The Root of All Evil in Real Estate Is One Little Sentence

by Steve Shull

I have an important question for you...to what extent do you agree with the following statement?

“Something is better than nothing.”

Most agents subscribe to this belief. You probably do too, maybe without even realizing it.

Well get ready, because I’m about to rip this idea apart.

I don’t just disagree with it…

I think it’s the root of all evil in real estate.

In my view, the idea that “something is better than nothing” is a cop-out. It’s a rationalization. It dumbs down everything you do, and it gives you an excuse to put your worst foot forward.

I hear about agents operating on this premise ALL THE TIME.

I get it—you have a $30k commission, and they’re asking you to chip in $5k. You’re thinking, Okay, $25k is a lot better than $0.

Is it, though?

Is it impossible to think there might be an invisible cost associated with that decision?

Remember, every force imaginable is trying to turn you into a commodity. Everyone in this industry is trying to get more from you for less money and deny that you provide any kind of unique value.

When you embrace the idea that something is better than nothing, you’re ALLOWING that to happen—you’re making YOURSELF into a commodity.

Last week I talked about how hard your job is.

When you buy into this idea, you make your job even HARDER.

You’re setting yourself up for failure. When you’re a commodity, it’s an endless race to the bottom. There will ALWAYS be someone who is willing to do more and charge less than you.

It’s a slippery slope that few agents ever recover from. This time they’re asking for $5k…what if next time it’s $10k? $15k? At what point do you stop giving?

I know you’ll say there’s a line…but is there really? What’s the logic that determines how much “compromise” is too much? If you want the deal badly enough, you’ll just find another rationalization to justify giving your money away…the same way you did the first time, when it was “only” $5k.

This is a big part of what drew me to Chris Voss and Tactical Empathy.

Chris called his first book Never Split the Difference…and isn’t every agent out there putting deals together by splitting the difference, day after day? 

News flash: splitting the difference is being a lazy negotiator, period.

You think it’s a win because you made the deal happen…but just because a deal goes together doesn’t mean your client is happy. In fact, splitting the difference leaves everyone feeling a little resentful.

Is that the feeling that will bring you repeat and referral business in the future?

Spoiler alert: NO.

When you buy into the idea that something is better than nothing, you’re buying into an approach towards life that keeps you STUCK.

You will keep doing the same thing and hoping for a different result.

You will keep fantasizing that “more” is the answer to every problem.

You will keep indulging in your fears, insecurities, distractions, and excuses.

There’s a REASON most agents don’t charge a full fee.

It’s because very few are trying to master the skills of building a real business.

Let’s do a little thought experiment for a moment…

Imagine if you did the inner work of honing your mindset with such commitment and discipline that you truly lived in a state of peace and harmony every day.

Imagine if you truly understood that all things don’t matter equally, and you learned to prioritize and protect your time so you only did what was most important every day.

Imagine if you made it your job to cultivate real relationships—not fake ones—and you mastered using your CRM to nurture those relationships every day.

Imagine if you built process into every part of your business so you could deliver the highest level of service to all your clients every day. 

Imagine if you mastered Tactical Empathy, the skill of making people feel understood, so you could be a trusted advisor and have even the hardest conversations with zero fear or stress.

Imagine if you actually knew your numbers, understood exactly where your business came from, and made decisions strategically based on data, not reactively based on instinct.

If you really did all that, how in the world would you NOT charge a full fee?

The real reason you’re not charging a full fee is you know you’re not doing the work to be worth it. You know you’re not giving the effort you’re capable of giving. 

And the reason you’re not giving that effort is because you believe something is better than nothing.

What that really means is: something—anything—is good enough for you. You’re okay with settling for less-than-ideal. You’re not going to work and fight for what you really want.

Here’s the real danger: you can get by believing that something is better than nothing.

If you’re lucky, you can survive in this business for a long time with that attitude. You might even make pretty decent money.

However, your business will NEVER be sustainable, scalable, or stress-free.

You will suffer and hustle for every dollar…and you will justify it by telling yourself the lie that this is just the way this business works.

The truth is harder to accept…

Something is NOT better than nothing. All business is NOT good business.

There is good business, with clients who trust and value you, and who are willing to work within the standards you set, and who will contribute to the future growth of your business…

And there is bad business, with clients who suck you dry, pick your pocket, then disappear forever.

It’s important that you understand the difference, and it’s even MORE important that you stay focused on doing only good business.

Still skeptical?

Join us for our next live workshop on 9/18: Navigating Tough Talks. 

What are you going to say the next time someone asks for a discounted fee? The next time they ask you to chip in to make a deal go together? 

Those are the hard conversations no agent wants to have…but they’re unavoidable. In this workshop, four of our top coaches are coming together to talk about how to have those conversations with ZERO fear, worry, or stress.

Click here to sign up!