316: How to Make Your Database Work

Is your database collecting dust while you chase another shiny lead?

This episode is the mindset reset you didn’t know you needed. We know the word database might not sound fun or flashy, but trust us; this is the foundation of your business. If you’ve been avoiding working on your database because it feels “salesy,” overwhelming, or just plain boring, this is your episode.

We’re breaking down how your database isn’t a static list. It’s alive, y’all, just like sourdough starter (seriously). You have to feed it, prune it, and use it if you want it to work. This is not a one-and-done task. It’s an ongoing, evolving system that, when done right, will eventually help you get off the hamster wheel of paying for leads or chasing strangers.

We share exactly what we do to maintain our databases, from real-life workflows to browser hacks and what we do at every closing. Plus, we’re dishing on all the ways agents waste time thinking they're being productive. Spoiler alert: endlessly tweaking your logo is not it.

We also chat through:

• Why having a database doesn’t mean sending one card a year

• What Alissa’s CPA said that totally validates the database strategy

• The database math trick to test the health of your contacts

• Our favorite real-life success story of a lead-to-referral database strategy

• The list of time-wasting “busy work” agents confuse with productivity

• Why letting go of instant gratification is key for long-term success

• How overprepping, overthinking, and over-networking can keep you stuck

• Why we’re teaching our Build Your Own Business course LIVE this fall

Let’s be real: if your only job was to maintain your people, what fluff would you cut out?

Let’s make your business more efficient, intentional, and referral-based — without the overwhelm. You don’t have to start from scratch, but you do have to start.

 

 

🔑 Key Quotes / Takeaways

1. “The health of your business is a direct reflection of the health of your database.” – Alissa

2. “If your database is working, you don’t have to keep chasing strangers.” – Katy

3. “Your database is not done. It’s alive. It has to be fed, and it has to be pruned.” – Katy

4. “People avoid the database because it’s not instant. But the payoff is long-term and real.” – Alissa

Products, People & Previous Episodes Mentioned:

• Build Your Own Business course (Live version starts September 2, 2025) www.hustlehumblypodcast.com/byob

• LSU football schedule magnets

• Trello & Google sheets

• Previous episode #212: Does Time Blocking Work in Real Estate?

 

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Agent Systems 101: agentsystems101.com

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Music:

Straight A’s by Conner Price

The Good Life by Summer Kennedy