What, are you kidding me?  How can that be when seasoned agents have the experience, the contacts and the know-how to leverage both?  I am here to tell you that many agents that have been in the business for years have hit the wall.  Sure they have big reputations and big followings, but that can be a weakness as much as a positive in our changing industry.  Many have become complacent, and more still have lost their enthusiasm.  They are accustomed to the easy  paychecks and never-ending streams of new business from the good ole days.  Unfortunately for them, a lot of the things that worked in the past just don’t work today.  The full page spreads in the Sunday paper, mass snail mailings, the non-stop flow of new, creampuff listings … the game has changed.  They don’t want to hear about short sales, foreclosures or social media.  They are too important and successful to hold open houses or knock on doors.  They are stuck, and at risk of being overrun by new, hard-charging, technologically savvy agents at their heels.

I have never seen a market where a skilled, ambitious newcomer can almost immediately outsell an old pro.  Not until today, that is.  Learn everything there is to know about short sales and foreclosures.  They are going to be around for a while.  FHA financing was dead for years thanks to the easy conventional loans that were available.  That is no longer the case.  For many buyers, FHA is the only way to go. Take a course on FHA mortgages and become an expert in this area.  A lot of veterans are still clueless on the subject. 

The old adage, “fake it to you make” has never been truer or easier thanks to the Internet.  Hire a professional to build a web page.  You may be broke and living in your car, but will appear to be the most successful Realtor on the planet with a professional website.  Since you don’t have a big reputation yet, lean on the reputation of your industry-leading brokerage.  Adopt the many successes of Realty Executives as your own until you have a personal track record to flaunt.  As you make sales (rentals, anything), be sure to solicit testimonials and post them on your site.  Also load it up with links for schools, chambers of commerce, referral partners (such as mortgage brokers, insurance agents, etc) and other value-added local information.  Like to write? Excellent!  A blog or online newsletter is a great way to let the public know who you are and what makes you unique.  Focus on a specific interest (Real Estate related or otherwise) that will help you build your own niche.  Bland, broad content that attempts to appeal to everybody or capture too large a market will get you lost amidst an ocean of similarly bland, broad content.

Apply all of the prospecting methods you have learned at Executive Launch to discover which work best for you.  Once you isolate the one or two techniques that you are most comfortable with, focus all of your energy into those pursuits.  You must commit fully as you are the only one accountable for both your successes and failures as an entrepreneur.  This is a job.  A hugely lucrative and exciting one, but a job nonetheless.  Only those who are willing to put in the daily work will reap the biggest rewards.  And above all else, be enthusiastic.  Yeah, I know I sound like a cheerleader, but it has never been more important than in these uncertain times.  Consumers need your confidence as much as your competence.

Back to the old pros.  I associate with them everyday, and many just don’t have the “love” anymore.  They are tired, and it shows.  Buyers and sellers will pick up on this right away.  If you are working an open house and are visibly bored, for instance, they will know.  You don’t have to juggle circus balls or set your pants on fire, just enjoy what you are doing.  The public will pick up on that, too, and want to work with you.

Agents that are willing to work hard today are going to be top producers in the very near future.  There has never been a better time to buy Real Estate, and the public is starting to come around to that fact.  You are doing clients and friends a favor by selling them a home or investment today before prices and interest rates start to creep up again. In a few years, these buyers will become happy sellers, and will call you to list their homes.  By entering the market now, you will learn skills right off the bat that many vets never did.  By the time the market fully heals, you will be more than equipped to make hay on the “easy” transactions, and well prepared for handling the next inevitable down cycle.

Another old saying is “old agents don’t die, they just become listless.”  Trust me, many are becoming listless in more ways than one.  Take advantage of these “doom and gloomers” and this great buyer’s market. 

As for me, I have been doing this for more years than I want to admit.  I am closing my eyes and imagining I am a new agent with all the enthusiasm and excitement a new career brings.  Let’s sell some houses!

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