Our top takeaways from January's Inman Connect

Last week was Inman Connect, and though typically we’d be covering our takeaways with photos from New York City, our community and Inman Ambassadors were on hand the entire week to catch the sessions, share the ah-ha moments, and relay all the WFH (watch from home) action from the event.

We’ve rounded up few highlights with tweets and some Instagram shots to share. But before we do, follow the @InmanConnect Twitter feed here.

Katie Clancy, Inman Ambassador in Leadership had this post-Connect advice:

1. Schedule two sessions this weekend where you will take time to watch replays of anything you missed.
2. If you made a plan with a buddy to swap notes, follow through. Varsity level: Set up a debrief call.
3. If there’s a particular session you want a deeper dive into, put your request out into the Inman Coast to Coast group, and be sure to tag the speaker. You will start a discussion full of insights and maybe even pull the original speaker into the conversation!
4. Invariably, many attendees will have takeaway articles. (Make sure you have notifications ON for the Inman Coast to Coast group because it will show up there.)
5. Search the #inmanconnect hashtag across Twitter and Instagram. Lots of gems in there.
6. If you haven’t already, find the list of Inman Ambassadors and follow all of them everywhere. This is sure to infuse your feeds with continuing good mojo and valuable connections.
7. Pick three people you met at Connect, and make time this week with each of them to have a one-on-one conversation.
8. Get thee on #Clubhouse. There are deep connections and incredibly rich wisdom being exchanged there. Check out what the Ambassadors and speakers are doing, and hang out where they do.
9. Connect is about collaborating to make the industry better for everyone. It’s not just something you do at a conference. Bring all these insights back to the farm! Put together your own highlight reel, and share it with your office.

So, in no particular order, here is our takeaway collection:

Bret Calltharp- Twitter

Bret Calltharp, Inman Ambassador

I thought Chris Stuart’s presentation was the best of the week. Favorite quote from him — “I’d just challenge everyone to think about this – it’s not that you get 100% of your business from referrals. Do you get 100% of the available business within your sphere and what’s attached to you sphere?”

Mark Armstrong really made a few people perk up when he reminded them that 50 percent of all web traffic originates from a Google search. What are agents/brokerages doing to prepare for this “digital interview”?

Quote of the Conference: “Real estate is not supposed to be your life — it’s supposed to FUND your life.” – Craig Wilburn

Overall takeaway: Themes that kept recurring — mindset, vision, client focus, adaptability, authenticity, value prop and using tech to work with clients anywhere, anytime. Focusing on any or all of these will help the industry to close the “loyalty gap” (the percentage of clients who say they’re happy with their agent/transaction versus the percentage who actually use that same agent again).

Stacy Soleil-Twitter

Stacy Soleil, Inman Ambassador

For me, there was most definitely an over-arching theme throughout the event … efficiency. From speakers such as: Marki Lemons, Katie Lance, Chelsea Peitz, Debra Trappen, Sabrina Brown, Kenny Luong and Jeff Lobb (to name a few) we learned strategies that were geared toward helping real estate professionals work smarter, not harder! Additionally, we gained insights into how the real estate professional can continue to thrive during not only COVID-19, but also throughout the prop tech boom that’s not going anywhere anytime soon. Catch her entire Twitter Recap on #InmanConnect 

Credit: @kingamillshawaii

Kinga Mills, Inman Ambassador 

“Never underestimate the tenacity of a real estate agent” was my favorite quote from this week. 

Attending Inman Connect allowed me to sharpen my skills in branding, social media, investing with tips on how to adapt to an ever-shifting market. The presenters were top-notch professionals, and their knowledge, skills, enthusiasm and presentations were all 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  @kingamillshawaii

Nikki Beauchamp

Nikki Beauchamp, Inman Ambassador

Really enjoyed the panel with Amie Quirarte , Julie Faupal and Phillip White.

Luxury is not the price point; it’s the level of service provided.

The luxury experience is caring about the clients, staying truly connected to them, providing the information they are looking for that transcends technology, and helping advise and guide clients no matter their phase of journey. 

Melissa Salazar, Inman Ambassador

I was instantly energized when Marki Lemons-Ryhal started her session 20 Ways to Repurpose One Video. She is vibrant and puts a lot of humor in her presentation. And I enjoyed the story of how she learned and collaborated with Katie Lance. She captivated the audience with the behind the scenes of how she repurposes her content with pro tips, list of, or websites and apps. It’s a must watch.

Photo credit: Matt Richling

Matt Richling, Inman Ambassador

One of the most interesting impressions I had of the entire week was feeling the amount of passion from every speaker (and sometimes even the attendees in the chat!) for their brand, MLS or a specific topic. Yet, each speaker was very candid in their delivery and maybe due to the digital format, it felt much more personal —  like I was sitting there right beside Brad Inman and Andy Florance speaking about the future of real estate, or Clelia Warburg Peters and Chris Stuart (I have a new man crush on Chris) chatting about the loyalty gap!

Coming off of 2020, a year of innovation (as Brad mentioned in his opening remarks), it was easy to assume that technology would be a major theme, yet it felt more like the overall takeaway was more about relationships and improving the client experience. 

A couple of quotes from the week:

• “Focusing on the person — not the transaction. Then being consistent with that relationship. No tech company can disrupt that relationship.”  – Gus Grizzard with Sherry Chris and Daryl Rogers
• “Lead with empathy!” – @SueYannaccone
• “We were taught to look for a husband — not build a real estate portfolio.” – @urbrefurb
• “REAL wealth comes from investments.” – Gretchen Pearson
• “Leadership always comes from mindset first. Be intentional about what you are putting in your thought patterns.” – @HSFChrisStuart

Nicole Mickle, Inman Ambassador

Every Inman conference I have had tons of takeaways over the years. This year was even more impactful because of regional changes each of us are experiencing in the industry. For me economic forecasting with Mike Delprete was one of my favorites. 

He has drilled down the data for you to really understand how to prepare and pivot. I am currently expanding my business, and meeting with technology companies allowed me to really focus on products that will increase efficiency and customer experience.

Being part of a professional network of the brightest and best in the industry allowed for small masterminds to have even more insightful conversations.

And thank you, Kristi Kennelly, of Rate My Agent for this VIDEO recap.