Ok Realtors, we are excited to share our first blog post as Lockbox, where we teach real estate agents lessons in leads, listings, and leadership. 

From top-producing agents that sell dozens of homes every year to underperforming agents that are struggling to maintain a pipeline, all Realtors have an equal amount of time every day. How is it that some agents are able to sell so many more homes than others in the same 24 hours each day? 

Certainly, some have a large sphere of influence than others, betters sales skills, better tech, etc., etc., etc. But there is one thing that the vast majority of top producers are focused on in maximizing their productivity every day: winning the morning.

In the real estate industry, we often start our day with the best intentions, planning how we’re going to productively spend our time. Yet, as we’ve all experienced, our day is usually hijacked by noon. Unexpected phone calls, title company issues, appraisal challenges, inspection negotiations – these are all part of the game. And let’s not forget personal life commitments that often spring up! 

So, to unlock our true production potential and, by extension, our true income potential, we need to capitalize on the part of the day that we can control: the morning. Mastering the art of winning the morning is critical to winning in our business.

I want to share with you three ways to win the morning, all centered around the idea of fueling yourself adequately for the day ahead. 

Step 1: Fuel Your Mind 

First and foremost: fuel your mind. Instead of reaching for your cell phone first thing in the morning, resist the urge to do so and put it down (I know, that’s hard!).  Instead, choose to fuel your mind first and dedicate some time to engage in a mindful activity. This could be meditation, prayer, reading, or a writing exercise. What’s important is starting your day by filling your mind with positive energy and thoughts before you expose it to the world’s distractions. This practice enables you to get your brain locked and loaded on the day’s important goals.

From my personal experience, once you have engaged in some kind of mindful exercise – and before you pick up your cell phone – spend another 5-10 minutes organizing your day. This is usually best done by reviewing your annual or monthly goals and then writing down a few critical tasks to complete today that will move you closer to your annual oe monthly goals. 

Step 2: Fuel Your Body 

Once you’ve fueled your mind, it’s time to fuel your body. We are physical beings and need the right nourishment and physical activities to function optimally. As they say, ‘garbage in, garbage out,’ and this applies to our food intake as well. If we eat garbage food, we will suffer from low/garbage energy. 

Quality calories that provide sustainable, healthy energy are essential. Try to avoid foods that cause energy surges and crashes. Sugar – especially refined sugars! – are the enemy here. For many people, getting some exercise into their morning routine is also beneficial. Exercise gets your heart pumping, circulates your blood, and provides your brain and body with oxygen. These physical activities trigger chemical processes in your body that enhance your mental acuity and energy levels for the day.

Step 3: Fuel Your Business 

Finally, after fueling your mind and body, it’s time to fuel your business. As real estate agents, we thrive on leads. Without leads, we don’t have a business, – we have a failure. So, while your mindset is strong and your energy is high, dedicate some time to generating new leads for your business before anyone else can hijack your day. As sales professionals, we always want to be filling the top end of our sales funnel! After all, in residential real estate sales, the actions we take today show up in our checking accounts 3 months from now. No action today means no new money deposited in the checking account 3 months from now. New actions today show up as new deposits in our checking account 3 months from now. 

So what does daily lead generation activity look like? It could involve having breakfast with affiliated vendors, making phone calls to For Sale By Owners, working your sphere of influence, or executing your social media strategy. It doesn’t really matter as long as you are consistent (that means daily!) with 2-3 lead generation levers. The key here is to make lead generation your priority before the rest of the day’s responsibilities vie for your attention.

Realtors Winning The Morning

There’s a wealth of literature out there if you’re interested in winning your mornings, but I believe these three steps – fueling your mind, body, and business – are a simple yet effective way to win your morning. And by winning your morning, you set yourself up to win the day, your business, and ultimately, your financial goals.

I hope this advice helps you maximize your morning productivity and by extension, your sales income. Stay tuned for more tips and insights, and I’ll see you in a week. Remember, winning the morning is critical to winning the business, and your morning begins now.

Interested in learning more? Check out these books:

• The 5 am Club: Own Your Morning. Elevate Your Life, by Robin Sharma 
• The Miracle Morning, by Hal Elrod
• Win The Morning, Win The Day: A Life-Changing Morning Ritual in 21 Days, by C.W.  V. Straaten