Did you know? January is National Mentoring Month. Do you have a mentor to help you along the way, or did you have one as you started your business? Do you perhaps mentor someone now? I'd love to hear your experience, and hope you'll share it in the comments.
Long before I became a licensed real estate agent, I operated a bookkeeping service for individuals and small businesses. With my avid interest in real estate (from numerous classes I had taken, investment properties purchased, being a landlord) many of my clients were real estate agents. One thing lead to another, and by 2000 I found myself assisting one top agent at least 20 hours a week. When I got my license in 2003, I continued working with him for a year or so before we parted ways.
He was my mentor, and I learned many things, a number of which I still incorporate in my practice today, things like:
- the importance of knowing the inventory and checking it daily;
- which listings I wanted to track, to know when they went pending, had a price drop, closed escrow -- all great talking points with specific clients or for knowing the pulse of the market place;
- why I wanted a daily calendar page on which to write everything down - I still print out and use my created form, modified as the years went on; everything is recorded in this one place;
- the idea of working with great concentration in the mornings, making the calls, setting the appointments, etc -- then spending the afternoons on appointments, with others, or free time.
(I also learned some things I decided I would never incorporate into my practice, things that didn't fit with my ideals, or who I was as a person.)
Fourteen years later, in 2017, I found myself in the role of a mentor. Rachael had been assisting me for a while in a casual role, but that role has grown, and is now full-time. I find myself sharing with her much of the above, plus my experience and expertise in dealing with clients, preparing CMAs and listing presentations, searching for appropriate properties for buyers. While I'm mentoring her, I'm also learning from her -- social media, new tech programs, and generational differences.
Mentoring - a valuable experience in my opinion. Care to share your thoughts?
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