Why Real Estate Agents Often Fail as Salespeople
Why Real Estate Agents Often Fail as Salespeople
Today was the first round of interviews with a sales team from a Canadian real estate and immigration agency.
And once again, I was reminded — experienced agents often fail when they join a structured sales company.
Realtor vs. Agent
In Canada, the difference is clear:
- Realtor — licensed, registered with a professional guild, works within a company.
- Real Estate Agent — may hold a license, but works independently, not part of any organization.
When a brokerage scales, hiring such agents seems logical:
they know the market, the process, the clients.
But in reality, they rarely perform — and often bring chaos instead.
Why They Struggle
1. They do everything themselves
Delegation is alien to them.
They’ll fix a sink instead of closing a deal.
They treat every task as their personal responsibility —
but forget that their time as a salesperson costs much more.
2. They don’t aim to grow
They live day by day.
If today brings income — great. Tomorrow will take care of itself.
No strategy, no scaling, no self-development.
3. They reject systems
CRM, automation, reports — all seen as “bureaucracy.”
Leads live in notebooks, payments in Excel or memory.
Their logic:
“Why would I need a CRM? I don’t have that many clients.”
4. They don’t plan
No sales plan, no KPIs, no forecasts.
Just short-term hustle —
“as long as there’s money today.”
5. They fear structure
The biggest issue isn’t skill — it’s mindset.
Working solo means freedom.
Joining a company means accountability.
And most agents simply can’t adapt to discipline.
Bottom Line
Independent agents are great freelancers —
but poor team players.
Sales isn’t about fixing pipes.
It’s about building systems that create results.