On this Episode #269 of my Monday Morning Pep Talk, I’m bringing a fresh perspective to a story I’ve told before - the 2011 business plan that changed everything. That year was a turning point, proving to me that a relationship-based business model is timeless, cost-effective, and the most predictable way to grow - not just a real estate brokerage, but any business. It was the foundation of Take Flight, and today, I want to revisit it with the wisdom I’ve gained since.
Before I jump into today’s call, I want to remind you of my professional purpose: to help you, the full-service, full-fee Advisor, optimize your productivity and become the best version of yourself. Why? Because “Happy Advisors Sell More Real Estate.” I do that by teaching you how to handle the challenges and opportunities you face every day. When you can effectively manage the situations that arise in your business, you’ll be more productive and live a life that reflects the best version of yourself. My ask is that you listen as if you’re in a one-on-one coaching session with me—either in my office or on a call.
2011: The Year I Went All in on Relationships
In late 2010, as I was starting to contemplate my 2011 business plan, I read The Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John D. Mann, and it resonated deeply. The five laws of stratospheric success validated what I had instinctively begun to implement - a pure focus on giving. Because of this book, I kept my 2011 business plan simple: "I decided to give, give, give, and when I was done giving, I’d commit to giving more." No mention of GCI, production, or transaction goals - just a relentless focus on adding value. I needed 25 new clients who would know me, like me, and trust me as their real estate broker. I put all my chips on the table. Building a relationship-based business from scratch was my only financially viable option - I had no choice. I was focused on leveraging the law of compensation where your income is determined by how many people you serve and how well you serve them, emphasizing that true success comes from focusing on providing exceptional value and impact. It was game on.
At the time, the real estate industry was still clawing its way out of the Great Recession. Home values had plummeted, distressed sales dominated the market, and consumer confidence was shaky at best. The national unemployment rate hovered around 9%, and in many ways, the entire economy felt stuck in quicksand. Real estate professionals were leaving the industry in droves, and those who remained had to fundamentally rethink how they generated business.
In Chicago and Cook County, 36% of all transactions were either short sales or foreclosures, and we had 12-15+ months of inventory depending on the hyper-local market. The old lead-generation tactics - cold calling, door-knocking, and direct mail - felt tone-deaf in a market where homeowners were struggling to stay above water.
Rather than chase deals in a market full of uncertainty, I doubled down on relationships. While many agents were waiting for the market to recover, I focused on helping people - answering questions, providing insights, and staying present when others disappeared. The result? My business doubled for the second time in three years, and I became the #3 agent at Jameson Sotheby’s International Realty after essentially being unemployed just three years prior. The momentum created that year carried me for years.
Our CEO, Chris Feurer, took notice, and in September 2011, he asked me to share what I had learned. As a result, I taught my first class to my peers - an extension of my belief in giving. It was the very first iteration of Take Flight.
Fourteen Years Later: The Key Lessons from 2011
Looking back, my 2011 business plan was spot on for that moment in time. But if I could sit down with my younger self, I’d refine it by adding what I now know about systems, leverage, and scale. Giving alone is powerful, but giving using systems is unstoppable.
2011 taught me fundamental values that define me today. That year, the seeds for Take Flight were planted.
- Giving is the foundation, but a CRM is the structure. In 2011, I relied on basic tickler files, spreadsheets, and memory to track relationships. If I had implemented the five lists with better segmenting, I could have scaled even faster. With today’s CRM technology, there’s no excuse not to leverage systems to scale the power of relationships.
- Top-of-market brand placement requires consistency. Every month you don’t engage your five lists, you lose 10% of your top-of-mind presence with your clients.
- “If you feel helpless, be helpful” - but make it repeatable. I told myself in 2011 to focus on helping others instead of feeling helpless. The market was challenging, and it was easy to feel powerless when I couldn’t help some clients successfully exit their properties.
- Stop thinking in terms of individual transactions; think in terms of a career. Over a decade, you’ll experience two booming markets, two slow markets, and six that are “normal.” Without a relationship-based model, you’ll ride a constant rollercoaster. A well-managed CRM allows your past clients to become your sales team, creating predictable referrals instead of unpredictable peaks and valleys. 2011 taught me to play the long game.
- CRM = Business. No CRM = Hobby. In 2011, I learned that building a business required tracking consistent communication with my clients. Committing to a relationship-based strategy made me feel, for the first time, that I was running a business - not a hobby.
- “Giving” doesn’t stop at closing. In 2011, I made an effort to start the relationship with my clients at the closing table - not pause or end it. I implemented a post-closing strategy that helped me transition my clients from an active relationship to a nurture stage.
- Don’t give and expect a return - that’s bartering. True giving builds influence, but only if it’s authentic. In 2011, I learned to give without any expectation of receiving anything in return. Every interaction with a client or another industry professional has an influence value attached.
- Dopamine drips should come from leading indicators, not lagging ones. Prior to 2011, my dopamine drips came from closings and contracts. Today, I realize that leading indicators—such as meaningful conversations, client responses, and engagement—are far more powerful. These are the moments a CRM can help track and prioritize. The more of these moments one creates, the more the business follows naturally. Meaningful moments and conversations are the real currency.
Final Thought: The Modern Version of Giving
The concept of giving isn’t outdated - it’s more relevant than ever. Today’s top brands are “giving” through free content, education, and valuable experiences before ever asking for a sale. The same applies to a relationship-based real estate model.
If you aren’t consistently nurturing your network, delivering on promises, and staying top-of-mind, you’ll be forced into transactional prospecting model instead of a sustainable, repeat business.
