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As market turbulence increases, strain occurs that impacts the customer-salesperson relationship. We examine how a strong foundation of both business and personal trust between the buyer and the seller is essential to building a relationship that can withstand unstable times.

Jacob Brenton, MDiv/MBA In Company of One: Why Staying Small is the Next Big Thing for Business, entrepreneur Paul Jarvis discusses a variety of perspectives on how small business owners and entrepreneurs can redefine success in business, focusing on quality over quantity.

Corrie A. H. Penraat, MBA Candidate In Robert Iger's Ride of a Lifetime, he shares the lessons he learned leading more than 200,000 employees as CEO of The Walt Disney Company for nearly 15 years. Through this journey, he explores the principles necessary for effective leadership in any business venture.

Robert Rietveld, PhD Candidate, Willemijn van Dolen, PhD, Masoud Mazloom, PhD, and Marcel Worring, PhD Do your Instagram posts contain emotional or informative appeals? This research defines the difference and examines which type best influences customer engagement on social media.

Richard G. McFarland, PhD and Andrea L. Dixon, PhD Salespeople are subjected to high levels of stress on a day-to-day basis, which often leads to burnout. In this research, we examine how interpersonal mentalizing skills and oscillating between actively addressing stressors and giving yourself a break can reduce the chances of burnout occurring.

With tight deadlines and sales goals to meet, agents often face temptations to behave unethically in order to get ahead. Our research suggests that unethical behavior actually decreases overall sales performance and that emotional exhaustion increases the likelihood of those unethical behaviors.

Images are likely a key component to your social media strategy, but are you using the right images in the right manner? Our research quantifies the impact of image content and makes recommendations to help increase your client engagement on social media.

Change is inevitable for long-term organizational sustainability, but change management is commonly viewed as a difficult endeavor. Our research identifies and examines two key factors that can increase the odds for success for your firm's change initiatives.

How can you increase sales with no new software, gimmick, or miracle? Our research examines how psychological resourcefulness, characterized by optimism and resilience, will help salesperson performance and the bottom line.

Referrals are an important source of new business for real estate agents, but our study shows that most businesses are not implementing referral incentive programs in the most effective manner.

Whether specializing in the mature market or simply employing lead generation strategies, agents are likely to encounter older adult home sellers. This study examines why older adult couples, who intend to age in place until death, may ultimately elect to sell their home and move into a congregate setting.

In today's socially conscious environment, social responsibility is an increasingly important strategy for business. Our study answers the question of how corporate social responsibility (applied in many businesses today) can lead to financial profitability.

Reaching consumers on Facebook through organic or non-paid advertising has become a challenge. Our research finds a three-part social media viral framework to help you write more engaging posts to reach more buyers.

If you can get 1% better each day for one year, you'll end up 37 times better by the time it's all said and done. In Atomic Habits, James Clear, one of the world's leading experts on habit formation, outlines the framework for getting 1% better every day.

How can companies best manage rapid and constant change in technology? We explore The Technology Fallacy, which suggests that managing technological disruption is not about managing technology at all—it is about managing people.

Your Twitter followers can be some of your best brand ambassadors, but are you actually capturing their attention with your tweets? Our study analyzes whether the occurrence of topic-related words at the beginning of the tweet affects your number of retweets.

Profits are essential to managing a business, but can an emphasis on the bottom-line impact employees? Our research examines how supervisors with high bottom-line mentality garner negative perceptions from employees, leading to decreased employee performance.

Does your firm have a greater responsibility outside of your legal obligations and goals? As corporations grow a sense of social responsibility, our research investigates the impact of philanthropy, environmental sustainability, customer respect, and worker respect on customer loyalty.

Living a happier life takes work. We examine Shawn Achor's seven principles that can lead you to have a "happiness advantage" in your personal life and your real estate career.

Like all infinite games, in the game of life, the goal should never be to win, but instead to perpetuate the game. This article summarizes how to adopt the five essential practices necessary to adopt an infinite mindset in order to perpetuate the infinite game of business.

