“There’s a Real Trust Problem in Coaching Right Now”  episode artwork

EPISODE · Mar 26, 2026 · 22 MIN

“There’s a Real Trust Problem in Coaching Right Now”

from Real Estate Thought Leaders · host Matt Johnson

Dave and I connected because ChatGPT recommended my agency.Does that mean I’m throwing time and resources into AI search optimization?Absolutely not. As Dan Kennedy says, the greatest opportunities are in circumventing search. Getting in front of people who aren’t even searching yet.But I had such a great chat with Dave that I invited him to share his experience here.While building a successful team in Savannah, GA, Dave built a reputation for helping agents hit six-figure incomes, even in year one.Now, for the first time, he’s beginning to work with coaching clients outside his team.Along the way, he’s also had firsthand experience working with several real estate coaches himself. Giving him some non-obvious insights about what agents are really looking for in coaching today…Great Coaching is Teaching Ruthless Focus“I’ve never done everything my boss asked of me. I do the most important thing that I’m going to get promoted for… if you’re doing important stuff and doing it very well, they forget about all the fluff that they were going to have you do.” - David SabaDave got a real world lesson in the 80/20 Principle…in an unusual setting.Landing cargo planes on aircraft carriers in the Navy.He learned that in any role, a few things are so vitally important…that if you get those right…everything else becomes secondary.So when hiring his own coach early on, Dave wasn’t drawn to coaches stressing activity over strategy. It didn’t match what he’d experienced in the military, where your performance had life and death consequences.Agents are Looking for Strategy, Not Just Activity“There’s a real trust problem in the coaching industry for real estate right now...I tried half a dozen coaches…Most of them just wanted to hold me accountable for…how many calls made this week …divide them up 30 different ways….do all these big spreadsheet reports…”When Dave began working with coaches early in his real estate career, he went looking for strategy. Real insight into the most effective and efficient methods to build his real estate business.Dave knew that all leads are not created equal.So instead of simply increasing activity, he became interested in strategies to:• Identify higher-value opportunities• Generate better conversations• Follow up more effectivelyHe took the same mentality that drove his success in the military and the corporate world, and applied it to his real estate business. The result is a successful team and a track record of agents hitting six-figure incomes.Want to launch your own flagship video show, with zero hassle? Click here to learn about our Done-for-You Production & Strategy Service.From Michael Maher and Lars Hedenborg to Jeff Cohn and Marki Lemons Ryhal, we’ve been the content team behind many of your fellow real estate coaches, speakers and authors. We turn conversations and raw footage into polished YouTube videos, podcasts, email newsletters, short videos and social posts. All with zero overwhelm, guaranteed.My Perspective: The Coaches Winning Right Now Are Creating THIS Kind of ContentComing into real estate in the mid-2000s, I was looking for strategy, too.In a pre-YouTube era, I got lucky and stumbled on a variant of Craig Proctor’s materials. That goes back to Dan Kennedy and direct response marketing, which is still having a huge impact on my life today.From conversations with guests like John Schuchman, Dale Archdekin and Jess Lenouvel, I’d bet that the majority of agents coming into the business are looking for strategic insight over activity.Especially strategies that are:* tech-savvy* low-cost* high impact* highly efficientAnd they just might ‘coach-shop’ til they get it.When I look at coaches who are winning today, they create content that promises strategic insight…and then delivers. And you need both.Promising strategic insight helps your content stand out.Delivering strategic insight builds trust.Every strategic insight creates little moments where agents say to themselves: “Oh wow, I could see that working for ME!”Every one of those moments creates trust.The more of those moments you create, the more agents will pre-determine that you’re the right coach for them.Ask This:Where can you share more strategic insight in your content?Where can you intentionally create more ‘I Can See This Working for ME!’ moments?Want to go deeper? Click on the audio file for the full chat, or search Real Estate Thought Leaders on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.Or Hit Reply and tell me what you’re seeingQuick Links & ResourcesDave’s coaching websiteConnect with Dave on LinkedInDave’s real estate team websiteMassive thanks to Dave for sharing! Make sure to connect with him, especially if you want a podcast guest. Dave can go deep on high-impact, low-cost strategies, like how he ditched traditional farming and used community events to dominate specific neighborhoods. Always happy to make a personal intro!Talk soon,-MattAgency Founder & Author of MicroFamousPS Here’s how we can help…Done-for-You Content Production & Strategy - We turn raw footage into professional YouTube videos, podcasts and email newsletters. All with zero overwhelm, guaranteed.From Michael Maher and Lars Hedenborg to Jeff Cohn and Marki Lemons Ryhal, we’ve been the content team behind many of your fellow real estate coaches, speakers and authors.We start every client engagement by developing your ‘Signature Talk’ - So you have a message you’re excited to take to stages, guest interviews and all your content.Then we launch your flagship video show - supported by audio podcast and email newsletter, delivered with pro-quality and relentless consistency. We promote with short video clips and social posts on any platform where you’re active.Each month we give you research-based video title and topic ideas, scripts, outlines, even slides. Plus all the support you need to stay consistent, from email updates to strategy calls.So if you’re not putting out the quality of content…consistently…to become the thought leader you’re meant to be, let’s talk. Click here to learn more and schedule a Free Brainstorm Call. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rethoughtleaders.substack.com

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This episode is 22 minutes long.

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This episode was published on March 26, 2026.

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Dave and I connected because ChatGPT recommended my agency.Does that mean I’m throwing time and resources into AI search optimization?Absolutely not. As Dan Kennedy says, the greatest opportunities are in circumventing search. Getting in front of...

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