Episode Overview

Episode Title: Show Up Better: 4 Habits That Win Clients in 60 Seconds
Host: Tristan Ahumada
Date: January 4, 2026
Podcast: Your Daily Real Estate Podcast
Length: ~5 minutes

This episode dives into Tristan Ahumada’s top four habits for making clients feel significant within moments—skills critical for winning trust and business in real estate. Drawing on his experience with clients, major corporations, and extensive industry coaching, Tristan shares practical tips to help agents, teams, and brokers "show up better" and form stronger, more authentic connections.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Importance of Making People Feel Significant

• [00:05] Tristan sets the stage by observing how agents often lose business simply because they don’t make potential clients feel like they matter.
  • “They don’t make them feel significant, they don’t make them feel like they matter.” — Tristan [00:05]
• Emphasizes that success in real estate (and any business) hinges on showing people their importance.

4 Habits to Show Up Better

1. The Phone Down Protocol

• [01:25] Distractions, especially from phones and smartwatches, undermine presence.
  • “Nothing screams you’re significant louder than you putting the phone upside down or even better, putting the phone away.” — Tristan [01:30]
• Recommendations:
  • Silence and put away devices before meetings or conversations.
  • If an emergency requires phone access, disclose this upfront.
  • “If…you look at your watch, iPhone watch and it’s sending alerts…I kind of felt bad.” — Tristan [01:45]
  • “Probably the best thing you can do.” — [02:15]

2. The Specific Echo Technique

• [02:20] Many people listen to reply, not to understand.
  • “To make someone feel significant though, you have to prove that you heard them.” — Tristan [02:25]
• How to implement:
  • Repeat back or paraphrase what the client said.
  • Ask clarifying questions or take visible notes (e.g., “Did you mean this, Joe?”).
  • Use the client’s own words to echo their meaning, showing attentiveness.
  • “They also know that I understand them. In fact, I repeat it in the words they use, right? They feel heard and they feel valued.” — [02:50]

3. The Non-Real Estate Note

• [03:10] Agents are good at remembering details about properties, but real significance comes from recalling small, personal details.
  • “The significance lies in the small personal things.” — Tristan [03:20]
• Habit:
  • Listen for throwaway comments unrelated to business (e.g., a child’s soccer game, pet surgery, favorite books).
  • Record these details and follow up later via text or handwritten note referencing them.
  • “When you do that, they know that they’re significant to you. You listened, you paid attention to the details.” — [03:35]

4. The Zero Agenda Call

• [04:05] Check in on past clients or sphere of influence with no business agenda.
  • “Zero agenda call means you’re just going to call your past clients to see how they’re doing. You’re not going to bring up real estate.” — [04:20]
• Avoid tacking on a request for referrals at the end.
• Genuine outreach fosters deeper relationships; even a simple “Was driving by your neighborhood and thought of you” suffices.
  • “The point is to get you in a better direction, to connect with people. Because sometimes we forget that this is a relationship-based business and it’s all about making people feel amazing.” — [04:55]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [00:05] “They don’t make them feel significant, they don’t make them feel like they matter. And in this business and in any business, you’ve got to make people feel that.” — Tristan
• [01:30] “Nothing screams you’re significant louder than you putting the phone upside down or even better, putting the phone away.”
• [02:25] “To make someone feel significant though, you have to prove that you heard them.”
• [03:20] “The significance lies in the small personal things.”
• [04:20] “Zero agenda call means you’re just going to call your past clients to see how they’re doing. You’re not going to bring up real estate.”
• [04:55] “Because sometimes we forget that this is a relationship-based business and it’s all about making people feel amazing.”
• [05:15] “Your job is to make people feel significant, make them feel amazing. I’m not saying don’t have hard conversations…but to connect with them…they have to know that they mean a lot to you. And this is how you start, this is how you do it.”

Timestamps of Key Segments

• 00:00–01:20 — The problem: Not making people feel significant.
• 01:21–01:50 — The Phone Down Protocol
• 02:21–03:09 — The Specific Echo Technique
• 03:10–04:04 — The Non-Real Estate Note
• 04:05–05:15 — The Zero Agenda Call and closing insights on relationship-building

Summary Takeaways

• Make people feel significant by being present and attentive.
• Four practical habits:
  1. Put devices away—eliminate distractions.
  2. Echo back what you hear—prove you understand.
  3. Remember & follow up on personal details—show you care beyond business.
  4. Reach out with no hidden agenda—build trust with genuine connection.
• Real estate is fundamentally about relationships and making people feel amazing—be a “dopamine dealer” for your clients!

For further resources or the summarized list, Tristan invites listeners to message him on Instagram or inquire about coaching.

End of Summary