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- #16 RE Prospecting - The Compound Effect of Showing Up
#16 RE Prospecting - The Compound Effect of Showing Up
Hi ,
I was talking to an agent last week who told me she felt invisible. She's been licensed for two years, works hard, knows her stuff, but can't seem to break through. "I post on social media," she said. "I send emails. I network. But nothing's clicking." I asked her one question: "When was the last time you did something small and personal for someone who wasn't about to close?" Long pause. "I don't know. Nothing comes to mind." That's the gap.
We've become so obsessed with reach and visibility that we've forgotten about depth and presence. The truth is, the agents winning right now aren't choosing between showing up online or showing up in person, they're doing both, consistently, in small ways that compound over time.
Here's what I've learned after years of prospecting, building teams, and now building a national brokerage called Y Realty: Visibility without connection is noise. Connection without visibility is a secret. You need both. But most agents burn out trying to do everything at once instead of building simple, repeatable systems that layer on top of each other. The goal isn't perfection. It's presence. It's showing up in your community's Google searches, at the local park with hot cocoa, in someone's mailbox with a handwritten note, and in your own journal reflecting on what's working. All of it matters. None of it works in isolation.
Let me give you four things you can start doing this week that will change how people experience you, and how you experience this business:
First, claim your space on Google. If you haven't optimized your Google Business Profile, you're leaving money on the table every single day. Add fresh photos, respond to every review, post weekly updates about your market or community events. Then take it further, start a simple YouTube channel answering the questions buyers and sellers actually ask you. "What's my home worth in [your city]?" "What are the closing costs here?" Google owns YouTube, and videos rank. This isn't about going viral. It's about being found when someone needs you. It’s the whole idea that Google calls Micro Moments.
Second, get back in front of people in real life. Pick one event idea and commit to it before the year ends. Host a Friendsgiving picnic at the park. Organize a Fill the Truck food drive for a local charity. Set up free holiday photos with Santa and hot cocoa. These events aren't about selling, they're about serving and showing up as a real human in your community. You'll capture emails, sure, but more importantly, you'll create memories and moments people associate with your name.
Third, start keeping a simple daily journal. I'm not talking about dear diary stuff. Track your prospecting calls, note what worked in your last appointment, write down one market insight you noticed, and log one win from the day, even if it's small. This practice does two things: it keeps you consistent when motivation fades, and it turns your daily experience into content gold. Those market insights become Instagram posts. Those client stories become testimonials. That gratitude log keeps you from quitting on hard days. I talk about this in my recent podcast which you should jump in and listen to.
Fourth, write actual notecards this week. Not just emails. Not just texts. Handwritten notes. Thank someone who helped you. Encourage a friend going through something tough. Celebrate a past client's milestone. Reconnect with someone you lost touch with. Send one to your future self about what you're learning right now. This feels old school because it is, and that's exactly why it works. In a world of automation and AI, a real note in someone's mailbox is unforgettable.
And here's the part nobody tells you: None of these things will close a deal tomorrow. That's not the point. The point is that six months from now, when someone in your city thinks "I need a real estate agent," your name comes up because they've seen you on Google, met you at an event, gotten a note from you, or heard about you from someone who did. You didn't just market to them. You showed up for them. There's a difference, and people feel it.
So here's my challenge: Pick two things from this list and do them this week. Not next month. This week. Optimize your Google profile and write three notecards. Film one YouTube video and plan one community event. Journal for five minutes and respond to your reviews. Start small, stay consistent, and watch what compounds. The agents who win aren't the loudest or the flashiest, they're the ones who show up, over and over, in ways that matter. Be that agent.
Forward this to someone who needed to hear it today.
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