What does it mean to be consistent?

What does it mean to be ‘consistent’?

The definition of consistent is ‘Adhering to the same principles or course [of action].’

Many real estate agents who are struggling say, “I need to be more consistent” - but consistent at what? What course of action must one adhere to? One of the many problems in real estate is that there are so many things we could be doing!

Some people answer with marketing. I think that’s a bad choice. While marketing may work for some, most don’t have the financial wherewithal to make it work. However, what absolutely works for everyone who does it: building and nurturing trusted relationships.

To build and nurture trusted relationships, you need to talk to/be around people, and there are so many ways to be around people! We could be doing open houses, we could be doing client parties, we could be volunteering at our kid's schools, and our religious centers, or serving on other charity boards. We could get together with friends on a regular basis. We could create professional networking groups - or join one. We could become members of social clubs.

Success in real estate, over the long run, comes down to the relationships you have with other people. Are we all together on this?

Last week we talked about schedule, and what it means to know what you are doing each day, week in and week out. It also means that you know what days and times of day you are not working! Most importantly, when you are not working, are you not thinking about work?

At any rate, I suspect the challenge people face in having a schedule, and being consistent, comes down to the following: you have to make promises. You have to make a choice, a decision, a declaration, a commitment - you have to decide that this is what I do and this is when I do it.

I chose to knock on doors, from 11 am - 2 pm, Monday through Friday. I also chose to do nothing else.

It took me a while to get to that place. However, once I did, I was free.

The gift of door-knocking was its simplicity. Drive to a spot, park your car, and out you go. Almost every other activity in real estate is harder. Harder? “Knocking on doors is hard!”, you say. But not having a clear path of what you do to generate relationships in your business is harder, way harder.

I knew what I was doing every day. I also knew that what I was doing not only made me a better agent, it moved my business forward.

What I see from many folks is that they have no clarity about what they are doing, who they are doing it with, how they find new people to work with, and how they work with them once they find them.

That uncertainty is debilitating. It leads to uneasiness. It leads to stress and worry. Would it be wrong to say that when you are feeling debilitated, uneasy, stressed, and worrisome you are not operating at your best? Is it unreasonable to say that when you are feeling those feelings you may not be thinking clearly, nor is your physical and emotional state primed to operate effectively?

If I waved a magic wand and solved all your problems - you know, all the ones that you are worried about right now, in this moment - wouldn’t you breathe an immediate sigh of relief? If you are imagining this right now, if you can picture all your problems being wiped away, you can feel the weight come off your shoulders. You can breathe deeply and freely. You can be at ease. Doesn’t that feel better?

What if you could be in that space all the time, or at least most of the time?

“Yes!”, you say. Your next question might be, “But how?”

Be consistent.

Doing it is the hard part.