? Sure .

You're the vessel , so if you're going to bring value to people , you have to make yourself more valuable . So it's important , I believe , for us as an industry , as professionals , to take a step back and say what is our value ? What do we do ?

So I always looked at a listing appointment as a job interview and we're applying for a very specific job and we need to be able to demonstrate what that job responsibilities are . So I believe there are six components , six job responsibilities that create a successful sale .

We need to know what they are , we need to know how to execute those and , just as importantly , we need to know how to communicate them and showcase them to the people we're sitting down with so they can make a good business decision and select us as the agent of choice . So what are those six job responsibilities ? Well , let's talk about the listing side .

Our first job responsibility is to show and help the seller enhance the buyer appeal and the value of the home before that sign goes up , how to package it for profit so it sells for more money . So that's our first job responsibility .

Our second job responsibility is to guide the seller in positioning the home at the best list price right from the very , very start , because the best list price always results in the best and highest sales price . But you know what ? Pricing is a lot trickier than it appears . It's a real balancing act .

So we need to guide the seller not to think with their heart but to think with their head . So we need to guide the seller not to think with their heart but to think with their head .

So we need to give them accurate , detailed information so they can make a good decision and guide them into an effective pricing strategy so they price their home in the market to sell , not just on the market for sale .

Now that's our second job responsibility Leads us to our third job responsibility is to make certain their house has total market exposure , maximum exposure , because we know if we create more buyer flow , we create more offers , better offers . You know , when buyers compete , the seller wins .

So we should have what I call a coordinated three-pronged strategy global , national , local . They create that more buyer flow . The end result higher and best sales price . From there we go to our fourth responsibility and that's where we need to negotiate on the behalf of the seller .

And many times this is where the sale begins or ends and sellers don't get what they deserve . They get what they negotiate . So , as a skillful negotiator , we know how to bring the parties together , never alienate the buyer , but never weaken the position of our client .

Secure the sale Leads us to our fourth responsibility or , excuse me , our fifth responsibility is to make certain their transaction is worry-free . That's where we really are the project manager and we use a transaction management system , weekly communication , to smooth out things , eliminate problems .

You know , my dad always said problems are situations that weren't handled properly in the beginning . So we don't want to be problem solvers , we want to eliminate problems .

The way we do that is we have attention to detail and process that we put in place and that leads us to the final , and that's where we become that trusted advisor , where we guide counsel , make certain we put their best interests and put all this together to have a successful sale . And when we do that , again , successful sale .

And when we do that again , we create that relationship .

So here's my point , gary we need to understand what those responsibilities are , we need to know how to do them and , just as importantly , we need to be able to sit down with that client , that potential client , and be able to talk these , not present them , but all it is is just explaining your job in an orderly fashion so they can evaluate you and determine

if you're worth what you charge . Because when you think about it , boy , we charge a lot of money for what we do . Some of us are worth it , some of us are not . So we need to build value in ourselves before that other person sees the value . So I believe it's so important to have the right words to be able to explain who we are , what we do .

You know I've been , you know , the greatest salesman in the world . The book he said I will practice , improve and polish the words I will utter to sell my goods , for this is the foundation on which I will build my career , and never will I ever forget . Many have attained great wealth and success with only one sales talk , delivered with excellence .

So here's the question I have for your audience When's the last time you practiced your sales talk ? When's the last time you wrote out your sales talk ? When's the last time you recorded your sales talk ? Oh , and , by the way , do you even have a sales talk ? So it's critical . You know , knowledge without practice has no value .

So we've got to practice , you know

. Can I tell a story , gary ?

You know , one guy is huge , he's 280 pounds , got arms like jackhammers , and the other guy is small , so like my size , woodruff size , and they're going to have a contest to see who can split the most wood over a six-hour period of time . Well , the big guy looks over at the little guy and thinks to himself no contest . So the contest begins .

So they start chopping woods and within 45 minutes the little guy kind of disappears for about 15 minutes . Now this happens every hour on the hour . Now at the end of the six hours they take a sit back and look at the wood pile and lo and behold the little guy . Now the little guy almost has twice as much wood as the big guy .

The big guy looks over the little guy says hey , how did you do that ? You must have cheated . And not only did you cheat every 45 minutes , you went and took a 15-minute break . And the little guy turns to the big guy and says I didn't cheat and it was easy to beat you because , when you thought I was taking a break , I was sharpening my ax .

