New Agents Making it BIG in Real Estate

We had a great Agent Panel at our Keller Williams Independence/Blue Springs office last night. We occasionally have evening meetings for newer agents trying to get started in Real Estate and may have other commitments during the day. This panel consisted of 6 agents in our office that have have been super successful in our office (they are now in the Top 20% of production out of over 100 agents) AND they all started less than 3 years ago (1/2 in the last year or so).

Our Team Leader (office CEO) truly helps to carry the culture of training. I wanted to share some of the comments they made because all of these agents talked about the same things I coach agents to do as they are growing their business. In fact, many of these agents spent a majority of their free time attending my training sessions, and all the other training sessions in the office. Of course, they had a "Big Why" as well. They really wanted to get out of their other jobs and/or make a career out of Real Estate.

Here are their comments:

2 agents, Sue and Sally were working full time jobs and didn't even let anyone know they were giving the Real Estate "thing" a try. Sue - Called everyone in the office with questions. She attended every evening and weekend training event she could attend. She took those ideas and DID THEM!

Fiona-did a LOT of training. Started farming, with the help of Nancy (our new agent Productivity Trainer) for 8 weeks straight and picked up 2 buyers from that. She met another 3 buyers just by watching the foreclosure property across the street, and running over there to show the property to them anytime someone drove up. It was only an $18,000 house in the Kansas City area, however, her advice is to never let the appearance of a buyer or property stop you from doing something, especially when you are first getting started. She kept a simple spreadheet of every contract she made and regularly followed up with them.

Sally- Always listening for potential leads. Made a great statement: To get her first listing, she told her aquaintance "Trust Me, I am surrounded by the best in the business..." and if she didn't know the answer to a question they would ask, she knew where she could get an answer. Running her Real Estate Business under the radar and trying to keep her full time job was the hardest part. She wishes she had quit her full time job 6 months earlier. By the way, she was a local news anchor on TV. The great thing about her job was that in another job, you are surrounded by your new, potential database every day. Open your ears and start listening for opportunity. 60% of her current business is tied to her previous job. Her core group of referral clients are from there. People really want someone they know and can trust when buying and selling Real Estate.

Caronna- Didn't know anything about Real Estate however she knew she wanted to have an image in the market that she did know what she was doing. She used MailPrint because they produces quality pieces and she didn't have to buy huge quantities. She could build it one lead at a time with their 8x8 and 33 touch programs. She did mention that she was so committed to real estate that after most people ended their day (and when she finished her other job) she would come into the office at 9pm and sometimes be there till 1 or 2am. Her husband would come up to the office to pick her up. She was determined to do whatever it took to be successful, and it does take hard work and determination.

Jim- Went to a LOT of training (he was in every training class I taught when he first got licensed..and really listened). He went out daily looking for For Sale By Owners and Expireds. He would come to the new agent round table training that Terry has in the office on Monday evenings and absorb and learn from others. Bulk of his business was coming from his database. His advice is to really stay "plugged in" and DO the things you hear about, and he stuck with it until things just started working.

Say tuned... our panelist all gave some more of thier learning experiences and what you can expect when you first get into the Real Estate profession. Be sure to check with our office for upcoming traning events (if you are in the Blue Springs, Independence, Lee's Summit areas of KC MO/KS). Keller Williams Eastland Partners had training daily in our office.

If you would like more information about how to get started...or need help jump starting your Real Estate business, send me an email at CoachKorn@sbcglobal.net or visit my website at http://www.coachkorn.com/ where you will find some helpful business tips and get information about having your very own personal business coach.

Hope you have a tremendous 2010!

Great Questions from a New Real Estate Agent

Here is an email I received from my business partner, Jason Korn in Lincoln, NE. They had a new agent joining the office and Jason wanted me to give him my thoughts on his concerns. It is great to see and agent that wants to make sure they start out in RE as quickly as possible, and realizes it is more than just passing the test.

Here is a copy of our email conversation.

I was wanting to find out more about the more experienced agents...., and I came up with a series of a few questions that I was wondering if you could think about and answer....

I understand if you are busy, and cannot get to them all. But even if you could answer one, I feel it would be beneficial for us newer agents to get to know you all better.

1 - What are the least effective things you see new agents do?
-They wait for the phone to ring, and their friends to call them...Even though our friends and family would LOVE to help us grow our real estate business, they do not wake up every day wondering how they are going to help you that day.

2 - What things did you do early in your career that you think made you successful?
-Don't "buy" leads from anyone. Make a list of 150 people you know, and they know who you are, and contact them. Write them a handwritten note immediately following the coversation (no business card inside) and then stay in touch with them regularly. See webinar at www.secretsoftopsellingagents.com and click on "Database is a Goldmine" (Sept 24th)
-Build relationships!!! That will only happen a few people at a time, however you will build a SOLID Real Estate Business. There is NO get rich quick program

3 - What were the big mistakes that you made early in your career?
-Buying "institutional advertising" before I just made contact with my database.

4 - What do you feel are the biggest wastes of time in this business?
-waiting for something to happen.
Doing busy work and checking email, etc...before you spend 1-2 hours on the phone or meeting with people. Do it first thing EVERY day.

5 - If you were starting over in this business tomorrow, what would you do?
-Read 2 books...TWELVE times (not kidding...knowing what I know today, read those no less than 6 times as fast as you can.) the Millionaire Real Estate Agent and SHIFT
6 - What one skill do you think I(we) need to acquire immediately to become successful?
the skill of picking up the phone and calling everyone you know. You don't have to talk about real estate...the drip system will take care of that. Just connect and write a LOT of handwritten notes (not printed cards that look like your handwriting). Get to know people. Know their interest , family, etc...that will help you help them with their RE needs.

I will be asking others these same questions before our meeting, and if he answers any :), I will be sharing them with the group as well.

Thanks Bill!

What is Coaching with MAPS?

I recently had an agent send me an email and he was ready to take his business to the next level. here is an email conversation we have had about what coaching is.

From: Agent in Petaluma CA
Subject: Coaching Brad: Hi there.

I am working in the Santa Rosa CA Keller Willims office. Do you do agent coaching? If so can you pass along info to me regarding plans, pricing etc.. I need an accountability partner, someone that can really kick my butt. ANy info you can pass along would be greatly appreciated.--

My Response was as follows:

Are you familiar with the MAPS coaching Keller Williams has to offer? I am a coach with MAPS and can get you started.

There are a few different programs. Particular systems (everything from mindset, blogging, Social Media, Top Producer, etc) or there are two Personalized, one on one coaching programs. 2- 30 minute calls each month, or 4-30 min calls each month. The one on one calls are very accountable and particular to where you are now, and where you want your business to be in one year.

I have the contracts I can send, however, you can go to www.kw.com, log in, and search for MAPS coaching. We can also schedule a call to talk about what you are looking for and if I can serve you best. Just give me a call at 816-215-3214.

The most important thing to consider before signing up for coaching is not that you just WANT to be kicked in the butt...you truly must be committed to getting very uncomfortbable in your business and be willing to be held accountable. You must be willing to do things you may not want to do. You must be willing to do things you have never done before. A great coach wants you to grow your business. It truly can be one of the most profitable "Return's on Investment" is you are Willing to make the committment.


Coach Korn
Brad Korn Certified Business Coach Keller Williams MAPS Institute 816-220-1661 Fax: 816-220-0123 coachkorn@sbcglobal.net

You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help other people get what they want. Zig Ziglar
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