Is this year feeling harder than ever?
Maybe no matter what you do, you can’t seem to move forward…
Or perhaps you’re growing, but it feels slow and painful…
If this sounds familiar, it might be time to change your approach.
In today’s market, many agents are feeling stuck and stagnant.
Strategies that worked five or ten years ago aren’t cutting it anymore.
And honestly?
There are more licensed agents looking for business than there is a demand for real estate agents.
But this isn’t just a challenge – it’s an opportunity.
This is your chance to reassess where your business stands and discover what you need to kickstart your growth again.
In fact, this market shift is a golden opportunity to innovate, differentiate yourself, and emerge stronger than ever.
The question is, are you going to be one of those agents who simply complains that “business isn’t what it used to be”?
Or are you going to use this as an opportunity to fuel your evolution?
If you’re choosing the second option, keep reading…👇🏼
Get Objective, Not Emotional
First things first. It’s okay to say that this year feels hard, and you feel stuck.
You’re allowed to feel that way.
But don’t let your emotions drive your decisions.
While the highs and lows of entrepreneurship can be intense, allowing these fluctuations to guide your choices will only derail your progress.
Instead of being led by emotions, I want you to get objective.
Look at the numbers and facts instead of just how you feel at any given moment.
Emotions will come and go, but data keeps you grounded and helps you make strategic business decisions.
The 5 Stages of Business Growth
There are five stages of business growth that you might be in right now.
Every stage has its own set of actions and symptoms.
If you’re struggling in your real estate business, understanding where you are within these stages is the first step to getting unstuck.
Stage 1: You’re Moving Backwards
If you’re in stage 1, you’re not just stagnant. You’re legitimately moving backward.
You may realize you’re in stage 1 when you look at your finances, only to realize you’re not where you thought you were going to be for the year.
And I don’t just mean a small dip compared to your best year ever.
Stage 1 represents a significant decline in business, even compared to your normal progress.
You’ll know you’re in stage 1 if you find yourself thinking, “I’m nowhere close to where I thought I was going to be right now.”
Stage 2: You’re Stagnant
Stage 2 means that you’re stuck in place.
Your pipeline might be empty, or maybe you’ve had some clients but it’s unpredictable and you never know where your next client is coming from.
If you’re in stage 2, it might feel like you’re treading water, with no clear direction or progress.
You’re not necessarily falling behind compared to previous years, but you find yourself breaking even or doing the same amount of business as a normal to low year.
Now, if you’re reading this and thinking, “I don’t even know what a normal or low year is for me,” then it’s time to start tracking your numbers.
Tracking your numbers and having that data to look back on is so important when it comes to making business decisions.
Without it, you’ll always be left guessing, continuously riding that emotional roller coaster and struggling to make informed business decisions.
Stage 3: You’re Making Slow Progress
In stage 3, you’ve been inching forward, but it feels like a grind.
You might be slightly ahead, but growth feels slow and hard.
And, if you’re honest with yourself, any uptick in business could’ve just been pure luck.
This stage is frustrating because even though you’re not falling behind, the growth you’ve made doesn’t feel like real progress.
Instead, every step forward feels like it takes twice the effort.
Stage 4: You’re in the 2x Mentality
Stage 4 is when you’ve reached the 2x mentality.
This is when you’re making good growth, but it comes at a cost.
You’re working twice as hard to see these results and you’ve just about reached your limit.
If you look at your business in terms of numbers, you’re making a profit, but it’s come at a price.
You’ve made more sacrifices than you care to admit.
And you’re exhausted.
2x mentality is when you’ve been doubling down on everything you’ve ever done because you think brute force is the best way to get ahead.
But the reality is it’s wearing you down and you’re on the brink of burnout.
Stage 5: You’ve Reached 10x Mentality
10x mentality is your ultimate goal.
You’ve successfully hit exponential growth mode.
This stage isn’t about about working 10 times harder – it’s about focusing on the 20% that gets you 80% of the results.
Quality over quantity.
If you’re in stage 5, your business is thriving. However, unlike in stage 4, it doesn’t feel painful and exhausting.
You’re working in your zone of genius with a solid team, effective systems, and automation in place.
This way, you know you’re delivering quality services while doing fewer things and making a greater impact.
Once you’ve reached stage 5, the key now is to maintain and enhance your systems.
Focus on creating strategies to sustain this momentum and create consistent, long-term success.
READ MORE: 10x Thinking For Agents: How To 10x Your Mindset To 10x Your Growth]
Identify Your Stage
Most successful entrepreneurs find themselves caught between stages 4 and 5.
