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Jess Lenouvel

The 5 Most Common Real Estate Agent Fears (And How To Get Over Them For Growth)

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Do you feel stuck at a standstill in your real estate business? 

Maybe you have big, lofty goals…

  • To build a 7-figure business
  • To finally take the month-long vacation you’ve been dreaming of
  • To build a powerhouse team so you can finally stop working 60-hour weeks

But no matter how grand your vision is, your reality doesn’t exactly match up.

You buy all the planners and business tools, you take the workshops, you buy the books…

And yet no matter what you do, you find yourself in the exact same place.

If you’re having trouble changing what’s in your external reality, it’s time to take a look inward.

If you’re trying all of the tactics and strategies, but you don’t feel like things are shifting, there’s a good chance you’re being held back by fear.

As humans, we’re biologically motivated by fear.

Your brain is designed to scan your environment for threats – and make decisions that will keep you safe. 

This means that 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. 

Your brain does this because it hasn’t caught up yet to the fact that you’re not a caveman being chased by an apex predator. 

What your brain knows will keep you safe, it will encourage you to repeat. It’s up to you to choose the scary thing anyway.

Are you ready to conquer your fears as a real estate agent? 

These are the five most common fears of real estate agents that might be sabotaging your growth. 

Fear Of Failure 

If you’ve been struggling to take action in your real estate business – whether that’s joining a coaching program, hiring your first team member, or publishing a video on social media – it could be due to an underlying fear of failure.

This often manifests in the form of waiting for the “perfect time” or the “perfect circumstances” in order to do something. 

But waiting for something to be “ready” is just your brain’s way of protecting you from failure, disappointment, and risk.

What you need to know is this – 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.

But while many agents believe that fear of failure is their biggest obstacle, there’s another fear that could be sabotaging your growth plan… 

Fear Of Success 

Let me tell you a personal story about how this fear showed up for me. 👇

Once, in a single weekend, I secured more deals than I had in the entire previous year. But rather than feel elated, I just felt overwhelmed. I didn’t understand how to process what had just happened. A massive up-leveling had just occurred—and it scared me.

While failure can be devastating, it’s often more clear-cut. Failure provides clear feedback, pinpointing what went wrong. But success? It’s murkier. Often, we’re uncertain about the exact cause, and that ambiguity can be unnerving.

Especially if we’ve been struggling for a while, sudden success can feel alien. Our brain, honed for survival, sometimes interprets success as a potential threat. Our first taste of success forces us to confront our pride and ego in ways we’ve never done before

This skewed perception might explain why some agents who succeed early on eventually lose their way. A large ego can lead to short-sighted decisions. Sometimes, success feels so unfamiliar that we unintentionally self-sabotage so that we can go back to what we knew before.

Finding success is one thing – but committing to the inner work required to grow into your next level is where the real work lies.

Fear Of Being An Imposter 

Do you ever feel like successful real estate agents possess some inherent quality that you don’t have? 

Here’s a spoiler alert: they don’t. 

If you’ve ever felt out of place in real estate or feared someone might expose you as a fraud, you’re likely experiencing imposter syndrome.

Because here’s the deal…

At the end of the day, we’re all coming at challenges and opportunities in our life from a similar human experience. 

Incredibly successful people still get nervous. They stress about their taxes. They still make mistakes. They screw things up. They fail. 

If you let your impostor syndrome stand in your way of moving forward and making real change—well, for a potential client, the choice is going to be either you or someone else.

So the question is…

Who will you let it be?

Fear Of Judgment 

This fear trips up so many real estate agents…especially when it comes to marketing. 

This fear often sounds like:

What will they think of me? 

Or:

I can’t possibly record a video for Instagram…I need to lose 10 pounds first. 

Or even:

There’s no way I can send out that email broadcast…I’m a terrible copywriter.

But here’s the truth: Perfection is the enemy of progress. 

Your potential clients aren’t looking for a flawless figure or an award-winning copywriter – they’re looking for authenticity, someone who understands their needs and is real with them. 

Every moment you spend dwelling on self-doubt or feeding into that fear of judgment is a moment you’re not serving your clients or building your brand. 

The biggest regrets come from the chances we didn’t take, not the ones we did. So, put yourself out there. Your genuine self will resonate far more than any ‘perfect’ version ever could.

Fear Of Making The ‘Wrong’ Choice

Nothing in life is ever permanent.

Yet so many agents act as if once they choose something, they’ll be stuck with it for life.

I often see this fear manifest when it comes to choosing a real estate niche.

Someone might have the desire to niche down and serve divorcees.

