Let’s talk about something most broker-owners, recruiters, and team leaders know but rarely address out loud: a staggering number of licensed real estate agents haven’t closed a single transaction this year.

That’s not hyperbole. It’s backed by data. In many markets, 30 to 40 percent of licensed agents have recorded zero closings in the first half of the year. Let that sink in. These aren’t brand-new agents still learning the ropes. Many have been in the business for years, some even with robust past track records. So what’s going on?

It’s Not Just the Market—It’s the Mindset

Yes, interest rates are high. Yes, inventory is low. But the agents who are closing deals aren’t waiting for market conditions to improve. They’re adjusting. They’re prospecting. They’re refining their message. They’re building trust.

So what separates the doers from the dormant?

Behavior. Motivation. Emotional resilience.

This is where we come in.

At The Abelson Group, we’ve spent over 35 years analyzing high-performing agents through the lens of DISC, Motivators, and Emotional Intelligence. The truth is, agents who are stuck often don’t have a skill problem. They have a behavioral blind spot. Or they’re internally misaligned with what drives them. Or they simply don’t have the emotional awareness to self-correct.

The Cost of Inaction

For brokerages, unproductive agents aren’t just invisible—they’re costly. They dilute brand reputation, drain leadership energy, and silently negatively impact the office. The real cost isn’t just missed commissions. It’s missed momentum and opportunity.

And for agents? Every month without a transaction is a silent hit to confidence. That internal narrative of “maybe this isn’t for me” gets louder.

So What Can You Do?

Stop guessing. Start assessing.  Stop waiting for things to change.  Identify strengths and change behavior to capitalize on those strengths.   

When you use the Abelson DISC and Motivators assessments, you don’t just get colorful charts. You get insights that uncover exactly where someone is stuck and how to move them forward. When you layer in another personality dimension we measure, Emotional Intelligence, you start to understand how they respond under stress, where they deflect, and what kind of support they actually need.

Here’s the good news: every unproductive agent has potential. But potential without insight and action is just potential.

If you want your people to close more transactions, help them close the gap between who they are and what they need to succeed.  Use our assessments to give you guidance on what to change and how to change to capitalize on strengths and minimize limitations.

In today’s market, hiring isn’t always the solution—and quite frankly, sometimes it’s a distraction. The real win? Getting more out of the people you already have.

Now, I don’t mean working them harder. I mean working smarter—together.

The organizations thriving in the current market aren’t the ones throwing bodies at problems. They’re the ones using behavioral data to align their people, improve communication, and reduce inefficiencies. They understand that productivity doesn’t come from pushing—it comes from positioning.

A Misaligned Team is an Expensive Team

When your team’s behavioral styles are in conflict, communication gets messy. Tasks get repeated. Frustration sets in. Suddenly, projects take twice as long—and morale takes a hit.

But when you understand how your people are wired—how they naturally lead, follow, communicate, and decide—you can design your team to thrive.

This is what we do every day with the DISC and Motivators Abelson Report.

We don’t just hand you a report. We help you place your people on the Abelson Team Behaviors Wheel so you can see the blind spots, overlaps, and missing links in your current team dynamic.

Sometimes the fix isn’t hiring someone new—it’s realigning roles, shifting communication styles, and giving the right people the right tools.

Efficiency Doesn’t Mean “Do More.” It Means “Do Right.”

If your instinct is to add more to someone’s plate, pause. Ask instead:

• Are they in the role that fits their strengths?
• Are they motivated by what they're doing?
• Are we communicating in a way they actually hear?

This is where assessments become very powerful. A skilled team building facilitator can use the Abelson Wheels to give leaders clarity of the behaviors of all the people in their team—and clarity drives efficiency.

Ready to Optimize Your Team?

Whether your business is in growth mode or holding steady, optimizing your current team might be the most profitable move you make.

Let’s talk about how we can map your team’s behavior and motivators on the Abelson Team Wheel and the Abelson Report, so you can lead with strategy—not guesswork.

Visit www.theabelsongroup.com/teams to learn more or to schedule a discovery call. See why The Abelson Group is the cover story of the July 2024 issue of Manage HR Magazine as the top team building service provider in the USA.

To better teams and better outcomes,
Dr. A
Founder, The Abelson Group

United States tariffs are increased on countries worldwide and then decreased!  Stock markets and bond markets go up and down and up again!  Industries go on hiring binges and then do wholesale layoffs.  The technology industry, for example, has done this numerous times.   They escalate salaries and have “hiring wars,” only to have wholesale layoffs and year or so later.   We all have specific examples of how our world has turned uncertain.