Chris Cook (00:00):
So I mean, it's quite simple. If you're not already doing PATH, it is a step-by-step guide on how to take bite-sized pieces consistently over the course of the year. Now, the difference between this and every other business plan is we're focusing on the things that are going to drive your production.
Johnder Perez (00:31):
All right. Welcome to a new year of Real Estate Strategies with RE/MAX Hallmark, and it's 2026. And what's really interesting is we ended 2025, me being interviewed by Chris Cook, who's with us. And today I'm the one who's turning the tables and I'm the one interviewing him. So let's welcome Chris Cook, and Chris Cook is a very instrumental part of RE/MAX Hallmark's leadership team. He does a lot of business building, systems, training, coaching. He does a lot for our realtors, and we're going to pick his brain today. Welcome, Chris.
Chris Cook (01:01):
Thank you, John Dra. Excited to be here.
Johnder Perez (01:03):
Absolutely. So Chris, we talked about some interesting stuff in our podcast together, so make sure all of you are listening to mind your real estate business as well. Look that up on wherever you listen to podcasts. But today we're going to talk about 2026, new year, new outlook, but also some of the things that agents were sort of asking you before the end of the year, sort of how they're approaching the new year. And maybe we're going to talk about how to manage mindset and expectations heading into this year and what it means from a business development standpoint and how realtors who are either individual realtors or team leaders can benefit from that. So why don't we start with, you send weekly emails out, Chris. You get a lot of agents asking you questions. Let's tackle some of these mindset issues that agents have to really reframe to be successful this year.
(01:57):
Why don't we start with that?
Chris Cook (01:58):
Yeah. And I think that 2025 was a really great indicator for what we can come to expect for at least the next 18 months. I mean, what happens after that is anybody's guess. But what we've seen is that the real estate business has become difficult. I think it was always hard to be fair, but it's become a lot more difficult since 2022. I think that there's probably a lot of agents who are waiting for return of previous days. And the frustration and what I'm hearing back from a lot of people is that they're capable of doing more. That's the vocabulary that they're using. I can do more.
(02:54):
How do I get more business? And you and I were talking about this, and it was something that sort of hit me in another meeting that I was having was, do you want to make more or do you want to do more? I think when you're saying you want to do more is you want to do more deals, but are you doing more work? Are you changing the work that you're doing to adapt to the market that we happen to be in now? And that's where I think the biggest piece of advice that I have that's going back to them is to challenge them on, are you simply crossing your fingers, doing the exact same things that you were doing in 2021, 2022, and expecting that same result here today in 2026? I don't think it would be fair to put that out into the ether and say, "I'm going to do the same things and expect the same results." What's the thing that I heard?
(03:57):
It's right when you figure out the answers, they change the questions.
Johnder Perez (04:01):
That's right.
Chris Cook (04:01):
And that's what's happened here. They've changed. The questions have all changed. How you get business isn't necessarily different, but your actions have to be escalated. You have to be better than you were in 2021 if you want to do the same.
Johnder Perez (04:19):
Yeah. And I think that's where the key distinction is, is the doing more versus making more. Because naturally when you're in the real estate business, when you're in any business for that matter, it doesn't matter what you're doing, one of the key milestones of growth is to be able to do more or better than the previous year. But does that mean simply doing more activity and you generate the same result, which could be your profitability might be the same because you're spending more, you're spending more time, maybe you've got to scale team members and so your net is the same. Or do you increase profitability as opposed to just doing activity for doing activity sake and keeping busy? So Chris, in as much as you specialize in creating business systems, you've seen how realtors have built their businesses, what kind of systems they run, what they have maybe and also what they don't have.
(05:07):
Going into this year, what would be one of the strategies that you would advise realtors to really look at? I mean, we have business planning, you've got a new path program here at RE/MAX Hallmark. What is it that they should really start analyzing and picking at first before focusing on anything else?
