Category: Sales Meeting Content

For those of you who joined me this morning, great conversation. For those that missed? My notes:

We talked about a critical shift in how we approach our buyers and sellers (or if you’re an owner or recruiter, your prospects). New research confirms what many of us are already feeling: traditional sales tactics are losing some edge.

The other conversation today? I’ve never taken a percentage to the bank—only dollars. Justifying your value is a deeper conversation.

What Today’s Buyers & Sellers Really Want

Your clients and prospects don’t want more “just checking in” emails or voicemails. They’re not looking to be “educated” with generic information. They’re ghosting unnecessary contact because they’re burned out on being chased.

What they really want is:

• Control: They’ve done their research and want to feel empowered, not pushed.
• Relevance: Every interaction needs to be timely, useful, and directly address their specific needs.
• Their Time Back: They’re overwhelmed and busy. They value meaningful engagements over high-volume, low-impact touches.

The data is clear: a significant portion of their decision-making happens before they’re ready for a deep conversation.

Shifting Our Approach

Instead of focusing on “getting the meeting” or “more touches,” what if we prioritized delivering insight?

• Lead with Value, Not the Ask: Before you even think about showing a home or listing a property, offer something genuinely useful.
  • For buyers: “Here are some recent off-market opportunities in your preferred neighborhood, thought these might be helpful.”
  • For sellers: “This is what top-performing homes in your area are doing to attract multiple offers right now.”
• Make “Contracts” Feel Human: Instead of rigid “this is how we work” pitches, try, “Would it make sense for us to spend 15 minutes discussing a few common challenges buyers face in this market?” This builds trust and respect.
• Embrace Client-Led Discovery: Empower your clients to self-diagnose and explore. Offer short videos, self-assessment checklists, or ROI calculators. Let them warm up on their own time, then invite a deeper conversation.

Focus on Metrics That Matter

Ditch activity metrics (like “number of calls made”) that don’t drive real results. Instead, track:

• Engagement signals: Who’s actually opening your market updates or clicking your guides?
• Quality conversations and meetings held: How many interactions truly uncover a client’s pain points or aspirations that lead to engagement?
• Velocity: How quickly are interested clients moving from initial contact to qualified dialogue?

The bottom line: The modern real estate client doesn’t want more outreach; they want better engagement. This isn’t about working less; it’s about working smarter, with empathy and precision. Something uniquely human!

Your challenge this week:

• Audit one piece of your client interaction.
  • Does it create pressure or curiosity?
  • Does it lead with an ask or offer something genuinely useful?
• Fix that, and everything downstream gets easier.

#WinTheDay to win the week!

P.S. For my CEO, Recruiter, and Talent Attraction followers—the same principles apply! This could make a solid sales meeting topic/discussion… along with the 19-point gap assessment.

I had a fantastic catch-up call with Coach Greg Benjamin recently, and he left me with a gem that hit me squarely between the eyes:

“Use the past as a school, not a jail.”

In our line of work—whether you’re a broker-owner, a recruiter, or an agent on the front lines—that single sentence holds a universe of truth. The world of real estate is littered with would-haves, could-haves, and should-haves. The deal that fell apart at the 11th hour. The top agent you couldn’t retain. The market shift you didn’t see coming fast enough.

It’s easy to let those moments become the bars of a cell. We replay the conversations, second-guess our decisions, and let the fear of repeating those mistakes dictate our future moves. That’s the jail. It leads to paralysis, rumination, and being stuck.

But what if we saw it differently? What if every setback was just a lesson plan? That’s the school. One that leads to growth, learning, and unstoppable forward momentum.

This resonates so deeply with what I’ve learned from sailing. There’s a clear and powerful separation of roles when you’re on the water:

• God’s part: The how (the strength and direction of the wind) and the when (the timing of the tides). These are the market forces, the interest rate hikes, the client who gets cold feet—the things completely out of my control.
• My part: The what (steering the vessel) and the why (keeping my eyes fixed on the destination). This is my strategy, my mindset, my team’s culture, my commitment to my goals.

For too long, the jail of my past was built with the guilt and shame of old storms—the deals I lost, the opportunities I missed. I was trying to control the wind. But the school of my future is being built with the grace and growth I find on the open water. I can’t command the tides, but I can learn to read them better. I can’t stop a squall, but I can teach my crew (and myself) how to secure the sails and navigate through it.

• That failed deal from last year? It’s not a monument to your failure. It’s a masterclass in negotiation or contract clauses.
• The agent who left for a competitor? That’s not a personal rejection. It’s a Ph.D. in culture, compensation plans, and value proposition.
• A slow quarter? It’s not a verdict on your ability. It’s a curriculum on lead generation, budgeting, and building a more resilient business.

The power is in the pivot from “Why did this happen to me?” to “What is this trying to teach me?”

So, I’ll ask you the same question I’m asking myself today:

How do you ensure you’re using your past as a school?

As a coach and consultant, I often hear this common challenge in the real estate world: we know exactly what needs to get done. If you’re in real estate – whether you’re a broker owner, an office manager, a recruiter, or an agent – you’re probably wired like me: full of great ideas and comprehensive to-do lists.

We know what we need to do.

We know we need to:

• Broker Owners/Office Managers: Implement that new CRM, ramp up agent training, finally tackle the marketing budget, have those crucial one-on-ones with struggling agents.
• Recruiters: Make those calls, attend those industry events, refine our value proposition, build stronger relationships with potential candidates.
• Agents: Prospect consistently, follow up diligently, master that new marketing tool, practice those listing presentations, nurture your sphere.

The list goes on, doesn’t it? Our industry demands constant action and evolution. So why do we often find ourselves…stuck? We’ve charted the course, but the anchor feels stubbornly lodged.

