Sometimes the truth is hard to hear but you need to hear it if you want to learn, grow, improve and ultimately win.

I care enough about your success to risk hurting your feelings and telling you the truth because I want to see you win and win big!

It can be tough to be honest with yourself about your strengths and weaknesses. It may be hard to do an honest deep dive and truly look at yourself in the mirror to find your gaps and areas you can improve. But not being honest with yourself is one of the biggest mistakes you can make, especially in a challenging market.

Here are the 5 TRUTHS that every agent needs to hear

1. The market may be getting tougher… but the TRUTH is you’re getting softer

We recently came out of a historically hot market. I call it a unicorn market that we have never seen before and will never see again. When the market is so good, it tricks us into thinking that we are better than we actually are. After all, we sold a lot of real estate so that means we are good right?... The TRUTH for some is that the market was so good and so unique that if you had a license and a breath you had the best year(s) of your life in real estate.

When I first started in real estate, I learned an extremely valuable lesson. Anyone can win in a good market but the true winners win in any market. If your business goes down when the market goes down then you don’t have a business. What you have is a market that was so good you were just riding the wave.

Let's face it, a good market can make you look better than you are, and a tough market can make you look worse than you are. The pandemic market made most people look better than they were, and the current market is going to make just as many people (if not more) look worse than they are.

No one can deny that the market has changed and gotten tougher. The question is, have you? Are you waiting for things to happen or are you making them happen? Are you accepting what the market gives you or are you proactively working in your business to get results?

Are you being reactive or proactive? In my experience, when you are reactive and wait for things to happen (good or bad) and accept what life gives you, when you look back you are never truly satisfied with the results. But when you are proactive, your business and your life begin to react to you instead of you having to react to your circumstances. You gain control of your circumstances and your outcomes.

This is not the time to be soft and play the victim card. This is the time to pick your head up, roll up your sleeves, put on your work boots and get to work! There is a saying that is universally true no matter the circumstances… WORK WORKS! Get to work!

Make your calls, follow up like crazy, host 30 open houses in 30 days. I believe we live in the action economy. Your personal situation will be a direct reflection of the action you do or do not take!

MASSIVE ACTION = MASSIVE RESULTS

2. VICTIMS never win! Stop blaming other people and circumstances. ACCEPT PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY and realize that you are the problem.

If you’re struggling right now, you’re not a victim of this market, you’re a victim of your own lack of activity. In challenging times, many agents blame their Team Leader or Broker, they blame “bad leads”, or they blame the market. They say things like, “If my split was higher, or if the market was better, then I would be closing more transactions.”

Stop blaming other things and other people. Take personal responsibility for your business. Those things and other people are not the reason for your lack of success. You are.

When you truly grasp that the best part is that if you own it then you can change it. You see, you can’t change what you don’t own. If you don’t accept personal responsibility for your situation then you are relying on others and outside circumstances for things to be better. The truth is you have the power to change and improve your situation. Accept it and get your power back!

I’m not saying things couldn’t be better for you or that certain things can’t help your journey to success, but my experience has been that the people who take responsibility for themselves and their situation always come out on top.

If you are the problem that also means that you are the solution!

3. You’re letting your fear force you to play small

What are you afraid of that you know would move your business forward if you just pushed past the fear and acted on it? We have all heard the quote… everything you want in life is right on the other side of your fears. But do you truly believe it, and are you willing to overcome it and face your fears?

Are you insecure about how you look on video, so you’ve held back on producing video content? Guess what, everybody is insecure about how they look on video, but successful agents push past that fear and shoot the videos anyway. Let's be honest, everyone already knows what you look and sound like. Get your ego out of the way and shoot the video

Are you worried about how some people might perceive you if you started posting more about your business on social media? Post the content anyway. Worried a prospect might get mad and say something rude to you if you called them on the phone? Call them anyway.

The reality is that our fear of other people's perception is false. I hate to break it to you but you aren’t so important that they will remember that crappy video you did or that call you botched. Why does their perception of you matter anyway? Most of their negative perception is their own insecurities projected onto you. Quit giving their perception power!

It’s time to stop playing small. Face your fears, and build the business you’ve dreamed of building.

DO IT ANYWAY!

4. Adversity is a part of the process

Truly successful people expect adversity and they understand that adversity is a part of the process. Successful people also see adversity and challenges as the ultimate opportunity. How do you react when a transaction gets difficult? Are you the lighthouse for your client? Are you the constant steady in the storm? Do you help them manage their emotions or do you add to the emotions and potentially the drama?

When your buyer can’t find the “perfect” home in the MLS, do you have the hope and pray method or do you take action? Successful agents get proactive and call homeowners of houses like what they are looking for. Successful agents door knock neighborhoods their buyer is hoping to buy in. Successful agents turn this adversity into opportunity through action. Most agents get paralyzed and wait for things to happen. Instead, go out and make things happen!

We are in the Relationship business! Think about the successful relationships you have in your life. Successful relationships are often built in times of adversity. When you provide professional, unemotional advice in challenging times, you plant the seeds for repeat clients and referrals. You ultimately build trust and create a stronger bond. Your ability to correctly handle adversity is crucial to your success.

5. You’re Insane!

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. What are you planning to do differently in 2024? You can’t expect things to change if you don’t change, so now is the time to adjust and course correct. Start by doing a time study and writing down all the activities you do in your business. Then analyze those activities. Do they produce results or are they a waste of time? Sometimes success is about subtraction, not addition. Remove the things that are not producing results or are a waste of time. (If you do this honestly, you will see how much time you actually waste)

Lets be honest here, this market requires more activity than the pandemic market for the same results. So, if we truly do the same activities we will get less results. This market requires more activity!

More….

Prospecting, Follow up, Video Texts, Open Houses, Door knocking, etc.

Pick 3 activities and go ALL IN on those activities. Become the master of those activities. Build skills. Stack consistent effort day in and day out. Stay out of overwhelm. Dominate 2024!
So, what will you do with this information? Will you think this was a little harsh, this hurt my feelings, and keep waiting for things to get better? Or will you accept personal responsibility for your own success and start making changes that will lead to the business and the life that you deserve?

Somebody is going to have their best year ever in 2024. Why not you? Why not now?

Give Today Your All.