We recently connected with Diana Cigarroa and have shared our conversation below.

Diana, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

My own story of success? I always have associate this phrase to myself: “Small town girl, big city dreams”. Back in 2020, I was a 24yo with a normal, regular, super comfortable life in a small town in the south of Mexico and one day, just decided to leave everything I love the most – family, friends and a 7 years boyfriend to persuade a better quality of life and a better future for me and my family. Trying to chase bigger dreams, even bigger than me.
After being a nanny to save money and figure out life for 4 years, now as a Real Estate Salesperson I sell expensive penthouses and also, as a Personal Trainer help people to achieve their fitness goals and a better quality of life. I’m not where I want to be YET, but I’m grinding and working hard to get there soon.

Personal opinion – success can mean different things to different people, but there are some that I believe are common factors that often contribute to achieving it, it doesn’t matter the specific goals or fields involved. The first one is to have a clear vision and a purpose: Success starts with knowing what you want and why you want it. Whether it’s a career goal, personal achievement, clear vision provides direction- you work better when you have a plan and a structure other than that you can get lost. This purpose acts as a compass to guide decisions and keep you motivated, especially during tough times.

A non negotiable for me it’s hard work y consistency: talent alone won’t get you far. Success requires sustained effort and perseverance. Super important, being consistent—even when things get difficult or when immediate results aren’t visible, because there is when your true colors/passion is shown. Success is often the result of that little seed, that small dream you had once and it’s gonna give results with daily actions compounding over time.

Super important, the path to success is rarely a straight line so you gotta be able to adapt to changing circumstances, learn from failures, and pivot when necessary is essential. We need to be open to feedback and constantly seeking to improve. Since this isn’t a straight line, challenges and setbacks are part of the journey; success often involves bouncing back from failure, staying focused no matter what specially with adversities and super important never, never give up when the going gets tough. Resilience is key to turning challenges into opportunities for growth.

To be successful, requires being able to make the right choices, even when they’re not the easiest or most immediately gratifying. It’s about prioritizing long-term goals over short-term pleasures and staying disciplined in your actions and habits. Always discipline over motivation; because you wont be always motivated, but if you are dedicated and disciplined, thats gonna push you no matter what to achieve everything.

Emotional intelligence plays an important role here as well, being able to manage your emotions, understand others, and maintain a positive mindset/attitude can significantly impact your success. Emotional intelligence helps in building strong relationships, staying calm under pressure, and making decisions that align with your goals. If you can’t even control yourself, you wouldn’t be able to control/do anything else.

Super key, patience y timing; success doesn’t happen overnight, and sometimes, it’s a matter of being in the right place at the right time. Having patience to let things unfold, and understanding when to act or wait, is crucial. Being patience while follow your passion it’s such a challenge, but if you are really passionated for what you’re doing it provides intrinsic motivation. When you love what you do, you’re more likely to put in the extra effort needed to succeed. Passion fuels persistence, even when things get tough.

We live in a fast and rush world, where “I have no time” it’s the perfect excuse for all. In my opinion, it has always been: do I really dont have the time OR I don’t want to make the time? Balancing work with rest, relationships, fitness, and personal growth is essential for sustainable success. In essence, success is the result of a combination of internal mindset, external actions, and how well you navigate the challenges and opportunities life throws at you.

Diana, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’ve always had a passion for sales, even from a young age. Back in elementary school, I found myself drawn to the idea of convincing people, persuading them, and offering anything. I was extremely young to understand but, somehow I did.
I remember everything started one day when I stole (lol) to my dad a package of funny pencils, every Nemo character (at that time he was selling movies to Blockbuster). I sneaked into his room and took it — next day I brought them to my school and started selling them. I sold them in a blink of an eye, was great because other little friends asked me for more but that was it.

As I grew older, my interest in sales evolved. I was selling snacks, candies, toys, anything you could imagine. Also, my peak was when in college I opened my online store – I was selling high heels, clothes and make up, it was a huge boom!

After that, I realized that the thrill of connecting people with the right product or service wasn’t just about the transaction itself; it was about understanding needs, building relationships, and helping others to make important decisions and specially, make them happy. This led me to consider a career where I could combine my passion for sales with something more substantial—something that had long-term value and impact. That’s when years after, I found real estate.

Real estate became the perfect fit for me. It’s a field where sales meet personal fulfillment: you’re helping people make one of the biggest decisions of their lives—whether it’s renting, buying their first home, selling a property, or investing in real estate. The ability to provide guidance, build trust, and create win-win situations is what excites me about this career.

Sales for me has never been just about closing a deal; it’s about understanding client needs, providing exceptional service, and being there for them through an often emotional and complex process. It’s the perfect way to combine my love for sales with my desire to make a meaningful impact in people’s lives.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

In my opinion, the most effective strategy for growing my clientele as a real estate agent has been a combination of relationship-building, leveraging social proof, and a lot of referrals, with a strong focus on personalized service and consistent follow-up.

Real estate is all about relationships, and I realized early on that networking is a critical aspect of growing clientele. Instead of focusing on cold leads, I been trying to put a lot of effort into forming genuine connections instead. I attended local events, joined community groups, and made sure to stay connected with my sphere of influence—friends, past clients etc.

Another effective strategy has been creating valuable content that resonates with my audience, particularly on social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. By sharing informative posts, home-buying tips, market updates, and behind-the-scenes glimpses into my work, I position myself as an expert and trusted resource in the real estate field.

Another effective strategy has been creating valuable content that resonates with my audience, particularly on social media platforms like Instagram. By sharing informative posts, tips or just properties. I also use my platforms to engage with potential clients directly—responding to comments, answering questions and so.. This has helped me attract audience and stay in front of people who may not be ready to make a move yet but remember me when the time comes.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Building audience on social media isn’t something that happens overnight, but it can a gradual process fuel by consistency, authenticity and a clear strategy. Whatever is your field, you always have to be constant engagiment your community in order for it to be built. You also can try and experiment with different formats to see which one adapts and works better, do a deep research about what’s new, what are the current trends etcetera.
Most important, you have always to choose authenticity over perfection– showing your most authentic self, sharing real and personal stories will help a lot to build your community. Isn’t about the number of followers you have, is about real connections.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.corcoran.com/real-estate-agents/detail/diana-cigarroa/31667/regionId/1
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dianacig
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/dianacig

Image Credits

@danielrophotos
@jaetheshooter