Whether you are a seasoned professional or a rookie real estate agent, there is always room to grow. If you’re not growing, in fact, your grip on the industry is surely loosening.
Figuring out how to grow your sales game, though, is not a one-size-fits-all approach. There are actually multiple approaches to achieving the next sale, so seeing how the experts do it can generate good ideas for your own business. Consider how the best of the best take their real estate game to the next level! What do the top agents have in common? How do you increase your leads? Below are some real estate agent success tips.
Listen to other experts.
Even when their expertise is sought out in the field, top agents listen to what others have to say. Whether it is learning a new database, a new sales technique, or going into a new real estate niche market, they seek out the best in those fields.
The experts may not necessarily be real estate agents, either! It is possible to learn a lot from people in adjacent fields – builders, people who are serving on city councils, and others who know the area and can help you tap into its growth.
Get back to basics.
There are going to be temporary shifts in local markets. For example, a major plant may close down or relocate, driving the housing market trends for a short while. But for the most part, it is important to pay attention to job trends, where employers are going, and to watch the housing trends that happen afterward.
Those factors will always drive the local markets, no matter what the mortgage rates are doing or what the federal government decides to do. Pros know that in order to have longevity in the marketplace, you have to have a strong handle on the basics. Stick to the basics, and don’t be swayed by a trend.
Know your data!
You won’t be able to see if something is a trend if you can’t really tell how out of the ordinary it is, right? Watch demographic changes, job growth, and other metrics that will enable you to speak with confidence about the local markets – and to spot a deal when it hits the market.
Clients expect this sort of information and without it, you seem far less knowledgeable than other agents. Educate yourself so that you can also educate your clients.
Get bigger with your data.
There are lots of reports available to real estate agents that track changes throughout the nation. One of the biggest mistakes agents make is ignoring national trends. Whether it is the National Association of Realtors report or the Census Bureau’s construction spending data, it is important to place what is happening in your neck of the woods in context with the bigger picture.
Just because you don’t sell in national markets currently doesn’t mean there isn’t something to be learned from the data. After all, who doesn’t know by now what the construction materials backlog is doing to the cost of new-built homes and renovations?
Know your plan and stick to it.
What is it you do well? If you cannot define the kinds of markets and buyers you appeal to, it is time to take a good look at your own personal brand. Enlist a mentor to help you articulate your skills, if necessary.
Being confident in what you do well also means that you won’t be swayed when the markets are going on a rollercoaster ride. Think of real estate in the same way you think of the stock market. You don’t want to be the person chasing a deal no matter where it goes. You want a strategy that you stick with regardless of what the markets are doing.
Plan for the year ahead, for your own marketing and spending. Don’t be pushed away from your own personal brand.
Keep up with technology.
This doesn’t just mean having a presence on Instagram or investing in the latest drone technology for property photos. It also means understanding blockchain technology and how it is disrupting the way real estate business is conducted.
Always be learning. This is particularly important as the Millennials hit the home-buying market and demand engaging media content and online information, live video interactions, and other content. Make sure your own web presence is current, your photos are seasonally appropriate, and everything is up-to-date.
As you develop your own formula, take the advice that resonates, make it your own, and leave what doesn’t help. Watching the markets and learning to read the trends will help you discover when to lean in and when to let go of an opportunity. These real estate agent success tips can help you increase leads, which will lead to a more successful business for you.
