Do you remember when you were a new agent and how fun it was to be out with buyers looking at properties?
I still have that! Here are the two main reasons it’s so much fun for me:
- I like people – all kinds, all ages, all walks of life – and I thoroughly enjoy meeting and spending time with them and chatting about all sorts of things, not just real estate.
- I like looking at properties – all kinds – even the junkers! Sure, it’s amazing when we get to see a super-cool listing, but sometimes it’s great fun to laugh about the weird and ugly ones, too.
The truth is, out of all the different tasks we do every single day, there’s nothing I’d rather be doing than showing properties to clients whom I like and enjoy being with. It’s fun!
If you don’t feel the same, that’s an awful shame.
I was talking to a newer agent the other day and she was lamenting the fact that she had buyer clients who “just couldn’t make up their minds.” I asked her how many properties she had shown them.
“Seven.”
Wow. Big hairy deal! This agent needs to change her attitude and start enjoying the experience.
A little more discussion revealed that her main focus was to collect a commission cheque… as soon as possible.
I’m here to tell you if that’s your focus, your clients can sense it and you’re probably self-sabotaging. What you really need is a major attitude adjustment – not a commission cheque.
If you’re thinking, “Easy for you to say, Ted,” that’s a fair statement, especially if you are struggling financially.
But bear with me, please. Continuing from the topic from earlier columns – mindset –
I’m going to repeat my favourite quote one more time: “Try not to become a person of success, but rather try to become a person of value.” – Albert Einstein
Near the end of his life in 1955, this was advice that Einstein gave to a young man who asked him what he should do with his life. What I take from that quote is that success naturally follows if you concentrate your energy on doing an excellent job for your clients (rather than chasing after commission cheques).
I’m not saying that you should just suck it up, and show your clients 100 properties, and stumble around at their beck and call. That’s not being a person of value.
If you genuinely want to create value, you need to be willing to learn and master new skills around setting proper expectations, taking charge in a natural non-bossy way, using your time effectively and guiding your clients through the process with effective systems and procedures, so they will feel eager to pull the trigger when the time is right.
If you’re a newer agent, try to adjust your mindset to learn something from every property you show, and every experience you have interacting with clients. This increased knowledge will pay off in the future, even if you’re not collecting a commission cheque right away.
I’m still learning every day. What about you?
After Ted Greenhough’s first year as a Realtor, he earned between $590,000-$865,000 every year for 12 consecutive years, all as an individual agent, without ever once making a cold call, reciting a canned script or doing any other “salesy” stuff. Now he runs Agent Skills, an online learning program for agents across North America.
