#31 RE Prospecting - The One Word That Can Change Your Business

Hi ,

I was reading about a story the other day that I heard years ago, and it hit me differently this time. Bill Gates and Warren Buffett were at a dinner hosted by Bill's mom. She handed them each a piece of paper and asked them to write down the single most important factor behind their success. They didn't talk to each other. They didn't peek at each other's answers. They just wrote. And when they flipped those papers over, they had both written the same word: Focus. Two completely different industries. Two completely different paths. Same answer. That story stuck with me because I see it play out every day in real estate. The agents who struggle aren't struggling because they don't know enough. They're struggling because they're trying to do everything at once instead of getting really good at the few things that actually matter.

I read a lot, and I was reading Seth Godin, and this story about a real estate agent popped out at me again, I also shared it in group coaching last week. “There's an agent I read about named Arthur Riolo who outsells all his competitors combined in a small town north of New York City. And here's the thing—Arthur doesn't really "sell" anything. He doesn't start with specs or square footage or tax rates. Instead, he takes people on a drive through the neighborhood and tells them stories. He points out houses that aren't even for sale and tells you who lives there, what they do, the name of their dog, how their kids are doing. He talks about the history of the town, the little rivalries between neighborhoods, the local traditions. Then, and only then, does he show you a house. By that point, you're not just buying a property. You're buying a story. You're buying the person you see yourself becoming when you live there. That's the shift. Stop selling the object and start selling the identity.”

What Arthur understood, and what the best agents I know understand, is that context beats content every single time. The house itself is just content. Anyone can rattle off bedroom counts and updated kitchens. But the neighborhood, the community, the feeling of belonging? That's the context. And context is what creates emotional weight. It's what makes someone say "this is it" before they've even seen the backyard. 

When you invest in the narrative first, when you build connection before you try to close anything, the transaction becomes the natural conclusion rather than some forced goal you're pushing toward. People's defenses come down. They stop seeing you as a salesperson and start seeing you as a guide. The same applies to social media, it’s our job to interpret not just dictate…

But here's where it gets real. None of this works without discipline. I've been doing this for over twenty years, and I can tell you that the 2026 market rewards the agents who master both human connection and daily consistency. That means writing everything down, not just names and numbers, but the micro-details that make your follow-ups feel human. The client's dog's name. Their anniversary. Their worry about interest rates. It means having someone who holds you accountable, someone you check in with every morning to make sure you're doing the boring work that leads to closings ninety days from now. And it means ending every single day with a quick review. What worked? What didn't? Who do I need to follow up with tomorrow? You can’t improve what you do not measure. And you cannot build a real business if you wake up in December wondering where the year went.

So here's what I want you to walk away with today. This business isn't about knowing more. It's about doing the right things with more consistency and more intention than everyone else. It's about treating your clients like people, not transactions. It's about showing up when it's hard, capturing the small details that matter, and being genuinely useful to the people in your world, not because it leads to referrals, but because that's who you are. Action creates inspiration. 

Momentum builds from small steps. And focus, real focus, will take you further than any shiny new strategy ever could. Pick the few things that matter, do them with your whole heart, and trust that everything else will follow.

And if you need guidance, I’m here for you.