Chris Cook (05:31):
Yeah, it's a broad question. And so I'm going to start with a broad answer, I suppose, is everybody's heard of this, the working on your business versus working in your business. And I think that a lot of agents need to make a really clear definition of what those two things are. A lot of agents, when I'm receiving the path, when people are uploading their power plan to path, most of what people are writing under their strategies is working on the business. I want to develop a better buyer guide. I want to build out my database, put all my database into my CRM, those type of activities. And so the test that I always send back to them, I said, "If you did all of these things that you've listed as strategies, how many new clients would you attract?" And the answer, if all I did was improve the functionality of my database, well, that doesn't necessarily bring me new business unless I improve my functionality of my database to send more emails, to send more outreach things.
(06:43):
So what I challenge people is to say, "And then what? What is that going to do to bring more business to you? How are people going to recognize that now you've made this improvement and they're going to come to you?
Johnder Perez (06:57):
" And I think that's really the missing piece of the puzzle,
Chris Cook (06:59):
Right? It is. And that's the part that's actually the hardest for people is the doing. The getting out and shaking off the secret agent shackles. I would love it if my phone rang every single day with a new piece of business, but the reality is I need to find ways to put myself out there so that people understand why I'm different than the other 70,000 licensed agents in the city, why I'm better than their cousin. Why me? And I always sort of ask that question of myself as like, I always say, "Why me? " I also say, "Why not me? " It's the same thing. People will choose me if I'm the right option, but I have to put that option in front of people. And so when I think about working in my business, what I want to be really careful of is to not over-task myself in January and February with, "I'm going to call 30 people a day." Well, that's probably not sustainable.
(08:05):
I would rather call three to five people per day, five days a week, and still be doing that in June, July, August, September. And it's the consistency of the activity and your ability to be able to still execute the working in your business when you're busy.
Johnder Perez (08:21):
Yeah. And I think one of the ... I guess everybody false prey to this because new year and new outlook, new year's resolutions, business planning, goal setting and all that. And so there's always that energy. You've just enjoyed the holidays, everybody's had fun and had a chance to recharge, and then all of a sudden everybody wants to tackle everything all at once. "Oh, I've got to make all these videos. I've got to make 30 calls a day, as you said. I'm going to send out a whole bunch of flyers and I'm going to do all this prospecting and then I'm going to write all these articles. "And one of the challenges that I posed to one of our realtors who I had spoke with just this morning was, " Okay, this is great and it's a good start, but I want to see three months from now, six months from now that you're still doing this.
(09:00):
"So Chris, with this outlook into 2026, I guess what's a cure to prevent realtors from burning out and being so super ambitious now, but then I guess speaking to sustainability, how do you prevent that burnout later on in the year where you're like, " You know what? I just realized I can't keep this up.
Chris Cook (09:23):
"There's a couple of different things. I think the first thing is you've got to look at the long game or the medium length game of what does the end of the year look like and know that if I have a cup, I use this as an example, it was a great example that was given to me. I have a cup and if I put a grain of rice in that cup every single day, at the end of the year, the cup will be full. That is the slow and steady approach that's going to get me there. Now the problem is that if you do too much too soon or too much all at once, you do lose that energy. And this is a game of consistency. You do a few things, pick three things. And what I love about what Corey has developed with the GPS strategy, goals, priorities, strategies, is it takes that overall thing and moves it down.
(10:27):
I'll give you an example.This is the way I think most agents should approach their GPS strategy. Goals. I want to get the most amount of benefit from my sphere of influence, my past clients, and free marketing activities that put me in front of more people. So I want to spend as little possible money and I want to engage and make sure that I'm getting the most from what I already have available to me before I go searching for other things. So that's my overall goal. Then within that, I'm going to make sure that I am engaging with my past clients in Sphere, that I'm adding new people to my database on a consistent basis and that I'm leveraging tools like door knocking and open houses. There's my three strategies. Then out of there, I can start saying, okay, I'm going to send a weekly email to my entire database on Saturday at 8:30 AM.
