Scott Benson: Very simply put, the seven habits. So, we're only going to go through seven habits today. very very simple very high impact but it's the seven habits of top producing real estate agents and essentially for me over the last 20 years I've worked in sales or sales leadership even before real estate I was in sales as a director of sales and I had 52 direct reports which is a lot by the way if you come from corporate you'll realize that usually it's like a 1 to12 ratio and the role that I was in was digital media sales and I had 52 direct reports which is a huge amount of salespeople and And I and I love watching and I love learning and essentially observing. And what I realized was there was consistency between the top producing salespeople. That's true in corporate, that's true in uh real estate, that's true in life. And today I've outlined the seven key habits that I have I have noticed and then I'm going to walk through them with you. Okay. All right.
Scott Benson: So I'll start with a question. The question is very simple. What separates a top producing agent from the average agent? And I'm going to pause there and let you think about what you think the answer is for you. I'm not saying that I have the right answers, but I have my observations. So, what separates a top producing agent from the average agent? Okay, try to lock that in in your in your mind. Like get take the number one thing that you're thinking of. Now, see if this was it. So, most people assume it's talent. So that's immediately where we go is like what what separates a top producer from an average? Well, obviously the top producer must be more talented. And I think that's where most people go. And if you come from corporate, you've heard the term skill versus will. So like, you know, somebody might have more will or more work ethic, but the other person had more skill and so it levelled it out.
Scott Benson: Or the other person had less skill, the other person had more work ethic, more will, and that leveled it out. I'm going to take a different approach. And I'm definitely going to tell you one thing. we all agree on. It's not luck. We all know that top producers are not top producers consistently year-over-year because they're luckier or because they're, you know, they're falling into this unbelievable 10ear stretch of being a top producer. So, some some some think that it's like better leads. Oh, it's a better brokerage. Oh, it's a bigger marketing budget. Maybe it's a larger social media following that people think of. But for myself, after years of observing successful salespeople and entrepreneurs as well, I've noticed something completely different. Top producers don't usually do radically different things. They do ordinary things with extraordinary consistency. This is the key point that I'm trying to make today is that they're not doing extraordinary things. They're doing ordinary things, but they're doing it with extraordinary consistency.
Scott Benson: So, their days tend to look the same, their weeks tend to look the same, and they're getting the same results because they're doing the things that are working. We're going to break that out today. Okay. So, habit number one, they treat real estate like a business. And I actually find myself when I go into listing presentations or speaking with a buyer or even just speaking with people randomly about real estate, I often hear myself saying, "This is a business for us." Like, we measure our business. We use KPIs. We use, you know, list to sale ratios, days on market, number of showings. We we use real business metrics to assess our business. This is not a hobby for me or for anybody on our team. This is a business. Okay? If you like that, use that. This is a business for me. This is not a hobby. Because there are a lot of realtors that treat this as a hobby, don't they? All right.
Scott Benson: So, most agents wake up and ask, "What do I need to do today?" Top producers ask what activities produce results. They understand the difference between being busy and being productive. Many agents spend hours checking email, working on marketing, organizing their CRM, and creating content. And those things in itself are not bad things. Okay? So, I'll read that list again because those are not bad things. Checking email, working on marketing, organizing their CRM, creating content. But I think we can all agree that if all you did, let me read that list to you again. If all you did was these four things, checking your emails, working on marketing, organizing your CRM, and creating content, you would sell zero houses in the year. We agree, right? None of those things will help you sell a house. They may give you an opportunity to talk to somebody. They may help better organize your week. But here's what top producers focus on. conversations. Sounds simple, but it's a big difference.
Scott Benson: Conversations, relationships, appointments, and follow-up. Notice that that list is all consumerf facing and relationship management, meaning you're talking to people. So, the first is, if I can give you another analogy, imagine you get a new job and you're somebody, and by the way, some of us are guilty of this, some of us aren't, but like you can't start working until your desk is organized. is you've got your business cards, you've got your ruler and stapler, and everything's the way you need it. Those people are generally not top producing salespeople. They're probably really really solid um operations people, but they're generally not top producing salespeople. The top producing salespeople are like, "Do you have a, you know, just give me like the no-name sticker that I can put on my chest for now. I'll write my name in there. Um I don't really need a I've got a phone. I don't need my laptop yet. I'll figure that all out." Do you have a list of people that I can go see today? Like, do you have a phone?
