Here you are.

Your license has just arrived from the state and you are ready to start your real estate career.

I hate to tell you but that 45 hour class you just finished did not prepare you to sell real estate. The 45 hour class and licensing exam can better be described as initial CYA training for new agents. It does a good job of defining where the gray areas of the real estate practice are. The areas where, if you find yourself there, you should sit down with your broker/manager and discuss the situation.

Real Estate sales or any sales for that matter is a mix of generally two things. First, finding out specifically what your client's needs and wants are. This skill is about asking specific questions and then being quiet and listening to your client's responses. Sounds simple enough, but you would be surprised by how many times I have had my competitor's clients come to our office and say "my last agent never really listened to what I wanted".

The second skill required is maybe not so much a skill as an attitude. Seasoned agents have a confidence about their understanding of the market that clients can see, hear and feel. Seasoned agents have seen this market before or this situation before and know what the solution is. Even if they don't specifically say it in those words (most good seasoned agents wouldn't) you hear it in their tone, in their body language.

You might be thinking -wow- how can I compete with a seasoned agent. Well, I say you can. First, let me give you my definition of a seasoned agent. It has nothing to do with the number of years they have had a license. There are agents out there that have had their license for 5-10-15 years who could not sell fire to the Eskimos. For a new agent the most important thing you have to work on is between your ears. Yes, your have to learn how to market houses, price them correctly, yada, yada, yada. I have known lots of excellent "agents" who could figure house pricing to the penny, had extensive marketing plans--- everything perfect. How many houses did they sell? bupkiss (don't really know if I spelled that right).

What's needed is an inner conviction that you know what you are doing. The first person you have to convince that you have a clue is YOU. You cannot expect to sit across the table from a homeowner and convince them that you have what it takes to sell their home if you are not convinced yourself.