The Lone Wolf Is the First to Die: Why New Agents Need a Pack

Wolves have fascinated me for more than 30 years, and the reason has always made me laugh. Back when my wife and I were trying to decide on names for future children, we could not agree on a boy's name to save our lives. The only name we both liked was Hunter. There was just one small problem: Hunter was already the name of our dog from my college days.

I tried pitching "Aero" because I thought Aero Smith would be the coolest name in the world. In my mind, that kid would have been destined to become a rock star. My wife disagreed completely and wanted no part of it.

Since Hunter was the only name we could both agree on, we eventually decided the dog would have to be renamed. Looking at him, the choice seemed obvious. He had the build, coloring, and appearance of a wolf, so we gave him a new name that fit his look and personality. Ever since then, I've had a soft spot for wolves. Maybe that's why the lesson of the wolf pack resonates with me so deeply.

Wolves rarely thrive alone. They survive, hunt, protect, and succeed together. And after watching countless real estate agents over the years, I've come to believe the same is true in our business. The agents who find their pack almost always outperform the ones who try to go it alone.

Real estate is often sold as a “be your own boss” business.

Set your own schedule. Build your own brand. Make your own money.

Sounds great, right?

But here’s the problem: too many new agents hear “be your own boss” and accidentally translate it into “do everything alone.”

And in this business, the lone wolf is usually the first to die.

After nearly 30 years in real estate and 10 years in leadership, I’ve had plenty of a-ha moments. But one of the biggest came in 2014.

For years, I gave new agents what I thought was great advice:

“Shadow the top producers.”

Learn from the best. Watch what they say. See how they handle clients. Study their habits.

And that advice wasn’t wrong.

But it was incomplete.

Because for some new agents, shadowing a top producer felt less like learning and more like playing basketball against Michael Jordan.

You don’t leave inspired.

You leave wondering if you should quit.

Then in 2014, five brand-new female agents joined our office around the same time. They didn’t know each other beforehand, but they were in similar life stages, hungry to succeed, and willing to do the work.

Statistically, most new agents don’t make it. We’ve all heard the number: According to the National Association of Realtors, 87% leave the industry within their first two years.

But these five didn’t just survive.

They all capped in their first year.

For those not familiar with the term "cap" word, “capping” means they hit their commission threshold and earned 100% of their commission for the rest of the year.

For a brand-new agent, that’s a huge deal.

So I started watching them.

What were they doing differently?

They sat together in the bullpen.

They attended training together.

They went to lunch together.

They shared ideas, struggles, scripts, wins, losses, and encouragement.

That was the secret.

No magic lead source.

No fancy CRM hack.

No guru course.

They had a pack.

When one of them got a listing, the others thought, “Maybe I can do that too.”

When one of them struggled, the others picked her up.

When one of them figured something out, she shared it.

Success became contagious.

That experience changed the way I coached new agents forever.

Yes, shadow successful agents.

Yes, learn from top producers.

Yes, study the people who are where you want to be.

But don’t only surround yourself with people so far ahead of you that their success feels unreachable.

Find people who are in the fight with you.

Find your tribe.

Find your wolf pack.

COVID made this harder. Virtual training, Zoom meetings, working from home, and remote everything made it easy for agents to become isolated.

But convenience can be dangerous.

Because real estate is already tough enough without doing it alone.

You need people to role-play with.

You need people to call you out.

You need people to celebrate your first listing, first contract, first closing, and first tough lesson.

You need people who understand what it feels like when the phone feels heavy, the leads feel cold, and the doubt starts whispering.

So here’s my challenge:

If you’re a new agent, don’t be a lone wolf.

Find two, three, or four other agents who are serious about building a business. Meet weekly. Role-play. Share wins. Share struggles. Hold each other accountable.

If you’re a seasoned agent or leader, create the environment where those packs can form.

Because people don’t just need training.

They need belonging.

They need belief.

They need proof that someone just like them can make it.

And sometimes the thing that keeps an agent in the business isn’t another class, script, or lead source.

Sometimes it’s simply knowing they’re not alone.

In real estate, the lone wolf may look strong.

But the pack survives.

Text "wolfpack" to (979) 777-7677