Agents everywhere want more listings heading into 2026, but most are focusing on the wrong things. Yesterday’s webinar with David Bartels made one point very clear: the agents who win next year will be the ones who stop chasing and start using strategy.
David Bartels is the Founder of Easy Seller Leads and one of the most accomplished listing agents in the country. He has sold more than 1,000 homes, including 173 transactions in a single year. In our webinar, he broke down the exact mindset, approach, and daily actions that allowed him to grow his business fast in a crowded market.
Below is a full breakdown of what he shared, including the psychology behind seller decision making, why most agents struggle with conversion, and how to build a listing machine in 2026.
Competition is intense. One out of every 87 adults in America has a real estate license. Even your best sphere contacts know five or six agents already. That means trust and reputation alone are no longer enough.
Many agents are doing the same things:
But as David explained, the real problem isn’t effort. It’s conversations. Most agents simply aren’t talking to enough people who want to talk about selling.
And even when they are, the second problem appears: they aren’t converting enough of those people into real listing presentations.
Winning in 2026 comes down to two things:
Finding people who want to sell
Selling the people you find
Everything else is noise.
One of David’s key messages was direct:
Failure to convert a lead is not the fault of the lead.
Leads are not transactions. They’re not even prospects. They’re just names until you find out whether someone is actually planning to move.
Statistically, only 2.9 percent of homeowners will list in the next 12 months. That means you need a process that identifies the right sellers early, long before they raise their hand on Zillow or schedule a CMA appointment.
Many agents make a critical mistake: if a seller isn’t ready right now, they assume the conversation was a waste. But the sellers you talk to today become the listings you close three to twelve months from now.
Top performers play the long game. They fill the pipeline early. They build relationships long before decision day.
David explained that all sellers move through three mental stages before hiring an agent:
They begin quietly thinking about selling.
They aren’t ready for an agent yet. They’re gathering information.
This is where they start getting serious.
They may start talking to agents, but they haven’t decided who they trust.
This is where most agents attempt to enter the conversation…
but it’s already too late.
If a seller is talking to multiple agents at this stage, they’ve already formed opinions based on the research and strategies they reviewed earlier.
The key is getting to them before they choose an agent.
After years stuck between 50 and 77 transactions a year, David had a breakthrough. He realized:
Sellers don’t choose an agent. They choose a strategy. Then they hire the agent who can execute it.
Most agents show up and promote themselves:
Sellers don’t make decisions this way.
They choose the strategy that feels safest, smartest, and most likely to help them reach their price. The agent who communicates the best strategy wins the listing.
Once David shifted from selling himself to selling a plan, he jumped from 76 transactions to 173 transactions in one year.
David gave a brief overview of the listing strategy that helped him scale fast.
It works because it creates:
The short version looks like this:
Your strategy simply gives the seller a clear, predictable plan to get the best outcome.
Instead of asking sellers to hire you, offer them value based on where they are mentally.
Examples include:
These offers are safe. There’s no commitment. Sellers say yes because they want information, not pressure.
When they engage with your research, it naturally leads to the next step.
David put it simply:
If they like your strategy, they like you. And if they like you, they trust you.
Once someone trusts you:
This is why experience matters far less than most agents think. David shared a story about his niece, who had no experience at all. Within 90 days she secured two listings simply by presenting a better strategy than experienced agents.
People want a plan they can believe in, not a resume.
David broke down five actions every agent can start today.
No matter what method you use, talk to five potential sellers.
Five per day equals 25 per week, 100 per month, 1,200 per year.
The math is undeniable.
Stop opening with:
I’m an agent, can we talk about selling your home?
Start offering something useful:
If you’re thinking about selling, I’d love to send you my guide on how to prepare your home for the market.
Not the finish line. Not the close. Just the next step.
Momentum creates opportunity.
Most sellers don’t want to tell multiple agents no.
When you provide value early, they feel a sense of reciprocity and loyalty.
You don’t need more listings.
You need more opportunities to earn listings.
One more presentation per week can mean two to three additional transactions per month.
One listing can create:
Listings attract buyers automatically. They create leverage in a way buyers never will.
If you follow the system David teaches, you can: