Real Estate Success: The Whissel Way

How to Lead With Purpose and Build a Thriving Business

In this episode of Real Estate Success: The Whissel Way, Kyle Whissel sits down with special guest Chantel Ray for a raw, personal conversation about leadership, purpose, and the internal work required to scale a truly fulfilling business. They explore how chasing recognition, production rankings, and new shiny strategies often distract agents from the deeper work that actually transforms their teams and income. Chantel shares lessons from her faith journey, high level masterminds, and the storms that shaped her leadership, while Kyle reveals his own breakthroughs around ego, farming, and transitioning from doing everything to focusing on income generation. Together they offer practical advice for agents who want to grow their business, impact more people, and build a life that aligns with purpose rather than pressure.

Will Trump’s 50 Year Mortgage Save Buyers or Break Them

In this episode of Real Estate Success: The Whissel Way, Kyle Whissel and Bryan Koci break down Trump’s proposed 50 year mortgage and what it could mean for real estate agents, homebuyers, and the market as a whole. They compare payments between 30 and 50 year loans, explain how affordability changes, outline the dramatic interest differences, and discuss when the product might actually benefit buyers. They also explore potential risks, tax implications, appreciation impacts, and how lenders and agents may respond if this loan product becomes available.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to the 50 Year Mortgage
01:20 What We Know and What We Assume
04:14 Running Real Mortgage Numbers
06:18 Million Dollar Example Breakdown
07:52 Payment Savings and Affordability
09:35 How Much More Home Buyers Could Afford
12:18 The Real Interest Cost Comparison
18:16 When a 50 Year Loan Might Make Sense
22:08 How Agents and Lenders Might Respond
28:20 Final Thoughts on Pros and Cons

How to Find Off-Market Homes for Picky Buyers

In this episode of Real Estate Success: The Whissel Way, hosts Kyle Whissel and Bryan Koci tackle one of the toughest challenges in real estate: how to find a home for clients with extremely specific wants and needs. Sparked by a real Slack discussion within their team, Kyle and Bryan break down proven strategies that turn effort into opportunity, from high-impact door knocking and personalized letters to leveraging MLS data, agent networks, and social media. They share real-world examples of how agents within their team generated multiple potential listings in just hours and discuss why genuine hustle, collaboration, and creativity will always outperform waiting for leads to appear online.

 

Chapters

• 0:00 – The problem: buyers with ultra-specific home requirements

• 0:41 – Why most agents don’t deserve to get paid

• 1:00 – Staying relevant in an AI and Zillow world

• 2:35 – The culture of collaboration at Whissel Beer Group

• 6:42 – Real success story: two sellers in two hours from door knocking

• 8:12 – Why a “specific” buyer is a gift

• 9:01 – The most effective strategy: knock on the damn doors

• 10:26 – What to bring and what to say when door knocking

• 14:14 – How to dress, knock, and leave a message

• 23:00 – Ten more ways to find off-market listings

• 27:00 – Why door knocking still wins and final takeaways

3 Mistakes That Kill Real Estate Careers (And How to Fix Them)

In this episode of Real Estate Success: The Whissel Way, Bryan Koci sits down with Brian Danney to uncover the top three mistakes that cause real estate agents to stall or leave the industry, and the single superpower that guarantees success.

 

From chasing shiny objects to ignoring proven systems, Brian shares insights from over a decade of coaching and leadership experience at Whissel Beer Group. Together, they break down the power of coachability, accountability, and focus, emphasizing that simplicity and implementation, not perfection, are what separate top producers from the rest.

Chapters

00:00 – Intro and episode overview
02:23 – Mistake #1: Reinventing the wheel
04:03 – Shiny objects vs. proven systems
06:08 – How to identify distractions in your business
09:48 – Mistake #2: Lack of coachability and accountability
13:36 – Vulnerability and the power of ownership
17:22 – Mistake #3: Why less is more in real estate
19:45 – Managing fewer clients to make more money
22:16 – Using leverage and letting go of control
26:29 – The Superpower: Implementation
29:11 – Getting comfortable being uncomfortable
31:53 – Final challenge for agents: Follow your calendar

3 Key Takeaways for Agents

1. Stop reinventing the wheel — Master what already works before trying to innovate. Simplicity and focus always outperform chaos and distraction.

2. Be coachable and accountable — The most successful agents are humble, willing to learn, and unafraid to own their mistakes.

3. Implement immediately — Speed beats perfection. The agents who take consistent, fast action are the ones who win in the long run.

Why Emotional Intelligence Will Outperform Artificial Intelligence

In this episode of Real Estate Success: The Whissel Way, hosts Kyle Whissel and Bryan Koci dive into lessons learned from Tiger 21, an exclusive network of ultra-high-net-worth individuals.

 

Kyle shares why attending fewer, more intentional events outside the real estate bubble has accelerated his growth, and reveals two major takeaways: the rising importance of emotional intelligence (EQ) in an AI-driven world and the shift from focusing on short-term income to building long-term net worth through strategic investments. Real estate agents will gain insights into how to think bigger, leverage wealth-building strategies, and develop skills that will keep them relevant and profitable in a rapidly changing industry.

