How to elevate agent productivity in 2026: 5 expert insights from team leaders

Agents don’t get more productive by simply being told to “do more prospecting.” They get productive when leaders remove friction, provide real-time support, and coach to behaviors that move the needle.

Here are five practical moves you can implement now, each with action steps you can take straight into your next team standup.

5 plays to raise agent productivity (without burnout)

When activity gets fuzzy, output drops. These proven strategies codify accountability, align processes to agent needs, and feed your pipeline with qualified appointments.

Use them to raise agent productivity without burning out your best people:

1. Keep them accountable

Grind beats vibes. And accountability beats feelings. Daniel Dixon, Owner/CEO, The Dixon Group, runs daily, fact‑based huddles to track team metrics and tighten standards the moment activity dips.

Here’s how that looks:

• Daily huddles on activity: each morning, agents report yesterday’s calls, conversations, and appointments set/held.

• Coach to the math: define your conversion ladder (e.g., calls → contacts → meetings → pre‑approvals → under‑contracts) and adjust activity targets according to the market.

• Use facts, not feelings: commit to goals, then review execution regardless of mood; address exceptions immediately so they don’t become the rule.

• Tier the accountability: keep supportive 1:1s, but use group huddles for pace and peer accountability—tighten cadence when someone falls off.

• Recruit “athletes”: hire for adversity tolerance, coachability, and “get up” energy.

"Accountability is the highest form of love," says Daniel. "But the problem is we're doing it too late. When we start falling off or not hitting what we need to hit, we increase the accountability around whatever metric we're after."

The key to maintaining agent consistency is holding them accountable to leading indicators. Make the work measurable every day and hold the line in public and in private. “We try to remove the feelings and have fact‑based conversations on execution,” explains Daniel.

Here’s Daniel’s philosophy:

2. Offer support systems

Support starts with a strong cultural foundation. Dylan Nonaka’s Agency Team in Hawaii grew to 150 agents, expanded to the mainland, hit their first 100‑unit month—and did it with zero outbound recruiting.

By creating a written culture code, Dylan built a repeatable operating system for how the team treats clients and each other.

He used a few key strategies to make it happen:

• Codify culture and use it: write the culture code, reference it in dispute resolution, and coach conflicts through abundance vs. scarcity.

• Make support a behavior: normalize mentorship so new agents quickly become leaders.

• Operationalize help: build a Google Site or “team in a box” wiki with workflows and scripts that update everywhere automatically.

• Convert with consistency: publish one agent training video per week, lead your own social media, and use content to drip, validate, and convert.

“Your vibe attracts your tribe,” says Dylan. “We're very clear on who we are and what we do. The people who want to be a part of that come to us and the people who don't, don't. That's what keeps it special and keeps it productive.”

Combined with a pay‑it‑forward culture and strong support systems, the team converts better and attracts the right agents without spending a ton of resources on agent recruiting.

Here’s how Dylan explains it:

3. Ask what they need

“Be the best SOB you can possibly be… that is, the best Student Of the Business,” says Gio Sanginesi, VP of Growth, Pozek Group. According to real estate leaders like Gio like Emily Smith, COO at Wemert Group Realty, agent-led ops beats top-down mandates any day.

Keep agents productive at scale by asking what they actually need, then designing systems around those needs—without “jerking the wheel.”

• Start with needs, not noise: slow down in 1:1s and ask, “What do you need vs. what do you want?” Don’t push roles or next steps agents aren’t ready for.

• Build the right pod for your model: Pozek runs 5–7 agent pods led by productive agents for accountability and daily support; Wemert assigns agents to veteran transaction managers (plus a leads manager up front) to coach contract-to-close and fix gaps in real time.

• Standardize the stack and time your changes: drive 100% CRM adoption, test with a small group first and include peer voices (like TCs) in decisions for a smooth rollout.

• Fly one flag: keep brand consistent; set expectations early so new agents align with the team identity and value proposition.

Don’t be afraid to dig deep. “What do you need versus what do you want? Let’s unpack that,” says Emily.

