Jess Lenouvel

Heather Hadden is one of our STAR alumni from The Listings Lab. 

She started the program in December 2020 and has grown by leaps and bounds since enrolling. 

Just six months after joining the program, she doubled her business. 

She remembers having a crazy sales goal for 2021, and not believing it would actually happen.

Heather’s goals are so big they scare her sometimes…but she always manages to hit them!

What makes Heather one of our most successful agents to this day is her coachability but also her insanely driven attitude. She never shies away from taking action! 

To give you some context of how far Heather’s come in just a short period…

The other day I was looking at a screenshot Heather sent us a couple of years back,  talking about how she’d done twelve deals with her team in six months. 

These days, she and her team probably do about twelve deals a MONTH. 

In terms of volume, Heather does hundreds of millions a year.

Want to know *exactly* what Heather did to scale her business to multi-7 figures so quickly? 

1. She Got Consistent And Omnipresent

Part of what makes Heather so successful is her consistency in marketing.

Most agents will get busy with deals and then pull back. They’ll think to themselves, “I’m too busy to keep marketing”.

Not Heather.

Heather makes sure her marketing is a top priority, no matter how busy she gets.

She shows up regularly, across all platforms. She’s omnipresent, and potential clients notice.

2. She Stepped Into Her Authority

As fun and lighthearted as Heather can be, she’s also a total boss.

At The Listings Lab HQ, we described it as Heather stepping into her queen energy. 

She’s like a mother hen that a lot of people in this space look up to. She knows her stuff, and she’s not afraid to show up with confidence.

When Heather embodied her authority in her marketing, things shifted even further. 

She’s not afraid to crack some jokes or show up to a Zoom call in pajamas.

AND she’s a total leader in this space.

3. She Prioritized Video Marketing

Heather notes that the reason she’s so consistent isn’t because she LOVES making videos. 

It’s because she’s seen first-hand the power of video marketing for her real estate business. 

A lot of the time, she isn’t in the mood to create content. But she understands that she isn’t creating video content because she’s enjoying it – she’s doing it because it gets results. 

Now, creating videos is always #1 on her priority list. It’s more important than anything – than operations work, than Facebook ads, or anything else on her plate.

Embracing video marketing has taken Heather to a whole other level.

She’s constantly got clients in the pipeline because she’s always staying top of mind through her social media video content.

Since Heather prioritized videos, she’s never had to chase clients.

I talk to so many agents who are scared of this new market. Who have nothing in the pipeline. 

And on the other hand, we have Heather…who tells me she has 90 people in her pipeline. 

She’s got a constant influx of clients, and a majority of them are coming from her social media content.

Or, they might be people who she knows in real life, but hasn’t spoken to in years. They could be an old acquaintance she hasn’t kept up with, but because they follow her on social media, they know all about her business and have referred her to multiple people. 

She’s created a marketing ecosystem that keeps her top of mind at all times and keeps her pipeline full of qualified leads.

Want to know how to do the same?

Download The Listings Lab guide here to learn how to build a marketing machine that fills your calendar with appointments. 

4. She Started Showing Up Authentically

Part of what’s made Heather’s marketing so successful is she started showing up with authenticity and vulnerability. 

For example, she was open about her separation and what her life looked like while she was going through that experience. 

This didn’t feel natural or comfortable, but she knew she needed to show up 100% as herself in her content.

Not only does this genuineness make showing up easier, but it also creates a deeper connection with potential clients.

Just the other day, she had a client reach out, stating her courageous content as the catalyst for reaching out. 

He said:

“You talked about how hard it had been [the separation], the challenge for your kids, and the depths to which you’d felt yourself fall. You also talked about how hopeful and positive you were about the future, what it meant to be a parent, and how important it all was.

It honestly was that post that impressed me the most. It takes courage to talk about that stuff, and I think it deserves recognition. Of course, you’re a professional and offer a valuable service, but I wouldn’t have been as open to it if it hadn’t been for your post about your life”. 

This client not only did a deal with Heather but went on to refer her to multiple other people.

Heather confides that at first she honestly felt a bit cringe-y posting vulnerable content like this.

But when you show up as a real human being, who has struggles just like everyone else, people feel more inclined to reach out.

You become more approachable and more likable.

What’s funny is that so many real estate marketing gurus preach to do the opposite.

We’re taught to put on this “always bubbly, always doing amazing” facade.

We’re also made to believe that we have to fit into a certain mold of what a realtor is “supposed” to be.

We think we need to dress in blazers and put on a corporate persona.

But what you actually need to do is embrace what makes you, YOU.

The more Heather showed up as her true self, the more people started reaching out.

And I don’t mean the odd message every few days. 

Heather gets multiple leads reaching out to her on social media every few days. 

Posting regular, high-value content that showcases her authentic personality has resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue.

