Real Estate Rookie! 

How do we define a Real Estate Rookie?  Someone who just got licensed… or… has been in the industry less than a year… or someone who has closed fewer than, say, 10 transactions?

 Actually, all of these definitions apply, and in some ways, we’re ALL Real Estate Rookies no matter how long we’ve been licensed or how many closings we’ve had! But for our purposes here, we’re speaking to real estate agents who consider THEMSELVES to be rookies, who are looking for training and support from their real estate office so that they can achieve the success they dreamed of when they first signed up for real estate school.

 But let’s talk about that. WHY did you sign up for real estate school in the first place?

Why did you want to be a Real Estate Agent?

Was it because you’d always fantasized about cold-calling strangers three hours a day? Blanketing neighborhoods with recipe cards, football schedules and calendars? Knocking on strangers’ doors and asking them if they know anyone who wants to buy or sell real estate?

We didn’t think so.

We’re thinking that you signed up for a career in real estate because you enjoyed the idea of helping real people achieve their goal of homeownership, or at least, helping them salvage what’s left of their equity (and their dignity) if they’re in a distressed situation (as many are these days). We think you might have been excited by the opportunity to do something different every single day, to solve seemingly unsolvable problems, to use your creativity to overcome challenges and to yes, make a very good living doing something you enjoy… and that you’re good at. 

Does this sound about right?

But if you peruse typical real estate training material for new agents, more often than not, you’ll find programs that promise to make you a Champion; to get you Up and Running;  to Get Red Hot; to Jump Start you into Real Estate;  to Have 4 listings and 4 sales in 4 days; to Be Coached into Excellence… with very little fanfare about actually being worthy of those grand commissions they promise to bring your way. 

And here’s the thing – THESE SORTS OF PROGRAMS CAN WORK, and for some they work really well.  I used to promote them myself to my agents because I believed the CORE message all of these programs preached, which was…

"Real Estate sales is a Numbers Game"

These types of programs insist that if you call ENOUGH people - knock on ENOUGH doors - send ENOUGH cards – eventually you’ll find someone wants to buy or sell a home.  Many of these programs encourage even brand new agents to prospect for leads before if they have any idea what they’re doing yet.  “Don’t worry about that,” they assure you, “someone else in the office will help you if you need it!”

 And, again, this approach has worked for many - but consider this:

 Other agents, including those with more experience than you have, are doing the same things – and they HAVE expertise, knowledge and experience.  But when a new agent prospects for business and the best he or she can do when asked a specific real estate question is to say "Um, well, I'll get back to you,"  they’ll lose every time to the experienced agent who already knows the answer.

So... What's your point?

Our point is that we don’t believe a new agent should be encouraged to prospect for business until they have a reasonably good understanding of how to manage the pieces and parts of a real estate transaction. We don’t believe in the philosophy of “Fake it ‘til you make it” or “Sink or Swim;” in fact, we think that’s a terrible way to treat a new agent, not to mention the new agent’s first customers who are depending on (and paying) the agent to competently manage a complicated transaction!

How does this approach sound to you?

Do YOU believe that you should be competent before you pursue and accept payment for your services? Do YOU want your first clients to sing your praises to the world because you KNEW HOW TO take great care of them? Are you willing to invest in your future success by devoting some time upfront to mastering your contracts, your systems and your market?

If so, you are SO in the right place!

RWW is proud to say that we are a “Sell with Soul-Certified” real estate office; in fact, we’re the very FIRST office to earn that distinction. Because we follow SWS principles as described above, we encourage all our new licensees to enroll in the 6-Week Sell with Soul School for Rookie Real Estate Agents, and we will contribute toward the cost of the program.

You can learn more about Selling with Soul for Rookie Agents here: www.theconfidentrookie.com, or just call Greg at 316-841-6784!