Scott Benson: Do you have a phone list? I can start calling. They want to get right into the conversations and the relationships and the appointments. That's the top producing salesperson. Okay? So, see yourself either where you're winning in that list or where you need to start changing some of your habits. All right? They know the business follows relationships. Habit number two. So habit number one, just to reiterate, was essentially they treat real estate like a business. Okay? And and if you're treating real estate like a business, you're understanding that is a relationship business. This is not a operations or administrative style business. This is a relationship business. All right. Habit number two. They prospect even when they don't need to. Or they prospect even when they don't know they're doing it is probably a better way of saying it. So average agents prospect b when business slows down. And when I say prospect, I basically mean having conversations with new relationships.
Scott Benson: That's essentially what prospecting is. Top producers prospect when th when business is thriving. So they're always creating new relationships. They're always creating new contacts and they're always doing follow-up naturally. They're in their car. Generally top producers their office is their vehicle because they're moving from relationship to relationship to relationship. They're moving from location to location to meet to meeting place to meeting place, from house to house to house. For me, when I was on the front lines, when I was, you know, having a slow day, I would just go to the job sites of some of my big builders and I would bring some coffees and I would talk to the big builders and then I go, you know, what else going on in the area? You got any builder friends that are building in the area? I want to go check out their house. and then I go to the next build and the next build and I built a huge database of builders essentially by showing up and having a relationship.
Scott Benson: So consistency beats urgency. That's the key thing that I'm trying to get across here is like it's not just like, okay, I'm going to wake up and do these seven habits today. It's that that is that's that's how I live and breathe. It's it's everything that I do every day. The best agents don't wait until their pipeline is empty before reaching out. They're always planting seeds for future business. I was recently, just this past weekend, I went somewhere with my wife and uh we were having just a new restaurant essentially is all we really did. And we were having dinner. It's kind of like one of these center um bars that overlooks the stage. There was a singer uh very talented. And so there's couples sitting beside each other at this sort of horseshoe bar. And the people to our left were, you know, they were pleasant. They kind of like gave us a nice pleasant smile, a greeting to say hello. And then we left it alone.
Scott Benson: and we didn't we didn't engage or whatever and they were a little bit older than us. And by the end of the dinner, I had just made one little comment and I was joking at the fact that this guy had a I don't know what those things that you pour wine, a decanter. It was a decanter that was the size of a like small car. It was like all for show. The bar was like pouring this very, very expensive bottle of wine out of it for him. And I didn't know who he was. And all of a sudden, I just went over and I said, "Last time I saw a contraption that big, it was like a funnel in college." And you know, my buddies and I were uh were drinking beers through something, a contraption that size. And we had a chuckle. That turned into the following night having a dinner with this couple. And I didn't I didn't realize who they were when we engaged with them, but this couple just happened to be they were billionaires.
Scott Benson: He invented he was one of the original founders of stem cell treatment for cancer and I had no idea and he didn't look all overly impressive when I you know I mean I shouldn't say that but like it wasn't like he looked like a you know what does a billionaire look like? You'd have no idea but he just looked like a generally you know nice guy could maybe tell that he was a businessminded person but other than that I had no idea but I engaged with him in the relationship just a a hello etc. And all of a sudden, you know, 10-minute conversation led to like, "Hey, are you guys in in town next week? Why don't we or sorry, tomorrow? Why don't we grab dinner?" And we went out to dinner. And and I'm not sure that that's going to translate into like a direct sale. But I will say that someone of that level of acumen and influence is going to benefit me professionally and going to benefit our team professionally. And so that's what top producers are doing even when they don't think they're doing anything.
