Becoming a real estate agent is a lucrative idea that is reserved only for the most ambitious and capable. Why? Well, because the industry is incredibly competitive and your performance mostly depends on a commission for a high-value piece of real estate asset. Therefore, it’s hardly surprising that not a lot of people make it in this industry. Still, there are some tips that could improve your odds and make you a tad more competitive. Here are five of them.
1. Get up one hour earlier
The first thing you need to understand about being a real estate agent is that your day will always feel like the race against time. The only way for you to triumph in this race is if you understand the composition of your day. You see, in order to have an hour for yourself (for exercise, reading, microlearning or anything else) you have to get up one hour earlier in the morning. Even the most audacious of clients are not going to call you at 4 or 5 am, which might just be a saving grace.
2. Work on your charisma
Charisma is a skill (not innate talent or ability) and knowing how to “work” people in this field is more than important. By gaining the trust of a client, you’ll be able to retain them a lot longer even if you fail to find them the exact property they desire. In order to get there, you might want to start with some research and active learning. For instance, you can make a difference by reading a book titled How to Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie. Other than this, you could also try some other classics like The Art of Seduction by Robert Greene or even The Art of War by Sun Tzu. You would be surprised at just how much wisdom and how many useful tricks from these three titles can actually be applied in real estate.
3. Invest in your marketing
In the majority of industries, the bulk of your company’s profit is made by return business and generated by return customers. Now, one of the most interesting things about the real estate industry, which separates it from the majority of other fields, is the fact that you won’t normally rely on return customers. Imagine a newlywed couple looking for a new home. They reach out to you, you find them the right place and that’s it. Sure, they might recommend you to someone, however, once you close the deal, their customer lifecycle is over.
Since you depend on a constant influx of new customers, you need to invest a bit more in your marketing. We’re talking about both your website (and a blog) and your investment in old-school marketing like distributing flyers (here you can find some templates from Designhill) and hiring billboards. When it comes to old-school marketing methods such as printing, you need to bear in mind that the job of a real estate market is mostly localized. So, for instance, if you’re specializing in the Brisbane, Queensland area, you might want to look for printers in local suburbs. For instance, you can look for business printing Virginia services, instead of expanding your lookout for partners any further away.
4. Know the local area
When selling the place, you need to understand what you’re doing more than just selling a piece of property. What you’re actually selling is a lifestyle. For this, however, you need to put yourself in your client’s shoes for a second and start seeing the place the way they see it. So, what is one of their first points of interest? Probably the neighborhood. Inquire about the local points of interest and opportunities and make a mention of them while making the deal in order to sweeten the pot.
5. Satisfy your clients
One of the things that we’ve mentioned earlier is the fact that the real estate industry isn’t one that necessarily depends on return buyers. Still, one of the simplest ways for you to gain the trust of potential clients is to give them your previous clients as references. Keep in mind that during your first year as a real estate agent, you won’t have an impressive list of past clients to offer. So, take this as your starting point and start focusing more on client satisfaction.
Conclusion
The last thing you need to keep in mind is the fact that this field is not for everyone. It takes years of training, self-sacrifice, and effort in order to make it. So, it might be for the best for you to do your research beforehand and even find an actual real estate agent to talk to in order to get what the experience is like, first-hand.
1 Comment
Ugo Colombo
April 2, 2020 - 2:30 pmBecoming a great real estate agent isn’t always easy but using these tips will help pave the road to success. Thanks for sharing these tips for first year real estate agents.