Matchmaker Training · Week of March 8

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▶ Step 1 of 4

Watch These Two Match Calls

Before we dive into relaxed confidence, watch both calls closely. Pay attention to pacing, tone, and how each matchmaker builds connection.

Berlin's Call: Kate, Jane & Shuyi

March 10, 2026 · 14:13 · Berlin Smallwood facilitating

Berlin joins, builds connection with both sides, explains the process with a relaxed pace, then lets Kate and Shuyi chat naturally. Watch how she reads the room and lets the call dictate her approach.

Lize's Call: Shane & Elias

March 10, 2026 · 19:54 · Lize Geyer facilitating

Lize waits over 7 minutes for the second person — and never gives up. She turns wait time into genuine connection, then delivers the process with calm confidence. Ezra called this "one of the best calls I've ever seen."

📖 Step 2 of 4

What Is Relaxed Confidence?

Based on Ezra's feedback from the March 13 Friday standup. Read carefully — you'll be quizzed on this.

The Big Picture

This week, the basics are there. People are approaching calls with more confidence, and our value proposition is clear. But there's a piece that separates the good from the great: relaxed confidence.

"The top performers I'm seeing week over week are the ones that find a way to break through the barrier of the video call, that find a way to make a connection with the host and the guest."
— Ezra, Friday Standup (March 13)

Relaxed confidence isn't about knowing your script perfectly. It's about being so comfortable with the process that you can slow down, read the room, and let the conversation breathe — and that translates directly to conversion.

The 5 Principles of Relaxed Confidence

🤝

1. Connection Before Script

Spend the first 30–60 seconds making a genuine human connection. Ask about them. Share something personal. The process can wait — the relationship can't.

🐢

2. Slow Down, Say Less

Speak slowly. Speak with a smile. Hit the two most important points — rent is released after move-in confirmation, deposit returned after condition check. That's it.

🌊

3. Let the Call Dictate

Don't approach every call the same way. Read the room. If people start talking before your script, let them. If someone asks a question mid-explanation, roll with it.

💪

4. Never Give Up

If the other person is late, don't hang up. Turn wait time into connection time. Lize waited 7+ minutes and used every one of them to build rapport.

👂

5. Read the Room, Then Re-Enter

After you turn the call over, listen for cues. When the conversation wraps naturally, come back smoothly — mention the hold, don't mention pricing, keep momentum going.

DO vs DON'T

🚫 Don't

  • Rush through the script in the first 30 seconds
  • Approach every call identically
  • Give up when one party is late
  • Talk fast to "get your lecture out"
  • Ignore what people are saying to stay on your agenda
  • Mention pricing during the introduction

✅ Do

  • Build connection first — ask how they heard about Ohana
  • Adjust your approach based on who's on the call
  • Turn wait time into relationship time
  • Speak slowly and with a smile
  • Let the call change course when people have questions
  • Stay on after the match to send the offer

What Ezra Said

"Where I think the room for improvement is — the connection and this concept of relaxed confidence. We're seeing people approach the calls with more confidence, which is great. But where there's room to work on is this feeling of relaxed confidence."
— Ezra, Friday Standup
"I don't need to take the first 30 seconds of the call and approach every single one the same way. I can kind of read the room and still make a connection, even if I join late, and still let people start to talk to each other even before I get through my whole script. That is the next step of matchmaking."
— Ezra, on Berlin's call
"Long story short — Ohana is here to provide the safest way to sublet. On move-in day we'll confirm that you moved in successfully before releasing the rent. Before you leave, you'll upload photos to capture the condition. Try to keep it really, really clear so they can walk away and know exactly what's happening."
— Ezra, modeling the ideal concise value prop
🎬 Step 3 of 4

Key Moments — Relaxed Confidence in Action

Click each clip to see the transcript excerpt and what makes it work.

Berlin's Call Highlights

0:36–1:09
Warm opener — genuine, not scripted
Connection
▼
Berlin: "Doing well, doing well. Nice to meet you guys. I'm Berlin. I'm part of the Ohana team. How's everything going?"

Berlin: "Awesome. Well, yeah, thank you guys so much for joining. Kat, this is your first call with Ohana, correct?"
Why this works: Berlin doesn't launch into the script. She greets by name, checks in genuinely, and makes everyone feel acknowledged.
🎥

Your Turn — Practice This Skill

Record yourself doing a warm, genuine opener — greet someone by name and make a personal connection before getting to business.

📹
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1:09–1:55
Invites both sides into conversation
Connection
▼
Berlin: "How did you guys hear about Ohana?"
Kate: "We just found that this was the most cohesive site for us."
Berlin: "Nice, nice. I'm glad. Shuyi, how'd you hear about us?"
Why this works: She makes sure both sides feel included. Even when Shuyi misunderstands, Berlin stays patient and graceful.
🎥

Your Turn — Practice This Skill

Practice including everyone on the call. Ask both the host and guest how they heard about Ohana.

