The Sign That Sells: How Top Agents Use Branding to Win Listings with Monte Pratt

[00:00:00] Monte: So less is more. Photos are not timeless. Logos are timeless. And a harmony, a balance of your brand and the brokerage that you're on the shoulders of, so to speak.

[00:00:15] Monte: So

[00:00:16] Monte: I never go into a project knowing exactly what I want to do, where the creative process is gonna take us. I have no idea. And that's part of the thrill and fun, , coupled with the freedom that I have in order to even take apart someone's logo. That's just, I don't know, fundamentally wrong in one way or shape form that I would see.

[00:00:45] Nick: Welcome back to the Reside Platform podcast. I'm your host today, Nick McLean, one of the co-founders of the Reside platform, Cindy Agarwal, who's been running the podcast consistently, has put out amazing content over the last couple dozen episodes. So if you haven't checked out those episodes, go back, download and subscribe.

[00:01:04] Nick: But today's podcast, I have a very special guest. He is Monty Pratt, a third generation branding visionary, graphic designer, and small business owner for over 35 years. He is the owner of Jack Pratt Signs, and the reason I invited Monty on this podcast is because a couple weeks ago, or last week at the Reside platform, we introduced Jack Pratt signs to all of the Reside platform team leaders so that they can get the absolute best branding and signage in their marketplace.

[00:01:38] Nick: And it reminded me of something, Monte, before I introduce you, and you can give more context to your backstory, which I think is absolutely incredible. I was looking in my emails and the first email I have with Jack Pratt signs is from July 6th, 2012, And the first time we ever met in person was two weeks ago with the reside platform.

[00:02:01] Nick: So it's quite extraordinary to me to think that I've been working with your team going on 13 years, and without people, businesses like yours, I wouldn't be where I am today. And the reason I say that is because in 2012, I opened my team, my real estate team in Wenatchee, Washington. With nobody. Nobody knew who I was.

[00:02:26] Nick: I had never sold one home in Wenatchee. I joined the MLS, started a brokerage and started putting signs in the ground. And before I put a sign in the ground, I knew that that sign had to be the absolute best sign with the best branding possible. 'cause I looked at my competition and it was obvious to me the competition with the most signs and the best signs and the most recognizable signs with branding had the most sales.

[00:02:59] Nick: And they had the best agents and they had the best training and they had the best website. So it was like how you do one thing is how you do everything. And I've just stuck with you guys for all these years. And why would a company in Wenatchee, Washington state be working with a company in Oklahoma? It doesn't make sense 'cause there's sign companies everywhere.

[00:03:19] Nick: But is, this is not about signs everybody. There's so much more to Monty and his company than signs. Signs is just the medium. So we're gonna jump into probably the most overlooked but most important aspect of your business, your branding, the vision, the signs, and let's be honest, generating free leads or generating leads and generating referrals and recognition. And so there's so much more to this. So man, welcome to the Reside Platform podcast.

[00:03:51] Monte: Appreciate it. Wonderful to be here, Nick.

[00:03:54] Nick: take us to the history of this Jack Press sign. The Jack Press signs, right? You're the creative lead there, but it goes way back and I.

[00:04:05] Monte: well, I'll start by this. , My dad always told me money don't talk shop. Nobody cares. We're just a sign company, so just don't, you know, just keep it here. But as I got older, I realized that everyone has a story and that story can take you, , and take our company to places that I, I never really thought.

[00:04:30] Monte: we're just a small family business in Oklahoma and my grandfather was a bonafide artist. , Had a friend that worked at an ad agency in around 1948 and, , his friend told him that, their ad agency are collecting orders for well signs at oil well locations. 'cause you're required in Oklahoma or anywhere where you drill a well to have a sign staked out at your well site.

[00:04:55] Monte: And you can be fined thousands of dollars per day if you don't. So that was his first angle into the manufacturing of signs. He'd been hand painting and screen printing signs for the local Piggly Wiggly and, , POP purchases, around town. However, for the first two years that he operated with his friend for these oil well signs, he decided he would buy the material.

[00:05:20] Monte: 'cause at that time he was just screen printing, , the legal description on the sign. His buddy would get the sheet metal, he would figure out how to get it painted white. He'd punch holes in it. He'd make a frame for it. And my grandfather would simply do the screen printing until he decided I'll buy the sheet metal, I'll figure out how to paint it white and cut it and punch it and make a frame.

[00:05:42] Monte: And they operated like that for about 10 years. And that was when my grandmother got involved because my granddad, he didn't care if he got paid to do what he did or not. ' cause he loved it so much. So my grandma, she, Mimi, she said, no, Jack, she started making file folders for every single well sign he made.

[00:05:58] Monte: the information on a well sign is the company name and the emergency phone number and then the legal description that indicates where the well is located. So we basically had 10 years of file folders that my grandmother made of all of the, , clients that the ad agency was taking orders from.

[00:06:19] Monte: And then they decided to ask if we wanted to buy their ad agency. But we said, no thank you. We've got, unbeknownst to them, we had a. About a 10 year log of all of their clients. So they disbanded and then we figured out how to make the frame a little shorter to fit easier inside the trunk of cars back in the fifties and sixties, we made 'em 42 inches tall as opposed to 48, and that's a standard that we've been living with, , ever since.

