January/February Update!

Happy Tuesday Team! Here's my update for January and February. Hope you all get some value out of it.

I was driving the other morning listening to The Learning Leader Show with Ryan Hawk, Episode 672 with Brad Stulberg, and had one of those moments where you feel personally called out. Brad talked about how curiosity and fear can’t coexist in the brain, in the same way gratitude shuts down stress. That idea landed hard. So much of growth, and even day-to-day decision making is navigating uncertainty, and I realized how often I try to muscle through it instead of getting curious about it. As we step into 2026, the year to Grow, Refresh and Realign, that distinction matters. Growth brings stretch. Refreshing requires letting go. Realignment means change. All of that can trigger stress if you let it, but curiosity gives us another door to walk through. And that’s where I felt a nudge: maybe the work isn’t to eliminate stress, but to replace it with curiosity. (seek to understand)

Since listening to the podcast I’ve been anchoring myself to a simple mantra: Brave New World. Not brave as in fake confidence, and not reckless optimism, but brave enough to say, “I’ve never done this before. I honestly don’t know how it’s going to go… but let’s find out.” Brad framed curiosity as a reward-based behavior, something that actually gets stronger the more we practice it, like a muscle. That means we don’t wait for the biggest moments to try it; we build it in the small, everyday reps. A tough conversation. A new process. A fresh idea. My hope this year is that “Brave New World” becomes a shared posture for us. A way to meet change with openness, learn faster together, and move forward with both courage and humility.

The Last 30 Days

A few weeks ago, Jen and I decided to slow the process down and experience a listing exactly the way we always strive to…hands on and intentional.  Using her property at 8641 W Mary Ann as the test case. I wanted to feel the friction points, see where value actually shows up, and be honest about what works and what doesn’t when it comes to marketing, strategy, and seller communication. What surprised me most wasn’t just the results, it was how often I wanted to rush past phases that made a significant impact for our clients and the success of a listing.

The biggest lesson was around Coming Soon. We treat it like a placeholder when it should be a strategy. Coming Soon gives you free Days on Market and something more valuable: time. Time to create content that isn’t reactive. Time to build curiosity before price and address enter the conversation. 

For Mary Ann, we created two hook posts during pre-marketing and it allowed demand to build quietly before the MLS clock ever started. 

On social media, a few small tactics made a big difference. We used Instagram Stories to crowdsource the hero image by running a simple poll with four photos, no address or price to stay Clear Cooperation compliant. Engagement went up immediately, and we walked away knowing exactly which photo resonated most. It was also a fun way to engage with our clients and their community. 

Key step:  Tag your client in the post.  

Here’s what we posted and the results

I also drafted a “Top 5 Features” post before the listing went live and published it 24 hours prior.  This video was shot the same day as the pics were taken. This is one reason I recommend showing up for photo day.  Plan to shoot a video the day of pics!  That sequencing mattered. 

Now, not every home is Mary Ann. Beautiful properties make marketing easier. When they’re not, you have to shift the story. For some listings, that might mean highlighting nearby restaurants, walkability, parks, spring training stadiums, or lifestyle moments instead of finishes. And for the price points where we have a professional video created the content featured on @LaughtonListings is something agents should fully leverage. Share the reel, tag your clients, or pull raw footage to create your own edits. The Instagram reel we ran (example here) wasn’t just “nice content”, it became a talking point with the seller.

The final piece was slowing down after launch. We shared MLS activity reports with the client and walked them through what each marketing piece was doing using the seller activity report.  We discussed what it drove, what it supported, and how it all tied together. I communicated this in bite size pieces.  MLS activity report one day, Zillow views and saves another day, snap shots from our seller activity report.  That transparency changed the conversation. My takeaway for all of us is simple: the value isn’t just in the assets…it’s in how intentionally you deploy them. If you use the Coming Soon phase properly, engage instead of broadcast on social, and fully leverage the tools already in place, you don’t just market listings better, you show sellers a strategy they can feel working in real time.

I sent images like this from the seller activity report 

Text screenshots from the MLS activity report.  This sets the stage for a price reduction if needed.  We show all of the marketing and effort that goes into promoting their property.  After all of that promotion if we do not have showings then we probably missed the mark on pricing.

This is also from the MLS activity report.  It shows other properties people visited.  I would use this data to show who their competition is:

The next 30 days

Tom Ferry Event!!

Alright Team! I am super stoked for this event.  Make sure you don’t miss it!  There are only 10 SEATS LEFT RSVP HERE using this form (make sure you're in your Laughton Team email account)

Once you complete the form, you'll receive a manual calendar invite from Ashley. Make sure you accept it to confirm your seat!

When: Wednesday February 11th - 9:30am-11am

Where: Harkins Theater 7014 E Camelback Rd, Scottsdale, AZ 85251

Must Listen:

Episode 672: Brad Stulberg - The Neuroscience of Curiosity

Must Watch:

This was a great interview! Tony Robbins and Alex explore the idea that fulfillment doesn’t come from duty or suffering alone, but from contribution and growth beyond comfort. They unpack how the language we use (reframing “duty” into “opportunity” or “joy”) can shape our emotional experience and mindset

MrBeast and three friends spent 20 hours a day sharing YouTube ideas. Together, they turned 10,000 hours each(Reference to Malcom Gladwell book Outliers) into 40,000 Hours of collective expertise and all became millionaires.  Who do you surround yourself with?  Are you sharing your best practices?

Liam’s Music Pick

I ran a few song picks past Liam(10 yr old) this weekend.  This one received an emphatic thumbs up! 

GL