A customer’s problem is the opportunity for the salesperson to create value for customers. This research investigates how the buyer-seller relationship is affected by the effectiveness of the salesperson’s ability to coordinate internal resources.

The market for ambient scents is growing rapidly, and research reveals that pleasant ambient scents have a positive influence on consumers’ brand perceptions. We further examine how repeated subconsciously processed ambient scents enhance your potential homebuyers’ evaluation of their service experience.

Do you use charisma to convey messages in a convincing manner to charm your clients? Our findings show that specific, learnable, and culturally appropriate displays of charismatic behavior can enhance client impressions and ultimately increase sales.

Internet addiction is regarded as a growing health concern in many parts of the world. Our research examines how social media can drain resources in the workplace and how employees react to social media posts by their colleagues, ultimately impacting job performance.

Even as U.S. companies spend more than $900 billion on building sales forces, salesperson turnover has reached 27%, and average tenures are as short as two years. This article addresses how your firm can help new agents successfully gain entry into a network of interconnected contacts.

Although much research has been focused on a salesperson’s externally directed behavior, we found that political skill and intrinsic motivation have effects on adaptive selling and sales performance. In light of this evidence, we recommend that every sales manager assist his/her salespeople with developing these intrapreneurial abilities.

With the quick availability of online listings and resources, some buyers may feel they no longer need the specialized services of a real estate agent. Have you considered how the content and design of your web site might help you reclaim competitive advantage, while connecting with potential clients on a deeper level?

Today, email is the standard method of business communication, but traditional emails are not always effective at allowing your personality to shine through. In Rehumanize Your Business, authors Ethan Beute and Steve Pacinelli examine how adding a personal video element to your emails can help generate leads and increase sales.

In their book Conversational Marketing, authors David Cancel and Dave Gerhardt share why online conversational marketing creates a better, more natural, and more profitable sales climate.

Studies have shown that service-related jobs, like those in real estate, can have negative impact on employees, including burnout and decreased motivation, leading to higher employee turnover. Our research examines how agencies and managers can lessen these impacts on their employees and decrease turnover within their organization.

Entrepreneurs typically enjoy higher levels of job and life satisfaction. However, in contrast to the benefits, entrepreneurs may also experience high stress and longer working hours, while also fearing lower income. In this study, we examine how autonomy mediates the relationship between entrepreneurship and personal well-being.

When you post social media content is just as important as what you post. In this article, we examine the impacts of social media posts based on time of day, emotionality of your content, and the results of boosting posts.

Most people think genius is an unmerited inheritance for a few lucky people, but what if genius could be learned? Moreover, what if it could be learned quickly? In Ultralearning, Scott Young arms his readers with the principles for becoming self-made experts in a skill set they want to develop in less time than is expected.

Virality is the new ad currency. The key driver of virality is sharing of videos, but what drives sharing among your followers? Our research reveals that sharing is not a matter of luck or art, but it can be ascertained by scientific research. In this article, we examine what type of videos you should create to maximize sharing of and virality of your ads.

Improving sales force morale can be a valuable strategy to enhance job performance and reduce employee turnover. Despite the benefits that can come from high morale, little is known about what factors impact it. We examine what market demands impact morale and what resources you can leverage to boost morale in your organization.

Candidate In today’s real estate environment, it isn’t often you get a chance to just be still and breathe. The demands of multitasking and meeting deadlines under extreme pressure never seem to stop. In Sandy Abrams’ Breathe to Succeed, we learn how breath, self-awareness, and small changes in our daily routine can be a big part of our overall individual wellness solution, which can, in turn, lead to increased creativity, positivity, and productivity.

With modern technology, you may think we are connected with each other more now more than ever. Yet, in many ways, we have never been so disconnected. Our research set out to learn more about the psychological effects of smartphone use on well-being.

Your clients are more informed now than ever when making purchase decisions. Our research offers insights on applicable adaptive sales techniques based on the consumers’ perceived informedness about high-involvement purchases.

