Are you sabotaging your real estate career without even realizing it?
If you’re like most agents, the answer is most likely a resounding “yes.”
I’ve identified 7 critical mistakes that are costing agents serious money and stunting their growth, and I’m covering them in this post.
These aren’t your run-of-the-mill “don’t forget to follow up” tips. Instead, I’m talking about deep-rooted issues that are holding your business back from reaching its full potential. From outdated marketing tactics to misguided strategies, these mistakes are what separate the top performers from those struggling to make ends meet.
But here’s the good news: once you’re aware of these pitfalls, you can avoid them.
I’m going to break down each of these mistakes for you. By the end of this, you’ll have a clear picture of what you might be doing wrong and how to fix it.
Let’s get into it and start turning things around. 👇🏼
1. Learning Marketing From Other Agents Instead of Experts
99% of the time, when someone tells me “Social media doesn’t work for me!” – I look at their page and can tell in 0.2 seconds that they’re just copying other agents.
I understand why people do this. They’re new and overwhelmed, so instead of learning marketing skills, they simply look at what other people are doing online.
Here’s the thing…
Just because someone may appear to be killing it on social media, doesn’t necessarily mean they’re bringing in real business.
Let me tell you a quick story so you can see what I mean.
I had someone in the Listings Lab who was doing really well. She was getting 2-3 deals/month from organic marketing and building up some serious momentum!
But then all of a sudden, she completely switched her strategy. Instead of implementing The Listings Lab’s curriculum, she returned to do more ‘traditional’ real estate marketing – posting a lot of “just listed, just sold” and sales-focused posts.
And all of her results tanked.
She joined a coaching call, and we asked her why she’d changed her strategy.
She revealed she saw a real estate team in her area doing 100 deals a year, so she began copying what they were doing.
After hearing this, I decided to do a bit of digging.
Upon a quick glance, I noticed a few things.
1) This team had a LOT of followers so they appeared successful – but most of their following was actually bots or ‘ghost’ followers. It’s clear they’d bought these followers rather than earning them.
2) There was no indication that these deals were coming from social media. In fact, it was pretty obvious they were coming from referrals and this team’s reputation. They were a multigenerational team that had been building a database for 60 years across 3 generations!
No wonder they were getting so much business, despite a lackluster social media strategy.
The next time you’re tempted to copy another agent’s marketing, ask yourself: “Do I really know the full story behind their success?” Chances are, you don’t.
Instead of trying to replicate what you think is working for someone else, learn the skills to confidently build your own marketing strategy.
2. Treating Social Media Like a Billboard
Many agents still operate with this old-school mentality of attention equals business. They treat their social media like a billboard, thinking that if they boost a post and get eyeballs on it, it will automatically translate to business.
Here’s the harsh truth: You could boost a picture of your left thumb and get a ton of views, but it doesn’t mean it’s going to turn into anything.
In today’s saturated market, simply showing up and posting “just listed, just sold” content isn’t enough.
Back when I was selling real estate in Toronto, I was one of 70,000 agents in my market.
With the sheer number of agents out there today, what worked five or ten years ago simply doesn’t cut it today.
Especially when you consider the fact that you’re not just competing with other agents for attention. You’re competing against every other advertisement and content creator that is grabbing their attention, no matter the industry.
You’re vying for attention in the very, very saturated place, which is people’s brains. If you’re still using the billboard approach, you’re not giving your business a fair shot at success.
3. Giving In To The Sunk Cost Fallacy
The sunk cost fallacy refers to the resistance you feel to let something go simply because you’ve spent a lot of time on it.
And it is SO prevalent in real estate, especially when it comes to marketing.
You’d be shocked at how often I hear something along the lines of:
“Well, this marketing strategy isn’t really working for me, but I’ve already spent so much time and money on it…I might as well continue to work on it a little longer so I can get something from my efforts.”
Let’s take postcards as an example. I’ve seen agents pour thousands of dollars into postcard campaigns month after month, even when they’re not seeing results. They continue an ineffective strategy, thinking all that effort will be wasted if they stop now.
But here’s the harsh truth: continuing an ineffective strategy is the real waste.
