Archive for Launching Right in Real Estate

New Agents’ Mistake: Not Doing These 5 Things Right Now

September 7th, 2021

It’s hard to know what’s important. So, some things new agents should do to launch their careers fast just don’t get done, and cost them early sales.

New agents’ mistakes: Not doing these 5 things NOW to make money fast.

Here are five ways to look professional from the first day you’re in real estate–and they’re all FREE (except for the professional picture).

I just finished my new eBook, Launching Right in Real Estate: What They Won’t Teach You in Pre-License School, and I surveyed new agents. Here are some of the things I found they did right–and some of the things they just hadn’t gotten around to. Even though these are really simple to do, they make a huge impact on your business. (and if you don’t do them, they also have an impact on your business….) So, put them at the top of your list and do them now.

1. Use a professional email address–the one your company offers you or your website address. Which sounds more professional: DaddyDave@Hotmail.com or DavidSmith@abcrealty.com? Remember, it takes 6 times of meeting you before someone remembers your name. You want to be associated with your company or your own website with your email address. (For instance, my email is carla@carlacross.com). It’s free from your company. You get more space. (Don’t you love it when you try to email someone and the message says the email is full…..real professional, huh)?

2. Create a professional voice mail message, one that mentions your company name. That personal, casual voice mail you love just doesn’t cut it. (‘Hi, this is daddyO. Leave me a message and I may catch you later….”that sure inspires me to use DaddyO as a real estate professional, yes?) Even worse, a negative message is sent when an agent uses a canned voice mail message–or none at all. Would you work with someone like that? See voice mail tips at https://upandrunningin30days.com/free-resources/.

And–don’t let that voice mail box fill up. That’s just yelling “I’m not paying attention to my business and you aren’t important….”

3. Create your biography on all sites right away,. (this includes Google Business, Zillow, your company website, LinkedIn, Realtor.com, your professional Facebook page, etc.) You want to strive for a consistent image through all sites. If you want to feel ill, look at some of the bio sites (including your company website), and see how many agents just don’t bother to tell people who they are, what they do, and how they can assist clients. See information on creating your biography here.

4. Have a professional head shot taken and get your picture on those bio sites NOW. We identify and remember faces much better than names. Take advantage of that! Recently, I tried to find an agent on her company website. I thought I knew her first name, but I didn’t know the spelling. So, I thought I’d just scroll through until I found her picture (I have met her and she’s very attractive). Ha! She didn’t have her picture on the site, even though she is a very good agent and has been in the business several years. We remember faces way before we remember names. Take advantage of it! Be sure, too, that you use a professional, conservative portrait (no low necklines for women; avoid too trendy clothes unless you want to attract only those who like those trends.)

5. Create a professional brand from day one, so your social media and biography remain consistent across all platforms. Check out your competition. What is their branding? Is it consistent? Haphazard? No branding at all?

The Test: If You Didn’t Know You, Who Would You Think You Were?

Potential clients are meeting agents all the time. And, a majority look online before choosing and agent. Why should you bother with all this branding? Because most agents don’t bother. You want to stand out from the rest. To launch your business fast, you are going to lead generate your heart out. Make it count. Help people remember who you are.

You will gain and keep more business with these 5 easy tips–I promise!!

Managers: Use these tips for your agents in your onboarding process. Getting them started right is a lot of the battle for success.

Launch your career like a rocket! Get Launching Right in Real Estate: What They Won’t Teach You in Pre-License School. eBook out now at $9.95. Don’t miss every opportunity to launch your career fast.

Categories Branding, Launching Right in Real Estate, new agent business plan, new agents make money, New Real Estate Agents, onboarding, pre-license, Real estate as a career, Real Estate Sales, Sales Strategies, Training
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Ask These 5 Critical Questions in your Real Estate Interview

by Carla Cross

August 30th, 2021

Here are the five questions to ask in the interview. They probably aren’t the questions you’ve thought about.

I’ve just finished my new book, Launching Right in Real Estate: What They Won’t Teach You in Pre-License School. It addresses every question I’ve been asked by the hundreds of would-be agents I’ve interviewed.

Agents Get Many Misperceptions about the Business

Interviewers want to sell the company, the office, and themselves. That’s fine. But, many would-be agents draw the wrong conclusions from those sales pitches. They get the idea that real estate is easy. They hear they are special. They assume they will make gazillions of bucks–just like they see in those reality TV shows. Plus, they get information from other sources: Their agent friends, their other friends, etc. The result is that they go into the business with rose-colored glasses. That’s why it’s estimated that over half of all agents who enter the business in any given year are out of the business by the end of that year.

