4 Simple Stress Tips for CRE Brokers

There’s no secret that two of the most stressful types of jobs are real estate and commission-only businesses.

CRE brokers like us have just happened to combine both of these and turned them into a profession! Obviously, I believe that we’re in the best business in the world, but there’s no hiding from the fact that a level of stress comes with the territory.

The good news is that there have never been more useful techniques available to manage it. Today, I’m going to share four of them. The majority of which I learned directly from our “Dealing With Stress In Brokerage” training, held with Massimo, coach Bryan McCann, and licensed psychologist Chelsea Grefe.

 

Here are the main takeaways:

• Acknowledge the stress

We’ve all had those thoughts: “Am I making the right decision?”

“Will I ever get that deal to close?”

“Am I ever going to be successful?”

It can drive us crazy inside.

When we get asked about it, we respond with something along the lines of “I’m fine, I’m fine”.

Trust me, every successful broker wrestles with this. The problem isn’t that we have these thoughts; it’s whether or not we acknowledge them. Instead of being honest with themselves, most try to play it cool on the outside so they don’t take it home and put it on others. But instead of helping, it simply keeps eating us up.

But if you can simply acknowledge how you’re feeling to yourself and those around you, stress becomes much easier to manage. Acknowledging stress doesn’t mean you’re giving in to it; it’s simply the first step toward controlling it. Talk to a colleague or a mentor, or even just write it down—acknowledging the stress gives you the power to face it.

• Reframe your negative thoughts

When you’re stressed, your thoughts can spiral into unhelpful territory. For example, you lose a listing to another brokerage. The automatic thought becomes “I didn’t get the listing. I’m a failure.” This type of thinking erodes your confidence and creates unnecessary anxiety, making it harder to move forward and get back to making deals happen.

Instead, it’s all about shifting your mindset from “all-or-nothing” thinking to a more balanced perspective. This way, you’re not letting one deal (or one missed deal) define your success.

The chart below illustrates how you can start reframing your situation into new, positive thoughts.

• Stress management is a skill that requires practice

I’ll be the first to admit – stress gets to me now and then. I’m always striving to improve what we do at Massimo, both for my team and our clients. It would be naive of me to assume that I could be immune to it.

But one of the key things that I (and our clients) understand is that managing your stress is a skill that needs to be practiced over time.

For example, my mornings usually include a diaphragmatic breathing exercise before exercising. It helps prime me for the day, center my thoughts, and keep my stress in check, instead of jumping straight into the chaos!

The key is finding what works for you and committing to it, whether it’s breathing exercises, meditation, or taking short breaks throughout the day to reset.

• Become a better broker

Stress comes from dozens of sources. But consider that perhaps for you, your stress would significantly reduce if your business was more streamlined, your pipeline consistently full, and you weren’t constantly worrying about where the next deal is coming from.

My final piece of advice is simple: never stop investing in your growth and education to become a better broker.

Our coaching is a game-changer for this because we’ve built an entire blueprint around running a successful CRE business.