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This is Happening For Me, Not To Me

Ninja Selling Podcast

Release Date: 01/23/2026

How to Build a Team That Actually Works show art 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 show art 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 show art 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 show art 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 show art 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 show art 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 show art 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 show art 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 show art 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 show art 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...

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Eric Thompson interviews Jed Inductivo, a Ninja with Compass in Los Angeles, who achieved his best year yet in 2025 with business up 56% year over year. What makes the story remarkable is that it happened during significant adversity. LA faced devastating fires that impacted clients and the community at large. Jed’s brokerage dissolved, forcing a rapid transition. Instead of contracting, Jed expanded by choosing a player mindset, leading with value, and committing to simple, repeatable Ninja fundamentals.

Jed credits a guiding belief, “This is happening for me, not to me,” as the mindset shift that kept him solution-focused. During the fires, he stepped into service by supporting displaced clients, helping people find temporary housing, and sending resource packed newsletters that were widely shared and generated inbound calls for lease support. Jed breaks down the systems that drove his growth. He created two versions of a Real Estate Review, a five-minute version and a fifteen-minute version, to make Habit 7 consistent. He pairs those reviews with a steady rhythm of coffees and lunches, and he built a highly intentional agent referral engine that now contributes roughly two-thirds of his business. He also shares how his hospitality background helps him deliver a Four Seasons level experience through intake forms, milestone moments, and event style open houses.

Looking ahead to 2026, Jed’s focus is on calm in the hard, protecting mornings for focus and clarity, and doubling down on his vital few activities, including Real Estate Reviews, two coffees or lunches per week, and his power hour.

Key Takeaways

Adversity can be fuel when you choose a player mindset and stay focused on solutions

This is happening for me, not to me, is a practical mental shift that prevents victim thinking and creates forward motion

Value creates opportunity, and Jed’s fire resource newsletters were shared widely and led directly to new lease clients

Real Estate Reviews paired with coffee or lunch became Jed’s strongest growth lever and biggest source of sales

Simplify the habit so it happens consistently, and the five-minute and fifteen-minute review options removed friction and made execution weekly

Follow up with an insight rather than asking if they have questions, which keeps the burden off the client and highlights your expertise

Agent referrals are built intentionally through consistent relationship building, two agent connection calls per week, and making it easy to remember and refer you

Make referring you easy with a simple one sheet that explains your market areas, specialties, and personal connection points

Hospitality creates bespoke service and intake sheets plus milestone touches create a Four Seasons experience

Authentic flow wins and the most sustainable systems are the ones aligned with your DNA and interests

Memorable Quotes

This is happening for me, not to me

Real estate agents are problem solvers

My biggest sales this year have come from this combination of real estate review, coffee, lunch by far

Treat your clients like they’re staying at a Four Seasons

The best flow is authentic flow

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