At every firm, there are employees who will adhere to a strict ethical standard and those who value performance above all else. Our team examined what happens when there are disparities in ethical practice and job performance between employees and how ethics may have unintended consequences on the social landscape of your office.

Do you have the right social strategy to reach the right people? In his book One Million Followers, author Brendan Kane examines concepts and processes that are simple and require no major investment—but that have proven to build social media followings in the millions.

As a real estate agent, you're familiar with managing your own business. In this Insider article, we explore Cliff Lerner’s Explosive Growth strategies to help you grow your real estate business and stay ahead of the competition.

Customers referred by other customers are the best kind. Our research conclusions shed light on why referred customers are more valuable and can also help firms and real estate agents maximize the benefits of customer referrals.

Social media has become increasingly important in driving sales. Our research suggests that understanding who receives your outreach is just as necessary as what you post.

Understanding the attitudes and emotions behind work environments is paramount to leadership success. In this article, we examine Simon Sinek's Leaders Eat Last and explore how building a "circle of safety" can benefit your real estate firm.

According to Shark Tank's Daymond John, grit and determination are invaluable to business success. In this article, we examine the real estate applications of Rise and Grind to help you successfully grow your business.

Humility is necessary to reach the heights of success. Recognizing there are gaps in your knowledge, being open to that realization, and working humbly to learn more is a hallmark of intellectual humility and a starting point for greatness for you and your team.

People understand ideas better when they are close and connected to a source of information. This research suggests using easy to handle media, appropriate detail, and physical distance may help captivate audiences and increase your outreach effectiveness.

Voice and tone are powerful ways to differentiate connotation, importance, and legitimacy of your messaging. Finding the right balance will make your social media campaigns that much more effective in connecting with customers and reaching the right audience.

Many U.S. employees believe working from home—or at least away from the office—can bring freedom and stress-free job satisfaction. But our recent research says, not so fast.

Through five studies, we explored the impact of using I, we, and you pronouns on purchase behaviors and customer satisfaction in sales and service interactions. What we found challenges conventional wisdom and practice when it comes to talking to customers.

Stress is a national epidemic and is especially problematic among real estate professionals, manifesting in the second highest rates of anxiety and depression among all occupations. Ultimately, your business depends upon your ability to manage your stress, and our research points to some novel ways to help.

Relationships are multidimensional and have external social factors acting on them to make them stronger or break them down. Therefore, it is imperative, especially in buyer-seller relationships, to utilize both similarities and differences between individuals to strengthen the relationship.

Networking can be a difficult issue for real estate professionals, and navigating that reality is key to successfully expanding professional ties to produce benefit for a firm, client, or project. This research examines how individuals' mindsets about networking affect their motivation to engage in networking.

A critical success factor in the salesperson-customer relationship is cooperation. The purpose of this research is to analyze how salespeople’s actual cooperation efforts influence how customers perceive cooperation, and how customer-perceived cooperation influences relationship outcomes.

Have you ever found yourself in a difficult situation because you went along with what your peers asked of you? In situations like this, assertiveness is the key to getting unstuck from other people’s routines and unlocking your own motivators to do what YOU want for the reasons YOU deem important.

As a real estate agent, you’re likely familiar with networking—but how can you stand out when everyone else is familiar with it, too? In his book, Show Up: Unlocking the Power of Relational Networking, author David France provides personal stories and applicable advice to help improve your networking strategy.

Research from the Keller Center for Research shows how empowering leadership actually helps reduce employee cynicism and boosts productivity.

It's not unusual to put in a 60-80 work week, with many of those hours worked at home after hours. But have you considered how your working from home may affect your spouse's work productivity?

Xuehua Wang, PhD and Hean Tat Keh, PhD There are many possible applications of cross-selling for real estate, all of which have the potential to add value for the client and the agent. This article examines why some consumers are more susceptible to cross selling and how you can create a win-win for yourself and the buyer.

