5 Tips for Real Estate Success
They are the real estate office equivalent of a lounge lizard. We all have seen them. In fact, you might be looking across your office right now and see one or two. They call themselves natural-born salesmen – thinking they can sell anything to anyone. They are self-absorbed, cocky, off-putting and often slimy. We all laugh at TV characters who act like them. I’ve watched many natural-born salesman come and go. Most of them don’t last long and I’m glad to see them leave. As a broker, I do my best to keep them out of our office.
Even as children, natural-born salesmen are easy to recognize. They’re the ones who approach adults and start yakking. Talking comes easy for them. They are comfortable approaching people. They talk and talk and talk – and that’s their problem. If they just keep talking long and fast enough, they think they can close the deal. They seem to be looking for the fast buck without considering their long- term reputation. Make no mistake, if a person with natural born communication skills were took the time to learn the science of real estate selling, THEY WOULD BE UNSTOPPABLE. Unfortunately, many just depend on their personality rather than develop the necessary skill-set.
If you are struggling to build your real estate career, there’s great news for you. You don’t need to act like that to succeed. Top producing agents have built wonderful, successful businesses by following a few simple tips. Focus energy on these 5 tips and I can guarantee your success.
“80% of real estate selling is SCIENCE – and anybody can learn science.”
Be yourself. I know it sounds simplistic, but consider the opposite. You can spot a fake a mile away. Great agents come from all walks of life, all social and economic backgrounds and personality types. God made you to be you – own it. That is the beauty of our business. Anyone who applies themselves can succeed. And here’s the secret: If you are comfortable in your own skin, you can comfortably reach out to others.
Get all the training you can. I was disappointed by the lack of training available when I first hung my license. Now, everyone offers training, but it sure is expensive. That’s why I’m so passionate about freely sharing information with any agent who wants more success. Read everything you can get your hands on about real estate, selling and selling psychology. Books are cheap and authors Brian Tracy and Malcolm Gladwell are good places to start. I never bet on natural-born salesmen. The person who is well trained as an agent will win every time.
Put your clients first. It is easy to get referrals from clients who feel you treated them fairly, honestly and professionally. Also, its easy to ask for client referrals when you know you’ve done your very best to meet their expectations. Every agent is faced with decisions between caring for their client or a commission. You’ll sleep better when you do the right thing.
Get mad as hell, but only until the end of day. People sitting in desks next to you are not only co-workers but they are also your competitors. You will be nudged out of deals, have your marketing efforts stolen and your clients poached. It happens to all of us. If you allow it, anger and frustration will rob your energy, creativity and motivation, and kill your future. Instead, go into a quiet room to scream and yell and cuss all you need to. Get it all out and when you leave the room it needs to be over. Good advice: “Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.” Tomorrow is a new day.
Set daily, weekly, monthly, yearly and life-time goals. Each day, determine to accomplish at least one marketing task. Weekly, connect with potential clients, mavens and your sphere of influence. Set monthly goals for listings, buyers and closings. Set an annual financial goal. Your lifetime goal should be about the kind of reputation you want to be remembered by. My lifetime goal this: Whether you are my wife, my children, my friends, my business associates, my clients or the cashier at the local store, may you always feel cared about and cared for by me.
The truth is, 80% of selling is SCIENCE. And all science can be learned. Anyone can do it. The remaining 20% of selling is ART – and most agents have enough creativity to be great in the real estate industry.