How to Become a Better Real Estate Agent: 5 Ways You May Be Self-Sabotaging

We all do things that we know aren’t good for us.

Some of these things are obvious. That extra scoop of ice cream. Going to bed too late.

Other things are slightly less obvious. We know that we probably shouldn’t do them, but we also don’t really stop to think about the consequences.

Like procrastinating. Not planning ahead. And taking ages to respond to emails.

Those kinds of behaviours are fine once in a while. But when they turn into habits … well that’s a form of self-sabotage.

Self-sabotage is when we consciously or subconsciously act in ways that are detrimental to our wellbeing and to the achievement of our goals.

As professionals who are completely responsible for every dollar they earn, real estate agents are prone to self-sabotaging behaviours.

These bad habits can affect your ability to attract new clients, sell successfully and build your business.

Wondering if you might be guilty of real estate self-sabotage? Read on to discover five common ways that real estate agents sabotage their success.

You Don’t Reach Out For Fear of Being “Annoying”

There’s a real estate stereotype that all agents are pushy salespeople who never stop following up and can’t take no for an answer.

In an effort to counteract that stereotype, some real estate agents head for the opposite end of the spectrum — they rarely reach out, don’t keep in touch and start every call or email with “Sorry to bug you.”

Sound familiar?

The real estate agent who reaches out incessantly gets blocked, but the real estate agent who never reaches out meets an equally bad fate: they’re forgotten. Their client pool shrinks. Their business stays stagnant.

If you’re letting your fear of becoming that agent stop you from becoming a great agent, you’re self-sabotaging.

You’re Not Delegating or Outsourcing

We talk a lot on this blog about how real estate agents are entrepreneurs. They have to do the functions of many jobs, from admin assistant to marketing manager to accountant.

You have to do a lot. But you don’t have to do it all.

Trying to do it all can be what holds you back from growing your real estate business. It may feel like flying solo at all times is saving you money but in the long run, it can actually be more costly.

All that time you spend juggling open houses, sending paperwork, doing your taxes, making your lunches and shopping for client thank-you gifts is time you’re not spending thinking about how to grow your business.

Delegating and outsourcing doesn’t mean you’re less of an agent. It means you’re a smarter one. It could be as simple as hiring a marketing assistant to work on your real estate Facebook ads, or signing up for a meal delivery service that offers healthy daily lunches. Anything that frees up some of your time (and energy).

You Don’t Schedule Your Time (Or Protect It)

For many real estate agents, workdays are often composed of back-to-back meetings and phone calls, appointments with clients, walk-throughs and open houses, and driving.

Responding to emails, working on their web presence, developing their real estate blog and thinking about their social media strategy are all things that get crammed in between meetings, over lunch and after hours.

This happens because things are busy. But it also happens when real estate agents don’t practice strategic real estate time management.

A huge part of successful time management is carving out dedicated time for the important things and then sticking to it.

Social media scheduling, goal-setting, real estate SEO … these are all important real estate business activities that deserve as much time in your schedule as a meeting or networking event. Don’t forget to schedule breaks, exercise and meals in your calendar, too.

Remember: failing to plan is planning to fail. Plan for success by using your schedule to protect your time.

You Avoid Trying New Tactics and Stick to Old Ways of Doing Things

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Some real estate agents take that to heart.

Why start using TikTok if you’re already using Instagram? Why go paperless at open houses if the paper sign-in sheet works just fine? Why add to your website, write real estate blog posts or switch up your usual real estate thank-you notes if you have clients and business seems fine?

Because you could be missing out on fresh opportunities, new clients and bigger successes.

Whether you’re a longtime agent who’s never bothered to create a real estate website or you’re a newer agent who doesn’t understand why you should pick a different social media platform for your real estate business, insisting on sticking to the old ways of doing things is harming your business.

You Don’t Take Time to Analyze and Reflect

When advertisers run ad campaigns, they do something when the ad is no longer live.

They stop to regroup and look at how the ad performed. They look at how many impressions that ad received, whether sales increased during the time that the ad appeared and what people were saying about the ad.

They analyze their performance and reflect on how they did and what they could change for next time.

It’s not just advertisers who do this. It’s every company and businessperson who wants to keep improving, refining and growing.

Real estate agents need to be doing this, too.

If you’re not making time every month, quarter and year to pause, look around and reflect on your performance and results, you’re threatening the success of your real estate business. Analysis is essential to improving.

Do you set goals for your real estate business? Why or why not?