How to Build a Team That Actually Works
Ninja Selling Podcast
In this episode, Eric Thompson interviews John Zickert about how he has grown his real estate team while staying true to Ninja Selling principles. John shares how his team increased production from $55.6M and 120 transactions in 2024 to $66.6M and 151 transactions in 2025, not by chasing new tactics, but by becoming more consistent with the Ninja Nine, improving team alignment, and deepening their commitment to value-driven relationships. John explains the structure of his team, the role clarity within it, and the “definitive purpose” that guides everything they do: to create value for...
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Auto-Flow 101: Why Flow Fixes Everything
Ninja Selling Podcast
Rob Nelson and Eric Thompson break down one of the most repeated phrases in Ninja Selling: “Flow fixes everything.” The discussion begins with a question from a new Ninja who wondered what Auto-Flow really is and where to start. Rob and Eric use that question to explain how flow works and why it is essential to becoming the Realtor of choice. Flow simply means frequency of interaction. In Ninja there are two types: Live Flow and Auto-Flow. Live Flow is two-way communication, such as conversations, calls, meetings, and personal interactions. Auto-Flow is one-way communication, such as...
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Don't Forget to Have Fun
Ninja Selling Podcast
Rob Nelson and Peter Parnegg explore the idea that fun should not be the reward for success but the fuel for it. The conversation begins with Peter sharing a 30 year life list goal he is about to achieve, a father son heli skiing trip in British Columbia. That story opens a broader discussion about how many professionals postpone joy until “someday” while building businesses that quietly consume their lives. Rob and Peter suggest that fun requires intention and planning. If it is not scheduled, work will always take its place. They contrast bucket list thinking, which often waits until...
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The Pivot from Buying Leads to Building Relationships
Ninja Selling Podcast
In this episode, Eric Thompson interviews Ryan Craig of Traverse City, Michigan, along with his Ninja Coach Mark Johnson, to explore a powerful transformation: pivoting from a cold lead centric business to a relationship based Ninja business. Ryan previously ran a high pressure lead generation operation with a large team and roughly 35,000 dollars per month in overhead, including about 10,000 dollars per month spent on cold internet leads. The model produced transactions, but it also created constant stress, fragmented attention, and a life where Ryan was physically present with his family but...
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Bonus Episode: The Gold is in the Ghosts Sales Meeting
Ninja Selling Podcast
In this bonus episode, we’re sharing a recording from our live Ninja Sales Meeting, held the first Monday of every month, after many of you asked to hear these sessions on the podcast. Peter Parnegg delivers an energizing and practical message focused on one core idea: if you want to quickly build your business, master the subtle skills that create real connection. Drawing on insights from Sarah Blakely and the Ninja principles, Peter explores how entrepreneurship exposes our fears and how many of us avoid live conversations because of discomfort, guilt, or fear of “feeling salesy.” In...
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Stop Selling. Start Solving. The Second Cornerstone of Ninja Selling
Ninja Selling Podcast
Rob Nelson and Don Tennessen discuss Principle Two of Ninja Selling: Stop Selling. Start Solving. It’s built on a simple truth that people love to buy, and they hate to be sold. They explore why most sales approaches push people away, triggering defensiveness and avoidance, and how Ninja flips that dynamic by creating value, asking questions, and building relationships that naturally attract clients. Rob and Don clarify that the goal is not to avoid a process or abandon structure. The goal is to redefine what selling is, to become the trusted guide who helps people decide. They draw a...
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Rebuilding on Purpose Through Flow
Ninja Selling Podcast
Eric Thompson interviews Ryan Wentworth and Michael Parsiola of Reve Realtors in New Orleans, Louisiana, who experienced a dramatic turnaround after realizing they had been running their business “on accident.” After dropping from 20 million in volume to 13 million in a challenging market shaped by rising interest rates and skyrocketing insurance costs, they consciously decided to rebuild their business on purpose. The shift was not about chasing more leads. It was about returning to fundamentals, implementing consistent flow systems, and intentionally structuring their partnership. In...