Look Behind the Curtain

Besides the sales presentations, would-be agents need a full picture of the business, so they can make good decisions. In my Launching book, I give would-be agents the facts about real estate sales. I provide them self-analysis tools so they can find out if they are good candidates for this business. In addition, I give them the five most important questions they should ask their interviewer. Here they are:

Figure_9.6_The_Five_Critical_Questions_to_Ask_-_for_Sure-with-Launch-link-cropped

Get the Proof of those Claims

Throughout the book, I advise candidates to ask for proof of claims. They hear:

“Our training program is great.”

“You can make lots of money here.”

“We provide leads.”

“Our new agents make money fast.”

Instead of accepting these statements, ask to see outlines, schedules, and statistics. The great managers will be happy to back up what they say; the poor managers will provide bluster.

Your turn: What have you heard in interviews that you found was not true?

Grab your copy of this new book to save time and choose the right profession and company for you. eBook is $9.95 and will save you thousands in avoiding decision mistakes. Find out more here.

Categories expectations, Interviewing, Launching Right in Real Estate, new agent interview, New Real Estate Agents, pre-license, Real estate as a career, Real Estate Sales, Real Estate Success
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Make Money Fast in Real Estate While Others Get Ready to Get Ready

by Carla Cross

August 23rd, 2021

Look around. Thousands of would-be agents just like you are studying for their license exams. Then, they will join a real estate office. Then, they will soak up every bit of training and information available–some will stay in a ‘get ready to get ready’ mode for months.

Think how much faster they could go if they had lots of the organization and training under their belts prior to their first day in the business? Okay. I know. Until they are licensed, they can’t do the things licensed agents can do. But, they can do many things. And all those things get them ready to hit the ground running.

You can be way ahead of them if you prepare and get organized while you’re taking your pre-license cram courses. Instead of being overwhelmed, you will be organized, practiced, and ready to start selling real estate.

At the end of this blog, I’m providing you my checklist, 30 Things to Do Right Now to Hit the Ground Running, from my new eBook, Launching Right in Real Estate: What They Won’t Teach You in Pre-License School.

New Agents Lose Lots of Time Because They are Not Prepared to Start the Business

New agents generally spend the first 1-2 weeks or more getting ‘oriented’. Brokers have checklists to assure they get their keys, join the Realtor association, etc., etc., etc. How long do you estimate it takes the new agent just to get those orientation checklists finished? 2-4 weeks? In some cases, they never finish them!!!!! Not only that, they probably think that finishing those checklists assures they are going to be successful agents. Ha!

When Do New Agents Plan to Start Lead Generating?

My studies show that the majority of new agents want to make a sale their first month in the business. That means they will need to start lead generating their first WEEK in the business! From hiring and training hundreds of new agents, I’ve observed they put off the inevitable (lead generation) as long as possible, hoping ‘there’s another way!’ In fact, the more ‘get ready to get ready’ work new agents doing, the worse their habits become and the less money they make.

A Better Method to Get a Check Fast

Instead of waiting until you are are licensed, why not get prepared to sell real estate while you are in pre-license school? You can do things like

Decide on the database/CRM you want to use and learn how to use it–with your manager’s guidance
Populate your databases with 100-300 potential clients
Prepare an email/hard copy note/letter/social media announcement to all those in your databases saying you’ve joined_____________ real estate company

30 Things to Do While in Pre-License School

Even though I call this a ‘checklist’, it’s much more than that. It’s really a mini-training program. You can use my eBook, Launching Right in Real Estate as a reference to help you finish the program.

Proof

How do I know this program achieves the three goals I stated above? I used it as a manager. I saw how some people went to work. These same people literally ‘hit the ground running’ and made sales faster than those who waited until they got their licenses.

Click here to gain my checklist. Let me know how it works for you.

Categories expectations, income, Launching Right in Real Estate, new agent interview, new agents make money, New Real Estate Agents, pre-license, Real estate as a career, Real Estate Sales, Real Estate Success, successful real estate salespeople
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The 5 Questions You Probably Didn’t Ask in the Interview–and Should Have

by Carla Cross

July 27th, 2021

Did you prepare questions for the interview? Or, did you wing it?

Here are the 5 questions you probably didn’t ask in the interview–and should have. Though this is geared for real estate agents, the questions and approach apply to anyone going into a new field.

