Getting started in real estate is one of the easiest things to do, which can amplify the shock when it is often only later realized how daunting it is to build a sustainable business.
So yes, it will be rather daunting to get started in real estate. It will take a lot of hard work and cunning to gain that initial traction to take your career to new heights. Real estate agents are entrepreneurs and it can be overwhelming at first — researching, prospecting, advertising, lead generation, marketing, web design and content creation, bookeeping, and dozens of other matters. Our hat is off to you.
Our mission is to help you succeed fast as quickly as possible. There are only a few rare shortcuts to success (such as our real-time real-estate lead delivery service). Below are the critical basic aspects to building your initial success.
It is certainly important when you are going to become a real estate agent to have some money put away. Inversely, it is hard to be really successful in this business, though, without spending money. A balanced portion of every check received should be put back into your business to support your real estate marketing and sales efforts.
For an agent starting out, logically, personal promotion is absolutely critical. Beyond business cards, the least expensive way to promote yourself is by putting up a website; perhaps just yourname.com (or a patriotic .ca domain). If you are fortunate to be under the roof of a brokerage as you start out, you can buy a domain name to point to (or redirect to) your profile page on your employer’s website.
Beyond developing a budget, developing your professional image is equally important as it is vital to your success as a real estate agent.
Your professional image is projected usually in this order:
- Web Presence :: Your website doesn’t necessarily have to be extensive, but it should be carefully laid out. A simple website can be more impressive, focus on quality over quantity; weed out grammatical errors and spelling mistakes. You can always add more pages to your site in time. It’s more important to get them quickly just to call you. Also having a contact form on your website is essential. If you don’t know where to start in that regard, we recommend the courteous and helpful professionals at 4GoodHosting.com, although there are certainly hundreds of other hosting companies to choose from.
- Social Media Presence :: If you have Facebook, Twitter, Google+, account, and we encourage you to do so – just keeping it professional is essential. Embarrassing personal information should be moderated/deleted.
- Phone Skills :: always focus on being courteous, articulate, and engaging. A sense of humor will often lead to clients calling you back for more of your liveliness.
- Appearance :: Your appearance should be appropriate for your local market and for your office. Being well groomed will not only help you feel more confident, but it will also impress your clients; and will certainly only be to your advantage.
- Face-to-face Meetings :: Strive to be attentive, with good eye contact – being distracted while listening can be an instant showstopper. Maintain positive body language, smile, laugh when you can. Strive to be attentive, engaging and courteous. If you can find a way to compliment your client, take advantage of any nice things you can say. Such things are appreciated and long remembered when expressed with sincerity.
- Your Marketing Materials :: Best to use high resolution quality photos alongside compelling, yet accurate, text. It is good to have another set of eyes to check for grammar and spelling mistakes.
- Written Communications :: Produce well-written letters and emails. You can use form letters to help you produce your responses quicker; but do personalize them enough.
Concerning the internet, do strive to separate your business or personal life, because what is published on the internet lasts forever and can easily find its way to your potential clients; it is wise to work on and maintain a professional image both inside and also outside of your real estate career.
