You might be crushing it this year. Maybe you’re on track to hit your biggest GCI number ever. You’re working every night, taking every call, juggling every file.
But let me ask you a hard question: Are you running your business, or is your business running you into the wall?
I’ve been there. I’ve seen agents gross a ton of money only to look at their bank account and realize they didn’t net anything because they lacked a simple thing: systems.
If you are constantly doing the same thing over and over again, if you are doing tasks that could be automated, and if your personal life is suffering because your business demands 24/7 attention, you are not a real estate professional. You are an employee of your own chaos.
It’s time to stop being a terrible business owner and build the freedom you signed up for.
What Exactly Is a System?
When we talk about systems and processes, we often jumble them together. Let’s break down the difference using the simple definition I learned:
- Process: The step-by-step actions you take to complete a task. For example: logging into the MLS, entering buyer criteria, and hitting search.
- System: The mechanism or tool that delivers that process consistently to ensure the quality of the work.
Think of McDonald’s. They can serve the exact same-tasting burger in San Diego as they can in Taiwan because there is a system to the recipe that allows them to re-duplicate the process.
As my guest, real estate industry veteran Josh Pono, put it, “A process without a system is just a good intention.” Your business needs that same level of automation.
The Ultimate Payoff: Systems Equal Freedom
If you’re only selling six to twelve homes a year, you don’t need a system if your goal is just to barely get by. But a system is not about necessity. A system is about freedom.
We all got into real estate to make unlimited money and have freedom with our time. We wanted to do what we want, when we want, how we want.
You can close those same six to twelve transactions working 40 to 60 hours a week, or you could do it in 10 hours a week with the proper system.
A system prevents you from being driven by your business.
For example, Josh runs a brokerage with over 50 agents, and his phone barely rings because he has built systems to get people the information they want.
The Practical Playbook: A System for Scripts
Here is a common pain point: You buy leads and you write amazing, beautiful scripts, but your agents never use them. Why? Because the script is never with them. They won’t internalize it; that’s not fun or sexy.
Here is the simple fix, which you can implement today with your existing CRM:
- When a new lead alert goes out, make the alert say: “Call this lead and use this script.”
- Crucially, embed the script as a clickable link within the alert itself.
Now, whether your agent is in the car, with their kids, or on vacation, they have the exact, approved script when they need it. They have the tool delivered through the system, and you never get the call asking, “Where is the script?”.
Three Systems You Need in Place Today
To simplify your business, focus on building three categories of systems:
- Scripting and Conversational Systems: Having an agenda for every call. The goal is always to drop their guard, build rapport, find their need, and offer a valuable solution, regardless of whether they are a buyer, seller, or investor.
- Process Systems: These are the repeatable actions for working with clients. I used to have a process where I didn’t go on a show until I had the client’s preferred, hot coffee ready for them in the car—a simple system to make them subconsciously like me.
- Marketing Systems: These are the automated ways you stay top-of-mind. For example, a system like my “Sphere” tool automatically touches your database 60-plus times a year. It’s repeatable, scalable, and frees you up to sell.
If you don’t have systems, your business is a high-grossing job that is running your life. Start building them today.
