WHAT THEY DIDN’T TEACH YOU IN REAL ESTATE SCHOOL (BUT THEY REALLY SHOULD HAVE)

This one is for the realtors and loan officers out there! Whether you have been licensed for a short time or are a seasoned pro, listen up!

Let’s talk about pre-licensing education. It’s great, isn’t it? You spend hours and hours and hours being talked at, quizzed, and force fed all the things you shouldn’t do (so that you can stay out of jail and not commit fraud – which is super handy and very important), yet there is zero time spent teaching you about the most important thing in the business: PEOPLE.

You see, selling homes or selling loans is not about the transactions or the sales themselves. It is truly about the people you work with and serve. Yet, nothing in your pre-licensing education teaches you about how to effectively connect with people so that you can not only stay out of jail and remain a free person with a license to practice, but also build a business that will serve you for years to come.

I am here to fix that.

As I meet and work with more industry professionals, one thing is painfully obvious – most of you never learned the importance of, or even how to build, profitable relationships when you were first starting out. That’s not to say that some of you aren’t amazing at doing so, but you are in the minority amongst your industry colleagues. If you didn’t have prior sales experience in which you had to develop relationships with those you served, chances are good you didn’t learn anything about why profitable relationships should be your primary focus when you jumped into this industry.

Back to all those things they teach you in real estate school – all of the laws, rules, regulations, and what-not-to-dos are important. But the purpose of pre-licensing education is simply to prepare you for testing so you can get your license. It does absolutely nothing to prepare you for what to do next, so I am going to do that right now!

You just passed the licensing test. Your pre-licensing education has done its job and you are now licensed to lend on or sell real estate. But what do you do now? Start connecting with people immediately. The relationships you build in the first 5 years in this industry will set you up for success in the remaining years you are in business.

Here are three things you can do once you are licensed to start building your profitable relationship matrix and set yourself up for success:

1. Start by telling every single person you know (the ones you actually know, not just the ones you know through social media) that you are embarking on a new career and are now a licensed realtor or loan officer. You can do this via phone call, email, social media, text, or drop by to say hello (I personally recommend a phone call or drop-by for this part of the process). “Door-knocking” might seem like an old school way of doing business but ask any pro that has been around this industry for 20+ years and they will tell you that door-knocking is one of the core ways to meet and connect with people. Nothing beats face to face, person to person interaction!
2. Make a list of all the people you can connect with that can be possible sources of business. These could be potential referral partners, people you encounter regularly that might need your service, your sphere of influence, and any other professionals that might have clients that need your services.
3. Learn how to effectively communicate with all the people you have on your newly created list. (This is where a coach, like yours truly, comes in handy!) Then create a strategy for initial contact with them, follow up contact, and ongoing contact so that you can build and nurture profitable relationships that will pay you back for years to come.

Remember, the foundational relationships you build and nurture in the first few years of your business will set you up for success for years to come. The real estate industry requires you to play a long game. There is not a “get rich quick” way to do business (at least not an ethical way…). You must work hard every day to authentically connect with people, serve them, and do what is right for their unique needs. If you can do that, you will be successful!!

To learn more about the benefits of building strong and highly profitable relationships so that you can build a business that will thrive in any market, connect with me HERE! I specialize in 1 on 1 coaching, relationship management, and process development, and I can’t wait to help you create the relationships that will carry your business into the future! 

Ciao for now!