Podcast Summary – Pitch Me with Kayvon Kay
Episode: Why 10% of Agents Sell 90% of Homes
Guest: Leigh Brown, Leadership Guru & Real Estate Broker
Date: September 17, 2025
Overview
This episode of Pitch Me dives deep into the realism and discipline behind top-performing real estate agents, exploring why only a small percentage of agents dominate the majority of the market. Host Kayvon Kay and guest Leigh Brown share stories, actionable insights, and unfiltered truths about building a lasting career in real estate, effective sales techniques, and the evolving challenges facing the industry today.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
Leigh Brown’s Unique Background & Ethos
- Retro Kitchen Backdrop: Leigh’s office is set up with a historical kitchen set, inspired by Betty Fieser’s original TV studio from the 1950s, which she found in a house she was listing ([00:58]).
- Personal Story: Leigh is a North Carolina native with roots going back to colonial times, a family farm background, and a circuitous journey from Wall Street to chainsaw sales and eventually to her own real estate brokerage ([01:47]).
- “Basically living the American dream every day.” – Leigh Brown ([01:47])
Defining Real Estate Success: Small, Mighty, & Highly Productive
- Small Team, High Output: Leigh leads a team of four agents—one of the top 1,000 brokerages in the country—emphasizing quality over quantity ([03:39]).
- “Small but mighty. And the reality is we’re still one of the top 1,000 brokerages in the country…If you have highly productive people, I’d rather have my small crew than a bunch of non-producers.” – Leigh Brown ([03:39])
- Rejection of 'Boutique': Leigh resists the “boutique” label, aiming to be accessible to clients at all price points:
- “I avoid the word boutique… I don’t want the person at the lower end of the price spectrum to feel like they can’t call me... I want everybody to have top professional service.” – Leigh Brown ([04:27])
Client-Centric Philosophy
- Service for All: Leigh recalls her father’s advice to treat every client call as an honor, regardless of the price point ([05:24]):
- “From day one, I don’t care what your price point is, I’m going to treat you like you are the multimillion dollar property.” – Leigh Brown ([05:36])
- Building Futures: Real estate as a way to empower families and help them build stable futures ([06:45]).
Why 10% of Agents Sell 90% of Homes (Main Theme)
- Discipline & Commitment: Top agents treat real estate as a full-time, disciplined career—part-timers rarely succeed ([08:17]):
- “You have to make a disciplined choice on day one. You’re either in or you’re not... Commitment takes you from the bottom to the top in a way that knowledge really can't do.” – Leigh Brown ([08:17])
- “There’s no such thing as being half pregnant. You are or you’re not.” – Kayvon Kay ([09:01])
- Professional Identity: Selling real estate isn’t just a job, it’s an identity ([09:22]):
- “You become it. It’s not what you do, it’s who you are...” – Kayvon Kay ([09:23])
The Pitfalls of Amateurs & Undervaluing Themselves
- Value in Professionalism: Leigh warns against agents offering free services, which devalues their expertise ([09:40]):
- “The value isn’t in the stuff. The value is in you. Your ability to listen and help somebody else figure out how to respond in the marketplace.” – Leigh Brown ([10:13])
What Does a Real Estate Agent Actually Do?
- Professional Problem Solvers: The core of real estate is solving complex, often unpredictable problems ([11:11]):
- “The truest explanation… is a professional problem solver.” – Leigh Brown ([11:11])
- Compensation Is Proof: The distinction between amateur and professional is whether you get paid for solving problems ([11:24]):
- “If you suck at sales, you’re not going to get compensated.” – Leigh Brown ([11:24])
Emotional Intangibles & Personalization
- Real Estate ≠ Commodities: Buying a house is always emotional—much less repeatable and quantifiable than say, buying a car ([29:36]):
- “Houses are emotional purchases. They’re not commodities. And what changes in a house is the unspoken parts. That could be the smell...” – Leigh Brown ([29:36])
- Personalized Process: Every client requires a different approach, especially families looking for stability ([13:10]):
- “It boils down to the fact that it’s got to be a personalized solution. And isn’t that everything in life?” – Leigh Brown ([13:10])
Prospecting with Intention & Integrity
- Intentional Networking: Leigh succeeds by genuinely participating where her values align—at church, Habitat for Humanity, or the local gas station ([18:32]).
