Are You treating your business like a Job?

                                      Are You Treating Your Business Like a Job?

Many of you are in real estate to supplement an income and don’t necessarily want to work as a full time REALTOR®.  I have always felt that your income was directly related to your efforts. If you are putting in 5, 10 or 15 hours a week, then you would make what any part time person can make putting in minimal time and effort.  And if that is what you want and you are content with that – I think that is OK.

Then I think of some of the agents with dreams of making $50,000 $75,000 or $100,000 or more in a year – but I never see them in the office! 

Here are some national statistics on full time salaries in some professions. Nurses $66,000, Dental Assistants $34,000, Police officers $55,000, Chefs $44,000, Cashiers $19,000, Travel Agents $32,000, Bank Tellers $24,000. 

I am concerned with those of you who say you are a full time REALTOR® but don’t earn what a Cashier makes.  Do you treat this like any full time job?  Would the nurse, chef, cashier or travel agent make any income if they didn’t show up?   The “virtual” agent has been the demise of many agents who felt they could work from home.     

I want to suggest that most of you need to get up, get dressed and get into the office.  You need a regular work week schedule – in the office 5 days a week at 8:30 am and plan on spending 8 hours.  The agents who I see coming in every day at the same time and are here ready to work have consistently more production.  Their consistency puts them in work mode so they are always available to take a listing or show a property.  They have developed regular habits for prospecting.  If you are in the office, you get to brainstorm with other agents.  It is boring to just sit – you’ll prospect more. You’ll be out and see more people.  All this activity will create more activity. 

I would also suggest that the full week, 8 hour days will give you more balance in your life.  If you put in a full day, there is no need to put in another 4 hours at night.  You can stop that feeling that you work 24-7.  You will have time to spend with family.  You will have a better quality of life. 

I challenge every FULL TIME REALTOR to show up, dressed professionally and ready to work a full work week.