Zachary R. Hall, PhD, Ryan R. Mullins, PhD, Niladri Syam, PhD, and Jeffrey P. Boichuk, PhD Understanding the changing dynamics of customers and competitors in your market is a cornerstone for maintained success. This information, known as market intelligence, helps improve decision-making, especially in real estate. But how do we utilize it in an agency context to bolster sales?

Bruno Lussier, PhD, Yany Grégoire, PhD, and Marc-Antoine Vachon, PhD Using humor wisely is known to have many benefits in the workplace. In this article, we examine the influence of salesperson humor usage on salesperson creativity, customer trust, and sales performance within the context of a salesperson-customer relationship.

Meredith E. David, PhD In real estate, the ability to connect with and build successful relationships with a client is based on the ability to predict a client’s preferences. However, there is a difference between predicting preferences and social projection, which could lead to misinterpretations of your own preferences as those of a client.

Jackson Price, MBA Candidate According to Scott Stratten and Alison Kramer, authors of Unselling, sixty percent of all purchase decisions are now made before you ever get a chance to share your pitch. In short, the majority of your potential clients have already decided on a real estate agent or firm before they even know they need one.

Arjun Azavedo, MBA Candidate In his book, The Culture Code, Daniel Coyle draws from a unique range of anecdotes and experiences to display how finding similarities in diverse groups can aid in effective leadership and communication.

Keller Center for Research Executive Director Randy Hacker shares advice to sellers on HomeLight.com on how to test their real estate agent's marketing plan.

In real estate, it is universally agreed that strategic pricing plays a huge role in determining how quickly a house will sell; yet there are still questions on how pricing affects different people.

In this article, we study the relationship between ethical leadership and employee deviance and turnover intentions, considering the role of hindrance stress from the leader and the job. Our findings show that ethical leaders who also impose additional demands are perceived to miss the mark in providing proper social support are likely to have deviant or withdrawing employees.

In the growing social media marketing landscape, interacting with customers on Facebook is at the forefront of businesses’ higher spending, but are your Facebook page likes actually driving client engagement and spending?

It is widely recognized that political skill enables employees to secure valuable resources within their own companies and to promote positive outcomes with customers. In this article, we examine the effect of political skill in the sales context and draw conclusions for real estate professionals.

To remain competitive, salespeople must provide excellent service while still reaching their sales quotas. When these two ideas converge, sales-service ambidexterity is achieved. But how can sales managers encourage their sales associates to reach this medium?

A strong social media presence is critical to cultivate relationships with potential clients and build credibility in the public eye. Effective use of social media platforms will help convert views into sales, retain those clients over long periods of time, and build a lasting business.

In his book, When—The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing, Daniel H. Pink reaffirms the idea that “timing is everything” through anecdotal discourse and scientific research to impart a better understanding of how to find your perfect timing.

As a sales person, you must always be ready to embrace the challenges that the selling environment poses in your professional life. In Sales Insanity, Cannon Thomas recounts unique sales blunders which highlight the importance of adapting to the ever-changing sales environment.

Gratitude has immense value to firms and is linked to increases in share of wallet, sales revenue, sales growth, and customer commitment. Our research shows how sales professionals can improve their relational outcomes with customers by fostering more grateful customers through their own expressions of gratitude.

Community and individual-level factors affect the satisfaction a person derives from living in his or her community. How do we determine if a community is meeting the needs of the person, and how do we better prepare our communities, moving forward, to appeal to potential homeowners?

A well-defined and consistent personal brand can elevate agent recognition, generate leads, and build authority and credibility. It can also help agents develop a unique value proposition, identify target customers, and humanize marketing campaigns. Does your personal brand communicate the right message?

Viral ad campaigns have become a necessity in the digital world. Our research examines the key factors driving valuable virality and shows how the sharing of an ad and brand evaluation of a product are dependent on ad content.

In the simplest of transactions, the exchange of goods and services between a buyer and a seller develops a relationship that is dependent on trust. This study examines how direct and indirect impressions influence the development of trust in social relationships.

