I have just started my realtor courses, and I will be moving to Denton, TX in two months.

I have plans on finding a Keller Williams brokerage to take up real estate at, and hopefully the sky is the limit from there.

Any top seller agents within Keller Williams feel free to Message me, as I have a few questions that I wish to be answered that I would prefer to not put out on the forum walls.

I know what Cold calling is, but I would like to know how it is best done.

What are the best ways of lead generation?

How do you set up a blog? I have blogged before, but what is the best way to go about it as a RE agent?

What is the best website programs to use, and how do you generate lots of traffic to your websites?

What is the best way for a new Agent to get his name out there, and to get his business up and running as quick as possible?

More important than anything if you pass the test is to get a mentor who is very successful and follow them. You will then see what it takes to make it big in this business and if you want to do it.

The brokerage name and magical training won't mean squat to your career.

80 percent of new agents fail the first year and leave the business. Out of the 20 percent that stay maybe 4 percent are left after 5 years or more if that.

Most that make it in this barely scrub by from closing to closing.

The biggest rookie mistake is having a mentor who is doing say 1 deal a month. You will not get to doing 50,60,100 deals a year learning from someone who does 12. You will get there learning from someone who does hundreds of closings a year.

So determine what kind of real estate segment you want to focus on (commercial,land,residential,etc.) and then find the top brokers/agents in that field and join them. Eventually you can stay with them or after sometime go on your own.

If you are looking to join a company that will provide leads and you do all these closings you are in for a HUGE reality check.Find a qualified mentor like I said and you will have the best shot at making it.

To answer your question about cold calling, the following is an article on the subject that I recently published:

In my opinion, one of the biggest reasons for failure as a real estate agent is the fear of calling prospects and current clients. Somehow, we are afraid. We are afraid that people will not appreciate our call or may be downright rude to us when we call.

We think about how we react to "telemarketers" when they interrupt our dinner. We think about what our listing clients will tell us when we call and they have not had any showings in two weeks. We worry what our buyer clients will say to us when we have not come up with their dream house yet.

Here is my advice: Get over it or you will never succeed!

I know that is easier said then done. Nobody likes rejection. But, you can't let the fear of rejection stop you. Here are a few ways to get you past that fear and help you pick up that phone:

Smile. Approach each call with a big grin on your face. Put a mirror in front of your desk so that you can see those beautiful white teeth while you are phoning. Believe it or not, people on the other end of the line can "see" you. Your attitude really comes through.

Set a schedule. Let your listing clients know that you are going to call them at a certain time each week, whether you have any news or not. They will be expecting your call, and if all you have to tell them is that there have been no appointments that week, you will be able to go on to suggest a price adjustment.

Make daily goals. Make it your goal to speak with ten people every day about real estate. Don't worry about the outcome. Incomplete calls and answering machines don't count for this one.

Make sure that you miss them. If you are really shy, call people when you know you will not reach them. For example, call their office number after hours. Leave a message. You'll be surprised how may people call you back. Then, it's an incoming call rather then an outgoing one.

Have something to say. It's much better to say, "I saw this great article in today's paper and I wanted to see if you saw it, too?" then to say "Have you found a home yet?" It's a conversation starter and will help you discover what is on your prospect's mind.

Remember, reach out to people, be yourself, be friendly, and be helpful.

I definitely appreciate the responses, and I definitely plan on taking the approach of finding a mentor that makes the closes happen constantly. I have always been one in finding the strongest mentor in what I have tried to do. Kiyosaki preaches that in way to many of the books of his that I have read.

I definitely know that leads are not going to come to me, that is why I am asking about the cold calling and such. I am trying to find The best ways to get good leads.

I am okay with giving any day/night/weekend to open houses, cold calling, etc. I fear nothing of face to face confrontation. I am just looking to get as much information and ideas about lead generation and such before I get into this world.

I am really looking for the most tips and best hints of the world that I can receive.

I appreciate the responses tom moser and super realtor.

Lead generation.

1) Website with IDX and a back-office to track all clients w/ call to action.....

2) Craigslist (Buyers)

3) Social Media/Blog SEO

Great advice from SuperRealtor. One should associate one's self with someone who breeds success. This will cause you to flourish is you take great notes and watch the pro do it.