So the question is how often do we sharpen our ax ? You know too many of us . We work in our business , but we don't work on our business . We need to work on ourselves , and most people don't do that . Oh , they want to be successful , but they don't put the time and energy to master this . You know , it's not a matter of being good .

You've got to be brilliant at the basics .

I wrote a blog recently on the importance of sharpening the saw . I love your preparation . I love your practice . We talk about it all the time . We talk about you can't practice when you're with the client . You can't practice when you're in front of a customer . You know that's not the time to practice to your point .

The time to practice is when you're with your branch leader or with your mentor or with a colleague , and you know , you remember the days when the public speaking , you know , do your speech in front of a mirror , so you're watching yourself . You know all of those things that often make people feel uncomfortable .

And one of the things that we talked about this week , steve , we had a two-day leadership advance where we took our leadership team away to do exactly what you just said . How do we , as leaders , sharpen the saw so that we can be more impactful and influential to our teams ? And you know , one of our conversations was about .

You know , our word of the year for 2025 is growth and I share that with you today . You know , growth isn't just simply one more buyer , one more seller , one more closing , one more seller , one more closing , one more mortgage , one more title , one more insurance .

It's really about personal growth , because what you and I know from our collective experiences , if I grow personally , if I grow in my community , if I grow in my knowledge , if I grow in my faith , if I grow , my business will grow , because the better I am with me , I will be better with everyone that I come in contact with .

So you know I love your practice , I love I write down often . You know I'm going to challenge us a little bit . I love know your value and valuable , but you know I will share with you . We talked the other day about let's maybe change that word to you're not valuable , you're invaluable .

Don't know your value proposition , know your invaluable proposition , that proposition that cannot be matched by anybody , right ? What are the things that you're doing to separate yourself in the sea of sameness , as you said , to create the relationship raving fan and provide red penguin experience ? So , love your six .

I'm going to encourage our listeners , because half of them are doing it when they're walking or driving Sit down pen paper , take down those six and then ask yourselves the questions how am I doing in those six Shift gears , buyer consultation , listing the buyer , our buyer , invaluable proposition . Walk us down the buyer path , steve .

Before you ever play it back , go to your medicine cabinet , get your most favorite minus johnny walker black . Pour yourself about two fingers full , because when you hear yourself for the first time you will need a nip or two so the uh , so so it's .

Right and as we reinvented 2025 podcast , one of the things that Ashley Bryant , who is our individual here , who makes this a reality , no pun intended , listen to the podcasts and I need you to listen to them and I need you to . You know , be vulnerable and I need you to . Uh , it's game film .

You know , being the football guy that I am , you know you got to watch game film of yourself .

Plus , I want you to really take notes sitting down because your guests are amazing and the content in which we are delivering is invaluable to our ability to grow our business , and you know you asked me yesterday great question what is the goal of our time together ? Today ?

Our goal is to give every single person listening at least three nuggets that they can turn into reality . So here's what I know to our listeners and , by the way , I appreciate everybody listening today .

I don't say that enough , but you know , you and I don't get to do this if we don't have an audience and we're super excited to be able to bring this particular podcast to you . You know , steve and I have known each other from afar for a lot of years . I've admired his career , which has spanned over 50 years . But let's move past recording .

I wrote that down Preparation practice record mentor . I've already got my takeaways , my friend . Let's go to the buyer side Critical as a result of some of the changes in our industry the changes that , steve , you may not . We simply call it the new approach to real estate .

I am personally inspired and motivated by the change because we will be better at our craft and I think that's a good thing for the industry and it's a good thing for the consumer . So I'm excited about 2025 . Walk us through your key success components for the buyer outside of the transaction .

Well , I think there are six things , six components that really come together to help a buyer have a successful purchase . And a successful purchase is not just finding and buying a home , it's making certain they secure that home of their choice on their time schedule .

It's a smooth transaction and they secure it at the best purchase price , which is not always the lowest price . So what are those six components ? Well , first of all , I think it's our responsibility to make certain our buyer has their financing in place . It's the first step and the most critical step . Do they know what their buying power is ?

Do they know what vehicle they're going to use to secure that property ? Do they know their out-of-pocket expenses ? Do they have that written mortgage approval in their hand ? So that's critical . That's the first step . So it's important how we get them to that point in time so they're ready to take action when the time is right , so they don't lose out .

Once that happens , then we need to make certain we give them total access to the marketplace , not just the MLS , but also do some target marketing for them to reach out and find those areas , those hidden properties , the quiet ones that are on the market yet , to give them more opportunities .

