Why Most Agents Fail in Tough Markets

The market doesn't care about your excuses — and honestly, neither do the agents who are winning right now. In this episode, Kevin Kauffman and Erik Kelly get real about what's actually separating the agents who are thriving from the ones who are barely surviving, and it has nothing to do with interest rates or inventory. This one's a no-fluff, straight-talk conversation about consistency, mastery, mental health, and the kind of human connection that builds a business that lasts through every market cycle. If you've been waiting for the market to "get easier" before you go all in, this episode is going to challenge that thinking hard. What we get into: Why the market cycle is never the real problem — and what actually is The difference between agents who had their best year ever in 2024 and those who had their worst (hint: same market) Why waiting for rates to drop might be the trap you don't see coming The Tiger Woods and Paul Skenes approach to skill-building that most agents will never commit to Why 7 out of 10 agents didn't sell a single home last year — and the mindset shift that changes that How to consult instead of pitch, and why it's the communication skill that closes more deals The consistency principle that predicts your income better than any market report Mental health, human connection, and why going deeper in conversation might be the most underrated business strategy in real estate right now If this episode hit home, you're probably the kind of agent who's ready to stop waiting and start building — regardless of what the market is doing. That's exactly who we built Next Level Agents for. Learn more about what we're doing at eXp and how to plug in at nextlevelagents.com/exp. ​​Please leave us a review at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

You can listen to Why Most Agents Fail in Tough Markets online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Why Most Agents Fail in Tough Markets is an episode from Kevin & Fred's Next Level Agents Podcast: Quick Tips for Realtors and Interviews from the best in the real estate business by Kevin Kauffman and Fred Weaver.

This episode is 48:30 long.

This episode was published on Mar 9, 2026.

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