What This Masterclass Taught Me About Today’s Agents
Last Thursday, I spoke on a panel at the DFW Real Producers Masterclass called Tech Savvy or Tech Saturated, hosted at MetroTex. The room was packed with high-performing agents who are no strangers to innovation, but the energy in the room made one thing very clear: even the best in the business are overwhelmed by the sheer volume of technology tools being thrown at them.
I came to talk about AI. Not in theory, but in practice. We talked about where to start, which tools can drive efficiency while also mimicking your personality, the future of AI, and why you need to start now. AI is no longer optional. It’s a strategic advantage, and the agents who start using it now will pull ahead faster than those still waiting to make sense of it.
The notebooks were out. The overwhelm was real.
Between the 47 different CRM integrations, the AI writing tools that promise to "revolutionize" your business, and the webinars flooding your inbox daily, even the most tech-comfortable agents feel paralyzed. Everyone's telling them to use AI, but very few are telling them how to think about it. Add the pressure of a challenging market, and it's no wonder so many agents feel stuck.
Once we got into real-life examples and specific use cases, most agents were scribbling notes fervently. It was one of those moments where you realize people have been holding their breath, waiting for someone to make it make sense.
Afterward, several agents came up to tell me they finally felt like they knew where to begin. That was the goal. There's too much noise in the industry right now, and very little clarity.
Start small. Think smart. Keep going.
The advice I shared was simple: identify one tedious task, like writing follow-up emails to unresponsive prospects or creating listing descriptions for cookie-cutter condos, and test whether ChatGPT can handle it. Start small: have it draft those persistent follow-ups or write property descriptions for similar units. If the results impress you, lean into it. If not, pivot to something else like contract summaries, neighborhood market reports, or social media captions for new listings.
Once you've found your AI sweet spot with ChatGPT, branch out to other AI tools. Tools like Gamma can build slide decks in minutes, while Midjourney creates stunning visuals from simple text prompts. The key is gradual experimentation, not wholesale adoption.
Here's the crucial part: if AI doesn't click today, revisit it in a month. The technology is changing rapidly and what feels clunky now might be seamless by your next attempt. AI isn't a one-shot deal; it's worth multiple chances to prove its value.
Within 30 days, you should be saving at least 2 hours per week on whatever task you chose to automate. If you're not hitting that benchmark, try a different task or refine your approach.
Prompts aren’t magic. They’re just instructions.
Another breakthrough moment came when I reminded the room that prompting isn't some secret language, you just need to be clear. Think about how you'd explain a task to a new assistant. The more detail you provide, the better the result. If you're not getting what you want, you probably didn't give enough context. That's an easy fix, not a personal failure.
Most people try one vague prompt, get a weird result, and give up. Don't be most people.
AI isn’t here to replace agents, but it is changing the role.
We also discussed the importance of oversight. AI hallucinations are real, and blindly copying and pasting without review will get you in trouble. Think of AI as giving you a strong first draft, not a finished product. Use it to get unstuck or speed things up, but keep editing until it sounds authentically like you.
You're still the strategist building relationships, winning deals, and showing up for clients. That said, if you can train AI to sound like your brand and help you write emails faster, polish listing descriptions, or jumpstart marketing campaigns, why wouldn't you leverage it?
As you expand beyond basic tasks, consider how AI might help with market analysis, agent onboarding sequences, or presentation materials. The agents taking small, smart steps now are building confidence. That confidence turns into fluency. Fluency becomes strategy. The longer you wait, the harder it becomes to catch up.
Start small. Think smart. Keep going.
Last week's session was about giving people permission to stop chasing perfection and start making progress. The formula is simple: Pick an AI tool to test. Start with a task you dislike. Give clear, specific instructions using plain language. Assess whether it helped. Repeat.
Right now, the industry feels loud, full of promises and pressure, but short on clarity. The agents who win this next phase aren't the ones who jump into every shiny new tool. They're the ones who choose one good starting point, learn to use it well, and grow strategically from there.
The agents scribbling notes that day weren't just learning about AI, they were preparing to leave their competition behind. The question isn't whether you'll use AI. It's whether you'll start now or spend the next year catching up.
If you're an association or MLS leader reading this, your members are hungry for this kind of clarity. We don't need to overwhelm them with every new tool. We need to help them start with the right one.