(11:31):
I'm going to work three open houses per month and I expect to get one client or three meetings per month and one client per month come from that. So I have very expected goals that come from that. I am going to leverage my connection with my local club or whatever it is you're interested in. I'm going to leverage my relationships within there. I'm going to become a leader within that community. I'm going to run one event per month that I am the leader of. And through that, I'm going to meet more people. So these are very tangible things that I can then write in my accountability. Every single week I can look at it and I can say, have I connected with my local community? Have I sent my email? Have I made my three to five ... I'm going to back up. I hate the three to five.
(12:26):
Say what you mean. Okay? Don't say three to five. Say three. Say four, say five. It's a slippery slope. You're like, "Well, this week I did three. I just got in under the wire. Next week, maybe you only did two. I'm going to do three per week or three per day calls. That's what I'm going to do. " And when you affirm it that way, these are the things that are going to be able to, over time, because they're all things that no matter how terrible a day you just had, you can still get these things done.
Johnder Perez (12:55):
And I think the important thing that you pointed out, Chris, is to be specific with it because a lot of realtors tend to take on, with this ambitiousness and this energy, they tend to take on a lot more. And even one of our top producing realtors here, she said in one of her classes that, you know what, forget even three to five per day, five per week and you're good.
Chris Cook (13:15):
One a day.
Johnder Perez (13:16):
Yeah, one a day. And it's not to say that, hey, you're too good or too bad to be able to do even one or two or three. It's not that. It's what can you actually sustain and be honest with yourself? Can you do one per day? And if you can't do one per day, I mean, you shouldn't really be in this business. But if you can do that five per month, five per week, 20 per month is still, what, 240, if I'm doing my math correctly, you can't get 10 deals out of 240 connections that you make. If
Chris Cook (13:46):
You're strategic about that, about who those people are and you're using your CRM correctly to connect with those people, you talk to, even if that's what, 250 to 270 people per year
Johnder Perez (13:59):
That's right.
Chris Cook (13:59):
It's probably 270 more than you did last year.
Johnder Perez (14:03):
Exactly. If you do it consistently, because what realtors ... Again, the trap is you get so busy, all of a sudden you can't sustain the minimum that you've said that you were going to do. And so Chris, this sounds very simple. And if anybody listening, watching this, make sure you follow, make sure you comment, subscribe, whether you're listening to this on a podcast audio or watching us on YouTube. This sounds so simple though. So what prevents a realtor from actually pulling this off? Because if somebody actually following this did this, that's guaranteed six figure income minimum.You're in the six figures already. So what are some of the traps, what are some of the obstacles that we can shake out of realtors minds this year so that this becomes one of their best years, if not their best year ever?
Chris Cook (14:50):
Yeah. I mean, the first thing is stop comparing yourself to other realtors, start there. You can look to other realtors for inspiration, all those sort of things. But at the end of the day, I think it causes more harm than good. Focus on you and your activities. Don't think that a better buyer guide is going to make the difference. Having a really glossy, super fantastic buyer guide, but you don't meet people. I've actually taken a lot of advice from Ken and Steve when it comes to this sort of stuff. And if I go to a listing presentation, I show up with knowledge. I spend my time learning the market, seeing the houses that are available, understanding what's happening in that market. I have the comps, they're in my bag, but I can talk intelligently about what's going on. Focus on you, focus on understanding the market.
(16:01):
Do the things that are really going to move the needle for you and where you're at. I think that's the biggest thing is I think people are busy comparing their chapter four to somebody else's chapter 20. So if you have an agent that's been 25 years in the business, chances are you just don't know as many people as them.
Johnder Perez (16:29):
That's right.
Chris Cook (16:30):
It has nothing to do with their billboard. It has nothing to do with their listing package or any of those other things. They just know more people than you.
