April is Teams Month here at Inman. Adding nuance on top of our weekly Teams Beat email newsletter, we’ll serve up top insights from the best team leaders across the country as we dig deeper into what it takes to build a team, scale it, and even leave one.
This post was updated Apr. 15, 2024.
Who you listen to and learn from matters. These individuals set the tone for your thoughts, beliefs about what is possible and, ultimately, the actions you take. This article shares five different types of people who can help you build the business and life of your dreams.
1. People who have done what you want to do
Very few things are more valuable than experience. Who do you know that has accomplished the level of success in this business that you want to achieve? These are the people who are equipped to help you avoid the mistakes they made and share the things they wish they would have known sooner.
The question most agents ask is, “Why would they be willing to help me or share their experiences with me?” The short answer is that somebody did it for them and, in the right situation, they will be glad to honor those who helped them by helping you.
The key is to offer something of value in exchange for their time and influence. Keep in mind, experienced agents are busy people who understand the value of their time. So, ask yourself what you can bring to the relationship that would add value to them?
I had a young agent that wanted to learn the business. He was gifted in videography, and he offered to exchange a discounted rate for shooting and editing videos for me. I allotted time to mentor him in exchange for him helping me with my videography needs.
Last year was his second full year in real estate and he made over $200,000. It’s a win for me with the discounted help on the video production, and it’s a win for him in receiving mentorship from an experienced agent.
If you are good at social media, photography and marketing or have any skill that can help agents, offer your services for free or at a reduced price in exchange for coaching and mentoring.
2. People who are obsessed with what you want to do
I mentioned the value of experience above, but I’ve also had people with no personal experience in real estate who played a big part in my success as well. Some of the best coaches are not always great players. The key is to find someone who is obsessed with helping agents.
Tom Ferry doesn’t sell real estate, but he’s obsessed with helping real estate agents do more deals. He’s obsessed with understanding how agents can build profitable teams. Although he may not sell real estate, his value to agents is extremely high.
David Childers with Keeping Current Matters doesn’t sell real estate, but Keeping Current Matters is obsessed with providing agents with the best information possible in regard to current market trends. Jimmy Mackin with Curaytor doesn’t sell real estate, but he’s obsessed with marketing that helps agents gain listings.
The key is to listen to people who are absolutely sold out in their efforts and desires to solve a problem you have. Don’t shortchange your potential growth by limiting yourself to only listening to people who have done what you want to do.
3. People who have failed at what you want to do
It’s often better to learn the hard lessons from the failures of others than by experiencing the failures yourself. Think of a few agents that got out of the business this past year. What did they do that didn’t work out? What did they not do that led to their failure? Think about their schedule. What did it include or not include that it should have?
If you study several agents who have left the business, you will begin to see a pattern in their business practices. It usually involves three main mistakes.
- Lack of consistent prospecting.
- Lack of consistent follow-up with the leads they generated
- Not continuing to add value and deepen relationships after the transaction
Learning from their mistakes can help you find the success you desire.
4. People who are having new success
Real estate is an ever-evolving business. The strategies that led to success five years ago are ineffective now, or new ways of doing the strategy far outperform the way it was done in the past.
Who are the new agents finding success right now? Who are the agents who have seen renewed growth in their businesses? Odds are they are doing something different, or they are executing well on time-tested strategies.
Study the businesses of the agents who are experiencing this new success. Follow them on social media, and notice the content they produce that garners the most engagement. Study their YouTube channels to see the titles of the videos that outperform their normal number of views. Notice the areas of the business and relationships they focus on.
By being observant and noticing the ways newly successful agents do business, you set yourself up for similar new growth in your business.
5. People who are the type of person you want to become
If you succeed in business but fail in life, you fail. It’s not just about doing the most business. It’s about having the best life. Happy people sell more houses, so study the businesses of the agents living the life you want to live.
How do they spend their time? Do they focus on listings or buyers? Do they leverage video for business growth, host open houses or host client appreciation events? But don’t stop with how they conduct their business now because it often doesn’t tell the whole story.
They didn’t just wake up one day and have the business you see. It was a process. Ask them what they did when they were at your current level in the business to position themselves for the business they have today. Make the sacrifice today, and follow their blueprint. Your future self will thank you.
The people you surround yourself with play an integral role in the future business and life you will have. Choose who you listen to and learn from wisely.
