Here are a number of things you can do to become more successful when attempting to start a career in real estate.

Decide on the right managing broker.
Having the right broker to back you can mean the difference in success or failure in the real estate business. Look for a managing broker that advocates sales, prospecting, and transaction training. You should be comfortable and confident in your broker’s level of professionalism, business ethics and time management skills. Your broker should reflect a well managed, efficient and organized office.

Build yourself as a brand.
Start marketing yourself as a real estate agent to your friends, family and coworkers. Most often times, potential home buyers associate more with the actual real estate agent, than their parent company or brokerage. So no matter how you build your brand, you can always take all of your hard work with you wherever you go. Explore ways to make yourself stand out from the rest. Develop a catchy slogan or tag line that creates a sense of comfort and confidence in your services. And don’t forget to study the market, competition or other friends in the business for useful tools to help you succeed.

Work smarter not harder
The real estate business can offer so many distractions to new agents. A lot of times you can be so eager to show houses that you lose sight of the type of houses your client is ACTUALLY interested in. Learn how to qualify your clients first before showing any houses. This will help you reduce the type of houses you need to show. After all, there’s no point in showing a house your client cannot afford, or does not have the minimal requirements your client is desiring in their house.

Do your homework.
A potential home buyer is going to be looking for a real estate agent they can trust. Someone with experience and knows the ins and outs of the real estate business. As a real estate agent you should be very knowledgeable of the transaction process of purchasing a house, making bids, what documents are needed, what timelines have to be met, walk-through, inspections and etc. If you ever don’t have the correct answer, don’t try to think on your toes, let your client know you will get the right information and get back to them asap.

Keep your leads and clients flowing
Organize your showings, closings and meetings so that you are giving your clients quality service without sacrificing the amount of clients you take on. Avoid costly mistake of not having enough time to help your client. However, never say you are too busy, this makes a client feel unimportant. Always follow up with leads, even if it’s a simple email or voicemail, make friends with other agents that might be able to trade favors with you by helping with a simple house showing.