Scott Benson: Okay, I digress. Habit number three, they follow up better than anyone else. Top producers know that opportunities are often won through persistence. Most agents quit following up too soon. I don't have anybody on this call that I'm throwing under the bus, but I am going to tell you that in the last month, I sent out an old client that is very loyal, incredibly loyal, and I've done probably six transactions with them. And I sent out this old client to someone uh within our our structure and said like, you know, here's an easy slam dunk uh client. They're going to be selling. It's a $4 million home and um it's it's happening. Like they're they're they're relocating. They're relocating to Collingwood and and basically this is a slam dunk. And they and that person met with these clients. It went well. Everything was great. And about a week ago, I watched that house hit the market. And I got a message from the client saying, "Hey, just just wanted to give you a heads up. We kind of went in this direction because,
Scott Benson: you know, the agent was the brother of the people we did the renovation with, and he's been staying in touch with us and helping us with some of the renovations and tweaking some of the style choices, etc. And we really feel obligated to use him cuz he was so um he was so around, for lack of a better term." And it was like, "Okay, no problem." And really what happened was is like we had the job. It was it was guaranteed our sale. We just stopped following up and this other guy was tenacious in his followup and we lost it. And that's a guaranteed buy and sell. Like they are not testing the market. They are they are selling and they are buying in a in a completely different city. All right. So best agents understand the first conversation creates awareness. The followup creates trust. So we were winning when we went through the door. And actually let me ask you this is a really good question. Have you ever heard yourself say this?
Scott Benson: I know that they're going to use this. I know that I got that one. I I know. Like you leave that first meeting, you're like, "That's a slam dunk." Like we were all nodding yes. Everyone was like, "Yep, we're getting that listing. It's a no-brainer." And then 2, 3 weeks go by and it's like, "What happened?" Like somebody else got the job. It's because you were a yes. Your instincts were right when you went in. You were winning, but you either stopped following up, didn't get it signed, or both. and all of a sudden the next person they met was also likable, was also uh you know very very had a phenomenal presentation, but they consistently followed up or they got it signed when it when it was a nod. Yes. Yes. Yes. And all of a sudden it changed. So it's like saying, you know, is there um I don't know why I'm thinking of this analogy, but like you're shopping for puppies. Is there is there just one puppy that you're going to be like, I love this puppy.
Scott Benson: I would take this puppy home. No. Like you might say that to the puppy that you meet that on Saturday, but you might meet another one on Monday and be like, I love this puppy too. I'll take this one home. Whoever was ready to, you know, paperwork's done, vaccines are done. It's like, okay, you can take the puppy today. Generally is going to be the puppy that you take home if you're shopping actively. And the same thing is true in our industry, right? Okay. So, habit number four, they build relationships before they need them. And I think my example of that dinner out is a great example of that. I'm building a relationship there. Not, by the way, not because he's a billionaire. Like, he was he was a great guy. His wife was lovely and very very gracious to my wife. So, like I'm building a relationship with them because I love people. I I truly do love people and that's why I'm building a relationship with them.
Scott Benson: But at the end of the day, it's like, okay, this person's very, very influential, has a high acumen in business. I can learn and grow. What a bonus. What a bonus. So, they build relationships before they need them. They are active in their communities. By the way, think of the team member that that this reminds you of. Okay, we can all throw them out and then we can give them a nod after this call. So, here here's what the top producers are constantly investing in people doing. Their community, their organizations, their networking groups, schools, and charities in their area. Who is that? Someone come off mute and tell me who that is. Their community, their local organizations, their networking groups, their schools and charities in their area.
Andrew Courson: Josh.
Scott Benson: It's Josh. It's Josh Wall right there. That's all. And by the way, Josh might not do all seven of these habits, but he's chosen one thing that he's passionate about, and he's a top producer, and he'll be consistently a top producer for the rest of his life because he's doing one of the habits for sure.
Scott Benson: I'm sure he does many of these, but he's doing one of the habits incredibly consistently. He's active in his community, local organizations, networking groups, schools, and charities. Done. Okay. Habit number five. They guard their time ruthlessly. Top producers understand that their time is their most valuable asset. So they protect their calendars. They focus on high-v value activities. They don't confuse activity with achieve achievement. And they ask themselves, is this moving my business forward? They literally don't do things that are not moving their business forward. So a top producer is willing to say, you know what, I'm sorry I can't do that today. We're not people pleasers, right? Sales people often fall into this category of people pleasing. But top producers are able to say, "You know what? I'm really sorry. I just don't I don't have the time in my calendar for that right now." And um actually funny funny parlay to what I'm talking about with the um the the the couple that we met the other night.