She constantly prioritizes being in front of the right people with relevant messaging – and it’s been the biggest game changer for her business.

 

5. She Set Up Systems And Delegation 

Building a 7-figure real estate business isn’t just about growth.

It’s about setting up systems to be able to sustain your growth. 

Together in The Listings Lab, Heather worked with us to make sure she was properly set up on the backend to handle all of the new business her marketing was now generating.

From team structure to setting up core values to defining contract policies and so much more – The Listings Lab set heather up with the foundation to build a multi-million dollar real estate business. 

In Heather’s words, she says “I couldn’t have sustained that growth if I didn’t have that other stuff in place. I wouldn’t have been able to service people the way that I wanted to.”

So what does Heather’s team structure look like now, since completing the program?

On her team, Heather has:

• An assistant
• A social media and operations coordinator
• And 10 other agents

She went from a solopreneur to full-fledged real estate CEO leading a team of 12.

We couldn’t be prouder of Heather and the exponential growth she’s created in her business.

If you’d like to get results like Heather and want to fast-track your way to 7 figures, be sure to check out and apply for The Listings Lab.

We need to talk about the future of real estate agents.

Because honestly?

If we keep up the way we’ve been going…I’m not sure we have a chance.

You might think I’m being dramatic, but I’m being 100% serious.

I know that other agents see the problems in our industry too, because of the things agents are posting on social media.

But here’s where I think a lot of agents go wrong. They fail to realize something incredibly important.

It’s not agents against each other. 

Our entire INDUSTRY is under threat.

Real estate agents, as a whole, do not have a future unless collectively we decide to undergo a transformation.

If we don’t seriously get our act together, the future of real estate agents looks GRIM. We could ALL be out of a job if we decide we’re not ready for this industry to change.

Stop Bashing Other Agents On Social Media

The reality is, people are focusing their attention on the wrong targets.

I understand the temptation to bash other agents.

Do I agree that the barrier to entry in our industry is too low?

Yes.

Do I think it should be harder to obtain a real estate license?

Also yes. 

Do I think it’s terribly unfair that the agents who run incredibly professional businesses get lumped together with sleazy, or just plain unknowledgeable agents?

100%, yes.

But do I think the solution is to log on to Facebook and write a nasty post bashing other agents?

No.

Not even in the slightest.

By doing that, it makes agents as a whole look bad.

And despite what you think, it *doesn’t* make you look better.

Other Agents Aren’t Your Competition

We are fighting an entirely different battle than the people who were in this industry 20 years ago.

It’s a battle of survival.

Other agents aren’t your competition…Zillow is. 

Sure, they might be your competition locally.

But what’s truly important is that we’re elevating this industry as a whole. We’re showing up as true professionals and leaders in our community. We run our businesses with tact and integrity.

Because if we don’t? The future of real estate is Zillow. 

It’s going to be an iBuyer system, or some tech company that comes in and wipes us all out.

The entire reason why I’m so passionate about my mission at The Listings Lab is because I want to keep this industry alive.

I want my fellow agents to stay in business.

What You Post Online Matters

It’s easy to rapid-fire off a post criticizing other agents without thinking about its true impact.

Because it doesn’t just impact you.

It impacts everyone.

It impacts all the other agents who are in your community.

And it impacts the public perception of what a realtor is, and the value that we provide.

Think about it like this.

If you influence even just three people in your lifetime to think that agents are not valuable, think about the ripple effect that it could have.

If we don’t do better and elevate our public image, we’re simply not going to be around.

And what happens to every single person who dreams of passing their real estate business down to their child, cousin, or younger sibling? 

They won’t be able to do that. If we continue to degrade the industry, we’re robbing ourselves of the chance to leave a legacy.

Don’t post without considering the true impact of your words.

Real Estate Agents And Perceived Trustworthiness

If we want the future of real estate agents to live on…we HAVE to work to boost our image in the public eye. 

There have been studies done with the general public about perceived trust and integrity.

And sadly, we pretty much came out last (except for used car salesmen).

Tempting as it is to blame others, this is not the public’s fault.

It’s our fault. 

We are not marketing our businesses with integrity.

We are selling scarcity and manipulation. 

We’re plastering our faces over billboards and buses rather than providing any real value to potential clients.

We have to do better.

3 Steps To Protect The Future Of Real Estate Agents

So how can we make sure that as real estate agents, we don’t become obsolete? 

Here are a few simple places we can start.

Step 1: Be Kind to Other Agents

The first step to elevating our industry is to stop trash-talking each other.

I’ve seen it in so many real estate Facebook groups.

(Luckily, The Listings Lab Community on Facebook is an exception. I truly feel pride in the welcoming and supportive space we’ve cultivated for agents to learn and grow from one another. Come join the party if you haven’t already!).

In other Facebook groups, I’ve seen newer agents ask a question and just get absolutely destroyed in the comments.

