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 “I’m Doing Everything” Illusion
When I ask agents to lay out a typical day, the list usually looks like this:
Make cold calls
Follow up with a few clients
That’s it. That’s the whole plan.
Don’t get me wrong. Cold calling matters and is a great way to bring in new business. Following up should definitely be part of your process, too. But those two activities are the floor, not the ceiling.
They’re only part of what it takes to stay in the business, and doing the bare minimum is exactly why so many agents are struggling. Outbound lead generation is great, but inbound leads often close at a higher rate. A combination of the two is your home run.
Commercial real estate is already a hard business. Long sales cycles. Commission-only income. Deals that fall apart at the finish line for reasons you can’t control.
When you show up with only the bare minimum, you aren’t just competing in a hard business. You’re choosing to make it harder.
What’s Missing From Your Day?
Here’s what I almost never see on those daily schedules—and what separates the agents who build real careers from those who burn out after two years.
1. A Google Business Profile
When a business owner needs space, a landlord wants to sell, or an investor is looking for an expert in your market, what’s the first thing they do?
They search.
If you don’t have a Google Business Profile, you’re invisible at the exact moment someone is looking for help.
It’s free. It takes some time to set up, but it’s worth it. Add your photo, specialty, market, listings, and closed deals. Start collecting reviews from happy clients and post consistently.
Most of your competitors haven’t done it, which is exactly why you should.
2. A Real Email Program
Most agents have a database. Very few actually use it properly.
A limited email program—or none at all—means every relationship you’ve built goes cold the moment the deal closes or the call ends.
A consistent email program keeps you in front of owners, tenants, investors, and fellow brokers when you’re not on the phone with them. Share market updates, new listings, closed deals, or a short note about what you’re seeing in the market.
When they’re ready to make a move, you want your name to be the one they already know.
3. Content Creation
You know more about your market than 99% of the people who own property in it. So why is nobody hearing about it from you?
Create short videos, LinkedIn posts, market insights, or quick breakdowns of deals you’ve closed and what made them work.
Content builds trust before you ever pick up the phone. When you do call, you’re not a stranger anymore. You’re the person they’ve been watching explain their market.
You don’t need a production studio. You need a phone, a point of view, and consistency.
4. White Papers and Case Studies
This is one of the most underused tools in our business.
A well-written white paper or case study shows a prospect, in detail, how you think and what you can deliver. It turns “trust me” into “here’s proof.”
Pick a deal you’re proud of. Lay out the challenge, the strategy, and the result. Or write a white paper about a trend affecting your property type or submarket.
Then use it everywhere: in your emails, pitches, website, and follow-ups. One strong piece of thought leadership can open doors for years.
5. Learning How AI Can Grow Your Business
This one frustrates me the most because the tools are right there.
AI can help you research a market, draft a proposal, write an email campaign, outline a white paper, script a video, build a prospect list, and organize your follow-ups in a fraction of the time these tasks used to take.
The agents who learn to use AI aren’t replacing their work ethic. They’re multiplying it.
The agents who ignore it are going to find themselves competing against people who get twice as much done in the same day.
The Real Cost of Doing the Bare Minimum
Here’s the hard part the agents I’ve mentored hated to hear: when you only cold call and follow up with a few clients, you’re relying on one channel to carry your entire career.
Every day starts from zero. Nobody finds you. Nobody hears from you unless you call them. Nobody sees what you know.
The agents who make it build systems that work while they’re on the phone, in a meeting, or asleep.
Their Google Business Profiles bring in inquiries. Their email programs keep relationships warm. Their content builds their reputations. Their white papers close the trust gap. And AI helps them do all of it faster.
That’s not working harder for the sake of it. That’s working in a way that compounds.
What a Better Day Looks Like
You don’t have to do everything at once. But your day should look more like this:
Prospecting: Make cold calls and conduct outreach. This is still the backbone.
Follow-up: Connect with clients, prospects, and referral partners.
Visibility: Spend 20 to 30 minutes creating content, publishing a post or video, or updating your Google Business Profile.
Nurture: Work on your email program, even if you send only one good email every two weeks.
Expertise: Spend time each week developing a white paper, case study, or market report.
Growth: Spend time each week learning one new way AI can save you time or open a door.
Add one of these activities at a time. Build the habit. Then add the next one.
It’s a Choice
I’ve been in this industry a long time. I’ve seen good markets and bad ones, and I’ve watched talented people walk away from this business because it felt impossible.
But in most of the cases I’ve seen up close, the business wasn’t the problem. The approach was.
Commercial real estate is hard enough. Don’t make it harder by doing the minimum and hoping for a different result.
The agents who succeed aren’t always the most talented. They’re the ones who decide to do more than the minimum—and keep doing it.
So take a hard look at your day. What’s on it? More importantly, what’s missing?
The choice is yours.
Joe Killinger is a partner at Commercial Brokers International and founder of the CRE Affiliate Network. Come hang out with me on YouTube, Instagram, and X at @JoeKillinger, and find more at JoeKillinger.co.
