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Have you ever felt like your business has stalled and everybody around you seems to be having success? We all feel that way at certain times in our business, but you’re probably further along than you think.
If you’re feeling discouraged, please understand that odds are you’re not behind. In this article I’ll be sharing a few truths and strategies top agents embrace that lead to their success.
Don’t judge a book by its cover
The first thing to understand is that the posts on social media you see from other agents are their highlight reel and not the full picture of their business or life. They don’t share about their friend who listed with another agent. They don’t post about the low appraisal that blew up the deal they really needed to close. They have many of the same struggles you have; they just don’t post about those things. The cover of the book never tells the whole story.
According to Redfin, 71 percent of real estate agents didn’t close a single transaction last year. Based on this statistic, if you simply sold one home last year, then you outperformed over 70 percent of your competitors. It’s been a tough couple of years, and social media shows us there are many agents hoping they can fake it until they make it. Don’t fall into this trap.
My grandfather once told me that if I treated everybody like they were hurting, I would be right about 90 percent of the time. We all have things going on in our lives. We all have struggles and difficulties. Don’t let the highlight reel of social media distract you from your journey and your progression.
Don’t compare your 2nd chapter with their 10th chapter
Success is a process. It wouldn’t be fair to compare yourself with your two years of experience in a very challenging market to someone who’s been in the business for 10 years. That’s eight additional years they had to build relationships. Eight more years they’ve had to hone their skills and refine their processes.
The challenges you may be facing now were likely the same challenges they faced at some point along their road to success. I’ve never met a successful agent who didn’t have seasons of struggle and discouragement. Keep moving forward, and some day you’ll be the agent others compare themselves to.
Who you spend time with controls the speed with which you grow
One of the best ways to accelerate your learning curve is to ask questions of people who have done what you want to do. This doesn’t necessarily mean you need to always be asking the highest-producing agent you know. Many times, it is the agent who is just a few steps in front of your production level that can provide fresh insight since they were more recently in your shoes.
Whether you want to learn from top-producing agents or ones that are just ahead of your production, the process is the same. How you approach them can make a huge difference in how they respond. No one, especially a busy agent, gets excited when another agent asks if they can take them to lunch to “pick their brain.”
Instead, ask yourself if there is an area where you can give them value in exchange for asking them a few questions. Maybe you could help them with their social media, marketing a listing of theirs, or providing free headshots if you have some talent as a photographer. The key is to lead with offering to do something for them in exchange for some time to get their opinion on your business and what you can do to grow.
The key is that when you get the opportunity to ask them questions, be prepared. These are a few questions I might ask.
- What do you wish you had known or done when you were at my level in the business?
- Was there a time when you felt like you really built momentum in your business, and what did you do to build that momentum?
- If you had more time, which I do, what is one strategy or thing you would focus on or do more of right now?
By asking the right questions and taking action on the experience of others, momentum will build for you.
Be who you are
I’ve watched so many agents, myself included, try to emulate someone or something that simply isn’t in line with who they are. When I first started in the business, I really admired a top-producing agent I met at a conference. I asked him some of the questions above, and he told me all of his success came from FSBOs. He even gave me his scripts, and I was excited because I felt like he had given me the golden ticket for success.
Turns out I hated working with FSBOs, and the prospects could tell. Yes, I had some successes, but I was miserable. The lesson I learned was that just because something is successful for others, it isn’t necessarily what I should be doing in my business.
Your ideal client wants and needs you. They don’t want the version of you that is trying to be like someone else. Embrace who you are and amplify it through your marketing. The riches truly are in the niches, and when you show up authentically, your ideal clients are naturally attracted to your business.
Become the agent you want to be
What would your ideal business look like in one, three, or five years from now? What type of clients would you be working with? Would they be buyers, sellers, builders, or investors? Once you can clearly identify who your ideal client is, we can begin the process of becoming the agent that attracts those types of clients.
Yes, you were created with a certain skill set. A certain personality. A certain group that you naturally have influence over. But there are traits and skills that your ideal client wants and needs in their ideal agent. When you focus on becoming their ideal agent, they will absolutely be drawn to you.
Don’t be discouraged. You are exactly where you are supposed to be at this point in your career, even if it doesn’t feel like it. You’re developing grit that you will carry with you for the rest of your career.
Do your best not to compare yourself to others. Focus on learning from agents you admire. Surround yourself with the best mentors, coaches, and agents you can. Be authentic and develop the skills you need to become the agent you want to become.
If you’ll do these things, the best is truly yet to come!