[00:06:46] Monte: So from there, the local real estate community took root and, , with the help of, the local Oklahoma City community, while they've had more options than you can imagine to purchase signs from, we're grateful that our clients found the value to work locally with us. But what I find to be equally as important is that we provide a quality product that we can, Stand behind and back up and continue to improve and make the necessary changes that go along with the times of technology, into QR codes and all of the different means to generate leads that you guys are constantly wanting. Sign has got a lot more power than it ever has before.

[00:07:37] Monte: The way people are using 'em now as miniature billboards has struck a chord within the agent centric philosophy and marketing and branding,

[00:07:43] Nick: let's dive into that. 'cause it's like you go from this oil, you know, these oil signs where they have to be sturdy, they have to be built right. They have to last a decade or longer to, that's compliance. We just don't wanna get fined. Right. We just, you know, we're not really trying to generate more business so people buy more oil.

[00:08:01] Nick: Right. We're just trying to be compliant too. Now we're going to the small business realm and real estate specifically, where the sign actually is a lead generator. And I want people to call it go somewhere. There has to be a call to action. They gotta wanna do it. It's in front of the sign. It's branding, it's roots.

[00:08:18] Nick: So how do you advise somebody on their sign? Like say, I come to you and I want to create a new sign.

[00:08:25] Nick: But, you know, knowing what, you know, how do you go through that creative process so that actually delivers results? You

[00:08:32] Monte: Sure. Well, it all depends on the agent and mainly the brokerage that they're with. Some brokerages, they got all the creative done and done. And so for that type of brokerage where all the creative is done. Jack Pratt Signs is your really best bet because we know how to make a sign that's gonna outlast the life of the link that you sell real estate, which is really all you want or need in a sign.

[00:08:56] Monte: You want it to last, you want it to be affordable. It needs to be, , , reflective of your brand There's really two different ways you can approach it. If you're with a brokerage that's all brokerage centric and all the creative has done

[00:09:08] Monte: from a marketing and branding standpoint, there's very little left for us to do in order to increase your business beyond just a reliable, long lasting, durable sign. The agent centric, this is what's weird, is. Everything is kind of melding together because you got the brokerage centric offices that are bending to the agent will, and it's like, wait a minute.

[00:09:36] Monte: You know, what is the identity of our brokerage? Is it all about the agent? Is it all about the brokerage identity? Is it a hybrid? Is it something that we haven't even touched on, which is the consumer centric notion, which is more of the, angle that the luxury boutique divisions either within, , brokerages or straight out luxury boutique brokerages alone, they're more concerned with what they call the consumer centric, where they tap into the feelings and emotions of the, prospects, like for instance.

[00:10:08] Monte: , It's like, oh, wow, Nick, wow. Oh, , my house is a luxury house. You can, you're gonna put a sign out in the yard in my yard. That's, I have a luxury house. Wow. I, you know, that's, I didn't know. That's cool. and then conversely, I can afford a luxury home, , you know, on the top 5% in the county.

[00:10:25] Monte: I can, that is what a lot of the luxury boutique, the, the motivations that they have from their marketing stem towards, they direct towards that, consumer, , centric.

[00:10:37] Nick: we have this broker centric approach. is that defined as branding and brand awareness for this greater global brand that spans across the whole marketplace? Multiple marketplaces nationwide. Right.

[00:10:55] Monte: re max is a great example of a brokerage centric, you know, I gotta be careful because, and I may sound like I'm talking outta both sides of my mouth, but it's complex. let's just use re max as an example and, trust me, I don't have a dog in any hunt to each a zone. All brokerages are great.

[00:11:11] Monte: they have to resonate with the individual. So what's good for one may not be good for the other, so to each own. But there's a lot of different practices within all of the different philosophical directions you can take with your marketing and branding. And it can get overwhelming, it can be confusing, and it can lead to.

[00:11:29] Monte: Brand confusion. But for instance, you got big time agents that are with a Century 21 or a Coldwell Banker that for whatever reason are given the freedom and latitude to do whatever they want with their signs and their overall, marketing., , Shane Yarborough, , YNS luxury group, they're an example.

[00:11:48] Monte: They're with Century 21, but they didn't want the Century 21 templated look. So it depends on your relationship with your broker, if you have that ability and. Freedom. And if it makes sense, if you are an icon, a staple in your community, you've been in the, real estate industry for a while and you've made a name for yourself, that may or may not be the criteria where some of the brokerage centric offices will allow an agent to just do whatever they want.

[00:12:15] Monte: So I'm not really sure what the criteria is for someone that, you know, regardless of what brokerage, 'cause now I'm seeing re max as allowing color group photos and group logos on their sign in addition to the balloon, in addition to the re max logo, in addition to the name, in addition to the phone number, in addition to the re max affiliate name.

[00:12:38] Monte: in addition to the for sale and all the different little icons and. Letter acronyms and can get very overwhelming. What I would suggest is start at the whiteboard and call us to see how you should be led and or are allowed to be led through your marketing approach to.

[00:13:00] Nick: Yeah. You know, it's funny, we start with signs, but then really quickly we see the, we're on a train and we we're going to the tunnel, and we can see the light coming our way. And that light coming our way is somewhat of a, sensitive area in real estate. And as a sign. Company and a marketing company.

