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2026 June

June 2026

This month is all about connection. It’s no secret that connecting with your database and your peers is the key to success. The Coach’s Tip, Member Spotlight and the other articles in this issue will show you how to make those connections stronger and more productive.

Make sure you subscribe so you never miss a future issue.

Enjoy!

Derek Jones,
Director of Community

In This Issue

Don’t Let Summer Steal Your Momentum

Summer has a way of making everything feel optional. The days stretch longer, the calendar clears out, and a quiet voice whispers that it’s okay to coast for a while. And it is okay to a point. Rest is real, recovery matters, and no one builds a lasting business by running on empty.

But here’s what the data keeps telling us: roughly 70% of your business success comes through referrals. And referrals don’t take a summer break. They come from the relationships you’ve tended, the calls you made, and the touchpoints you kept showing up for, even when the pool was calling.

Staying Connected (Without Burning Out)

The goal isn’t to ignore summer, but rather to stay intentionally light and consistently present. Think of it as maintenance mode, not growth mode. That might mean a few touchpoints a week, some genuine conversation, a handwritten note, or a quick voice message to a top-tier contact. These small acts compound over the summer months and keep you top of mind when September arrives, and decisions start getting made again.

Consider batching your SOI outreach into two or three focused sessions a week rather than letting it loom over every day. This gives you real time off while protecting the relationship pipeline you’ve spent the year building. That allows you to still enjoy the season while preserving your momentum.

A Tale of Two Summers

Meet Austin. He’s the kind of person who checks the tide charts before he checks his email, and given the choice between a showing and a sunrise fishing trip, he’ll need a moment to think about it. He runs his own real estate brokerage and built his business almost entirely on relationships. Every summer he used to go completely dark. No outreach, no check-ins, no touchpoints.

“I told myself I deserved it,” he laughs now. “And I did. I just didn’t realize what it was costing me.”

A couple years ago, Austin came back from a three-week fishing trip to find that two of his warmest referral sources had each sent a friend to a different broker. It wasn’t because they were unhappy with him, but because he simply hadn’t been in the conversation.

“Out of sight, out of mind is real,” he says. “I didn’t lose those relationships. I just… missed the moment.”

Last summer, Austin tried something different. He called it his “stack” strategy: instead of treating work and summer as opposites, he wove small connection moments into activities he was already doing. He’d snap a photo of a nice catch out on the water and text it to a client with a note: “This made me think of you, hope your summer is going well.”

He’d batch his SOI calls into “Focused Monday Mornings,” so the rest of his time was fully free. He sent three handwritten notes from the lake house: one to a top-tier client, one to a past referral source, and one to a prospect he’d been meaning to reconnect with.

The result? His best September on record. Five referrals came in within the first two weeks of fall, including one from the prospect who’d received a note.

“He told me he’d been thinking about calling me all summer,” Austin says. “That handwritten note was just the nudge he needed. Thirty seconds of effort, written at the dock. That’s it.”

Austin didn’t work more last summer. He worked smarter, in smaller doses, stacked on top of the life he was already living. The boat and the water were still there. So was the momentum.

You Are the Engine

Summer is a gift. Use it to recharge, to be present with the people you love, and to pursue the life that makes your work meaningful. But don’t hand over the wheel. You’ve worked too hard to let a season of sunshine undo the foundation you’ve built. Stay connected. Stay visible. Let your sphere know you’re still here because the entrepreneurs who thrive in the fall are the ones who never really stopped showing up in the summer.

Ready to build your own summer stack? Contact us for a free Business Consultation. In this 30-minute call, we’ll help you get clear on your vision, identify what’s holding you back, see what’s working for others just like you and discover your next step.

The Wrong Crowd Is Costing You

My mother used to say, “Show me your friends and I’ll tell you who you are.” I hated that phrase when I was a kid, but the older I get, the more I realize that she was right.

The ancient scriptures actually noted this as well: bad company corrupts good character. In other words, you might be a person of good character, but if you’re hanging out with bad characters, you’re going to get corrupted over time.

When you spend enough time around certain people, you start to talk like them and think like them. You normalize what they normalize and aim for what they aim for. Not because you’re weak, but because you’re human.