But then all of a sudden, they panic, wondering:

What if I don’t want to work with divorcees my whole life? What if I get stuck serving a target market I hate? 

Their fear stops them in their tracks, and they go back to serving anyone and everyone. 

This fear of commitment to a choice is a common human tendency. It stems from the worry of missing out on other opportunities.

But here’s the real kicker…

Not making a choice at all is also a choice in and of itself.

So you get to decide.

Either you can choose to stay stagnant.

Or you can choose to take decisive action, and then refine as you go.

Remember, growth is often uncomfortable.

But pushing past these fears is what separates those whose income plateaus and those who build successful 7-figure businesses.

So acknowledge your fears – but don’t let them dictate your path. Instead, choose to step outside your comfort zone, take action, and commit to the inner work required to leap to your next level.

If you’re ready to conquer these fears and kick off a journey of growth, I invite you to join the free Facebook group: The Listings Lab Method For Real Estate Agents. 

Here, you’ll find a supportive community of like-minded real estate agents dedicated to overcoming these obstacles and leveling up, together.

➡️Join The Free Facebook Group HERE 

4 Strategies To Create More Work-Life Balance as a Real Estate Agent

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Does the idea of ‘work-life balance’ as a real estate agent feel like an elusive dream?

For many of us, carving out time for our personal lives can feel impossible – especially in an industry that glorifies the grind.

But guess what?

You don’t have to keep being the ‘always-on’ realtor.

You don’t have to be the agent who puts everyone else before themselves – who clocks 80-hour weeks on the regular.

You have a choice. 

It’s entirely possible to strike a balance where you thrive professionally without sacrificing your personal well-being. 

Through the actionable strategies I’ll share below, you CAN prioritize both success and self-care. 

I’ll share the mistakes I made and the biggest shifts I made that allowed me to scale sustainably. 

So let’s dive into how you can transition from feeling overwhelmed to empowered, and pave a sustainable path to a 7-figure real estate business. 

Boundaries

When I was working in real estate, my mornings were often fueled by coffee and anxiety.

I was that typical agent who started checking emails the moment I opened my eyes. 

I was always on. Rather than pouring into myself first, I went straight into helping my team and my clients. It felt like someone always needed something from me.

But here’s the truth…

The only person to blame for this setup was myself. 

I realized I had to do a major overhaul of my boundaries.

So, I decided to set a rule for myself. My phone stayed on ‘do not disturb’ until I had taken care of three things—my body, mind, and spirit.

This could look like going on a 30-minute walk, listening to a personal development podcast, and doing a short meditation or some intuitive journaling. 

I would only let myself lend support to others once I’d filled my own cup.

Because here’s the reality. 👇

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

Ask yourself: Where do I need to set up boundaries and limits on my time? Am I giving people access to me too freely? 

Delegation 

There’s no way around it…

You can’t embrace work-life balance as a real estate agent while trying to do it all yourself.

It’s just not possible! 

Sooner or later, you’re going to have to embrace the magic of delegation.

Now, I know what you might be thinking.

I can already hear you saying, “I tried to hire team members in the past and all I had to do was babysit them. There’s no point!”.

And to that, I say, I’ve been right where you are.

But trust me, it IS possible to build a real estate team that supports you fully, who saves you time and energy rather than depletes it. 

To experience the power of a self-reliant team, you need to commit to being a better boss.

Too many agents complain about their team, while at the same time they’re:

  • Micro-managing how they do their work
  • Throwing them into the deep end with no real estate operations manual or SOPs
  • Holding on to unnecessary tasks because they can’t give up control

Creating a team is a game-changer, but it requires work on your part too.

Expect that you might need to spend a bit more time in the beginning building training materials, properly vetting and interviewing employees, and training them on your processes and core values.

While there’s a bit more upfront work required, soon your team will be autonomous, and then you’ll be one step closer to the work-life balance you’ve been craving.

Systems & Automation 

Hiring team members without implementing proper systems and automation is a band-aid solution.

You’ll go from spending your time doing the work to spending your time fixing processes and answering questions about the work. 

You’ll also waste a lot of money paying a team member to do something when you could instead pay for software that does the same thing for $20/month.

This will also free up time for your team to work on more impactful projects. 

Let me give you an example of an automated system we help our members in our 7-Figure Agent Collective program build out.

Using Airtable, we help our members create an almost entirely automated system for team hiring.

Here’s how it works.

When hiring a new team member, they simply tweak a few email templates and update application statuses. Candidates have a ready-made form to complete to apply for the job. 

