At 21, Debbie De Grote became the No. 1 Century 21 agent in Los Angeles and Orange County and No. 3 in the nation. Her secret wasn’t a revolutionary marketing strategy. It was five hours of lead generation every single day.
On this episode of Real Estate Insiders Unfiltered, James Dwiggins and Keith Robinson sit down with De Grote, CEO and co-founder of Forward Coaching, to unpack the discipline, routines and accountability that separate top real estate agents from everyone else.
De Grote shares how she built a business producing as many as 156 transactions a year as a solo agent, what she learned during 13 years with the Mike Ferry organization and the lessons she’s gained from more than 100,000 private coaching calls.
From prospecting and follow-up to emotional intelligence and coaching, this conversation gets to the heart of why knowing what to do isn’t enough. Success comes from consistently doing the work.
Highlights
They discuss:
- Why five hours of daily real estate lead generation transformed De Grote’s career
- How to overcome the fear of prospecting and rejection
- Why agents lose business by neglecting their sphere and lead follow-up
- The No. 1 mistake that agents make: not treating their databases like the goldmines they are
- How emotional intelligence can improve client relationships and conversions
- Why accountability and execution matter more than another training program
De Grote explains that real estate lead generation isn’t about finding a secret script or new platform. Her routine included 100 morning dials followed by prospecting to expireds, FSBOs, just-listed and just-sold opportunities, her sphere, and a geographic farm. She estimates that today’s agents may need roughly 76–100 conversations to generate a closed transaction, making tracking and consistency critical.
The bigger lesson is that real estate lead generation only works when agents continue doing it after business picks up. De Grote never stopped prospecting as her production grew — she built support around herself so she could maintain the activities generating the business.
If you want to become a top-producing agent, stop searching for the next shortcut. Build the routine, track the numbers, follow up, and make real estate lead generation a non-negotiable part of your business.
Connect with Debbie De Grote on Facebook and LinkedIn.
Real Estate Insiders Unfiltered is now exclusively on Inman. Tune in for agent- and team-focused content on Mondays and leadership interviews on Wednesdays each week. Listen on Apple or Spotify.
James Dwiggins is the president of NextHome, Inc. and co-host of Real Estate Insiders Unfiltered.
Keith Robinson is the president of strategy at NextHome, Inc. and co-host of Real Estate Insiders Unfiltered.
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The views and opinions expressed on Real Estate Insiders Unfiltered are those of the hosts and guests in their personal capacities and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of AGNT, Inc., eXp Realty, LLC, NextHome, Inc., or any of their respective affiliates, subsidiaries, officers, or directors.
