In my experience, people tend to predict success based largely on a person’s natural abilities. This can truly be problematic no matter where you see yourself in this spectrum. Lots of natural ability can lead to overconfidence. Likewise, lack of natural ability contributes to low confidence, so much so that many never even attempt tasks that appear to be outside the realm of their natural abilities. The truth about ability is that it is neither set nor predetermined. However, it can be developed or it can be wasted. Now here is the simple truth we must all deal with: Natural ability can take us only so far. No matter how gifted we may be, each of us will eventually hit our own ceiling of achievement. There is no “if” to that assertion, just a “when.” So the most important achievement question you may ever have to ask yourself becomes: “When I hit that ceiling of achievement— whether it is low or high—how will I break through?”
What I’ve discovered is that by starting with models you can push your ceilings higher and, eventually, break through them. But even great models will have limitations, so eventually you’ll hit a new ceiling. This is when I encourage creativity. This is when I encourage you to start adapting the model. Don’t abandon it—adapt it. Once the right amount of innovation is added, you will more than likely experience another breakthrough and move forward. That is the cycle. Each improvement will have its limitations, and, sooner or later, you’ll have to tweak your model to ensure continued progress.
So the trick to having breakthroughs in your life is to adopt the right foundational models. In our experience, these models need to be as big and ambitious as you can possibly find. Typically, the bigger the model the further you can ride it before hitting a ceiling. And that is one of the most exciting advantages big models offer. The foundational models we present in The Millionaire Real Estate Agent are founded on three cornerstones, which we call the Three L’s of the Millionaire Real Estate Agent.
When we first started grouping our findings by category, it appeared that we might have eight core issues. On closer examination, we were able to eliminate three and narrow the list to five. Ultimately, we discovered the finish line lay at three core issues that support our model—Leads, Listings, and Leverage. We call them the Three L’s of the Millionaire Real Estate Agent.
You can have a doctorate in real estate, outfox a professional litigator in a contract negotiation, appraise property better than anyone in your market, and have more financing knowledge packed in your head than a mortgage guru, and it won’t do you a lick of good without clients. To succeed in real estate, you must have client leads. It’s that simple. Until you have enough leads (to meet or exceed your goals), there is no other issue. No matter if you are a doctor, lawyer, or entrepreneur, everyone has two jobs—their chosen profession and lead generation. I remember reading an article written by a fellow real estate agent who was distressed to learn he was also in the lead-generation business. His article was a lament. He was personally distressed. He somehow thought that with his professional certification, he could sit back and the world would find him.
It was easy to identify with this guy. I earned a four-year degree in real estate and never once did a professor mention lead generation. No one told me. Later, to my horror, it became clear that if I wasn’t any good at lead generation, no one would ever know what an educated and knowledgeable real estate professional I was. It was time to face the facts. To succeed as a real estate professional, I had to learn to generate client leads.