You have just passed the North Carolina real estate exam. You have interviewed with several real estate companies. You have chosen the one that suits you best. You are off to a good start.
Starting a new real estate career is dangerous. You can make one or two mistakes, depending upon your cash situation, the wrong mistake can put you out of the commission only real estate business. Let's avoid the obvious mistake. Do not create overhead. Cash flow in the wrong direction is bad. We need cash flow coming in. We don't need cash flow going out. This is true with any new business. You don't need a new car with payments. You don't need a new wardrobe bought on a credit card. You don't need anything that creates overhead. You need income. Concentrate on making money come in the front door.
The second big mistake that rookie real estate agents make is they talk way too much. Here is a three word sales training seminar for rookie Realtors. Shut your mouth. Let the customer talk. Let the customer tell you what he likes. Let the customer tell you what he thinks. Let the customer tell you why he thinks the house is cool or not so cool. If you can learn to fill the room with silence, you will discover that silence won't last long. Your customer will start talking and talking . He will talk your head off. He will tell you everything about him. He will tell you things he has never told anyone if you will shut your mouth and give him a chance. The more you know about him, the easier it is to find a house that he will buy. The more he talks, the more you know about him and his problems and his finances and his desires and his fears and his frustrations and his family and his goals. Let the customer talk. The customer can't talk when you are talking. Shut your mouth and let the customer talk.
Which brings us to the third big mistake that rookie Realtors make. Early in your real estate sales career, you must learn to ask questions all the time. If you just can't control the urge to talk, ask your customer a question. Learn to answer questions with a question. This a a simple premise but WOW is it hard to do? Yes, it is hard to learn but the sooner you start practicing this essential skill, the sooner you will master it. Once you master this skill, your fortune is made. Try this. The very next question you hear, try to answer it with a question.
Questions are the magic elixir of salesmanship. Ask people about their old house. Ask people about their hobbies. Don't tell them about yours. Ask about theirs. Ask them about their dreams and ambitions and frustrations. Ask them how they know things that they tell you . If they tell you that ,"Everyone offers less than the asking price.", ask them how they know that. Ask them what they liked most about the house we just looked at. Ask them what they disliked about it. Ask. Ask. Ask. Anything you can say in the form of a statement, you can say with a question. If you can say,"This is beautiful weather.", you can say,"What do you think of this weather?" I could say," This is a great neighborhood." or I could say, "What do think of this neighborhood?" Learning to ask lots of question is a critical skill that you must learn early. Don't you agree?The sooner you master the habit of answering questions with a question, the sooner you will start earning big money in real estate sales. If you can't think of any questions to ask, write some down. Put a list of questions on a notepad and carry it with you. If the room becomes silent, turn to your list and ask,"Mr Seller, Where do kids go to school in this neighborhood?". How is that school? Is the school system here an asset or a detriment ? Did your kids go to school there? How far away is the school? Is there a bus or do kids walk? If you need more help learning about questions, here is a link to a video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRK5TZqtrxc As I mentioned earlier, the next time you hear a question , practice answering with a question.
Your co worker asks,"What time is it?". You reply,"Where is your watch?" Your co worker says," I lost my watch this morning when I was climbing out the window of my girlfriend's house. I snagged my watch on the chimney and it slid down into the gutter. I couldn't do down to get it so I just left it . I was concerned about the time because her husband goes to work at 2 oclock P.M. I thought I would go get a ladder and retrieve my watch . I need to get there before three because her kids get home from school at 3 oclock. Could you please tell me what time is it?" You reply," What about your phone? Doesn't it tell time?" Your co worker replies,' " My phone, it was stolen lat night at he 7-11 store. I pulled in to buy gas at 10: 15.
I only had $20 dollars cash so I bought a soda and a bag of peanuts and $17 worth of gas. While I was in the 7-11, two robbers came in and robbed the store . While they were robbing the store, my phone rang. Since my ring tone is a gunshot, it scared the robbers and the robber shot at me. Fortunately, he missed me but his bullet punctured a beer keg. Beer started flying everywhere. The robber grabbed my phone and the money and ran out of the store. After they were gone the 7-11 clerk fainted and fell on the floor. I walked over to the counter and discovered that the robbers left the gun on the counter. I picked it up. Just then, the police showed up. There I was holding the gun with the 7-11 clerk lying on the floor. . Before I could say a word, the police had me in the back of the police car. I told the police that I was not the robber. We were off to the jail. Just then a call came over the police radio that said the robbers were headed west on Highway 46 in a red Ford. I told the cops that that was our guy. They joined in the chase with me handcuffed in the back seat. When we finally caught up with the robbers, it was almost midnight. I got back to the 7-11, returned to my car and went home. Nobody knows what happen to my phone. Could you please tell me the time?'' "It is 3 oclock " You reply. Learn to ask questions. The more you ask questions, the better salesman you will be.
The fourth big mistake that rookie Realtors make is to spend lots of time on unimportant stuff and not enough time on important stuff. Important stuff is stuff (effort) that will turn into money. Unimportnat stuff is stuff that will not turn into money. The bad news is, when you are new, there is a lot of stuff that you have to do that will not turn into money... Figure out early what turns into money and what does not. Spend your time on the important stuff.
The fifth mistake that many rookie real estate agents make is to NOT ask for the order. When you show a house to a potential buyer ask them to buy it. When you make a listing presentation to a seller, ask them to list with you today. Ask for a decision. It is vitally important that , when it is time to close, you ask a closing question. Ask them to buy. Ask them to sign the listiing agreement. If you don't ask them to decide, they won't decide.
Do yourself a favor. Do not make these rookie mistakes. The faster you can get money coming in the front door, the more likely you are to have a successful real estate career. Keep your overhead low. Shut your mouth. Ask lots of questions. Spend your time on important stuff. Ask them to buy. www.ronclimer.com
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