Be specific in your questions. Design processes that match real needs, and pace change thoughtfully. You’ll increase adoption, accountability, and retention.

Here’s how they explained it:

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4. Create an opportunity engine

Teams stay productive when leaders create capacity, then fill it with real opportunities. Jonathan Campbell’s rule is simple: Use every minute you free up to deliver higher‑quality appointments, then hold tight standards around conversion.

Here’s how he makes it happen in the day-to-day:

• Remove low‑value tasks: centralize signage, MLS entry, offer drafting, and transaction management so agents can focus on follow‑up, appointments, and conversion.

• Build and own the opportunity engine: run ISAs and diversified lead sources, qualify deeply, and set only “in‑person worthy” appointments; test new sources for 90 days and review quarterly; narrow agents to the 1–2 source types they convert best.

• Make it a two‑way: the team supplies leads/appointments; agents commit to responsiveness, calendar availability, and detailed notes—tracked on simple weekly scoreboards.

• Standardize handoffs: use Follow Up Boss templates for ISA discovery notes and automate post‑appt agent prompts; tie ISA comp (e.g., 5% at close) to outcomes so they act as micro sales managers.

• Reinvest leader time: don’t “relax” after delegating—hunt new construction, partnerships, and channel wins to feed the pipeline and lift per‑agent productivity.

“Don’t take your foot off the gas. Use the time you free up to drive opportunities for the people now relying on you,” Jonathan advises. 

Create capacity, generate qualified opportunities, and enforce clear standards. That’s how you raise profitability and per‑agent productivity.

Here’s how he explains it:

5. Let AI cut the guesswork

Tech-enabled shortcuts aren’t lazy. Used intentionally, they can make agents faster and leaders sharper. Use automation and AI to anchor coaching in real conversations, surface patterns quickly, and turn insights into simple actions agents can execute today.

• Role‑play with AI daily: use your call patterns, not generic scripts; score discovery, objections, and appointment setting.

• Auto‑summarize calls: record via phone/CRM; review key moments, objections, and next steps in agent 1:1s.

• Turn insights into tasks: convert findings into metrics and coach to real bottlenecks.

• Build a “winning calls” library: clip and tag by source, objection, and outcome for fast training and best‑practice sharing.

“We have our brand‑new agents do an AI role‑play once a day for 21 days,” says Kyle Draper, Team Leader at Serene Team. “It’s harder than human role‑play—and we’re seeing new agents get good really quickly.”

Kyle pairs automated follow‑up tasks with AI summaries to tee up relevant conversations fast.

When used intentionally, AI doesn’t replace the coach—it replaces guesswork. Use it to make coaching timely, specific, and rooted in reality.

Make productivity visible

Agent productivity rises when leaders make the work measurable and remove friction. Hold the line on daily activity (calls, contacts, appointments), anchor support in a clear culture code, and design pods and processes around real needs.

When you tighten standards and simplify the path, per‑agent output climbs—regardless of market.

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FAQs

What daily non-negotiable habits boost productivity?

Time blocking, a simple to-do list, priority phone calls and client meetings. Silence notifications and end the day with a quick check in on key metrics and leading indicators.

How can team leaders avoid burnout and protect work-life balance?

Offload administrative tasks with automation tools and lightweight apps, then tighten priorities to protect work-life balance. Fewer, deeper blocks beat long hours.

Which productivity tools should real estate professionals use?

Most successful real estate teams use a CRM plus a number of integrated apps to improve time management and boost real estate productivity.

How do leaders coach without derailing the workday?

Hold a short daily check in on leading indicators, then coach 1:1 to real outcomes and activities like appointments set and total talk time.

What types of training helps agents move their real estate careers forward?

Forget one-sided online courses. Center your agent training around real call reviews, pod mentoring tied to client meetings and metrics that demonstrate actual progress.

How do we protect client relationships while scaling?

Set up the right integrations and automations in your real estate CRM, use time blocking for follow-up, and segment by client needs. Successful real estate agents don’t drop the ball. Your systems make that possible.