Step one to a successful career in real estate

As a broker and owner of a real estate company, my main job in order to succeed is not to go out and sell real estate, but to find people that can.  I am always approached by those that say they would make a great real estate agent because they are great with people, love to look at houses and are told by some  that they are capable of selling ice to eskimos.  Those may be good motivators to go out and take the real estate courses and pass the exam, but they are not what will keep you in the business for very long.

So what is the first step to be a successful real estate agent?  Being good with people is a great beginning, but most that are good with people have a hard time finding new people.  Yes, new people, people that you do not know and may who may reject YOU!  Real estate is a sales business and not just a sit and wait for customers and clients to call you type sales business.  You have to go out and talk to strangers that see you as a sales person as soon as you call on them and identify yourself as a real estate agent.  Did I mention YOU have to call on people? Yes, lots of people and when you call on lots of people you need to be mentally ready for what knocks so many people out of the business, the fear of rejection.

We all like to believe that we are immune from this real fear, especially when we are taking our first steps to getting into the business.  But in my experience, no one is ever immune from it, including myself after almost 20 years in the business.  We just find way to minimize it as much as possible, not to take it personally and move on to the next one when it does happen.

So the first step in a successful career in real estate and for that matter any new business venture, is to learn how to deal with rejection.  I think in real estate, more than most businesses, it is more difficult because the product we market and sell the most is not the homes themselves but ourselves, the agent, yes YOU.  So agents tend to take it a little bit more personal than someone saying no to a particular house.

My simple solution is "Just get over it!" Real estate is about helping people that need help and want help, no selling, no pressure.  Real estate can be a rewarding career, but not because of the money you may make, but because of the many people that need the guidance of a good real estate expert to help them. The many who thought buying a home was a dream that would never be realized, and now are happy to finally have a place they can truly call their own.

Jose L. Segarra
Broker-Owner
Exit Homevets Realty
Killeen, Texas