Here's a question for you: When you're working with a buyer for the first time, do you have a pre-buy meeting checklist?

If not, you're probably not delivering the highest level of service possible. A pre-buy meeting checklist helps you prepare to serve your clients at the highest level.

What could that checklist look like? Let me share some items on my checklist that might give you an "aha" moment to add to your own.

1. Research the Buyer

First, I research the buyer. I do a Google search to ensure there are no red flags and check their social media. This helps me gather additional information that may not have come up during our initial conversation.

I also connect with them on social media, talk to their lender to understand their financial needs, and reach out to whoever referred them. These steps help me get a comprehensive understanding of who they are.

2. Prepare the Buyer

Next, I prepare the buyer. I send them a qualifying questionnaire—just four or five questions—to help...

Here’s a question: Of the three types of real estate companies I’m about to describe, which do you think is the most dangerous to own in terms of survival?

• Type 1: Small boutique company with 1–30 agents, operating in a metro or small town.
• Type 2: Mid-size firm with 30–70 agents, maybe up to 100 in a bigger city.
• Type 3: Large firms with 70–100+ agents, scaling up to hundreds or even thousands.

Which one is the most dangerous?

For brokerage owners watching this, the answer is the mid-size company.

Here’s why: mid-size companies lack the economies of scale that smaller or larger companies enjoy.

• Small boutique companies operate on a lean footprint with minimal staff. They can hit their niche, maintain high profitability, and foster strong loyalty among their agents. They’re easier to manage and highly efficient.
• Large firms benefit from collective contributions. Even small amounts from many agents add up, allowing for investment in larger offices, better technology, more
...

I get this question all the time from brokerage owners and team leaders: “How do I start recruiting today when I don’t have everything built yet?”

They often feel stuck in a catch-22: They think they need to build their vision first in order to start recruiting, but they don’t have the money or resources to build it because they don’t have agents yet.

Here’s the answer: People will buy into your vision as long as you can articulate it clearly and tie it to a timeline.

When you’re talking to agents, say something like:

"I’ve got this vision of the kind of company I want to build. I’m looking for a few people who want to get in on the ground floor and help me build it. We call them ‘founder agents.’ They’ll be right there, side by side with me, helping shape this vision. Can I explain to you what I’m trying to create?"

If you can sit with people and lay out a clear vision of what you’re working towards, they’ll buy into it. It doesn’t have to be 100% built yet—that’s what you’re wor...

Have you ever lost an agent? I have.

If you're a broker owner or a team leader, you probably have too. At some point, an agent decides to leave, and it feels terrible—like getting punched in the face. It's emotional, and you might wonder: Why did that happen? Was it my failure, or is it just part of the industry?

Here's the hard truth: it often is a failure on our part.

Specifically, it's a failure to understand where that agent was in their career. And that failure stems from a lack of communication with the agent.

Retention—that's what we're talking about here. Keeping agents starts with building relationships. And relationships come from spending time with your agents.

Time leads to relationships, and relationships lead to retention. So, the first step is spending more time with your agent team.

Now, you might say, “Jim, I’ve got a 200-agent office. There’s no way I can spend more time with all of them.” But it’s not about hours of one-on-one time. Even five or ten minutes can...

If I sat down with you right now as a brokerage owner or team leader and asked you, "What's next for you after real estate?"—what would your response be?

Think about it. You might say, "I want to be on a beach somewhere," or "I want a cabin in Colorado," or maybe even "I want to live in Alaska." Whatever your dreams are, it likely takes you into an aspirational, dream-like state.

Now, here's the reality: 70 to 80% of brokers in your market, if given the right circumstances and opportunity, would choose to exit.

Why?

Because 70 to 80% of them are losing money. Many would be far better off selling their firm to you, transitioning their agents to your company, and then working for you. This would allow them to earn a consistent income, start saving for retirement, and ultimately achieve their dreams of escape.

What stops them from pulling the trigger?

One word: ego.

But what if there were a way to move past that ego barrier and help them feel comfortable making the decision? Well, ...

Let’s do a quick quiz for team leaders and brokerage owners to test how well you know your agents. This is essential for agent retention. While recruiting is critical, retaining your agents is just as important—if not more so. Retention is all about re-recruiting your agents consistently: every week, every month, every year.

Here’s the key: friends don’t leave, and friends refer friends. Your agents—your customers—need to see you as more than just their leader. They need to see you as a friend. And that kind of relationship only happens when you invest time in them and approach your interactions relationally, not transactionally.

Many brokerage owners and team leaders make the mistake of thinking transactionally. They view agents as numbers in a model—hiring 10 new agents a month and watching eight leave. It’s a churn-and-burn approach that feels like a meat grinder.

That’s not how you build a strong company.

A successful brokerage or team thrives on community, culture, and relatio...

As a real estate broker or team leader, there’s one thing that might be holding you back from growing your team: distractions. Whether you realize it or not, your main job as a team leader or brokerage owner is to recruit experienced agents every single day.

If you’re not recruiting, you’re not bringing in new "customers." And here’s the shift: when you transitioned from being a superstar agent, closing millions in sales to leading a team or brokerage, your focus changed. You’re no longer selling real estate to buyers and sellers. Your agents are now your customers, and the more agents you have on your team or in your office, the more profit you bring home.

Here’s the catch: as soon as you stop recruiting, you cap your ability to earn. Unlike being an agent, where sales directly increase your income, being a team leader requires constant recruitment to grow.

Your ultimate goal should be getting out of production entirely. And there’s only one way to do that—recruiting experienced ag...

I want to share one of the best strategies I’ve heard from a top agent in years. This story comes from my friend Dan, who had a client searching for a specific type of property.

Dan started making calls and came across a duplex owner. While driving by the property, he saw the owner outside mowing the grass. He introduced himself:

"Hi, I’m Dan. I have a buyer interested in multifamily properties, and I was wondering if you’d consider selling these units."

Her response? "No, I think I’m going to hold onto them."

But here’s where Dan worked his magic.

Dan didn’t stop at the first “no.” Instead, he asked a follow-up question:

"Can I ask why you’re holding onto them?"

Her answer? "I think I’m getting a good rate of return."

Dan responded: "That’s great! And if you are, you should definitely keep them. But if I could find you something with a better rate of return, would you consider selling these?"

That opened the door to a conversation. The result? He listed the property, sold it,...

Other than your direct sphere of influence, what’s the second-best source of business for REALTORS? Let me share my perspective and see if it aligns with yours.

We know 70–80% of our business comes from our sphere. So, what should we focus on to generate the remaining 20–30%? In my 35 years of coaching, I believe the biggest opportunity lies in your buyer pool.

Buyers are the ultimate magnet for sellers. The question is, are you using your buyers effectively as a lure? I call this strategy In Search Of (ISO) ads. Here’s how it works:

Think of yourself as a fisherman. The lure on the end of your line could be a free CMA or tips on getting top dollar for a home. But the best lure is a live buyer ready to purchase.

For example, if I have a buyer interested in a specific neighborhood, I’ll let the neighborhood know:

• "I’ve got a live buyer moving from Sacramento. They’re ready to purchase within the next couple of months, but nothing on the market has met their needs. Would you consi
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Join this conversation with certified Ninja Coach and real estate rockstar Shelly Culbertson as we dive into what drives high performance results with top REALTORS. Drilling down into the essence of what gives buyers and sellers clarity is an essential skill for every REALTOR to master. Shelly provides a step by step plan for working with you potential clients to naturally and organically help them move forward with their real estate goals. This is a can’t miss conversation.