Do you have the three qualities agents need to succeed?
It’s true. Real estate sales offers almost unlimited income, flexible hours, and the ability to ‘be your own boss’. If it’s so awesome a field, why don’t more people succeed? (Statistics say about half of agents entering the business in any given year are out of the business in a year…)
The Success Numbers
Having interviewed thousands of would-be agents, I haven’t met one who didn’t want to make six figures their first year in the business. Here’s the truth: The first-year agent, on average, sells 2-3 homes. Depending on the area, that’s nowhere near six figures. So, what’s wrong?
The Business Doesn’t Guarantee Success
I know. You were told you could be successful if you joined a particular company. You thought that was true. Then, you found out success wasn’t nearly as much due to the company as it was due to your own work ethic! How rude! Yes, it’s true that a good company provides the tools. A caring, coaching manager provides the skills. Good agents around you help you stay motivated. But, agents still fail with great support. Why? They didn’t go to work!
The Three Qualities that Make the Difference
I’ve told you the downside. Now, here’s the upside. Agents who have an abundance of these three qualities succeed at a high level:
- Personal initiative—taking charge of their own schedules, organization, and initiating a successful business start-up plan from day one
- . Tenacity—not giving up. People think they are tenacious and self-directed until they actually have to be tenacious and self-directed. Most people give up way too soon!
- Mental toughness—the ability to take ‘no’ after ‘no’ and keep going to a ‘yes’.
In my book, Launching Right in Real Estate, What They Won’t Teach You in Pre-License School, I provide several self-analysis tools so would-be agents can see if they’re a good fit for the business. Here’s one of them:
Qualities of a Successful Real Estate Associate
See if you have these qualities. And, better yet, how strong are each of these qualities in your ‘prior life’? Give yourself a grade of 1-5 (5 being really high).
People Who Prove They Have these Qualities in Abundance
As I write this, the summer Olympics are beginning. Read the biographies of these exceptional performers. Every one has overcome great adversity. They all exhibit extreme tenacity, personal initiative, and mental toughness. Pretend you’re an Olympic sales performer. Find those qualities in yourself. Find someone who believes in you. Keep going. Don’t give up if you have the will to succeed!
Managers, an interview tip: Use this list and develop ‘past-based behavioral predictor’ questions to see if that prospective agent exhibits enough of each quality. You can see questions and how to create them in The Complete Recruiter.
Click here to grab my list of qualities of successful real estate associates.
Stuck and Need Some Inspiration?
It’s a much different real estate world now. Many are giving up, or just waiting for the good old days to come back. Don’t let that be you! Carla has put together the motivation and inspiration, plus practical tips to get your energy to thrive back on track. It’s free. Carla wants you to step into the now and future with confidence! Find it here.
