Take Flight Weekly | Jim Miller

Jim Miller

Jim Miller is a success mentor and life coach who guides top real estate brokers from around the country while managing 2.3B+ in sales production as Designated Managing Broker with Jameson Sotheby’s International Realty in Chicago, Illinois. He is also recognized as a top real estate coach to top Sotheby's International Realty brokers in 35 luxury markets.

  1. #331: Q3 Effort. Q1 Results

    Jun 28

    #331: Q3 Effort. Q1 Results

    Summary June was a month of reflection on Take Flight, a mid-year audit of what the first two quarters delivered and where the cracks are hiding. Episode 331 closes that arc and turns toward the second half of the year. Jim opens on the farmer's logic that runs underneath everything he teaches. You plant in the spring and harvest in the fall, which means the work you do right now lands six to nine months out, not on next month's paycheck. Real estate is not a business of selling properties. It is a business of building relationships and compounding them over a long career. Borrowing the structure of Brian Moran's The 12 Week Year, Jim frames this moment as Week 13, the point where you celebrate the wins, count the near misses as learning, and plan the quarter ahead. He is candid that Q3 is a trap. You are tired, the year has been long, and the pull to pump the brakes is real. His answer is not to grind harder. It is to be intentional and surgical, taking one project per week and knocking it out, whether that is a couple of hours, thirty minutes, or a single phone call you have been avoiding. The quarter's teaching focus is Pillar 3 of Take Flight, CRM and Relationship Management. Jim makes the case that this is where all real success comes from. Your income is the number of people you serve times the level at which you serve them, and you cannot afford to lose people from your network because they are so hard to replace. 85%-90% of most advisors' business comes from their network, which is why offline marketing, reputation and relationships, outperforms any digital tactic over time. Across Q3 he will get detailed on building a Top 100, setting cadences for platinum, gold, silver, and fringe contacts, and retaining the network while expanding it. Jim closes with the question he puts to every client. Are you interested in being great, or are you committed to it. He points listeners back to the June episodes, 327 through 330, and to episode 254, Think Like a Farmer, as the groundwork for the season ahead. The challenge is simple and singular. This week, name the projects that need to get done in Q3 and commit to running them one at a time. Do the heavy lifting now so your network is in real shape heading into Q4 and Q1. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Take Flight Weekly 02:54 Reflecting on Q1 and Q2 Results 05:48 Preparing for Q3: The Trap Quarter 09:06 The Importance of CRM and Relationship Management 11:49 Commitment to Success and Building Your Network Ask Jim Miller - Email List - mailto:Jim@askjimmiller.com Instagram:  @askjimmiller

    15 min
  2. #328: It's Time to Start Thinking about Q3

    Jun 7

    #328: It's Time to Start Thinking about Q3

    Summary Jim shares a change he made a year ago that reframed his whole year. He moved his vision cycle off January first and onto July first. The reason started personal, tied to his daughters and a three-year path, but it exposed a better way to run a vision cycle for most real estate markets. January is a no fly zone, with no momentum coming out of the holidays. Starting the cycle where the season actually turns puts the heavy lifting in Q3 and Q4, where it belongs, and turns June into a true review month. Jim connects this to last week's message on the basics. The advisors truly winning know what works, build SOPs around it, and run it consistently. The ones without momentum chase everything except the network. A vision cycle is how the basics get rebuilt and reinforced, one quarter at a time. This episode is the bridge from reflection into action. June to review, July to set the cycle, Q3 and Q4 to do the work that makes trapped become free. Inside this episode: 1.     Why it's hard to build real momentum in January, and what to use instead. 2.     How to pick a vision cycle start date that fits your season. 3.     Using June as the review month, the 13th week in 12 Week Year terms. 4.     The quarterly rebuild rhythm. Tear apart, put back together, let it run. 5.     How the basics and the network sit underneath the whole cycle. This is your coaching session. Chapters 00:00 Reflections on June and Personal Milestones 10:14 The Importance of Vision and Planning 20:13 Operational Excellence and Business Growth 24:01 Philosophical Insights and Future Directions Resources Find me on Instagram at @askjimmiller 12 Week Year by Brian P. Moran - https://www.amazon.com/12-Week-Year-Focus-Execution-Discipline/dp/1118509234 Traction by Gino Wickman - https://www.amazon.com/Traction-Get-Grip-Entrepreneurial-Operating/dp/1936661837 EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) - https://www.eosworldwide.com/

    27 min
  3. #326: If I had to Rebuild my CRM, I Would Do This!

    May 17

    #326: If I had to Rebuild my CRM, I Would Do This!

