One of the biggest mistakes new real estate agents make is comparing themselves to agents who have been in the business for years…or even decades.

Over the years, I’ve had many new agents approach me and say: “Hey, I’m thinking about getting into the real estate business so I can do what you do. Will you help me get started?”

Of course, I will.

That’s what I have done for most of my career.

But I’m not going to mislead someone who is just starting to think about getting into the business to believe they will do anything remotely close to what I do today any time soon.

There are coaches and trainers out there who will take your money and promise to teach you how to generate more leads every month than there are sales in the entire MLS.

But I’m not one of those guys.

New agents get their licenses and see the business my wife and I have built over the last 23 years and they want it RIGHT NOW.

Sorry...but that’s not going to happen.

It's going to take time.

It does not have to take 23 years, but it will take some time.

I can cut your learning curve in half by helping you avoid the many mistakes I made. And I can slash it in half again by holding you accountable to do the things that matter every single day.

But you have to be willing to listen, follow the path I recommend, and do the work.

I love the new agents who call me and offer to buy me a cup of coffee so they can “pick my brain.”

They usually want to shortcut the process. They want hacks and tricks...

When we meet, I share how I started in the business. I worked for a new home builder. I was given a desk, a phone, and a list of names and phone numbers of people who had visited the builder's model home showroom over the past 1-2 years but did not buy a home. It was my job to call them and beg them to come and take another look at our model homes. And should any of them return to the showroom and buy a home, I would split the commission with one of the seasoned agents who wrote the contract.

For the first five months, I worked six days a week, nine hours a day, and split one commission that paid me $2,700.

It came out to around $2.29 per hour.

I was thrilled to have the opportunity to learn.

My wife had a similar start, working almost nine months before cashing her first commission check. It was a rental, and paid her $400.

We had very humble beginnings.

And if I had it to do all over again, I would not change one thing.

The early days were my personal proving grounds where I paid my dues.

Those lean times forced me to decide if I really wanted to be in the real estate business or if I was only interested in cashing big checks like the ones veteran agents were cashing.

The process taught me two very important things:

1️⃣ I confirmed that I wanted to be in the real estate business.

2️⃣. I learned not to compare my output with agents who had been at it for decades.

I’m sure you have a story too, because most of us started at the same place.

We started from humble beginnings.

Agents who enter this business with the allure of chasing big paychecks are in for a rude awakening.

Can you cash big checks?

Yes, you can.

Will you cash big checks?

Yes, provided you stick with it, are willing to work tirelessly to help people with their housing needs, and treat the business like a real business, not a lottery.

I am proud of my humble beginnings.

How about you? Share your story about how you got your start in the comments below...