Helping people buy and sell properties is only one piece of what it takes to build a successful real estate career. You also must know how to run a business, market, network, manage time, motivate yourself, and more.

No one gets everything right on the first try. When you hit a roadblock, what do you do? Where do you turn?

Many reach out to coaches for advice. Texas REALTOR® magazine asked three coaches—real estate, business, and life—about what they’re seeing in the field. Here’s what they recommend for you and your business.

What are the biggest obstacles?

Ross: Agents know what to do—it’s about getting past the obstacles that keep them from doing it. Top coaches help you find what will work for you and then support you to do it. It’s not about hammering you about the numbers and making more calls.

Strobl: My clients typically feel like they’re languishing or procrastinating. Languishing in the sense that things are going well but there’s no color in their lives and they’re not sure why. Or they are procrastinating. That’s a natural, human way of avoiding uncomfortable emotions. You know if you procrastinate less, you’ll improve your bottom line.

Williams: Getting in your own way. When people struggle, it may be that self-talk or a poor mindset gets in the way. Sometimes, people get into a spiral, headed in the wrong direction. You can make things more difficult than they need to be.

What’s the easiest thing I can do to see results?

Ross: Your number-one priority when it comes to lead generation and conversion is to schedule a face-to-face meeting ASAP! NAR’s latest Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers shows that 67% of the buyers and 80% of the sellers hired the first agent they met with face-to-face. Also, stop throwing away buyer leads! According to NAR, 58% own a property they are living in. Make the appointment and get a listing and a sale!

Strobl: Get organized and carve out the time for journaling. Have a healthy gratitude practice. Journaling can really help you be more strategic about your actions. Plan your day strategically. Tune into your negative self-talk; that’s probably more helpful than focusing on positive affirmations.

Williams: Be consistent and intentional. For lead generation, what do you want to accomplish? If you’re having an open house, are you willing to knock on doors and do other activities to get the desired result?

What’s holding me and other agents back?

Ross: I’ve heard so many brokers say, “My top producers were in the first three rows for your training. The people who needed to be there didn’t even bother to attend.” The number one predictor of success is a learning mindset. Two other factors that predict agent success are knowing the inventory and constantly searching for tools and innovations that will give them a competitive advantage.

Strobl: Most of the time, it’s a lack of clarity on what matters on a deep personal level. You can put habits in place, journal, and organize. But if there’s not a compelling reason from within for doing what you’re doing, all the other stuff doesn’t matter. You need to be able to tune into those things. Even if you are smart and resourceful and you set realistic goals, you may be doing too much of the wrong thing and not enough of the things you need to do.

Williams: Not knowing what you don’t know. Everything starts with mindset, which leads to the way you think, the way you feel, the types of action you take, and the results you get. You don’t know what questions to ask. Not asking the right questions can get you into trouble.

How should I define success?

Ross: At the end of the day, the only number that matters is how much you net after expenses—your profit. I once heard an agent brag about making $1 million in revenue, but he spent $950,000 on marketing and expenses.

Strobl: I really like this question. Success is not quantitative; it’s qualitative. You feel the change in your bones. Even getting up in the morning, how it is versus how it used to feel. It could be that we have undone some negative behaviors. Or perhaps you are now accountable to yourself. You have a set of tools and can take action on what matters.

Williams: Numbers tell a story. We look at volume, at units, at income. It’s not about the gross; it’s about the net. What do you take home at the end of the day? It’s also the intangibles. An agent’s first closing is a huge win. It’s a validation that you can do this business. It’s gaining more confidence in a skillset or getting a desired result. It could be that you are afraid to knock on doors around an open house. When you try it and it works, though, you realize nobody yelled at you. Or you got a listing from prospecting. Or you invited a prospect out for a cup of coffee.

What are common goals that your clients are seeking?

Ross: Clients rarely ask the right question because they don’t have clarity about what they really need. For example, it’s common to spend an entire coaching session on a wide variety of topics and when the coach asks for their action step, they decide to do something they haven’t even discussed. The action step is what matters most—what are you willing to do?

Strobl: The most common goal is more consistency. Not just in the things you should be doing, but to be more focused on finances, long-term goal planning, and discipline.

Williams: It’s all over the board. Sometimes it’s building the biggest business or building a huge team or selling 20 units a year. Spending time with kids. Travel. It’s wherever they’re at in life. Clients run the risk of working themselves to death. It’s important to have that balanced life. That could be a big goal.

What’s something that seems easy but is hard to do well?

Ross: Many new agents say they became a REALTOR® because they like houses and people. What they fail to realize is that obtaining a real estate license is like getting the keys to a storefront. They have the store, but they now need to figure out how to build their business. Also, most people have no idea how rigorous the real estate business can be.

Strobl: Staying organized and focused. You can’t place a dollar value on being consistent and making the investment to get systems in place. It’s not just a boon to your bottom line but also helps your stress levels and overall wellbeing. You don’t realize distractions can take you away from your goals.

Williams: Prospecting, right? It should be easy. You know all these people. Perhaps your relatives are nearby and they can be clients. There’s also the business aspect. From the outside, real estate might look like you have this great income and great life. It all seems easy. But then you have to build the business. You’re also a business owner. It’s possible you do really well and have lots of sales but then get pummeled by the IRS because you haven’t set up your business properly. Building a business is one of the hardest aspects of being an agent.

What’s different for your clients today from 10 years ago?

Ross: While there will always be new tech and innovation, the basics have never changed—it all comes back to mindset, building connection, and focusing on what matters most to your clients.

Strobl: Technology. For my younger clients, I have to pry the phone from their hands. It’s not just a business killer, it’s a life killer. Depression and suicide are real concerns. Social media is a tool that can complement your life and business. It’s not a replacement for a social life and not something that can solely drive your business. I suggest practicing phone fasting. Block off time completely away from your phone. At specific times, you can catch up. Develop healthy boundaries around communication.

Williams: Technology, especially ChatGPT and artificial intelligence. Ten years ago, I’d hear agents saying they don’t need to use a CRM or tech tools. And perhaps they had a pretty good business. What’s coming is that they’re going to need to lean into tech and adopt these technologies to leverage their business. COVID sped up the adoption of technology significantly.

What do people typically not understand about coaching or coaches?

Ross: They don’t understand the difference between coaching, mentoring, and training. If I’m a consultant or a trainer, I’m responsible for your outcome. If I’m a coach, you’re responsible for your outcome. In other words, it’s up to you to decide what action steps you’re willing to take and then implement them.

Strobl: Modern coaching is about asking questions. It’s about asking the right questions to help you to see yourself in a new, more positive light. People are born with positive outlooks and we learn negative ones. We try to undo negative thought patterns. Coaching is not a substitute for therapy. Coaching is about helping you in the present and giving you the tools to take action in the future. Therapy looks at the past to come to a healthy and functioning present. There’s a slight overlap, but therapists are not trained to help you move forward.

Williams: A lot of coaches tell you exactly what to do, but my job is really to ask great questions. That’s where I feel like I can help an agent most. A lot of times, the agent will have the answer or intuitively know the answer. But they’ve set a limit. I ask the question: What if you didn’t have that limit? What could you do? It’s about removing obstacles and roadblocks.