Major industry news dropped recently: REMAX got acquired by Real Brokerage. The morning it was announced, I woke up to 42 different messages before 8 a.m.
I’ve been working at REMAX for 26 years. When the news broke, my response was, “I’ve got appointments to set and KPIs to hit, key performance indicators.”
Meanwhile, it looked like agents everywhere were reporting breaking news all day long. I could not believe how much people were focused on this. I turned off social media because none of that is going to help my 1099 at the end of 2026.
There are merger details to get worked out, sure. There are going to be some long-term changes. There always are.
But in the moment, walking around like you won the lottery because you work at one of these companies won’t get you any closer to your targets.
What will, like always, are income-producing activities.
This four-point plan works regardless of what’s going on in the news cycle. It doesn’t matter if it’s a Federal Reserve meeting, your team just won the Super Bowl, or it’s the NHL or NBA playoffs. There’s always a reason to not be focused.
These four things will keep you on track no matter what.
Tip 1: Block Two Hours Every Day for Lead Generation
Do you have two hours of uninterrupted lead generation time in your calendar every single day?
You’re probably sick of hearing this from me, and you know why you are? Because it works. It’s worked for decades, and it’s going to continue to work.
The framework I use for time management is rocks, pebbles, and sand. Your personal and family commitments are the first rock. Looking for new business is the second rock.
Everything else—appointments, deal management, admin—those are the pebbles and the sand that fit in around the rocks. Prospecting isn’t something you squeeze in when you have a free hour. It’s a daily discipline that goes on the calendar first.
You’ll see agents say they need more business, but when you look at their numbers, they aren’t having conversations every day.
We need two hours out of an eight-hour workday. That’s 25% of your time dedicated to finding new business. You’d be shocked at how well it works, provided you know what to say, you’ve got the scripts, you’re role playing, and you’re practicing the skill.
Two hours of uninterrupted prospecting time. Every day. That’s number one.
This is why roleplaying practice is baked into the BAMx platform every week. Over 100 agents are showing up with real-life scenarios and learning how to handle them, practicing scripts and frameworks that are working right now. Use the free 7-day trial at the Premium or VIP level and join us live to see what I mean.
This should be part of your continuing education as a real estate professional.
Tip 2: Cut the Distractions and Simplify Your Screen
Once you’re in that lead generation time block, protect it. Here’s what that looks like practically:
- Don’t go on social media before noon.
- Shut down your email. Email is somebody else’s to-do list.
- Close every browser tab except your CRM, your calendar, and the MLS.
- If you’re using a dialer or another reference tool, keep it up and nothing else.
When agents aren’t disciplined during their prospecting block, they start over-researching everyone they’re calling. It creates a bottleneck and you don’t get much done. Simplify the screen and stay locked in.
One thing I want to be clear about: don’t misinterpret being focused as being unapproachable or a jerk. Being focused means you’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing and working in and out of your time blocks.
People around you will figure that out quickly.
Tip 3: Respond to Every Message the Same Day
This one’s going to make a real difference in your business.
If someone reached out to you today, a current client, a potential client, an agent you’re working with, someone on your team, they need a same-day response.
Time block it. Make it part of your daily structure.
Being unresponsive as an agent is a lack of care. It’s really that simple. If you use Follow Up Boss like I do, work the inbox and close conversations out as you finish them. Every incoming call, every incoming text, every incoming email gets handled.
Agents are notorious for not doing this well. Open loops create tension, and tension costs you business. Close them out.
Tip 4: Reconnect with Past Prospects Using Market Intel
This one’ll get you appointments fast if you actually do it.
Go back through your database and find every person you met with or set an appointment with over the last six to twelve months where it didn’t go anywhere.
Then call all of them with a piece of market intel over the next seven days.
Here’s why this works. When someone agrees to meet with you or sets an appointment, that’s a sign of intent. Getting to the appointment is one of the biggest milestones in a real estate transaction because whoever goes on the most appointments sells the most houses.
These people already said yes once. The follow-up is where most agents drop the ball, usually because they assume the appointment didn’t go well and they move on. Don’t do that.
Study your local market data and lead with something specific and useful. Here’s what I’m saying to potential sellers right now:
“I know prices are up 5 to 6% in the greater Philadelphia area this year in the Philadelphia suburbs.”
For buyers, I lead with this:
“I know inventory is up 14.5% year-over-year.”
Deliver a real piece of market data as your opener and use it to restart the conversation.
So instead of doom scrolling or acting like a news correspondent covering the NFL draft, do these four things every day.
The last time I checked, how you make money in real estate is by getting people to the settlement table, selling houses, listing homes.
That’s the milestone I’m trying to hit every day.
