Exactly What to Focus on in Your First 30 Days (If You Want Sales)
Most new real estate agents waste their first 30 days (I certainly did). Not because they are lazy or are incapable, but because no one tells them the truth about what actually produces sales. Instead, they are handed logins, branded folders, and told to watch training videos. None of that actually helps when you need income.
If your real goal in your first 30 days is getting your first clients and earning money, this is exactly what to focus on—and just as importantly, what to ignore.
The Truth About Your First 30 Days in Real Estate
The first thing you need to understand is that during this time, there are a million things that you will need to do to get your business off the ground. From setting up your email signature to updating your social media profiles, it can be super overwhelming. This is where most agents get stuck. They focus so much on these things that they forget that they are in sales, and to get paid, they need clients. They spend their time:
Perfecting logos and colors
Rewriting bios over and over
Watching endless training videos
Building websites no one will visit
Waiting to “feel ready”
The issue is that none of these activities creates conversions. Conversations create clients. Clients create sales. Your first 30 days must be activity-driven, not appearance-driven.
Along with setting everything up, you need to be asking yourself: How do I get face-to-face (or voice-to-voice) with people who may move soon? Everything else can be done over time.
➡️ If you want to know what to focus on in your first 30 days to build your business, check out my blog What to Do in Your First 30 Days as a Real Estate Agent: A Step-by-Step Guide for New Agents
The 3 Objectives That Matter in Your First 30 Days to Get Clients
If you want clients, everything you do (outside of building the basic parts of your business) should support these three outcomes:
People know you are in real estate
You are having daily conversations
You are offering clear next steps
That’s it. If an activity does not support one of those three, it goes on the back burner.
Week 1: Visibility Before Confidence
Most agents wait until they “feel confident” to tell people they are licensed. That is a huge mistake. Confidence comes after repetition, not before it.
Your Jobs in Week 1
Tell everyone you are now a real estate agent (and I do mean everyone!)
Stop apologizing for being new (when you apologize, you sound like you lack confidence)
Stop hiding behind “learning first” (yes, you are learning, but the truth is you will never stop learning, so don’t lean on it as an excuse)
You are not asking for business. You are making an announcement.
What to Actually Say
Use simple language:
“I started my new career in real estate. If you or anyone you know ever has a question about buying or selling, I’m happy to help.”
Say it casually. Say it often. This alone puts you ahead of 80% of new agents.
Week 2: Conversations, Not Scripts
Scripts matter, but so many agents focus on trying to perfect what to say that time passes them by, and before they know it, they are out of the business. Right now, frequency matters more than finesse. You need to get comfortable talking to people daily.
Your Daily Non-Negotiables
10–15 real conversations per day
Phone, text, DM, or in-person
Keep them short and pressure-free (just have a normal conversation)
You are not trying to “close.” You are trying to open doors.
The Real Goal of Every Conversation
Not to get a listing. Not to find a buyer. The goal is this: Permission to follow up.
Example:
“Would it be okay if I stayed in touch and kept you posted on what’s happening in the market?”
That is how pipelines start.
Week 3: Learn the Market Enough to Be Dangerous
New agents think they need to know everything. You don’t. You need to know enough to be helpful, not impressive. Or you need to build your base of knowledge. Then, as time goes on, your knowledge will grow on top of the base.
Focus on This Only
Average home price in your main area
Average days on market
What buyers are struggling with right now
What sellers are nervous about
That’s it. If you can explain those four things clearly, you are more useful than most agents who rely on buzzwords.
Week 4: Create Urgency Without Pressure
Here’s something new agents rarely hear: Sales don’t come from information. They come from timing. Your job is not convincing people to move (which you can’t do anyway). Your job is recognizing who already might be ready to be the person they use.
Who to Pay Attention To
Listen for phrases like:
“We’ve been thinking about…”
“Maybe later this year…”
“We’re not sure if now is the right time…”
“If rates change…”
These are not objections. They are signals. Those people go on your priority follow-up list because the idea of moving is on their minds already.
The Follow-Up System That Actually Works Early On
Forget spending countless hours setting up your CRM for now. Yes, you need one, but instead, make a master list of everyone you know and divide it up into three simple lists:
Hot – actively buying or selling soon
Warm – thinking about it, unclear timing
Cold – no plans, but open to staying in touch
Follow up and provide value:
Share something helpful (about the market, a development you heard about, some new loan product they could benefit from, etc.)
Ask how things are going (and listen for signals as I mentioned earlier)
Offer help without pressure (be a resource for them)
Consistency beats complexity every time.
What No One Tells You About Your First Deal
Clients can come from anywhere. I know an agent who gets a majority of her clients while waiting in line for the women’s bathroom! But there are places you should not focus on, as your first sale will rarely come from:
Your website (Sorry, with apps like Zillow and Redfin, no one is going to search for properties on your site, no matter how amazing it looks)
Your Instagram (Sharing photos of you touring homes doesn’t make people want to use you_
Your brokerage training (Most of the training is designed for the agents who are already selling to get them to sell more, which certainly doesn’t help someone with no business)
Your business cards (When is the last time you got a business card and reached out to that person for help?)
Your clients will come from having real conversations and people seeing the value you bring them. That’s why it is so important you spend as much time as possible contacting people and letting them know how you can help them!
➡️ If you want to learn how to get clients quickly check out my blog How New Real Estate Agents Can Get Clients Quickly: The Fast-Track Guide to Building Your Book of Business
The Real Metric You Should Track
Nowadays, we tend to measure how well we are doing by how many followers we have or how many people like our posts. But in reality, none of that helps you get clients and close sales.
Instead of tracking how many followers you gain or how well your post about an open house performs, just focus on:
➡️ How many real conversations did I have today?
If you win that metric, the deals follow!
Final Thought
Your first 30 days in real estate are not about being polished. They are about being present, visible, and proactive.
If you focus on conversations instead of perfection, activity instead of appearance, and follow-up instead of fear, you give yourself something most new agents never get: a real shot at an early deal.
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