New college grad earns $565K using these two key strategies

by Emile L'Eplattenier, Meghan Thibault

The formula for success in real estate couldn’t be more straightforward. Do simple things every day — and do them 10% better than the average agent. Fancy fails. Simple scales. Why only 10% better and not 60% better? Let’s not sugarcoat reality. Seventy percent of Realtors in your market are terrible at their jobs. They get shiny object syndrome and burn time, money and precious energy chasing glamorous marketing strategies that don’t increase their income. No wonder most end up crashing and burning in their first year. They set themselves up for failure.

Oahu Realtor Marlene Sedeno did things differently. She graduated college in 2020 into a historically bleak job market. She had a bachelor’s degree in economics from a good school, but no one was hiring. She was also only 24 years old and had two children to support. So she did exactly what many of our readers did — she became a Realtor.

Instead of making a vision board filled with BMWs and Caribbean vacations, Marlene borrowed $3,000 to hire a coach, chose a niche, and got to work. Four years later, she earned $565,000 from 31 sides and is living the life of her dreams in her home state of Hawaii.

We recently sat down with Marlene to find out exactly how she did it. She shared eye-opening truths about cold calling, building rapport and the most effective scripts — and what it feels like to turn real estate daydreams into reality.

Marlene Sedeno: By the numbers

Market: Oahu, Hawaii
Niche: Relocation and military sellers
Year one GCI + sides: $100,000, 9 sides
Year four GCI + sides: $565,000, 31 sides
Primary lead generation strategy: Cold calling and circle prospecting
Real estate coach: Brandon Mulerin
Highest ROI software: Follow Up Boss, Mojo Dialer

Find a cold-calling clique

Think most successful cold callers lock themselves alone in a room every morning to make their calls? Think again. Cold calling is an inherently social activity. This is partly why so many hyper-successful cold callers livestream their calls. They’re not just showing off. They’re feeding off your energy to get more appointments. Leads don’t stay on the phone with them because of what they say but how they make them feel.

Positive, pro-social energy is critical in cold calling. It’s also much harder to maintain when you’re alone. Self-help guru Tony Robbins had it right, “Where your focus goes, your energy flows.” If you’re sitting alone at your kitchen table obsessing over how your last call went, it’s harder to focus all your energy on your leads to build rapport with them. No rapport, no appointments. It really is that simple.

Marlene was adamant that cold calling with other supportive eXp agents was key to her success. It gave her empathetic ears with whom she could laugh off bad calls and celebrate good ones. Getting hung up on stings a lot less when it’s a shared experience. Cold calling with your team is also an ideal way to stay accountable and consistent — another crucial building block of her success. Here’s Marlene:

“I think it’s essential to find a community. Cold calling was really hard for me at first. I would wake up in the morning and think, Oh my god, I have to freaking cold call! Now, I call with a few agents across the country. When someone hangs up on one of us or gets angry on a call, we can laugh about it together and move on faster.”

Want to get matched with other cold callers? Sign up for Marlene’s free group on Facebook.

Yes is the destination. No is how you get there.

The cliche cold-calling advice most agents get is usually some variation of “develop a thick skin.” Most won’t tell you that this has nothing to do with your personality — it’s not an emotional change. Even natural introverts can succeed at cold calling. All it requires is a simple mindset shift and a willingness to put in the reps.

Marlene was quick to recommend Richard Fenton’s book, “Go for No! Yes is the Destination, No is How You Get There.” The book gave her simple but effective advice that changed her mindset and her career along with it.

Here are the cliff notes. There is no such thing as failure in sales. There are only outcomes. The key to successful cold calling is to detach from outcomes and focus on improving your processes. Getting told no repeatedly (sometimes with acrimony) gives you a golden opportunity to reassess your systems and get better. As Marlene put it, “Every no gets you closer to your goal.”

Invest in coaching on Day 1

One of the biggest mistakes new agents make is thinking they can succeed on their own. I know I did. Nothing could be further from the truth. Yes, real estate coaching can seem extortionately expensive for new agents, especially if you don’t have deep pockets. However, as Marlene and many other successful agents have told us, coaching is one of the highest ROI investments you can make in real estate.

It’s not that coaches give you proven scripts and strategies, although that is one of the perks. If you’re a regular Vetted reader, chances are you already know precisely what you must do to succeed. The problem is that you’re not doing it.

Hitting a coaching website’s “pay now” button can be terrifying. That was my entire vacation fund! What if it doesn’t work?! But it should be scary. That’s the point. Investing money in your success on day one gives you a perfect excuse to stay accountable and work harder.

Good coaching programs, like the Brandon Mulerin program Marlene discovered on YouTube, have communities of agents who are just as scared (and just as driven to succeed) as you are. They need to recoup their investment just as much as you do. The camaraderie you get from them is well worth the price of admission. Again, almost no one succeeds in real estate alone.

Marlene Sedeno’s best scripts

At this stage in her career, Marlene rarely relies on set scripts. Instead, she leverages humor for her opening line and then goes with the flow of the conversation. After she’s broken the ice, she launches into simple questions to determine if and when the lead might move and, crucially, how or if she can help them do it.

You’re not going to be the right real estate agent for everyone. And that’s okay. If you call enough people, you’ll eventually talk to those who genuinely need your help and want to work with you. This is how Marlene built her career. It’s how almost all successful agents built their careers.

Another pearl of wisdom Marlene shared with us —let your leads feel like they’re in control of the conversation. No one likes being pushed around on the phone, especially by someone they think is trying to sell them something they don’t think they want or need. Allowing them to say no to your questions puts them at ease and helps you build the holy grail of persuasion — rapport.

Here are a few of Marlene’s opening lines and basic scripts that get her to yes. Your success with these scripts will vary. Remember, getting to yes doesn’t come from what you say but how you make people feel. You must put in the reps to build rapport and make people comfortable enough to invite you into their homes. Simple, but not easy if you haven’t already done the work like Marlene has.

“Bob, oh my gosh, you’re probably going to hate me if I told you I was a Realtor calling. Would you? Would you hang up on me?”

“Bob, this is Marlene. If I were to tell you I’m a Realtor calling, would that upset you? Or could I have 30 seconds? Would you want to hang up? Or could I have 30 seconds?”

If I feel like it’s going somewhere, I will ask them, “Would you be opposed to me sending over my information to you?”

Notice how she gives her lead multiple opportunities to say no? Try this on your next call, and let us know how it works. We think you’ll be happily surprised with the result.

The full picture

Know an agent who is thriving despite the odds and has actionable insights to share? We’d love to hear from you. Reach out to us here: [email protected].