Achieving Real Estate Success: Million-Dollar Agent Strategies That Actually Work
If you’re tired of piecing together your business from recycled Instagram quotes and advice from agents who’ve never cracked six figures, let’s cut the fluff.
We sat down with Michael Hellickson founder of Club Wealth and former leader of one of the highest-producing real estate teams in the country. Think 120 to 180 transactions per month, 750 active listings, and only 16 agents on the team. Yeah, per month. No guesswork here. Just systems that scale.
And here’s what stood out loud and clear: real estate isn’t about being flash it’s about being focused. So if you’re building your business with big goals (and no intention of burning out), this is the playbook.
Success doesn’t start with leads. It starts with who you’re taking advice from. Michael doesn’t sugarcoat it: stop listening to agents who’ve never done what you want to do. If your goal is to scale to six or seven figures, take direction from someone who’s been there and isn’t just guessing.
Michael breaks the industry into 7 production tiers. Most agents are in Tier 1 (0–25 deals/year) or Tier 2 (25–75 deals/year). And the truth? It's the hardest at the bottom. You’ve got more time than money, and no blueprint to work from until now.
You don’t need a $20K Zillow ad budget to generate leads. If you’re consistent, five simple methods still work:
FSBOs
Expireds
Cold Calling
Open Houses
Your own sphere
Pick one. Put in 20 hours a week. The math is simple: if your average sale price is $500K, you can pull in $500K/year just by showing up consistently and doing the reps.
Now let’s talk open houses because most agents are doing them wrong. A single well-executed open house can get you 25 to 150 buyers through the door. That’s not theory that's happening right now in real markets.
The key? Make it massive:
Choose a move-up home, not entry-level.
Door knock and cold call 200 nearby homes.
Put out 50 signs not 5 with helium balloons to catch attention.
Promote everywhere online, but know that signs and face-to-face contact still win.
This isn’t about selling that house. It’s about stacking your pipeline with ready buyers and future listings. Most people walking in are also sellers they just don’t know it yet.
But here’s where agents really drop the ball: follow-up.
Speed matters. You’ve got 30 seconds. Wait 5 minutes? You’ve dropped your conversion rate by 900%.
Your follow-up system needs to be layered:
Call. Then call again (double dial).
Text. "Is this [Name]?" followed by "Calling you now."
Email. Video message. DM. Even a good old-fashioned Facebook wall tag.
The goal is seven to ten touches. And the goal of those touches? Not to “check in” to set the appointment.
When you get that buyer on the phone, don’t gatekeep the pre-approval. Your job is to get in the room and show the value of working with you. The first showing is free. After that, it’s time for the buyer agency agreement. Respect your time. Set your standard. Hold the key until they’re ready to treat the relationship professionally.
There’s a reason high-producing agents specialize. When you focus on listings or buyers—not both—you build better systems, create better client experiences, and earn more. In fact, agents who specialize net 25% more income, even with a team split.
Buyers require charm and stamina. Sellers require strategy and control. Know your personality. Play to your strengths. And build a team that complements you so you’re not spinning in circles trying to be everything to everyone.
This industry isn’t hard because the steps are complicated. It’s hard because most people aren’t willing to do the simple things long enough to win. But if you’re ready to work smarter, not just harder—this blueprint delivers.
👉 Want to go deeper and see the full conversation?
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