For 2026, GRIT is what you will need to help you not just survive but actually thrive. Grit is that rare combination of passion and perseverance needed to accomplish one's goals. Let’s look at what GRIT stands for in New Home Sales for this coming year.
“Gratitude is my favorite attitude.”
We have to start by being grateful for being part of the most important sales industry in the world. We are providing shelter and fulfilling dreams while being rewarded handsomely for our efforts. As tough as the market may be, we need to pinch ourselves and be extremely thankful that we work in beautiful models and sales centers, while fulfilling the dreams of our clients, at all stages of their lives.
Now is the perfect time to invest in yourself and build your knowledge of sales and communication. I have been through 7 of these tougher markets, and this is always where I dug down deep and embraced training and learned the most. Anyone can sell new homes when rates are in the 3% range, but what defines true Sales Champions is the type of markets we are in today. Seek out proven training and personal development.
When you learn to sell successfully in 2026, this will define you and create your trajectory for your whole career.
The top salespeople across the world have the ability to adapt to the actual market condition, not the one they wish they were in, and end up pivoting and even becoming stronger. We know that it is upsetting to lose sales to people who either can’t qualify at higher rates or can’t sell their current house, so we have to develop thick skin to deal with disappointment and the ability to focus on what we can control.
For example, we all have databases full of warm leads, waiting to be contacted by someone with a positive message. I am coaching a sales team in my backyard of Miami, and this week I was coaching Jose. Jose is in his mid-twenties, and his daily ritual includes two hours of follow-up. He has contacted the same leads many times, frequently with no answer, leads that, frankly, many of his peers had given up on. After months of resilient follow-up, Jose is now working with two hot buyers, one looking to invest $1.5 million in a brand new sky home, the other looking to invest between $8 to $10 million! This follow-up took real grit and determination to keep going and not give up, until appointments and sales are made.
“New Home Sales is a unique blend of Hospitality and Retail, therefore our clients are seeking Inspiration and Connection.”
Not surprisingly, no one wants to buy from someone negative and depressing. Instead our clients want to feel inspired by working with passionate salespeople, who create excitement about the future promise of satisfying their dreams, by living in one of their shiny brand new homes and enjoying the lifestyle of their community when appropriate.
This may take work on our part to ensure that we are truly working on ourselves to become someone who is perceived as passionate, and who our buyers will gladly follow and trust. I have a daily ritual of exercise, meditation and listening to motivational or educational books and podcasts. When I get to my desk, my body feels good and my mind is ready to embrace the opportunities and challenges of the day. We know that when customers enter our sales arena that “it’s showtime baby!”, and that they deserve to have the most positive experience with the best version of ourselves; to help inspire them and transport them to the promised land of new home ownership.
There is a reel making the rounds on social media, of brilliant, retired tennis player Roger Federer making a commencement speech. Federer shares that even though he won 80% of his matches he actually lost 46% of all of his points. That’s incredible isn’t it? Federer didn’t focus on his lost points but instead dusted himself off every time and focused on playing his best shots, adapting to each opponent and winning trophies. For the record he won 103 of them, including 20 Grand Slams, which are the big four worldwide tournaments of the American, French, Australian Opens’, and Wimbledon.
I know what it’s like when a buyer cancels their sale, it’s like a gut punch and feels terrible on many levels. To succeed in new home sales, you have to develop tenacity and use disappointment as fuel to motivate you to sharpen your sales skills and become better at follow up and driving in qualified traffic for yourself.
Sadly, sales are rooted in statistics; for example you convert leads to sales at a certain ratio, and when you follow up with warm leads you also receive a certain number of “no’s”, before you get to a “yes”. Don’t let this get you down, instead flip it around and let it motivate you to work harder, and smarter.
In 2026, its time for you to develop true sales GRIT, let go of disappointments and become the sales star that has always been inside of you.
Roland Nairnsey is an accomplished new home salesperson and director and is now a highly sought-after new home sales coach, coaching teams with monthly sales in the billions. He is also the author of the bestselling book Mastery of Selling for New Homes and is about to release the much-anticipated follow-up, Mastery of Negotiation. Please reach out to Roland at: Roland@newhomesalesplus.com, or call at 561-236-2400.