The system then manages scheduling, sends out emails, including rejections, and more. 

This lets team leads concentrate on the most important tasks: interviewing, assessing sample tasks, and finalizing job offers.

Systems like this not only improve your work-life balance as a real estate team lead but your entire team’s, too! 

Develop A Consistent Lead-Generation Machine 

One of the biggest reasons so many real estate agents struggle with work-life balance is that they don’t have a consistent system for bringing in leads.

This can cause a ‘rollercoaster’ type of work environment.

One month you might be hustling working 80-hour weeks for your clients, only for your pipeline to run dry the next.

You end up spending countless hours prospecting and reaching out to everyone you know for referrals. A sense of panic and urgency fills your day. The last thing you feel is calm and balanced.

But all of this could be solved if you had a consistent method for bringing in high-quality leads to your real estate business.

This is exactly what we help you set up in The Listings Lab. 

If you’re tired of never knowing where your next lead is coming from…

If you’re ready to stop hustling for clients and free up time in your schedule each week…

If you’re ready to build the consistency, predictability, and scalability needed to reach 7 figures…

Then I invite you to apply here and book a call with our team to see if the program is right for you.

Work-life balance as a real estate agent isn’t impossible. You DON’T  need to sacrifice your time in order to build a successful real estate business! 

Apply here for your FREE call to see what’s possible when you build out a scalable and consistent lead-generation machine. 

5 Currencies To Leverage When Growing Your Real Estate Business

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In the fast-paced world of real estate, I see so many agents rushing. 

They’re always looking for the next thing. The next lead, the next client, the next big deal. 

But running your business from a place of chasing the next big thing is a surefire way to burnout. 

Want to build a legacy? A business that thrives year after year? Then it’s time we talk about these five important currencies and how to truly leverage them.

And no, when I say currencies, I’m not just talking about money.

Too many agents chase dollars while neglecting the other four vital currencies required for growth. 

Ready to deep dive into the five currencies to create lasting real estate success? Let’s get started.

Currency #1: Money

At face value, money might seem like the most important currency to acquire. 

We all want more money, right?

While yes – money is absolutely vital because it allows us to build, grow, and maintain our businesses – it’s surprisingly the least important currency on the list.

Why?

Because you can always make more money. 

Money is replaceable. 

It’s not about how much money you spend. How you invest and leverage money determines its real value in your business.

Money is simply a tool. It can allow us to make big moves in our business, but it’s not the most precious resource out of the five. 

Currency #2: Time 

Moving on to the second, more fragile resource – time.

Time is finite, making it one of the most valuable assets.

But despite being the most precious currency, many real estate agents don’t treat it as such. Instead, they waste their time away in an attempt to make more money.

Unlike money, time has an expiration. You can’t replenish it once spent. 

And while yes, you can leverage your team’s time, there are constraints there, too. 

It’s so important to manage and utilize your time effectively, and that includes being respectful of your team’s time as well. It’s your most fragile asset, treat it as such.

The most successful people in real estate understand that time is a precious commodity. They know they must use it wisely to build momentum and reach their business goals.

Currency #3: Audience 

The third currency is audience.

When I say audience, I’m talking about building an audience online.

Building an audience reduces the need for continuous pitching, which saves you valuable time.

So many agents spend their days trying to ‘convince’ people to work with them.

Growing an online audience solves this problem.

Instead of trying to ‘find’ leads and pitch them, you start having people reach out to you asking how they can get on your calendar. 

However, audiences can also be fragile. It takes years to build a dedicated audience. And once you do – it can be easy to damage this valuable asset. If you build an audience only to stop posting consistently, or you accidentally create content for them with the wrong messaging – you can quickly ruin the trust you’d taken years to build.

Another important factor to consider when building your audience is where you build one. 

Sure, social media platforms are incredibly important, but they’re not the only place you should be focused on when building an online presence.

At the end of the day, you don’t own your audience on Instagram or Facebook. Meta does. 

This is why it’s so crucial to build an audience you actually own.

The best way to do this is through email.

So build an audience on social media, but make sure you’re also directing those people to get on your email list. 

When you build an engaged audience, you’ve created a valuable currency that no one can take away from you. 

Currency #4: Influence

An audience is great, but without influence, it’s nearly useless. 

Does your audience trust you? Do they respect you? Do they listen to you and engage with you?

If you can’t answer yes to all of those questions and you’re still building up your influence – it’s alright. 

Building an influence takes time. It takes commitment. It takes consistency. 

You can gain an audience overnight with one viral message, but acquiring influence is a different story. 

