No White Flags

Welcome to Active Rain and congratulations on your first blog posting.  Passing the exam is a requirement; now the hard work begins.  You nailed it about the webinars all offering a package deal, etc...  Be cautious, don't spend money and sign a long-term contract based on what they promise. Learn and evaluate then determine what works for you and move in the direction you find works.

Julie, I remember that feeling when I got my license 15 years ago.  It took a couple of years before I hit my stride.  You will hit yours too if you are determined to.  Some things that help are right here on Active Rain:  Completing your profile as much as possible, linking to your website, writing content that buyers and sellers will find beneficial..  I've not been on here much in the last couple of years, got busy with grandchildren and now great great grandchildren, but you are on the right track.  

Julie Riley, Welcome to Active Rain and congrats on your first blog post. I agree with Elizabeth Weintraub Sacramento Real Estate Agent, Top 1% of Lyon Agents!

You only fail or lose when y ou throw in the towel.  So keep fighting.

Welcome to AR.. We are in the "lead generation " business.. always! It takes time and the thick skin to hear a lot of No;s along the way..
After 5 years, you should have enough SOI, to be in a nice area for referrals.
Hang in there, Every activity is a lead genration opportunity.

Morning Julie.

Your answer to your question is in your post.  In spite of all my frustrations and confusion; I will not throw in the towel.  I will keep on learning, experimenting and hopefully I will find out what works good for me.  No white flags raised from me yet!  That's the spirit

Welcome to Active Rain.  I know you will enjoy your time here.

You've taken a first step in making your voice heard.  You can build your presence by blogging about your community, little things that most people might not notice.  Getting your license gives you a key, but it doesn't open the door.  Ask agents in your office if you can hold open houses for them, do as many as you can, keep in touch with people who come through, nurture them until they are ready.  There is no easy button, you can make it happen.

"No matter what kind of scores you make on you Real Estate class tests and both your class and state final exams, nothing prepares us for what is in store." You are right on target Julie Riley !

Welcome to Active Rain!

What you share is the same experience we all share in common. That moment when we face the blank screen, compelled to make something intelligble of the alphabet we've been taught, and sighing, "Here goes nothing!" and clicking that PUBLISH icon.

No real estate agents were harmed in the process.

But what did happen is that action made you part of a community that is teachers at heart and helpers in practice who all share that same expereince.

You seek the "HOLY GRAIL" of real estate, HOW TO GENERATE LEADS?

As you discovered, there are countless opportunities to connect with the 'secret' that will take your business into the rarefied air of the super producer.

The truth is, they all work, they don't work for everyone. The variable is the agent.

What will work for you depends on the investment you have made in understanding YOUR business.  What that means is the effort you made when you created your real estate agent business plan. In that plan you identified your income goals, the market area, access to that area, resources with which you you can work, skills you can leverage, the solution you offer AND why you are worth a nice piece of the homeowners equity.

Such an investment results in a message originating in vision and vision draws people.

IN layman's terms, "What is the pain or shame you see in your perspective base?"

Pain could be 'I don't think I have the money," or "I don't want to lose control."

Shame could be "Mortgage rejection', 'non-competitive nature"or "they won't offer  what I think my house is worth."

There are many solutions available to you that can be packaged into a compelling message that the buyer or owner will be receptive to. 

So instead of that 'BUYING/SELLING? Call Julie" postcard...... 

....offer a solution that assuages that which troubles them. Then deliver the message one, two, three, four, five, ###........times because the reality is your message must be the next or last they received when they are ready to make a decision. 

"Julie says I can do this privately, on my schedule and I can use her resources. That sounds safe. I will give her a call."

The methods for delivering the message are limitless. The message however is worth the investment of your blood, sweat and tears at this stage of your embryonic business. You have the time. so make the effort.

Good morning Julie,

I remember when starting my first business that they said it takes up to three years to get it off the ground; luckily it was a shorter time period but still a lot of time and elbow grease.

Also it took God seven days to take of busimess here!

One inexpensive tip is get a Facebook business page and blog here about your area nad then send it to FB. Anita Clark has a weekly Friday blog about FB you might want to go over and follow here.

Good luck to all the future business you will be doing.

Make yourself an astonishing day.

Hello and Welcome to the Rain where we all help each other and learn from each other.  Lots of friends here that will help.

Join a company that focuses on training and on teams. Join a team that provides leads. Learn while you earn.

I just stopped in thanks to our friend James Dray  re posting your musings.... most Realtors do not know what they get into and just to pass old information on my Broker told me 24 years ago the trick is if you have three Escrows when you go to bed and you wake up and all went south... and after 15 minutes you are able to get on the phone and start generating new business than you are in it for the long haul... He was right... I am still here...Endre

Welcome to ActiveRain and the world of real estate! If your office offers floor time, take as much as you can and go to the office daily, even if you don't have to be there. Get to know the other agents and use the time to learn the company's inventory inside out so that when you do get a walkin or phone call on floor, you are prepared to talk intellingently about the listings. Try to preview at least a couple of the company listings each day then when you need to show the property you will be familiar with it.

Offer to sit open house for agents in your office and keep up the direct mail and networking. You will be up and running in no time.

Education is 50% and implementation is the other 50%. If your broker has regular training, take advantage of it. Maybe attend your state and national Realtors' conventions. But all of that education isn't worth anything if you don't begin to apply it. 

Persistence can be one of the best attributes in our business. Figure out what works for you and stick to it. You have exactly the right attitude. Thank you for sharing and I wish you happy holidays!

Congratulations on the new career Julie, you need to hook up with a brokerage that will guide and coach you to success like Keller Williams does.

Give me a call and I will try to help you with this.

bob

Welcome to Active Rain, looking forward to reading many more of your posts, let me know if there is anything that I can do to help as you get started here.
All the best of success to you.
Bob