Keller Center Research Report text

The Center's team of faculty, staff, and graduate assistants engage with academics and consultants from around the globe to highlight the latest research in the areas of marketing and sales, management, technology & ethics, among others, with implications for today's real estate professionals.

Recent Stories

INSIDER: Passion Struck

In Passion Struck, John Sparks emphasizes that meaningful change doesn’t come from big moments alone, but from small, intentional choices compounded over time. Through strategies focused on overcoming self-doubt, eliminating distractions, and taking consistent action, readers learn how to build resilience and momentum toward a more intentional life. Ultimately, the book reframes success as an ongoing practice of conscious engagement, growth, and purposeful leadership.

INSIDER: The Next Conversation: Argue Less, Talk More

In The Next Conversation: Argue Less, Talk More, Jefferson Fisher shows how the quality of our words shapes the quality of our relationships and results. Rather than focusing on “winning” conversations, Fisher offers a practical framework built on control, confidence, and connection to help navigate difficult interactions. With a trial lawyer’s precision, he demonstrates how to regulate emotion, speak clearly without overexplaining, and keep conversations anchored in shared understanding.

INSIDER: Reset: How to Change What’s Not Working

Many teams remain stuck in inefficient systems and habits that limit real progress. In Reset: How to Change What’s Not Working, Dan Heath offers a practical approach for breaking through stagnation by identifying small, strategic shifts that can unlock outsized results. He shows how to “restack” existing resources around what truly matters by cutting waste, aligning work with motivation, and empowering teams to act with ownership in order to create meaningful, lasting change without requiring more resources.

Adapting Sales with Micromanagement and Creativity During Disruption

Disruption is inevitable in today’s real estate market, but it can also create opportunities for growth and innovation. In this research, we explore how adaptive selling and creativity help sales professionals navigate challenges like economic uncertainty, technological change, and shifting buyer behavior. Surprisingly, our research also reveals that micromanagement, often viewed negatively, can actually support agents during chaotic market conditions when used strategically.

Why Great Real Estate Coaches Don’t Try to Look Perfect

Why do some agents embrace coaching while others resist it—even when they are highly motivated to succeed? Our research suggests the answer may have less to do with effort and more to do with how coaching is actually delivered. This article explores how managerial vulnerability—leaders openly admitting mistakes, uncertainty, and lessons learned—can make agents more receptive to feedback and more willing to improve.

You Are More Than Your Certifications

What you share outside of work may say more about your professionalism than you think. New research reveals that meaningful hobbies and leisure activities—like hiking, woodworking, or cooking—can actually enhance how competent and capable clients perceive you to be. For newer professionals in particular, these personal details can help build credibility and connection when experience alone may not yet speak for itself.

Envy in Sales: Turning Rivalry into Results for Sales Professionals

Competition is part of every sales environment, but not all rivalry leads to success. In this article, we explore how envy can either motivate sales professionals to improve or drive destructive workplace behaviors that hurt performance and culture. Discover the difference between benign and malicious envy—and how agents, managers, and brokerages can channel competition into growth, collaboration, and stronger results.

INSIDER: Buy Back Your Time

Feeling buried by work and running on empty? This INSIDER examines key ideas from Buy Back Your Time by Dan Martell, offering practical strategies to delegate, automate, and eliminate low-value tasks so you can scale your business without burnout. It’s a must-read for high achievers in real estate who want success that doesn’t come at the cost of their health, relationships, or freedom.