Johnder Perez (16:42):
Yeah. And I think that's what it is. As realtors, you get busy nitpicking the details of sprucing up your listing presentation, your buyer guide, your seller guide, and not realizing that in order for you to actually go on these presentations and consultations, you've got to speak with people. And at the end of the day, this is a contact sport. It's a belly to belly business. And no matter how you get that initial conversation, whether it's door knocking open houses, as Chris said, you want to do lead generation, you want to do ads on social, as long as you're getting in front of somebody, that's ultimately the goal. So speaking of that, the path into 2026, which is sort of my lead into Chris, sharing a little bit of your program to RE/MAX Hallmarkers who are following us here or some realtors who are not part of RE/MAX Hallmark yet.
(17:29):
But why don't we finish off with what is PATH all about? What's its structure? What should a realtor going into the path and following it expect to get? And how do they avail of this fantastic educational opportunity?
Chris Cook (17:41):
Yeah, I mean, it's quite simple. If you're not already doing PATH, it is a step-by-step guide on how to take bite-sized pieces consistently over the course of the year. Now, the difference between this and every other business plan is we're not getting into the trenches on the costs of your business. We're not getting into how much your kid's tuition is and all the other sort of details, the financial details. We're focusing on the things that are going to drive your production. How are you going to meet more people? What are the activities that you're going to do on a consistent basis, stay in touch with the people you already know? And this is the part that I really like about is as people engage with this, I'm seeing everything at scale. And so I'm able to actually make a lot of corrections and suggestions on how to get more out of what you're doing.
(18:51):
So essentially what you're getting is a top level coaching type of approach, but with the concierge of a private coach. I'm seeing everything that you're doing. If it's right, I won't say anything. I probably won't even give you an attaboy, but the moment that there's something that you can make an improvement from, you're going to hear from me. And I'm going to send you that point of context. So it's that correction and that keeping you on task is really what the power of path is, is that you've got another set of eyes on this that knows ... I know where the pitfalls are, where the little, "Oh man, would I rather call five people today or work on my buyer guide?" Exactly. And I'm feeling a little reclusive, so I'm not going to ... Listen, I've been there, I've done it. I have actually done that thing where I was like, "You know what would be good for my business is to make these calls, but what I'm going to do ... " And you convinced yourself that this is going to help your business.
Johnder Perez (19:58):
Yeah. Keeping busy versus actually doing work.
Chris Cook (20:01):
Yeah. Yeah. And so this is where the flashlight really needs to get shown into some dark corners and I love that one, hey, if it's one, do one. And I look at it the same as fitness or anything else. If you can't do 10 pushups, start with five.
Johnder Perez (20:22):
Start with one.
Chris Cook (20:22):
Right? Start with one. And then you'll do that for a couple of days and the next thing you know, you can do two and three and you got to build up that muscle. Exactly. And what I find is that most of these things, we get into our own heads and we get anxious about what we think that outcome is going to be. And then when you start doing it, how much love you end up feeling from it. When I call people and they're genuinely happy to hear from me, I started doing some Popeye's this year for the first time ever. People loved it. I got people, this one lady, I knocked on the door, no answer. I just hung the little bag on the door and I was walking back to my car and she chased me down to give me a hug.
Johnder Perez (21:09):
There you go. And
Chris Cook (21:11):
That's the sort of stuff fills your cup. But again, I'd never done Popeye's before, John Dere, I made a commitment to do 25.
Johnder Perez (21:21):
Yeah. And it's human connection.
Chris Cook (21:22):
Yeah.
Johnder Perez (21:23):
Contact sport, human connection, being consistent, keeping it simple, and just listening and following to what Chris has said. So thank you so much, Chris, for joining us on here on Real Estate Strategies. For everybody else, if you're not on the path in 2026, you know where to find the path. Chris is right here and he's going to lead you down that way. Wishing you all a fantastic new year and have an amazing one. Let's make 2026 the best year ever. All right?
Chris Cook (21:59):
Awesome.
Johnder Perez (21:59):
Thanks everybody.
Chris Cook (21:59):
Thanks, John. Thank you, Chris.
