“I’m Not Going To Say You’re A Fool, But You're Foolish If You Do Not Do It.”

Stan Pennington started out as a rookie with Coldwell Banker 22 years ago and ended up opening his own brokerage in 2008. When the market got bad around 2012, Stan took his 25 agents over to Keller Williams. 

“Only reason I did that was for the training aspect of it,” Stan says. “Three of my people were actually new people, and Keller actually had the best training possible for a new person. And I wanted them to have everything they could. I mean, I'm an excellent teacher myself, but you can't do — you can't wear every hat. So I took everybody over there, and I lasted 2.5 years with Keller Williams.”

After his stint at Keller Williams, Stan knew he wanted to reopen his own brokerage.

“I guess I knew from the very start that I was never gonna stay over there because I kept the corporation open. I kept the phone numbers, all my signs and all of that. And I just reopened it back up, first part of ‘16. And we've been going ever since.”

Stan has only been an Authorify member for about six weeks, but he says his experience so far has been “awesome.”

“The biggest thing was we have investor meetings in Oklahoma city. It was actually over 3,000 investors, and there are seven different meetings a month. And I went — I've been going now for the last four years to this one in particular. And you know, with COVID, we normally have roughly 60 to 75 in a meeting — And we're down to roughly 25 — in that ballpark. And all I did is I actually took a picture of this book. I just took a picture of the front page, and I got up and I explained to them that this right here can help every one of those investors in the way of knowing the ins and outs of what a FSBO goes through. Even though a FSBO is going through it, basically they're a FSBO at heart also in the way of doing flips and stuff like that.

“So, I mean, all the information in there was very, very beneficial,” Stan says. “There was actually 25 in our class one day, and I just told them, I said, ‘If you would like a copy of my book that I have published, all you have to do is write your name and your email on the back, and I would get a copy to you. It'd be a digital copy until the following month.’ And then I finally got my actual hard copies and started passing those out also, but they're out of the 25 that were there. There was two that could not read or write English, but 23 of them signed up for it. And 23 of them got the book and had nothing but just — I mean, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I mean, it's, it's amazing.”

Stan says his 22 years of experience as a broker and agent have given him confidence to stand behind his book.

“The thing is once they even hear that you actually have your own book already published, it's amazing. Just the look in their eyes, just seeing, you know, the credibility that it brings to me. And it's all in writing where somebody can take it in and just go, you know, get educated. And I've been real heavy into the education side of it anyway. And it's just a great backup for me.”

Even though he’s just started handing out his books, Stan already landed an investor client from the 23 that he gave books to at the event.

“He was so enthused about the book and about getting with me that he actually wanted to put three houses on the market immediately, and he's got 50 more that he wants to put on the market one by one, as we can get rid of them in the next year or two. And I credit that to the book.”

“My coach — she just couldn't believe it. And I mean, I couldn't hardly believe it.”

Stan also recently published an expired and first-time buyer book, which he plans to use at open houses in the future.

“I just can't wait to get that. I actually had 17 at my open house yesterday and 17 couples, not 17 individuals. And I was telling each one of them about it and I got their email, and just as soon as, and I actually even got addresses from them and I told them that just as soon as they come in because I've already got an order — that I will actually mail them a copy of it. So I mean, I wished I'd had this 10 years ago, 20 years ago.

“I've got a couple of other agents now — buyers agents — working with us, and they're actually taking the copies with them to hand out also on their open houses and even on just a regular appointment. Even if they don't have the time to give that book to them in advance, they can actually give it to them right there. And while they're actually talking to them about getting the listing, I do know that if it could go out faster and have that capability of reading the book prior to us walking in, that'll be a slam dunk.”

Stan said he joined Authorify from a $7 trial.

“And then I found that it was $97, and I'm thinking, ‘My gosh, I mean, these are peanuts for what the capability was offered to me. And the more I dug into it and saw what all that Authority has to offer. I mean, it's a no brainer. Whether you're a broker owner, if you're a brand-new agent or whatever. It gives you the confidence going in — just even holding a book — that I really recommend everybody have it.”

Stan says the books can actually serve as a learning tool for new agents, in addition to helping them build their businesses. He gives them to new agents in his brokerage to supplement their training. 

“Once the new agent comes in, all they do is they go to a class for like 90 hours to learn how to pass a test of nothing but laws. There's nothing in the class itself — how to work contracts, how do I show houses, how to tell if a house has foundation problems, any of that — and nothing about marketing, and you actually have to have a mentor under your belt to guide you along to really where you're feeling really good about yourself for no less than six months. 

“I mean, a person can only retain at the very most 10%. And with me being able to hand them the book, it's actually following up on everything.”

Stan has also started promoting his books in his email signature.

“No matter who has my emails — I'm going through over 200 a day on emails going out. So my book is being offered to them, everybody that I sent an email to. All they gotta do is click on the banner automatically. They've got the digital copy after filling out the landing page right now. You're going to build your CRM up. Absolutely.”