Focus on building trust and respect with your audience if you want to have a real impact. 

Unfortunately for most agents, this is something that a lot of people in the real estate industry tend to neglect. 

Rather than focusing on building trust with their clients, they’re using their social media platforms as billboards.

They’re posting an endless stream of “just listed, just sold” posts, they’re posting their business cards, or they’re posting aesthetic pictures of kitchens.

None of this does anything to create true influence.

Even if these strategies worked in the past, there are too many agents on the scene for them to work now.

Moving into the future, the agents who will see the most success are the ones who go all-in on building personal brands. 

Anyone can throw money at advertising. But only a few can develop a genuine rapport with their audience. 

What’s more important than marketing spend is how much your audience trusts you. How engaged are they? Do they feel like they have a true connection with you? Or do they just feel like they’re being sold to? 

These are the kinds of questions you need to be focusing on.

If you want to build that like, know, and trust factor with your audience – make sure you’re not just sharing real estate content, but giving them a glimpse into your life, too.

READ MORE: 5 Reminders To Help You Build Your Real Estate Personal Brand

Currency #5: Knowledge & Experience

This currency is all about the expertise you’ve gained over the years. 

If you’re a newer agent, this is one currency you’re going to need to work hard on to develop.

This isn’t just about years in the game; it’s about evolving, adapting, and staying ahead of the curve.

Something I always ask clients who’ve been in the industry for a long time is this:

Do you really have 30 years of experience? Or do you have one year of experience, repeated thirty times?

Because the harsh truth is that if you’re not learning, growing, and innovating, you’re not building expertise.

What worked ten years ago doesn’t work anymore.

And being just another agent who does exactly the same thing as everyone else isn’t going to cut it in the future.

There are too many people in real estate to find success as a cookie-cutter agent.

Instead, clients are looking for agents who are providing specialized services.

Having specialized knowledge that you develop into a signature real estate system is going to be infinitely more powerful than having experience as a general realtor. 

So now you might be wondering…

How do all of these five currencies fit together? 

Money might be the first pillar, but it doesn’t end there.

Money gives you the freedom to start leveraging your time and building an audience, further developing your influence and gaining new knowledge and experience.

All of these currencies are interconnected. 

They fuel one another in a continuous cycle. 

Now, the main question I have to ask you is this:

Which of these currencies are you currently focusing on in your real estate business?

If you’re overly focused on one currency but not the other, there might be room for improvement.

For example, I used to be fixated on money alone, like so many other people.

But when I discovered and respected all five of these currencies, my business actually grew extremely quickly. 

And not only that, but my life improved and my relationship with myself actually improved, too.

Don’t fall into the trap of getting into business and then treating time as your lowest priority. 

Unsuccessful people spend time to save money.

Successful people spend money to save time.

But recognizing this principle and putting it into practice are two different things.

What if I told you there’s a way to bypass years of trial and error?

What if you had a proven roadmap to get to 7 figures instead of simply throwing spaghetti at the wall?

What if you could invest in strategic mentorship so you can finally stop wasting away your most valuable asset: your time?

Your success in real estate isn’t just about hard work – it’s about strategically leveraging the right currencies.

And we teach you how in The Listings Lab.

Imagine a future where instead of scrambling for leads, you have them come to you, freeing up hours in your day. It’s not just a pipedream —it’s what happens when you follow a purposeful plan that not only gives you leads but time back on your calendar, too.

Want to get access to our proprietary system for building an ease-filled, 7-figure real estate business?

Book a call with our team here to see if the program is right for you.

Why Do Real Estate Agents Fail At Scaling Their Businesses? Here Are The Top 8 Most Common Reasons

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Have you ever wondered…why do real estate agents fail when trying to scale their business?

The reality is, it’s not that difficult to obtain a real estate license these days.

But despite the crowds of agents entering the industry, only a few of them will actually build a successful real estate business.

Others will only land the odd deal here or there. 

And some will have the opposite problem…getting tons of business, only to crash and burn and exit the industry altogether.

So what makes certain agents cut out for long-term success, and what makes other agents fail within just a few years of getting started?

After years of mentoring agents through my signature mentorship program, The Listings Lab, and building my own 7-figure real estate business, I’ve come to notice certain patterns.

If you want to safeguard your business from failure, you’ve got to learn about the most common reasons agents struggle to get their business off the ground.

From hiring woes to marketing blindspots, these are the 8 most common reasons why real estate agents fail at scaling their businesses.

Let’s learn from their mistakes!

