My favorite team, the Philadelphia Phillies, has a habit of swinging for the fences in the postseason, and they end up striking out and losing early. I see agents do the same thing in the fourth quarter when they start chasing trophy sales.
The fourth quarter gets harder in almost every market, and every year some agents have amazing ones anyway. The ones who keep selling through the holidays follow one principle.
They stop chasing trophy sales.
Here in the Northeast and the greater Philadelphia area, we feel every bit of the fourth-quarter slowdown. Agents are up against a lot this time of year:
- Cold weather keeps buyers at home
- Holidays fill up everyone’s calendar
- Inventory drops off as sellers wait for spring
- Clients decide to hold off until the new year
Letting go of the trophy sale is an underrated strategy, and it’ll help you keep selling homes all the way into 2027.
Why Trophy Sales Put Your Income at Risk
A trophy sale is the Instagram-worthy deal. It’s the one that looks cool, with a high price point that makes for a great post. You know what I’m talking about.
I’ve seen agents do this time after time. They get a couple of sales under their belt, they start selling some homes, and all of a sudden, they’re too good to work the price point that got them there. They’re too good to work with the people who helped them build their business.
Your business should grow and change over time, but growth needs a plan behind it. Walking away from what worked to chase a price range where you have no track record isn’t a plan.
Higher price point sales take more time to close. Think about the hours you used to spend on five or six deals. Now all that time goes into one deal, depending on the price point, and all your eggs are in one basket.
When one deal eats up your whole calendar, you lose the few irons in the fire that keep cash coming into your business. If that deal falls through, you’re starting over from zero.
We’re getting into October, which means baseball postseason. The teams that win string together base hits. They get singles and maybe a double here or there, and they keep the line moving.
The fourth quarter works the same way in real estate. When you pour everything into one big deal, you stop doing the little things every day that keep your income and your sales flow steady.
3 Mindset Hacks to Stop Chasing the Trophy Deal
Here are the three mindset hacks I’d use to keep from getting stuck on the trophy deal.
#1. Put Client Motivation Ahead of Price Point
Number one, focus on clients who have clear motivation. These are people with a real reason to buy or sell. Trophy deals are hard to put together, and a lot of things have to go right before you reach the closing table.
Motivated clients are serious about getting a deal done. So forget the price point for a minute and ask yourself two questions about every lead:
- Are they serious?
- Are they ready to move?
Motivated people buy and sell 12 months a year, and they’re the ones who’ll carry you through the winter.
#2. Stick With the Daily Activities That Fill Your Pipeline
Number two, look at the daily activities that fill your pipeline. You should be talking to at least 15 people a day. Plenty of agents use the 5-5-5 approach to get there:
- Five people you know
- Five people you don’t know
- Five follow-ups
Trophy sales pull you away from this work. A big buyer starts to take over your schedule, and you hear yourself saying something like this:
“I have to spend all my time servicing this buyer. I’m going to be out with [them] all the time.”
Before long, you’ve forgotten about the daily activities that filled your pipeline with singles and doubles, the predictable sales you can count on.
Take a close look at the activities that get you in front of clients on a regular basis. Appointments are the currency of this business. They’re the closest activity to the dollar, and the more appointments you go on, the more homes you’re going to sell.
Borrow Gary Keller‘s mindset from The ONE Thing and pick one number you’ll hit every day, no matter what. Ask yourself questions like these:
Do you need to schedule one appointment a day?
Do you need to talk to 15 people a day?
I like tracking appointments. Sometimes it takes 20 or 30 conversations to get one, and sometimes it takes two or three. Counting appointments keeps you focused on the result.
#3. Know Your Average Price Point and Track Your Numbers
Number three, get clear on your numbers. I get why agents chase the big deal. It’s sexy, and the commission checks are bigger. It makes a lot of sense.
Before you chase it, find out where your average price point falls today. Pull the homes you’ve been closing and look at them over a 6, 12, and 24 month period. The data never lies. When you track and measure your business, you find out what your bread and butter is.
In the fourth quarter, the people who transact have motivation. They tend to fall at the median or average price point, or they have a real reason to sell, like these:
- Their home is vacant
- They’ve already moved
These are the transactions you should spend 90% of your time on this time of year. Big deals are harder to get done later in the year. It’s a fact.
Why Consistency Is the Best Way to Earn More
A lot of agents have no business competing in the high-end arena. They have no track record there, and they’re doing it because someone told them this:
“Hey, the easiest way to earn more money is to increase your price point.”
The best way to earn more money is to be consistent and set a reasonable goal that you attack with unreasonable effort. It’s my message for every agent heading into the fourth quarter.
How to Finish 2026 Strong and Start 2027 Ahead
Here’s how to put all of this to work over the next 90 days:
- Know your median and average price point, and focus on those clients.
- Put motivation ahead of price point.
- Stay consistent with your daily activities.
Yes, you’ve heard this before. I’ve watched agents chase big sales with all their eggs in one basket, and three months later, they have nothing going on.
Other agents are quitting on the year. They’re putting the holidays first, from Halloween parties all the way through Christmas.
This is how you keep your pipeline full through the end of the year. The agents who do this are going to finish the year strong and have an incredible start to 2027.