First, the Questions You Don’t Want to Lead With…

You walk into your interview with a lot of confidence. You take control of the interview. You sit down and ask, “What are you going to do for me?” Or, better yet, “What special deal will you give me?”

Put Yourself in the Interviewer’s Seat

You’re sitting across from the candidate. You’re experiencing the behavior above. Here’s a basic truth about good interviewers. They need to control the flow of the interview. Your interviewer has a process (or should have) for the interview. How do you feel when the candidate won’t allow you to lead?

Back to being that candidate: When you don’t let the interviewer guide the process, you’re tacitly saying “I won’t let you be the leader. I won’t listen to your advice. I’ll do what I want to do however I want to do it.”

The Right Pace for the Interview

A good interviewer knows his job is to ask questions and listen. He has planned questions to reveal if the candidate has the skills and talents needed for the job–and needed to fit into the culture of that market center. So, let the interviewer follow the process. In my new book, Launching Right in Real Estate: What They Won’t Teach You in Pre-License School, I provide a step-by-step process for an interview. I invite all those interviewed to judge the skill of the interviewer against this process.

Your Turn

Did you bring your questions to interview? Were they designed to reveal the differences among the various managers and companies you interviewed? I hope so. In my Launching book, I have dozens of topic areas and questions. Here are the five, though, that every would-be agent needs to ask to get beneath the sales spiel to reveal how that manager and office really operates, and what’s in it for you.

Figure_9.6_The_Five_Critical_Questions_to_Ask_-_for_Sure-with-Launch-link-cropped

It’s Not Too Late to Ask those Questions

Even if you’ve been with your company years, it’s still appropriate to ask those questions. Why? Because it’s easy to get off-track, thinking that the next shiny object the company provides will be your magic bullet. In reality, your magic bullet is the coaching and support to reach your goals you are receiving (or not) in your office.

Categories Interviewing, Launching Right in Real Estate, manager, new agent interview, New Real Estate Agents, pre-license, Real estate as a career, Real Estate Sales, successful real estate salespeople
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How to Allocate Your Time for Best Results

by Carla Cross

July 21st, 2021

Most agents struggle with time management. Here’s how to allocate your time to make more money easier.

I’m just finishing my eBook, Launching Right in Real Estate: What They Don’t Teach You in Pre-License School. In it, I’ve put several self-analysis tools to help those interested people decide whether they will love real estate, are willing to do the work, and what it takes to succeed. In addition, I’ve put several exhibits to help would-be and new agents get off to a fast start.

Where You Spend Your Time Determines the Money You Make

We may be fighting the advice from our training or top agents. In truth, though, there is one way to assure we make money: Talk to people–LOTS of people. Look at the time commitments I’ve recommended:

Figure_3.6_Time_Commitments__How_To_Allocate_Your_Time

Analyze Your Time Management Against My Allocations

Go back a month in your planner. Count the number of hours you spend in various activities. How closely are you following the recommendations above? What do you want to change?

Make a New Schedule with your New Allocations

In Up and Running in Real Estate, my online business planning/training/accountability start-up program, we compare prototype scheduling with poor scheduling. We make our own schedules, analyze, and make adjustments. Result: More commissions in less time.

Thinking about a real estate career? Thinking about whether to stay in real estate? This is the eBook you need. Purchase at 1/2 price while in pre-order. Now $12.95. ***Order here.***

Categories action plan, Business Plan, expectations, Launching Right in Real Estate, new agent business plan, pre-license, Real estate as a career, Real Estate Success, Up and Running in Real Estate
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Are You Cut Out for Real Estate Sales?

by Carla Cross

July 9th, 2021

Is real estate sales for you? Take the self-analysis here to find out.

I’m just finishing my book, Launching Right in Real Estate: What They Don’t Teach You in Pre-License School. In it, I’ve put several self-analysis tools to help those interested people decide whether they will love real estate, are willing to do the work, and what it takes to succeed. Here’s one of those analysis tools:

Figure_1.2_Self-Analysis_Attributes_for_Success Download

If you’re thinking about real estate now, or are in real estate and wondering if it’s really for you, use this self-analysis tool. Real estate is a wonderful business for some people–but not for others. Get yourself in the right profession so you can put your natural talents and skills to work with confidence–and love the job.

Tell me: What did you learn from taking the analysis?

In my new book, I’ve answered the hundreds of questions would-be agents have about real estate as a career. And, I’ve offered guidance for those in the business–a business plan, time management tips, and more. ***Order it now*** at 1/2 price–$12.95. Available July 15.

