1. Barbara Corcoran
Is there a better place to start than with the grande dame of real estate? From a $1,000 loan, she built a billion-dollar business and one of the most successful brokerages in the world. She is also responsible for one of my favorite quotes: “You can catch a great attitude from great people.” A brilliant writer, speaker, and mentor, she took Shark Tank to soaring heights and isn’t afraid to share hard truths.
What You’ll Learn From Barbara Corcoran
When it comes to real estate, she encourages agents to shed their fear, to be convinced that they can and will succeed because, well, they have to. One of her greatest gifts is storytelling, and the more you listen to her, the more you become convinced that anything is possible. My favorite video is this interview on Diary of a CEO. She’s tough, funny, and vulnerable, leaving viewers rooting for her and ourselves.
2. Ricky Carruth
I recommend Ricky Carruth’s video on real estate agent success to everyone I talk to: new agents, veteran agents, and especially agents who feel like they’re drifting in the doldrums. Carruth walks a fine line between feeling like your best friend and a mentor you don’t want to let down.
What You’ll Learn From Ricky Carruth
His video outlines how we can (and should) define success, stay motivated, and build a virtually market-crash-proof business. What he says resonates with his life experiences, finding happiness in the moment, and how a simple phone call (not a sales call) is the first and only step you need.
3. Tom Ferry
Tom Ferry is a man who needs no introduction. He’s the king of real estate coaching, the prince of motivational speaking, and a jack of many trades. He’s one of the great real estate motivational speakers because he’s engaging, genuine, and, well, everywhere. His charisma shines through on his podcast, YouTube channel, and annual Success Summit.
What You’ll Learn From Tom Ferry
Check out his video specifically for those moments when you have lost motivation. It’s brief but impactful. Yes, he says “mojo” too often, but he asks you to answer some crucial questions to help you get back on track. My favorite tip is his encouragement to not put things off. It’s so easy to think, “I’ll do my cold calling tomorrow,” and sure, that is a nice feeling at that moment, but how is that really serving you? What structures and accountability can be put in place so you aren’t trapped in a cycle of procrastination?
4. Fredrik Eklund
You know him from “Million Dollar Listing,” and you can probably picture him doing his signature high kick that reveals colorful socks. While sometimes silly and snarky, he has a thoughtful, genuine side. Fredrik has always been original, and he credits that authenticity with his success.
What You’ll Learn From Fredrik Eklund
In this very short video, he zeros in on making “being yourself” work for you. In fact, he argues that being “you” should be your entire value proposition. It’s an inspiring reminder that success in this industry takes many forms. As the market shifts, know that being yourself will always be a winning bet.
5. Grant Cardone
Grant Cardone shares his philosophy on sales through videos, books, speaking engagements, and even Cardone University. We’re talking millions of views, millions of coaching clients, millions of salespeople inspired, and that’s why he’s on our list of top real estate motivational speakers.
What You’ll Learn From Grant Cardone
His Louisiana drawl draws us in as he encourages, explains, and pushes us to be bigger, better, stronger—10X what we already are. He argues that we should never ever settle, which is sometimes precisely what we need to hear. In his famous 5 Steps to Becoming a Millionaire video, he starts out by saying $1 million is not nearly enough.
6. Max Maxwell
Serial entrepreneur, real estate guru, motivational speaker, professional bull-rider sports agent, pilot, and fellow Winston-Salem native Max Maxwell doesn’t just tell us how to be successful—he shows us through podcasts, dynamic videos, engaging social media, and speaking engagements.
What You’ll Learn From Max Maxwell
Maxwell offers agents real, actionable advice and strategy so that we can emulate his level of success. He teaches his 333,000-plus followers real estate investing and sales, but it’s his recent move to Dubai that has me hooked. It’s fascinating to watch him navigate the intricacies of building a new business in a foreign land. He’s made mistakes, so we don’t have to. His calm wisdom inspires, and his concrete business lessons motivate.
7. Brian Buffini
Buffini arrived in the U.S. as a young man from Ireland, built a successful real estate career, a bustling coaching business, and became a top-notch motivational speaker.
What You’ll Learn From Brian Buffini
I don’t know if it’s the lilt in his voice or the simplicity of his message, but his iconic video, Three Habits that Determine Your Success in Real Estate, is one to watch. It’s short, impactful, and keeps you on track. Spoiler alert: mindset, motivation, and methodology are the three things, but watch the video for why and how.
8. Shea Hillenbrand
Major league baseball player Shea Hillenbrand reached such heights of success that he owned a zoo. Despite his accomplishments, he was miserable, spiraled into drugs, and lost it all. Shea picked himself up through pure strength of will and has gone on to build an awe-inspiring career in real estate.
What You’ll Learn From Shea Hillenbrand
He preaches persistence and resilience and, most importantly, to stop fearing failure. Shea is someone who didn’t just experience rock bottom—he slammed into it. He knows firsthand that being afraid of failing will hold you back—because even if you fall, you can get back up. His (sometimes expletive-laden) videos encourage you to never, ever give up.