While we say we want exponential, 10x growth, our natural instincts often keep us stuck in that 2x mentality.
We’re naturally oriented to focus on hard work, making sacrifices, and enduring short-term discomfort to grow our businesses and achieve success.
However, to truly breakthrough, you need to move beyond mere hard work.
Conduct a thorough audit of your business: identify what can be streamlined, automated, or delegated. This strategic approach is key to propelling yourself out of stage 4 and towards that coveted 10x growth.
However, if you’re in stages 1, 2, or 3, it’s time to be radically honest with yourself.
As a real estate agent, when you’re struggling with moving backward, feeling stuck, or making slow progress, stop waiting for things around you to change.
Your business doesn’t have the foundation needed to weather storms.
It’s time to take accountability and change your business model.
Here are a few important things to work on to get you started. 👇
You’re Not Frustrated With Your Business, You’re Frustrated With Yourself
If you’re feeling stuck in stages 1, 2, or 3, the first thing you need to do is to take accountability.
Your business is a direct result of every decision you make.
When you’re having your worst year ever or your real estate business has reached an all-time low, it’s easy to blame your business for your frustrations.
But the reality is, you’re frustrated with yourself.
It’s crucial that you take personal responsibility:
I am not doing the things I need to do.
I am not thinking like a successful real estate agent.
I am the thing that’s holding my business back.
It’s not comfortable to face these truths. However, to become unstuck, the change has to start with you.
Be Willing to Be Original
As a struggling real estate agent, relying on the same old tactics isn’t going to cut it.
You’re struggling because of a lack of action – a lack of desire to want to do or try new things.
Doing the same things over and over again and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity.
Every agent struggling to grow their business is doing the same things.
You have to be willing to be original and try something new.
Don’t Wait for Motivation
When you’re feeling stuck and struggling in stages 1, 2, or 3, it makes sense that motivation would be low.
Most people wait for motivation to take action.
But, “ready” isn’t a feeling. It’s a decision.
You have to decide that you’re ready to take action.
It doesn’t have to be a big action. In fact, start small.
Small actions produce motivation, which then creates larger actions.
Think of it like going to the gym:
Don’t pressure yourself to do an hour workout if it’s your first time.
Instead, start with fifteen minutes.
Then, once you do the fifteen minutes, you’ll be more motivated to do the other forty-five just because you’re already there.
It’s the same with business.
It’s the small actions that create the motivation for you to do the bigger ones.
Don’t Stop Marketing
In any industry – real estate or otherwise – whenever there’s a downturn in numbers you cannot stop advertising.
For example, at The Listings Lab, when the market shifted, we didn’t back down like everyone else.
We rode the market fluctuations and increased our ad budgets.
While everyone else was pulling back, we refused to go into scarcity. Instead, we saw it as an opportunity to grow.
By not investing in your business, you’re perpetuating a cycle of scarcity.
Choose Your Path
When you’re stuck and struggling in your real estate business, it’s easy to just stew in that feeling and do nothing.
But the truth is real change starts when you take personal responsibility.
It’s time to take an honest look at your business and make some tough decisions.
Think of your business like a sailboat:
Is fixing it just a matter of changing the oil or upgrading the engine?
Or are you in the wrong boat altogether?
Maybe you’ve been paddling a rowboat when you really need a speedboat to reach your goals.
The first step in getting unstuck is to self-diagnose.
What stage is your business in?
To create new growth, do you need to increase your skills or does your entire business model need an overhaul?
Once you’ve made that choice, the next step is to get help.
Don’t sit in your struggle and try to do it all on your own.
Whether it’s implementing new and more efficient systems or joining a program like The Listings Lab – get help.
Ask for help to make the necessary changes so you can move forward.
Then, once you’ve taken those steps and chosen your new path, remember, your final goal should be stage 5 – NOT stage 4.
By going from stage 1, 2, or 3, directly into stage 5, you’re skipping over the increase in time and labor to 2x your business growth.
Instead, aim for the exponential growth mode of stage 5 where you’ll find success without the sacrifice.
If you’re struggling with feeling stuck in your real estate business, you need to take action.
Come to terms with where you’re at in your business and decide what you need to grow.
Then, don’t wait until business gets worse to make the changes happen.
Either fix your boat or get a new one.
At The Listings Lab, we’ll provide the strategies and support you need to take control of your lead flow, automate your processes, and regain your freedom.
Click here to book a FREE call with our team so you can go from feeling stuck in your business to experiencing exponential growth.
