The moment when calling yourself a real estate agent feels like an admission of failure.
Edward Pack knew that feeling intimately.
Standing on stage at AREC, Edward revealed the brutal honesty that transformed his career from mediocrity to leading New Zealand’s premier real estate brand.
His journey began in the darkest corner familiar to many in the industry—professional shame coupled with personal loss.
“I wasn’t proud to call myself a real estate agent,”Edward said.
The admission hung in the conference hall like an uncomfortable truth.
Even his father, who always believed in his potential, wondered why success remained elusive in his chosen field.
Edward’s breakthrough came through an unexpected source: a career coach who conducted a personality assessment that revealed a startling revelation.
He possessed the skills, enjoyed the work, and facilitated life-changing moments for buyers and sellers.
The missing ingredient wasn’t talent or passion—it was commitment.
Specifically, he was operating at only 60% capacity.
“I worked out that, of course, one of the success that I was after, I needed to be all in. I needed to be 100% committed,” Edward said.
This realisation became the foundation for his transformation strategy, built on three fundamental pillars that elevated him from struggling agent to industry leader.
First: eliminate escape routes.
Pack discovered that maintaining a “plan B” was sabotaging his real estate ambitions.
The career coach helped him recognise that real estate could deliver both personal satisfaction and financial security he sought.
Ditching his imaginary backup plan created immediate clarity and freed mental space previously occupied by doubt.
Second: pursue relentless knowledge acquisition while building self-belief.
Pack distinguished between knowing “some things” about the industry versus knowing “everything” required for success.
This knowledge hunger extended beyond market trends and sales techniques to understanding his personal DNA—what made him different and why clients would choose him over competitors.
He abandoned the notion of creating a real estate persona, choosing instead authentic engagement.
The strategy proved decisive during a competitive listing appointment against three other agents.
“They simply felt like he believed more about what you were talking about than the other agents we met,” he said, recounting the client’s explanation for choosing him.
Knowledge breeds confidence, and confidence enables conviction—essential currency in sales-based roles.
Third: maintain consistent commitment above the emotional turbulence.
Edward introduced the concept of “staying above the line of commitment”—maintaining steady performance despite commission-based industry volatility.
Real estate demands emotional endurance rarely discussed in professional development.
Agents typically drop below their commitment baseline when facing rejection, market downturns, or competitive losses.
Edward’s solution involves creating behavioural traits that prevent emotional extremes.
During challenging periods, he employs a two-step technique: zoom out to see the bigger picture, then focus on achievable small wins like upcoming appointments, appraisals, or client coffee meetings.
“Someone once said to me that small doors open into big rooms,” Edward said.
These incremental victories compound into significant opportunities over time.
The transformation methodology addresses a fundamental industry challenge: agents often possess technical competence but lack the psychological framework for sustained success.
Edward’s 60% to 100% commitment model provides a diagnostic tool for identifying performance gaps.
Many agents recognise themselves in Edward’s initial struggle—technically capable but emotionally uncommitted, maintaining safety nets that undermine focus, or seeking dramatic breakthroughs while ignoring incremental progress.
Today, Edward works for Bayes Real Estate, New Zealand’s preeminent real estate company, embodying the success he once thought impossible.
His conference presentation offered more than motivational platitudes—it provided a systematic approach to professional transformation.
For agents feeling stuck at their current performance level, his framework suggests the solution isn’t necessarily acquiring new skills or changing markets.
Instead, it requires honest assessment of commitment levels, elimination of backup plans that dilute focus, and creation of consistent behaviours that withstand industry turbulence.
The path from 60% to 100% commitment isn’t just about individual success—it’s about professional pride in an industry that shapes life-changing moments for countless families.
