The other day, I was talking on the phone to an old friend who was field training a new agent. Right in the middle of the call, he said, “Let me put him on the phone, and you tell him the No. 1 thing he needs to do to succeed.” As he passed the phone to his new agent, I heard him say, “This guy was our best trainer, so pay attention. This will be good.”

You ever have one of those moments when every muscle you have contracts simultaneously? It's like being at a dinner party and your friend introduces you as “the funniest person I've ever known in my whole life,” and then says to you, “Go ahead, tell us a joke.”

I pondered it for a second. The No. 1 thing this guy needed to do… not the Top 5 or Top 10. Just the one. Of all the things you need to do to succeed in our business, which one would you pick? See lots of people every day? The value of following up? Work smarter, not harder? Always be closing?