Once we do that , then we need to , when they find that property is , guide them into secure it at the best purchase price . And here's the thing that I think is so important To help buyers realize that the best purchase price is not the lowest price , it's the price that secures the property . I mean , I bought four homes in my lifetime .

Two of them I paid over and above asking price . Now why the heck would I do that ? I'm in the real estate business . I could be more knowledgeable than that . I bought them because I wanted to live there . It was my home and I wanted it over and above anybody else .

So I knew because of my knowledge , my expertise , because I was in the real estate business , that if I wanted to secure those homes as my home , I needed to come over and above asking price . So we need to help buyers have that awareness that best purchase price is not always the lowest price . It's the price that secures the home .

So we need to give them the appropriate knowledge and statistics so they can make those good decisions and guide them From there . Then we need to negotiate on their behalf , because a buyer doesn't get what they deserve . They get what they negotiate . And again , many times that's where the sale begins or ends . And I think negotiation is so important .

It's a critical skill and a lot of us don't really understand what it is . And there's something called pre-negotiation . It's how you package that offer , how you present it to the other agent , how you develop that relationship with them .

So negotiation , and then the following entity is being that transaction management project manager to make it certain it's a smooth transaction , that all the T's are crossed , all the I's are dotted , that there's action management system to make certain everything's in place .

And then the final element is , again is being that trusted advisor , guiding them , counseling them , putting their best interests first and making certain that all this comes together in a successful purchase .

Because , again , gary , if we do that with the buyers , if we did a seller , they become our advocates , they become our ambassadors , they tell other people about us and we build more business because of how we treat people , how we brought them to the promised land , so to speak , and how we help them accomplish their goals .

You know , selling all comes down to this Find out what the other person wants and do your very , very best to get them there . It's so darn simple . Oh , it's not easy , but it's simple . And if we keep that in front of us , you know what is your purpose . Because that's going to impact your behavior .

You know , psychology 101 tells us this , gary , that attitudes create behavior styles . So your attitude affects how you behave . If you're out there to get a sale , to get a commission check , then your behavior turns aggressive . And I don't know about you , but when I'm in front of a salesperson and they turn aggressive , it turns me off .

But if they're there to look out for my best interests , guide , educate me , counsel me so I can make good decisions that are best for me me , so I can make good decisions that are best for me Then I see that relationship different . I see them on their side , on my side , and I want to have that relationship .

I'll lean towards them because I want to do business with them . No one wants to be sold , but everybody loves to buy . So what we do is we create that customer mood where people want to buy . But we need to know what our value is before we can demonstrate and showcase it to the other person . So we need to be able to talk our walk , so to speak .

Bring the parties together , secure the sale . Fifth , making certain the transaction is worry-free . Being that project manager , makes sure everything is done .

And then the sixth element is bring yourself in as being that trusted advisor , being that counselor guiding them , counseling them , putting their best interest and conducting your business the highest degree of integrity .

So , steve , I'm going to challenge the audience In both your six to the buyer and six to the seller negotiate came up in both and you made a comment which I believe very much , and that is it is maybe the single most important thing we can bring to the table single most important thing we can bring to the table .

But I'm not sure that every one of us , every one of us in our industry , spends time honing that skill . And I think back to the first couple of comments you made about early in your career and that that learning , right Learning . You shared the lumber Jack , or the the lumber Jack story about sharpening the ax or sharpening the saw .

You know , you alluded earlier to to one of Covey's seven habits of seek first to understand , then be understood , and he's a sharpen the saw guy , right .

So I'm going to challenge everybody that in 2025 , I want you to do something with intention to hone , expand , grow and perfect your negotiating skills , because I believe that that's something that our industry has not spent enough time on . Do you agree with me ?

Gosh , some super great learnings early in the interview regarding the importance of mentors , the importance of in that moment in time when you think you're not going to make it , just stay true to it , what is my , why I love my . What is my why , and to your point , we're not selling , we're building long-term sustainable relationships . That will cover time .

You and I spoke a little bit about I'm a book recommendation guy and you , in our preamble this morning you showed it to me . So take a minute and share your book recommendation to our audience , if you would take a moment to do that .

Someone gave it to me a number of years back and I don't know how it got past me because I'm not a reader . I'm a slow reader so I don't like reading . But I like to read to increase my value . So it's how I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling . By Frank Boettcher . It is a classic .

