If Your Business Depends on Friends and Family… You Don’t Have a Business.
Written by Devone Richard
6
Nobody Owes You Their Business
I’m about to say something that many Realtors need to hear.
Your mother doesn’t owe you a listing.
Your brother doesn’t owe you a listing.
Your cousin doesn’t owe you a listing.
Your best friend doesn’t owe you a listing.
And your sister doesn’t owe you a listing.
I know that hurts.
But it’s the truth.
The moment you believe people are obligated to hire you simply because they know you…
You’ve already lost sight of what being a professional means.
Stop Measuring Love by a Commission Check
4
One of my agents recently told me he was thinking about quitting real estate.
Not because the market was slow.
Not because he couldn’t sell homes.
Not because he wasn’t capable.
Because his sister listed her home with another Realtor.
That broke his heart.
But here’s what I told him…
Your sister made a real estate decision.
She didn’t make a statement about how much she loves you.
Too many agents confuse business with family.
They’re not the same.
Earn the Business… Don’t Expect It
5
Think about it.
When someone hires a Realtor, they’re making one of the biggest financial decisions of their lives.
They have every right to choose the person they believe is the best fit.
That’s not betrayal.
That’s business.
As professionals, we ask strangers to trust us every day.
So why would we expect family to skip that same decision-making process simply because we share the same last name?
The goal isn’t to be hired because you’re related.
The goal is to become so good that they choose you because you’re the best.
Build a Business Bigger Than Your Address Book
5
If your business survives only because of family and friends…
It isn’t sustainable.
One day those people run out.
Real businesses are built by earning trust from complete strangers.
One listing becomes two.
Two become ten.
Ten become one hundred.
Not because your relatives kept calling.
Because your reputation kept growing.
That’s how lasting businesses are built.
Your Greatest Referral Should Be a Stranger
6
The greatest compliment you’ll ever receive isn’t your cousin hiring you.
It’s a complete stranger saying…
“I was told you’re the best person to call.”
That means your reputation has escaped your family tree.
It has entered the marketplace.
That’s when you’ve become a true professional.
Final Thought
5
If someone in your family hires another Realtor…
Wish them well.
Support them.
Love them anyway.
Then get back to work.
Because your future was never supposed to depend on your relatives.
It was supposed to depend on your work ethic.
Your knowledge.
Your integrity.
Your reputation.
The best Realtors don’t build businesses around family favors.
They build businesses that earn the respect of people they’ve never met.
Stop worrying about who didn’t hire you.
Start becoming the Realtor complete strangers can’t wait to call.
That’s when you’ll know you’ve built a real business.
Written by Devone Richard
Broker/Owner | OYT Real Estate
California Broker #01857383
Nevada Broker #1002115
📞 626-500-1212 | 702-941-0202
🌐 OYTRealEstate.com