It’s Thanksgiving season soon, but not every agent will be feeling generous or grateful. Whether it’s lack of leads, low neighborhood turnover, or natural disasters, maintaining an attitude of gratitude isn’t easy.
As an independent contractor, you’re responsible for every facet of your real estate career. Operations, marketing, sales, administration, tax planning – a real estate business is demanding. It takes work ethic determination, expertise, and a positive attitude to stay competitive, profitable, AND fulfilled.
In reality, top performers typically account for the lion’s share of home sales each year. If you’re a new agent, competing for exposure and listings against more established agents can feel as futile as filling a bucket with a hole.
A change of farm or a new agency is sometimes the answer for agents seeking to become top-tier performers. Sometimes, though, all it takes is an attitude adjustment to unlock your true potential.
Anyone has the capacity to become a top performing agent. Before you decide to switch brokerages, invest in a new CRM, or try a new CPC lead generation tactic, consider how you can cultivate an attitude of gratitude.
Hill’s Prayer: An Attitude of Gratitude
What are you grateful for?
What if you could feel gratitude, joy, and hopefulness at the start of each day? Imagine the success you could experience with an ‘attitude of gratitude’ that lasts the whole year!
Self-help author Napoleon Hill may not have been the most successful entrepreneur, but his insights into the principles of success hold true for real estate agents as well. In his bestseller, “Think & Grow Rich”, Hill points to an attitude of gratitude as a key principle of success.
His prayer of gratitude has inspired millions of aspiring business owners:
“I ask not, for Divine Providence for more riches but more wisdom with which to accept and use wisely the riches I received at birth in the form of the power to control and direct my mind to whatever ends I desire”
Real Estate Agent Labor Statistics
If you’re finding it difficult to be a grateful real estate agent, you’re not alone. There are over 2 million active real estate agents in the US, according to NAR. Less than 20% of all agents, however, account for 80% of the total volume of sales.
On average, the typical real estate agent sells 6 – 8 homes per year, earning an average annual salary of $59,360(USD) Many agents, in fact, sell less than 4 homes per year:
- 1.2 Million members of NAR (2016 Realtors®)
- 5.3 Million annual sales (10.6 Million transaction sides)
- Works out to 8.8 transaction sides per agent per year
Traditionally, October is one of the best months of the year to buy a home. Research by RealtyTrac in 2015 confirms that buyers are more likely to find a home below market value just before the busy holiday season:
“On average, October buyers get a 2.6% discount below estimated market value…It’s that middle month between the summer selling season and the holidays [when] people are trying to squeeze in a purchase or a sale.”
Daren Blomquist, V.P., RealtyTrac
In spite of this, many agents will end the year feeling discouraged. While the top agents are squeezing in a few sales before the holidays, the majority of agents are struggling to find clients.
Not exactly the life of freedom and flexibility you imagined when you first started real estate, is it?
Napoleon Hill’s Laws of Success
Napoleon Hill
It’s fascinating and ironic that a man who experienced so much personal failure had the confidence to write about how to succeed.
In 1908, Hill was assigned to interview aging industrialist Andrew Carnegie. During the conversation, Carnegie issued Hill a challenge: interview as many wealthy people as you can and learn the simple secrets to their success.
And he did just that. The dedications in ‘The Law of Success’ included Carnegie and Henry Ford, as Carnegie had also helped introduce him to Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison.
The book itself received endorsements from William H. Taft, Thomas Edison and John D. Rockefeller, and the acknowledgments included Theodore Roosevelt, Charles M. Schwab, F.W. Woolworth and William Wrigley, Jr. – all of whom he interviewed personally.
An Attitude of Gratitude Attracts Abundance
In his book, Hill assures readers that success begins with our thoughts, not our circumstances or external resources. You chose to become an agent for a reason. You just have to reconnect with that purpose and wake up each morning with renewed faith in your purpose.
Forget last year. Forget last month. Free yourself from trends and habits that aren’t serving you. Change your thinking and you’ll attract the abundance you seek.
Instead of thinking like a salesperson, be of service to your community or farm. Think of yourself as an expert at helping others find their dream property.
Cultivate an attitude of gratitude each day for the people you are going to help, and appreciation for the challenges you will face in helping others:
“An attitude of gratitude always sees what is present and what one has, not what it does not have even in the waiting season. We can all practice having more gratitude in our own lives. (We’ve) all been given so much from the moment we awaken. We open our eyes, take in fresh air, breath, move our bodies, and start our day in our chosen occupation.
Loretta Levin, Seeds of Gratitude
Napoleon Hill suggests the following steps to help business owners maintain an attitude of gratitude:
6 Steps To An Attitude of Gratitude Daily Affirmation
Write a specific goal each day.
#1.) Purchase a pocket-sized notebook you can carry with you throughout the day.
#2.) On the first page, write down a clear description of a specific goal for the year. What specifically would you like to accomplish? (more sales, more cold calling, more listing presentations, etc)
#3) Next, on the second page, write down a clear statement of What You Intend To Give In Return. How will you help homeowners achieve their goal?
#4) Commit both statements to memory.
#5) Repeat them to yourself at least 3x each day
#6) Each day, write down one thing specifically you did to help others reach their goal.
If you’re consistent, by the end of the year you’ll have a detailed record of your attitude and efforts. Review the pages of your notebook and watch for changes in your attitude and behavior.
Summary
Every entrepreneur faces challenges on the road to financial freedom. Real estate agents are vulnerable to volatility in the market, like any professional, but there are steps you can take each day to bring you closer to success.
Cultivating an attitude of gratitude won’t make you a top performer overnight, but it will help you stay motivated and focused on your goals. With the right attitude, challenges will become opportunities, and obstacles will become learning experiences.
Use Napoleon Hill’s advice and start each day with a positive affirmation of your goals. Reflect on what you’re grateful for, not just during the Thanksgiving season, but every day.
Remember: by focusing on being of service, rather than soliciting, you’ll invite opportunities to give and receive.