When I decided to sell real estate for a living I talked to my father who had a very successful career as an independent business consultant. Like my father I was choosing to work for myself and I would need to find ways to generate my own business. There was a lot of satisfaction in following in his footsteps, and I was heartened every time we spoke as he saw real estate sales as a great professional fit for my strong customer service management background, technical skill set, and entrepreneurial tendencies.
Real estate sales are rarely an easy way to make a living. There are lots of people who don’t make it. I once heard 4 out of 5 new agents drop out in the first two years. 9 out of 10 in the first five years. A very good friend of mine I’ve known since high school got his license and told me, “If I had known this was a fast track to poverty I never would have done it.” It would have helped if he spent less time surfing and more time working.
Do you like rejection? My first broker Melissa Bradley was a brilliant Realtor, the top producing agent in Marin for many years and a great motivator. I remember her telling us in company meetings we needed to get used to hearing ‘no’. Hearing ‘no’ was a good thing, it meant we were getting closer to a ‘yes’! I learned so much from her and her husband Rob Bradley. She had a great analogy about not giving up, like a miner digging for gold you don’t want to be the poor soul who gives up on mining when the gold was just one more swing of the pickax away.
Real estate sales can be a highly competitive business. There is a lot of very good competition out there. I have great respect for the Realtors in my community, which motivates me to bring my ‘A’ game with my peers. Tony Robbins is big on being in a ‘state’ that brings out your best. Years ago my friend Jack Terrell who is a successful co-founder of California Mortgage Advisors, wisely advised me to listen to Tony before getting into real estate. I did, and I’d give anyone the same advise if they are starting their own business.
At San Francisco State University in the MBA program I took a course on entrepreneurship. One of the greatest lessons I learned there, if you don’t think you can be the best at what you are doing then you shouldn’t be doing it. I’ve always enjoyed competition. Competing against other great Realtors, it brings out the best in all of us.
Another lesson from Tony Robbins, doing his 30 day Personal Power series was as educational as any MBA course, you need to be passionate about your work. I love to write, and I’ve been able to incorporate that into my business model over the years with my Andy’s Patch newsletter. My writing is one the foundations of my business. My father loved writing too. I know that he is proud of me and what I’ve accomplished over the course of my career, a highlight being inducted into the Bradley Real Estate Hall of Fame.
So you want to be a Realtor? Get ready to work 24/7/365 and not surf every day: real estate sales is no day at the beach. But if you love it and do your best, treat others with the respect and always put your clients first you have a great shot in succeeding. Always be open to learning, growing and trying new things to improve yourself. If you want to sell real estate feel free to contact me anytime. I’m always happy to talk to people about a career in real estate sales. It was the best career decision I ever made.
If you'd like to receive my blog every Friday please create an account in the upper right hand corner or sign in through Facebook. Your information will not be shared with anyone else and you will not receive any solicitations from me.