What You Do Today Will Determine Your Success Next Year and Beyond

The biggest mistake most beginning agents, and those who are struggling, make is that they expect near-instant results on any marketing that they try. Successful agents understand that marketing takes time, and the key to success in real estate, and any business for that matter, is Consistency, Persistence, and Determination.

I realize that when you are first starting out you really need to get results quickly. You need a deal, you need cash. Unfortunately, that just isn't the reality for most agents. Most believe that all they have to do is get their license and their phone will start to ring! Then show a few homes and they will sell cute houses with white picket fences and all will be great! The reality is that no one really cares that you have your license, except you, and maybe your family. Everyone else is going on with their lives and honestly couldn’t care less that you are now a real estate agent.

Beginning and struggling agents need to realize that their number one goal is to generate leads! Without leads, you will never get the opportunity to sell a house, period. You must be constantly working to generate leads. The fastest way to do this, and the first step all new agents should take, is to let everyone in your life know that you are in the business. My first broker used to tell me that a secret agent is a broke agent. You must let everyone in your sphere know that they now have a source for all of their real estate needs. But don’t stop there, you are especially interested in their sphere as well. “ I am here for you, your family, and your friends. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any real estate needs or questions, I am happy to help!” A lot of new agents do this, they post on social media, send emails, call folks, etc., and then…………crickets. That’s normal, you must remember the first key to success I mentioned above, Consistency! It takes time to establish yourself as their go-to person in real estate. You must consistently remind them that you are their person! I say this in nearly every presentation I give, “Never, ever, ever, stop marketing to your sphere. They got you into this business and they will keep you in this business!”

So you’ve taken that first step and are marketing to your sphere, now what? Now you need to determine other ways to generate leads. There are a million ways to do this, but you will go broke quickly if you don’t have a plan. You can’t just randomly advertise, send letters or postcards, or post on social media. It just doesn’t work, as I said above, people really don’t care that you are a real estate agent. I went to a Craig Proctor seminar years ago and he nailed it when he said that everything you do must show the reader WIIFI! What’s in it for I? Why should the person reading your marketing contact you? You must give them a reason to pick up the phone or shoot you an email, or DM.

I developed a coaching program designed specifically for new agents and those who are struggling. It’s called the P.O.W.E.R. Program. It stands for Planning, Organization, Work the plan, Evaluate Results, Rest and Relax. All are essential aspects of a successful business. When coaching my P.O.W.E.R. clients, I help them establish a plan to generate leads, systems to execute the plan, and how to evaluate results and make changes if necessary. The R (rest and relax) is vital to prevent burnout, lack of confidence, and the willingness to throw in the towel.  In this program, we establish these systems to ensure that the first key to success, Consistency, is accomplished. Then we work on the second key to success, Persistence, by sticking to the plan for the long run. Knowing that it will take 6 months to a year for any plan to start working. We don’t give up, we don’t doubt that the plan will work, because they made the plan themselves, and they know in their heart and minds that the plan will work. They are Determined (the third key to success) to make it work.

We have established that all marketing takes time, and it’s very rare that any type of marketing is an instant success. The important thing to remember when you are working on your plan is that you are establishing your business for 6 months to a year from now. What you do today will determine your success for next year and beyond. The problem that 90% of agents have is that once they start to get results from their marketing, they stop. They get busy and don’t stick to their plan. Then when the business slows down, they say, “Uh oh, I better get busy marketing again!” Then they complain about how inconsistent the real estate business is. Real estate is cyclical, there are busy and not-so-busy times of the year. It’s just part of the business. But the key is to generate enough leads that even the slow time of year is busy enough to pay your bills, the bottom of your income curve still covers all of your expenses. When you do this, the busy time of the year is your bonus time! You know your expenses are already covered, now anything over and above that is a bonus! WOOHOO!

Remember, what you do today will determine your success next year and beyond. To ensure that your business is as consistent as it can be, ask yourself one question every day, “What am I going to do TODAY to generate leads?” If you do this and then execute your plan, you will be successful in any market. You won’t need to worry about interest rates, home prices, a lack of inventory, or any other element of the business that is not in your control. Control what you can with Consistency, Persistence, and Determination, and the business will come.