1. They’re trying to be a generalist 

Success comes from focus. Real estate agents fail by trying to be a jack-of-all-trades, diluting their expertise and spreading themselves too thin.

Instead, pick your lane and commit to it.

Clients are no longer hiring realtors who advertise themselves based on generic taglines like “We’ve got great service!” or “We’re your reliable realtor”.

You need to differentiate yourself if you want to stand out from the noise.

The way to do this?  

You need to start solving a specific problem for a specific type of person.

In other words, you need to choose a real estate niche.

(And no, serving a specific ZIP code or location doesn’t count).

When you niche down based on the life transition your client is going through (whether that’s upsizing, downsizing, retiring, purchasing their first home, or something else entirely) you’ll quickly become the go-to expert in your market. 

Read More: 4 Fears That Are Holding You Back From Picking A Real Estate Niche

2. They don’t understand their clients

Here’s a hard truth – if you don’t have a deep understanding of your clients, you’re essentially fumbling around in the dark.

Your clients’ wants, needs, and pain points are the starting point for everything you do in business.

From content creation, to sales funnels, to offer strategy and so much more…

You need to intimately understand the psychological journey you’re taking your clients on.

Where are they now? What’s bothering them? What keeps them up at night? What are the emotional reasons for why they want to move? 

And on the flip side:

Where do they want to go? What are their hopes, dreams, and desires? What would their living situation look like in a perfect world?

If you don’t know the answers to these questions, start digging deeper. Interview your clients. Talk to them on social media. Your business should always be revolved around what your clients truly want, not just what you *think* they want.

3. They’re relying on unscaleable lead-generation methods

You might be able to achieve moderate success with traditional lead-generation tactics such as cold-calling and door-knocking. But no matter what, you will always hit a plateau. 

You can’t clone yourself, and there are only so many hours in a day. 

Pretty soon, you’ll find yourself tired of solely relying on referrals, spending hours each day prospecting, and getting hung up on by leads who couldn’t care less. 

Your business gets to be so much more enjoyable (and successful) when you stop chasing leads and start building a marketing machine that brings them to you. 

To make that leap to seven figures, you need to embrace digital marketing, social media, and strategies that work for you 24/7.

4. They haven’t got clear on their signature system

Why do some real estate agents fail, and others go on to build 7-figure empires? It’s not just about who they are. It’s about the processes they’ve put in place. In other words, it’s about their signature system. 

When I first started as an agent, I relied on selling my magic. ✨

Everyone knew me and wanted to talk only to me. It was overwhelming. It was exhausting.

A signature system solves this exact problem. It allows your clients to buy into your brand’s system, not just you. It’s about developing a streamlined, consistent, and predictable process that delivers the best possible experience – no matter which agent on your team is using it.

Another advantage of a signature system?

Not only does it give you a framework for how to do business, but it also becomes how you market your business. It becomes a unique value proposition. It sets you apart from the crowd because you’re not just another agent on the block – you’re one who has a proprietary method with proven results.

Read More: How To Build A Winning Signature Real Estate System That Gets Your Clients Consistent Results

5. They don’t know what to post on social media 

Social media is not a billboard.

A lot of agents opt for a spray-and-pray approach, and then wonder why they’re not gaining traction.

Not understanding social media marketing is a huge factor that plays into why real estate agents fail with their marketing.

Because so many agents have no clue what to post, they look to other agents and emulate what they’re posting, hoping it will bring them success.

But the agents they’re copying don’t have the right strategies either! 

Social media is not a spray-and-pray game. It’s a strategic chessboard. Without a solid strategy, you’ll just blend in. So craft posts that resonate with your clients, highlight your USP, and show the world what you’re all about.

Read More: Master Real Estate Content For Social Media With These 3 Types Of High-Converting Posts

6. They hire when it’s too late

Waiting too long to grow your team is a common pitfall. 

Many agents try to do everything themselves until they’re overwhelmed. 

By the time they hire, they’re already burnt out and struggling to keep up. Because of this, they don’t give their hire a fair shot. 

They’re so in over their head that they look to their new team member to come in and ‘save’ or rescue their business – an impossible feat. And because they don’t have the time or space on their calendar to onboard and train their new hire, their new teammate is doomed from the start. 

This is why it’s SO important to anticipate your growth and start building your team proactively, rather than reactively.

Hiring isn’t about putting out fires. If you wait until you’re swamped to hire help, it’s already too late. Grow your team before you think you need to, and watch how much further you can go.

Read More: 5 Rookie Real Estate Hiring Mistakes To Avoid At All Costs

7. They take more than they give

Real estate isn’t about transactions. It’s about relationships. 

