1) Get a CRM immediately so that you can effectively follow up with leads on a regular basis, otherwise you're leaving massive amounts of money on the table.

2) Get a coach or at least have a mentor to learn from, bounce ideas off and help structure your business from the very start.

3) Treat this like a business and not just "something" you're doing to try to pay the bills. Spend the time to structure your foundation now so that you can have success in the years to come. 

Bonus #4! Never stop trying to improve yourself and master your profession. Training, training, training. 

1. This is a business, not a job
2. You are in control of your plan and your destiny.
3. Partner with a brokerage that will help you to build YOUR business, like KW.

1. You're not actually a REALTOR unless you're a member of NAR.
2. You'll need at least one or more income streams to support yourself before you become self-sustaining in this business
3. You don't get wealthy selling real estate. You get wealthy investing in it.

Get out of bed in the morning!

Don't buy leads, go find them!

You won't make a living as a Realtor behind your desk.

You are an entrepreneur and responsible for your own success.

Have enough capital to pay your expenses until you develop a steady business

Never put your commission before the needs of your clients.

Know your market and know your contracts - your clients are depending on your advice for a huge investment; do not fail them.

ASK questions;  no question is dumb if you are earnest about learning.  This is not a time to “fake it til you make it.”  

Don’t lie. Don’t do things that you feel are wrong and listen to your gut.

Put your knowledge and training before your commission split. Your clients deserve nothing less.

More than 3, sorry!  This site is a treasure trove of info, so tke advantage of the many awesome agents here and learn from them.

Be safe

Hope this helps Sam Whitaker!  (1)  Remember this is always a 'learning' career, so take classes and workshops and attend seminars - I'm still happy to 'learn something new every day'.  (2)  Have a mentor that you admire, respect and can learn from - in my case I'm on a Team.  (3)  Be motivated daily because it's a business that you keep building on, as you are meeting people, doing Open Houses, maybe joining your local Chamber of Commerce, etc. - I still keep a 'Weekly Accountability Sheet', and list what I did daily for my business, as it's a sheet from calendar or Day Timer  that I photocopy for every week.  It has times along the side margin, and I just fill-in the date at the top of each day.  I write in:  phone calls, wrote notes, shared something of interest (in an e-mail) that is local to my city/town to stay in touch, etc. - and at the end of the week I share it with another newbie realtor in my office - so we know how to improve our business and what days we did more or did less, and what brought us potential clients.  It's fun to compare with someone else, and we've motivated each other.  

be the source of the source of information not the source when it's outside your field of knowlege

go to work for a broker that offers menorship programs in their office

bigger is not always better

1. Code of Ethics

2. Contracts (inside & out)

3. How to communicate (and that includes for prospecting DAILY)!

Bob Crane Boom! 💥

this question reminded me of a previous post I made:

Learn , learn, learn

more than three but all are important.

use common sense

the golden rule

learn how to market

Honesty is the best policy.

Real estate is a business- -not a job.

Always keep learning. 

 Sellers.

 Buyers.

 How to bring the two of them together.

What Corinne Guest, Managing Broker said. 

You need a profile photograph, a company and you need to learn the business.

Bob Crane gave you good advice, as did many others. A

what you put in is what you get out.

You have any great suggestions here.

1) Be proactive, don't wait for business to come to you (2) Budget your paychecks & start to build a fund to cover 3-6 month expenses, if you don't have one in place allready & (3) be kind 

The Client comes first, if you take care of the client everything else will fall in place, do not focus on your commission, Endre

1. It is a full time job. 

2. Have some saving before diving in and know all your upfront costs to start.

3. Be patient and persistent. 

The most important decision you make will be where you work. If you focus on splits, brand names or flash, you'll likely end up looking for another job. Find training, mentorship and integrity and you have a chance to make a career. 

1. Become an expert

2. Follow up on everything

3. Don't eat onion right before meeting clients

I think Tammy Lankford, said it best.

1. have a crm 

2. you are in control of your own destiny... figure out how you will generate business

3. stay consistent, be patient.... don't become a statistic (high failure rate for agents) 

Prospect, prospect, prospect!

1. If you don't have a database that you're actively working, you don't have a business.
2. You must step out of your comfort zone.
3. Treat it like a business....not a job.

All of these are great answers. Bob Crane gave you an excellent answer, as did Ashley Staub & Candice A. Donofrio. 

One other is Location, Location, & Location. 

1. You are an independent contractor... you run your own business. You do not work FOR any broker.

2. Your broker does not owe you leads... you develop your own.

3. Have a good CRM at the ready from day 1.

Sam Whitaker - many of them - 3 most important

Habits Attitude and Skills. (H A S)

Thanks to my Peak Producers training.

Good luck.

display achievement drive

have positive energy

be coachable!!

Those three things (and more) will come to you when you begin...

#1. You are the owner of your business. Too many begin thinking they 'work for a broker."

#2 As the CEO of your business, you need a business plan. It need not be those exhaustive academic works but a one page executive summary will be suitable for your purpose.

#3. If you don't do it, it doesn't get done. Sorry, hiring surrogates only depletes your bank account. YOU NEED TO DO IT!

#4. Bonus - no extra charge. Know how to articulate, in layman terms, why you exist. What makes you deserving of a nice piece of the homeowners equity?  When you can state your 'why' without a single syllable are real estate agent goobly-gook, and have your non-real estate friends understand your value, you will find your self ahead of most agents. Now you can deliver your visionary message to exactly the audience you want. No success theater, vanity metrics or surrogate endpoints.

If you don't start right you will, like so many agent before you, propagate the image of real estate through success theater, vanity metrics and surrogate endpoints. Seriously, the Univers does not need more of THOSE!

Corinne Guest, Managing Broker nailed this one!

Good question for your broker.

It's a business not a job

Have a business plan

Prospect every day

Get a mentor and listen to them, 2  Have your conract review by someone, learn how to market

1.  it is a business, not a hobby

2.  You will always be at fault

3.  stay in touch with everyone you know and close.

Market, market, market!

Practice, practice, practice.

Listen to others who have traveled the road

Learn as much as you can

Launch out there in the business