The recession has had a negative impact on the majority of businesses here in the United States. It has unquestionably changed the way some businesses do things. But there is at least one vital aspect of business that we business owners cannot allow the economy to change.

One of the most significant trends I consistently noticed in my real estate business was the number of homes sold as a percentage of the new leads generated.

This single finding completely transformed my business by allowing me to narrow my focus. Bill Gates and Warren Buffett have both said that “intense focus” was a huge key to their success.

Before this breakthrough, I would run around every day like a chicken with its head cut off. I chased every shiny object. I would hear a new idea and I would be off to implement it. I didn’t focus on any ONE thing, and therefore I didn’t make a lot of progress.

Based upon my coaching and consulting to hundreds of real estate agents, I have noticed that the majority of you have the same problem. Especially now in these tough economic times, people tend to chase whatever they think they can get their hands on.

There are a lot of shiny objects out there for us to chase. You know what I’m talking about, don’t you? Tracking numbers allowed me to break out of this cycle. I finally realized that the most important thing I could do each and every day within my business was to:

Generate New Leads with Marketing

If 100 leads turned into four home sales, then 200 leads would be 8 sales. I finally had instant focus. I realized that I didn’t need fancy business cards or the latest “smart” phone to check the listings on the road.

I simply had to generate leads every single day.

This lesson has been ingrained in me every since. Lead generation remains my No. 1 business focus. I do something every single day to generate new leads. Generating leads for your business is like feeding your body.

No food, you starve. No leads, your business dies.

I realize the real estate market is slow. Do not use this as an excuse to stop marketing. This is a big mistake.

In fact, I am suggesting that you market more now than you have in the past. I’m marketing my business more right now than I’ve ever marketed it before. In fact, I’ve increased my monthly lead generation goals from 2008.

If you want to sell more houses, you must generate more leads.