As a real estate marketing coach and mentor to agents and loan officers, I’ve heard them all: All the “reasons” why you can’t do the thing you just said you wanted to do.
I’ve got to give it to you all, you’re pretty creative when it comes to finding “reasons” why you can’t launch your own podcast, start a blog, post on LinkedIn more or whatever. Unfortunately, this is one area where you don’t want to be creative.
I am a firm believer that the only way to win in this highly competitive industry (or in any business) is to “Ready. Fire! Aim.”
Take action now, and improve on it along the way. It doesn’t work any other way. You can’t learn how to do a great podcast without podcasting. You can’t write better listing descriptions without lots of practice writing. You can’t improve your video making skills unless you’re making videos.
Here are seven of the most common excuses I hear agents use for why they can’t “do the things” they want to do or need to do to be successful:
1. It has to be perfect before I launch it.
Uhh no, it doesn’t. What is “perfect” anyway? Perfection doesn’t exist.
What you should strive for instead is constant improvement. But the only way to improve on something, is to make sure that something exists in the first place! If you’ve ever heard the very first episode of my Massive Agent Podcast, you’d agree it’s awful.
But guess what, I improved for the second episode. Episode 3 was a little better than that one. And so on. That is what you should strive for.
2. I don’t know how.
That’s too bad because I was born knowing how to podcast. I was born knowing how to write these articles. I’ve always been able to walk, talk and pass a real estate exam. Hell, I was writing offers for clients before my parents took me home from the hospital!
Except that absolutely none of that is true (obviously). None of us knew how to do the things that we do, until we learned how to do them… by actually doing them. That means it took effort. This one is probably the most irritating and ridiculous of all the excuses.
With Google, YouTube and Udemy just a click away, it’s not a valid excuse anymore to say you can’t do something because you don’t know how. In reality, it’s nothing more than a lack of will or desire to learn how. The information is there, in abundance.
The only question is whether or not you’ll seek it out.
3. I don’t like what I look like on video.
Really? That’s unfortunate because you look that same way when people see you in real life, too.
4. I don’t like what I sound like.
Again, unfortunate. That’s literally what other people hear whenever you talk. The only difference is now you’re hearing it through a speaker. I’ll give you a break on this one though. I hate the way I sound too. I think we all do.
Do it anyway. The alternative is doing nothing.
5. I’m not an expert.
According to who? Which tribunal did you stand in front of and plead your case to receive your expert designation? What makes someone an expert is all in how they prove it. If you claim to be a local expert on a certain community, the only one preventing you is you.
6. I can’t afford it.
Now, this one I can relate to. This is the story I’ve told myself my entire life. In fact, my real estate career suffered dramatically about four to five years into it because I kept telling myself I couldn’t afford to hire a coach or take an online course to learn how to effectively run Facebook Ads.
So rather than spend $1,000 or so on a course or coach, I decided I’d learn it on my own, by watching videos, reading articles and trial and error. And guess what? I absolutely did learn how. But it took me much longer to learn those skills. I ended up spending way more money on testing and trial and error than I ever would have if I had only learned how from a professional who already knew the path.
Not to mention the months and months of lost income that I would have earned had it taken me 120 days to become a lead generation master, rather than 10-12 months. Can’t afford it? Usually, you can’t afford not to. Or at the very least, you can get determined and find a way to “afford it.”
7. I don’t have time.
We all have the same 24 hours in a day. What we choose to do with that time is what separates the massively successful, and those who can’t make it in this profession.
I challenge you to audit what you spend your time on. How much of your day is wasteful? How much time do you spend on stuff that could easily be hired out to someone for $10-$20 per hour?
If you are still mowing your own lawn and doing your own transaction coordinator work, you’re basically working for $10-$20/hour. Focus your time on the money-making activities, and guess what… you’ll make more money!
I’m pretty dang productive and I am able to accomplish quite a bit each week. I work my ass off every single day. But I know I can do better and be more efficient with my time, and how I prioritize it. We all can.
Be honest with yourself, and be willing to make the adjustments needed to make time for those things that you think you don’t have time for.
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