Chapters: 
00:00 – Why too many real estate events hurt your growth
02:00 – Finding value outside the real estate bubble
04:05 – Choosing the right cadence for events
06:30 – The power of joining EO, Boardroom, and Tiger 21
07:40 – Lessons from the wealthy: parenting and legacy
10:00 – Why curated conversations matter at events
13:30 – Key takeaway: EQ matters more than IQ in the age of AI
17:10 – How to grow your emotional intelligence
22:00 – Net worth vs. income: a wealthy mindset shift
25:00 – Using real estate development and refinancing for tax-free growth

How to Move Buyers Forward in Any Market - Creating Urgency in a Non-Urgent Market

In this episode of Real Estate Success: The Whissel Way, host Bryan Koci sits down with Brian Danney to discuss how real estate agents can create urgency in today’s slower, buyer-driven market. Brian shares practical strategies like defining a buyer’s top five must-haves, holding clients accountable through simple emails, and future-pacing conversations to prepare buyers for writing offers. The episode emphasizes the importance of guiding clients based on their goals, meeting them where they’re at in the buying journey, and building momentum through consistent next steps and promises. Agents will walk away with actionable ways to build trust, inspire confidence, and help buyers make timely decisions without pressure.

Chapters

• 00:00 – Introduction & Guest Intro

• 01:19 – Brian’s Background in Real Estate

• 02:28 – Creating Urgency in a Non-Urgent Market

• 05:25 – Accountability and the Agent’s Role

• 06:19 – Defining the Top Five Must-Haves

• 07:30 – Going Deep: Lifestyle vs. Features

• 11:23 – Using Emails to Build Accountability

• 13:21 – Understanding Buyer Stages (Awareness, Consideration, Decision)

• 16:40 – Redrafting Buyer Priorities & Handling Objections

• 25:32 – Final Advice: Always Create a Next Step

📌 3 Key Takeaways

1. Define the top five must-haves: Simplify buyer priorities into five core needs, then go deeper into why they matter to uncover lifestyle-driven motivations that create urgency.

2. Use accountability systems: Send simple follow-up emails that confirm buyer goals and future pace them toward writing offers, building trust and clarity in the process.

3. Always create a next step: Urgency is built through momentum, so set specific dates and promises that move the client forward and keep the relationship engaged.

 

5 AI Tools Every Realtor Should Know

In this episode of Real Estate Success: The Whissel Way, Kyle Whissel and Bryan Koci dive into the cutting-edge AI tools transforming how real estate agents operate and scale their business. From organizing complex financial data with NotebookLM, to creating polished presentations with Gamma, to coaching calls with Shiloh, they reveal practical applications that save time, improve client interactions, and help agents look more professional. They also cover how they personally use ChatGPT for transcripts, content creation, and email variations, plus creative photo editing with Envato. This isn’t just theory—these are the exact tools they’re using to generate efficiency and revenue today.

Chapters

• 00:00 – The Evolution of Real Estate & AI

• 01:30 – Why Tools Matter for Realtors

• 03:45 – Kyle’s Favorite Tool: NotebookLM

• 05:45 – How to Use AI for Meetings & Content

• 07:45 – Privacy Concerns Around AI

• 09:00 – ChatGPT 5.0 & How Bryan Uses It

• 11:20 – Generating Images & Content Variations

• 12:30 – Gamma: Next-Level Presentations & Graphics

• 16:00 – Envato: Easy Photo Editing for Agents

• 18:10 – Shiloh: AI Coaching for Agent Calls

• 21:30 – Final Thoughts & Agent Takeaways

Scaling a Real Estate Team Without Breaking It

In this episode of Real Estate Success: The Whissel Way, Kyle Whissel and Bryan Koci dive into a topic often overlooked in discussions about scaling a real estate business—culture. While most teams focus on tech and systems, Kyle emphasizes how crucial it is to intentionally define, build, and protect your team culture through core values, standards, and strong leadership. They unpack how to recruit and retain the right people, handle cultural misalignment (even with top producers), and develop deeper relationships with your top agents. Whether you lead a team of 5 or 120, this episode will give you the tactical insights to build a culture that fuels growth instead of fighting it.

Chapters
00:00 – Scaling More Than Systems
01:04 – Small Team Vibes vs. Big Team Problems
02:56 – Intentional Culture Starts with Core Values
04:48 – The Wrong Way to Create Core Values
06:17 – The Right Way to Define Culture
07:18 – Budgeting for Culture
08:33 – Are Team Cliques Good or Bad?
10:04 – Enforcing Core Values: Hire, Raise, Fire
11:09 – Culture Should Attract and Repel
15:03 – Fixing a Broken Culture
17:14 – Standards That Protect Top Performers
20:22 – Culture Will Organically Push Out Bad Fits
23:28 – Have the Tough Conversations with Curiosity
24:33 – Why Kyle Focuses on Top Producers