As promised, this is part 2 of a 3 part series on my experience as a realtor as a side hustle.
I’m sure if you’re a Realtor or thinking of becoming a realtor, you’ve wondered how to be successful at it. There is, fortunately, a straightforward path. It wont be easy though. You have to approach your work as if it were a small business.
While it may be daunting at first, treating yourself like a business isn’t as difficult as it appears.
Below are my tips for being a successful real estate agent.
Accessibility
You can deal with multiple clients at once, but if you can’t offer each one your whole attention, your profits will suffer. Thank goodness answering the phone and acquiring possible consumer information has never been easier.
Of course, you will be unable to reach your phone at times; nonetheless, whenever possible, answer a call from an existing customer. Most likely, they have a straightforward issue with a straightforward remedy. You’ll be a appreciated so much in five minutes if you aid them immediately.
It’s also critical to figure out how each client prefers to communicate. Is it more likely for them to respond to text messages, emails, or phone calls? Regardless of the response you receive, make sure you respond on that platform. Your clients will notice if you make an effort to customize their experience and remember the “little things.”
Establish Objectives
Setting goals allows you to track and measure your progress, which is critical for any successful real estate firm. How do you tell if your company is growing if you have no idea how you compare to the competition? Setting precise, quantitative, actionable, realistic, and time-bound objectives is a proven approach to succeed.
Create a marketing strategy.
If you can create a marketing strategy and then automate it, you’ll be much ahead of the game. The key to automated marketing success is to cover all of your bases and customize every customer experience without having to start over every time you launch a new campaign. Combine modern technologies with classic marketing strategies to reach a wide client base, and be sure to clarify your target consumers.
Once you’ve identified a method that works for you, you may repeat it across several mediums. The content of a direct mail piece could easily be transferred to a social media post, and vice versa. Don’t be afraid to think creatively while looking for ways to improve efficiency.
Develop Your Market Expertise
Homebuyers are less likely to seek the services of brokers and investors because information about anything and everything is easily available online. Who needs a realtor when you can obtain all your answers for free by reading Trulia or Redfin’s blogs? When it comes down to it, experience is the one thing an agent can provide to customers that the internet cannot. Homebuyers will have no choice but to cooperate with you if you promote yourself as an expert in your area — a thought leader, if you will. The greatest approach to stay ahead in your field is to keep up with the latest news.
Establishing Connections
A successful real estate agent will have a full schedule at all times. That isn’t an excuse, though, for not cultivating customer ties. You must go above and above every time and with every transaction. Late nights and long hours should become the norm, not the exception, at least for a while. Nobody ever said that obtaining a higher level of success would be easy.
Building relationships is, in many ways, the best way for a real estate professional to spend their time. You will create long-term relationships with your clients if you do an outstanding job as an agent. It’s important to remember, though, that the goal isn’t to close a transaction with a client and then never communicate with them again. The aim is to conduct a series of deals with the same clients and their network over time.
Listening to each client’s specific needs is the most effective way to build and maintain customer relationships. Agents who are excessively focused on their own financial gain are unable to grasp what their clients want. Remember that a real estate agent is more of a mentor or counselor than a salesperson, guiding people through one of life’s most exciting (and often terrifying) experiences.
Increase the effectiveness of your social media marketing efforts
Even if you don’t consider yourself technologically savvy, you should become familiar with some of the popular forms social forums out there. These include:
- Facebook: Facebook can help you achieve your marketing goals, whether you want to highlight a recently listed property in your newsfeed or sell your services with a paid ad campaign.
- LinkedIn: LinkedIn is a great place to network with professionals in your area. It is also a great place to meet new people and to get answers to questions you may have.
- Instagram: If you’re looking to appeal to a younger audience (maybe first-time homebuyers), Instagram is the place to be.
- Twitter: You can use Twitter to keep your clients (and potential clients) up to date on what’s going on in your life in real time.
Establish Small Business Systems
Small businesses that succeed are well-structured; they follow strict rules, have well-defined strategies, have action plans based on well-stated goals, and, most importantly, they focus on the needs of their consumers. Don’t be afraid to take risks and attempt new things. Just remember to put your new methods to the test on a regular basis so you can keep what works and toss out what doesn’t.
Don’t Focus Solely On Selling
While selling a house is a professional real estate agent’s primary purpose, it should not be the emphasis of your contacts with buyers. Make a personal connection with potential customers to put them at ease and gain their trust. Don’t make selling the house your exclusive focus; buyers will be more likely to purchase if they believe you are looking out for their best interests.
Locate a Mentor
This is something I believe is a necessity. At least it was for me. Learn how to be a realtor with the help of a mentor who has real estate experience who can teach you about the home-selling process. This will give you access to real estate transaction documents, allowing you to feel more confident and capable of handling a sale on your own. Some brokers offer training programs to help new real estate agents get experience. Take advantage of these.
Use the right technology and tools to get the job done
The right technology is required for a successful new agent marketing campaign. Make sure you have a strong social media presence to reach a larger target audience. Create a website for potential customers to view in order to get a visual representation of the job you do and the services you can provide. This is an excellent way to distinguish oneself from other agents, some of whom may have even more experience.
Summary time
While there are many appealing aspects to becoming a real estate agent, success in the field will take time and effort (Plane and Simple). It’s even more challenging if you have a full-time job that requires a lot of your time. With that said, if you follow the list above, you will succeed at being a real estate agent.
At the beginning, I mentioned this would be a 3 part series. My final blog in the series will be focusing on my results as a realtor. Is real estate a good side hustle? Tune in to find out.
Read my first blog on the subject ‘Is being a Realtor an amazing side hustle? Lets find out! (1 of 3)’.
If you like this blog and would like to see my other side hustles. Please follow this link ‘View All Side Hustles’.
Disclosure: Just a reminder, I am testing out numerous side hustles and one of which is making money through affiliates, as such, please keep in mind that this is a professional review site that hopefully will receive compensation from the companies whose products are mentioned and reviewed. Each product is tested thoroughly and only the companies that have the highest marks are mentioned. This site is independently owned and the opinions expressed are mine and only mine. I promise you that.