They get called stupid and get made fun of.

This is not how we collectively level up as an industry.

If you’re an experienced agent, don’t throw it in other people’s faces and make them feel bad for not knowing the things you do.

Instead, SUPPORT your fellow agents.

Prioritize mentorship and leadership.

That is how we grow, together.

Step 2: Elevate Your Marketing

Instead of prioritizing posts that get a few laughs from other agents, it’s time to start marketing in a way that gives true value to your audience.

• Not cold-calling
• Not posting “just listed, just sold” posts
• Not posting generic Canva graphics with quotes like “A referral is the best compliment you can give!”

The more you bother people, the more irrelevant you become.

In The Listings Lab Method, I refer to this phenomenon as ‘being the mosquito’.

I’m SURE you’ve been at a party, or a networking event, and someone introduces you as a realtor. And almost immediately, you can feel the other person sort of pull away.

So why does that happen?

Because people assume we’re going to be sleazy. They assume we’re going to slip a card into their hand. 

If we want to be respected, we need to prioritize relationship marketing.

Serve before you sell.

Post real estate content for social media that actually solves problems for your ideal clients.

Adopt a give-first mentality, and watch as your business flourishes.

Step 3: Get 1% Better Every Day

If you want this industry to be around for the long haul…you HAVE to commit to doing better.

No more discounting your services, doing the bare minimum, or thinking you’re owed clients just because you have a license.

We can no longer rest on our laurels.

We can’t keep doing things the way we’ve always done things and expect to succeed.

Are you willing to innovate?

Are you willing to invest in mentorship and support to elevate your services and your business? 

Are you working on your business every single day to make it better and more valuable?

This is the work that is needed to safeguard the future of real estate agents.

Are you willing to do it?

If so, be sure to join us in The Listings Lab Facebook group to join a community of agents committed to doing better.

Get exclusive video trainings, realtor inspiration, and network and connect with fellow agents!

Join us here.

So you know that building an online presence for your real estate business is a non-negotiable if you want to get more deals…

But you still can’t bring yourself to fully show up on social media?

SO many of our members are in this exact place when they first join us in The Listings Lab, our mentorship program for agents ready to scale to multi-6 or even 7 figures.

Sure, you might feel comfortable throwing up an infographic or slapping together a ‘just listed, just sold’ type of post.

But that’s not the kind of content we get you to create in The Listings Lab.

We get you to create content that tells potential buyers who you really are. We ask you to tell your story, to talk about your feelings, your beliefs, your life…all of it!

Personal content is one of the three MOST important kinds of real estate content for social media that we encourage our members to create. 

Karyn Gaidos works in Metro Detroit, Michigan and has been in real estate for five years.

But despite her years of experience, when she first started the program, she was terrified.

And the thing that scared her the most was definitely sharing personal content.

Making The Choice To Build An Online Presence

Before joining The Listings Lab, Karyn had always relied solely on referrals and her existing network to grow her business.

But she also knew that her existing network could only get her so far. She was scared for the day when referrals would dry up.

Karyn thought about other ways she could acquire more business.

But many of the typical lead generation techniques real estate gurus preach, like cold-calling and door-knocking, never appealed to her. In her words, “it all just seemed like smoke and mirrors”.

When she first heard about The Listings Lab, she felt overjoyed that there was another way to scale her real estate business…one that didn’t involve having to annoy people for business.

As a former English major, the idea of writing content to attract clients appealed to her far more than having to pick up the phone and hustle for business.

But Karyn didn’t realize just how much her visibility fears would get in the way of marketing her business.

Overcoming The Fear of Blending Business With Personal 

Karyn describes herself as coming from a “stodgy background”. She worked for the University of Michigan Business School, a major law firm, and in the wealth management sector.

In any one of these industries, talking about your personal life on a business page would have been absolutely unheard of. 

In her own words, “it was really scary to open up, be myself and let people in”.

The first time she hit publish on a personal post to her Facebook business page, she was so terrified her heart was beating out of her chest.

Her mind raced with fears, wondering:

What if people judge me?

What if they think I’m crazy for telling a story about my family on my business page?

What will people say?

Fear of judgment holds SO many people back, and it had Karyn in a chokehold.

Building The Know, Like, and Trust Factor

So what changed?

How did Karyn get over her resistance to building an online presence that got clients coming to her?

Well, for one thing, she recognized that personal content was non-negotiable.

While going through The Listings Lab, she began to learn how personal content was a core ingredient to building your like, know and trust factor.

She realized, “The only way I can get people to know, like, and trust me is to let them know who I really am. How is somebody going to relate to me if they don’t know anything about my life or my thought process or feelings?”

It wasn’t that Karyn’s fears dissolved completely.

It was that the results from building her online presence were so incredible that she knew she had to push through the fear and create content anyway. 