If your circle complains, cuts corners, or settles, you slowly shrink without noticing it. If your circle grows, learns, takes responsibility, and dreams bigger, you expand without forcing it.

Intentionally Seek Out Your Tribe

Post-COVID, we’ve become an isolated culture. We’re comfortable being by ourselves. Every word of criticism feels harsher. Every slight feels bigger. And so we’ve retreated from people. But when we lean into great associations, they help us become more than who we are.

In this business, we have self-employed people. We have to take the “self” out of self-employed. You can’t just do this alone.

Consider joining a local group, like a chamber of commerce, BNI or LeTip.

For our Members, we have over 350 small groups throughout the U.S. and Canada that meet monthly to brainstorm and encourage each other.

We formed these groups for ambitious people who wanted to change their lives but found they were in a minority position in their companies and offices. They wanted to seek out people who were on the growth journey themselves. They not only help each other with business matters but also with the inevitable bumps in the road we all encounter at one time or another.

Set Your Boundaries

Dr. Henry Cloud, who we’ve featured at our events, wrote a groundbreaking book, Boundaries. In it he notes that the people you meet in life fall into different categories. You have the ones who are family, of course, and then others who you want to cultivate relationships with. There are also those who you need to become indifferent to.

I will not extend myself, and I will not repeatedly expose myself to people who repeatedly go out of their way to offend me or get under my skin, or I find myself carrying their weight with me. I also won’t stay angry with someone because that anger is like eating poison. So I just won’t do that at all.

I treasure the relationships that are closest to me. I’ve learned to build tolerance for myself and others with those relationships, and I will go to the nth degree for those. Of course, there will be cuts and bruises and bumps and lumps along the way because we’re all human.

The fact of the matter is we need to limit the negative people in our life. We need to intentionally seek out the positive, connect with small groups, connect with like-minded people and connect with “birds of a feather.” And if we do that, we really will have a blueprint to limit the negative people in our lives and increase the positive.

CTA

Each week on his new show, The Brian Buffini Show, Brian discusses the big questions and the real-world solutions. Each episode blends perspective with action, offering principles and tools that help you gain clarity, build confidence, and take meaningful steps toward living your best life. Watch the latest episode here.

How AI Complements You as a Real Estate Professional

Michael Thorne is an AI expert, marketing visionary and host of Buffini & Company’s award-winning AI Bootcamp training. In this article, he shares why AI shouldn’t be feared but embraced as a way to bring agents closer to the people they serve.

It’s impossible to read anything online nowadays without seeing multiple stories and posts about the significance of artificial intelligence. While there is excitement around it, there’s also a fair bit of trepidation. A chief concern is that we will be replaced by these machines, leaving us on the sidelines.

In reality, for savvy real estate professionals, AI is a “just-in-time” support that can help us serve our clients with greater efficiency. In an era where agents are fiercely competing for market share, using AI tools in the right way will give you a tremendous advantage.

It’s not enough to just sign on to one of the AI platforms. You need to know how to use them, learn what they can do for you, and what they can’t (and shouldn’t) do.

The agents who win will not be the ones who use AI the most. They will be the ones who use the power of AI behind the scenes, with intellectual judgment, so that they can focus more of their time delivering a truly superior client experience.

Your basic rule of thumb? AI should do more of the impersonal work, so you can do more of the personal work.

Here are some guidelines to follow based on where you are in your career:

For New Agents Just Starting Out

As a new agent, you’re filled with excitement but also apprehension. There’s so much to learn and do. You’re building everything from scratch, including your most important asset: your database.

AI tools can help expedite this process by creating systems that keep you organized and on track. You’ll also be able to easily draft client communications and create marketing content targeting the specific groups you’re trying to reach. These are also valuable tools to complement the background work you do researching neighborhood data, comparable sales, and market trends.

An Agent at Mid-Career

As an experienced professional, you’re past the growing pains. You’ve found your rhythm; referrals are coming in, and your business is growing.

But that growth often comes with a hidden cost: more hours, more admin tasks, and more people wanting more of your time.

