Expand...Engage...Execute. Connection over Commission

Real estate is a human-centered business. Sure, it's sales, and in a commission-based industry, we really do "eat what we kill." But I train the agents who work with me to focus on the connection, not the commission. Let me explain.

Coming from a career as a firefighter—with a guaranteed paycheck every two weeks, a pension, and a 25-year retirement plan—making the leap to a career where nothing was guaranteed wasn't easy. I'm fortunate to have had a few very strong and intelligent mentors guide me through the ins and outs of the business. By watching them run successful real estate teams (I mean in the hundreds of millions and even billions of dollars in sales), I couldn't help but pick up a few intangibles that I feel most agents tend to overlook. What actually separates the average agent from those with massively successful businesses? Honestly, it all comes down to how we treat the people around us.

See, I work for the agents on my team; it's not the other way around. They know that I'm working for them every day to make their lives easier and to improve their businesses. The minute they feel otherwise, they'll start looking for somewhere else to work. It's a simple concept, but it's often overlooked because most agents focus too much on production and not enough on process. I believe production will come if we can together build a solid foundation of basics, while at the same time fostering long-term connections within our sphere and past client base. Making genuine connections with your clients and actively participating in your community will generate much more business than paying for online leads ever will. To achieve this, my team focuses our business around three words: Expand, Engage, Execute.

Expand: Expand your knowledge and areas of expertise. Grow both personally and professionally. Study and learn new things. For work, set aside some time each day to generate new business by going out and meeting new people. Call the leads that came in overnight and schedule buyer consults or listing appointments. This is your time to grow.

Engage: Engage in the community. Do things that make your city a little bit better each day. Engage with your family, friends, and clients. Agents who work with me are reliable both personally and professionally, and our clients know that. How? Because we show them. We have call schedules for keeping in touch with our current client base. How else would our buyers or sellers know we're working for them if we're not in constant communication? Use this time also to examine your current business practices. Open your books and strategize about your finances. Find new and creative ways to market yourself. Engage not only with people but within your business as well. This is how we simultaneously develop strong connections and strong companies.

Execute: This is when you do the work. Yes, we're showing houses, writing offers, and attending home inspections. We're doing what needs to get done to generate income, but we're also executing on our promises and responsibilities to our friends, family, and sphere. We do what we say we're going to do, and we do it when we say we're going to do it. Being reliable and trustworthy is a given in our profession. These aren't character traits that make you or me stand out; they're just expected. If we can't even do the basics for our friends, family, or clients, how in the world can we expect to survive as a business?

So that's what we focus on: connection over commission. It's a bit of a mind shift, but I promise you that if you really dig in and focus on taking care of the people around you, your business will improve, your mental health will improve, and your relationships will improve. Focus on the people, not just the profit.