[00:13:19] Nick: You work with all the different brands, so you have to make sure that you're diplomatic in your approach. But what everyone needs to know is the brand you choose. If you're working with a brokerage, they have different rules on how, what the signings look like, what the branding looks like, what's the what the colors need to be, what the size needs to be.

[00:13:40] Nick: And so, although that is nice to have out of the box, it is also restricting your freedoms of creativity. And I'm not saying one's better than the other. 'cause one's convenient. The other one restricts your freedom and creativity to brand yourself. So having that relationship with that brand, the broker, the franchise, to have that freedom to go outside the box, to brand yourself, to brand your team, because we mostly talk to teams here, right?

[00:14:08] Nick: Is important. Now there's been more flexibility in the marketplace because there's more competition. Four teams and four agents in the agent recruiting realm. So Century 20 ones. And these, longstanding legacy brands had to adapt and allow more freedom. As an independent broker, I started out of the gate with complete freedom, right?

[00:14:28] Nick: Complete freedom to brand and do what I wanted. And so, you know, with that came a little struggle where I had to call someone like you and, and actually figure this out. What do I wanna look like? How do I wanna brand it? So we have the brokerage, centric approach, and then we have the agent centric approach.

[00:14:46] Nick: Let's dive into that. What are the pros and cons of the agent centric approach? Or how do you view that? What's the goal of agent centric? And when I say agent centric, I'm thinking team centric too. A team centric approach where I'm branding and, getting that out there.

[00:15:00] Monte: Well, what I would say most importantly is to be aware of your brand. Everyone has a brand, and just because you have a logo doesn't mean you have a brand or even that logo. It communicates the right message of your brand. So to really investigate the intricacies and details of who you are, what the feelings and emotions people experience when they see your logo.

[00:15:23] Monte: Now that is very hard for any one person to, conclude. How would you know, how would I know what you feel when you see my logo? So the way to do that one way is through my roadmap journey. The type of questions that need to be asked that are not very well articulated. That everyone all knows that you have to answer for yourself, that nobody can answer for you, but you don't know what those questions are.

[00:15:53] Monte: I know those questions, and I have a curriculum that breaks down through all of it, separates the wheat from the chaff, all the noise, all the, the should you do, should you not do this guy's doing it. The pink and purple polka dotted poodle lady. You know, all the different things of, just because this individual has success in that particular niche with his brand may not.

[00:16:17] Monte: Make it so for you or for everyone else. 'cause everyone is an individual. Everyone has a distinctive brand. You need to be careful with the brokerage that you are affiliated yourself if you want to co-brand yourself with your brokerage. For instance, , Kelly Green, , that's her name, Kelly Green. she was with Keller Williams, may still be, , and obviously had a green logo, dark green logo.

[00:16:41] Monte: Now on the record, Keller Williams signs has a minimum of 33% red requirement on their sign, on the record. So what do you think happens when you take a preponderance of a green logo and white and red? What happens

[00:16:59] Monte: worse Christmas.

[00:17:04] Nick: everyone's familiar with those color.

[00:17:06] Monte: Right, so well, this is where my creative proclivity comes and kicks in 'cause I can see that type of thing from a mile away. And knowing that you have the freedom to do what you need to do with your client. Like that's the first question I ask is, how much creative freedom do I have?

[00:17:22] Monte: You know, ultimately the white take top, what is it? Tab osa. Tab osa, clean slate, no templates, not when you're into the agent centric to try to pigeonhole your photo here and the for sale here and all the other information that's already pre-designed. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. There is a right way and a wrong way, and there very well may be my way, but there's definitely a wrong way when people say that just looks too cluttered or that looks too busy.

[00:17:52] Monte: What they're saying is, is every out, every inch of that yard sign is. Covered with graphics and my eyeballs are confused and don't know where to look and focus. So less is more. Photos are not timeless. Logos are timeless. And a harmony, a balance of your brand and the brokerage that you're on the shoulders of, so to speak.

[00:18:19] Monte: So

[00:18:19] Monte: I never go into a project knowing exactly what I want to do, where the creative process is gonna take us. I have no idea. And that's part of the thrill and fun, , coupled with the freedom that I have in order to even take apart someone's logo. That's just, I don't know, fundamentally wrong in one way or shape form that I would see.

[00:18:42] Monte: And, , those are. the projects that I I really, really enjoy working with is someone that someone that knows their lane and, a trust factor, because you know, a lot of people are like, wait, you want me to pay you to do your, my branding before I've seen anything?

[00:18:58] Monte: It's like, yeah, kind of. I want you to be participating with me through the process. Don't gimme a bunch of litany. list of what you think you might want things to look like. You gotta jump, dive in head first into the process.

[00:19:13] Monte: And.

[00:19:14] Monte: I'm the first one to surprise myself when things come out that I had no idea where they come from and I can't take all the credit.

[00:19:20] Monte: It's always usually due to the person that I'm working with. We all have individual minds and we all look at creative obstacles differently. So to get feedback I love feedback and you're not gonna hurt my feelings. There's times where people are like, I'm just not feeling that at all. And like my grandfather, what he would do is he would take the paper that he was drafting and crumple it up, throw it in the trash, get another piece of paper out, and just start all over again.

[00:19:46] Monte: So he and I are torn out of the same piece of cloth. It's not that I don't care if I get paid to do what it is I do. I'm fortunate and blessed to have the, , ability to, take on the type of responsibility to help grow.

