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Are You A "Good Agent"?

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Real Estate Technology with Content, coding, marketing, host.

It's a pretty simple quiz and you don't really need an answer sheet. In fact it's not only simple, it's short. It doesn't ask how many awards you have won from your association. It doesn't ask if you're "tech savvy". Heck, it doesn't even ask how many listings or sales you've had. Go ahead, try it yourself:

_____ Number of referrals you've had from buyers more than one year after they purchased their home.

_____ Number of calls you have failed to return promptly (within a couple of hours at most).

_____ Number of emails you have failed to answer immediately upon reading them.

_____ Number of agents who truly believe you are a pleasure to work with.

_____ Number of buyers/sellers who have brought YOU a closing gift.

Of course this is a spark. You can fan it into flames and it doesn't matter whether you are a real estate agent, loan officer or building inspector: the rules are the same.

Being a good agent (or anything else for that matter) isn't measured by acronyms, awards and paychecks. A good agent may only ever give advice and never sell a property. Being a good agent is separate from being a "good sales person". As for me you can be the best sales person on the planet and suck at the things that are important and you're not a good agent.

Good news!

You can change your old ways and become "good". Habits are developed quickly and kept for a long time. Start today by making a list of the things you know you need to improve on then start getting rid of your old bad cycle, get a new good cycle and you don't have to worry about breaking down on the road to your personal success.

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I started writing on Active Rain in 2006 when I was representing the mortgage industry. I am no longer in that industry and many of the older posts contain outdated information. Please do not contact me for LENDING or MORTGAGE questions but rather contact a licensed mortgage professional from your area. I have always been in marketing and branding and that is still what I do. Thanks for reading!

Comments(23)

Mitch Muller - Charlotte NC Real Estate
ProStead Realty Charlotte, NC CRS SRES mitch@prostead.com - Charlotte, NC
Certified Residential Specialist

Ken, excellent way to measure how good you are as an agent! Guess I'm doing OK, I have quite a wine collection from clients!

Jul 01, 2013 02:38 AM
Curt Hess
ExecuHome Realty - Annapolis, MD
Luxury Home Consultant, Team Leader & CEO

You are a good agent if you keep the interests of your client (the principal) ahead of all other interests, including your own!" 

It's a simple concept and downright easy to accomplish. If you care about being a Pro.

Jul 01, 2013 02:45 AM
Eric Nelson, III
Silicon Valley Capital Funding - Campbell, CA
Eric O. Nelson, III

Ken,

 

As a mortgage professional, I am constantly curious about what metrics realtors are concerned with. Almost 80% of my business is generated by repeat clients and clients who refer me, and the remaining 20% is from realtors.

 

I spend a great deal of time working my data base and analyzing the mortgage generation aspect of it, and have been recently working on ways to assist realtors with the same. I am usually surprised by how little rigor I often find in data base management for realtors, so these are certainly relevant questions.

 

Thank you for sharing the thought process and ping to us to really know our generation aspect of our business.

 

Eric

Jul 01, 2013 03:02 AM
Jimmy Faulkner
Florida. Homes Realty & Mortgage - Wantagh, NY
The Best Of St. Augustine

Very good reminders on what to do. We should hold classes on this, but being a Active Rain member makes it easy to be professional and do all these things. Thanks Active Rain.

Jul 01, 2013 03:49 AM
Carla Muss-Jacobs, RETIRED
RETIRED / State License is Inactive - Portland, OR

A nice blog to feature.  Which proves the point of better late than never.  Great feature and these things would serve us well to remember!

Jul 01, 2013 04:54 AM
Bill Reddington
Re/max By The Sea - Destin, FL
Destin Florida Real Estate

Guilty of some of it. The hard part is when you get 3-400 emails a day tough to get to all if you are on the road 

Jul 01, 2013 05:26 AM
Team Honeycutt
Allen Tate - Concord, NC

Interesting post. Thanks for the reminders of how we should behave to be good agents.

