I'm almost finished with "The Millionaire...", and have also read Jennifer Allan's "Sell with Soul" and her companion book. I won't think of myself as a "salesperson"...more a facilitator. I told my 14-year old son, "I won't be selling houses -- I'll be selling myself." He said, "Mom, that sounds like a prostitute." Smart kid. I'll have to find a better way to phrase that!

Good luck, Tony!

Not meaning to hijack the thread, but why do people have problem with saying we are in sales. That is what we do...plain and simple. Color it how you wish, we are salespeople. Frankly, I wouldn't have it any other way.

It's just how I feel -- I've never sold anything in my life, beyond having a lemonade stand as a kid. I never thought I'd ever be a salesperson. The cold-calling, etc. I used to work for some very aggressive stockbrokers, and I swore I wouldn't be a "salesman". They lost their humanity...and it was sad. That's probably why Jennifer's book really hit home for me.

So for ME, I like to think I'll be "helping" my clients, not trying to sell them something...beyond my services as a real estate professional. Just my personal take on it...my comfort level.

Does that mean you'll be getting licensed by the end of the summer, or are you already licensed?

Believe it or not, the real estate market isn't HORRIBLE - it's just not in a boom the way it was the past few years - which means you'll have to work hard at success!

If you're thinking of getting your license, then even before you start classes, you should be preparing for the career. Basically, before classes start and has you're taking them, you should already be building your pipeline of real estate leads. Meaning sit down, make a list of EVERYONE YOU KNOW BY FACE OR NAME (and I mean EVERYONE) and compile as much contact info on them as possible. Once that's done, congrats, b/c you've just started your pipeline. Think about creative ways to tell these people you'll be an agent soon - postcards, letters, emails, etc. Start getting your name out there.

Start thinking about marketing ideas (again, all this before you even GET your license, so you can get started RIGHT away as soon as you're licensed). Think about where you'll get a website from, think about whether you want to purchase real estate leads online to help grow your pipeline as well. You can start researching lead generation companies now. They all kind of work differently for different agents, so I wouldn't say there's one BEST lead gen company - depends on what you're looking for.


Couple of resource suggestions:
GetMyHomesValue.com has a corporate website that provides a lot of great resource and info for agents.

The owners also have their own blog at RorySteveandDave.com where they post tons of great advice - they even have a podcast that's EXTREMELY useful and entertaining.

Finally, they do sell real estate leads and other marketing solutions for agents at a fairly low price (plus if you sign up for lead gen, you get a free website at no additional cost from their partner site, RemarkableAgents.com

Alright, sorry, I know that reads like an ad, but my boss has tried quite a few different lead gen sites and so far he likes GetMyHomesValue, mostly because you don't have to do a long term commitment (subscriptions are on a month to month basis) and their customer service dept is pretty awesome. I've had to deal with them from time to time and they're always really friendly and helpful. Plus, if you are thinking of signing up and are talking to a sales person, you can usually negotiate some kind of pricing discount or special deal - they're willing to work with you.

I like paragaphs 1-4 directly above me...but I stop short of any leads program...do not EVER buy leads...period.
That is the biggest scam in the world and none of them are worth a damn. If you must buy leads, offer to pay a huge percentage for any that close and none for the others.

THANK YOU!

You're welcome!

Thanks Elecat, as far as being salespeople...we are....or will be when we are licensed.....but This gig is unlike any other sales position I know of...we are almost a matching service....working with sellers....finding a buyer who wants what you have to offer......or with buyers knowing exactly what they want and finding a match.....there is "sales" involved but not to the extent of say...a car salesman(I was one for ten days...hated it)...

As some smart folks here have said, this is about relationships......grow that SOI

Wow, Tony, I SWEAR I just said that the other day to my co-worker, that I'll be like a matchmaker! I like that, as I'm SUCH a romantic.

This future career of ours seems to have everything, every kind of job and skill all rolled up in one. I tend to get very bored when not challenged, and I don't think that'll EVER happen as a real estate "matchmaker".