Many real estate agents come to the industry with an entrepreneurial spark—the drive to build an unforgettable brand, the need for more control over their day-to-day lives and futures, and the desire to positively impact the trajectories of their clients.
However, eXp Realty Chief Operating Officer Wendy Forsythe said that spark, or what she calls ‘the X factor’, can get snuffed out when markets turn downward, deals fall apart, and 24 hours isn’t nearly enough time to attack a mounting list of texts, emails and tasks.
When that happens, Forsythe said it doesn’t mean an agent’s X factor is gone; they just need to build a system to protect it.
“Your X factor isn’t ahead of you; it’s already inside of you. But you need a formula. You need a plan to keep it shining,” she said during the closing session of Inman Connect San Diego on Wednesday. “Focus gives you direction. Action gets you moving, community lifts you, technology amplifies you, operations will sustain you and resilience will keep you in the race.”
Forsythe shared the six-step process that agents can take to reignite and protect their X factor:
- Focus: Don’t spread your focus thin. Identify one or two crucial things you’ve been avoiding and attack them head-on.
- Action: Momentum or motivation isn’t necessary for action. In fact, those two things often come from consistent action.
- Community: Build meaningful relationships with people who are already where you want to be, and learn from them.
- Technology: Use tech, specifically artificial intelligence, to take over tasks that steal your time from what matters most: your clients.
- Operations: Annual reviews don’t work. Check in with yourself every 90 days to see what’s working and what’s not.
- Resilience: Protect your mind, body and spirit. When those three areas are taken care of, it’s easier to navigate the ups and downs of real estate.
“This business will take a lot from you … Your surroundings in this business will take everything you’ve got to give,” she said. “You have got to have a strong mind, a strong spirit, a strong body. You don’t want to be one of those short-term shining stars that has a career for two or three years and then is gone.”
Forsythe’s session built upon a panel earlier in the day featuring her and fellow marketing wizards, Abby Lee and Sandra Howard. The trio dove into the brokerage marketing machine and their role in supporting agent success.
“We are here to do two things,” Lee, the chief marketing officer of REMAX, said. “We are here to help agents grow, which means giving them the marketing support and the tools they need. And we’re here to let future agents know why they should join your community. That’s growth. That is the real contribution to the bottom line.”
Meanwhile, Howard encouraged brokerage leaders to stay true to their DNA. Texas-franchisor Keller Williams hired Howard in August 2025, charging her with the task of balancing timelessness and timeliness.
“The key is that we cannot borrow anyone else’s playbook when it comes to evolving our brand. Our brand is our brand. We keep our DNA,” she said. “We extract what’s meaningful, and we make it relevant for today.”
