As we head toward a new year, most agents are going to start thinking about what they need to add to their businesses. A new lead source. Another social media strategy. A new CRM. Another piece of technology.
I’d suggest asking a different question. What do you need to stop doing? Sometimes the fastest way to grow isn’t addition. It’s subtraction. Here are seven things I’d consider eliminating or doing less of for true business growth.
7 real estate business growth strategies
1. Stop buying leads. Start buying lunch
One of the first things I’d do before the end of the year is evaluate every expense in my business. Is it generating business, or am I still paying for it simply because I always have? This is especially true with buying leads for many agents.
I’ve told the story many times about Heidi Harris in Raleigh, North Carolina. She decided to spend less money buying leads and start investing that money in relationships. Instead of buying another batch of online leads, she started buying and going to lunch with the people who already knew, liked and trusted her.
There’s a big difference between the two. Leads can be an expense. Relationships are almost always an asset. The question to ask is how can I invest more time, money and energy into relationships? Schedule the lunches. Buy the coffees. Celebrate their businesses. Leave them reviews. Find ways to support the things that matter to them.
Before you spend another dollar trying to convince a stranger to trust you, invest in the people who already do.
2. Stop posting just to post
I’ve probably contributed to this problem because I’ve preached for years that consistency is one of the keys to success. I still believe consistency matters, but consistency without quality isn’t the goal. Posting something simply because your content calendar says you need to post today doesn’t necessarily help you.
Before publishing anything, I’d ask one simple question: Is this content valuable enough that someone would share it with my ideal client? That’s a much higher standard than, “Did I post today?”
Instead of another generic holiday graphic or piece of content that has nothing to do with the people you’re trying to attract, answer a question your ideal client actually has.
- What do sellers in your market need to know right now?
- What are buyers confused about?
- What does someone relocating to your area want to understand?
- What’s happening in a specific neighborhood?
I’d rather post three pieces of extremely valuable, specific content each week than seven pieces of content nobody cares about. Stop posting more. Start posting better.
3. Stop waiting to do video. Push record
This might sound like I’m contradicting what I just said, but I’m not. Quality matters, but perfection will keep you from ever producing anything at all. Your first video probably won’t be your best. Your 10th video probably won’t be either. That’s the point. You get better by doing.
The key is to find the content potential clients want and get started. And one of the video formats I’m seeing work right now couldn’t be much simpler: an old-school walkthrough video. Take your phone, set the camera to a wider angle and walk through a property like you’re showing it to a friend.
Don’t just say, “Here’s the kitchen. Here’s the bedroom. Here’s the backyard.” Tell the story. Maybe you say, “I probably would have done these cabinets differently. What color would you paint them?”
Or when you walk into the backyard, instead of simply describing it, explain what you see: “I can picture birthday parties for the kids back here or friends gathering for a barbecue on a Saturday afternoon.” Make the viewer feel something.
I’d also use tools like AnswerThePublic.com to find the questions consumers are asking, then create videos that answer them. What should someone know before moving to your area? What’s happening with interest rates? Which neighborhoods fit different lifestyles?
Video gives people the opportunity to see you, hear you and decide whether you’re someone they could see themselves working with. Done is better than perfect. Push record.
4. Stop chasing every shiny new strategy
Real estate agents love the next thing. A new lead source appears, so we try it. Someone talks about a new social media platform, so we jump over there. A new AI tool launches, and suddenly we need that, too.
The problem isn’t that these things are bad. The problem is that constantly starting something new keeps us from becoming exceptional at anything. I’d pick one skill or strategy and give myself a month to get really good at it.
Maybe this month is video. Maybe next month it’s mastering open houses. Maybe it’s YouTube, geographical farming, social media, database follow-up or improving your listing presentation. Whatever it is, I’d go deep instead of wide.
Stop chasing everything. Get really good at something.
5. Stop talking so much. Listen more
One of my weaknesses is hearing the beginning of someone’s problem and immediately wanting to give them the solution. In other words, I start writing the prescription before I’ve completed the diagnosis.
Great agents don’t necessarily have the best answers. They ask the best questions. What is most important to this seller? Why is this buyer really considering a move? If someone found me online, what did they see that made them choose me? What would make this experience exceptional for them?
Ask another question. Then listen to the answer. The more you understand the person in front of you, the better you’ll be able to serve them.
6. Stop measuring success by closings
Obviously, closings matter. We’re running businesses, and businesses need revenue. But closings are a terrible daily scoreboard because we can’t completely control them.
We can’t control interest rates. We can’t control whether a buyer decides to move this month or six months from now. We can’t control whether another buyer purchases our listing. We can influence those outcomes, but we can’t control them.
So I’d build my daily scoreboard around the things I can control.
- How many real estate-related conversations did I have today?
- How many people did I follow up with?
- Did I create useful content?
- Did I learn something that made me better?
- Did I connect with people in my sphere who already know, like and trust me?
Set activity goals that make success almost unreasonable to avoid.
If you consistently have 10, 15 or 20 real estate-related conversations every day, improve your skills, follow up and provide value: It’s just a matter of time before those activities begin showing up in your closings. Focus on the controllables and let the results catch up.
7. Stop thinking like a salesperson. Start thinking like a media company
This may be the biggest mindset shift of all. Stop thinking of yourself solely as a real estate salesperson. Start thinking of yourself as a media company that happens to sell real estate.
There was a time when being the most knowledgeable or experienced agent in a market might have been enough. Today, it doesn’t matter how much you know if nobody knows you know it.
Consumers have to discover you before they can choose you. That’s why I’d become the most reliable source of information about my local market. Highlight local businesses. Tour neighborhoods. Share information about new developments. Interview interesting people. Answer the questions buyers and sellers are asking, and show people what it’s actually like to live in your community.
Don’t just become a source of information about houses. Become a source of information about your area. When people consistently see you providing useful local information, trust begins to build before you ever meet them. Then, when the need for real estate arises, the transaction becomes a natural byproduct of the audience and trust you’ve already built.
Subtracting as a real estate business growth strategy
If you get to the end of this year and continue doing everything exactly the way you’ve been doing it, you shouldn’t be surprised if you continue getting the same results. That’s why, before I start asking what I need to add to my business in 2027, I’d ask what needs to go.
- Which expenses aren’t producing results?
- Which activities are consuming time without creating opportunities?
- Which strategies are distracting me from the fundamentals?
- Which things have I continued doing simply because I’ve always done them?
Your business may not need another strategy, another tool or another thing on your to-do list. Maybe what creates the lift you’re looking for next year isn’t what you add. Maybe it’s what you’re finally willing to let go.