Scott Benson: He he was going on to something else that evening and it's actually a cigar lounge if I'm being transparent. And I said, "Oh, wow. Uh feel free to say no, but I've always been curious, you know, what the cigar lounge vibe is like. would you mind if I tagged along? And he literally just looked at me and said, "No." He he just like, "No." And and and he he wasn't, you know, he's not a sales guy and he wasn't able to um express it, I would say, you know, in a in a graceful way. He's just very pragmatic about it. And really what it was was like this was his time to decompress. This was his time to like, you know, just have no conversation and just smoke a cigar and enjoy the evening. But he was bold enough to say like, "No, I actually don't want to spend time with you in in that setting." And so he guards his time really, really well. Okay. Habit number six, they know their numbers.
Scott Benson: Top producers don't guess. They know how many conversations they're having, how many appointments they're setting, the listing conversion rate, their buyer conversion rate, their average transaction value. They understand that numbers provide clarity. So, and I'm not talking about they have spreadsheets, although many do, but they know in general terms what their numbers are. Okay? And I would say if you don't in general terms know what your general terms are, like how many appointments can you land in a week? How many new clients can you sign up? How many new listings can you have and manage well at one time? Uh what are your number of showings on average? What are your days on market on average? What's happening in the industry? They know their numbers either generally or very very specifically. And when asked about real estate, they know numbers. they can speak to numbers. Okay, habit number seven, they invest in personal growth. And and by the way, I am probably the biggest proponent that I um well, I would just say I'm the biggest proponent of personal growth.
Scott Benson: So, we remain students. I'm always a student. I will be jumping on coaching and training sessions all week. every week I'll jump on um or I'll listen to uh YouTube videos or business coaching or you know even if I'm interested in investing I'll watch investing videos like I'm always in a in a position of being a student they read they attend events they seek coaching they learn from others so that's true for the the highest level people that you know the the very highest level the billionaires the trillionaire it doesn't matter they're always looking to learn and it's a it's a place of humility to say like I can't figure this out on my own. I need somebody else to help me or remind me or shed a different perspective. Like that is the perspective of a top producer. Okay. So the big lesson, I'm going to wrap it up here. When people look at a top producer, they usually see the results. So, it's like, "Oh, wow. person's selling, you know, 50 houses this year or that person's selling like $10 million house and really going after it.
Scott Benson: But what they don't see, they don't see the disciplines. They don't see the consistency. They don't see the success in real estate is rarely one giant breakthrough. It's not like, oh wow, this person got one giant breakthrough and now they're a successful top producer. No, they've been consistent in the background. What most people see is the transactions, the listings, the recognition, the success, right? Like, "Oh, wow. They got an award. Oh, wow. They got 10 listings right now on the market, but they don't see the consistency that went into it behind the scenes." So, here's your closing challenge. I'm just going to leave you with this one question. Which of these seven habits would be the biggest impact on your business if you committed to improving it over the next 90 days? So, I'm going to read them through really quickly. Pick one. just pick one and be like, "Okay, I'm doing that habit for the next 90 days over and over and over again." And then
Scott Benson: I would love for someone to jump back on this call and be like, "Okay, I did it and here's actually what I um here here are the improvements that I saw from it." Okay, so here's the list. First habit was they treat real estate like a business. Second habit, they prospect even when they don't need to. Third habit, they follow up better than anyone else. That's probably the my favorite one or the most needed one that I can see across uh sales people is they follow up better than anyone else. Habit number four, they build relationships before they need them. How many new relationships are you going to build this week? Like, are you going to meet five new people that you didn't otherwise know and just have a pleasant conversation with them? Maybe it's maybe it's the person you're picking up the coffee from in the morning. Maybe it's, I don't know, the person that um is at your kids hockey tournament or but are you going to say hello to five people that you otherwise wouldn't have this week?
Scott Benson: Number five, they guard their time re ruthlessly. Are you going to say no when you need to because you realize it's like that's an afternoon wasted is not going to benefit myself, my family, my business. Number six, they know their numbers. If you were challenged today on like what's your list to sale ratio personally, what's your average days on market personally? What is the market doing percentage- wise? Is it up or is it down? Do you know your numbers? Do you know how many conversations you need to have this week? Do you know how many appointments you need to set this week? Number seven, they invest in personal growth. Obviously, you guys are all and ladies are all doing that today because here we are sharpening one another on a coaching call. So, we know that you have an appetite for investing in personal growth. So, I would say don't make that your number one habit this week because you're doing this one already. Pick one of the others.
Scott Benson: Okay, I'll pause there.
