Everything Else Is Stuff

I don’t fish.

But I understand enough about fishing to know there is a massive industry built around not actually catching fish.

Boats.
Rod shows.
Lures.
Lines.
Fish finders.
Guides.
Hot spots.
Forums.
Videos.
Gear reviews.
Endless opinions.

All of it interesting.

Some of it useful.

Most of it... outcome-adjacent.
Just stuff.
And stuff isn't enough.

Because at some point, you still have to get a fish on the hook.

Then reel it in without breaking the line. Finesse. Skill.

Net it. More skill.

Get it into the boat. More skill.

Clean it. Messy skills to learn.

Prepare it. New skills.

Cook it. More skills.

And at last...

Eat it.

No skill required for this step.

A fast badass bass boat does not equal dinner.

It looks cool.

It sounds cool.

It may actually be cool.

OK, those things are pretty cool.

But cool is not protein.

Cool is not calories to power the enterprise that is us.

Cool does not feed the family.

The longer I spend around mortgage conferences, the more convinced I become that the same message I've been repeating since AMBA 2016 is still correct.

One review of that presentation simply said:

"Dustan told us to make calls. Lame."

Ten years later, I am more convinced than ever that the 10@10 message holds true.

The calls are becoming more valuable, not less.

AI will generate content.

AI will write emails, scripts, and posts.

AI will build websites.

AI will make videos.

AI will summarize webinars.

AI will make brokers feel busier than ever.

AI will confuse more clients than ever.

AI will not make ten high-quality outbound calls that connect, at 10:00 AM, for you.

The brokers who consistently create quality conversations will keep taking share from the brokers doomscrolling their own demise, consuming rather than creating.

This business is still simple.

Not easy.

Simple.

Talk to more humans.

Ask better questions.

Follow up with discipline.

Stay in the boat long enough to land the fish.

Hone the skills that require YOU to be present.

Everything else is gear.

Be better.

DW