If you're a brokerage owner or team leader, what do you think agents are thinking about right now? Are they more nervous or less nervous than they were a year ago? Do you think they're feeling more emotional turmoil or anxiety than before? I would say yes, and the reason is the ongoing trade war, stock market turmoil, and what's happening with the overall economy.

There’s definitely some anxiety out there, and this is a great opportunity for us. I want you to see this as one of the best opportunities of the year for recruiting.

These agents want to be rescued.

They want leadership.

They want someone to tell them, "Hey, I’ve got a plan for you. We have a plan that can help you move from A to B, from B to C, and from C to D—helping you grow despite the market conditions. Our organization is not a market-driven company, but a strategy-driven company.”

If you can convey that passion and give examples of agents who joined you in the last 12 months and found success, your ability to rec...

Hey guys, with the trade war heating up, renters are concerned about inflation. This is a great opportunity to have a conversation with them, and really put it out there on social media. You could do a video, or send out mailings about inflation likely rising again.

We can say, "Hey, if you're concerned about the trade war and inflation starting to rise again, remember we all lived through COVID when rents skyrocketed. A lot of experts are starting to say that this could happen again. So, if you're worried about that, one of the best ways to hedge is to buy your own home."

I know buying a home can seem like a stretch if you’ve never explored that route, but here’s what buying a home does for you. Even though you might have to stretch a bit for that payment, it locks in your payment for 30 years.

Your payment might seem expensive today, but five, 10, or 20 years from now, it won’t be. If you stay a renter, your rent is guaranteed to increase every year. It’ll keep getting higher and ...

What is a standard agent and a gap agent?

If you're a brokerage owner or team leader, you need to understand the difference between the two because it can really impact your recruiting.

Let's say you've created a master list, what we call an avatar list in our coaching program that includes people you're trying to go after. Maybe it's 300, 400, or 500 agents in your market that you've identified as ideal candidates for your company. They're the ones you want to bring on.

Now, if you started researching them individually, you'd likely find that you could classify them as either a standard agent or a gap agent.

What’s a standard agent? A standard agent is someone who has closed a transaction in the last 90 days, meaning they’re typically closing four to six to twelve or more deals a year.

A gap agent, on the other hand, is someone who may have done well in the past but hasn’t closed a transaction in the last 90 days.

Who’s more likely to make a move? The gap agents.

They're lookin...

As a brokerage owner or team leader, you have a tech stack, right? We all have a tech stack of some kind, the technology we provide to our agents and teams to help them operate effectively in the local market.

But here's the question: Are you eating your own dog food? Do you know how to use your tech stack from top to bottom, inside and out? More importantly, are you using it every single day? Are you fully engaged with all the bells and whistles so that your agents see you actively using it?

When your team sees you texting out of it, video texting, using it for social media, and running drip campaigns—fully immersed in the CRM—they take notice. They follow the leader. If you're not leading from the front, why would they adopt it?

If you find yourself not fully understanding your own tech stack, it's time to dive in. Use it daily, attend all the training, explore the help sections, and go through all the tutorials. Learn it because you likely invested tens of thousands of dollars in...

Here's a question for you:

If I were to look at your website today—pull it up and review it together—would it truly represent the market or niche you serve? Would it showcase what you actually sell?

Or would it just be a big, beautiful picture of you, with no clear indication of your market? If your website doesn’t clearly reflect your niche, that’s a mistake. Your website should visually and contextually align with the market area you serve. The photos, the language, and the messaging should all match your target audience. This is key to becoming a hyperlocal agent.

A hyperlocal agent is someone people immediately associate with a specific market. So take a moment today and analyze your website—does it truly reflect the area you serve? Making this small adjustment can significantly improve engagement.

Now, let’s take it a step further. Look at your social media. Are you a strong representation of your market there? Are you showcasing all aspects of your local area? Do you have a Y...

If you're a recruiter for your company, a brokerage owner, or a team leader, there's something important you need to understand: you have to recognize the strength in every weakness and the weakness in every strength to succeed.

We can't be all things to all people in real estate. You might have a large brokerage or a small one, a great physical office or none at all, be part of a franchise or independent, have top-tier technology or limited resources. The key is not to get hung up on what you don’t have. If you use it as an excuse to avoid recruiting and prospecting, you’re holding yourself back.

Instead, ask yourself: what's the strength in the weakness? What's the weakness in the strength?

For example, let’s say someone tells you, “I don’t want to work for a competing broker.” That’s a valid concern. If you are a competing broker, you need to be prepared with the right response.

You could say:

"I totally understand where you're coming from. But can I share why being a competing...

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...

Every year, NAR studies home buyers and sellers and compiles the data into a report called the NAR Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers. It examines metrics like how buyers and sellers behave, how they find agents, and what technology they use.

I pulled out some key insights today that are especially relevant to lead generation.

First, let’s talk about how sellers find their real estate agent. Any guesses? Here’s the data: 77% of sellers find their agents through a referral or repeat business. That number is increasing, not decreasing. Last year, it was 69%, and now it’s up to 77%.

Despite predictions that online leads and new technologies would reduce this percentage, that hasn’t been the case. Referrals and repeat business remain the dominant ways sellers find agents.

Now, how many agents do sellers typically interview before hiring? You might think there’s a lot of competition, but the reality is this: 81% of sellers interview only one agent. While we should be prepared for compet...

If I were to walk into your office right now and put my hands up in the air, asking, “What do I feel? What’s the energy in the room?”—you might think that sounds a bit new agey, especially when it comes to running a real estate company or team. But it’s true.

You can feel the energy in a room.

Let me give you an example. How many of us have been to a concert? You can feel the energy, right? A better example is a sporting event—you can feel the waves of energy when a point is made or lost. The energy is palpable.

Now, who sets the tone for that energy? It’s the players on the field, the musicians—the people performing. They create the energy in the room.

As a leader, whether you're a broker or team leader, you are the one setting the energy in your office. You create the weather. And how do you do that? It’s through your positivity, your enthusiasm, how you carry yourself, and how you walk into the building.

If you walk in with your shoulders slouched, talking about your bad mornin...

If you're coaching agents as part of your real estate brokerage or team, which we all do, one of the best methods I’ve learned is the 1-3-1 Method.

When someone brings you a problem, start by asking:

First, let's clarify the problem: What’s the one main issue we’re dealing with here?

Not 55 different things—just the one big issue we need to solve.

Then, ask: What do you think are three viable solutions for solving this?

If they can’t come up with three, help them brainstorm.

Finally, have them choose: Which do you think is the most viable option for actually getting this resolved?

Encourage them to go out, try it, and see how it works.

As a leader, whether you're a team leader or a brokerage owner, make a note in your CRM to follow up with that agent in a day or two. Check if the resolution actually solved the problem. Sometimes they'll come back and tell you, but if they don’t, reach out and ask, "Did that solve the issue?"

By using the 1-3-1 Method, you’re teaching them to f...