In a market where one mailbox might receive 30 real estate postcards in a single day, how is yours going to stand out?
Not to mention, in any given ZIP code, less than 3% of people might be considering moving in the next five years. You’re essentially throwing money at a strategy that’s targeting the wrong people at the wrong time.
The lesson here? Don’t let the fear of wasting past investments keep you from making smarter choices now.
It’s okay to admit something isn’t working and pivot to more effective, targeted marketing strategies. Your future success is worth more than the money you’ve already spent.
4. Surrounding Yourself with Stagnation
Your concept of success is 100% related to the people around you. If you make $150,000 a year and everyone in your office makes $100,000, you’ll feel successful. But if everyone else makes $500,000, you’ll strive for more.
When I was selling real estate, I was doing 10-15 times the volume of anyone else in my office. The office actually closed when I stopped selling. But my success came from networking with other top producers in the market, not from my immediate office environment.
I had a network of other agents in my market that I spent a lot of time with. We had a WhatsApp chat with the top ten producers in the market. We were constantly giving each other stuff and sending deals back and forth. I probably did twenty deals every year just out of that WhatsApp chat from people asking for help or sharing opportunities.
Don’t limit yourself to your immediate surroundings. Seek out ambitious, successful individuals who push you to think bigger and achieve more.
Even if you can’t physically be around such people all the time, find ways to connect digitally or through industry events.
5. Not Iterating Your Strategy
I recently spoke with someone who said, “I went through The Listings Lab, it worked well, and my business doubled. Then the results started to dwindle, but I’ve been posting the same way for two years without much success.” Can you imagine doing the same thing for years with poor results?
Your marketing is always just data. Even when something is working well, always ask: “What’s the data telling me? How can I iterate and make this better?”
For example, if your email open rates are at 42%, how can you push that to 45%? Small improvements can lead to significant results over time.
Marketing is never a one-and-done process.
It’s the lifeblood of your business and it needs constant refinement.
6. Paying for Ads Without a Validated Niche and Message
I had a conversation with a couple a while back who are doing well, but 100% of their business comes from paid traffic. They have absolutely nothing going organically. Imagine if they were testing and succeeding organically first—their paid traffic results could be exponentially better.
This is like trying to run before you can walk. Paid advertising can be a powerful tool, but it’s not a substitute for a solid organic strategy.
It’s like turning on a faucet – the water (leads) flows as long as you’re paying, but turn it off, and everything dries up.
The solution?
Build up momentum with your organic marketing, then pour fuel to the fire with paid ads. Never run paid traffic without a validated niche and message.
7. Outsourcing Your Marketing
Hiring a company or VA to handle your social media might seem like a time-saver, but in reality it’s a HUGE mistake. It’s so easy to tell when someone has outsourced their marketing—it becomes generic, losing the personal touch and connection elements.
Your marketing should reflect your personality, insights, and unique value proposition. No matter how good a marketing agency or VA is, they can’t embody YOU quite like you.
Instead, take control of your marketing to build a strong personal brand as a real estate agent.
Now, out of those 7, I want you to identify which one you are guilty of right now. For the next week, focus on that one thing where you thought, “Ugh, yes I’m doing that.”
If you’re struggling with spending time around stagnant people, for instance, search out events or opportunities to connect with more ambitious, successful individuals. Even a few days in the right environment can make a BIG difference.
Or maybe you realized you’ve been falling for the sunk cost fallacy. Take a hard look at your marketing budget this week. Are there any ineffective strategies you’re clinging to just because you’ve already invested in them?
Take some time to reflect, using this blog post as your guide.
Remember, don’t beat yourself up if you’re making these mistakes. Awareness around what you’re getting wrong is the first step to getting it right.
By addressing even one of these issues, you can significantly improve your real estate marketing and start seeing better results in your business.
And if you need more support as you elevate your marketing strategy and refine your messaging, be sure to check out The Listings Lab.
You’ll get the exact blueprint thousands of agents have used to turn their businesses around and go from stagnant to thriving, with consistent leads, sales, and a renewed sense of confidence in their brand.
Book a call with our team HERE if you’re ready to make a change.
