Let’s be honest: the word “sales” has a bit of a PR problem.
For many of us, it conjures up images of pushy tactics, awkward cold calls, and that specific kind of anxiety you get when you walk onto a used car lot. If you entered real estate to help people find their dream homes—not to harass them into buying one—you might be struggling with a bit of an identity crisis. You want the career, but you definitely don’t want the “ick” that sometimes comes with the title.
David Super gets it. He built early traction in his career specifically by reframing what it means to be in sales. He grounded his growth in competence, mentorship, and disciplined learning rather than hype.
If you don’t naturally identify as a salesperson, feel the crushing weight of first-year pressure, or just want a roadmap that relies on structure rather than charisma, David’s story is for you. Here’s how mindset, systems, and education can create momentum—even when you have no idea what you’re doing yet.
Key Takeaways
- Competence Creates Confidence: You don’t need to fake it until you make it; you need to study the process until you own it.
- Mentorship Accelerates Growth: Having a guide can turn years of trial and error into months of strategic execution.
- Authentic Connection Wins: People don’t want to be “sold”; they want to be guided by a professional they trust.
- Resilience Is Required: Treat your business like a mission where adapting and overcoming obstacles is part of the job description.
Being in Sales Without Seeing Yourself as a “Salesperson”
David doesn’t identify as a traditional salesperson. In fact, he leaned into that distinction, and it became his greatest strength.
In an industry often obsessed with “closing,” David focused on facilitating. He realized early on that homes don’t really need to be sold. People need places to live. They need guidance, trust, and someone to navigate the complex paperwork and negotiations. They don’t need someone convincing them to buy a kitchen they hate.
By rejecting the pressure to perform, David removed the friction between himself and his clients. When you stop trying to sell and start trying to serve, the desperation disappears. Clients can smell desperation from a mile away, and nothing kills a deal faster.
Setting Early Expectations—and Letting Confidence Catch Up
We live in an era of instant gratification, where social media makes it look like every other agent is closing million-dollar deals in their first month. That is rarely the reality.
David set realistic goals focused on credibility, not just volume. He understood that in the beginning, proving you’re competent is more valuable than a quick paycheck. He aimed for reviews—social proof that he could do the job—rather than just chasing commission checks.
Interestingly, by focusing on the inputs (competence and reviews) rather than just the outputs (money), the results followed naturally. He aimed for six reviews and ended up closing twenty-three deals. When you take the pressure off the outcome, you have more energy to put into the process.
The Role of Mentorship and an “Adapt and Overcome” Mentality
You don’t know what you don’t know. That is the terrifying reality of being a new agent. David didn’t try to be a lone wolf. He leaned heavily on mentorship to bridge the gap between his ambition and his actual knowledge base.
Coming from a military background, David applied a “deployment” mindset to his real estate career. He didn’t expect it to be easy; he expected to encounter problems and resolved to solve them as they came.
This resilience is crucial. You will face rejected offers, difficult clients, and deals that fall apart at closing. An “adapt and overcome” mentality turns these into mere logistical hurdles rather than career-ending disasters.
Learning to Be Competent (Before It Was Required)
Confidence isn’t a personality trait; it is a byproduct of competence. If you’re nervous, it’s usually because you aren’t sure you can handle what comes next.
David tackled this head-on by becoming a student of the industry. He didn’t just learn his role; he learned everyone else’s roles as well. He met with lenders and appraisers to understand the mechanics of the transaction. He didn’t wait for a crisis to learn how to solve it.
This is the antidote to imposter syndrome. You don’t have to “fake it” if you actually know how the sausage is made.
Systems, Follow-Up, and Staying Top of Mind
You can have the best mindset in the world, but if you ghost your clients, you won’t have a business. David combined his non-salesy approach with rigorous consistency.
He understood that timing is everything. A client might not be ready today, but they might be ready in six months. If you disappear, they will hire the person who is in front of them when they are finally ready to sign.
“I created some emails that would get sent out to my clients… It was very personalized to them, but I just wanted to be in front of mind and always in front of them.”
Notice the balance here. He used systems (emails) but kept them personalized. He stayed visible without being annoying. It wasn’t about pestering them to buy; it was about reminding them that he was there to help whenever they were ready.
Surviving First, Thriving Next
If you’re in the early stages of your career, feeling unsure is normal. You are building a plane while flying it. But as David’s story proves, you don’t need to be the loudest person in the room to succeed.
The agents who survive are the ones who stay proactive. They don’t wait for the phone to ring; they go out and learn how the phone works. They don’t wait for confidence to strike; they build it, brick by brick, through education and preparation.
David didn’t try to shortcut the process. He focused on structure and professionalism. He built confidence through preparation, not pressure. And most importantly, he realized that you can be a highly successful real estate agent without ever compromising who you are.
If you’re looking for that same kind of structure and support, you don’t have to do it alone.
Learn more about how David got his start in real estate by listening to this conversation on Unlocking Real Estate,
Thrive in Your Real Estate Career with Survive & Thrive
Colibri Real Estate’s Survive & Thrive is designed for agents who want to move beyond the “fake it till you make it” phase and build a career grounded in real competence. Join a community of professionals navigating the same path and gain the mentorship you need to turn uncertainty into traction. Our Survive & Thrive real estate course is a real-world, results-driven program specifically designed to help new agents avoid common setbacks and land clients faster.
Through this comprehensive training, you’ll unlock the secrets of top agents to move from first sale to $10M. You’ll walk away with real confidence, a lead generation strategy that actually works, and a clear, step-by-step roadmap to success. Your toolkit will include:
- Downloadable Lead Trackers & CRM Templates to stay organized.
- Proven Sales Scripts for lead outreach and conversion.
- Buyer/Seller Consultation Templates to lead with professionalism.
- A Free DISC Personality Assessment to strengthen your client connections.
Empower yourself to beat the odds and go from barely surviving to thriving. We’re so confident in your potential that we offer a money-back guarantee: complete the course, take five recommended actions, and if you don’t close a deal within 12 months, you’ll receive a full refund. You don’t need to figure this out alone—you just need the right people in your corner.