- Example: Making connections at a gas station led to significant commercial real estate opportunities ([18:32]).
- “Wherever you spend time and people can figure out who you are, they will reward you with business. And it’s not an overnight success, but it’s a long-term strategy that actually works.” – Leigh Brown ([19:57])
Leveraging Technology Without Losing the Human Touch
- AI and Adaptation: Both guests recognize AI as inevitable, but stress maintaining real human relationships ([21:01]):
- “The ones that learn how to use AI and adapt…they’re the ones that will succeed. The ones that are fighting, they’ll find themselves beautifully equipped to live in a world that no longer exists.” – Kayvon Kay ([21:01])
- Small-Town Mentality, Big Impact: Leigh’s low-cost, high-visibility sales trick: answer (or pretend to answer) calls in public to spark conversations and prospect ([23:37]):
- “Wherever you live is actually smaller than you think…if you treat your area like a small town by showing up.” – Leigh Brown ([24:30])
Industry Challenges & Change Management
- Lawsuits & Regulation: The real estate industry faces ongoing lawsuits and regulatory changes that impact brokers at every level ([26:59]).
- “All I can look at it and think is these lawyers are making a big pile of money off of all this fussing…” – Leigh Brown ([27:26])
- Resilience Required: Change is constant; those who weather it, adapt, and evolve will come out stronger ([28:11]):
How the Buying Process Has Changed
- Information Shift: Buyers now come highly informed, sometimes knowing as much as (or more than) agents before touring ([29:36]).
- Experience Still Matters: Physical experience (smells, feel, community) is irreplaceable; the agent’s expertise is more valued during negotiation and due diligence than in property selection ([30:02]-[32:05]).
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
| Time | Quote | Speaker | |----------|------------------------------------------------------------|----------------| | 05:36 | “From day one, I don’t care what your price point is, I’m going to treat you like you are the multimillion dollar property.” | Leigh Brown | | 08:17 | “You have to make a disciplined choice on day one. You’re either in or you’re not.” | Leigh Brown | | 09:01 | “There’s no such thing as being half pregnant. You are or you’re not.” | Kayvon Kay | | 11:11 | “The truest explanation of a real estate agent is a professional problem solver.” | Leigh Brown | | 10:13 | “The value isn’t in the stuff. The value is in you. Your ability to listen and help somebody else figure out how to respond in the marketplace.” | Leigh Brown | | 13:10 | “It boils down to the fact that it’s got to be a personalized solution. And isn’t that everything in life?” | Leigh Brown | | 21:01 | “The ones that learn how to use AI and adapt…they’re the ones that will succeed.” | Kayvon Kay | | 24:30 | “Wherever you live is actually smaller than you think…if you treat your area like a small town by showing up.” | Leigh Brown | | 27:26 | “All I can look at it and think is these lawyers are making a big pile of money off of all this fussing…” | Leigh Brown |
Timestamps for Major Segments
- Leigh’s Backstory and Office Set Origin – [00:51]-[01:31]
- Philosophy on Serving All Clients – [05:21]-[06:10]
- Why Only 10% Succeed in Real Estate – [07:51]-[09:22]
- What Makes a True Professional – [11:11]-[12:17]
- On Commitment and Sales Identity – [09:01]-[09:23]
- Intentional Networking and Early Hustle – [18:32]-[20:10]
- Dealing With Industry Disruption (AI, Lawsuits, Regulation) – [26:59]-[28:29]
- Evolution of the Sales (& Buying) Process – [29:36]-[33:23]
- Leveraging Local Presence (Sales Trick) – [23:37]-[25:19]
Conclusion
This episode brings the unvarnished realities of real estate sales to life. Leigh Brown’s unwavering commitment to professionalism, intentionality, and service demonstrates why a mere ten percent of agents have lasting, outsized impact in the industry. By treating every client equally, focusing on personal connections, and adapting to change, Leigh models the attitude needed not just to survive, but to thrive in today’s competitive real estate world.
Connect with Leigh Brown:
- Social (all platforms): Leigh Thomas Brown
- Website: leighbrown.com
- Podcast: Real Talk with Leigh Brown
Host: Kayvon Kay
Podcast: Pitch Me
Apply to pitch: pitchmepodcast.com
“If you want to be a top producer, treat every connection as an honor, play to your strengths, and never stop learning—no matter how much the industry changes.”