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10 Things Smart Realtors Do to Reach Next-Level Success

You can always be more successful, right? So what's holding you back? Follow this advice to break through barriers keeping you from reaching great things. 

No matter how successful you are, you can always be MORE successful. Here are 10 things you need to do to break through whatever it is that may be holding you back. 

1. Create a better mindset.

This is the most critical part of going to the next level. Your thoughts formulate your success before it’s achieved, so what you put into your mind is what you get out! Set aside time daily to make your mind stronger. I have time on my schedule called “Create.” It’s when I focus on making myself better by learning a new skill, talking to someone who is successful or listening to a podcast. Or, I may read or create new plans. Always feed your mind. If you don’t, your mind will wander into areas that can bring you down.

2. Believe in yourself.

This goes hand-in-hand with your mindset. Most of us don’t always believe we are worthy of immense success. Some people even think they don’t have the skills to get to a higher level. The only thing holding you back is your lack of belief in yourself.

3. Strengthen your work ethic.

Like my mom always said, “At the end of the day, you have to live with the person in the mirror.” Here’s where you realize that your success relies on you. It relies on the work you do, on the vision you have and on the plan that you execute. Your success and failures are your full responsibility! Take hold of it and own it. Make sure you focus your efforts on what you are passionate about, then you can go all in!

4. Find your why.

Why are you doing what you do? Why are you driven to do what you do? When you realize why you do what you do, you find your true passion! Take time to sit down and figure out why you want to succeed and why you want to continue to grow. Is it an inner calling? Is it because you need to prove something to someone? Is it your family? Your kids? Vacations? As we grow older, our Why can shift.

5. Stop comparing yourself to others.

With so many people on social media, you constantly see your friends “succeed.” Stop wasting time on things you can’t control. Re-center yourself by remembering that your only competition is you.

6. Quit judging.

Stop judging others on what’s fair and not fair. Stop worrying about what someone said or what someone posted on social media. Focus on you and take full responsibility for your life. Worry about what you can achieve. Don’t be the person with the victim mentality.

7. Accept failure and rejection.

I am surprised when I see people quit real estate because they got rejected. Accept that failure and rejection are part of the business, and sharpen your skills on dealing with these emotions before they happen. Accept failure as a learning opportunity. How do you do that? It takes practice, and it takes awareness. Spend a day observing how you react to negative things. Write down your reactions and also how you could have reacted more constructively.

8. Increase the number of contacts you make daily.

When I talk to salespeople in any business, I find a few who complain about the lack of business and closings. Stop complaining. Instead, contact more people. Start with the people who already love you. Take them out to lunch, a drink or coffee. Or, try door-knocking, calling your sphere and working open houses. Set a goal: 30 days, 30 in-person meetings.

9. Associate with other successful people.

Attend events where you can witness other people’s success and talk to those who have thrived in ways you admire and respect. Look at who you’re hanging out with and ask yourself a serious question: “Will the people that I currently surround myself with take me to the next level?” Attend mastermind events and take successful people out for lunch or coffee to learn from them.

10. Start tracking the simple numbers.

Numbers tell a lot about your business. The moment you track the calls you make and the contacts you make daily is the moment you are able to duplicate your success. Start small and track the people with whom you spoke this week. Then, start tracking which ones of those you converted to a closing.

Tristan Ahumada is a team builder at Keller Williams Realty in Westlake Village, California, and founder of the Facebook group Lab Coat Angels.