Categories career nights, Career Nights for real estate, Interviewing, Launching Right in Real Estate, new agent interview, new agents make money, New Real Estate Agents, Real estate as a career, Real Estate Sales, Real Estate Success, selection, successful real estate salespeople
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Newer Agents: How to Allocate your Time

by Carla Cross

June 29th, 2021

Why do some agents make sales fast, while others languish doing the wrong activities?

Newer agents: How to allocate your time. We all have the same amount of time. Yet, some agents start their careers like rockets, launching fast. Others just can’t seem to get a foothold.

I’m just finishing my new book, Launching Right in Real Estate: What They Won’t Teach You in Pre-License School (out in about 3 weeks). Although the book is written for the person thinking about real estate as a career, or is in pre-license, this book actually is a treasure trove for any agent. Why? It

Lays out a simple, effective business start-up plan
It exposes the mistakes agents make in launch, that costs them time and money–and sometimes a whole career
It helps agent budget–both personally and professionally

Time Allocations for Newer Agents

You attend training school. You learn lots of interesting–and sometimes valuable-information. But, you seldom learn how to organize your business, prioritize your time, and measure your advancement. One of the basic premises to success is to allocate your time to the right activities. Here’s my list, from Launching Right in Real Estate:

Time Commitments How To Allocate Your Time Download

Common Time Management Mistakes

We go into real estate with lots of confidence. We love houses. We like people. We want to help people. Then, we find out there’s a whole lot to learn. So, we spend most of our time ‘getting ready’. I’ve watched new agents spend many months learning–and avoiding jumping on what I term the sales path--talking to, working with, and selling homes to real people.

Compare Your Time Management to My Allocations

What do you see as differences? What are the activities leading you to a sale? What are the activities that actually protect you from working with those challenging people–those potential clients? What adjustments do you want to make to create a faster career launch for yourself?

Whether you’re in pre-license now, or launching your career, this book will be an invaluable success companion. Order Launching Right now at 1/2 price: $12.95.

Categories action plan, Launching Right in Real Estate, new agent business plan, new agents make money, New Real Estate Agents, pre-license, Real estate as a career, Real Estate Sales
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The Good Interview Process Isn’t What You Think

by Carla Cross

June 16th, 2021

Your interview might not have done you any favors….

This blog is excerpted from my new book, Launching Right in Real Estate: What They Don’t Teach You in Pre-License School. You may have experienced an interview where you got asked two questions and then–the manager was off to the races–selling, selling, selling. If you’re ever been interviewed for another business, you know that’s not how an interview should go. Why? Because

The manager doesn’t get the information he/she needs to make the right decision.
You may be wooed and won — not because it was the best decision for you, but because that manager was the best salesperson. Later, you may have buyer’s remorse.

What the Manager Is Looking For

Good interviewers ask you specific, planned questions to discover:

If you have the traits and qualities of a successful agent in that office
If you have a sales behavioral profile
If you are motivated to succeed in sales
The skills you bring to the business, such as sales, management and computer skills
If you have shared values with the office and will be a positive addition to the culture and team

The Questions Best Interviewers Ask. Below are some behavioral-based questions with the traits and qualities that they indicate. They are termed behavioral-based questions because they ask the interviewee to recall his past behavior. Behavioral-based questions give us the best indicators of a person’s relative strengths of character, and how they will apply these strengths in sales.

Describe the last time you took a risk. What happened?
Describe a time when you were thinking of giving up. What happened?

The mark of a good interview is to ask these ‘past-based’ questions–and then probe and listen. The interviewer shouldn’t jump from question to question. As you describe your past experiences and what you did, the interviewer can hear the skills and qualities you bring to the real estate business.

Why are behavioral-based questions so important to the interview process? Because

behavior that’s rewarded is repeated.

What This Means to You

Your interviewer’s skill will tell you whether the interviewer simply wants another body (no behavioral based questions/goes right to sales spiel) or the interviewer is carefully considering whether you will be successful selling real estate and will fit into the team.

What was your interview experience? Were you ‘sold’ or were you actually interviewed?

Know someone thinking of going into real estate? This book has the answers they need to make the best decision for them. (including the 5 questions you MUST ask).

Buy it now at 1/2 price (now $12.95) because it’s in pre-sale production. The eBook will be available July 1. Click here to order.

