BUSINESS TIPS
7 THINGS TOP AGENTS DO TO STAY AT THE TOP
Top performing real estate agents build businesses that do well in any market. Here are the things experts say top performers consistently do to ensure their businesses grow.
Start every day generating leads. Top agents put getting new business above everything else. First thing, they send DMs to past clients, prospects, or sphere contacts celebrating birthdays, moves, or job promotions. They send short, personalized videos about new listings and unsolicited video CMAs to past buyers. They follow up with open house prospects and make calls to database contacts to uncover opportunities and build momentum.
See your database as a gold mine. It’s been said that roughly 8% of an agent’s database will be transacted every year. If you have 500 people in your database, about 40 are likely to buy or sell this year. So, who will they choose? Top agents strive to consistently deliver value to their database. They send tailored property alerts, video market updates, and email campaigns. Some feature a “Deal of the Week,” highlighting a best buy in a category—first-time buyer, luxury, fixer-upper, etc. These consistent touches build relationships that build business.
Focus on building your personal brand. Top performers know it’s not their corporate brand that matters—it’s their personal one. Clients hire people, not companies. Successful agents show up in social media, emails, and direct mail. They develop their personal brand through storytelling, education, and community engagement—with neighborhood observations, market updates, and behind-the-scenes moments.
Structure your efforts to attract sellers. Buyers are important, but listings offer leverage—driving market presence, efficiency, and scalability. Some strategies top performers use to attract sellers include: farming neighborhoods with high turnover rates; direct mailing just-listed and just-sold updates; sending homeowners unsolicited video CMAs; and hosting neighborhood events. Controlling listings controls inventory, which positions you as a local expert. Listings also increase your online presence, generate buyer leads, and give you predictable revenue.
Participate in training, coaching, and masterminds. Top performers are always learning. They gain perspective and motivation from peers in masterminds and conferences. They also invest in training to keep up with an ever-changing market. The best agents also work with coaches in weekly calls or monthly strategy sessions. A coach helps them accelerate breakthroughs, develop efficient systems, and holds them accountable.
Make reviews and referrals your priorities. Top agents actively collect reviews on platforms such as Google, Facebook, and Zillow. They then use those reviews in emails, social posts, and listing presentations. They ask for referrals in follow-up emails after closings, thank-you notes for reviews, and when checking in with past clients.
Use slow seasons to build momentum. When things are slow, top agents speed up. They use the time to deepen relationships, sharpen skills, and plant seeds for the future. They put extra effort into marketing, hosting educational events, and contacting past clients. They also use the time to improve content, update systems, and train teams, so they’re ready when the market recovers.
Experts say if you want to grow, start with one of these tips. Be consistent with it, then add another. Success comes from doing the right things every day.
TECHNOLOGY
9 RULES FOR A HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR TECHNOLOGY
Real estate is a business of relationships, and these are built on communication. You need your smartphone to stay in contact with clients, prospects, colleagues, and business partners, but you also need to set healthy boundaries for your screen time.
Experts say excessive phone use can interfere with sleeping, eating, and your level of physical activity. It can also limit your social life and hurt your performance at work. Phone overuse can also lead to health problems, such as:
Eye strain. Studies discovered people blink 50% fewer times when looking at a screen. This causes dry eyes and eye strain.
Text claw. This refers to soreness and cramping in your fingers, wrists, and forearms after heavy smartphone use.
Text neck syndrome. This is the soreness and tension in your neck, caused by angling your face downward for hours, looking at your phone, tablet, or laptop. The average head weighs 10-12 lbs. But if you lean forward at a 45-degree angle, it feels like 49 lbs. Hunched over a mobile device at a 60-degree angle, your head puts a 60-lb. strain on your neck!
To avoid all that, here are 9 rules to follow:
Silence notifications and turn on your phone’s Do Not Disturb feature. Do this throughout the day.
Establish phone-free zones. Not allowing phones in the bedroom and at meals avoids sleep interruptions and promotes better digestion.
Take breaks. Allow 20- to 30-minute breaks between jobs and appointments that require screen time.
Use social media no more than 30-60 minutes a day. Studies have found that the length of time is the sweet spot for mental health.
Schedule email times. Designate ideally two, and no more than four, times a day to check emails.
Abide by the 20-20-20 rule. Healthline.com advises that for every 20 minutes spent using a screen, try to look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
Take a break from technology throughout the day. Do activities that don’t involve screen time, such as cooking, art, being outdoors, and reading printed materials.
Leave your phone at home. Dare to do this and you’ll come back refreshed, with a new perspective on using digital devices.
Take time out before bedtime. Before you go to bed, take five minutes of quiet time and reflection to let go of day.
No question, digital devices provide powerful ways for us to connect with each other on personal and professional levels. But learning how to use them in a way that promotes health and balance is the key to having them deliver happiness and prosperity.
MARKET TIP
CREATE A REFERRAL DIRECTORY OF LOCAL SERVICE PROVIDERS
Putting together a solid referral directory is an easy way to provide added value to your clients and stay in front of your sphere of referral partners. This curated list of trusted vendors provides prospective home buyers and sellers, as well as clients who are now homeowners, with the help they need on their homeownership journey.
The directory can include, for example:
- Lenders
- Insurance agents
- Real estate attorneys
- Stagers
- Junk removal services
- Movers
- Painters
- Electricians
- Plumbers
- HVAC experts
- Pest control professionals
- Home inspectors
- Professional organizers
- Smart home consultants and installers
- Housekeepers
- Interior designers
- Landscapers
- General contractors
- Home repair and improvement specialists
The list can go on with professionals who address the special needs of your area. The important thing is that it shouldn’t be a list of people you find with a Google search. They should be people you’re willing to stake your reputation on. Start small, with solid vendors you’d trust with your own home projects. Then add to it by asking colleagues, referral partners, and former clients for names of people they trust and would work with again.
Once you’ve created your directory, add a link to it in your onboarding emails to new clients, mention it in listing appointments and buyer consultations, and post shoutouts to members of your directory on social media.
This kind of referral directory will keep you top of mind with prospects and clients, build credibility and trust, and deepen your relationships with a local network of professionals who can send referrals to you.
