#737: The Only Path to Agent Productivity with Joel Perso

Episode Overview

In this no-fluff strategy session, John Kitchens sits down with Joel Perso to break down the two most critical levers driving real estate success in 2025: recruiting and standards.

While most teams are struggling in a tough market, others are breaking records—closing over 1,000 transactions and scaling at unprecedented speed. So what separates the two? John and Joel unpack the mindset, systems, and leadership principles that determine whether your team thrives or stalls.

They dig deep into the real definition of agent productivity, why recruiting solves more problems than anything else, and how clear standards and accountability drive culture, growth, and profitability. If you lead a real estate team—or aspire to—this episode is your blueprint for building a business that performs no matter the market.

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What You'll Learn in This Episode

The Real Definition of Agent Productivity

• Why agent count doesn't equal productivity

• How to define productivity around performance, not presence

• The key metrics that drive agent success

Recruiting as the Ultimate Leverage Point

• Why top teams never stop recruiting—no matter the market

• How fresh talent raises performance across the entire organization

• Building a "lead generation system" for people, not just prospects

• How to recruit in small markets (even when the talent pool is thin)

The Power of Standards

• Why "the only standards you have are the ones you enforce"

• Balancing accountability with culture and trust

• How to eliminate drag on your team and attract top performers

• Why A-players don't stick around when C-players are tolerated

Leadership and Mindset in a Shifting Market

• Why fitness, discipline, and consistency amplify leadership performance

• How mindset determines team culture and output

• The difference between leading a team and dragging one

• When to coach, when to correct, and when to cut

Activity, Skill, and Results

• The two controllables that separate high-performing teams from average ones

• How to raise conversion rates across every stage of your sales funnel

• Why every productive agent masters conversations, follow-up, and negotiation

• How to build standards around both activity and results

The Recruiting–Standards Feedback Loop

• Why great recruiting empowers tougher standards

• How culture self-polices when the right players are in the room

• Why maintaining standards is the foundation for scale

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Resources & Mentions

• JohnKitchens.coach – Executive coaching and team strategy resources

• Agent to CEO 2024 – Leadership and productivity event for top agents

• Simple Numbers, Straight Talk, Big Profits! by Greg Crabtree

• The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle

• The Strangest Secret by Earl Nightingale

• Working Genius by Patrick Lencioni

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Final Takeaway

If you want to build a thriving team, it's not about adding more leads—