Categories Interviewing, Launching Right in Real Estate, new agent interview, New Real Estate Agents, pre-license
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5 Ways to Look Professional From Day One–FREE

by Carla Cross

June 10th, 2021

You’re new, or you’re revitalizing your career. Why not take advantage of these 5 easy, FREE steps to look professional from day one.

Here are five ways to look professional from the first day you’re in real estate–and they’re all FREE (except for the professional picture).

1. Use a professional email address–the one your company offers you or your website address. Which sounds more professional: DaddyDave@Hotmail.com or DavidSmith@abcrealty.com? Remember, it takes 6 times of meeting you before someone remembers your name. You want to be associated with your company with your email address. It’s free. You get more space. (Don’t you love it when you try to email and the message says the email is full…..real professional, huh)?

2. Create a professional voice mail message, one that mentions your company name. That personal, casual voice mail you love just doesn’t cut it. Even worse, a negative message is sent when an agent uses a canned voice mail message–or none at all. Would you work with someone like that? See voice mail tips at https://upandrunningin30days.com/free-resources/.

And–don’t let that voice mail box fill up. That’s just yelling “I’m not paying attention to my business and you aren’t important….”

3. Create your biography on all sites right away, so they have a consistent image through all sites. If you want to feel ill, look at some of the bio sites (including your company website), and see how many agents just don’t bother to tell people who they are, what they do, and how they can assist clients. See information on creating your biography here.

4. Have a professional head shot taken and get your picture on those bio sites NOW. We identify and remember faces much better than names. Take advantage of that! Recently, I tried to find an agent on the company website. I thought I knew her first name, but I was not quite accurate. So, I thought I’d just scroll through until I found her picture (I have met her and she’s very attractive). Ha! She didn’t have her picture on the site, even though she is a good agent and has been in the business several years. We remember faces way before we remember names. Take advantage of it!

Why should you bother? Because most agents don’t bother, and you want to stand out from the rest. You are going to lead generate your heart out, and you want people to remember who you are.

You will gain and keep more business with these 5 easy tips–I promise!!

Managers: Use these tips for your agents in your onboarding process. Getting them started right is a lot of the battle for success.

Know someone thinking about real estate as a career? This new eBook provides the answers they need. Self-analysis tools; hundreds of questions answered. Straight facts provided. Purchase now at 1/2 price, $12.95, pre-launch date of July 1, 2021. Click here to order.

Categories action plan, Branding, Launching Right in Real Estate, Marketing, Marketing with PR, New Real Estate Agents, Personal promotion, pre-license, Real estate as a career, Real Estate Sales
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Interviewing? Five Best Questions to Ask

by Carla Cross

June 3rd, 2021

Interviewing as a real estate agent? Here are the questions I think are most important for a would-be or transferring agent should ask their interviewers.

Unfortunately, the interview process is not as practiced or prepared by either party as it could be. So, the interviewer doesn’t find out critical information from the candidate, and the candidate asks a few general questions. I hate to say this, but some interviewers spend most of the time selling the candidate on the benefits of that particular company. Candidates get excited and join–and then find out there’s more to the story.

Any Surprises Should be Good Ones

It’s very dis-enheartening when an agent new to an office finds out that something he heard–or assumed–was not exactly what he found after being hired. Guard against that by fully informing that would-be agent prior to hiring. The only surprises the agent should get are good ones!

It’s Easy to Get Carried Away in the Interview

Skilled interviewers ask questions to ‘lead’ a candidate toward the benefits of that particular company. As that candidate, you may not realize the reason for those questions. Flattered and interested, many candidates forget to ask the tough questions they need to ask so they know what they are ‘buying’.

Those Questions Candidates Should Ask

Here are the questions, excerpted from my new eBook, Launching Right in Real Estate: What They Won’t Teach You in Pre-LIcense School.

Click here to grab those 5 best interview questions.

What do you think I’ve missed with this critical list of questions?

P. S. Launching Right in Real Estate has 77 questions or categories for candidates to choose from, to assure they get the information they need to make the right choices for them.

Arm yourself with the information you need to make the right career decision. Self-analysis tools guide you in whether you will thrive in real estate; the best business plan for new agents; success habits of new agents; best interview questions. What to watch for in a company–and dozens of pieces of advice. Hot off the presses at the end of June, pre-order at half price–$12.95 (regularly $24.95). This book will save you thousands and be critical in launching your successful real estate career.

Categories expectations, Interviewing, Launching Right in Real Estate, manager, new agent interview, new agents make money, New Real Estate Agents, Real estate as a career, Real Estate Sales, Real Estate Success
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