3 Essential Truths That Apply to EVERY Real Estate Agent

I like simplicity.

I know that the more complex things are, the harder it is to latch on to them. Ideas that are too complex get ignored. Tools that are too complex don’t get used. 

So, I spend a lot of time thinking about how to boil things down.

Over the years, I’ve learned SO MUCH about what works and what doesn’t in real estate…and when I boil it down, I keep coming back to three undeniable truths that apply to EVERYONE.

1️⃣ How you do business is MUCH more important than how much business you do.

This is about process over results.

The entire real estate industry is obsessed with results. Everyone focuses on just one number: production. You’re measured that way, ranked that way, paid that way.

It’s the only way you compare yourself to others, and of course, you’re always comparing yourself against the people who are doing more than you. So you always think you’re doing something wrong, or worse, something is wrong with YOU.

The problem is, you actually have NO CONTROL over your production. People don’t buy and sell houses because you convince them to. Most of the factors at play are entirely outside your influence.

What IS under your control is your process. 

That’s exactly what the 6 Building Blocks are about. When we talk about HOW you do business, we’re talking about mastering each of those Building Blocks.

THAT’S what puts you in the best position to succeed.

There’s still no guarantee of success. The results are still outside your control. Perfecting your process is the ONLY thing you can do to stack the odds in your favor.

Don’t expect to master all 6 Building Blocks overnight—you can’t boil the ocean. What you CAN do is get better in some small way every day.

2️⃣ You can’t do everything.

This is the thing that trips everyone up.

All things DON’T matter equally. Some things are more important than others. Logically, we should always be doing what’s most important first.

Would it be wrong to assume that rarely happens for you?

Most agents spend so much time doing what seems URGENT that there’s no time left for what’s important—especially if what’s important also makes them uncomfortable.

To turn this around, you first have to acknowledge that doing EVERYTHING is impossible. If you try, you will run yourself ragged and leave the most important things undone.

Instead, you must work from your priorities, and that means TIME BLOCKING: putting the most important things in your calendar, and honoring those commitments religiously.

Otherwise, bright shiny objects will rule the day. You will chase them, and whenever you’re chasing, you’re on a treadmill to nowhere.

3️⃣ The quality of your relationships determines the quality of your business.

At Performance Coaching, we teach agents how to build a sustainable, scalable, stress-free business…and the ONLY way to do that is by maximizing your repeat and referral business.

That means this whole model is driven by RELATIONSHIPS fueled by HUMAN CONNECTION.

Every agent has the fantasy of everyone in their CRM doing business with them and referring business to them without ever having to reach out to anyone.

Let’s be very clear: that is never gonna happen.

Putting someone in your CRM means making a commitment to be in a relationship with that person…and the bare minimum a relationship is being in contact every 90 days. At least once every 3 months, you reach out to nurture and deepen that relationship.

It’s not just about staying top of mind. It’s about showing the other person that you CARE about them and UNDERSTAND their worldview.

As David Brooks said in his recent book, How to Know a Person, “A person is a point of view. Every person you meet is a creative artist who takes the events of life and over time creates a very personal way of seeing the world.”

Building a relationship means learning about the other person’s point of view—and that’s the core of empathy. 

Ridiculous as it may seem, the success of your business ultimately depends on your ability to practice empathy…and not just once, but consistently and repeatedly with everyone you meet.

These three truths are the essence of what we’re coaching here.

No one else is talking about this stuff.

All the other coaching out there is designed to help you get better at pitching people on why they should do business with you.

But all that does is make you into a commodity, and there’s always someone who is willing to offer more for less. That’s why you’re so stressed out and there’s so much struggle and suffering in this business.

When you fully embrace these truths, you can let go of ALL of that pain—which is what the first building block, A Mindset of Harmony, is all about.

Have a great week!

Steve