235. How to Reclaim Time and Boost Productivity; Commercial Real Estate Leadership
Commercial Real Estate Leadership (CRE Success)
Release Date: 08/27/2025
251. Turn “Happy New Year” into New Leads; Commercial Real Estate Leadership
Commercial Real Estate Leadership (CRE Success)
Starting the new year with strong commercial real estate momentum is not something you need to leave to chance. In episode 251 of Commercial Real Estate Leadership, Darren Krakowiak breaks down a simple and highly effective process called The New Year Stack of Leads, designed to help principals and agents create immediate activity in their first week back in January. Instead of returning from the break feeling sluggish or waiting weeks for momentum to rebuild, this episode shows you how to manufacture it ahead of time. By drafting thoughtful Happy New Year messages before the holidays and...
info_outline
250. How Leaders Influence Agent Confidence; Commercial Real Estate Leadership
Commercial Real Estate Leadership (CRE Success)
Commercial real estate agent performance is often influenced by both mindset and market conditions. In episode 250 of Commercial Real Estate Leadership, Darren Krakowiak breaks down what he has learned after onboarding 45 agents into Agent Accelerator over the past three months, and how an agent’s confidence levels signal what is ahead for them in 2026. Darren shares the key question he asks every agent during onboarding: how optimistic or pessimistic they feel about their expected performance over the next 12 months. He then unpacks the second question that reveals the real story: what is...
info_outline
249. The Smartest Strategy to Stop Criticizing Others; Commercial Real Estate Leadership
Commercial Real Estate Leadership (CRE Success)
Life is too short to keep working with clients, colleagues, or collaborators who continually frustrate you. In episode 249 of Commercial Real Estate Leadership, Darren Krakowiak explains why pejorative labels in your internal dialogue are important signals. They reveal that someone in your professional orbit is no longer aligned with your standards or expectations. This episode shows commercial real estate principals and agents how to raise the bar, define non-negotiables, and take responsibility for choosing who they work with. We explore the real cost of keeping the wrong people...
info_outline
248. How Top Agents Prepare for January; Commercial Real Estate Leadership
Commercial Real Estate Leadership (CRE Success)
December separates high performing commercial real estate agents from those who fall behind the following year. In episode 248 of Commercial Real Estate Leadership, Darren Krakowiak explains why the final few weeks of the year are the most important part of preparing for a strong Q1. With Easter, school holidays, and public holidays compressing the early year selling window, agents who wait until after Australia Day to start prospecting are already out of time. Darren outlines the difference between agents who coast into Christmas and those who use December as a competitive advantage. He...
info_outline
247. Turn Weekly Activity into Annual Results; Commercial Real Estate Leadership
Commercial Real Estate Leadership (CRE Success)
If you’ve been thinking about how to grow your GCI in 2026, this episode shows you how to take real action. In episode 247 of Commercial Real Estate Leadership, Darren Krakowiak unveils a brand-new opportunity for agents ready to move from intention to consistent execution. For the first time ever, CRE Success is offering entry into Agent Accelerator for just $50 a week during a limited-time Black Friday promotion. This episode explains why this weekly model could be the key to unlocking sustained momentum and how accountability and structure create better results than knowledge...
info_outline
246. The Most Profitable Call You're Probably Not Making; Commercial Real Estate Leadership
Commercial Real Estate Leadership (CRE Success)
Most agents stop working once a deal is done. But top performers know that’s when the real opportunity begins. In Episode 246 of Commercial Real Estate Leadership, Darren Krakowiak explains why the most profitable call you’re probably not making is the results call. This short, purposeful conversation can help you turn one transaction into your next listing, build credibility, and stay front-of-mind with the right people. In this episode, we get into: 🔹 What a results call is and why it matters 🔹 Who you should call and what to say 🔹 How to use this tactic to attract new...
info_outline
245. Stop Relying on Motivation, Start Using Standards; Commercial Real Estate Leadership
Commercial Real Estate Leadership (CRE Success)
Consistency in prospecting is one of the hardest habits to master in commercial real estate. Too often, agents rely on motivation and good intentions rather than systems and standards that guarantee follow-through. In episode 245 of Commercial Real Estate Leadership, Darren Krakowiak shares how to maintain prospecting consistency by setting clear standards and building systems that make success automatic. He walks through the Standards Operating Loop framework: clarity, commitments, cadence, consequence, and identity. You’ll also learn how to design SMART prospecting standards (i.e.,...