When she attended her high school reunion, she had people she hadn’t spoken to in 20 years act like they were her friends. They related to her and felt close to her because of the content she posted on social media. And she even signed a few deals just from going to her high school reunion and engaging with people who had been consuming her content!

Ditching The ‘Perfect Realtor’ Facade

Before going through The Listings Lab, Karyn always felt like she needed to be perfect on social media.

And boy, was it ever exhausting.

Two years ago, she would’ve needed to be in a suit, with perfect hair and makeup just to be on camera.

But now?

She feels like she can finally just be herself. Ponytail up, baseball hat on and all!

Embracing Story-Telling Marketing

When it comes to storytelling, we all want to gloss over our journey and just get to the good part.

We want to focus on our wins and our achievements – not what it took to get there. 

But the journey, the struggle…that’s actually what makes us human. That’s what people resonate with the most. 

Can you imagine how boring our favorite movies would be if they all started with the hero winning? Would any of us have even watched Harry Potter if there was no Voldemort to defeat?

Our struggle makes the story.

Karyn didn’t necessarily feel totally ‘comfortable’ being vulnerable in her content. Opening up was challenging, especially when it came to tough topics like her infertility.

As she told us, “I realized this wasn’t going to be as easy as I’d first thought. But it was so, so worth it”.

Despite feeling a little on edge sharing personal content, Karyn soon saw that her storytelling content outperformed any other content type, and easily allowed her to get 150-200 likes on a single post, with many heartfelt comments.

With the addition of storytelling content, she increased her engagement and got far more people reaching out to her saying they resonated with her content.

Making The Emotional Connection

One of the biggest takeaways Karyn got from The Listings Lab was that people make buying decisions with emotion first, and logic second.

It was a huge wake-up call. She realized if she wasn’t eliciting emotion in her content, then how would people feel connected enough to her to reach out about selling their homes?

Marketing is all about evoking emotion.

Have you ever noticed that Superbowl commercials make you cry?

There’s a good reason for that.

These corporations spend millions of dollars to develop an emotional connection with viewers. They know this strategy is going to be far more powerful than any fact or information about their product. 

Prioritizing Relationships

Karyn also saw first-hand how her real estate marketing strategy supported relationship-building in her business. 

She gave immense value in her posts

She created personal content to deepen the connection with her audience

And her community started noticing!

Here’s the thing.

People only move every 3-7 years. You have to give them a reason to follow you for the rest of time.

If you’re only posting “just listed, just sold” posts…why would anyone follow you who’s not in the middle of buying or selling a home?

Intentional, strategic real estate content for social media allows you to make sure you’re building long-term relationships with leads and clients.

When Karyn shifted her content, she noticed her clients would still text and message her long after the deal was done. By implementing The Listings Lab Method, she was able to create intimacy with her clients. 

Download The Listings Lab guide here to do the same. 

She was even developing relationships with people she’d never worked with before, but who followed her on social media. 

Through her son’s soccer team, she met a young man who runs a business providing technical soccer training. Even though she didn’t know him well, he told her he reads every word she posts on social media. He’s learned so much from her posts, that she’s the first person he’ll go to when he’s ready to buy his first house.

Social media allows you to develop relationships at scale in a way that was never possible before the internet.

Ignoring The Naysayers

When Karyn’s visibility fears were running the show, she was always worried about what other people thought.

She feared not being liked, or that her content would somehow upset or offend someone.

But using the tools she’s been given in The Listings Lab, she now knows how to talk herself through her fear – and post anyway.

One of the biggest shifts she had was realizing if someone didn’t resonate with or like what she was saying…

They weren’t her ideal client anyway.

There’s no point in creating content for people who were never going to buy from you in the first place. 

Ignore the naysayers and create content for YOUR people.

Because if you try to speak to everyone, you end up speaking to no one. 

 

What do you think of Karyn’s story? Let us know in the comments below!

And for more success stories like Karyn’s, browse our The Listings Lab reviews here. 

Do you want to know what’s better than real estate agent testimonials?

Real estate case studies. 

Real estate case studies are a powerful form of testimonial because they SHOW your potential clients exactly how you can change their lives.

In The Listings Lab, members have used our winning case study template to get clients on demand.

Ready to learn more so you can boost your social proof and become a sought-after expert in your niche?

Let’s get into it. 

What Is A Real Estate Case Study?

A case study studies your niche deeply and thoroughly.

Two important characteristics of case studies are:

• They are qualitative as well as quantitative. 
• They cover a sufficient cycle of time 

In your case as an agent, this period is going to be your entire relationship with your client during a single life transition or a single move.

Essentially, you’re going through a before, during, and after the walkthrough.

Why Are Case Studies Important In Your Real Estate Business?

Part of why case studies are so important for your business is that they provide social proof with story and value. 

Stories are 22 times more powerful than facts. 

You can give someone all the facts in the world…but if you don’t tell them a story, they’re not going to remember it.

