With over 42,000 real estate agents licensed in Florida alone, it's obvious that competition is tough. However, one thing I have noticed rather quickly is many agents see you as competition and while I certainly understand, and appreciate, professional competition, it doesn't have to be brutal.
In Miami specifically, there's a lot of folks out there that actually represent themselves as agents and are not licensed at all, which results in the industry professionals getting a bad reputation unfairly. This alone is hard enough to gain the trust of your leads you're talking to, much less the general public looking for someone to represent them.
The one reason I like ActiveRain.com so much is the mere fact that other pros are actually here to help, encourage and support each other with respect. It's refreshing, and a valuable source of information and tips from other real estate professionals, and I greatly appreciate that.
With that being said, if you're one who tends to view other agents as your competition, let me relay some advice my instructor in my orientation/ethics class at the Miami Association of Realtors gave us. It's best to always be courteous, polite and professional in all realms of business, especially in this industry. Imagine you're at the closing table and the agent on the other side is someone you've had a negative experience with.... awkard! Not only awkward, but if there's any negotiations that need to take place, it certainly is going to be a smoother process if it's someone you have experienced professionalism and good ethics with. Not to mention, referrals can be a nice added bonus (no pun intended) between agents. One of my very good friends, who is a fellow agent, lives in a town further north and if I have a client looking up north, I refer biz to her and vice versa. We are delighted to refer a client to each other knowing they will get amazing service.
There are blogs all over about "rude" agents - from consumer-perspective to agent-to-agent perspective. I understand there are rude professionals in every industry, but I have found many more in this business than others I have been in. And, I am rather new....As I like to say "You can never regret being kind". It's worked in my professional and personal life. No matter how rude the other person is I remind myself to act in kindness. It has actually turned arguments into agreements, potentional clients into repeat clients and so on...this doesn't mean I agree to something I don't feel or bend to someone's opinion. I simply respond with kind professionalism no matter what the circumstance and it has proven to be very powerful in many ways. It also helps me personally by not getting aggravated and propelling the situation into an inferno that is totally unnecessary. If the other person continues I simply walk away and refuse to feed into it the negative spiral.
Thanks for reading!
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