As home values rise, the number of real estate agents seems to rise as well! If you are a new agent trying to find footing in a crowded field, you might be hoping for “shortcuts” to success.
If you are an experienced agent, you may be looking for ways to grow your business in an increasingly competitive market.
Then, there are the top agents who seem to have it all; a huge sphere of influence with prosperous clients, instant name recognition, and sales numbers that boggle the mind. You might assume that these agents have some advantage that you don’t.
In the vast majority of cases, this simply isn’t true. Most of these top agents worked their tail off, struggled, and didn’t give up when the market got tough. These agents concentrated on their client’s success – which lead to their own.
Today, these agents have “unfair” advantages, but they earned them! Here are unfair advantages you can cultivate for yourself, whether you’re just starting out, or you’re looking to pull ahead from the pack.
Attitude: The way you approach your business goes a long way towards your results! Real estate is a “people” business that involves a great deal of emotion. Staying positive, and keeping your client’s goals at the forefront, is essential to success.
Education: That pre-licensing class is just the beginning! Great real estate agents continue to build their knowledge.You can learn a lot by reading industry trade publications and professional blogs.You can take online coursework from NAR. You can watch TED Talks, listen to podcasts, and get pointers from YouTube. You can opt for professional coaching.
Networking: Don’t know many people? Meet some! For example, home expos and trade shows will be coming up soon. Go make small talk with home builders, designers, contractors, and the general public. Don’t give sales pitches – just make friendly contact. See our prior blog post for super networking tips!
Tap into underserved markets. Some agents avoid first-time buyers because they are “too much work”; others may not deal with listings under a certain dollar amount. Choosy agents may shun short sales, or avoid working in ZIP codes that lack prestige. Don’t cherry-pick. Serve, learn and grow.
Play to your strengths. Your prior work experience may give you certain areas of expertise and skills that set you apart. Perhaps you developed attention to detail from your nursing career, or learned about mortgages while being a loan processor. Look for ways to connect your past career to your future success.
Be in the know. Pay attention to local news and civic matters. Whenever possible, attend local government meetings, school board meetings and Chamber of Commerce events. Pay attention to what the local zoning board is up to.
Allow yourself the risk of failure. The fear of failure and rejection is very real, and if you allow it, these fears will keep you from growing your business. Don’t worry about failing. Not making an effort is worse than failing! Make those cold calls. Reach out to those expired listings. Knock on doors.
Document what works. Maybe you discover an effective call script, or you find a networking technique that’s pure gold. Perhaps you’ve found a way to convert more selling prospects to active listings. As you find those “Aha!” moments, document them! Create your own success system.
Use a company like RealSupport to handle listing marketing, social media, website maintenance, SEO and content creation. A good online reputation is priceless, and creates a great first impression to those who “Google” you!
Happy Holidays! We wish you all the best in 2016!
Bonita Breit
Copywriting & Marketing Specialist
RealSupport, Inc.
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