Stories stick and allow potential clients to emotionally connect with your business.

Why do you think Superbowl commercials make us cry?

Humans are emotional creatures. We use emotion first, and logic second when we’re looking to make any purchase. 

One of the most effective ways to elicit emotions in your potential clients is to illustrate their current situation and their desired situation.

In simple terms – where are they now? And where do they want to be? 

The goal is to share case studies so that our potential clients can easily visualize themselves embarking on the transformation we provide.

Because it’s one thing to run around telling people you’re the best of the best.

It’s another thing to tell a story and to highlight how you’ve helped someone who’s in exactly the same situation that they are. 

What Clients Should You Highlight In Your Real Estate Agent Testimonials And Case Studies?

You don’t want to do a case study on just anybody.

There are a few important criteria when choosing who to highlight in your case studies.

1. 1. Clients that fit your niche perfectly. The last thing you want to do is confuse your audience. If your primary niche is upsizers, don’t start telling stories about clients purchasing their first homes.
   2. Clients that are very happy with your services. This might seem obvious, but don’t highlight a client who just thought your services were so-so.
   3. Clients who underwent big life transitions or had stronger pain points to begin with. The emotion will come through in these client stories, and will powerfully pull in potential leads.

Most importantly, you always want to make sure you have permission from any client to write a case study on them (especially if you’re using their name/address!)

You can even get permission right off the bat when you begin working with a client, by including a clause in your client contract.

How To Uplevel Your Real Estate Agent Testimonials Into Case Studies

Here’s what most agents will do after working on a deal.

They’ll send their client something like, “I’ve loved working with you, [NAME]. Is there any way you’d be able to write a testimonial for my services?”

Usually, you’ll get a vague and generic paragraph back about how you were “great to work with”.

While this technically is social-proof content, it doesn’t speak to the specific transformation you help your clients achieve.

Here’s what to do instead.

Document The Process 

After any transaction is complete, open up a note on your computer or phone and start jotting down bullet points for three sections.

• Before: where were they before?
• After: where were they after?
• During: what was the process to get them there? 

I’m not just talking about one or two points per section. I want you to go DEEP.

Here is an example from a friend of mine (not real-estate related). 

This is the level of detail you should be striving for. 

Get Clear On The “Before” 

Jot down the answers to the following questions to get clear on where your client was before they used your services.

• Who are they?
• What do they do?
• What neighborhood are they in?
• Describe their family. Are they single? Are they married? Are they a family with two kids?
• What is their current situation? What is the primary pain point? What is driving their move? Was there a specific instance that made it clear to them that they needed to move? For example: maybe it was an elderly couple and the husband had a fall, and they realized they wanted to move into a bungalow.
• What are they worried about? What are their concerns? What are their objections to the actual move? For example: maybe they’ve been in their home for 30 years and they’re afraid of change. Or maybe they only bought their house a year ago and they’re worried they’re not even going to break even. 

Paint the picture of the current situation.

Get Clear On The After

Then you want to break down the after. What results did you get them? 

First, you want to tally up numerical results.

• Number of ad impressions
• Showings
• Days on the market
• Offers

These are quantitative results, and they’re important. But perhaps what’s even more important are the qualitative results. 

You want to be able to answer questions like:

• What did they get out of it? 
• What does their life look like now? 
• What are the emotional reasons that this was a win for them? 
• Is it a new school? Are they in a new home? Do they have more space for family?
• Do they have an income property now?

You want anyone who’s reading this real estate testimonial to immediately be able to visualize themselves in your past client’s shoes.

Break Down How You Got Them There

After you’ve broken down the before, and you’ve painted a picture of the ‘after’, the question becomes:

How did you get them there? 

You want to show potential clients how you did it and give them a behind-the-scenes look into the process.

The goal of this section is to highlight the steps in your signature system.

Don’t have a signature system? That’s your starting point.

Break down the most important things you did to get your client their results. List no more than 3-5 steps. 

Answer the questions:

• How did you achieve these results?
• What did you do that others didn’t?
• What is your UVP (Unique Value Proposition)?

The goal isn’t to say “look at how amazing I am!”. It’s to show potential clients your systematic approach to making sure these results are achieved consistently.

You want to clearly show each step you took, and why that step was so important. 

Putting It All Together

Here’s what the FULL process of elevating your real estate testimonials into real estate case studies looks like.

We put ALL of these steps together to create a compelling client story.

Stories are 22x more memorable than facts, which is why a post like this is going to resonate with your clients so much more than some real estate infographic.

The basic template goes like this:

• Where was your client and what was driving their move?
• Where are they now? Not just a location, but actually paint a picture of their current situation and why it’s so much better than their previous situation.
• What was the process like to get them there?
• And then CELEBRATE the client! Talk about how amazing it is that they’ve been able to make this transformative change in their life.