It is just so down to earth and the whole thing is is just selling . So damn simple . It's just helping people get what they want but be able to connect with them . And he gives you concepts . It's very similar to Dale Carnegie , uses a lot of the Dale Carnegie concepts . Matter of fact , frank was coach by Dale Carnegie .

That's how we got into selling by Frank . So it's a wonderful , wonderful book . So that's what I would suggest . Whether you're new or whether you've been around for a long time , I'll guarantee you there's pearls of wisdom in there for you time .

Father founded a real estate firm in Wilmington , delaware , in 1961 . And as he built his company back in the day when you were doing it , one brand new agent at a time , one new office at a time , one new branch leader at a time .

You know , in the early days of my father's company , steve , he made I say made he highly encouraged and recommended everybody that joined the B Gary Scott Company would read Dale Carnegie's how to Win Friends and Influence People right . And so it's interesting that you share your book recommendation with .

You know one that is certainly tried and true to my family , my real estate family , and that is Dale Carnegie's how to Win Friends and Influence People .

So our common theme today and it's why I was so excited to have this interview with you , particularly after we had our pre-call and get to know one another is our values are so compatible our beliefs of relationship over transaction , preparation over , you know , non-preparation , and you know whether it's your value proposition or your invaluable proposition .

You know , be prepared , practice , be vulnerable . And I'm going to leave this . I was , I'm going to leave my final thoughts , steve , and then I'm going to ask for your final thought and I'll give you your question to give you a little chance to answer it . And your question is the one bit of advice you have for every one of our listeners .

But I want to share a story . I was in one of our offices the other day doing a business meeting and you know what we were talking about is this concept of challenge the traditions of the past . It's important as companies and individuals and you made a comment we don't spend enough time working on our business because we're working in our business .

And you know , if I was going to share one of my three great takeaways that you provided today , other than my six by six success recipe is make sure you allocate time on a weekly basis to work on it , not in it , and one of the things I talk about is we all have to look back in the rear view mirror . Take a little look at 2024 .

Don't spend too much time there because you'll crash in what's in front of you . But you got to learn from what you got to learn from . And an agent came up to me afterwards and she said you know what I did this year , gary . For the first time I said what she said . I did a transactional audit . I said what is a trans ?

And this agent came and said what I did is I looked at the end of the year and I went and looked at every single transaction I did and I looked and I basically said what did I do right and what could I have done better ?

And I went every deal by deal and again I go back to the football coach in me that's looking at every single play and that's looking at you know , the football coach in me says there's 11 players . Is everybody doing their 111th ?

And she did a transaction audit and what she came away with were common threads of what she did well , which is critically important , right , but she also found some things that she can do better . And the best thing is , steve , she figured it out herself . My takeaway , my giveaway everyone transactional audit 2024 by each one . Did you learn ?

How did you grow and how do you do it a little different in 2025 ? steve , your final thought okay thank you so much for being here , my friend hey , it's my pleasure I got .

It's about the preacher who's driving down the country road and he looks over to his right and he sees this most glorious farm , the way it's laid out , the farmhouse , the white picket fence , the gardens , everything's just lush , the fields , the way they're planted and organized , everything's ready for harvest . I mean , it's just a gorgeous farm .

And he's admiring this . And as he's admiring it , the farmer's coming down the road on his tractor and he waves the farmer down . The preacher says sir , sir , I've been admiring your farm . It's the most glorious farm I've ever seen and I really applaud you . And the farmer says yes , and the preacher says the Lord has probably really blessed you .

He said yes , he has , and I'm so grateful and I wish you had seen the land when he had it all to himself . So what's the point of the story ? We've all been given a plot of land . It's called our life and it's what we do with it . And there's an old progression of life Plant , cultivate and harvest . So you've given a plot of land . It's your life .

Take advantage of it , plant , cultivate and and harvest and make it a great life . Thanks , gary .

To our listeners . Thanks for being with us . Pumped , excited , jazzed about 2025 . Really excited that Steve Woodruff agreed to spend a few minutes with us . I can promise you that there are way more than three takeaways today , steve . I can promise Ashley Bryant that I'm going to listen to this podcast and I'm going to take some notes .

And I got to believe I've got a theme coming on a presentation in the future six by six to success in the real estate industry . Steve , thank you . And to our listeners , have a great day . It is be safe out there . I know you're going to listen to this in a couple of weeks .

By the time you listen , it's going to be 68 and we're going to enjoy living in the Carolinas . Steve , stay in touch . My friend , thanks for being with us .