3 Things That Productive Real Estate Agents Understand

Whether you are a brand-new real estate agent trying to launch a career or are a seasoned agent looking to increase production I wanted to write a quick article for you. The below is a list of some of the common traits I have observed in successful real estate agents.

Whether you are considering enrolling in a real estate class or are about to take a crash course to prepare for the real estate license exam the below list should prove useful

1. Manage Your Energy Level

Being able to run at a high level for a sustained period is critical to your success as a Realtor. It isn’t enough to just say “Work smarter and not harder.” You have to do both. Managing your energy level throughout the day is critical so you can work as hard as possible and continue to push.

The reason that this is so important is because many real estate agents and other outside salespeople tend to eat poorly, work long hours and lack consistent exercise.

The highest producing real estate people consciously try and escape this trap. How do they do this?

A consistent eating schedule of things that (for the most part) fuel their energy long-term - meaning plenty of vegetables, fruit and water. This also means a consistent program of vigorous exercise for at least 30 minutes a day on a ritualistic basis.

2. Focus on Improving One Area at A Time

There is a famous proverb that says “If you chase two rabbits, you will catch neither.”

The best businesspeople attack and focus on one target at a time, reach it and move to the next goal.

The secret is to cut up each goal into bite sized pieces that you can accomplish in short bursts so that you can rapidly move on to reaching the next one.

For example, if your goal is to have a better listing presentation, you might cut the entire presentation into 1/3 pieces.

The first third might be the verbal presentation itself.

The second third might be the physical presentation and other collateral material.

The final step might be objection handling practice.

The best agents don’t move on to tweaking their physical presentation until their verbal presentation is right.

Breaking the broad goal of “I want to have a better listing presentation” into pieces like this will result in the broader goal being achieved but in a shorter period of time.

3. Start with Baby Steps, Then Accelerate

It’s an interesting thing when I talk to newer real estate agents about their goals. I will often ask students why they want to get into real estate and what they plan on getting out of the course and their new career. Often they will say things like “I want to be rich!” Or “I want to make $250,000 my first year!”

I never want to crush someone’s dream or tell them that the thing they seem to want so badly isn’t possible. I think back to when I was a young 20 year old starting out in the business and if someone told me that my goals were unrealistic I would have dismissed them as being too negative and pessimistic.

With that being said, setting goals just for the sake of sounding overly ambitious can be dangerous and not useful.

The best businesspeople set rational and attainable goals with specific deadlines.

In the context of real estate sales this process might involve initially calculating how much you need to live on a monthly basis. Next, determine your average sales price in your area and the average commission per deal. Finally, ask yourself how many deals you need to do to achieve that income amount.

Example:

Average sales price = $600,000
Average commission = 2.5%

Average commission= $15,000

My expenses = $7,000 per month

Needed income = $84,000 per year

I need to sell 6 homes per year to survive.

My goal = 6 homes per year

Once you have proven that doing 6 deals a year is possible, you can then set loftier goals.

Remember that being great doesn’t happen by accident and a process must be followed. I would encourage you at this early stage of your real estate career to adopt habits and set goals that give you the greatest chance of success in a highly competitive industry.

Love,

Kartik