Betty

Jul 01, 2013 06:40 AM
Kelly Barbus
Keller Williams Buffalo Northtowns - Buffalo, NY
Keller Williams Buffalo Northtowns
Excellent post! I love that you added the importance of having good relationships with other agents. It is crucial part of our business. Thanks again!
Jul 01, 2013 08:45 AM
Eric Michael
Remerica Integrity, Realtors®, Northville, MI - Livonia, MI
Metro Detroit Real Estate Professional 734.564.1519

Great blog, but the truly incredible thing about it is that it was Featured a year and a half after it was written. Good thing it was found!

Jul 01, 2013 11:19 AM
Marnie Matarese
DWELL REAL ESTATE - Sarasota, FL
Showing you the best of Sarasota!

What a great post and although I have high scores in some of the categories I am sorely lacking in others.  Time to get to work!

Jul 01, 2013 11:40 AM
Joan Whitebook
BHG The Masiello Group - Nashua, NH
Consumer Focused Real Estate Services

This is a nice way to take measure of there we are going with our marketing. 

Jul 01, 2013 12:38 PM
Ed Silva, 203-206-0754
Mapleridge Realty, CT 203-206-0754 - Waterbury, CT
Central CT Real Estate Broker Serving all equally

I don't know, with 3 referrals in one week and 2 new buyers to help, I can't stop to think if I'm being good or not, just busy

Jul 01, 2013 12:43 PM
MichelleCherie Carr Crowe .Just Call. 408-252-8900
Get Results Team...Just Call (408) 252-8900! . DRE #00901962 . Licensed to Sell since 1985 . Altas Realty - San Jose, CA
Family Helping Families Buy & Sell Homes 40+ Years

Thanks for posting a set of ealistic questions for measuring how I or anyone else measures up as a "good agent."

Jul 01, 2013 03:22 PM
Jane Chaulklin-Schott
TEAMCONNECT REALTY - (407) 394-9766 - Orlando, FL
TeamConnect Luxury Homes - Orlando, Florida, 32836

Ken, your post is very inspirational and motivational. It had a real spark of energy and certainly had me thinking and projecting. Change a habit if it is not working...Change a cycle...Change the future.

Jul 01, 2013 04:28 PM
John Mosier
Realty ONE Group Mountain Desert - Prescott, AZ
Prescott's Patriot Agent 928 533-8142

Great post, Ken. The things you point out are the things that will make one successful. This could be a much bigger list.

Jul 01, 2013 06:57 PM
John F Muscarella
RIVER FARM PROPERTIES, LLC - Venice, FL
Broker/Owner, Venice, FL, Florida's Suncoast

A breath of fresh air in terms of how to measure competency as an agent.  Good post.

Jul 01, 2013 07:36 PM
Carol Zingone
Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Florida Network Realty - Jacksonville Beach, FL
Global Realtor in Jax Beach, FL - ABR, CRS, CIPS
For years, agents have crowed about their production as the most important factor....which has zero relevance to the consumer.
Jul 01, 2013 09:10 PM
Brenda Mayette
Miranda Real Estate Group, Inc. - Glenville, NY
Getting results w/ knowledge & know-how!

Ken - I LOVE this post!!!! I have met so many good sales people and walk away wondering how they are able to support themselves because they are NOT good agents...  Thanks for reinforcing the way I do business as the preferred way! ;-)

Jul 02, 2013 12:16 AM
MichelleCherie Carr Crowe .Just Call. 408-252-8900
Get Results Team...Just Call (408) 252-8900! . DRE #00901962 . Licensed to Sell since 1985 . Altas Realty - San Jose, CA
Family Helping Families Buy & Sell Homes 40+ Years

What a great list and way to analyze "good agents".

Jun 30, 2014 02:53 PM
Praful Thakkar
LAER Realty Partners - Burlington, MA
Metro Boston Homes For Sale

Ken Cook - very good post - and wish I could re-blog it. 

It needed 'ActiveRain Topic' I guess....

Jul 01, 2016 01:09 PM