[00:20:01] Monte: Your business. And to hear you say that the signs are, , as crucial of, element to your lead gen, to your lead conversions and everything with regards to leads. There was a time when the internet was first coming out. The signs are gonna be gone. No one's gonna need signs. Signs is a dead industry.

[00:20:19] Monte: No one's gonna need signs. Everyone's just gonna go online. And I'm just not so sure. I believe that. I don't think I believe that at all.

[00:20:28] Monte: In fact, there's four ways that the sign can be augmented in order to carry the consumer to an experience that will blow everyone's mind. And the idea of having a test pilot product exclusively for reside members.

[00:20:46] Monte: it's an idea that is, It's possessed me. You don't have ideas? Ideas, have you? And this one I can't get rid of, but with the integration of the text to lead and the QR code where it launches an experience and a where you can take your client.

[00:21:03] Monte: I believe that the yard sign is at the precipice of something really great.

[00:21:10] Nick: Yeah. And also here's the beautiful thing and we're gonna talk about technology 'cause you don't think about science as technology, but you introduce text, to lead. You also introduce QR codes. But let's take people on the journey. If you think about the consumer journey, the client journey, they're oftentimes using an application already installed, that they installed on their phone.

[00:21:30] Nick: Let's call it Zillow for instance. Zillow is gonna take you with Google Maps, is gonna take you directly to the property. You see it online, you see it on your app, and you're gonna drive to this when you arrive at the house. The sign is X marks the spot. it shows that, oh yeah, I guess I made it to the right place.

[00:21:49] Nick: So now the consumer's there. who owns the consumer at this point? Who owns that relationship? I would argue Zillow has the relationship. So the sign is your first introduction to this potential consumer who can become your client. So can you bridge that gap? Can you get them off of their, behavior into your world?

[00:22:10] Nick: Can you take 'em from the Zillow world to your world? I mean, that's a, a leap to make. But I think the sign is the thing that can do that if done right.

[00:22:19] Monte: The question is, is should technology be integrated? And I'm talking hardware, should computer hardware and technology be integrated physically into the yard sign? That's an honest question my first answer is, hell no. Y'all don't wanna pay for what you already gotta pay for when it comes to these signs.

[00:22:42] Monte: And I get it. I get it. this is the future of the sign, in my opinion,

[00:22:47] Monte: whether an NFC tag is embedded into it that could make a sign tapable. Whether the QR code takes 'em onto a journey as it is now. The best use of technology integrated into the yard sign, in my opinion, is the text to lead feature. Best far hands down. Why? Because when someone interacts with it, you get notified immediately.

[00:23:13] Monte: You get their phone number and you sync your proverbial clause claws immediately. QR codes, when they first got launched, it was like a stain, and people had impunity towards the QR code because there was no lead capture. It was like, hold on, you got a hundred scans. Nice work. How many of those are you gonna convert?

[00:23:34] Monte: Zero. So now we're through Covid. We all understand that camera app is built in, everyone knows how and what to do when you see the QR code. should a sign have hardware integrated? Again, my answer at this point is probably, maybe I'm not gonna say no or yes because this is something, as I said at the precipice and I, I have a vision that would.

[00:24:06] Monte: Integrate the Zillow experience. Let's just say mile high view This would be the experience you have. Call it a smart dot, , a polycarbonate crystal colorless marker in the yard. Got low level blue light, subtle blue hue with a little wifi signal printed on it, and you're close enough to where you can scan it.

[00:24:33] Monte: or let's just say an NFC tag that you could make the marker Tapable. What then? Well, there's, , a little thing called, , ar , augmented reality. How about you tap a sign and it launches a. An experience, what takes you through a 3D tour of the house and every intricacy detail that you could possibly, that would be triggered from the sign, from the marker, but to here to your phone?

[00:25:03] Monte: , , So because of covid, that was a huge breakthrough for the use of technology and opening the door for QR codes, , to generate journeys. When you scan the QR code, you can lead the client towards whatever kind of an experience you want to take them through.

[00:25:22] Monte: I'm not the experience guy on how and where you should take your prospects on trying to sell them or get them to list with you. I just want to be the bridge to get that happening. So say you're on Zillow and you're scanning and you see a blue dot that would indicate, , I think on Zillow you have the ability, I think they call it, , where you could just buy it, , , , , like instant sales or instant offer. That's it. Instant offer. Something in that realm. You know, I wanna buy a smart dot and get my house put on this platform and, , wow, it's here. I'll go put my thing in the ground, turn it on, and when someone gets online it notifies it. That, that is an instant listing that is synced up to the smart marker.

[00:26:13] Monte: So again. I'm committing the worst crime right now, which is disclosing all of what my ideas are, I've got a lot of them. , But there's some nuggets of, really good valuable, , , ways to, increase your business.

[00:26:28] Monte: I think that would be helpful for everyone, especially the consumer.

[00:26:32] Nick: Well, you know, if you think about the consumer to take us back to the present moment and really evaluate your sign in the yard and listings over the last five years have become scarce. Supply has consistently gone down so. the recency bias over signs is neither here nor there because they're not in the ground for very long.

[00:26:55] Nick: So what's the purpose of the sign? What's the value of the sign if it's never there? But I'm telling you right now, if you note in the time and space we're in now at 2025, there's marketplaces where supplies increasing. And when supplies increasing, you need more signs and you just don't need more signs.