AI can help you design better follow-up systems, draft thoughtful touchpoints, organize your database communication, create market updates, and keep your content calendar moving. That work going on behind the scenes will free up time for you to nurture client relationships with those important personal touches, like calls, notes, and Pop-Bys.

A Seasoned Pro

If you’re a seasoned agent who has been through every type of market and is still going strong, you may feel AI isn’t for you. In truth, implementing these tools can help make this one of the most satisfying chapters of your impressive career.

At this stage, AI can carry some of the back-end work so your expertise gets to shine even brighter. Your trusted reputation is supported by follow-up systems that keep you connected with your database without adding to your plate. Imagine combining your expertise, knowledge, and relationship-building skills with the most up-to-date AI tools working behind the scenes. The result will be an exceptional experience for your clients and an unbeatable recipe for success!

Why AI Will Not Replace You

Of course, not every task belongs in AI’s hands. The most important parts of this business still require what you bring — your knowledge, experience, and empathy.

At the end of the day, clients are hiring you for your skillsets, not your AI abilities. They want a professional to guide them through the largest financial (and emotional) transaction most of them will ever make. For example, AI is not going to answer the phone when they are panicked, but it can help you have everything you need to quickly be able to answer their concerns.

The agents who win will not be the ones who use or rely on AI. They will be the ones who use AI in the right places, behind the scenes, with judgment, so the client experience becomes more personal, not less.

Excited but not sure where to start? The Buffini & Company AI Bootcamp can help! Each month, Michael Thorne will take one practical part of the real estate business and show how AI can be used responsibly behind the scenes to save time, improve clarity, strengthen communication, and protect the personal client experience that drives repeat and referral business. Not only will he address questions in a Q&A at the end of each session, you’ll also be able to get help from him and your peers in a dedicated Facebook group.

Grow Your Business One Coffee at a Time

In this blog, Buffini Coaching Member Deanna Bone shares how she strategically connects and builds relationships with her peers resulting in a tremendous boost to her business. She’ll expand on what she shares on our Community Connection webinar, Wednesday, June 24 at 10 a.m. PT.. Register here to join and learn more.

As a long-time Buffini Member, I’ve attended a lot of the company’s events over the years. Like most people, I would show up excited to learn from the speakers, take notes and leave feeling inspired.

But after a while, I found myself feeling a little burned out. I was getting great information, but I realized I wasn’t fully taking advantage of one of the biggest opportunities these events offered: networking with the people sitting around me.

A Shift Creates Results

Then my Coach challenged me with something that completely shifted my perspective:

Stop focusing only on the stage. Focus on the people in the seats.

That simple mindset shift changed the way I approached networking and ultimately changed my business.

Instead of just attending events, I started to focus on connecting with other agents. I’d follow up after conferences and schedule virtual coffee chats. I intentionally made an effort to genuinely learn about people, their markets, and their businesses.

Over time, those conversations turned into relationships. And in turn, those relationships brought referrals.

Today, nearly 70% of my business comes from agent-to-agent referrals.

Connecting Over a (Virtual) Coffee Date

One of the biggest drivers behind that growth has been a weekly Zoom networking strategy that I call “Coffee Over the Miles.”

The concept is simple: connect consistently with agents across the United States and Canada through one-on-one conversations. These chats are designed to build authentic, and not just transactional, relationships.

We talk about our markets, what we’re seeing in the industry, the types of clients we serve, and the challenges we’re navigating. Sometimes we swap ideas but sometimes it’s just a nice way to connect on a personal level and not just as real estate professionals.

And over time, trust develops naturally. That trust is what makes referrals so powerful.

When another agent refers a client to you, the relationship starts differently. The client already feels comfortable because someone they trust has vouched for you before you ever pick up the phone. Conversations are easier, expectations are clearer, and the process feels more collaborative right from the start.

Consistency Matters

It’s true: one great connection might not lead to business immediately. But over time, it may turn into multiple referrals, repeat opportunities, and long-term partnerships. Small, consistent actions really do compound.

That’s why consistency matters so much in relationship building.

For me, that looks like:

  • Weekly “Coffee Over the Miles” conversations
  • Sending handwritten notes
  • Following up consistently
  • Staying connected through market updates and newsletters
  • Keeping notes and reminders in my CRM

These actions help create momentum and foster connections long after the first conversation.

