Success as a RE agent

[Jacob Colvin]

I am in the middle of a career change from law-enforcement to real estate. With law-enforcement I see financial security. However, I noticed that the rate in which new agents opt out of a real estate career is rather high.  I am extremely motivated and am developing a passion for real estate. I can see myself enjoying the aspects of this career and pushing myself to do better on a daily basis. So here is my question... Is success in this industry based on an agents determination? And if I put in hard work and treat this profession as such, will I succeed? 

Thank you.

[Louis Leone]

@Jacob Colvin 

Jacob,

Here are the 3 main objectives you should focus on:

1) Educate Yourself - in the beginning you will have a lot of time and no listings.  Use that time to education yourself on the market.  Go to as many open houses as you can, offer to help senior agents.  Ask a lot of questions.  No one wants to work with someone who isn't knowledgeable.  The more you learn, the more you will become confident.  Confidence coupled with knowledge is huge in real estate.  People will work with you.

2) Build Your Network - in the beginning you will have a small sphere of influence (your relatives and friends mostly).  Even they will be skeptical of you because they know you are just starting.  Show them you know your stuff.  In addition, meet as many people as you can and talk to them.  Hand out your card.  Tell them what you do.  Make a goal of meeting 5 people a day (or whatever works for you).

3) Know How to Close - When you finally get a chance to represent a listing (or work with a buyer), know what to say.  There are only a handful of objections you get over and over again. Know what to say when you get them.  Remember, the person who is asking questions controls the conversation.

Lastly, you should repeat the following to yourself during your working hours:

"What have I done in the last hour to bring in more business?"

If your answer is "nothing" hour after hour, you're probably playing on e-mail or making some excuse to avoid doing what you need to do.  You will not make it if you do that.

Good luck.