In the world of real estate or any other entrepreneurial vocation, it can be challenging to keep the motivation, passion and momentum at full capacity. At the same time, the idea of entrepreneurship is exciting and enticing: be your own boss! There’s no ceiling to what you can make! It’s all up to you!

As one of my mentors, Brian Buffini, notes, you might be a terrible boss who is too lax or too strict. There may not be a ceiling to what you can make as an entrepreneur, but there is also no floor … and it really is all up to you. Moreover, being in business for yourself and by yourself can be incredibly lonely.

Real estate: One of the only industries offering a tangible fee for your relationship

The challenge of keeping a high level of motivation and continuously propelling yourself toward success is one of the reasons real estate sales conferences are so popular. Hundreds (or thousands) of real estate professionals come together in a far-off location like Vegas, Halifax, Toronto, Dallas or San Diego for a few days, and the world stands still.

The material is engaging (hopefully), and you take notes, you might get a new book or two to read and you network with fellow agents, hoping that a great conversation will lead to a connection and, perhaps, even a referral. Oh, how we love referrals!

P.S. If you still need to get on the referral train, I recommend hopping aboard immediately. Real estate is one of the only industries offering YOU a tangible fee for your relationships. And make no mistake: the relationships we build in real estate can take years to build and a small fortune to create. You completely deserve a referral fee when you connect a client to a colleague for help in another market. Stay tuned for my next article on referrals. But really, do it. Do it NOW.

Back to the conferences

I have personally attended conferences by Buffini & Company with Mastermind, Turning Point, Success Tour, Masterclass and Peak, Kathleen Black Coaching Company, Richard Robbins International, Tony Robbins with Unleash the Power Within, Tom Ferry and Royal Lepage with the National Sales Conference. I’ve also attended a few large-scale conferences like TRREB’s Realtor Quest and The Power of Success in Toronto.

Yes, I know there are a lot of conferences. Too many, perhaps.

Just attending a conference — a GREAT conference — can make you feel like a brand-new person. It’s a bit cult-y, but it’s okay — we’re drinking the Kool-Aid, and it’s actually good for us. When we return, our friends and families are a little weary of our top-shelf energy, but it’s all good. Until that motivation and “whoop whoop” wears off.

Zig Ziglar notes that motivation is like bathing. It doesn’t last, so it has to be done daily. But you can’t go to a conference every day … Can you?

Ensure your time, money & energy investment translates into a more successful business and more joyful version of yourself

We can get so addicted to the hype of a conference, with the music, the energy, the immersion and that feeling of being unstoppable, that we forget conferences are meant to help us on our journey. They are not the journey. They’re like a booster pack for entrepreneurs: let’s GO!!!! You should not need to go to several conferences every year. Are they fun? Yes. Are they expensive? Yes. Can you confuse a conference for a vacation? You bet your boots you can.

So, how do we ensure that our investment of time and money (and energy … so much energy!) translates into a more successful business and a more joyful version of ourselves?

WORK. We have to put in the work. Nothing worth having comes easy.

With that said, here are the four steps to a successful conference experience.

1. Connection

Attending a conference can feel like you’re back at the first day of high school. You might know some people and even think your best bet is to find them and spend time with them. Maybe it is. But it’s also important to make room for new relationships — especially because you’re in a room of like-minded professionals. Chances are, you’ll have a few things in common.

When you have a conversation, trade information — either business cards, emails, cell numbers or social media. Send a little note afterward (and get them all in your business referral database ASAP). Try not to be the person with a pile of cards on or near your desk from the last few years of networking.

Pro-tip: Make a note of their name and your conversation with them, whatever they mentioned in the conversation. You will literally make their day if you send a note by email, text or snail mail, thanking them for sharing about (insert conversation here) and saying how nice it was to meet them.

Try to meet/connect or deepen a connection with at least three people every time you attend a conference. Small talk is for small people. There are so many exciting things to talk about — take a page from Vanessa Van Edwards and ask fun questions to deepen that connection and find your commonalities.

Pro-tip: Constantly pointing out how different and unique you are will actually isolate people in these initial stages. Be honest, and know that finding similarities will build a bond faster.

2. Learning/growing

Conferences can be a lot of fun. And I mean a LOT of fun. It’s great to sandwich the learning with playtime, but remember that this isn’t playtime. Otherwise, you’re just on a really expensive vacation without your family or friends.

Stay engaged, take notes and really listen. Stay off of your phone. Contrary to what we all believe about our very important real estate careers, an hour or two offline won’t end it all. If you were in a listing appointment with one client, would you stop in the middle of it to text another client? NO! So why are you interrupting your appointment with yourself and your personal development?

A lot of conferences will give you the workbook to fill in now, and those are very helpful. They force you to pay attention too (or sit with an excellent note-taker). Buffini conferences are great for this because they outline all of the points in the main talks. Bonus: You can recall the information more easily later on.

Jot down books that are recommended (I aim to read 10+ pages a day of a personal growth book, which everyone has time to do) and any thoughts you have about the talk, too. It’s also nice to use these topics to connect with your colleagues on breaks because sometimes you’ll hear a different perspective that you hadn’t thought about.

3. Reflecting

Now that you have spent the time connecting with like-minded individuals (LMIs) and have really leaned into learning and growing throughout the conference, it’s time to lock in that knowledge and experience with some good, old-fashioned reflection.

Go for a walk, hit the gym, swim, meditate and journal. Do whatever comes naturally to you for reflection. Think about what you learned and how you might implement some of it into your business and your life. What really stood out? Could you share any of this with colleagues, family or friends who weren’t there?

4. Rediscovery

In the latest conference I attended, Brian Buffini talked about rediscovery over reinvention. And if you’re on social media, you’ve probably seen countless ads advising us to go away for six months and return as a “new you.” Whether it’s fitness, health, business, money or beauty, the pull to change it up and become a new person seems enticing. But to what end? The real YOU is inside of you and will keep coming out. Take time to learn about the things that make that real you so fantastic and start the process of rediscovery today.

It’s powerful to be confident as ourselves. Our current culture makes it seem sexy to change it all up, but that only makes sense if you consider how many industries benefit when we aim to find a quick and easy way to the life we actually hope to have.

It’s important to also lean into whatever sets your soul on fire. Whatever makes you feel unstoppable and like the world is giving you a high five. It might take some more reflection and rediscovery, but what do you love to do? And, more importantly, if you’re not doing these things, why not?

For example, I love leading, mentoring, guiding and coaching, and I have the privilege of exercising these passions with my real estate clients and colleagues. I have a passion for sharing and am so excited to reach new heights together with my “marble jar people,” as Brene Brown says. I also love writing and sharing, so I started a podcast and a blog, and I’m working on a book.

I didn’t do these things for the longest time because I thought I had to be invited or have extra time or money. But here’s the thing: when you truly decide you want to do something or have something, the universe will conspire to ensure that you are given every opportunity to reach that goal.

You have to be part of it though. You need to take steps towards it. You will find the time. You will find the money. You have to believe that it’s possible. As Anna Buffini said at a recent conference, “You don’t need to see the light at the end of the tunnel. You just need to believe that there is a light.”

May your next conference be everything you dream it will be, and more.

I’ll probably see you there.