One of the questions she fielded was this: What should a new agent do when she is first starting out?
I have heard her responses many times and am repeating her suggestions below. I want to emphasize that she is not claiming to be an expert; she is just sharing what she has seen work.
1. Pick a farm, and pound it – primarily with door-knocking. We know a new agent who closed over 30 transactions three years into the business primarily b/c she relentlessly door-knocked her farm.
2. Pound your sphere, with social media, postcards and even phone calls. Let everyone you know (friends, family, classmates, former co-workers, etc.) that you are in the business, and willing to help.
3. Join a Team to learn the ropes. We see many young agents go it alone and have trouble getting their offers accepted b/c they haven’t learned the nuances that they’d pick up on a team.
4. Time Block. Calendar specific times to door knock, answer emails, market to your sphere, and attend networking events to get advice from lenders :) Too many young agents just show up at the office and react to events or wait for things to happen.
5. Ignore shiny objects like CRMs, lead gen companies, and fancy marketing gimmicks. These can work for experienced agents but are often expensive distractions for inexperienced agents.
6. Know your value propositions or differentiators. Neighborhood knowledge? Valuable information? Weekend availability? Not sure what works best, but find something.
7. Work open houses to garner leads. We know several new agents who did extremely well just doing this relentlessly.
8. If you get a listing in your farm, put your signs out everywhere prior to open houses to convey the impression that you are everywhere.
Jay Voorhees
Founder/Broker | JVM Lending
(855) 855-4491 | DRE# 01524255, NMLS# 310167
