By Sarah Michelle Bliss
One of my favorite books is The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino, and with the current state of the market, I’d like to talk about scroll number three of the book’s ten scrolls: I will persist until I succeed. One of the scroll’s lines, “Each nay I hear will bring me closer to the sound of yea,” is something I often say to my coaching clients to encourage them through challenges. In sales, you have to be mentally tough and willing to eat rejection for breakfast as the line reminds us—push past all the objections and roadblocks because there are plenty of other opportunities waiting, including the coveted inventory that no one seems to have.
Statistically speaking, inventory is not low. More than six million homes sold in the U.S. in 2021—a 15-year record high. Yet, I hear or see agents on social complaining about the lack of inventory. Is it brutal out there for buyers? Yes. I am an active agent, so I get it.
But I’d like to introduce a shift in mindset around the words we are saying in the industry regarding the inventory. What we resist, persists. When we push against what we don’t want, by the law of nature, we actually create more of what we don’t want. Read that again, and let’s unpack it a little more. I believe that by shouting from our social media platforms that the market is crazy or that there is no inventory (or posting the cutesy little memes that are poking fun at the housing conditions) we are doing massive damage by perpetuating a false message. We are creating a narrative of fear and competition when we could be doing the opposite by cultivating more inventory. If we keep saying there is no inventory, then there might as well be no inventory.
When a consumer hears that the market is crazy, a few things go through their mind. One being, “I’d love to cash in on that kind of money, but I don’t want to be homeless.” Two being, “Why would I pay an agent when I can go sell my home myself?” And three being, “I am a buyer, but I guess I will keep renting because the market is too crazy for me.”
As an industry, we must be champions for homeownership—no matter what—and we must be willing to roll up our sleeves and get to work to make it happen because that is our job. We must stop saying the market is crazy because we are only contributing more to the housing challenge. Instead, focus on what you can control—your attitude, your actions, and your ability to face challenges head-on.
Inventory is only a problem when you don’t have it. So go out and find it, because six million people moved last year. How many people need your help this year, but they are scared because they’ve heard the market is crazy? Please, go call your people and have a conversation with them—they need you more than ever to successfully navigate their real estate goals in this complex market.
Sarah Michelle Bliss is a master coach with Workman Success Systems. Over the past 23 years, she has taught through team management and agent development. She is currently the director of agent development for RE/MAX Professionals in Glendale, Arizona. She is the international bestselling author of ‘8 Ways to Dominate Any Real Estate Market.’