You can also focus on what I like to call the COI (the cost of inaction).

Where would your client be if they hadn’t taken action with your services?

If they had stayed in the same place and hadn’t made the move, where would they be?

• Maybe they’d be in a cramped space with a growing family, and they’d start resenting the people they cherish the most
• Maybe they’d be in a space that isn’t pet-friendly, and the health of their furry friends would be suffering
• Maybe they’d be in a property with far too much maintenance, feeling overwhelmed by their massive to-do list instead of enjoying the simplicity of condo living

Whatever it is, paint a picture of what would have happened if your client DIDN’T take action!

Practice Makes Perfect

Now that you’ve got the basic format down pat, it’s time to practice, practice, practice!

The more you do case studies, the easier they’ll become.

You could even practice this compelling form of real estate testimonial by writing a mock case study for your own life. Think of a transformation you experienced in your own life and make a case study around it!

Remember, to get results from case studies you need:

• Clarity on your niche and ideal clients
• Consistency in your marketing
• A solid signature system that gets client results

If you need support with those things, The Listings Lab is our signature program where we help agents build a marketing machine so they can scale to multi-6 or 7-figures.  

Get More Details And Apply Here 

What do all of the TOP performers in real estate have in common?

What are the habits of successful real estate agents that have allowed them to become the best of the best?

Believe it or not, a lot of it comes down to mindset.

A solid mindset can be the difference between a run-of-the-mill business that grosses 6 figures (or less) and one that reaches seven figures.

Your mindset quite literally determines your reality.

If you hold the belief that you must suffer to be successful…then you’ll build a business that makes you suffer.

If you tell yourself the market is slow, if you constantly complain about your lack of clients…you’ll keep yourself trapped in a negative cycle where you struggle to get clients.

Justine Faerman at the Flow Consciousness Institute calls this the BETDAR Framework. The simplified version of this notion is that what you believe is the first step to everything that you create.

Beliefs trigger emotions.

Emotions lead to thoughts.

Thoughts create decisions.

Decisions trigger actions.

Actions lead to…

Results. 

So if you want to change your results, you must prioritize building these mindset habits of successful real estate agents.

They Fill Their Bank Account – Not Their Ego Account

If you want to be a successful real estate agent, you have a choice.

Either you fill your bank account or your ego account.

Let me explain.

When I went through my period of emotional burnout, I was focused on the lack of time, energy, and space that I had.

But the truth was, I had the “champagne problem” of too much business. 

Rather than admit I was struggling, my ego ran the show.

I told myself I had to do it all – because there’s no way anyone would be able to do it like me.

You could say I had some pretty massive mindset blocks when it came to building a real estate team.

Soon, it got to the point where I was the bottleneck in my own business. All because I was trying to prove that I was better and stronger and that I could suffer more.

All this was doing was filling my ego account. Even though my business was burning me out instead of fulfilling me, it filled my ego account to know all these people wanted to work with me. 

But the truth is that you can only fill one account. You have to choose. So, which one is it going to be?

Filling your ego account means creating more stress and anxiety—and it’s just not worth it. Until you let it go, you can’t fill your bank account. To do so, you’re going to have to give up some control. You cannot do it all. 

Don’t be fooled. The ego mindset isn’t just about thinking you’re the only person that can run the business. It also comes in the form of thoughts you tell yourself.

• “I’m bad with technology.”
• “I hate Facebook and Instagram.”
• “I’m not a good writer.”
• “I’m scared of making videos.”
• “I’m lazy and inconsistent.”

To a certain extent, all of this self-talk keeps you safe. Your ego is there to safeguard your current reality. Every time you’re hit with the possibility of leveling up or changing where you are today, your ego steps in, whether in the form of fear or just discomfort. 

Don’t let your ego sabotage your success.

They Refuse To Get Caught Up In Perfectionism

Confidence is the reward, not the requirement. 

So many people spend time thinking and planning but never taking action. They want everything to be 100% perfect before they implement anything—but implementation is what gives you the confidence you’re looking for. 

Waiting for something to be “ready” is just your brain’s way of protecting you from failure, disappointment, and risk—but those things are unavoidable. No one is ever fully ready for change. We have to make peace with that fact and get comfortable with the concept of launching and learning. 

You don’t get to be great without failure—without launching, learning, and then iterating. Business is all about problem-solving. If you’re constantly waiting for the perfect answer, you never get to learn what the right solution is. If you go about everything in your business (and your life) from a place of fear of failure, nothing will ever happen to or for you, good or bad.

Their Clear On Their Long-Term Vision

Successful real estate agents aren’t just chasing the next deal.

They have a clear, long-term vision of what it is they’re working toward.

If you don’t develop one, you’ll quickly end up with a business you didn’t want. It’s that simple. 

You’ll get stuck trying to figure out how to get to the business you want, day after day, with no real roadmap to get there.

