You know by now that top real estate producers earn their success…they are NOT given their success and or their top producing status by whom they know or by some magical combination of luck and timing.
A top-producing agent is a combination of Steve Jobs, Serena Williams, adaptability, a grass roots dedication to learning the business, patience, consistency, diligent hard work and the dogged humility of a servant. A top-producing agent sees the long game and is not in that game for fast cash grabs.
Here are 5 things to keep in mind on your road to becoming a top producing, successful agent.
- Always have your mind on the deal. John Aaroe, a successful top producer in Beverly Hills, said, “An agent has an obligation to remain unemotional, solutions-oriented and to be directed toward finding a path to a successful close.” Aaroe believes that serving the client with privileged, discreet information is critical to closing a deal.
- You have to know. Jade Mills, ranked #7 in the nation by sales volume, believes you have to amass and know more industry information than your competition. She also believes you have to know how to communicate clearly. Erin Aries, a New York agent ranked 4th by volume in 2017, believes that you have to “…know and completely understand your market, inventory and the economic, geopolitical and environmental factors that impact your market. This extensive research and analysis give you the tools to give your client the best pricing guidance.”
- Associate with the best, only the best. Understand the importance of the brand, broker, colleagues with whom you associate. It’s about the “fit,” not the largest commission split. The best goes beyond the brand, broker and colleagues to the best attorneys, inspectors, bankers, lenders, escrow companies, accountants, etc.
- Beat the numbers game. To close a certain number of contracts a month, you MUST contact a certain number of people. Get out there, make connections, pick up the phone. Becoming a top-producing agent comes down to 90% mindset, 10% skills.
- Get comfortable with change. You know the adage…the more things change, the more things stay the same. Top-producing agents possess consistent values and consistent behaviors. They are driven problem solvers with great people skills. They do what drives their passions and delegate the rest. They give back to their communities.
Final words from Aaroe. “…(top producing) agents embrace industry changes in software, technology, transparency, where leads come from…if you’re close-minded toward the fact that this industry is in a state of big change, understand this one thing…it’s been facing change for 20 years.”
