Jess Lenouvel

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.

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. 

Does your real estate business feel heavy and complex?

Or does it feel light and easy?

If your business is weighing you down, it’s most likely because you’re adding unnecessary layers of complexity.

The constant pressure to do more and to hustle harder can often push us into the trap of overcomplicating things, whether it’s our marketing strategies, sales process, or service offerings. In a world where everyone seems to be doing so much, it can feel like you need to be doing even more.

But here’s a secret – it’s often the simplest strategies that create the biggest impact. 

While I won’t say that building a 7-figure business is easy, I will say that it can be simple. Making things unnecessarily complicated is only going to stop you from scaling.

Scaling requires simplicity, consistency, and predictability. 

So in this blog post, I’m going to unravel three areas where you’re likely overcomplicating things in your real estate business: Marketing & Content Creation, Sales, and Services. I’ll provide you with tips on how to simplify these processes so you can ENJOY your business more…and make more money while you’re at it. 👇

Marketing & Content Creation

One of the biggest reasons agents struggle to be consistent with their marketing is that they’re making it harder than it needs to be.

They think their content needs to be overly produced and perfectly branded. They think they need to be a world-class copywriter. They dedicate hours to writing scripts, designing graphics, and doing fancy video editing.

But none of that truly matters.

It’s only slowing you down!

Your content doesn’t need to be out-of-this-world. It just needs to be helpful and genuine.

So if you find yourself struggling to stay consistent with marketing yourself on social media, ask yourself:

Is there any part of this process that I’m overcomplicating? 

If you realize the part you’re struggling with is coming up with real estate content ideas, ask yourself if you might be putting too much pressure on yourself.

Again, not every post has to be mind-blowingly insightful.

Instead of setting the bar too high, write down every single time a client or lead asks you a question. When you have ten minutes to spare, record a voice note of yourself answering their question. Boom – you’ve got a piece of content that you’re ready to share online.

Don’t let your ego get in the way.

Focus more on how to be of service to your audience than whether or not your hair and makeup look flawless.

Your clients don’t expect Barbie anyway…they want the real you.

Trying to make everything perfect can be expensive, time-consuming, and downright overwhelming. Simplicity and sincerity are the real key!

Sales 

A lot of agents have a tendency to overcomplicate the sales process when, in reality, it’s fundamentally simple. Where are your clients now, and where do they want to be? That’s it.

It doesn’t matter if you’re selling a scarf in the town square in medieval times or selling a luxury condo – the fundamentals of sales have not changed. 

The underlying psychology is the same.

At the end of the day, the most important thing you need to know to succeed in sales is a deep understanding of the problem.

What’s the underlying reason why your clients want to move? What’s driving their desire to buy or sell their home?

People don’t decide to move house because it’s fun. No, they move because their current situation isn’t serving them, and they believe a move can improve their life. As real estate agents, our role is to understand and articulate this transition from the current state to a more desirable one. 

So, let’s stop complicating sales. 

It’s not about fancy sales scripts or techniques. 

It’s as simple as problem and solution.

Services 

Now, let’s demystify Services. 

Here’s the golden rule: sell a signature service, not a bunch of complicated service packages. 

It’s easy to fall into the trap of offering everything to everyone, which only ends up diluting the impact of your service. Instead, focus on providing one solution, to one specific person.

Your business should be known for that one unique service that sets you apart from the crowd. 

Overcomplicating your service offerings only confuses your clients and complicates your business operations, making scaling an uphill battle. 

A signature service in real estate also allows you to simplify your marketing.

Rather than having to come up with messaging and marketing materials for each unique service, you’re able to streamline your strategy. It becomes much easier to communicate what you do and for who, creating a clear message that resonates with your ideal client.

Remember, a confused mind never buys – simplicity sells.

So there you have it!

Whether you’re struggling with overcomplicated marketing strategies, muddled sales processes, or complex service offerings, the solution lies in simplicity. The path to success in real estate doesn’t need to be filled with unnecessary complexities. The key is to understand your client’s needs, to communicate effectively, and to offer clear, simple solutions.

But let’s be real: un-complicating things is easier said than done, especially when you’re in the middle of chaos. You don’t have to go it alone, though. 

The Listings Lab is here to support you on your journey. Our flagship mentorship program was designed with real estate agents like you in mind – those who are ready to take their business to the next level but are tired of the hustle and grind.

When you join The Listings Lab, you’ll learn how to nurture a consistent lead-generation machine using organic traffic and paid advertising. You’ll be able to predictably generate highly qualified leads to scale your business rapidly, and guess what? 

You can do it without burning out.

Ready to get support on scaling your business from 6 to 7 figures?

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