Rookies, Jumpstart Your Business!!!

Great tips Ray.  Newbies should also learn their scripts as quickly as possible.  Memorize them, make them part of you.  It doesn't do much good to sit an open house or advertise if when you actually talk with someone, you don't know what to say.

Super Advice Ray. I will also add, based upon my personal experiences:

1. Treat Your Career as a Business...Really You Are A Business Owner.

2. Create Systems for Your Business. What I mean by "systems" are procedures that you will implement in your daily activities. For example, How will you work with Buyers? Do you provide an Orientation? Do you require them to be preapproved prior to taking them out? (You really should), What are your hours of  operation?

3. Associate yourself Only with positive people. Period. Negativity is contagious & the #1 Dream Killer.  Especially in this business b/c there are Always complainers.

4. Purchase the Millionaire Real Estate Agent Book. Read It. This is also Important. I have seen many agents purchase it but never read it. They wasted their money to give up half way in the process. Not having enough time is no excuse. You have to make time when you are a business owner. Besides, this book is excellent! I have Never heard of or witnessed one person who read it and employed even half of the ideas, systems, and practices fail. Trust me, your practice will be up and running in no time. Seriously. Now, if you want to reinvent the wheel, then ignore this book. If you want to take the long route to success, ignore this book. If you want to struggle, complain, and give up easily ignore this book as well as all of our advice.

5. Learn how to work Smarter, and not necessarily Harder.

6. Be honest with clients. If you are not sure of something say the magical words to clients, "I Don't Know, But I Will Find Out or Place You In Contact With Someone Who Does Know." Never Lie in Business.

7. Create Your Business Plan. This is Not Optional. If you don't know how (as in the case with the majority of new agents) search "Business Plan" here on Active Rain in the Blog Section, Read Millionaire Real Estate Agent, or Purchase A Business Plan Book. Microsoft Office has a template for Business Plans Online for Free. You must have MS Word to access it. Your local SBA office has examples of business plans too and will even give you a free SBA counselor to help you for Free! These counselors are successful business owners, CEOs, etc. who volunteer their time to give back to small business owners!

 I hope this helps. There are 1001 other things that will help you to be successful too. I'm sure many of our great Active Rain members will contribute to this thread to help. Good Luck & Reach for the Moon!

In a prior lifetime I used to remind my sales reps in the wireless business that 'everyone in the office already had one" as a means to encourage them to get out among potential customers.  The natural corollary was that 'the phone has voice mail' and you can check it from anywhere....

Good points Ray and good additions Jaclyn!

Thanks Guys. I would also like to add to get a website if your company does not provide one for you, and make it work! Another point, when you do receive contacts, respond to them within 24 hours---the latest. Now, this does not mean call them at midnight. And Defintely don't answer your phone at midnight or "after your established hours" as you will be expected to do so all the time. With clients, make sure you are in contrl and you establish and stick with your business systems.  

I think if you are in the business of selling homes you should see as many different homes as possible. I was lucky, my mother and dad are both realtors. By the time I was old enough to walk I was going with one or both of them to preview homes. As I got older (6 or 7) after we finished looking at a home dad would ask me questions about the home. "Did it have a fireplace, did it have a separate shower in the master bed room, did it have a free standing range or a cook top...etc." Anyway I hope I learned to pay attention to details. Dad's rule is a new agent needs to look at 100 homes as soon a possible. Even though Dad has been in and around the real estate business since he was about 5 years old and has been in thousands of houses, he still sets aside a day every 4 or 5 months to see if he can look at 25 homes in a day. I haven't done that many in one day but have done about 50 drive by inspections in one day. I think seeing 100 homes is a good way to learn the market.

Great tips, Ray.  I have to say that "positive Attitude" is probably the biggest factor in any aspect of life.

Also, Jaclyn, good points!, Thanks for adding them.

Alex

Does anyone have any scripts that they would like to share. I have some training coming up in the next few weeks where I will learn some, but I like to see what others are using and what works for them so i can adapt it into my own style. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Thanks for the info on complimentary scripts @ Mike Ferry's website.

Ray,

Have you attended any of mike Ferry's classes? He seems to have a lot of useful information on his site and his classes look very attractive as well. If you haven't taken one, do you know of anyone who has? I want to know if this would be worthwhile for me. If they had a local class I would be there in a second, but I want to check into it before booking hotel, flight and class. Let me know if you could

Thanks

Ray,

    Thank you very much.