Agents follow one of these four basic approaches in the quest to achieve real estate success:

1. Become a workaholic. More than 80% of agents who generate a reasonable income achieve their success by turning their careers into a seven-day-a-week, 24-hour-a-day job. They answer business phone calls day and night, they make themselves constantly available to prospects and clients, and they work on-demand with no restraints.

2. Buy clients. The second-most frequent pathway to success is to buy business through massive marketing campaigns. Some agents buy or “brand” their way to the top level of real estate by investing in billboards and bus benches, thousands of direct mailers, expensive ad schedules, and all kinds of promotions. Others buy their way to the top by discounting their commissions. By offering themselves at the lowest prices, these agents eliminate the need to emphasize their skills, abilities, and expertise.

3. Take the shady road. Another avenue to real estate financial success is to abandon ethics and just go for the deal and the resulting money. Unlike the vast majority of agents who advise and advocate for their clients, agents who take this route choose not to be bound by the ethics and code of conduct of the National Association of REALTORS. They put their own needs first and their clients’ best interests in distant second place. Fortunately, these agents are few and far between.

4. Build a professional services business. The fourth and best pathway is to create a well-rounded, professional services business not unlike that of a doctor, dentist, attorney, or accountant. Fewer than 5% of all agents follow this route, yet the ones that do are the ones who earn the largest sums of money ¬- some exceeding $1 million annually while also having quality lives and time for friends and family. Plus, when they’re ready to bow out of the industry, they have a business asset they can sell to another agent.