Hi guys, sorry to digress a bit, I'm a rookie in R.E here, I am thinking before I can be a listing agent like you guys, is it true I must start serving buyers first? Can somebody also teach me the best ways to make your presence felt in your targeted area? My seniors suggested door-knocking and distributing flyers. I've read somewhere in this forum about this guy who distributes his name card with a small handwritten note as personal touch instead of flyers to be different, and this other guy who starts door-knocking at 6am every morning. And a lot of agents tell me that door-to-door is better than telemarketing for rookies because of the face-to-face experience and the low-cost start-up. I'm a bit baffled on how to start. Not that I'm looking for a shortcut, but would be great if some veterans here can give me some pointers and how true are the things that I'd mentioned I heard...A million thanks in advance...

Sammy- When I started in RE the first thing I did was to contact everyone I knew to let them know I was an agent. Had my first listing in a week. Follow up (email, mailer or phone call) with your SOI every month. Take floor shifts if they are available. I have never focused on being a buyers agent just went after leads and worked them. My first year I did quite a few deals and they all came from my SOI. It made it easier for me because I didn't have to be nervous. I also had a mentor for my first three deals that walked me through the process.

I have never knocked on a door or cold called anyone but I am sure that it works for some agents.

If you have the money now I would also recommend a good website to drive leads to you.

Thanks a lot for the reply P-town, I've already spread the word to my SOI, so far only one referral of a buyer from an ex-classmate, but till now couldn't get hold of him...guess he found himself a suitable agent already. Anyway, I am not so well-off, kinda operating on shoe-string budget for the time being, so what I've done is spreading the word on facebook, have a marketing blog and posting on craigslist. I was wondering if my SOI is kinda small, would it be good help if I make up with more door-knocking to get the numbers to improve my chances of getting listings or motivated buyers...

One bugging question in my mind though, it was what one of the top guns in my company said during a workshop, is it true that it's a bad way to start without a good amount of savings? The way he put it, it's like one should have at least 10-20k of savings to bank on at least...pls enlighten me...

Ideally yes, you would have plenty saved up ahead of time. We usually tell people to not expect a pay cheque for 6 months so you will need money saved to pay your bills during that time period. Some make it work without the money saved up but it is much more difficult.

Thanks MHT...One thing I'm doing is that I'll be holding a graveyard shift job too, 10pm-8am, so that I can do R.E. in the day, let's see how long I can last last this way...

I understand that as a young real estate agent there are alot of questions. Remember experience is everything, so go out there and get as much of it as possible. I have a good source that can help you and answer alot of your questions along the way. These are audio clips teaching you techniques about real estate sales.
http://tiny.cc/w6qfc

Understanding that the market is very cyclical, I was wondering what kind of numbers to attach to "cyclical."
How many deals have people closed each of the last 5 years? Thanks!

Blake,

I have tons of free videos that show you how to build your blog and what you should do to acquire interested parties in your services. Just Google "Expert Realtor Web" and navigate to the blog. There is a ton of free information there as well as a free 98 Page book on how a Real Estate professional can use technology to attract clients.

If I were to rank methods of lead generation that were the most important in sales they would rank as the following:

1. Direct Contact - Meeting people in person ranks higher than a cold phone call.
2. Referrals - If you are known and they like you a referral is a powerful marketing tool.
3. Public Speaking - Join your local Toastmasters
4. Writing and Publicity - You can get started by writing for blogs and articles on different real estate sites.
5. Promotional Events - Create a seminar or have a booth at a house show or convention.
6. Advertise - Phonebook, directories as well as having a Website into your local directories on the Internet.

The Internet is he LEAST effective method of gaining clients because it is so competitive and people can leave your site with a mere click of a button. It should be accessed by the people you have already connected with. However, once they are on your emailing list and they are frequenting your site, you will have a great opportunity of connecting with them and referring them and their referrals back to the website or blog over and over again.

To see how to properly use the Internet and technology to build your clients, read my blog. Google: Expert Realtor Web

God Bless,

Mark Ellis

It's been a while since you posted, so hopefully you are now part of the Keller Williams family. If so, you know that the new agent training will teach you all of what you are looking for...lead generation, budgeting your business, scripts and dialogues, etc! The KW business model is designed to help you master the market of the moment so you can succeed in any economy! Good luck