You’re launching a real estate career. Woot! Woot!
You’re filled with an anxiousness, hope, and enthusiasm. It’s taken a lot of work to get to this point, and not a small amount of dollars.
We are excited for you, and looking forward to working with you. I want to make sure that I share what I have learned after years of working with new agents launching their careers.
This is a cautionary tale, but also the ticket to massive success.
1. Overwhelm
Are you feeling overwhelmed? You’re not alone. It’s a natural part of the process. Websites, logins, contracts, copiers, legal terms … it’s a lot to take it. No need to beat yourself up here.
What you’ll need?
Trust. Trust the process, and trust the people around you. We are here for your success. We brought you into this environment because we believe you have something that is required of a successful Realtor. Trust our judgement and our faith in you. Your job is to allow us to help you. A bit of overwhelm is expected.
If you have questions, or you’re feeling confused, don’t suffer in silence. Reach out. Schedule time with me. That’s what we are here for.
2. Watch The Spend
There are many ways to spend money in this business. Many vendors promise that if their system procures ‘just one deal’, it’s a profitable system. One can go broke starting a practice on those promises.
In real estate, as with any business, it’s important to spend with strategy. Before you commit to an investment in your practice, come see me or Ken. Often we can help create a strategy that makes sense around the spend, or give you free, easier ways to accomplish your goal and make money, although there are other alternatives people can use for this goal, such as doing stock trading online, for this using resources as this chart patterns pdf that have the best strategies for this purpose.
We want you to build a solid business, but no business is meaningful unless it’s really profitable. Strategy rules.
3. The Critical Areas Of Mastery
We know you want a long and successful career in real estate. No one achieves the pinnacle of success in this business without two major areas mastered: time management and contact management. These two are the cornerstone of success. See Linsey or Ken for a conversation about these two areas.
Start here, and you’ll do yourself a favor that you will be thanking yourself for years to come.
You can do transactions without these skills. Some moderately successful agents do business this way. But, if we are talking about building a longterm sustainable practice, it has to start here.
4. Busy Doesn’t Mean You’re Making Money
I have been here. I have been the agent that is so ‘busy’, but not making money in the very early days of my career. There is no end to the ways one can spend their day in this business being busy. But, if those activities don’t lead you to business, it can be a source of serious frustration. “I’m working, but I’m not making any money.”
As my coach described it to me during a getting-down-to-the-nitty-gritty call, “You’re doing a lot of getting-ready-to-get-ready work.”
The bottom line is that this business lives and dies around conversations. You simply must get into places where you have the opportunity to have real estate conversations. You do that? Business WILL follow. See this great example.
5. Don’t Be Intimidated
Don’t worry about the top producers around you. They all started out new in their day.
I remember the day I got my license in 2001. I was younger than most agents I knew. I was green as grass. I wondered if I was in over my head.
I looked in the newspaper at the ‘Top Producer’ pages for local companies. I saw all the ads with all their listings and thought, “How in the world can I compete with that?”
But, you know what? I did. And, in less than 2 years I was in those same Top Producer ads, and my listings were on those same pages.
There is always room for someone that is good, and takes care of the client. There is room for you. Don’t be afraid to make your space.
6. Show Up
In 2002, I was pregnant with my daughter. I had 6 listings I was pitching at a broker preview meeting in California. I had been in the business only a year. But, I had been going to those meetings for the entire preceding year. I had nothing when I started going, but I went anyway.
A man that had become a mentor to me said, “If you show up for the business, it shows up for you.” Truer words have never been spoken.
Show up. Come to office meetings. Work from the office. Engage with agents. Be part of the conversation. The education of that exposure will lead to more powerful conversations with those you encounter. That leads to business.
Show up for the business and it will show up for you.
7. Don’t Be Shy
You have resources. You have signed up with us in part, because you know we can help you. Let us.
If you have questions, if you are struggling, set up an appointment with me. Reach out to Ken. Pick up the phone.
Remember, this is the sole reason we are here. Our only objective is to make our agents successful. If we do that, we accomplish all the other subsidiary goals.
8. You Don’t Have To Know Everything Today
You won’t know everything today. That’s okay. There are Realtors that have been in the business 10 years that will still run across something they’ve never encountered before.
Dive in. Don’t let what you don’t know hold you back, because you have the support that will help you through the areas you don’t know.
With every transaction your knowledge and confidence will grow. You’re not alone, and there is no question that we can’t help you answer. Remember, everyone has been where you are.
9. It’s All About The Plan
Meet with Linsey. Figure out where you will be most likely to find business. Set an objective and a way to get there.
Would you drive from California to New York by just driving due East? Certainly not. And if you did, and you found yourself in Florida, no one would be surprised. Let’s devise the plan, the roadmap, to get you were you want to go.
More importantly, I’ll help you define the benchmarks. On that drive to New York, you would expect road signs that tell you how far you’ve come and how far you have left to travel. We’ll help you navigate your way through the real estate road signs.
10. Don’t Dabble … This Requires Commitment!
This business is not one to dabble in. If one is sort of in, but also thinking of getting a ‘real job’ the clock is ticking and the pressure is tremendous.
But, if you are committed, truly committed, then actions reflect that commitment. Results inevitably follow. This post has a quote that has been hanging in my home or office since 2004.
11. Lead With Revenues
12. Be Willing To Be Held Accountable
Bonus – Believe
You are here for a reason. You were brought on board because we saw something in you. Embrace that. Feel empowered by that. You will learn more everyday, you will become more confident everyday, and you will become what you envision if you commit yourself to execution. We’ll be behind you every step of the way.
To Your Success!