9. Egypt Sherrod
Egypt Sherrod is a reality star from her show “Married to Real Estate.” She was also a syndicated radio show host who counted the likes of Oprah Winfrey as one of her guests. Her unique life experiences allow her to have an inspiring story to tell and tell it really well.
What You’ll Learn From Egypt Sherrod
One of her favorite sayings is one we’ll need for the next few market cycles: Being fearless doesn’t mean you don’t have fear—it just means you do it anyway. This is going to be a crucial sentiment for us as we weather market conditions and massive shifts in our industry. Staying brave, even when doing something big and scary, will help us on our journeys to success.
10. Glennda Baker
Glennda Baker, an Atlanta agent with the style and sass of a “Designing Women” character, knows how to speak to her audience. She’s funny (the time she sold the wrong house!) and, like Ricky Carruth, feels like a friend and mentor. I want to have a glass of wine with her.
What You’ll Learn From Glennda Baker
Her videos and content are a little more how-to than inspirational, but there’s no doubt that there is motivation in knowing how to do your job well. You’ll learn sales, investing, and general best business practices like goal setting. Never boring, and always helpful, Glennda will ensure you know how to recover from selling the wrong house.
11. Chelsea Peitz
Chelsea Peitz is another agent taking the speaking stages by storm, especially with her unique perspective on success in social media. In today’s unique market, having a real estate speaker focus on the tools that will carry us far into the next few years is helpful.
What You’ll Learn From Chelsea Peitz
She spells everything out in simple, actionable ways in her videos that make sense. Chelsea speaks about how TikTok isn’t scary—putting yourself out there is what’s scary. She argues (rightfully) that today’s consumer wants to connect while consuming, that the only unique content is one’s own story, and that messaging should always teach and reach.
12. Phil M. Jones
Phil M. Jones has a unique brand of speaking that blends humor, encouragement, and sincerity. His wit shines through as he helps his audience (whether in person, reading his books, or watching his videos) learn “sales.”
What You’ll Learn From Phil Jones
While his topics stretch beyond real estate, he is adept at isolating the exact words you need to push a deal forward. What he says is perfectly intuitive, but having his precise words and phrases in my back pocket removes the uncertainty and fear in any negotiation.
Where to See the Best Real Estate Motivational Speakers
The top real estate speakers are most impactful when seen in person. When the lights dim and the crowd is on their feet, applauding, the energy feels electric, making a speaker’s inspiring words all the more powerful. It’s the difference between watching an epic war drama on your phone and in an IMAX theater. You really believe you were at the Battle of Dunkirk, just like you really believe you are going to set the real estate world alight.
Real estate keynote speakers excel at showmanship and crafting a message that inspires. Real estate conferences bring in the most impressive speakers, attract top producers, and provide world-class motivational experiences.
However, other ways exist to see these excellent motivational speakers in action if you can’t attend a conference. (If you haven’t watched Angela Duckworth encourage grit or Simon Sinek ask your “why,” you’re missing out.) The easiest way to access these speakers is through their (usually) free videos and social media. Additionally, you can:
- Read their books in your free time or in between showings.
- Listen to podcasts on your way to work, while cooking dinner, or on a jog.
- Check out their helpful blogs.
- Join their mastermind Facebook groups.
3 Steps to Becoming a Real Estate Speaker
Each of these real estate motivational speakers started just like you: agents who felt like they had more to give. Being a motivational speaker takes guts and the ability to light up a room, but most importantly, it requires a desire to help others. Ricky Carruth, for example, acknowledges that there are other real estate coaches out there, but he says, “No one loves y’all (real estate agents) more than me.”
Follow these three steps to brainstorm your start as a real estate motivational speaker:
- Once you have tapped into that desire to help others, you must work on your messaging. What do you have that’s unique? What story can you tell that will inspire others? How can you provide hope and guidance? What is your value proposition?
- Next, it’s time to put your message out into the world. Start simply with social media. Short-form videos with bite-sized messages are a great way to start and build up to longer videos. Publish on LinkedIn, do interviews, write blog posts, comment and post on social media, offer a class—do whatever you can to start getting the word out that you have something to say.
- The key here is consistency. You can’t just toss out six videos and be frustrated that you’re not a phenomenon. Your success isn’t going to come overnight, but if you start with the goal of helping one person, then two, then a dozen, slowly and patiently, you can build an empire.
Being a motivational speaker is a lot like being a real estate agent. You must be patient, brave, consistent, believe in yourself, not give up, and care about helping others.
Bringing It All Together
While each real estate motivational speaker has their style and way of delivering their message, they all say the same thing: Don’t give up, don’t be afraid, work hard, and be yourself. If you can do this, there is no limit to your potential and success.
Have a favorite real estate speaker? Seen some on our list firsthand? Let us hear from you in the comments!
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