Your new agents always want to shadow a successful real estate agent. So, in this blog, I’ve shadowed one of my new agents who made it into the top 10% of our company her first year in the business–out of about 500 good agents. Show this to your new agents and see their reactions. The good agents will be excited to have this model. The ones who won’t make it will give all kinds of reasons why ‘this won’t work for them’….
Shadowing: A Day in the Life of a Successful New Real Estate Agent
Here is the schedule of a very successful new agent, as she creates a six-figure career. This is literally the schedule I saw this agent use. I’ve just changed her name. This gives you a realistic idea of how to create a successful real estate career—fast.
A Day in the Life of a Successful New Agent
Let’s join Marie Smith, a determined, will-be successful dedicated agent, as she works through a typically scheduled day. First, a little background about Marie, so you understand the skills she brought to real estate and the challenges facing her as a new agent. Marie was a high school English teacher who became a salesperson, selling hotel convention space. She moved 2,000 miles to the Seattle area just before entering real estate. Even without a background in real estate, she feels good about her sales and writing skills because she developed these skills in her former jobs.
8:00 a.m. Marie goes to the office at this time because she knows she needs to plan activities and do paperwork and research while it is quiet there. She spends one hour in support activities. Because she was in sales, where she had to go out and generate leads, she knows that her career starts there. Her goal is to spend four hours per day, contacting 100 potential leads per week. She knows those time frames and contact numbers will give her the needed number of potential clients and customers to meet her earning expectations of one sale per month as a new agent.
Note: Marie is following the start-up business plan, in Up and Running in 30 Days, the only internationally-published plan for people like you.
9:00 a.m. Marie is ready to phone potential buyers and sellers, to ask whether they know someone who wants to buy or sell a home. Marie chose to phone them because she knows few people in the area and realizes that this is a quick method to find prospects. For two hours, Marie talks to 40 homeowners and makes two appointments for that week. This is a normal ratio for Marie. She gets two appointments from 40 calls.
10:00 a.m. Marie takes a break and goes to support activities. To counsel buyers and sellers well, she wants to be sure she knows the available properties on the market. So for 2 hours, Marie previews properties in her area—but not the way low producers preview them. Because she has clients, she looks at properties for a specific purpose.
12:00 noon Marie takes a break and has a sandwich at a restaurant near where she lives and works. While there, she hands her card to the waitress and asks for prospects. The waitress refers a friend who wants to buy a property. Marie always takes every opportunity to ask for leads.
1:00 p.m. Marie continues her business-generating activities by knocking on doors in the neighborhood where she lives. A home has been listed there by an agent in her office. With permission from that agent and seller, she tells the neighbors about the new listing and asks for prospects. To promote herself, Marie has created a brochure describing the newly listed property including a section about herself. To optimize the effect of these calls, Marie plans to go back into this neighborhood later to tell the neighbors more about this property (an open house, price reduction, listing sold, etc.).
In Up and Running in 30 Days, this is called circle prospecting.
Marie knows that it takes several meetings with people before people will remember her and trust her enough to give her leads or do business with her themselves. She’s establishing herself as an expert in her own neighborhood because she knows that people want to buy and sell real estate with someone they know and trust.
In two hours, Marie knocks on 50 doors and finds 20 households at home. Some of these people already know Marie. One is interested in chatting further with her about selling his home within the next three months. Marie makes an appointment to meet with him and his wife later that week.
3:30 p.m. Marie heads back to the office to return phone calls, handle paperwork, and do other support activities, including social media.
5:00 p.m. She finishes and gets ready to go home. As she gets up from her desk, she receives a phone call. An agent has an offer on Marie’s listed property and wants to present the offer that evening. Marie calls home to tell her 15-year-old son that she will not be home for dinner. She asks her son to relay that message to her husband. Marie has taught both men to cook, and they’ve been supportive of Marie’s dedication to her new career. As you know, Marie’s goal is to sell a home within a month so she can get a check by month three.
A big difference between Marie and those who fail: Marie realizes she is establishing her own business. She’s willing to do whatever it takes, because she intends to succeed at a high level.
Marie’s Business Start-Up Plan: You’ve read the description of a typical day in the life of Marie Smith, will-be successful agent.
How do you feel about what you just read? Are you excited that you can see a pattern that assures success? Or, did reading the description make you feel like you really didn’t want to expend the effort?
Advice to would-be and new agents: Gain a proven start-up business plan AND have a dedicated coach to help you every step of the way.
Are You Starting your New Agents with a Proven Start-up Plan?
It’s stunning, but true. Only about 5% of new agents start with a proven start-up plan. No wonder they fail. It doesn’t have to be that way. Check out my internationally published start-up plan for new agents, Up and Running in 30 Days, now in its 6th printing (be sure to use this latest newly edited version!). Why not give them every opportunity to succeed?
