Getting Organized and Beating the Drums
If you are like most new agents, you will have mixed feelings as you begin work. On the one hand, you will be eager to begin doing the things that will earn you some money. On the other hand, you will feel the natural anxiety that comes with anything as important in life as starting a new career. It is essential that you clearly understand the nature of the challenge and that you be aware of what you can do to prepare.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW UP FRONT
Your first year in real estate will likely be your toughest. That's how it was for most of us. Consider the story of Dorcas T. Helfant, past president of NAR and the first woman to hold that post. In an interview with a Realtor trade magazine shortly after she took office as NAR president, Helfant revealed that she entered real estate sales when she was twenty-one years old, facing a divorce, and raising an infant. A year went by with no business, which prompted her to apply for a job selling appliances for Sears. By the time Sears called, Helfant had put together five sales, and "from there I never looked back." She is still not looking back as the Managing Broker of the Virginia Beach, Virginia office of Coldwell-Banker Professional, Realtors. I'll provide guidance in this chapter that is designed to get you some early paydays, but be prepared to hang in there. You will very likely face serious emotional and financial challenges.
KINDS OF ON-THE-JOB TRAINING
Initial on-the-job training is designed to ease your transition from student to practitioner. It may be very formal or extremely casual, depending on where you work. If it is highly structured, you can expect to spend your early days mastering the basics of the trade. While licensing courses deal mainly with factual information, company sessions devote substantial time to traditional real estate sales and listing techniques. You can also expect a healthy amount of motivational material. You will be exposed to an array of ideas, techniques, and suggestions, most of which will be time-tested and valuable.
My strong recommendation is that you be open minded and receptive. Some of the material may be difficult for you and some of it uncomfortable, but withhold judgment. Your broker will be satisfied if you master the techniques and modify them to accommodate your own individual style and philosophy. Even if that were not her basic inclination, successful brokers are practical enough not to try to make you into something you are not.
THAT'S RIGHT: TODAY YOU DEFINITELY GET ORGANIZED
If you have been a successful businessperson, particularly in a commissioned sales job in which you worked with the general public, you know what it takes to do the job. One of the most immediately successful of my former students was an intelligent, personable, hard-working woman who made the transition from Avon Lady to real estate sales. If you've had sales experience, whatever worked for you before will likely work again. However, real estate is just different enough to make it worth your while to consider some of these ideas. If you have had little or no previous work experience, or none in sales, you will want to pay particular attention.
Pick a Partner
In every office there seems to be at least one agent who is exceptionally well organized. She always has the latest information on interest rates and loan programs, better property files than the local multiple listing service, and a personal data card for every person with whom she has ever done business. Her closed-deal files are masterpieces of organization, showing who said what to whom, and when. Find out early who this is in your office, and ask if you can look over her system.
Generally, someone like this takes a great deal of justifiable pride in how her work is organized, and she will probably be happy to share the information.
Even if your office does not have quite the paragon of virtue I have de- scribed, any established agent will know more about the practical aspects of administration than you will, so pick the person who seems to be the best qualified and with whom you are the most compatible. Some offices have a formal buddy or mentor system that pairs off each newcomer with an experienced agent, so the contact might be made for you. Others might have a structured coaching program in which you agree to pay for the personalized tutoring. Naturally, that's one of the things you'll make certain you're clear on before you sign on. No matter what the system, make sure that you find out how the official office files are maintained and learn how to locate things for yourself. You will become popular if you can find what you need without always asking for help.
Fishing for a Mentor
Let me relate a quick personal story to illustrate my suggestions for finding a model agent whom you may emulate. As a youth my first experience at fishing with my dad was a disaster. He neglected to tell me that when you take a catfish off your hook there is a specific procedure you need to follow to prevent getting a serious injury. After that I only went fishing when required to as a family event, and never developed the slightest skill as a fisherman. Fast forward a few decades and I'm taking my son fishing for the first time. We're on the riverbank and he's next to me as we both cast our lines. I'm getting nothing. He's getting nothing. Down the bank about twenty yards was an older man who was pulling a fish about as fast as he could bait his hook. I left the bank for a quick trip back to my car for some water. When I returned my son was about ten yards from the man, observing his every move. It worked. He started catching fish. Fortunately, the gentleman seemed honored (and slightly amused) that he was chosen as a model. Moral to the story: choose your mentors wisely. Make it someone who has clearly excelled in meeting the same challenges you are about to face, and someone whose business philosophy and ethics are compatible.