[00:27:09] Nick: The signs are in the ground longer, which is actually a huge opportunity. You get free marketing for longer. And so agents are freaking out over like, how can I get price reductions? How can I price 'em? Right? I don't even take a listing unless it sells. Right? You have to understand like you need to grab market share, market share signs.

[00:27:27] Nick: The, but one thing the consumer I talk about with you is we always approach is. But isn't the consumer centric approach. Also, the client you already have that has to drive by and drive by your sign every day to go home and drive into the garage. And that represents the quality of your service because the, you don't talk to him every day, but your sign talks to every day.

[00:27:55] Nick: if you wanna lose a listing, let it fall over, let it, let a bird dooo on it and not clean it up. Let the flyers box, go empty. they will fire you. They'll assume that if you don't have an attention to detail on your sign, you don't have attention to detail on anything else. And if it's cluttered and it's confusing, they're gonna be confused on why they hired you in the first place. Can you speak to that? Is that true?

[00:28:19] Monte: see, I get in trouble when I say this because I'm accused of being biased, but your sign should reflect the quality of not only the listing, but also the quality of the service that you provide.

[00:28:31] Nick: you mentioned high-end luxury? Have you seen that work in the real world? You work with some of the top teams, brokerages, brands in the world, right? is this worth exploring, having a standard sign, a high-end luxury sign, it's different based on the price points?

[00:28:48] Nick: Or how do you model that?

[00:28:50] Monte: around 19 96, 97, a friend of mine told me money, you need to make a high end sign. I was like, Brian, they don't wanna pay for what they already got, and no, why? What do you mean a high end sign? I knew exactly what he meant. There was a, a neighborhood in Oklahoma City, one of the most premier areas called Ga Guardia. Now, when they built Ga Guardia, they put into the HOA get your sign from Jack Pratt. They got the specs. It's gonna have the Ga Guardia logo, and then you can co-brand it here and blah, blah, blah. Jack Pratt's got it. But get your frame from this other outfit, and they're 300 bucks. And it's a square tube frame with a decorative round ball finial on each top of the leg.

[00:29:31] Monte: It's got a rider spot at the top, it's got a main panel in the middle, and it's got another rider spot at the bottom. and the unit stands about six feet high. No bones about it. If you're a builder or a realtor or whatever, you are gonna put his yard sign on one of these 10,000 square foot homes in Gaia.

[00:29:46] Monte: You're not gonna use one of those junky angle iron frames, and you're surely not gonna use the post that assigned swings and blows In Oklahoma, you just don't see 'em where the wind comes sweeping down the plane. Right? I've heard that before. So permanently a fixed sign into a two-legged frame, square tube frame.

[00:30:03] Monte: And my working foreman James, he said, money, I can make that. And I was like, well, what do you need? And he said, I need material. And a chop saw, I said, well, how much is a chop saw? He said, about 50 bucks. I was like, well, here's my credit card. Go get it and go order it and go make one. And he did.

[00:30:19] Monte: And he made it just a little bit bigger. and we call it our premier frame, and there's been a lot of ripoffs on it. And we didn't start it, we just ran with it and we pushed the competition out. I was selling 'em for $300 and we started selling 'em for 80. Literally cut the knees right out from under him.

[00:30:39] Monte: I'm sorry, I'm not sorry, but you know, you're getting into my wheelhouse there buddy. , And, , yeah, so he's gone and. The premier frame took off like Wildfire, rose Creek, , Tom Hodgkin, the proprietor, the developer, the originator of Rose Creek, , link style golf course in Oklahoma City and Edmond, they, he got two trucks loaded up both of his trucks full of yard sign angle, iron frames, and put 'em in his car, in his truck, loaded 'em up to our place and said, take these all down to the junk.

[00:31:10] Monte: We're gonna do what Gallia did and we need you to help me. And I was like, this is phenomenal idea, wonderful idea, great idea. And then Bellagio right behind them, they started. So it's not me twisting my mustache on how can I disrupt the sign industry and make a premier frame unit. And it's none of that.

[00:31:27] Monte: It's listening to my clients, it's listening to people like you saying, we need this and we want this, or we're required to have it. , And regards to. A higher end sign. There's definitely an argument that could be made for your upper end, your million dollar listings, your 5% in the county listings.

[00:31:51] Monte: , it definitely won't hurt to invest a little bit more in your image, your brand, your yard sign with that premier unit. it's like everyone wants that look that big bulky look, but they don't wanna haul around a 10 foot unit or have someone you know to go put it in.

[00:32:09] Monte: Or if you have an installer, even better. But some people don't wanna have an installer. We can cut the legs off and you can easily put t posts in the ground. And because it's a tube frame, you stick the T posts in the ground equal distance from of each leg, and you literally just slide the tube frame over the T posts and it rests nice on the ground.

[00:32:30] Monte: You don't have to dig any holes, so it achieves the look that you want. It gives the impression to the prospects that you're a serious realtor and interested and invested in not only your own brand, but into this listing to the extent that you've put this beautiful sign. Now, am I gonna say that a premier sign is going to cause more lead conversions than a traditional angle iron sign?

[00:32:54] Monte: No, I'm not gonna say that. I think that if I did make that claim, I would need to be locked up, obviously in the tank trying to sell something. But I can say that the likes of what Gallia, rose Creek, and Bellagio and all the other clients that we have fulfill doing those types of heavy duty premier frames, by the way, they're not $80 anymore.