info_outline
244. Confidence Boosters Every Agent Can Use Today; Commercial Real Estate Leadership
Commercial Real Estate Leadership (CRE Success)
In episode 244 of Commercial Real Estate Leadership, Darren Krakowiak explores how affirmations can strengthen your mindset, boost your confidence, and enhance your performance as a commercial real estate agent. Affirmations are short, positive statements that help you stay focused and self-assured. Whether you’re prospecting for new clients or leading a team, the words you say to yourself shape your results. Darren shares practical examples of affirmations that you can use before calls, meetings, and key activities to stay in a productive, confident state of mind. He also explains why...
info_outline
243. How to Turn Leads into Deals; Commercial Real Estate Leadership
Commercial Real Estate Leadership (CRE Success)
Every deal in commercial real estate starts with a lead, but not every lead makes it to the finish line. In episode 243 of Commercial Real Estate Leadership, Darren Krakowiak breaks down the journey that every lead must take to become a transaction, and how you can remove the roadblocks along the way. Darren shares a behind-the-scenes look at an accountability call from CRE Success Agent Accelerator, where members dissect the key stages of activity throughout their pipeline: from prospecting to proposing, then marketing to negotiating, and finally closing the deal. You’ll discover:...
info_outline
242. Systems, People, and Smart Strategic Moves; Commercial Real Estate Leadership
Commercial Real Estate Leadership (CRE Success)
Growth shouldn’t mean more stress. In episode 242 of Commercial Real Estate Leadership, Darren Krakowiak explains how commercial real estate principals can break through their current ceiling and scale sustainably – without burning out or breaking their business. He shares a practical framework built around three levers for sustainable growth: systems, people, and smart strategic moves. Discover how to turn your existing success into a business that runs smoothly, even when you’re not there to push every deal or make every decision. You’ll discover: 🔹 Why documenting processes...
info_outlineToo many commercial real estate leaders are stuck doing low-value tasks that drain their time and keep them from operating at their highest level.
In episode 235 of Commercial Real Estate Leadership, Darren Krakowiak introduces the Function Funnel: a neat framework to help principals, agents, and teams eliminate wasted effort, free up capacity, and increase profitability.
Instead of asking “How do I get all of this work done?”, Darren encourages leaders to ask a better question: “Should I be doing this at all?” By applying the Function Funnel, you can systematically evaluate every task in your business and decide whether to eliminate it, automate it, outsource it, delegate it, or improve how it’s done.
You’ll learn:
🔹 The five stages of the Function Funnel and how to apply them
🔹 Why your “effective hourly rate” determines what you should stop doing
🔹 The types of tasks best suited to automation, outsourcing, and delegation
🔹 How to elevate your role while empowering your team
If you feel overworked or bogged down by tasks that don’t move the needle, this episode shows you how to reclaim your time and refocus on what really matters: leadership, strategy, and revenue growth.
And here’s the prompt from the episode you can use so that AI can help you get started: “You are an efficiency expert. I am a commercial real estate [principal/agent/property manager] based in [location]. I am looking to create more efficiency in my day-to-day work. I want you to help me find opportunities to eliminate certain processes, automate particular workflows, outsource certain functions, delegate tasks that are below my pay grade, and find more efficient ways to do the work that is within my zone of genius, but I am not sure where to get started. Please prepare a list to help me make progress in each of those areas.”
---
Email hello@cresuccess.co and put the word "GROW" in the subject line to take the first step towards accelerating revenue growth in your commercial real estate agency with the right people on your team, serving ideal clients inside a business that just works.
Visit the CRE Success website: cresuccess.co
Read the episode anecdote, get the transcript and watch the video recording of the podcast here: cresuccess.co/blog/235
To share this episode or your thoughts on it, tag us on socials: @cresuccess or use our hashtag: #cresuccess
If you enjoy the show, leave us a rating or review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Connect with Darren Krakowiak on LinkedIn
Podcast music sourced from audioblocks.com