Real estate attracts dreamers. The promise of uncapped earnings, flexible schedules, and helping families through life’s biggest decisions draws people from every conceivable background, from call centre workers to JB Hi-Fi sales consultants, aged care workers to complete career changers in their seventies.
But the agents who actually make it understand something the rest don’t.
Real estate isn’t about the big moments.
It’s about the small, daily actions that most people find boring.
“I don’t want them to look at the big picture,” Sam Owens, a Harcourts performance coach who trains hundreds of new agents across Australia says.
“It’s about looking at the leading indicators and most importantly, their daily routines.”
This approach runs counter to how most people think about real estate success.
New agents often fixate on their first listing or their first big sale, but the professionals building sustainable businesses focus on something far less glamorous: making 15 to 20 phone calls every single day.
The mathematics of success
When an agent walks into Sam’s office wanting to earn $500,000, he doesn’t start with motivation or mindset.
He starts with a calculator.
“We reverse engineer their goal,” Sam explains.
“If they want to earn $500,000, and the average commission is $10,000, they need to sell 50 properties. If they list every fourth property they appraise, they need 200 appraisals. And if they need 200 appraisals, they probably need to make 20 connects a day.”
This mathematical approach transforms an overwhelming goal into a manageable daily habit.
Instead of wondering how to build a half-million-dollar business, the agent knows exactly what to do when they wake up: pick up the phone 20 times.
“Real estate is definitely a long-term game,” Sam believes.
“The people you’re speaking to now might not be thinking of selling for one to two years.
“So it’s about nurturing those relationships and speaking with enough people so you’re not pressuring them into selling, but you’re also not pressuring yourself.”
The apprenticeship mindset
The agents who last approach their first two years differently.
Instead of rushing to independence, they think like apprentices.
“If you were going into a trade industry, you’d expect a two-year apprenticeship before going out on your own,” Sam explains.
“Use that same mentality. Work under someone for however long it takes, some do it quicker, some take longer, but use this time to learn so that when you do go out on your own, you’re hitting the ground running.”
This apprenticeship extends beyond formal mentoring.
The most successful new agents become students of the entire industry.
“Go to multiple agents’ opens, not just in your office but everywhere,” Sam advises.
“If you’re driving past an open, stop by.
“See how they run it. What questions do they ask? You develop your own style based on the ideas of others initially.”
Product knowledge beats personality
While real estate rewards people who enjoy working with others, product knowledge trumps natural charisma every time.
New agents often feel unconfident because they don’t understand what they’re actually selling.
“You’re probably not feeling confident because you’re brand new to real estate and you don’t know your product yet,” Sam tells his trainees.
“What’s your product? That might be the suburb. You need to know all the details – local schools, median house price, average growth last year, how many properties sell annually.”
This information is more accessible than ever, but most agents don’t do the homework.
The ones who master their suburb’s statistics, demographics, and market trends immediately differentiate themselves from agents who rely purely on personality.
“Just because you’re not selling dozens of properties yet doesn’t mean you can’t know your product inside and out.”
From salesperson to adviser
The industry’s evolution from transactional selling to long-term relationship building requires a fundamental shift in approach. The days of “Do you want to sell? Do you want to sell? Do you want to sell?” are ending.
“We’re trying to become more advisers,” Sam explains.
“We don’t want to force people to sell properties if they don’t want to. How can we build, play the long game, and nurture those relationships over one, two, three years so that when they think of selling, you’re the first person they think of?”
This means every contact needs value. Instead of generic check-ins, successful agents call with market updates: “You might have seen that 14 Smith Street just sold for $900,000. That’s changed the value of your home. We’ll be in the street next week if you want an updated price.”
The personal development factor
What surprises many newcomers is how closely real estate aligns with personal development.
The industry’s emotional ups and downs require agents to be clear about their deeper motivations.
“I’ll sit down with them and we might not even talk about real estate for the first little while,” Sam explains.
“What do you actually want from life? Do you want that holiday in the middle of the year? How often do you want to work? What income do you need? Is it about structuring your day to pick up the kids from school?”
“If they’re clear on their personal drivers, it makes the ups and downs a lot easier to ride because they know what the big picture is.
“People who treat it like a job rather than a career – that’s when issues happen.”