[00:33:16] Monte: They're up. But, it's simply me responding to the market. What do you want? What do you not want? What are you willing to pay for? what makes no sense at all? And to take those that don't make any sense and to kill it like a dog with rabies behind the barn and be rid of it, which most cases

[00:33:37] Monte: like icing one of my children.

[00:33:38] Monte: But beyond that, I get over it.

[00:33:41] Nick: well, you have to think about it. If, you wanna make more money in real estate as a real estate team, I want Nick, they come to me, Nick, I wanna join the reside platform. I want to coach with you. I wanna make more money. Ultimately, that's what they wanna do more money for, more freedom. Right? By the end of the day, they want more money, more profit.

[00:33:58] Nick: it's the goal of running a business. Okay, great, awesome. you can sell more homes. Well, how do you sell more homes? Well, you get more leads. You buy more leads, generate more leads, get more agents. Okay, great. That's easy. you can increase your price if maybe you're undercharging or maybe you can add value to increase your price commissions.

[00:34:18] Nick: Oh no, Nick, you can't do that. Okay, great. There's another option You can sell. Higher priced homes. Higher priced homes. Ah, are there a, well, Nick, in my marketplace, the average, it's not like where you're at. It's not like I'm in LA or Orange County or New York. I'm in Oklahoma or Iowa. The average sales price in my area is $220,000.

[00:34:40] Nick: Easy for you to say, of course you can afford it. Oh, interesting. When I started my brokerage and I called Jack Pratt, my average sales price was 120,000. But the question is not what's the average? The question is are there areas in your marketplace with high priced homes. And I haven't found a community in the United States that doesn't have that golf course, that resort community, that gated community.

[00:35:06] Nick: There are wealthy people everywhere, even in Oklahoma City in 1996,

[00:35:11] Nick: right? Believe it.

[00:35:12] Nick: or not. So it's like, okay, well how do you do that? How do I get those listings? Well, you, all you gotta do is get one. You get one, and you do whatever you can on God, green Earth, get one. And you know what? You put the very best sign you can get and you go, you do the very best market, and maybe you lose money, right?

[00:35:34] Nick: Maybe you get a 20,000 check, but you reinvest all of it because you're showcasing what you're about and I'm telling you money. I was like, when you talked about that sign, I remember calling your company in 2014, so 11 years ago, and I was like, I kept getting complaints. Or feedback, that's a better way to put it.

[00:35:54] Nick: Feedback from my own clients, Nick, nobody can see our, your sign. Nick, can you go install a second sign, a third sign, a fourth sign. And I'm thinking, oh man, do you really think it's the sign that's not selling this home? It's the price. But I kept getting that and so then I'm like, you know what? I don't want that anymore.

[00:36:17] Nick: So I called your company up. I said, what's the biggest sign you make? The biggest sign you make? And I did, you know, I should have got these posts you're talking about. 'cause that sounds amazing. you had a two by three sign, I think it was a two by three sign. It was this massive sign. It was like six feet tall angle, iron sign, I remember.

[00:36:35] Nick: And it barely fit in my car to deliver it to the, you know, then you have a problem of installation. But it was a massive sign and it was legal in the ordinance. So it was undeniable that I had the biggest sign and bigger is better and it was one of the best investments I ever had. So I had to tell you that story.

[00:36:55] Nick: Long way to get through that story is like a big sign. What's the biggest sign you can do?

[00:37:00] Monte: what about a great big QR code? Forward street facing. That's the way it always Starts well, just real quick with regards to QR codes,

[00:37:10] Monte: invest the money and, get into a, platform. I use flow code.com. Now I'm trying to get to be an affiliate with them. They've denied me, but I'm not giving up on 'em and I'm not holding it against them either. They have a proclivity towards design that obviously resonates with me. They also have journeys and landing pages and, , , everything that you would want and need.

[00:37:33] Monte: For taking your prospect on the type of experience and journey you want them to go on. Again, I'm not that guy. I would love a a think tank collaborative environment and what experience would be just the, my best thing for prospects, but I'm a little outta my depth there. , , the QR code, I printed a great big three foot diameter QR code and,

[00:37:57] Nick: Is that like a square three by three?

[00:37:59] Monte: three foot diameter circle and, just , the idea of it sitting in front of a house where someone could just boom, hit it because if you know the QR code on a yard sign, yeah, it makes sense.

[00:38:13] Monte: It's gotta be big enough where you can get a good scan.

[00:38:15] Nick: I find it takes away from the sign and the design sometimes,

[00:38:18] Monte: it can do that. That again, that's my problem

[00:38:21] Monte: there can be a way by not using a preponderance of information, you know, less is more, more just gets more clunky, cluttered so

[00:38:30] Nick: Let's talk about this. Three foot diameter QR code forward facing. It faces the street not sideways, and so someone can drive up and just easily, effectively click it or take a photo of it. Now is that this is corrugated plastic, so that.

[00:38:49] Monte: Yeah, if you didn't have, if you don't got it, if you don't have it staked in the ground. there's lots of different ways, and I haven't really horned in on what is the next revolution in yard signs with regards to lead conversions. , 'Cause that's really all that realtors care about is conversions.

