Hey {{first_name | there}}, I want to tell you something you're going to value.
Every agent I talk to has the same relationship with the lead gen.
They know they need it, they dread it anyway, and most of them are doing something off someone else's list of "nine things you should be doing."
Jason, chief of industry and strategy at Keller Williams, interviews close to 1,000 agents a year and sits in on 775 franchise calls every week.
His read on what actually separates the ones who build something isn't grit. It's finding the version of lead gen that doesn't feel like lead gen at all.
In today's newsletter, we'll get into:
The trainer closing 70 deals a year without one cold call
Why 71% of new agents quit in 2 years
The 4 things every scaling team has locked in before they blow up
Why chasing more kills momentum faster than doing too little
— Andrew
Stop looking for the 9 things the industry says you should do
Jason's line stuck with me: "Most people are of the mind that in order to be a success in this business, they have to wake up and do an activity they don't want."
He said there's a place for that already. It's called prison.
So here's the exercise he gives agents instead:
The proof, in real stories
He gave me 3, and I haven't stopped thinking about them…
A former personal trainer joins the 4 most expensive gyms in her area.
Works out twice a day, at a different gym each time. She spots the new members, the ones who look lost, and offers to work out with them. 9 out of 10 say yes.
Eventually they ask about her other job. She closes 70 deals a year, all from people she met at the gym.
Will Van Wickler sits in a quiet room and sends letters. He'll do 150 deals this year. Sending letters.
Jim Fagan throws a party in his front yard once a quarter. Bounce houses and face painters for the kids, round tables and mingling for the parents. He controls 56% of the listings in his neighborhood.
None of these people are doing the same thing. All of them are doing something they actually enjoy, on repeat, in front of people.
Jason's stat: 71% of people who get a license leave the business within 2 years.
His take is that it's not a skill problem or a motivation problem.
They never find the lead source that lets them show up as themselves, they copy a model that isn't theirs, hate doing it, and quit before it has a chance to work.
The 4 things that separate the teams that scale
Every fast-growing team he's studied has the same 4 things locked in early:
Shared vision: "Our vision is to serve 5,000 families this year."
Shared culture: how stuff gets done around here. Inside, with each other. Outside, with clients.
Shared habits: Usually around lead gen. Everyone does the thing, every day.
Shared money: Not equal, but aligned. His words on the alternative: "I need you to be poorer so I can be richer."
The mistake that kills momentum at 300 deals
Here's the pattern he sees over and over. A team hits 300 or 400 deals, then decides to chase something else. A new revenue stream, a side business, a new focus.
Jason's response is always the same: "What if you just did another 300 or 400 real estate deals?"
He credits Gary Keller's whole career to one thing: focus. Deciding to be an immovable object in one space and staying there for decades. Not chasing every new model that shows up.
THE CLOSE
The agents who scale aren't grinding harder, they're doing lead gen that actually fits who they are.
You have to watch the full interview. Jason and I are both in contact with hundreds of agents every year, and we broke down everything we're seeing right now, the wins, the mistakes, all of it.
Search Real Estate Expert: How Realtors Scale From $10M To $100M To $1B/YR on YouTube or your favorite podcast app to watch the complete episode now!
-Andrew
