FACT: Real Estate is hard. In fact, according to the NAR … it’s so hard that more than 70% of newly licensed agents are out of the business within the first 7 months.  Then, approximately another 50% of those new licensees fall out of the business within their first 1-2 years.  If you’re in the business right now, you basically have 2 choices to make every morning…

CHOICE #1:  You can choose to work on your skills, learning the techniques, the strategies and everything else you need to know and have to be … in order to be a professional sales person.

CHOICE #2:  Then you can choose to take action… or not.  If you plan on working on skills and being in the business tomorrow, take a look at these skills to help you succeed.

Skill #1 – The ability to get the most out of your time

Remember, just because you are your own boss doesn’t mean you can go to work whenever you please.  Show up every work day and work! If a friend or relative needs a ride from you or someone needs help during the day … Just say no. You’re working! Would a real, salary-paying job allow you to leave work so you can do your friends or family a favor? Obviously you wouldn’t let anything get in the way of a qualified listing appointment right? Then why would you let anything get in the way of your follow up or prospecting? Master the AM schedule and everything else will fall into place.

Skill #2 – The ability to attract customers daily

FACT: There is a direct link between prospecting daily and doing deals.   We have to strengthen that link in our minds.  We must also strengthen the link between following up on leads that we generate during our prospecting and setting up appointments. Isn’t it amazing that when we set and go on more appointments we get more deals!?

Here’s a sample of what your day goal/plan should be:

• 2 hours of lead generation
• Relentlessly follow up on your leads every day
• Speak to your past clients/COI
• Goal to set 3 showing or listing appt per week
• Preview 5 houses
• Knock 10 houses around each property you preview
• Show property
• Negotiate contracts
• Do it again the next day
• Prepare for your next day

Skill #3 – The ability to prequalify every prospect every time

FACT: When you prequalify your clients … you either draw out objections so that you can prepare for them before you actually do your listing presentation … or you’ll determine whether the prospect is worth you spending your time with them or not.

Skill #4 – The ability to follow up … consistently

FACT: 99% of the money you’ll make in real estate will be from your lead follow up. How many deals have you lost by over-following up? Remember the leads you have are the same leads that most of your co-workers and other competitors have too. If you aren’t on top of your business all the time, someone else may take your leads from you. For many of you reading this, that’s almost a $7,000-$10,000 per lead!

Obviously there are several other sub-skills you need to be a successful, professional real estate agent… but these 4 skills will allow you to build a strong enough foundation for a long term prosperous business.