[00:39:15] Monte: We all need leads. You need to get leads, but we want to convert those leads. How can you get your leads converted to sales to get onto the next one? If there is any way, shape, or form that a yard sign could be a catalyst to, encourage that journey. I wanna be part of that. ,

[00:39:34] Nick: lead captures wherever you send them at this point. Right. I mean, 'cause QR codes, there may be technology where they're gonna capture the, devices. That's why text delete is the text is the best because you actually know their phone number immediately and you can call 'em back just like a sign.

[00:39:49] Nick: , But the QR code, you gotta send 'em to a landing page of some point. And that landing point needs to have some type of registration or opt in, either forced or sequential opt-in. You know, I like nosy neighbors. I've always wanted nosy neighbors. So finding out the home valuation site, you know, find out what your home's worth online is an opportunity.

[00:40:09] Nick: if you have a home to sell before you buy this one, you'd wanna know that information. I don't know if they'll do it in front of someone's sign, but they might, the neighbors might do it. That's worth trying in my area.

[00:40:20] Monte: the biggest complaint, and I think the catalyst that initially killed the QR code when in its first infancy was that, , in order to get any information from a prospect from your QR code, you gotta get them to take action and give up some of their information. And people don't want to do that But this is a question, and this is an honest question, that what I just said is kind of a old style thinking eight, 10 years ago before the QR code, before anyone even knew what it was, when it first hit, I was talking on stage rain camp in 2011. And the QR code had just come out. And of course at that time there were just a handful of people that were jumping up and down stiff legged thinking this is the next best thing since sliced bread on his face. Yeah. Oh wow. I can scan that and get, wow. Cool. But it compared to what? Compared to the already tech enabled texts to lead, and at the time the text to lead was really gaining traction and was killing it.

[00:41:33] Monte: Still killing it is the best form of lead capture from a yard sign. No question. So trying to make a horse race out of the QR code Well, that's what it kind of feels like. I'm trying to make a race horse out of this, and I don't wanna make a race horse out of anything. I wanna find secretariat.

[00:41:54] Monte: I wanna bet the bank on them, and I'm not quite sure we've found it. I think we're getting closer. And, this is kind of a side show from the whole Jack Pratt experience because fundamentally we're a sign company dedicated to long lasting, beautiful printed graphics, preserving your brand and your identity. And now we're talking about QR codes and lead capturing. It's like, what's going on? Monte, where are you? the pushback that I was getting was from the likes of Chad Himes and Ben Kenney and , Bobby.

[00:42:29] Monte: Oh,

[00:42:29] Monte: God. Anyway, so I can understand the motivations of people saying, this takes the lead. This is it, because it is. And whoa. Well, this QR code, what? Wait, what? Wait. Oh, okay. Yeah, yeah. Kind of cool, you know, whatever. But no, no, no, no, no. we're here talking about selling real estate lead gen, lead conversion.

[00:42:51] Monte: And what does that have to do with yard signs? It has everything to do with it, with what's printed on the yard sign. If you're gonna print a text to lead, that's wonderful. If you're gonna print QR code, you gotta do it the right way, Yeah. it's a turnoff when someone hits it and it's like, wow, I gotta put my name in.

[00:43:10] Monte: I gotta give my, phone number or my email new bye. That is, I would say, 90% of the experience you can expect from anyone when you put your QR code out there. But I do believe that the public is making a turn, making that turn where again, it's because of Covid, that they're more comfortable. are you gonna be, leery by going to a restaurant and seeing the QR code on your table as the menu?

[00:43:39] Monte: No. You're gonna pick up your phone and you're gonna scan it and you're not gonna think twice about it unless you're a real heavy duty tech guy that knows the, intricacies of what that is. And, and plus I've heard that the, what information can be extrapolated from even the text to lead might be enough to discourage anyone from ever using it.

[00:43:59] Monte: But I don't wanna make any of those claims Nothing's foolproof and nothing is a hundred percent. So the text to lead can't give you an experience through a journey that you might want to go through to get the results of the house that you're interested in. It's making an assumption upon the vast general community that frankly, we just can't make that determination except for what we already know to be true for ourselves, which is when I scan a QR code, I don't wanna give 'em any information.

[00:44:29] Monte: I want the information given to me for free. So with time, I believe the QR code integration can lead people through a secure, valuable experience. But still, all you really want is just to get your claws into the people that's interested in, in your listings. And the best way right now is the text leads.

[00:44:47] Monte: So it sounds like I'm just talking all over the place, but, but these are important issues that need to be addressed and need to be addressed by people that know what the industry affords, or how people should use the technology and be realistic with what to expect.

[00:45:05] Monte: So I don't have any magic sauce. I just got the medium as you put it, very well put to carry the experience to generate more leads and hopefully more conversions.

[00:45:18] Nick: Well, at the very least of this conversation, Monty, I think it's opening the eyes to everyone here, everyone listening as a broker owner, team leader, our agent, that you need to reevaluate your sign because it's more than just a sign. And let's get away from the future of science and the technology of science and make sure that we're majoring in major things, and that's the brand.