I was guilty of this in my early days. I was always working to get the next deal done, and then the next deal, and then the deal after that, without any intentionality or clarity in terms of what I actually wanted my life to look like. 

Too many agents, when asked about their goals, will say something like, “I want to double my business.” 

But when asked how, they have no idea. They’ll go through goal-setting exercises (often recommended by their brokerage) every single quarter, and yet the next year, they find themselves at the exact same place they started. 

Often, it’s because they did nothing to change their trajectory for one of two reasons: 

1. They lacked clarity about how to reach their goals
2. Or their goals were too vague to be achievable. 

A better approach is to ask yourself what you want. 

• What does your perfect day look like? 
• What does it look like five years from now? 
• How do you work backwards to create a business that’s going to create that perfect day? 

Going through the motions versus having a plan is like the difference between a suffocating business and one that lights you up.

They Develop A Morning Routine 

So what does the morning routine of a successful real estate agent look like?

Everyone might have certain things they like to do upon waking up, but I’m impartial to intention setting.

Setting an intention every day can be an incredibly powerful habit. 

When I was still selling real estate and had a lot of anxiety, I started journaling every day. 

Every morning, before I ever looked at my phone, I sat down and wrote. Before that, I was the typical agent who woke up every morning, rolled over, and immediately started checking my emails. 

I set the intention that I was going to take care of myself first. I had to set boundaries, particularly when it came to my phone. I’m willing to bet you’re nodding your head yet again right now because you know you need to do the same. 

Once I started with that habit, I took the idea even further—and the change that resulted was massive. 

I set a rule for myself that my phone stayed on “do not disturb” until I had taken care of three things—my body, mind, and spirit.

That meant I had to work out, journal, and either listen to a podcast or read a chapter or two of a book. Once those three things were done, the world got access to me – because I’d taken care of myself first. 

Not everyone’s morning routine has to look like mine, but I do believe that you need to adopt some sort of routine that gets you in the right headspace, the right mindset, to start your day. 

We live in a world where people are constantly pulling at you. This is especially true in real estate. Everybody wants something from you, whether it’s your team, your family, or your clients. This also doesn’t have to mean that you’re getting up at 5 am and doing a three-hour routine. Make what you do work for your life. 

If you start every day answering calls for your attention, you’ll feel very empty very quickly.

They Go All In

The average real estate agent receives income from seven different sources outside of real estate. Seven!

How can you focus on being the best in the industry when you’re working six other side hustles?

So many real estate agents make the mistake of starting a second (or third!) business BEFORE they’ve got their real estate business running like a well-oiled machine.

Here’s what happens: You start to build momentum in your real estate business, and it feels good. You finally know what you’re doing. Your confidence goes up, you have some money to spare. Suddenly, there are opportunities everywhere. Everyone has a business idea. Everybody wants you to invest in something. You put on your super-optimistic pants and ask yourself, “How hard could it be?”

Then you spend a little bit of time on the new venture—a few days here, a few days there—and before you know it, you realize you’re not actually focusing on any of your businesses. Instead, you’ve split your time and resources before you had them available to split. A bit more time passes, and the new business takes up even more of your time; your real estate business begins to suffer as a result. 

This is called the Dunning-Kruger Effect. Your confidence is high, but your competence is low. Too many agents move on to the next thing before becoming truly competent—as agents, as leaders, as visionaries. 

You have to focus on your main real estate business until you have established a finely tuned machine. Focus has a compound effect, and you need all of that focus in one area to cash out on that effect. 

When you convince yourself that you can do more than what’s possible, you end up losing not only your focus, but also leverage, and ultimately money. If you have to hustle to make a new opportunity work, the chances of it working alongside your real estate business are very low, if not non-existent. 

Successful real estate agents are experts in focus. 

Not only do they focus on their sole venture, but they also prioritize only the most needle-moving tasks. 

Redesigning your website, launching a podcast, creating a YouTube channel—if any of these things aren’t directly contributing to solving the number-one problem in your business, then you’re procrastinating. You’re simply chasing the next shiny object.

This is just another form of procrastination, another protection mechanism because you’re afraid to focus on one thing and fail at it.

So tell me…are you ready to go all in on building a multi-6 or 7-figure real estate business?

If you think you have what it takes, I encourage you to join us in The Listings Lab. 

Apply now to build a marketing machine for your real estate business and get qualified leads on autopilot.

So you want to know how to grow a real estate business…WITHOUT spending all day on the phone or chained to your laptop?

I got you.

The booked-and-busy, always hustling agent life is canceled. 

Making more money in real estate does not mean putting in more hours.

It means getting strategic and stepping into your role as a real estate CEO.

Read on to get expert tips on how to scale your real estate business sustainably. 

Be Careful Who You Take Advice From

The real estate industry has changed massively over the past 5-10 years.

