Being Me
I got into real estate almost five years ago. I find that people get into real estate for a few different reasons.
Their parents or other influential people in their life did it.
They had an experience with an agent and thought, “If X can make money doing a crappy job, how much money could I make doing an awesome job!?”
Opportunist. They see that the market is hot, watch a lot of HGTV, or fancy themselves a real estate mogul.
Last resort. They don’t really know what else do to. And hey the market is hot so….I know sounds like the opportunist.
Or maybe they just love looking at houses.
I’m oversimplifying things but deep down I’m sure a lot of agents fall into one of those categories.
I had no real idea what being a real estate agent would mean before I got started. I watched a little HGTV. I knew a few real estate agents. They all made it seem so easy.
I’ll tell you what. It has been hard! Some might have it easier than me but it is hard.
It didn’t take me long to find out that I hated calling family and friends attempting to steer the conversation for their business or referrals. As time went on and as more awkward conversations happened I just stopped doing it. I told myself cold calling and door knocking would be okay. Being rejected and having awkward conversations with strangers is easier. At least I told myself it was but I knew I was just lying to myself. It wasn’t easier, I still hated the rejection, even if it was from someone that didn’t know me.
They say real estate is a relationship business but I wasn’t seeing it. I didn’t know how I could build a relationship from cold calling or door knocking. I hate when people cold call me or sell stuff at my door. The only thing I want to do is see how quickly I can get them to go away.
I didn’t know how I could strengthen a relationship when the only time someone heard from me was a postcard with a recipe on it or a phone call begging for business. Awkward.
So I stopped all of it.
I went months without working with someone. No clients mean no closings.
No closings mean no money.
If your business isn’t making money you’ll need to close it down and move on.
Closing my business doesn’t get me closer to my goal.
If I wanted to continue real estate I couldn’t do it without making money. And the stuff I was doing before wasn’t me. I hated it. I had to find something else.
Slowly I changed what I sent out to people. I stopped looking at people as leads. I stopped begging. I stopped hounding.
I worked towards not being a human spammer. I focused more on relationships. I focused more on being myself and not doing or being the person other people said I should be.
I think it was that change in focus that caused me to have the busiest 8-month stretch I have ever had.
Things got so busy I was the #1 individual agent in my office and #14 individual agent for the Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerages in Utah for the month of June.
If you work hard and don’t give up sometimes you’ll get a few feet further ahead.
I know I couldn’t do it without some awesome clients that put a lot of trust in me and still do. I really appreciated them. Thank you.