I’ve recently had an increase of inquiries from both newly appointed real estate agents and agents who have been in business for many years on how to overcome the latest declines in real estate sales. Since the Spring, many of us have experienced some pretty obvious declines in our business. I’ve been very lucky in the sense that business has stabilized. In speaking to a colleague who is in the “lull”, I thought back to the first year of Real Estate and what she was expressing to me as an experienced agent seemed to mirror my first year.
It seems that complacency sometimes accompanies elongated periods of success. That is to say, that when you start making a good income in this business, people can forget how they were able to get to that point. Once a bad period hits, they forget how to get back to basics to pull in the business as they did in their rookie years.
So here is my advice for both established and new agents who are feeling the pinch of low sales:
Be Nice! With all of our daily stresses, meeting a person who is helpful and pleasant is
not as common as it used to be in the old days. When I’m in a situation where I can be nice; I take advantage of the situation to introduce my professional and me accordingly. You never know if that person you handed a card to today will call you in a few months (that’s happened quite a few times to me).
Face Off. Nothing is deadlier than becoming a hermit in this environment. If you don’t get out and meet people you’ll be very lonely. I’ve had clients from the most out of the way encounters. I had dreaded going out to weekend games when I first moved to Arizona. The heat was just overwhelming. But by being the rah rah mom I was able to meet some really nice families on our team and closed several deals with these same folks and their referrals.
Join Up. Take advantage of your time by doing something for yourself like the gym or volunteer. As a PTO member and active school mom, I have made so many wonderful contacts and was able to get the word out (much cheaper than farming) on what I do and what I know.
Stay Positive. Nothing is worse than a Debbie Downer (sorry if your name is Debbie—no connection to the name). People see and feel when someone is not on their A game. After all why do I want to buy anything from someone who has negative mojo.
Stay Informed. Chances are that trove of knowledge you’ve built up and work hard to maintain will come in handy. Once it is released it’s like dominos. You would be surprised at the appreciation folks have for those who stay informed.
This industry is definitely testing all of our resources right now. Your best ammunition is yourself. Stay strong and stay in there.
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