Over the years, I’ve mentored a lot of commercial real estate agents, and I’ve talked with many more who never formally worked with me. A lot of those conversations start the same way:

“Joe, I’m struggling. I’m doing everything I can, and it’s just not happening.”

I believe them when they say they’re frustrated. I don’t always believe them when they say they’re doing everything.

So I ask a simple question: Walk me through your day.

That’s where the truth comes out.

The big brokerage firms spend millions on their brand. The billboards, the sponsorships, the glossy reports, the name on the side of the building. And I'll give them this: it's a great-looking logo.

But after 25+-plus years in this business, here's what I know. That logo has never closed a deal. Not once.

Here's how to generate Commercial Real Estate’s Easiest Money

Some of the easiest revenue you can create for yourself as a CRE agent is referral fees. Yet when I talk to agents, most of them have earned little, if any, referral income. Earning this extra income takes very little effort, and in the end it can add up to a nice increase in your revenue.

Here's something to think about: your next client might never Google you.

Instead, they'll open ChatGPT, Claude, or Perplexity and type something like, "Who's a good industrial broker in Los Angeles?" A few seconds later, they've got three or four names. If yours isn't on that list, you didn't lose the deal. You just never knew the opportunity existed.

In more than 30 years in commercial real estate, I’ve been on both sides of the recruiting call. I’ve been the broker getting courted, and I’ve been the one picking up the phone to recruit talent.

Here’s what I’ve learned: The brokers who say, “I’m happy where I am, no thanks,” before hearing a word are often the ones who end up leaving money, growth, and options on the table.