[00:45:44] Nick: That's the quality. That's, who you are and what you represent in that neighborhood that you want to do more business in. Like taking a listing that you don't wanna do more business in doesn't make a lot of sense. You know, you have to understand that. And so you're building roots. if there's areas you wanna work in, you need to do everything you can to get your sign in someone's yard, selling a buyer, a home in that neighborhood's great and you're gonna make a little bit of money, but you're not actually gonna gain market share in that neighborhood until that buyer that you sold the home to calls you back and tells you to list it. And 90% of people don't even follow up with their clients. So you're really playing the long game. If you're buying buyer leads trying to, tap into a. You gotta get your sign in the yard and it has to be a banger sign. It has to be awesome. So, , Monty, it's been a pleasure. I think people need to reach out to you in the show notes. We're gonna have the link to Jack Pratt, definitely go there. , Is there a better way to reach you guys? Ask for a consultation, ask for discovery call.

[00:46:51] Nick: What's the next step to get ahold of you guys?

[00:46:54] Monte: Yeah, I'm easy to get in touch with, jack pratt.com. That's my website and I'm mon@jackpratt.com.

[00:47:02] Nick: you have an amazing team there, and I think you probably have some consultation or some level of introduction. , Is that safe to assume? What's the experience like when they go to Jack Pratt? What's the experience? What do they click on? Where should they go?

[00:47:14] Monte: the brand discovery, the free consultation, , they range from, I just need some stock riders to, I'm completely new and have no idea what I'm doing. , So I welcome all ranges, , of brokerages, independents, I. If you have a love and a passion for real estate and are wanting to make it a career and to take what is yours in the real estate community, come out of the gate a ban sheik with the right proper marketing, done the right way the first time where you don't have to keep tweaking it and making changes and you, you don't have that time or luxury.

[00:48:05] Monte: The best way is to do things in real time, screen share through live design where you can see the results come before you, right before your eyes, and have your results delivered inside an hour and a half. That is what I would recommend. Reach out, sign up for a free consultation so that I can get a feel for where you are.

[00:48:26] Monte: The last thing I really wanna say is with regards to all of this, You want to integrate your yard signs with your CRM. Now, how that is done through the text to lead or through even QR codes as a good boy, I finally got a CRM yay money. I didn't want to be that guy that was like, hello.

[00:48:44] Monte: You know you need signs. You need signs. Hey, you need signs. Hey, I'm the sign guy. but you know what? I'm over myself and I may not be that irritating. I'm sorry that was a little, a little over the top, but you get what I'm saying?

[00:48:57] Monte: The integration of your text to lead to your CRM where you get your technology working for you.

[00:49:04] Monte: That's something that really needs to be communicated more. 'cause it's not just the QR code, it's not just the text to lead. It's what happens step after step after step and how you go through it now. That's something that you would probably be more of an expert

[00:49:20] Nick: Yeah, same. Same with your phone. Your phone number should be tied into your CRM, so that phone number, if they call it ORM at reside. They call the sign number, it's a specific number for signs only, so they know exactly what they do. You know, I have a dozen different phone numbers for different marketing sources.

[00:49:41] Nick: you're not very sophisticated, having, I mean, maybe it's simple, one number for everything, but then what are you doing? What are you really doing here? And I think it says something, I want to end it with this mon, because you and I can talk forever about real estate and branding, is what does this say about you? That you're hesitant to spend money on something that's gonna last a decade, but you don't hesitate on buying a lead that's gonna last two weeks.

[00:50:06] Monte: that's a great question. I would like to address that you're familiar with the chicken and the egg and so you've been hinting on this. Do you not have enough listings? 'cause you don't have the science form or do you not have Well, no, no, no, no,

[00:50:19] Monte: no. What is the chicken? I just saw the founder, ., Michael Keaton, playing Ray Crock, great movie.

[00:50:25] Monte: But the idea is he was selling the multim mixers. Do you not sell enough Multim mixers because you don't have the five spindle multim mixer, or You increase the supply and the demand will follow that. That is what his rationale was.

[00:50:40] Monte: That's really risky. I'm not so sure that, I would say everyone just needs to go out and buy 50 yard signs so that those 50, , listings will come. But I don't know, man, if you spent the money to put out 50 yard signs, you might figure out a way to get 'em out and do some

[00:50:55] Monte: yards.

[00:50:56] Nick: the other thing about it's, you can buy 50 leads for the same amount of money, and it's gonna populate in your CRM and you're gonna forget about 'em because they're not visible. They're not in your face every single day. I mentioned this at the, when you were doing a private event for the reside clients.

[00:51:09] Nick: I've never, I've never bought a bulk load of signs and not used them and I've always ordered them before I need them. So I call you up and I'm like, Shannon, 25 50 more signs. this isn't because they worn out. It's like, no, I'm showing my team. I have 50 signs. Get out there and let's go find people to put 'em in their yards.

[00:51:32] Nick: it's almost like a goal. You you can see the throughput, you can see the, drive down of those signs. it's just different ways to, for money. We gotta go, we gotta, you gotta sell signs, help clients. I gotta sell homes and help clients sell more homes. So it's been a pleasure to be continuous.

[00:51:48] Nick: It's been a pleasure. , I'm really grateful to have finally met you in person. I think you're brilliant. I don't think people realize the value and the wealth of information and resource that you have for them. But they will soon. They will really soon. So I hope you like this, episode.

[00:52:04] Nick: If you like this episode, go back and download all the others before there's amazing people on there. And we're gonna continue to put out amazing content, the reside platform and hopefully someday we'll do business together in some fashion in this industry. Alright man.

[00:52:18] Monte: Right Nick, appreciate it. Talk to y'all later.