Be Where Your Competition Isn't

Earlier this year, I had a conversation with a very wealthy, very well known real estate industry executive. He was reminiscing about the early days of his career, and mentioned that he always prospected during the holidays.

"Around Christmas," I asked, "but that's a pretty dead time of year. In fact, a lot of agents simply pack it up then until spring."

"Exactly," he replied. He went on to explain to me that Christmas IS a pretty dead time of year, but despite there being a lot fewer leads, there are also a ton less agents competing for them.

In other words, be where your competition isn't.

Now, I am NOT telling you to avoid competing with other agents using popular marketing channels, in competitive neighborhoods, and during peak listing & selling season. You need to do that to stay competitive, but you also need to find some niche marketing channels that others aren't exploiting to remain ahead of the pack.

The truth of the matter is that there are 2 million licensed agents in the USA, and this is an industry that a lot of people dabble in because the commissions are high. As a professional, you need to be focused & committed to rising about the noise level in order to truly succeed.

So, don't simply ask yourself where other agents are so that you can match their advertising & marketing - also think of places where they are not so that you can get ahead of the pack. As you begin to accrue non-standard channels, not only will you get ahead, you'll stay ahead, which is ultimately where you want to be.