Oscar Marquez

After being in the real estate training business for a few years, many new agents ask me: “when did you realize you were good at selling houses?”  Well, my answer is always the same: “if you want to get good at selling houses, you have to first learn how to list houses.”

Unless you are the agent bringing the inventory, then you are just playing a part in this wonderful business.  For you to become a successful listing agent, you must master the following areas: prospecting, presenting, overcoming objections and very important, knowing how to get a sell-able listing.

Following are 5 ideas to help you master this business:

1. Get Educated. Most new agents do not realize the importance of training.  Unfortunately real estate schools do not prepare us for the “real” real estate business.  Education is a very important part of our success.  The most common excuse I hear from new agents “I need to make some money first” what a new agent does not understand is that they may not have the opportunity to make money unless they know how to get listings or how to separate lookers from buyers.  Just think, if you lose one deal because you did not have the proper education, how much did you pay for that training class?
2. Get Connected. One of the first thing new agents do, is send a letter to their sphere of influence; this is fine and dandy, however if you really want to get results out of your mailing, pick up the phone and call them.  What can you tell them? “Hey Mary, this is Oscar, did you happen to get my letter?  Great, I need your help to get my business going; who do you know who may be interested in selling or buying a home? Please let your other friends and relatives you have a very good friend (close relative) in real estate.
3. Get Credentials. There are many certifications you can earn in our industry.  Check with your local board and find out what certification programs are currently available and plan on becoming certified within 2 to 3 years.  Be careful, do not wait until you have all the designations to start working, you do not have to take them all at once.
4. Get Real. The surest way to feel like an inexperienced agent is to be one.  There is nothing wrong with being new; supplement your lack of experience with enthusiasm and always ask your broker or manager before answering difficult questions.  When potential clients ask you about your experience “be honest” remember people can see through a lie and after they become aware of the facts, they will lose every ounce of trust they once had.
5. Give Yourself Credit. You may be new to this phase of your life, but have other experiences that make you capable.  Remind yourself of your skills and talents whenever you’re feeling insecure.

I hope these 5 tips help you with your new career and I hope to meet you in the near future.

Tags: motivation, Oscar Marquez, real estate sales, Sales Tips, training

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 29th, 2010 at 6:44 am and is filed under Sales Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.