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There’s a great old saying that applies to everything from sport right through to a successful career in real estate: “Amplify what works. Discard what doesn’t”.
It’s sound advice, and the type of mantra you might want to have pinned to your wall. But in real estate, it also comes with a caveat — amplifying what works involves consistent repetition of the basics.
And often, these basics are easy to miss because they don’t offer an instant reward.
Back to basics
On any given day in real estate, most agents know exactly what they should be doing.
It’s the basics of making calls, sending emails, publicising your recent listings and sales, actively seeking out referrals, and following up with past, prospective, and current clients when you should.
Each of these are repetitive tasks which are not necessarily glamorous, but they are real estate 101.
The trouble is…
- It’s easy to miss a call session.
- It’s easy to miss an email or SMS blast.
- It’s easy to skip a “just listed/just sold” campaign.
- It’s easy to miss a referral opportunity.
- It’s easy to miss a follow up call.
Where’s the instant gratification?
There’s a key reason these activities can be easy to miss; often they don’t provide an immediate result. They require energy and commitment, but as we gear up to undertake the tasks we anticipate, there may not be an instant reward.
And that’s where the gap is.
We know what to do. But we also know that results are not immediate and because there’s no “quick win”, we mistakenly believe it’s ok to “miss” the occasional activity.
Mind the gap
Much of successful real estate practice is all about good habits. It involves blocking time to do the basics and then putting your head down, getting down to business, and getting it done.
But when we “occasionally” miss a simple task, there’s a risk involved. “Occasionally” can quickly become “often”, and then often becomes the “norm”.
It’s a dangerous cycle to fall into, and it’s one with the potential to compound.
You know you’re not doing the work required, which elicits a sense of guilt, and this has the potential to lead to further procrastination.
Meanwhile, what are simple and easy tasks to do each day begin to feel a lot more daunting.
Conversely, while simple habits and basic tasks might not elicit instant results, they do pay off in the long run.
These wins then provide the momentum to keep doing the basics, day in, day out, as an investment in your future pipeline.
What’s the solution?
So, what’s the ideal solution? Regardless of where you are in your career, it’s important to mind the gap.
As the saying goes, amplify what works, and discard what doesn’t.
But in the process, there’s a big difference between knowing what to amplify and actively doing those tasks as a habit, even if there is no immediate return.
So mind the gap. Work out exactly what you need to amplify, then do it. Don’t let the occasional miss here and there become a cycle of lost momentum and missed opportunity.
Schedule the basics that will amplify your career, commit to doing them, and enjoy the results that might not be instant but will ultimately underpin the success of your career.
Manos Findikakis is the CEO of Agents’Agency
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