Done is Better Than Perfect: The Real Estate Edition

Let me start with a truth bomb: your perfect prospecting plan isn’t helping you if it’s still sitting in your notebook or worse, in your head, waiting to be launched. You can have the most beautifully crafted campaign idea, the most detailed scripts, the cleanest Canva templates, and a 27-step email funnel ready to go—but if it never sees the light of day, it’s worth exactly zero to your business. Let me say that again: if you never execute on your plan, it is worth nothing, nada, zip, zilch, niente, rien. Zero.

This is where we need to talk about something that’s painfully relevant in our industry: done is better than perfect.

I see it all the time with agents—smart, capable professionals who are more than willing to put in the work, but who get stuck trying to make things flawless. Whether it’s launching a new social media strategy, following up with past clients, or finally starting that newsletter they’ve been talking about for months, they hesitate. Why? Because they’re trying to make it perfect.

And in the meantime, the business isn’t growing. The database is getting colder. The phone isn’t ringing.

Perfection is the Enemy of Momentum

In real estate, momentum is everything. You don’t build a pipeline of clients by being a marketing genius. You build it by being consistent. The agents who win are the ones who keep showing up—whether or not they feel ready, whether or not everything is polished, whether or not they have the perfect post, the perfect words, or the perfect email subject line.

You’ve probably heard me say this before: you don’t need a perfect database system to start calling your past clients. You don’t need a professional video crew to record your market update. You don’t need a fully automated CRM funnel before you send a check-in email. You just need to do something.

Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.

The Prospecting Trap: Planning to Death

Here’s a typical trap I see agents fall into: they decide they need to prospect more (which is always true). So, they commit to creating a high-level campaign. They begin outlining it: which tools to use, what platforms to leverage, how to segment their audience, what the message should be, and how to track the metrics.

They spend hours researching the best subject lines, the best time of day to call, whether to use BombBomb or Loom, if they should build a landing page, or just direct people to their website. The plan starts to get bigger and more complex. And you know what happens?

They never start the work.

Instead, the planning becomes the activity. It feels productive, but it’s not. No one has been contacted. No appointments have been booked. No conversations have happened.

Planning only counts when it leads to execution.

Done = Progress. Progress = Results.

Think about the agents you know who are consistently successful. Are they doing everything perfectly? Absolutely not. They’re the ones who mess up their mail merge, who fumble their way through video updates, who sometimes send emails with typos or forget to attach the PDF.

But they keep showing up. And because they keep showing up, they’re constantly in motion. They’re top-of-mind with their network (which is the whole point!). They’re visible in their communities. They’re on people’s phones, in their inboxes, and in their feeds.

That visibility turns into trust. Trust turns into business. Business turns into referrals. And it all starts by doing—imperfectly, but consistently.

The Illusion of Perfect Timing

Another place agents get stuck is in waiting for the right time to launch something. They think: “I’ll start calling when the kids are back in school.” Or, “I’ll get my marketing out when the market picks up.” Or, “I’ll film that video once I have the right outfit, lighting, equipment, and a better background.”

Here’s the truth: the right time is now. Conditions are never perfect. Life will always be busy. There’s always something that could be tweaked, optimized, or improved. If you wait for perfect, you’ll be waiting forever.

How to Get Comfortable With ‘Done’

Here’s what I coach my agents to do:

1. Set a deadline — Give yourself a hard date to launch or execute. No extensions. No exceptions.

2. Shrink the project — If you’re overwhelmed, make the project smaller. Instead of planning a 12-email nurture campaign, write one good email and send it. Instead of revamping your whole social media calendar, post something today.

3. Get it out, then iterate — Launch messy. Then improve it as you go. Most people won’t notice the imperfections, and even if they do, they’ll admire that you’re taking action.

4. Measure action, not perfection — Track the number of calls made, the number of emails sent, the number of videos posted—not how perfect they were. Focus on what’s within your control.

5. Surround yourself with action-takers — Spend time with other agents who are moving forward. Momentum is contagious.

You Don’t Need to Impress—You Need to Connect

Remember: people aren’t hiring you because you have flawless marketing materials. They’re hiring you because they trust you, like you, and believe you can guide them through a huge life decision. That connection doesn’t come from perfect branding. It comes from consistent communication and your authentic presence.

If you want more listings, more buyers, and more referrals, you have to be top-of-mind. And the only way to stay top-of-mind is to stay in motion.

So send the email. Make the calls. Film the video. Knock on the doors. Post the update. Even if it’s not perfect.

Especially if it’s not perfect.

Final Thought

I’d rather see an agent execute ten scrappy, imperfect prospecting touches than spend three weeks crafting a flawless campaign that never goes out. The agents who grow their business are the ones who are willing to get a little messy and make a few mistakes along the way.

Done is better than perfect. Every. Single. Time.

So, what are you waiting for?

Go do the thing.

If you’re ready to stop overthinking and start taking real action in your business, let’s talk. Coaching isn’t about being perfect—it’s about getting results. Reach out if you want help building the kind of momentum that actually moves the needle.