If you’re always the one asking and not giving back, your connections will fizzle, and your online communities will begin to drown you out as noise.

Your marketing shouldn’t feel like a constant sales pitch. It should feel generous.

The next time you’re creating content for your business, ask yourself:

Am I thinking of what my ideal client truly needs to hear right now? Or am I just hungry for a sale?

In an industry where old-school marketing and sleazy sales tactics continue to persist, prioritizing relationships and adopting a give-first mentality is your path to gaining trust with clients.

Read More: This One Mindset Shift Will Significantly Improve Your Real Estate Marketing Strategy

8. They chase deals rather than building a brand 

The most successful people in real estate are the ones who don’t just see themselves as agents.

They see themselves as business owners building powerful brands. 

They’re the ones who don’t get hung up on the deal right in front of them, but intentionally create a long-term vision for growth. 

Short-term thinking can lead to long-term failure. 

You can’t build your business on the thrill of closing a deal forever.

Instead, you have to get clear on your vision and mission. On your why. On your business’ core values.

Answer the foundational questions.

Ones like:

Who are you trying to serve? How are you uniquely qualified to help them? What is your place in the market? 

Getting clear on your brand foundations will attract business to you, creating a sustainable and profitable pipeline.

Read More: How To Create A Real Estate Vision And Mission That Catapults You To 7 Figures

Remember, understanding why real estate agents fail when scaling their business is the first step to avoiding common mistakes and realigning on the path to success. 

Take a deep look into your business strategies – are you trying to serve everyone, or have you found your niche? 

Are you truly in touch with your client’s desires and fears, or are you guessing? 

Are your marketing efforts scaleable, or are you still using inefficient, traditional tactics?

 Is your team growing proactively, or are you scrambling to fill gaps? 

Are you generously serving, or primarily asking?

Are you chasing deals or building a powerful brand?

By getting clear on these mistakes, you’ll be better prepared to navigate the challenges as you scale to seven figures.

Are you looking for mentorship and support to help you get there?

In The Listings Lab, we’ve mentored hundreds of agents on our proprietary real estate marketing framework to help you dominate your marketplace in just 90 days.

Get the tools, strategies, and support needed to accelerate your growth – including weekly coaching calls, a private community, personalized marketing reviews and so much more. Apply today and kickstart your journey toward becoming a seven-figure real estate agent!

Apply here to book a call with our team and see if the program is right for you. 

The Power Of Going All-In: How Chris Hit 7 Figures In Less Than A Year

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One of the most remarkable aspects of being a mentor is watching how quickly things change for someone once they fully commit to the process. 

I’ve mentored hundreds of agents at this point through my signature mentorship program, The Listings Lab. 

Watching what people can accomplish when they go all in on the program and say, “I’m doing this, no matter what” – well, seeing them reap the rewards of that mentality never gets old. It’s one of the most gratifying parts of this job. It’s what gets me out of bed to work and I’m determined to welcome more agents into our programs.

One of those incredible success stories is my dear friend, Chris Cook. 

Since joining The Listings Lab, Chris Cook did an entire 180 on his business. He went from impending financial doom to having more business than he knows what to do with.

He has a successful, growing team, and in his own words, “every month feels like a six-figure per month rainstorm”.

Keep reading to learn more about how Chris did it 👇

Chris started the program with a healthy dose of skepticism. He’d tried other programs that had always felt like a waste of money. He’d hired assistants that hadn’t worked out. He felt doubtful that our program would really move the needle.

Joining the program at the peak of COVID, Chris was deep in his victimhood.

He felt at the mercy of the low inventory in his market.

What he’d previously been doing to generate leads and sign deals simply wasn’t working anymore.

And Chris was starting to panic.

In his own words, he was “on the edge of the cliff”.

He was selling off some of his assets, just to stay afloat. 

He was even starting to worry that he might need to sell his house and cottage in a few months if things didn’t start to turn around.

The thought of delivering that news to his wife terrified him.

Chris knew he had two options. 

  1. He could keep implementing the strategies that had worked up until this point, but even then that had started to flatline. He could continue to complain about the market, and how everything was changing, without significantly adapting his approach.
  2. OR he could make a radical decision and go all in on the method we teach in The Listings Lab. He could stop dragging his feet and decide that he was in control of his business – no matter what external factors were at play. He could rise against what was going on around him and find a way to get his business back on track.

If you hadn’t guessed already, Chris chose #2. 

The Moment That Changed Everything

Even though Chris initially took a leap of faith and joined The Listings Lab, he was slow to implement.

