The most common phrase used when people are trying to describe resilience is ‘bouncing back,’ but I prefer the term ‘bouncing forward.’ I don’t believe you should ever look back or try to get back to where you were. However, you must learn from the challenges you’ve faced and move on from them.

When crisis knocks on your door, you have a choice to either ignore it and hope it goes away, or you can use your energy to create opportunity. There is always a way forward and I am not promising it is going to be easy but you must have the right mindset to bounce forward.

A positive mindset is crucial to bouncing forward and not back. You need to understand that crisis creates opportunity and proximity is power. Leveraging positivity to fuel success is how you navigate difficulty so use adversity as a stepping stone to continue to achieve great success in your personal and professional life.

It’s about believing that setbacks are often just a problem we haven’t solved yet, so to positively bounce forward you must have the drive to ‘pushervere’ and recognize the realities of your situation. You must figure out your options to move forward by practicing ‘pusherverance’ which means avoiding catastrophizing — exaggerating negativity and assuming that is the most likely outcome. Above all, you must keep things in perspective.  

How to consistently Bounce Forward in Real Estate

You have to find your passion and you need to want it and for me, I love real estate.  To be successful in real estate you have to have the love for people and the drive to learn everything about your trade. You must be proactive and know the market when your competitor is reactive. 

You can’t dip your toe into real estate, you’re either all in or you will not be successful. Consistency with marketing is key and having a strong strategy and program for your marketing will drive results. A lot of agents will put out just one ad or mail one direct mail piece and hope it will make the phone ring. I call that being a secret agent because no one is going to know who you are with just one marketing piece. Your marketing must match what you want to achieve which is recognized as the go-to agent in the marketplace so make sure you at consistently reaching your audience monthly with your marketing. 

I am a ‘players coach’ and I teach our agents through the NorthropU, our exclusive internal training, to be the best agents in the market. Our agents are constantly staying sharp and up to date on all things real estate. They learn the 20-20-20 principle which is 20 listings, 20 contracts, and 20 repositions. I get them out of their comfort zone by reminding them that all successful agents are marketers at their core. They must build a consistent brand that people can connect to within their market. I teach them that they have to sell themselves first before selling a client’s home and they must set expectations upfront with their client by having the conversation that ‘we will know the market and what your home is worth in 17 days.'

Creig Northrop

President & CEO of Northrop Realty