Being a successful real estate agent requires you to display professionalism in everything you do in your business. Whether you are working with real estate buyers, working with real estate sellers, or providing services for tenants and landlords, they expect you to conduct yourself appropriately. In addition, when you have a sense of mission, your path to real estate success becomes surer and straighter.
Gaining a Sense of Mission
No matter what you do in life, you need to be aware of your overall mission. This is your guiding principle that affects every decision you make in one way or another. Someone learning how to become a real estate agent often assumes that their most important mission is to make money. Indeed, building wealth is never a bad thing.
However, focusing on the money-making aspect above all else rarely brings the best results. With a mindset that places earning money above everything else, you often miss the best opportunities, fail to satisfy your customers, and may even end up doing illegal or unethical things.
So, what should your mission be? If you ask many top producers in real estate jobs, you might be surprised at their answers. For many, the best mission is to serve your clients well and provide them with an exceptional experience as they buy, sell, or lease a home.
Imagine that you are selling a product rather than your services as a realtor. In that case, your mission would be to provide those services in a way that brings repeat business and referrals. Does this mean you won’t make money? Absolutely not! The money comes as a by-product of providing the best services that bring repeat business, increase referrals, and help you generate interest in your brand. Remember: Referrals happen because you give a fantastic customer experience.
Developing the Mindset and Behaviors of a Professional
Professionalism is a critical part of attracting and serving customers. It involves developing the suitable characteristics to present yourself genuinely as a knowledgeable real estate expert committed to their profession’s proper practice.
Then, what characteristics do you need to gain a higher level of professionalism? One way is to take real estate online courses that cover the subject of professionalism. The Roadmap to Success Foundation course is an excellent starting point to learn about these characteristics and behaviors. For now, here are some of the qualities real estate agents need to develop.
Being Trustworthy – As you interact with any client, you need to show them repeatedly why they should trust you. Unless you can deliver on your promises, avoid making them. Instead, give wise counsel that helps clients adjust their expectations to the true situation. Earn their trust day by day.
Having Good Relationships – As a realtor, you need to have solid relationships with clients, of course. In addition, you need to have solid connections with other realtors in your area and with businesses that help with real estate transactions. For example, knowing lenders, title companies, and businesses that provide home repair and renovation will help you accomplish your and your client’s goals more efficiently. This provides more evidence of your professionalism.
Golden and Silver Rules
While it is essential to have confidence and high self-esteem, a true professional also recognizes the value of treating others well. Show yourself as a professional by following the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Then, go a step further and adopt the Silver Rule: Do not do unto others as you would not have them do unto you. In short, have the same concern for their well-being and goals as you have for your own.
Code of Ethics
A professional realtor is a realtor who follows a strict code of ethics. In other words, it is someone who has clear ideas of what is right and wrong and chooses to do what is ethical. You may have noticed the National Association of Realtors’ code of ethics in your real estate training. The rules outlined in this document define what the NAR views as professional behavior for a realtor. Therefore, the best decision you can make is to adopt these rules and follow them closely. Whether you have earned the Realtor designation or not, you can follow the same rules and build your reputation as a professional by your actions.
Responsibility
A Professional takes responsibility for their results. When you are learning real estate or first practicing, you will likely have at least a few unfortunate results. However, a crucial task in your on-the-job real estate training is to accept responsibility for what you do and how it turns out. What’s more, you should continue to watch for your own mistakes even after being an experienced realtor. This is the only way to improve your realtor skills and become a more successful real estate agent.
Empathy
One fantastic thing about true professionals is that they have developed the ability to put themselves in another person’s shoes. They are skilled in cognitive empathy, seeing the world through their client’s eyes, and recognizing their challenges and hopes. They give emotional empathy when they feel their clients’ emotions. And, they provide compassionate empathy as they relate to their clients’ pain and seek to help them.
Common Sense
Many real estate courses are so focused on teaching academic subjects and technical realtor skills that they neglect the need for good common sense. A real estate agent needs to know the correct formulas and facts. They also need to have practical intelligence, or street smarts, to make the right decisions in situations not covered in books.
Practical Professionalism
Aside from understanding and practicing the above concepts, you also need to know what professional behavior is in specific situations. You should know the most proficient ways to communicate, whether by email, phone, instant messaging, or texting. It’s important to dress and groom yourself appropriately for your occupation. Also, being punctual is an excellent way to present yourself as someone who takes their work seriously. Finally, well-designed business cards and name badges identify you as a real estate agent.
Without a mission, you will struggle, drift alone, or follow the wrong path in your real estate career. Serving others is the noblest and most productive mission you can choose. Then, move on in your real estate training to develop professional qualities, habits, and behaviors. When you accomplish these things, you will gain more clients and build your business.