Have you ever wondered what makes some Realtors® amazingly successful and others just so-so? The answer comes from Winston Churchill: “Continuous effort — not strength or intelligence — is the key to unlocking our potential.”
This made me think of the old children’s story of the tortoise and the hare. The hare was sure he’d win the race based on his brilliant speed, and he was ahead at the beginning. However, he got lazy, rested, and fell asleep, allowing the tortoise to pass him and win. So my question to you today is, are you slow enough to win the race in real estate?
What do you mean, SLOW?
No one wants to be slow. Slow is a negative word in our society, especially as obsessed as we are with instant gratification. If a website is slow, fix it. If traffic is slow, curse it. If your cell phone is slow, upgrade it. Slow is always a problem.
However, when we focus on the continuous effort required in our real estate career, we realize that slow is not the problem. Inconsistent is the problem. Inconsistent marketing. Inconsistent in requesting referrals. Inconsistent in our farming. Inconsistent in our cold calling. Inconsistent on following up leads. The list goes on and on.
Be OK with being slow. Be OK with starting your day with 3 hours of cold calling, the way a successful California agent shared he did in a Facebook group for lead generation. He is on track to hit $10 million in sales, and this is his second year in the business. His average listing is right around $365,000. Yes, it’s California. But every market has its problems – he’s just discovered that slow and steady wins the race.
How to be more consistent
So, as real estate professionals, how do we build more of that slow, consistent effort into our lives? One of the most important ways is through routine. By having a daily routine – or even just a morning routine – we’ll ensure that we are doing the same things repeatedly.
However, being consistent alone won’t help as much as making sure we are being consistent in the right things. Review your last year, or last quarter, of business. Where are the majority of your leads coming from? What’s working? Spend the first part of each day focused on the activities that bring you the most leads and new business. Everything else can wait.
There’s a philosophy called 80/20, that says that 20% of your activities give you 80% of your results. Review your lead generation and appointment scheduling tactics, and focus daily time and effort on the 20% that matter most. Then, no matter what else happens during the day, you’ve accomplished your most impactful work and set the stage for your ongoing success.
It certainly seems like an odd question to ask if you’re slow enough to win the race. But when you realize that consistency wins over hurry, stress, and scattered efforts, it all begins to make sense. Steady, consistent work is how you win the race in real estate.
What effort in your business do you want to focus on more consistently? Share in the comments!
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