A mentor – someone who is further along than we are, able to give us an outside perspective, and helps bring out our best – is an essential part of every real estate career. Obviously, new Realtors® who are just starting out should find someone who can show them the ropes, cheer for them, and support them if they struggle.
But a mentor is just as important for a seasoned veteran in the industry. If you want to achieve high levels of excellence, more than simple hard work is required. You need someone who can inspire you to reach higher, help you learn advanced strategies, and more.
Finding a mentor can be a challenge. Fortunately, a simple shift in thinking can help you see mentors where previously you thought there wasn’t anyone – and can help keep you from desperate “please help me!” outreaches to disinterested superstars.
Starting Out – A Mentor for the First Steps
As a new Realtor®, you have a lot of resources available to you. In fact, you may have so many you don’t know quite what to do! You will definitely be advised to “find a mentor”, but you probably don’t know how to go about it. If you have a great brokerage, they may assign someone to you. However, that doesn’t always happen.
The first step to finding a mentor is to think about folks who are just a little bit ahead of you. Not the rock stars, who will likely be too busy to offer a real mentorship – in fact, they’ll probably try to sell you a course or seminar instead. Instead, look for someone you already know – someone in their third year, or someone who does well in your brokerage, and strike up a friendship.
The key to the relationship is not to immediately ask for mentorship. Instead, be helpful to that person. Ask them questions (but not constantly). Find ways to create a win-win relationship. As the friendship develops, you’ll find yourself learning things from them automatically. Over time, you may be able to ask for a formal mentorship, but you may find that you learn a lot without ever doing that. They simply become a wise friend you can rely on.
As a Veteran – Even LeBron James and Serena Williams Have Coaches
As you become more seasoned in the real estate business, you may find that you drift away from asking for help. In some ways this is simply the result of learning the ropes, but other times it becomes a prideful attitude – you feel like you know it all. Or, you may simply feel awkward asking questions because, after so many years, you think you shouldn’t need anyone to lean on anymore. That couldn’t be further from the truth.
Everyone in real estate can learn more. There are always more farming methods, list-building ideas, technology tips, and objection-handling scripts to learn. Even more, you need people who can help you keep going when you get discouraged and frustrated, and who can help you see things from an outside perspective. The very, very best in every sport all have coaches. Why? Because they can still learn! Because they need someone who will ask more of them then they ask of themselves. Because they want to become even better than they are today.
As a veteran Realtor®, you probably have a lot of relationships in the industry already. You may not think of these people as mentors, but the truth is, they could be. Just as your most memorable mentors when you were younger were probably people like a teacher, older relative, or sibling, your current mentorships start with already-existing relationships. You don’t need to find a guru – instead, start to focus on and invest in the fruitful relationships you already have.
Everyone needs a mentor – even a superstar. Keep in mind that great mentorships start with existing relationships. Look around at who you know that inspires you, and start to spend more time with them. You don’t even have to have a formal mentorship arrangement to benefit. Just spend time, help them, and listen. You’ll learn a lot, and then one day you’ll be in a position to teach someone else.
Do you have a mentor? Why or why not? Share in the comments!
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