    Summary Five tries. Five abandoned attempts. If that sounds familiar, this episode is for you. Episode 326 of Take Flight Weekly is built for the roughly 90% of real estate brokers, agents, and advisors who have tried to build a CRM and never gotten one off the ground. The episode opens with a moment from earlier this month at a leadership event for top advisors. At the event, Jim got tapped on the shoulder by a advisor with the same question he hears from his clients constantly: I've tried five times, how do you do it? The answer is a full teaching session, and Jim names the real obstacle in the first few minutes. The CRM is just the technology. The mindset is what gets in the way. From there, he walks through a complete 13-week rebuild plan that runs on a simple spreadsheet, requires no perfect platform, and produces a clean Top 100 contact list by the end of September. The system is two names a day, ten names a week. No Saturday-afternoon import marathons. No more starting over. Inside the episode, Jim breaks down the 15 columns every CRM spreadsheet needs, from contact rank through neighborhood or building, source of origination, last touch, next touch, and three customizable tag fields. He covers where to mine the names from, including MLS sold data, your phone, your email marketing list, school rosters, and vendor partners. He stays CRM-agnostic on the platform question, because the right tool is always the one you'll actually use. By the end, listeners have a system, a 13-week runway, and the one decision that determines whether any of it gets built. This is Pillar 3 of the Take Flight coaching framework, CRM and Relationship Management, and Jim makes the case that this pillar sits at the foundation of every successful real estate business he has built or coached. The episode closes on the only question that matters for anyone who has been stuck: are you committed, or are you interested? The answer shows up in what you do this week, not what you say. This is a longer teaching episode worth bookmarking and re-listening. There will be no Episode 327 over Memorial Day weekend; the next episode drops May 31, 2026. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to CRM Challenges 02:54 The Importance of Mindset in CRM Implementation 06:00 Starting Your CRM: The Spreadsheet Approach 09:07 Building Your Contact List: Key Columns to Include 11:57 Organizing Your Contacts: Strategies for Success 14:53 Commitment to CRM: The Path Forward Resources Jim Miller on Instagram - @askjimmiller Email Jim Miller - mailto:jim@askjimmiller.com

    22 min
  4. #325:  The Math that Created Take Flight

    May 10

    #325: The Math that Created Take Flight

    Summary In this episode, Jim kicks off a new pillar of the Take Flight framework: CRM and Relationship Management. He explains why, in an AI‑accelerated world, your network is more valuable than ever. “We are moving at light speed when it comes to technology… If you use it the right way to support your business, it is exciting.” Jim shares the story of how a 2011 conversation with CEO Chris Feurer sparked the very first Take Flight class and how doubling down on building a real database transformed his business. You’ll learn: Why the future workforce splits into two groups — tech operators and high‑touch professionalsWhy real estate advisors must master relationships to stay competitiveThe true capacity of a human advisor: your Top 100The math that drives predictable growth:“Your income equals the number of people you serve times the value you deliver.”Jim challenges you to make this the summer you finally build, nurture, and protect your network — before the stakes get even higher.    Takeaways Building and maintaining a database is crucial for long-term success.The ideal network size for effective relationship management is around 100 people.Consistent engagement with your network yields 85-90% of your business. Using AI and technology enhances efficiency but personal relationships remain vital.Focusing on a smaller, high-quality network improves performance and results. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Take Flight and CRM 07:08 The Importance of Technology in CRM 13:01 Building and Nurturing Your Network 21:09 Commitment to Relationship Management Resources The Go-Giver by Bob Burg - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A7U7U4Q Claude Cowork AI Platform - https://claude.ai/ Jim Miller's Website - https://jimmiller.com/ Follow Jim Miller on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/askjimmiller/

    25 min
  5. #324:  If you see Consistency, Look for This!

    May 3

    #324: If you see Consistency, Look for This!

    Summary: Jim Miller recaps the second pillar of the Take Flight framework, emphasizing the importance of habits, routines, and systems in business success. He shares insights from past episodes, focusing on designing, executing, and maintaining consistency in real estate entrepreneurship. Design before execution sets the destination. Consistency as cadence, habit stacking, the Weekly Planning Session, and daily rhythm build the engine.  Choose Wisely points the engine at the right clients, because a great engine pointed at the wrong work breaks the operator. Seasonality and the Farmer Framework decide which projects deserve which months.  The Ideal Week becomes the bridge from quarterly Rocks to weekly execution. The dress rehearsal each night protects the whole structure with analog discipline.  Nine moves. Standalone, they are a curriculum. Integrated, they are an operating system. ELP's do not run more habits than the 97%. They run a tighter system. Here is the truth to carry this week. A great habit, in the wrong system, breaks the system. If you have been adding habits and still feel like the week is leaking, you do not have a habit problem. You have a structure problem. The fix is an audit, not another book. One page. Nine rows, one per episode in the arc. Three columns: installed, partial, missing. Score yourself honestly. What you find missing is what is putting unnecessary stress on your week. Install the system once and the output compounds for years.   Key Takeaways from this review of Habits, Routines, Rituals and Rhythms. Design before execution. Pillar 1 sets the destination before Pillar builds the path. (EP315)Consistency as cadence, not intensity. Stop restarting takeoff. Build habits, routines, rituals and rhythms . (EP316)Habit stacking. After [X], I will [Y]. Identity drives the stack. (EP317)The Weekly Planning Session. 60 to 90 minutes. The anchor habit that runs every other habit. (EP318)Win the day, win the week. Morning ritual, arena work, evening wind-down. The compound effect is daily. (EP319)Choose Wisely. Client selection is the highest-leverage decision an advisor makes. (EP320)Calendar architecture. Seasonality, the Ideal Week, and the dress rehearsal. Right project, right season, rehearsed each night. (EP321 / EP322 / EP323)Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Take Flight Framework 02:29 Recap of Pillar Number Two 03:01 Key Principles of Execution 10:14 Choosing Wisely: Client Selection 12:09 The Importance of Planning 14:18 Looking Ahead: CRM and Relationship Management Follow Jim: Instagram @askjimmiller Website:  AskJimMiller.com

    15 min
5
out of 5
58 Ratings

About

Jim Miller is a success mentor and life coach who guides top real estate brokers from around the country while managing 2.3B+ in sales production as Designated Managing Broker with Jameson Sotheby’s International Realty in Chicago, Illinois. He is also recognized as a top real estate coach to top Sotheby's International Realty brokers in 35 luxury markets.

You Might Also Like