It’s tough out there for new real estate agents–there are over 2 million active agents in the U.S, and, in 2014, NAR reported 87% of all new agents fail after five years in the industry and only 13% make it. These odds may seem scary, but we believe that all new real estate agents can succeed in this industry. Leave your mark, break through the noise with these tricks new real estate agents can use right now.
How new real estate agents can break through the noise
1. Personal touches
Remember that old standby, “It’s nothing personal, it’s just business?” This mantra can be useful to boost your morale when you’ve lost a lead, but, for your clients, buying or renting a new home is intensely personal. So, adding some little personal touches throughout your lead generation activities and client interactions can help show the people you work with that you really care. Here’s some ideas for personal touches that you can add from lead to lease signing to help you retain satisfied clients:
- Write a personalized note after your clients’ lease has been signed
- Send a special gift to your clients (think about what they’d enjoy! If your clients have children, maybe something family-friendly might fit the bill. If your client mentioned that it’s important for them to have a great kitchen, maybe some cooking utensils will be right.)
- Lead an event (a virtual event, for right now!) for all current and past clients. Can you make it signature, repeatable, and enjoyable?
2. Focus on building relationships
Personal touches can also help you keep your focus on building strong relationships with your clients. It is incredibly important for new agents to focus on building relationships! If you don’t have a large sphere of clients yet, make sure to take care of the ones that you do have and treat them right! Speak with kindness, follow up without aggression, add personal touches, and try your best to find homes that fit your clients’ lifestyles.
And, don’t forget the other people in the leasing or home buying transaction! Start building relationships with landlords and lenders to get yourself partners that’ll last for the long-run. Building relationships with landlords is especially important during these difficult times; you can help them set the right concessions, make prices that are competitive, and market their properties on the MLS.
As you already know, real estate runs on referrals. If you treat your clients well, and build a relationship based on kindness and trust from the get-go, it’ll be easy to ask for (and receive!) referrals.
3. Build a strong and professional social media presence
Generating leads through the internet is one of the best ways to get the clients you need to succeed. As a new agent, you have the opportunity to start from scratch and build a professional social media presence right from the get-go. Before you start working on your online presence, learn up on the right ways you can build a great social media presence:
4 LinkedIn Tips You Need to Know
Facebook For Real Estate Agents: 5 Essential Tips
How Many Hashtags to Use and 6 Other Instagram Tips For Real Estate Agents
7 Mistakes Agents Make on Twitter: Social Media for Real Estate Agents
4. Choose an area and focus on it (aka: start geo-farming!)
What area do you know super well? What streets do you know like they’re your own (maybe because they are your own?) Geo-farming is a great way to make your mark and start off on the right foot in the real estate industry. Focus all your marketing efforts–your mail, your emails, and all digital advertising on that one area.
Become known as that real estate agent who works that one neighborhood! Establish yourself as the go-to agent for your chosen area and work on building your brand as a local expert. With so many real estate agents in your neighborhood, we believe that in depth local knowledge will really make you stand out and secure the clients you need. Remember–in the words of Tom Ferry, understand that it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Geo-farming will help your business, but it’s alright to take it slow and steady. Once you’ve established yourself in a given area, think about branching out.
Before you start geo-farming, you need access to a database of rental listings. Check out Rental Beast to find the most up-to-date, most accurate database of rental listings in your area, all sourced directly from landlords and property owners.
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