Use Focus and Flexibility to Navigate Change

LOS ANGELES – Imagine you woke up on a remote tropical desert island. No one is around. No restaurants. No Starbucks. No Wi-Fi. Everything completely changed. In an instant. But here’s the thing: You’re still somewhere on planet Earth. It’s beautiful and you know how to operate here. Yes, your immediate future is vastly different, but you can survive. You can create. You can eat. In short, you can find a way.

The same is true for your real estate career. Sometimes, things shift and look vastly different than they did a couple of months ago. The market takes a turn. You pick up a new neighborhood. Your family life changes, and you have to move and rebuild your business somewhere else. Practice changes come down the pike. No matter what though, if you can pivot and stay flexible, you can ride the waves of change.

In 2009-2011, I survived short sales. I was one of only two agents that I knew at that time that did so. In essence, I can survive on an island, and so can you. Here’s how:

When a shift happens, you move with it. Feel all the things, but then give yourself the time and space to regroup. Ask yourself, “What am I really great at?”

This is information you need to know. Make a list somewhere – a note on your phone or an old-school pen and paper list. This information needs to be accessible, because when things change unexpectedly and we get caught up, it’s difficult to think clearly. It is precisely when you need to pivot though that you need to lean into playing to your strengths.

As an example, I’m including my list here:

I’m a listing agent. I am great at taking listings, my listing presentation is sharp, and the people love it.

• My team of service professionals is second to none.
• I enjoy helping sellers maximize the potential of their listings by making them shine just like a model home (that looks like a “suite at the Ritz Carlton” and they will all eventually sell.)
• My photographer is the best in Orange County. We make homes look phenomenal.
• I love what I do, which is absolutely a strength because it means I put my all into it.
• In real estate’s new landscape, focus in on where you can be flexible and what your strengths are. Ask yourself, “What am I really great at?” and, “What do I love doing?” Combine those things to find the magic secret sauce for yourself.

Create a script for yourself that you use whether you’re working or not, because you never know where your next customer is coming from. Consider doing things you’ve never done before to see if they work out. Call 10 people in your database every day, six days a week, first thing in the morning. Offer informed insights into the practice changes and offer your vision of the market in the upcoming 6 months. Provide value. Be cool and friendly. Help out.

You may also now become a farmer, finding a geographic farm and working it. You can door knock for an hour a day. Easy stuff here. Follow up with the leads as if you’re an “over-achiever,” being super nice and friendly. Ask for the meeting. Ask for the business. And keep your attitude on point.

You see, transitions scare the bottom half, yet they excite the top half. You can thrive in this market. Adopt a “Mamba Mentality” coined by basketball great, Kobe Bryant, which means to focus on the work and trust the results. Kobe did it. The best do it.

And rest on Sundays, while you send out counter offers from the beach or the pool. Enjoy the process. The people love hearing from you. Be like Nike: just do it!

Remember to stay flexible and focus on your strengths. Zero in on the three things that you can always control and let the rest go:

You can control your attitude. You can control your schedule. You can control your behaviors.

© 2024 National Association of Realtors® (NAR)