Recommended Books
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These are the books that have shaped how I work — how I prospect, how I serve my clients, and how I build this brokerage. I come back to them again and again, and I recommend them to any agent who wants to get better at the fundamentals.
Ninja Selling — Larry Kendall
Already featured in your Episode 1 video (Oct 2026) — this email is the written companion with the takeaways for reference.
- "The Ninja activities are very easy to do. Unfortunately, they are also very easy not to do." — success is doing the simple things consistently.
- Stop selling, start serving: build the business on relationships, not transactions.
- Work the Ninja Nine — the daily and weekly activities (thank-you notes, check-ins, reviews) that compound into referrals.
Exactly What to Say for Real Estate Agents — Phil M. Jones, Chris Smith & Jimmy Mack
One of the three books you own — the real-estate edition of the 'magic words' playbook, with scripts written specifically for agents.
- "Just imagine..." — future-pacing phrases that let clients picture the outcome before deciding.
- "What do you know?" and "How open-minded would you be?" — questions that lower defenses in listing and buyer conversations.
- Small word changes, big persuasion shifts — built for closings, listings, and objection handling.
Crucial Conversations — Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan & Al Switzler
One of the three books you own. High-stakes conversations ARE the job — price reductions, inspection disputes, commission talks. This is the manual for not blowing them.
- Start with heart: know what you really want from the conversation before you open your mouth.
- Make it safe: establish mutual purpose and mutual respect, or dialogue shuts down.
- STATE your path — Share facts, Tell your story, Ask for others' paths, Talk tentatively, Encourage testing.
The Millionaire Real Estate Agent — Gary Keller, Dave Jenks & Jay Papasan
The foundational playbook for treating real estate like a business instead of a job. If Fernando only ever covered one book on the channel, this would be it — it's the operating system behind most top-producing agents.
- Your real job is lead generation — listings are the name of the game, and everything else follows.
- The Economic Model, Lead Generation Model, and Budget Model turn a chaotic sales job into a real business.
- Think big, act bold: set goals based on the life you want, then work backward to the daily activities that fund it.
- Buy on Amazon
Fanatical Prospecting — Jeb Blount
The cure for the feast-or-famine cycle every agent knows. Blount's core argument: the number-one reason agents fail isn't talent, it's an empty pipeline caused by inconsistent prospecting.
- The 30-Day Rule: prospecting you do today pays you 90 days from now — skip it and your pipeline dies on schedule.
- Balance your prospecting across phone, social, referrals, and in-person so no single channel can sink you.
- Fanatical prospectors block time for it daily and treat it like brushing their teeth: non-negotiable.
The Book of YES — Kevin Ward
Scripts get a bad rap, but Ward proves that top agents don't wing conversations — they master them. This is the most practical conversation manual in real estate.
- Word-for-word scripts for prospecting calls, listing presentations, and handling every common objection.
- The 'YES' framework: ask questions that lead prospects to say yes in small steps before the big ask.
- Objections aren't rejections — they're requests for more information, and scripts turn them into appointments.
Sell It Like Serhant — Ryan Serhant
Serhant turned showmanship into a billion-dollar personal brand. For agents who think marketing is beneath them, this book is a wake-up call that presentation IS the job.
- The 3 F's: Follow Up, Follow Through, and Follow Back — most deals die because agents quit too early.
- Treat every listing like a Broadway opening: preparation, staging, and showmanship sell homes faster.
- Your energy and work ethic are your brand; outwork everyone and the market notices.
Never Split the Difference — Chris Voss
Written by a former FBI hostage negotiator, and directly applicable to offer negotiations, inspection disputes, and commission conversations. The single best negotiation book for agents.
- Tactical empathy: label the other side's emotions ('It sounds like you're worried about...') to defuse tension.
- Mirroring and calibrated questions ('How am I supposed to do that?') give you leverage without aggression.
- 'No' is the start of negotiation, not the end — get to 'that's right' and the deal follows.
The Conversion Code — Chris Smith
Fernando runs Facebook lead ads — this book is the manual for converting those clicks into closings. Directly relevant to his Pearland buyer campaign.
- Speed to lead: contacting an internet lead within 5 minutes makes you 100x more likely to connect.
- The money is in the follow-up system — most agents quit after 2 touches; the sale happens at 5+.
- Texting beats calling for first contact with online leads; have scripts ready for both.
Atomic Habits — James Clear
Every agent knows WHAT to do; almost none do it consistently. Clear's framework is the missing link between knowing and doing — and it applies to fitness, finances, and family too.
- Get 1% better every day — tiny habits compound into remarkable results over a year.
- Habit stacking: attach a new habit to an existing one ('After I pour coffee, I make my prospecting calls').
- Focus on identity, not goals: 'I am a prospector' beats 'I want to prospect more.'
The E-Myth Revisited — Michael E. Gerber
Fernando is literally building a brokerage from scratch — this book is the blueprint for systematizing it so it can grow beyond one person. The most personally relevant book on the list.
- Work ON your business, not just IN it — the technician's trap keeps owners doing $20/hour work.
- Build the franchise prototype: document every process so the business runs without you.
- Every business needs three personalities managed: the Entrepreneur (vision), the Manager (order), and the Technician (doing).
The ONE Thing — Gary Keller & Jay Papasan
From the same author as The Millionaire Real Estate Agent — the follow-up every agent needs. Multitasking is a lie; extraordinary results come from doing the single most important thing. For agents drowning in busywork, this book is permission to focus.
- The Focusing Question: 'What's the ONE thing I can do such that by doing it everything else becomes easier or unnecessary?'
- Time-block your one thing and protect it like a listing appointment — for most agents, that's lead generation.
- Say no to everything that doesn't serve the goal; a long to-do list is just a list of distractions.
Merch — Coming Soon!!
FMG Realty merch is coming soon — check back here for the launch.
Planned launch items:
- Embroidered black polo
- Embroidered dad hat
- FMG logo mug
- FMG tote bag
- Funny realtor tees