In today’s real estate industry, being average is becoming increasingly dangerous.
Nick Schlekeway, founder and CEO of Amherst Madison and author of The Essential Agent, has spent more than a decade studying what happens to agents who fail to differentiate themselves. His conclusion is simple: Average is invisible.
Schlekeway joins James Dwiggins and Keith Robinson to explain why the middle of the real estate industry is disappearing and why a smaller group of highly differentiated professionals is capturing more of the business. For agents, becoming essential means developing expertise, communicating a clear value proposition and giving consumers a reason to specifically choose you.
They explore the danger of becoming disposable to your clients, why agents need a clearly defined value proposition, and the mistake he believes held him back early in his career: trying to find new things to say to the same audience instead of taking a proven message to more people.
Schlekeway shares lessons from his time as a Division I football player, Boise firefighter, real estate agent and brokerage founder, including why preparation is a competitive advantage, why successful people need a “rookie mentality” and how leading by example creates stronger organizations.
Highlights
They discuss:
- Why “average is invisible” in today’s real estate industry
- The “rookie mentality” that keeps successful people learning and growing
- Why great leadership requires leading by example
- How agents can become essential instead of disposable
- Why agents should “say old things to new people”
Schlekeway also shares the turning point from his own early career. After writing more than 30 contracts in six months without getting one accepted, he decided he would either become a true professional with a defined process or leave the real estate industry altogether. That decision changed the trajectory of his career and eventually helped shape the brokerage he built.
The lesson for anyone competing in the real estate industry is clear: Expertise matters, differentiation matters, and average is increasingly easy for consumers to ignore.
If you want to build a business that lasts, stop trying to appeal to everyone. Figure out what makes you essential, become exceptional at it, and make sure the market knows exactly why you’re different.
Connect with Nick Schlekeway on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and online at nickschlekeway.com.
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.
Follow Real Estate Insiders Unfiltered Podcast on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook or TikTok, and subscribe to their YouTube Channel.
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.
