Tips to Stay Motivated When You’re Not Doing Many (or Any) Deals

Like most people on social media, I tend to share a lot of the “wins” when it comes to my job as a real estate agent. But I do try to keep it very real with you guys and talk about the failures too. With that, comes the topic of staying motivated through the hard times. Trust me, I’ve been there and it’s definitely not fun! Whether you have no listings, lost listings, listings that are not selling (and angry sellers!) or deals that can’t seem to keep themselves together, it can be very frustrating, stressful, and cause you to lose some of your confidence and motivation as an agent.

In real estate, where nothing is really guaranteed, business can come in waves and there are lots of peaks and valleys to navigate. Things might be dead or slow and then suddenly something happens and it all starts up at once and you feel like you can’t keep up with the pace. It’s hard to keep steady through the ups and downs but I don’t know one single real estate agent that hasn’t experienced this at some point in their career. So, I thought it would be good for the real estate peeps out there to know this (it happens to the best of us)!! And offer some ways to keep your head up, and keep going. Here’s the trick: Focus on your daily structure, systems, and processes. Sounds simple and unbelievable right. But it’s true. If you’re only focused on the outcome it will be extremely difficult to get through the lows. Here are some things I rely on and remind myself of during those low times…

Having specific goals helps

Knowing exactly what my goals are helps me create a specific plan on how to achieve them. This plan usually re-inspires my commitment to my job and lights up my motivation if I’ve lost it. For me, I know that if my goals are too vague it’s easier to give up on them because they feel too far away or too hard to achieve. So start with a goal (whether volume/number of listing appointments, listings sold, buyer deals, phone calls- whatever it is!) and then break your plan down into baby steps and just start knocking one off at a time!

Accountability

If you work on a team, or even if you don’t – sharing your goals with someone – another real estate agent, a friend, your partner – whoever!! Will definitely light a fire under your ass lol… Nothing worse than attending your weekly team meeting, or check-in with your friend– and having made no progress on the baby steps that you know you’ve needed to do to hit those bigger goals.

Staying Focused

Create a daily routine for yourself that you can rely on so you’re less susceptible to distractions. Set up a time-blocked schedule that allows you to execute things one by one. To get into this mindset, I know I personally need the right environment. I need things to be as quiet as possible, lots of natural sunlight and a clean desk. It might seem high maintenance but IDC- I know I can’t focus when there’s chaos surrounding me, so tailor your environment when possible to allow for success.

Staying in Touch with Your Sphere

Put time for prospecting and marketing on your schedule every day so you can work out ways to stay in touch with clients to let them know what you’re working on (this is why building out a CRM system and an email list is so important). Send a newsletter or email people individually, post on social media, call up friends and family… Sometimes you can just even call to say hi! And check in to see how they’re doing– you’ll be surprised that oftentimes THEY will usually be the ones asking YOU how the real estate market is going, without you even having to bring up work or feel like a cheesy salesperson asking for business. Keeping in touch with clients regularly keeps you top of mind and business flowing. Of course you should also be thinking of mailers, postcards and other marketing materials as well (more on this later!).

On Finding new Buyer Clients

When things are slow and you’re not having tons of new buyers approach you, the best tried and true method I’ve found over the years is to sit other agents’ open houses. This is done all the time and can help you make new connections that feel natural. Just make sure you and the agent you’re sitting for have an agreement on how any new leads will be handled/commissions split.

On Open House Behavior

When business is slow, it can be a bit trickier than usual to be your calm cool self at open houses (IYKYK lol). Here are some dos and don’ts to keep in mind:

DO: Stand up and be present, warm and welcoming. Give buyers the quick run down in the beginning, and point out anything important they might not see or know about the property. Give them the option of a tour or let them know they can browse on their own. KNOW YOUR FACTS/SPECS/COMPS. 

DON’T: Act desperate, ask them a million questions, or try to sell yourself or close them on the spot. And don’t hover over them! You’re there to be of service, not to make them feel like a piece of meat lol, so give them lots of space. We are not Desperate Debbies… ever. 

I think that’s a solid list of ideas/thoughts for not only staying motivated but how to keep pushing forward when things are down. Just remember it’s temporary and if you keep working hard, the business will come!

xx Farrah