His mindset was so resistant – he was so set in his ways that imagining a different vision for his business was hard.

In his own words, “I was showing up to the coaching calls in body only…I might have been on Zoom, but I wasn’t really implementing, and a part of me wasn’t believing either”

But there was one particular coaching call where Chris decided that instead of passively listening, he would own up to his struggles.

He told our coaching team just how scared he was…

About losing his house, about what that would mean for his family.

And at that moment, through the support of our mentors and the other members on the call, it was then that Chris decided:

I’m going to take responsibility for the state of my business.

No more blaming COVID.

No more telling himself that failure was inevitable.

He’d already invested in support to help turn the ship around – now he just needed to follow the framework to get there.

From then on, Chris showed up differently.

He didn’t just quietly sit on the calls – he started to become an active participant and asked better questions.

He became active in our member support group and started taking the strategies we taught seriously.

And most of all – he implemented. 

He didn’t just take in information, he took decisive action. 

From A One-Man Show To Caption Of The Ship 

One of the most game-changing decisions Chris made was to bring on his assistant, Elaine. 

While he’d hired part-time assistants in the past, none of them had ever done much for his business. Between the time it took to train and manage them, Chris had never really felt like his investment paid off.

But with Elaine, things were different.

She was able to immediately jump in and see the things that needed fixing.

Chris quickly realized Elaine wasn’t just a warm body to lend him a hand – she was an A-Player who could help him scale his business.

Within just a couple of months, Chris turned Elaine from a part-time hire into his first full-time employee.

From there, Chris hasn’t stopped growing. He’s ditched the solo agent mentality and is forging full force ahead with building a powerhouse real estate team. 

An Upleveled Service Quality  

Chris admits that he was slow to see the value in building a team, but now that he’s seen the light, he can’t imagine a better way.

One of the biggest lessons he learned was that having a team actually allowed him to offer a better level of service to his clients. 

As agents, we often have this idea that if our clients have to deal with a team, rather than just us, they’ll somehow be losing out.

When in reality, it’s the opposite.

As a solo agent, you’re pretty limited when it comes to being able to offer white-glove service to your clients – especially when you’re swamped.

Since growing his team, Chris has had clients comment about how seamlessly and quickly everything has come together.

He’s now able to be the director rather than the doer, and his clients are loving him for it.

Chris’s lightbulb moment was actually at The Listings Lab Live when other mentors and team members of The Listings Lab spoke on stage.

Picture of Jess, Chris, and Friend in Listings Lab Live Event | The Listings Lab

While I might be the face of the brand, Chris realized that the value of the program lied in the combined expertise of the whole team. 

He knew that it could be the same for him, and that gave him hope for the future!

The Compound Effect 

Every week that Chris showed up and put in the work –  he got a little closer to building a 7-figure business.

By acting from a place of empowerment instead of fear, he was able to move faster. Whereas he previously was struggling to implement a lot of the concepts we teach in The Listings Lab, after hiring Elaine, things started moving.

From social media to systems, Chris and his team started to implement our framework.

This also allowed Chris to be more strategic and start looking at his business from a birds-eye view. 

Instead of using our coaching calls to ask questions that would help dig himself out of a hole, he was now focused on the high-level strategy that would propel him forward. He became sharper, more direct, and more strategic with his questions.

Because of one simple decision to go all-in on The Listings Lab, Chris’s success started to compound. 

In less than a year, he went from being on the brink of financial ruin and having to sell his house, to building a thriving, 7-figure business.

Portrait of Chris Smiling on Camera | The Listings Lab

“I have more listings than I know what to do with. We spent an hour on Monday just reviewing our current clients. My assistant is so busy that I think SHE needs an assistant soon. These are such good problems to have…I’m tearing up just thinking about it.”

Did Chris’s journey inspire you?

No matter where you’re at, I hope Chris’s story reminds you that you are capable of so much when you decide to take ownership of your success.

Instead of feeling victimized by the market – Chris decided to take charge. 

Now, imagine…how different could your life look in 6 months if you decided nothing could get in your way? 

Let’s start imagining it!

If you’re ready to make your dream a reality with the help of a supportive team, The Listings Lab can help make it happen.

Get the tools and resources you need, as well as support for every step of the way to scaling your business to seven figures.

Apply here to book a quick call with our team to see if one of our programs are right for you. 

Top 5 Biggest Branding Mistakes Real Estate Agents Make

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The most successful agents aren’t simply the ones that understand real estate.

They’re the ones that understand how to build a brand. 

If you want to build a brand that stands the test of time, you have to be willing to go deep.