📹
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1:55–2:54
Lets the call change course
Flexibility
▼
Kate: "We were wondering if there was any opportunity to move in on May 29..."
Shuyi: "Yeah, you can..."
Berlin: "Perfect. So yeah, I just adjusted that."
Why this works: Kate interrupts with a date change. Berlin doesn't get flustered — she lets them talk to each other, then smoothly confirms the adjustment.
🎥

Your Turn — Practice This Skill

Practice responding to an unexpected question mid-script. Show how you'd roll with it instead of sticking rigidly to your plan.

📹
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3:50–4:16
Smooth handoff — "I'll be in the background"
Pacing
▼
Berlin: "Cool. I'll just turn it over to you three then to chat about the apartment, get to know each other. I'll just be working in the background and then I can come back at the end to help out with next steps."
Why this works: She makes it clear she's stepping back but still there. The host and guest feel supported, not abandoned.
🎥

Your Turn — Practice This Skill

Practice the moment you turn the call over. Say it naturally — let them know you're stepping back but still there.

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12:12–12:45
Reads the room and comes back perfectly
Confidence
▼
Kate: "We would love to be able to sublease your room."
Berlin: "What I can do then is stay on the call with you real quick to go through the offer details... I recommend just holding it like right now."
Why this works: Berlin waited for the natural cue. She re-enters at exactly the right moment, mentions the hold (not pricing), and keeps momentum.
🎥

Your Turn — Practice This Skill

Practice coming back into a conversation after the host and guest have been chatting. Show how you'd smoothly re-enter.

📹
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Lize's Call Highlights

0:05–1:07
Turns dead time into genuine connection
Persistence
▼
Lize: "We are waiting for Elias to join. I do see it's your first time on Ohana. How did you hear about Ohana?"
Lize: "Amazing. So are you like going away or what's the reason for your sublet?"
Why this works: Instead of awkward silence, Lize immediately fills the time with genuine questions — learning about Shane's move to Austin.
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Your Turn — Practice This Skill

Practice what you'd say if the other person is late. Fill the time with genuine conversation — ask about their move, share something about yourself.

📹
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1:28–1:50
Personal sharing — South Africa, weather, life
Connection
▼
Shane: "Where's your team based?"
Lize: "We're based in New York, but I'm in South Africa."
Lize: "Yeah. All the way on the other side of the world. It's summer now and it's super hot. So we're waiting for the winter to come by now because I'm over it."
Why this works: She doesn't just answer "New York." She shares something personal, making a joke about the heat. Shane now feels like he's talking to a real person.
🎥

Your Turn — Practice This Skill

Practice sharing something personal and authentic about yourself to build rapport. Keep it natural, like Lize talking about South Africa.

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3:29–6:53
7 minutes of patience — never gives up
Persistence
▼
Lize: "He's not responding. Are you flexible today?"
Lize: "What about 12pm? This gives him enough time to remember we had a call."
[...Elias joins at 6:53...]
Lize: "How's your day been? Are you in South Africa at the moment?"
Why this works: Most people would give up after 3 minutes. Lize stayed 7, called Elias, offered to reschedule — and when he finally joined, she STILL made time to build connection.
🎥

Your Turn — Practice This Skill

Practice staying patient and positive when someone is 5+ minutes late. Show how you'd keep the other person engaged and offer solutions.

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7:28–8:50
Clear, slow process explanation
Pacing
▼
Lize: "Subleasing is obviously risky. There's a lot of scams out there. So we created this so there's a little less of that."
Lize: "You will confirm that you've moved in... and then we will only release that first rent payment over to Shane."
Why this works: She leads with WHY Ohana exists, then covers just the two key points. No rushing, no info overload. Both people understood immediately.
🎥

Your Turn — Practice This Skill

Practice explaining the Ohana process in under 30 seconds. Hit just the two key points: rent released after move-in confirmation, deposit returned after condition check.

📹
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16:28–19:54
Above and beyond — stays on to perfect the offer
Confidence
▼
Lize: "If you do feel like it's a good fit but need time, you can place a hold for 24 hours."
[After Elias leaves...]
Shane: "Could you just lower it to 2925? I think it's more attractive."
Lize: "2925. Let me just put that in. So he'll pay 379."
Why this works: She stayed on a 20-minute call to make sure every detail was right — adjusting the price, confirming the address, verifying amenities. This is the gold standard.
🎥

Your Turn — Practice This Skill

Practice staying on after the match to help finalize details — adjusting pricing, confirming dates, making everything perfect.

📹
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📝 Step 4 of 4

Relaxed Confidence Quiz

8 questions — 4 multiple choice (auto-graded) and 4 written (Spawn will review and email you if your answers are correct). You need 100% on the multiple choice to complete.

🏆 Which call are you most proud of from last week?

Share a match call you felt great about and we'll review it for the team. Use the format below.

Example: Ohana Match (Sarah Chen and Mike Roberts)