I get it. I’ve been there, and I still have those moments. That gap between “knowing” and “doing” can feel like a chasm. We get bogged down in daily fires, shiny new objects pull our focus, or maybe that little voice of doubt creeps in.

But here’s what I’ve learned – and continue to learn – in this incredible real estate journey:

Knowledge without action is just potential energy gathering dust.  (K – A = D)

Our success, the growth of our brokerages, the strength of our teams, and our individual achievements are all directly tied to our ability to move from understanding to execution.

So, how do we bridge that gap? It’s not about some magic bullet or a sudden burst of superhuman motivation. It’s about practical, actionable steps that chip away at the inertia.

Your Action Plan to Get Unstuck

Here are a few things that have helped me (and hopefully will help you):

1. Reconnect with Your “Why”: This isn’t fluffy. Why did you truly get into real estate? What are you striving for? For brokers, it might be building a thriving, supportive office culture. For agents, it could be financial freedom or helping families find their dream homes or beyond. When that “why” is clear and emotionally resonant, the “what” and “how” become much easier to tackle.
2. Break It Down, Baby!: That big, overwhelming project? Slice it into the tiniest, most manageable steps. Instead of “implement new CRM,” think “research three CRM options this week.” Instead of “prospect consistently,” think “make five follow-up calls every morning.” Small wins build momentum and make the overall task feel less daunting.
3. Eliminate Friction: Make it easier to do the right thing. Lay out your prospecting materials the night before. Block out specific time in your calendar for crucial tasks and treat those appointments with yourself as sacred. Minimize distractions when you need to focus.
4. Schedule It and Honor It: If it’s not on the calendar, it doesn’t exist. Be realistic about what you can achieve, but schedule those important activities and stick to them.
5. Find Your Accountability: Tell someone what you’re committed to doing. Partner with another broker, manager, recruiter, or agent to check in with each other. Sometimes, just knowing someone else expects you to take action is a powerful motivator.
6. Celebrate Small Victories: Acknowledge your progress, no matter how small it seems. Did you make those five calls? Did you complete that first step of your CRM research? Give yourself a pat on the back (maybe even a small reward!). Positive reinforcement keeps us moving forward.

Look, we all have days where “doing” feels impossible. But in the competitive world of real estate, especially right here in this market, staying stagnant isn’t an option. We owe it to ourselves, our teams, and our clients to take action on what we know.

So, I’m asking you – and myself – what’s one thing you know you need to do this week that you’ve been putting off? Let’s commit to taking that first step. Let’s stop just knowing and start actively building the success we envision.

What’s your “one thing”? Share in the comments below – let’s hold each other accountable!

Every time I watch the Blue Angels perform or see their iconic documentary on Netflix, I’m not just awestruck by their incredible precision and daring maneuvers; I’m reminded of the fundamental principles that drive truly elite performance. These aren’t just the top 1% of pilots; they’re masters of a repeatable process that leads to unparalleled success. And honestly, it’s a process that everyone of us  – whether we’re a broker owner, a C-suite executive, a regional manager, or a recruiter – can integrate into your own operations to achieve remarkable results.

We all strive for high standards of performance and accountability in our businesses. That’s a given. But how do we consistently hit those marks, especially when the stakes are high? The Blue Angels offer a clear blueprint:

1. Visualize Before Every Performance

Before a single jet takes off, the Blue Angels meticulously visualize their entire routine. Every turn, every close-quarters pass, every break – it’s all played out in their minds. They anticipate challenges and mentally rehearse solutions.

Think about this in your world. Before a major presentation, a crucial negotiation, or even planning your week, do you take the time to truly visualize success? Do you anticipate potential roadblocks and mentally strategize how to overcome them? This isn’t just wishful thinking; it’s a powerful tool for preparing your mind for optimal execution.

2. Execute

This is where the rubber meets the road, or in their case, the jets hit the sky. With meticulous preparation and visualization, the Blue Angels execute their plan with breathtaking precision. There’s no hesitation, no second-guessing – just focused, high-performance action.

For you, this means moving from planning to action with conviction. Trust your preparation. Lead your teams, make those calls, implement that strategy. This is the moment to put your visualized success into tangible results.

3. Debrief and Learn

Immediately after every performance, the Blue Angels go through an intensive debrief. They don’t just celebrate what went well; they forensically examine every detail. What was perfect? What could have been better? Every pilot and support staff offers their perspective, creating a collective learning experience.

This is a critical, often overlooked step in business. How often do you and your team truly debrief your efforts? After a project wraps up, a deal closes, or a recruiting drive finishes, do you honestly assess what worked and what didn’t? This isn’t about pointing fingers; it’s about genuine, objective analysis.

4. Apply the Learning, Rinse, Lather, Repeat

The debrief isn’t just an exercise; it’s a catalyst for improvement. The insights gained are immediately applied to the next practice, the next performance. They constantly refine their process, building on their successes and correcting their missteps. It’s a continuous loop of learning and improvement.

This is where the magic happens for your business. Take the lessons from your debriefs and immediately integrate them into your future strategies and actions. This commitment to continuous improvement, this willingness to “rinse, lather, and repeat” the cycle of visualization, execution, and debriefing, is what will propel you and your teams to the very top of your game.

The 1% Formula for Peak Performance: Visualize, Execute, Debrief, and Repeat.

Imagine the collective power if every leader and every team in your organization embraced this mindset. It’s not about being salesy or pushing a complicated new methodology. It’s about adopting a proven process that champions excellence, fosters accountability, and drives continuous, measurable growth.

What’s one aspect of this Blue Angels’ process you can commit to integrating into your routine this week?