A strong brand is so much more than just designing a logo or picking out colors.

It’s about being clear on your core values, crafting your mission and vision, understanding your ‘why’, and crafting an intentional brand story. It’s about giving people a reason to choose you over countless other options.

Let’s dive into some of the common branding mistakes real estate agents make – and how to avoid them so you can build a strong 7-figure real estate brand.

Thinking your real estate brand is all about a logo and colors

Often, the first thing agents do when they’re getting serious about building their brand is to invest in a branding agency. 

They think once they get their brand’s mood board, logo, fonts, and colors, they’ll be good to go.

But this couldn’t be further from the truth.

While a well-designed logo and appealing color scheme can make your brand visually memorable, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. 

Your brand is how people perceive you when you’re not in the room. It’s about your reputation, the quality of your service, and the consistency in your messaging.

Don’t make the mistake of pouring thousands of dollars into your visual identity before getting clear on the foundational aspects of your brand.

These aesthetic pieces can come later. Trust me, I’ve seen 7-figure businesses who’ve designed their logo in Canva.

Your color scheme or fonts are not going to make or break your business. 

Not getting clear on your core values

You can think of core values as the compass you use to navigate your company.

Not only do your core values show your clients what you stand for, but they also give you and your team a framework for how to operate and make business decisions.

Your core values shouldn’t be vague or be some generic tagline like, “We strive for excellence” or “Customer service is at the heart of our operations”.

Instead, they should be highly customized to your business.

What kind of company do you want to be leading?

For example, here’s one of our core values at The Listings Lab:

Evolutionary Growth. Having a growth mindset at all times benefits us all because it pushes our boundaries as human beings. Instead of taking feedback personally, we use it to inquire about how we can grow and improve. Then both the business and the team grow.

I recommend choosing between three and seven. 

Once you have your core values, you can use them as a standard for hiring, reviewing, rewarding, and recognizing people on your team.

Branding isn’t just about how you appear to the outside world. It’s also about attracting the right people and building a thriving company culture from the inside out.

Not crafting your mission and vision

One of the most important components of a strong real estate brand?

Having a clear mission and vision.

Without them, your business decisions will be swayed by fleeting emotions rather than being rooted in stable, guiding principles.

Imagine being part of a business that changes direction every time the owner adopts a new personal philosophy. It would be chaotic – and frustrating. 

This is why it’s so important to separate your brand’s mission and vision from your personal ones. 

This way, you’re free to grow and change on a personal level…without disrupting your business’s growth. 

Neglecting your ‘why’

Your brand’s mission and vision become its ‘why’, and this ‘why’ is what attracts clients, leads, and team members. Remember….these people don’t flock to you randomly; they gather behind your brand because your ‘why’ resonates with them.

But here’s where many real estate agents get confused when it comes to the concept of having a ‘why’.

They believe that their own personal ‘why’ has to be the exact same as their brand’s ‘why’.

But here’s a little secret…it doesn’t.

It’s okay to be a little selfish with your personal ‘why’.

You can think of your ‘why’ as your driving force – it’s what gets you out of bed every day.

Whether your why is altruistic or self-serving (or a little bit of both), what matters most is that it’s authentic to you.

It’s okay to desire a better life, live a certain lifestyle, or achieve financial freedom.

Just remember, your personal ‘why’ is not the same as your team’s ‘why’ or your brand’s ‘why’. Your personal ‘why’ should be personal, not something you choose because it’s expected of you.

Not taking the time to hash out your brand story

Most agents take very little time to craft a brand story. 

Instead, they focus on facts and figures, neglecting the personal aspects of their venture into the realm of real estate. 

But guess what?

It’s the emotional parts of your journey that your audience will connect with the most.

Your brand story gives you an opportunity to talk about your business in a way that’s inspiring and relatable.

Remember, your life is far more interesting than you think. Your experiences, no matter how mundane they might seem to you, can be fascinating to others. 

By telling your brand story, you can create a strong emotional connection with your audience and build a memorable brand.

If you’ve been guilty of oversimplifying your brand, these posts can help you get back on track!

Real Estate Branding Strategy: Harnessing The Power Of Brand Archetypes For Growth

5 Reminders To Help You Build Your Real Estate Personal Brand

Create A Powerful Real Estate Brand Story With These 4 Steps

And if you’re ready to take your real estate brand to the next level, be sure to check out The Listings Lab. 

Learn everything you need to know about building a stand-out brand online so you can scale your revenue exponentially.

Apply here to book a call with our team and see if the program is the right fit for you.

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