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The Ninja Scorecard - Your Plan for Consistency
Ninja Selling Podcast
This episode opens with a simple question that hits home for many agents: Do you struggle with consistency? Rob Nelson is joined by Larry Kendall and Eric Thompson to review the pattern they found while researching Ninja Coaching clients who had their best year yet in 2025. Across different personalities, markets, and business styles, the common denominator was not a specific lead source or marketing tactic. It was consistency, and the clearest measurable indicator of consistency was turning in a weekly scorecard. They share that 87% of the "Best Year Yet" Ninha Coaching clients consistently...
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From the Hamster Wheel to Deep Connections
Ninja Selling Podcast
In this Best Year Yet episode, Eric Thompson interviews Derek Walden, a Wichita, Kansas–based agent with At Home Wichita, who more than doubled his business in 2025. Derek closed 56 transactions for approximately 15 million in volume while raising a large family of eight children, with another on the way. He shares how shifting away from a lead heavy, grind based team model and embracing the Ninja approach transformed both his results and his quality of life. Derek describes his early years on a lead generation focused team as a hamster wheel that did not align with his values or his family...
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Best Year Yet in Brooklyn
Ninja Selling Podcast
In this Best Year Yet episode, Eric Thompson interviews Belle Caplis, a Brooklyn based Compass agent on the Bateman Fields team. Belle shares how she grew from 9 million in sales volume to 23.6 million in 2025, increasing from 11 to 25 sales transactions, while also expanding rentals and referral business. Belle’s story is especially compelling because her real estate career began in March of 2020, just days before New York City shut down. With the city locked down and her new career uncertain, she found structure and community through a Compass recovery meeting that led her to Ninja Selling...
info_outlineHaving addressed the “P.I.E. Time” concept in early episodes - be sure to check them out on the website if you haven’t already - Matt and Garrett drill down on its “I” component in today’s episode. Stressing the importance of “I-Time”, aka “Indirectly Productive Time”, our hosts discuss why it is so crucial for business development, offer insights into balancing productive and indirectly productive time, and explore practical strategies for planning and committing to these essential activities.
As they delve into the nuances of business development, Matt and Garrett draw analogies with pizza restaurants and food trucks to illustrate the importance of visibility and relationship building. They emphasize that creating leads isn't just about buying lists but fostering genuine connections that translate to business opportunities. They also offer actionable challenges to help listeners plan their “I-Time” effectively and illustrate how the right mix of activities can help agents navigate a thriving business, avoid burnout, and create lasting client relationships.
Even more help will be available to you the minute you join the close to 16000 other Ninjas with all levels of experience who collaborate, ask and answer questions, network, and more in the Ninja Selling Podcast group on Facebook at Ninja Selling Podcast Facebook. Leave a voicemail at 208-MY-NINJA if you’d like to offer more direct feedback. Be sure to check out Ninja Selling Events for upcoming installations and other events, and if you’d like personalized help in achieving your goals, visit Ninja Coaching to connect with one of our fantastic coaches.
Episode Highlights:
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Understanding "I-Time"
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Balancing "I-Time" and "P Time"
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The importance of genuine connections
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Committing to "I-Time"
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Visibility through "I-Time"
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Integrating "I-Time" in daily schedules
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Preventing burnout
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Actionable "I-Time" strategies
Quotes:
"The I stands for Indirectly Productive, but it really also stands for Important, the most important."
"It's the I-Time that creates the business.”
"If we don't have any of this stuff going out, you are just a restaurant sitting in the strip mall going, ‘When are people going to show up?’"
"You should be able to look at your day and your calendar at the end of it and go, ‘I put in five hours of my eight-hour day into I-Time.’"
"If you're not sending out flyers, thanking customers, and creating that experience, they will forget about you."
"Even when we're busy, I know it's hard, but if you get control of it, you're going to have probably too much business."
"Your day should be primarily I-Time when you're trying to get a business off the ground."
"You need to be out there helping people understand exactly what it is that you offer."
"Scheduling I-Time before emails or client calls can help integrate it seamlessly into your daily routine."
Links:
www.TheNinjaSellingPodcast.com
Email us at TSW@TheNinjaSellingPodcast.com
Leave a voicemail at (208) MY-NINJA
Ninja Selling
@ninjasellingofficial
Ninja Coaching:
@ninja.coaching
Ninja Events
Garrett
@ninjaredding
Matt
@matthewjbonelli
The Ninja Selling Podcast Facebook Group
Ninja Selling by Larry Kendall