Opportunities Are All Around You

Most agents already have a myriad of opportunities available to them:

  • Agents they’ve already done business with
  • People they’ve met at events
  • Industry contacts they haven’t followed up with
  • Connections already in their phone or CRM they haven’t stayed in touch with

Sometimes all it takes is reaching out and scheduling one conversation.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this: the real estate business has always been built on relationships.

Technology is changing. Markets shift. Lead sources come and go. But trust still matters.

Looking back, I used to attend events focused almost entirely on what I could learn from the speakers. Now I realize some of the biggest opportunities were sitting beside me the whole time.

Because sometimes one simple conversation really can change your business.

Deanna will dive deeper into her Coffee Over the Miles strategy on our Community Connection webinar Wednesday, June 24 at 10 a.m. PT.. Register here to join and learn more.

Pam Ehlers

Pam Ehlers has always been a “people person.” As the longtime proprietor of her own restaurant, Pam’s Pub and Grub in Grand Island, NE, her focus was always on providing excellent service. She loved her work, but the hours were grueling.

On the side, she bought and flipped a few houses, she said, a process she enjoyed. So when her kids got older, she decided to make the transition into becoming a full-time real estate agent.

First and ‘Best’ Decision’ — Buffini Coaching

Pam’s first decision after getting her license was to approach Hector Rubio, the broker/owner of Rubio Real Estate, about working there.

“Hector highly recommended that I join Buffini. He’d been a member for a long time,” she said.

Pam took his advice. Not only did she join Buffini herself, but she also signed up for One2One Coaching. It was, she said, the “best thing I’ve ever done.”

Reflecting on that experience, Pam shared how much support coaching gave her as she got started.

“I never had any experience with coaching at all. I had no idea what to expect. I didn’t know what I was doing. So [my coach] Katelyn was absolutely my life support. I listened to her. I followed her instructions. I asked questions,” Pam explained. “It’s the support, the confidence, the motivation, the structure and the consistency.”

That guidance made all the difference as Pam stepped into a brand-new career.

“I wanted to succeed. Getting your license and going out there in the real world are two different things,” she added. “So I am grateful to have all the coaching, the advice, the support, all that. That is truly why I’m still in real estate. That’s truly why my numbers are okay, because I followed the advice of my coach.”

The Mindset of Working by Referral

As a business owner herself in the community, Pam is able to tap into her natural sphere of influence. That fits perfectly with the Working by Referral System. For Pam, referrals have always been the foundation of how she does business.

“Every customer, clientele, friend I’ve had has come from somebody else,” she said. “Referral is everything. You do a good job, you show up for people, they recommend you.”

That people-first mindset is what continues to drive her today.

“I want to be successful by my actions, by representing my clientele the best that I can. I want to show up. I want to do the best job for you. I want people to say, ‘She really showed up for us,’” she added. “I just love helping people, I really do. It’s the greatest feeling in the world when someone gets the keys to the house that they wanted.”

Pam’s Good Life!

In just her first year with Buffini, Pam earned $143,000. Last year, her income went up by 38%.

For this business owner, the quest to have balance in her life between work and family time was once a struggle. But now that her teen grandson, Chase, is living with her, it’s become a priority, especially as in just a few short years, he’ll be off to college.

“I told him, “Don’t look in your rear-view mirror. Your grandma will be following you!’” she joked.

But for now, she is cherishing the time they have to spend together. And, she says, much of that is possible thanks to her coach’s support and the Working by Referral System.

“It’s been night and day. I have more balance in my life than I’ve ever had,” she explained. “I don’t work near as much as I used to. I cannot tell you what that does for your mind, your family, everything.”

At this stage in life, Pam says her definition of success has changed.

“I think just as you get older, it’s not about perfect days — it’s about meaningful days. It’s about helping people and how I show up,” she mused. “I want them to know that I’ll show up. I’ll be there for you.”

“To me, that’s peace of mind. And that’s a good life.”

Watch Pam's story here.

PREVIOUS ISSUES

May 2026: Cut Through the Noise
April 2026: Find Your Business Rhythm
March 2026: Your Q1 Check-In Is Here