Why Some Agents Closed Deals During MCO While Most Couldn't
A structural explanation of capability gaps, digital failure, and why top performers weren't you.
When the MCO hit, the entire real estate industry was forced into a sudden digital stress test.
Physical viewing stopped.
Movement stopped.
Walk-ins stopped.
Open houses stopped.
Most agents immediately concluded the same thing: "No physical activity = no sales."
And for the majority, that was true — their income went to zero. But a small minority of agents defied the trend. They closed deals via Zoom, through digital booking, with online document submission, virtual tours, and remote negotiation. These were not the lucky few. These were the few who were prepared. The question is:
If others could close deals online during MCO, why couldn't you?
Something must be wrong — and it was.
Below is the structural breakdown of why the top performers weren't you.
1. You Failed to Digitize the Property Value Chain
The traditional agent depended entirely on a physical, sequential workflow:
Walk-in → Viewing → Office discussion → Signing
MCO shattered all four steps.
Meanwhile, top performers had already digitized the entire client journey before MCO even happened.
| Stage | Traditional Agent | Top Performer |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery | Waited for property portals, signboards, referrals | Ran SEO, targeted ads, investment webinars, niche buyer funnels |
| Viewing | Needed physical viewing to "sell the feel" | 360° tours, Matterport scans, WhatsApp walkthroughs, drone videos |
| Decision | Needed face-to-face persuasion | Zoom consultations, digital presentations, virtual comparisons |
| Closing | Needed physical signatures | Online booking, e-signatures (for allowed documents), solicitor-assisted digital conveyancing |
What the majority lost, the minority had already replaced.
2. Your Closing Skills Depended on Physical Environment
Most agents' persuasion ability relied heavily on:
- body language
- in-person rapport
- office atmosphere
- physical showmanship
When all that disappeared, so did their confidence and closing ability. Top performers relied on verbal precision, data, visual tools, and digital trust-building — not on physical presence.
They were already doing these before MCO:
- Video call consultations
- Digital price justification using data
- Screen-sharing comparison matrices
- Virtual follow-up systems
- Loan simulation walkthroughs
- Remote objection handling
The majority blamed the lockdown. The minority upgraded their skillset.
3. You Did Not Build Digital Trust Before the Crisis
This is the most painful truth.
Top agents closed during MCO because trust was already built long before the lockdown.
When they jumped on Zoom:
- clients already followed their content
- clients already trusted their expertise
- clients already knew their track record
- clients already understood their analysis
For them, Zoom wasn't the first contact — it was the continuation of a long-running digital relationship. Meanwhile, for many agents:
- social media was empty
- branding was weak
- content was nonexistent
- leads were cold
- visibility was near zero
You cannot build trust during a crisis if you never built trust before the crisis.
4. You Lacked Technology Integration and Data Infrastructure
Most agents failed during MCO not because they lacked skill, but because they lacked systems.
The majority had:
- no proper CRM
- no structured database
- leads scattered in WhatsApp, notebook, Excel
- no automated follow-up
- no digital presentation library
Top performers had:
- a CRM to segment "ready buyers"
- automated email sequences
- WhatsApp Business broadcast funnels
- a library of polished virtual tours
- ready-made digital consultation decks
- digital signing workflows prepared
They weren't improvising. They were executing.
5. Adaptability Was Treated as Personality, Not Skill
During MCO, you saw a stark contrast:
The Waiting Majority
- "I'll wait for the market to reopen."
The Adapting Minority
- "How do I sell NOW?"
Adaptability is not talent.
Adaptability is not luck.
Adaptability is practice, systems, and mindset.
The agents who closed deals:
- practised Zoom daily
- studied international digital selling models
- learned CapCut editing
- rebuilt their presentations for virtual delivery
- did role-plays online
- mastered persuasion through a screen
The agents who failed:
- waited
- complained
- scrolled social media
- hoped everything would return to normal
The crisis did not create the gap. The crisis exposed the gap.
6. The Digital Divide Was the Real Reason the Top Performers Weren't You
Here is the integrated truth:
The top agents succeeded online because they were already digital professionals.
You struggled because your business model was never built for a digital environment. The MCO simply revealed:
- your outdated workflow
- your insufficient tech readiness
- your weak digital brand
- your lack of scalable systems
- your missing digital closing skills
Top agents didn't win because of MCO. Top agents won despite MCO, because they had already prepared for the next era.
The Strategic Takeaway: The Market Has Evolved — Have You?
If another lockdown happened tomorrow, would your business continue?
If your honest answer is "no," then your business is not future-proof.
The agents who closed deals during MCO weren't magicians. They were architects who built their business to survive disruption. The majority weren't victims. They were simply unprepared. The next disruption — economic downturn, interest rate shock, regulatory shift, AI disintermediation — is coming. The question is no longer:
"Can deals be closed online?" We already know the answer.
The real question is: Next time, will you be in the complaining majority — or in the minority that eats?