Research shows that women account for 85 percent of all consumer purchases and have $7 trillion in buying power. In Why Women Buy, Dawn Jones shares insights to provide sales professionals with a relevant and detailed guidebook for improving results with and meeting the needs of this powerful market.

In Sales EQ, Jeb Blount explains that the emotional experience of buying is more important than any product, price, or feature. To be an effective sales person, it is necessary to approach people the way they buy rather than the way you sell, which requires high emotional intelligence and knowledge of how people make decisions.

Buyer and seller markets are now comprised of multiple generations that not only see the world differently, but also value vastly different lifestyles. While the differences between generations provide obstacles to overcome, it is also important to recognize the accessibility, innovation and collaboration these differences provide for the workplace.

Social media has revolutionized communication and advertising and is a useful tool for keeping up with news, family, and friends. As a real estate professional, though, understanding how to best use each social media platform can have a positive impact on your business.

How can you ensure trust is prevalent in your real estate operation? In this article, we discuss the three stages of trust, the three forms of trust, and how they affect a client’s behavior so that you can successfully and effectively build trust with your clients.

Research shows that men and women network differently and benefit differently from networking. In our research, we examine different types of networking benefits for female and male real estate professionals which allows us to offer suggestions for more effective networking.

When a customer clicks the like button on a brand’s Facebook page, what happens? Do these likes have value to a company, or are they merely the click of a button?

Bedtime worry, including worrying about incomplete future tasks, is a significant contributor to difficulty falling asleep. This article examines how bedtime to-do list writing can serve as a beneficial behavioral sleep aid for busy real estate professionals.

What kind of relationships do you have with those who report to you and with your own boss? We study these relationships in conjunction with empowering leadership to suggest that the better these relationships are, the better position leaders are in to positively influence their employees.

Do you take the time to request feedback from your clients and customers? If not, you could be missing out on an opportunity to boost repeat business. Research has shown that merely soliciting a review from customer increases repeat business.

Today, consumers can express their opinions about a product, a property, or almost anything. A few lines written by an anonymous user in a completely different geographic location and time zone can impact success or failure in the marketplace.

The ideal real estate agent has high competence as well as high integrity. But not all real estate agents are perceived that way.

The Value Game is not just your normal game encounter, but rather a real-life experience in which sellers and their supporting teammates, the sponsoring company and the products/services being offered, engage with prospective buyers to reach a win-win game outcome.

Thanks to the number of popular television shows, many people get the impression that they, too, can immerse themselves in a world of sparkling granite, colorful tiles, and rich hardwoods, all while making a handsome profit. But successful flippers have knowledge that extends beyond farmhouse bathrooms or modern living spaces.

Differentiating one's self from the competition is crucial to the success or failure of the business. In his new book, Listing Boss, Hoss Pratt discusses the changing environment and shares insight that will empower you to exceed your sales goals by transforming the way you approach your business.

Stigma is inherently problematic for any worker but is particularly detrimental for real estate agents and other sales representatives. Stigma can be detrimental to agents because job performance and personal well-being depend greatly on favorable interactions with customers.

Our research examines how a consumer's view of this theory can affect his/her preference for luxury, and how advertisers, marketers, and real estate agents can use this information to increase the likelihood that consumers respond positively to luxury, increasing your chances of a sale.

The need for fantastic sales professionals is greater today than ever before. Increasingly, clients demand sales professionals provide exceptional customer service that coincides with meeting those desired results. To this, motivation is key.

The new book, 2 Chairs: The Secret that Changes Everything, is crucial not only for people who are in trouble themselves, but also for those who just don’t know what advice to give to others in need.

In Emotional Agility, Susan David offers a groundbreaking way to recognize our feelings and gives us the tools we need to avoid the emotional ruts that keep us from reaching our bigger goals.

Firms often prioritize frontline employee job satisfaction, hoping that satisfied employees will lead to satisfied customers. In real estate, this implies that improvements in agent satisfaction are expected to increase client satisfaction. According to our research, these agencies may be missing an important opportunity.