A lot of the traditional real estate advice out there is not modern. Many of these real estate gurus are people who were successful in the past.

They built their businesses in the seventies, the eighties, and the nineties. They operated in a completely different world. 

The people who are preaching cold-calling and door-knocking built their businesses pre-internet, and a lot of the tactics they dish out are very old school. 

And not to mention, they’re unscalable and exhausting. Relying on these tactics may result in a serious case of realtor burnout. 

I still remember when I first got my real estate license and I got this big gray pager. 

I was so proud of it…I thought it was the coolest thing in the world. 

And now if I pulled out a giant gray pager, you’d look at me like a crazy woman. 

Nowadays, we all have computers in our pockets. We’re constantly on the internet.

So why are we still adhering to marketing strategies that were used in 1985?

We NEED to be able to look at the time we’re in and think critically about how people consume information. 

I’ve even heard brokers tell their agents’ that social media doesn’t work. And I think to myself “Seriously, where do you think the majority of people are spending all of their free time?”

It’s not that it doesn’t work. It’s that they don’t know how to use it. 

And rather than admit they don’t know what they’re doing, they’re dismissing it altogether.

So before you go ahead and listen to someone’s advice on how to grow a real estate business, make sure it’s timely.

Get Out Of Hustle Mode 

Let me ask you a question.

Are you building a business that will serve you for years to come?

Or are you just chasing the next deal?

Most agents are constantly just looking for that next deal.

And so what happens is you find yourself in this perpetual chase mode. 

Building a business that offers unlimited scalability means you need to expand intentionally. You need to have a clear vision for how to grow your real estate business rather than just react to opportunities.

Because at the end of the day, people get into real estate for three main reasons.

• Unlimited income
• Freedom to set your own schedule
• And to help people

And the reality is, that most agents don’t have the first two. 

If you want to achieve unlimited income and freedom, you have to be intentional about how you set your business up from the beginning. 

Overcome the mindset blocks preventing you from scaling a real estate business.Ditch the unscalable lead gen tactics and commit to real estate marketing.

And put in the work to craft a real estate sales funnel that attracts qualified prospects on autopilot. 

There’s a better way when it comes to how to grow a real estate business!

Prioritize Team Growth

When we first started The Listings Lab, it was just Yves and I. And let me tell you…it was a LOT of work. 

But almost immediately, we hired our very first employee, Ashley. 

Now? She’s our COO.

From the time we hired her, the business has grown leaps and bounds. Our model has evolved. And our team growth has exploded.

Now, as the CEO, I’m quite far removed from the day-to-day operations, and I focus more on the overall business vision. 

The bottom line is that you can’t stay a lone wolf in business. I tried that for a while, and it was plain miserable. 

Sooner or later, you need to learn how to build a real estate team so you can get out from under your mountain of work – and start focusing on higher-level business strategy.

The sooner you can learn how to delegate, the sooner you’ll be able to build a high-performing team as a real estate team leader. 

Allow Your Business to Grow & Evolve

Here’s something you need to know when it comes to growing a real estate business…

It never quite goes to plan. It’s trial and error, and it’s ALWAYS going to be evolving.

In fact, there was a time where The Listings Lab was more expensive than it is now.

But when we figured out how to make things more efficient on our end, we passed those savings on to the members.

There were plenty of other things that shifted. Within a year of business, we completely changed our business model.

Because we’re constantly thinking, how can we make this better? 

And in my opinion…that’s what makes business fun!

There’s no business where you get to a certain level and then you’re done. 

If you want to grow a profitable, sustainable business that sticks around for the long term…you have to fall in love with problem-solving. 

You’re going to get new problems as you grow and scale your business, but there will always be problems. 

Don’t let them wear you down. Instead, start to think of them as fun challenges – as puzzles to be solved. 

Prioritize Client Satisfaction Above All Else

If you want to learn how to sustainably grow your real estate business, you learn to do it strategically and SLOWLY.

One of the worst things you can do is scale too fast and without a plan.

Why? 

Because your clients will end up feeling the effects of your growth. 

When we expanded The Listings Lab, my number one priority was that our members never felt us scaling.

I’ve been in programs and had coaches that made me feel like I was a victim of their scaling.

And I really wanted to make sure that our members didn’t feel that way. 

The way we avoided this was by making sure that we hired the team members and set up the systems to handle a lot more people BEFORE we enrolled those people. Not after. 

We committed to making space before we needed the space.

This allowed us to continue to grow without our service ever becoming an issue. Member satisfaction remained at an all-time high because our members always felt like they were a priority to us. 

Growth should not come at the cost of client satisfaction.

Growth should not come at the cost of your mental health.

And growth should not come at the expense of time with your family and friends!

If you’re ready to drop the real estate hustle and learn how to grow a real estate business that offers you true freedom…download The Listings Lab Method Guide!

➡️ Get The Guide Here