To me, there’s never been a more exciting time to be a real estate agent. The landscape is as competitive as ever with big tech becoming more viable, broker consolidation becoming more commonplace as well as a less than a stable economy that seems to rely on low interest rates to keep humming.
I personally love it. The agents at Tru Realty love these challenges too; we look to them as an opportunity to put our ability on display. We don’t lament the demise of the traditional agent; we embrace the change that’s required to stay above the fray. A more competitive landscape will spin out the weaker players and help rid the industry of real estate agents that can’t keep faking it.
Memo to the industry … get better or be irrelevant.
If you’re a struggling realtor stuck in a brokerage that operates pretty much the same way they did 30 years ago you might want to wake the hell up. Times are changing and if you want to be a stat, keep doing what you’re doing.
If you want to succeed, work on those things that make us (the real estate agent) a valuable part of the real estate process. Here are a few pointers:
1. Give Impeccable Customer Service
You know the client, you know the market, and even if you’re brand new to real estate you communicate way better than a computer screen. Give good, human, personable service to every client you work with. Find a way to go the extra mile even when it’s not necessary and you will get more referrals.
2. Use Tech to YOUR Advantage
Your brokerage should provide you with a dynamic CRM platform that EASY TO USE. I’m not a fan of a CRM product that forces you to spend more time with your computer than with your clients or prospects. At Tru Realty, we have a dynamic CRM platform that puts tech to work for you.
3. Marketing is a Process, Not an Event
Learn how to properly execute a sound marketing campaign. If there’s one thing that separates extraordinary agents from marginal ones is the ability to forge a marketing plan and stick to it. Take the time to learn social media and how it can generate leads for you but don’t forget the power of a good old-fashioned handshake with your business card as the kicker. Great marketers create a brand and then reinforce that brand through action. If you don’t get that … get a job elsewhere because you won’t succeed as a real estate agent.
4. The Benefits of Failing
Look, I’m no motivational speaker but don’t ever let a mistake get you down. Today’s market requires the best of us all. Being your best means putting yourself out there. Inevitably, you will fail and when you do spend exactly two seconds feeling sorry for yourself and then the rest of your life benefiting from that mistake. Mistakes make you better and better makes you money.
5. Be Passionate
Two words to live by personally and professionally. The best people in all industries are those that are most passionate. I don’t concern myself with people who go through the motions and I don’t work with them either. Do the things you need to do with purpose and passion … whether that coming up with a business plan, executing your marketing strategy, or providing customer service. If you’re truly passionate, you will not fail.
So that might be a lot to take in and if your brokerage doesn’t provide you with this kind of guidance it’s time to take a hard look at moving on. As a real estate professional, you need to put yourself in the best place you can to succeed. Tru Realty is that place and will be that place as we forge ahead into a more competitive future.
If you want to be the best agent you can be … call me at 480.327.6700 or email me at sarah@trurealty.com.
Sarah C. Richardson is one of the preeminent leaders of residential real estate in Arizona. As the CEO and founder of Tru Realty, she is responsible for both the daily operations and oversight of the multiple growth strategies that the brokerage carries out. Sarah launched Tru Realty in 2010 as a way to serve a marketplace that was seeing a shift from auction centric fix/flips to an MLS flow. She is now rethinking the way her brokerage uses technology to better serve clients and agents alike.
