Last week I taught a Florida Post License class to nine interesting real estate licensees. Seven of them were REALTORS® and two had never practiced real estate, yet had kept their licenses intact for the future. Each one of them had been licensed between 18 months and two years. These diverse students cemented the lesson that perception is everything. Even though a class like that runs only Monday through Friday, you get to know people, and this class was no exception. They all seemed to bond well, and some appeared to have greater experience than others just by what they were doing with their real estate careers.
Justin was clearly the alpha dog. He took his pre license class from us, and I had the pleasure of teaching him then. His sense of humor was wonderful and he talked like a pro. My perception of Justin was one of success, so much so that the entire class was amazed that he had only been licensed since 2015. Justin was the poster boy for getting it done! Although he had been a recent transplant when he got his license, he knew more about the Pensacola market than most natives.
In thinking about Justin, his post license class and the myriad of students who later come through our doors as real estate agents or REALTORS®, I realize perception is everything. I’ve always known that principle, but I’ve never really applied it, and through Justin, I found an opportunity to prove perception is everything. So many times, we give ourselves away with consumers, and by doing so, have given them the right to judge us negatively. I doubt seriously that Justin ever tells consumers the length of time he’s been practicing real estate. As a matter of fact, I would be willing to bet most of the people he deals with assume Justin has been a REALTOR® for years.
The fact that perception is everything can work well with your real estate career. When TEAM Hughes was a new school, we worked diligently to ignore that fact so that our students could see beyond it and trust us to know what we were doing. Our Daphne, AL campus is only six months old, but already the reputation is being circulated, and many of our students assume we’ve been around for a much longer time.
As a REALTOR® or real estate agent, it is important your customers and clients trust you. This is where perception is everything. If they know you are new, it’s possible their confidence level will decrease. I never advocate lying to anyone, but I do advocate working as a professional, not showing consumers your fears and being confident enough so that their perception is strong enough to trust you. Carry yourself as a professional and they will perceive you to be one. TEAM Hughes Real Estate School is here to help build your confidence. We want our students to succeed in their real estate careers, so if you need a real estate school, why wouldn’t you work with one who cares about you? Let us know how we can help you succeed.
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