Expert Advice: Long Time Agents Spill Their Secrets!
When it comes to starting out in real estate, the best resource you can tap is the agent or broker with years under their belt and a successful business to show for their efforts. We’ve been lucky enough to glean amazing insight and advice from some of the top agents and brokers in the US, Canada and Mexico.
They all had a lot to say about what it means to be a real estate agent in today’s modern and technologically advanced business landscape, and they were happy to share their knowledge with new agents who are just starting out. We are sure their words of wisdom and their unique insights will prove enlightening and invaluable as you set on your own real estate path.
Melanie Press is an award-winning agent who has found great success utilizing all the features and personalization options of her Point2 Agent website. Melanie advises new agents to become a marketing expert.
“Be the best YOU you can be,” she advises. “If you can’t sell yourself and the value you offer, how can you give your clients any faith in who you are and how you’re going to look after them?”
Melanie also believes in spending the time and energy fine-tuning your online presence, recommending new agents “invest in a great website like Point2” because, “you have to have a strong web presence, and Point2 offers many fantastic tools to help you do this.”
“Get as tech savvy as you possibly can,” counsels Melanie. “Easier said than done, yes, but really try to work on it. Finally, work hard, very hard.”
Consistency is critical, according to Amy Jones. A top broker in Chandler, Az, Amy understands the importance of leveraging the power of technology to attract more prospects, but she also knows that real estate is more than just a numbers game. Follow through is just as essential.
“Responsiveness and consistency are the keys to success,” declares Amy. “There are hundreds, if not thousands, of agents on the internet,” she adds, warning, “If you don’t respond to an inquiry quickly – preferably within minutes – the prospect will just call the next agent on the list.”
“If you build it, they will come,” she concludes, “but if nobody’s home when they get there, they won’t hang around long.”
For Amy, the significance of real estate marketing cannot be underestimated. “Always run your business like a business,” she suggests. “When you’re not busy with clients, stop whining and keep marketing, staying on top of new technology while implementing those ideas that excite you.”
“Most importantly,” adds Amy, “If marketing doesn’t excite you, you’ll never do it…so hire someone.”
Hamilton REALTOR® Donna Bacher also believes in the power of a personalized real estate website, cautioning new agents to avoid branded websites because “if you ever change companies, your site doesn’t go with you.” Instead, Bacher believes new agents should, “put on your ear muffs and start working on a site.”
Bacher considers blogging to be an essential part of any agent’s workday. Instead of spending “precious time and money attending expensive ‘sales’ seminars right away or posting to Facebook and Twitter,” Bacher instructs new agents to take advantage of their Point2 blog.
“Blog on Point2…then post that blog to social media to increase you Google-ability,” she advises, adding that agents should spend time previewing new homes as they come on the market and “work[ing] your Point2 website every day.”
Canadian real estate agent Daniel Hartin specializes in offshore retirement investments in Belize and has over a decade of experience using Point2 Agent to market his business online.
Daniel advocates new agents invest in their future, even when it means spending those first few hard-earned dollars on advertising.
“I have always found Point2 Agent’s advertising options helpful when I am looking to increase my exposure and get more leads.”
Kanoa Biondolillo is the Chief Inspiration Officer behind Baja123, a real estate brokerage in Rosarito, Mexico that he began with his father almost a decade ago. Through self-taught online marketing skills, Kanoa has leveraged his website into a powerful lead generating tool. For new agents, Kano believes the key to success involves capitalizing on all the digital tools available.
Kanoa recommends new agents become comfortable with online marketing tools. “Pick one online avenue and become really good at it,” he advises, “Drive all traffic from that avenue back to your Point2 Agent site’s listing pages. Work on your drip campaigns. Brand yourself and your talents to match your traffic’s needs.”
“Today, more than ever before, you have to have the digital tools that will help you keep up with this rapidly changing world,” he says, adding, “You don’t want to be a blacksmith making horseshoes as the automobile is driving by you shop.”
Set goals high, counsels Kanoa, and the results will follow. “You have chosen an industry that will give you huge rewards if you set your goals high enough,” he says.
Setting high standards is just what Sam Kamoutsis of PLANIT Real Estate set out to do when he ditched his job a decade ago and embarked on a career in real estate. He launched PLANIT Real Estate a few years after his initial foray into the business and using his technological know-how and IT background, he was able to create a website that has generated more than 25,000 leads. So it’s no surprise that Sam is a true believer when it comes to the marriage of real estate and digital marketing tools
Sam advocates new agents start by anticipating the new reality of real estate. “The client of the future has changed forever,” says Sam, who goes on to explain, “Today’s clients are not only starting their search online, but client communication is happening online as well.”
“Gone are the days when print magazines and direct mail were effective,” he continues. “The real estate market is now online, and only those who follow the rapid river of change will be in business tomorrow.”
Sam goes on to say, “Every real estate agent and business owner should understand one thing: the communication patterns of the new real estate buyer and seller have changed. In order to succeed in real estate, the modern agent must be present on all platforms being used by the new generation of buyers and sellers.”
“The successful real estate agents of the future will be the ones who embrace this change.”
So there you have it, real, practical advice from agents and brokers who’ve experienced phenomenal success using digital tools like Point2 Agent to expand and enhance their real estate business. Use their words as guidelines and guideposts as you start out on your own real estate adventure. Once you’ve gotten your feet wet, stop by and let us know how these agents inspired and informed you and your real estate career.
Good luck!
Want to hear more? Check out our Point2 Agent Success Stories:
Point2 Agent Success Story: Melanie Press
Point2 Agent Success Story: Donna Bacher
Point2 Agent Success Story: Daniel Hartin
Point2 Agent Success Story: Amy Jones
Point2 Agent Success Story: Kanoa Biondolillo
Point2 Agent Success Story: Sam Kamoutsis
Point2 Agent Success Story: Jim Wheeler
When you’re just starting out as an agent, making sure you’ve got everything you need can be challenging. Just a quick search online reveals thousands and thousands of blog posts and news article filled to the brim with every tip, trick and suggestion imaginable. But when you need real advice, how do you trim away all the fluff and empty advice and find real, practical information specifically aligned with your wants and needs?
Finding what you need in this era of data overload can be overwhelming, so let us guide you with our list of essential tools for every new real estate agent. Our new blog series, “The Right Tools for the New Agents,” we’ll pull back the curtain so that you can begin to understand what it means to be a successful real estate agent and how Point2 Agent can help you achieve your goals. We’ll cover broker/agent relationships, self-promotion and marketing, earnings and commissions, dealing with failure and much much more.