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If you’re a new agent who’s joined the ranks of the 1.5 million (and growing) Realtors in the country recently, you’ve probably got more than a few questions circling around your head about how to get started on the right foot in this industry. I know I sure did when I was standing in your shoes.
Not to worry. Today’s real estate agents have more resources at their fingertips than ever before. The trick to learning and growth in this business is the same as for most things — start by asking the right questions.
Not just any questions, though. Empowering questions. Hopefully, really empowering questions.
Here’s why: When we ask empowering questions, our brains go to work to help us find empowering answers. When we ask disempowering questions — you guessed it — we can fall down a rabbit hole of uncertainty, and nobody wants that.
Empowering vs. disempowering questions
Let me give you a couple of examples, and then we’ll dive into the questions you should be asking yourself this month.
- Empowering: What can I do today that will help me reach my new goals?
- Disempowering: What if I don’t make it and become another statistic?
See what happened there? One question makes you automatically start firing off solutions and one makes you want to crawl back in bed and throw the covers over your head. Listen, we want you going for gold, so that means carefully constructing your self-talk.
Now let’s dive into some empowering questions that are going to help you succeed with more ease.
7 questions every new real estate agent should ask themselves in the first 30 days
What’s my vision?
Creating a vision and mission for your business is not all smoke, mirrors and manifestation. It’s a chance to create clarity about what you want and where you are going. Without that, your goals become a moving target, and it’s hard to hit a moving target.
How can I create an actionable plan for the next 30, 60 and 90 days that supports my vision?
Forget that year-goal thing. Most people start leaning into that around month 10. You need a quick start and probably a quick infusion of cash — in other words, “now” business.
A lot of brokers make creating a business plan part of the onboarding process with their organizations. Some are pretty basic and some are enormously complicated. Somewhere in the middle is awesome.
What does my budget look like?
For most salespeople, the idea of looking at numbers and spreadsheets and budgets is boring. Here’s the deal though: You are now a business. You. Personally. Yes, you are a team member and work with a broker in a company, but you are your own business as an independent contractor.
Budgeting is just part of building a business. You’ll have money going out, for business cards and advertising and MLS dues and association dues and, and, and … You have to know how much money will be going out so that you know how much has to come in. It’s so important, actually, it’s critical that you think and act like a businessperson, not a salesperson.
Businesspeople with business foundations can survive the ups and downs and market changes and whatever the world throws their way much more effectively than salespeople who look at real estate in a “where’s my next deal coming from” way. Talk to your broker about how to plan and prepare your budget for the next six to 12 months.
Who’s in my sphere?
In other words, who do you know? Those are the people who are in your sphere of influence. The ones who already know you, like you and trust you. Before you get antsy about making those canned calls announcing, “I’m in real estate, want to sell a house?” that’s putting the cart before the horse. The agents who not only make it in this business but also succeed at a high level build a book of business.
Get your contact ducks in a row so that when you’re ready to start sharing your new business with the world (in the right way), you’ll have the database to do it. By the way, your sphere is not just your family and friends. Think expansively. Your sphere can include all the people you associate with, the ones you do business with — think doctors, lawyers, gas station owners, Little League parents. Everyone is a connection.
How can I make my relationship with my broker a successful partnership?
As a new agent, your broker is your partner. You work under their license, so it’s good for you and for them for you to get things right sooner rather than later. Start early by creating open lines of communication so that you know and they know that you can get questions answered and the help you need to avoid mistakes and create results.
Where and when can I make time and opportunity for training and skill-building?
You’re new at this, and training and skill-building are paramount to your success. The cool thing is that you live in a day and time where the world is your oyster via the internet and you can literally learn 24/7.
The important thing here is to make the time. Don’t waste so much time “getting ready to get ready” that you don’t jump into prospecting until you “get good.” Carve out the time to get skilled. That looks different for every agent.
Some carve out an hour, some three; some gravitate more to webinars or coaching calls and others the training and tools your office provides. Find out what that groove looks like for you, and commit to it weekly.
What do I need to stay motivated and focused?
I’m not going to sugarcoat it: Your first year in the business will sometimes get overwhelming and sometimes take a lot of hours and focus. That’s just the nature of building a business. Think of it as creating the base of your future.
You know you better than anyone else. Make a list of the things that you require to stay the course and stay motivated when things get chaotic or when the rubber meets the road and you’re super busy (in the best possible way).
Ground yourself. Commit to yourself and your future. Get your family involved in creating a vision so that they get it when you’re trying to negotiate a deal at 10:30 p.m., or you’re going to be late for soccer practice.
I’m going to give you a bonus question to ask yourself every morning and that is, “How and who can I serve today?” The best agents in this business with the most lucrative and long careers come from a place of service, not sales.
They aren’t in it for just the transaction. They are in it to make a difference in people’s lives, and real estate is the vehicle they use to make that difference. The money follows. So do the clients for life and the chance to design a career worth smiling about.
Darryl Davis is a speaker, coach and the bestselling author of How to Become a Power Agent in Real Estate, as well as the CEO of Darryl Davis Seminars. He hosts weekly free webinars to help agents navigate market change and design careers worth smiling about. Learn more at www.DarrylSpeaks.com/Online-Training. Connect with him on Facebook or YouTube.
