Be a Better Agent

Real estate isn’t the kind of career where you can coast along doing the bare minimum expecting to be successful. You can’t phone it in. Being a successful real estate agent requires continuous improvement and constant striving to implement better systems and deliver the best service you can to your clients. What makes a great agent? What is special about the top producers in your area? Passion is an essential ingredient in a tough career powered by motivation and hustle. But it takes more than that. You need effective organization, knowledge, and advertising to become a better agent.

Master Interpersonal Skills

Creating productive relationships is the core of the real estate business. Buying and selling real estate is about bringing the right people together and showing them why a particular house or deal is right for them. Your constant prospecting also requires tireless interpersonal connections. That’s a lot of schmoozing and salesmanship. But the more you practice, the easier it gets. A big part of excellent communication is active listening. Resist half listening while you wait for your turn to speak, assuming you know what the other person means. Active listening ensures you get all the relevant information and shows clients you really care.

Planning and Time Management

You need efficient systems to manage multiple projects and transactions progressing simultaneously.  Planning and time management are crucial, but adept use of the latest technology, with updated calendars and reminders make it easier. Use the technology and tools available to do more, market more, and sell more. Leverage technology to communicate quickly with clients and agents, handle funds and documents, manage processes, and maintain systems. Smart time management is essential to juggle everything from accounting and taxes to marketing and hiring. Clients may sometimes dominate your time, so set realistic expectations early in the relationship. You don’t have to do everything. Consider hiring an assistant to handle communications and marketing and other tasks that don’t require a real estate license.

Perfect Your Marketing Efforts

So much of what an agent does is marketing. Promoting themselves, their firm, the neighborhoods, the houses, and their clients’ offers. There are variety of types, sizes, and targets for your promotion. Review your marketing strategies and see if there are any areas for improvements or new features you can employ. Are you asking for referrals? Do you have an effective, multi-dimensional real estate web site that’s mobile compatible? Have you considered blogging and email marketing? Also, don’t forget social media. It’s not just some new fad for the kids. Social media is a standard prong in most marketing plans. Promote your listings, web site, blogs, and events. Remember to include great photos.

Local Expertise

Housing markets are affected by the local economy and demographics. Improving and highlighting your knowledge and experience in the community will make you more attractive to customers. Clients want someone who’s knowledgeable about the local real estate market, zoning and HOA rules, trends, and community. Track local housing and demographic data, county politics, and events. Get involved in local cultural and charity events and stay up to date on major HOA developments. Regularly read the city newspaper, weekly papers, and the neighborhood flyers.

Expand Your Knowledge

No matter how long you’ve been in the business, you don’t know everything for the simple reason that things keep changing. New trends, new rules, new challenges, new technology, new tools. Strive to learn as much as you can about your target customers, the local market, sales processes, trends, and laws. Commit to strategic professional development: attend seminars and lectures and take online real estate courses, which easily fit into your busy schedule. You can put new knowledge and skills to work for your clients and develop future clients and sales.

Like any positive behavior you want to adopt, the most effective method is to set aside the time and the tools to make it a habit. Same goes for improving your skills and becoming a top producing agent. Click To Tweet

One easy way to expand your knowledge and leverage technology is completing your post license training, CE, and professional development with 360training.com. These self-paced, interactive courses are online so you can conveniently access quality training whenever wherever you want.