So you passed your exam wondering what is next? Well, i’m going to share with you what I wished my broker would have shared with me when I got licensed.
First I’ll tell you a story about when I got my license. In 2002 my brother introduced me to real estate. I was attending college at the time and working at Best Buy. He came by and told me I should give it a shot. I signed up took my Principles courses and I studied for 2 weeks for the state exam. About 8 hours a day for 2 weeks. Actually, come to think about it, it was more like 10 hours a day. Failing wasn’t an option. I went to Los Angeles to take the state exam. I remember the old elevator as it shook going to the top floor. The exam was in a room that smelled like old wet carpet. It took me about 45 minutes or so to finish the exam. It seemed super easy and I was confident I passed. Then you had to wait a couple weeks for the mail to see if you passed. When I got back to the office. Where my brother worked at the time. Everyone was asking why I was back so fast. I told them “I already took the exam” they all seemed worried there was no way I passed the exam. All of my confidence dwindled immediately now I was worried I didn’t pass. For a couple weeks I thought of it daily, several times a day, until I got the letter at home that I had passed and I was a real estate agent now!
Hard Core Sales Training
There’s plenty of sales training out there. From Joe Stumpf, Brian Buffini, Brian Tracy, Zig Ziglar, Tom Hopkins, Tom Ferry and my personal favorite is Mike Ferry who is the pioneer in real estate sales training and the only one with a comprehensive sales training systems that walks you through the whole process. From Lead Generation, Presenting, Closing, and handling Objections, I’ve been a part of many, and learned a great deal from all of them. One thing I have learned is that the more painful the training is, the easier it is for you when you are presenting, or showing. Not all training is created equal. Choose one, and do it daily for at least 30-60 minutes first thing in the morning. For you athletes out there, think of it as practice. You warm up, learn some skills, and practice them with your team before the big game.
Relentless Lead Generation Non-Stop
No business can survive without new clients. I don’t understand what makes some agents think they can. Any business is constantly growing or shrinking. Lead generation is a major factor to the success, or failure of your business. If you are always generating leads you will always have clients, it’s that simple. Set a daily goal of generating new leads constantly and I can ensure you have clients will not be an issue for you and as a result, your income will grow faster.
Be Persistent and Consistent in your Lead Follow Up
In the perfect scenario, a client would call they would set an appointment list their home and then you would sell it and get paid. Don’t we wish it was that easy? Leads tend to start looking for information months before they decide to do any business. They want to make sure they have options and they are making a well-informed decision. It takes 5-7 conversations on average for a potential lead to make the decision to transact with someone. The majority of the agents I have known usually will give up calling after the 2nd or 3rd conversation. Become more persistent and consistent in your lead follow up and your business will dramatically increase in a short period of time.
Perception is Everything so Prepare
At one point we all make decisions based on how to perceive a person or a certain situation. Sometimes it’s the right decision and I have had my share of bad decisions as well. Preparing for your presentations prior to meeting with sellers or buyers can improve how they perceive you. If the client perceives you as knowledgeable, experienced, with communication and sales skills that can be the determining factor whether they decide to work with you or not. So if you want more buyers and sellers to choose you as their real estate agent. Start making it a habit to prepare for your meetings.
Presenting Skills
If you have followed the steps before long enough and have been consistent with your approach having more Listing Presentation and Buyer Showing Appointments comes naturally. The more you work on the first the more of 5 five you will have it’s a result of all the first 4 activities. This is the time when you show off your skills and hopefully, you have done enough to earn the business.
My final thoughts are, as you choose to take the steps to become a real estate agent and self-employed. It’s up to you, not your broker to decide what activities you spend 80% of your day actively doing. As an agent, there will be many distractions through your day, and you have to do whatever it takes to pull yourself back to these 5 important activities, and delegate any other tasks. Your career will depend on how much of your day will be spent on these income generating activities, and what tasks you will delegate. Your results will reflect your efforts.