Solving Barriers to Agent Progress

Numerous things happen every day for each real estate agent. Some of those things will shift priorities and pressures. Today, and as this property market grows and changes, I want to share some simple strategies to help agents create progress.

Since every agent works with several clients, listings, and inquiries, the average working day can be a massive balancing process.   The greater the number of clients or listings that you have, the busier you will be.  Does that sound familiar to you?

The only way to achieve a balance and get better results as an agent is to get the right things done.  Some people and property situations are more critical than others. 

Understand what you should be doing and get those things done.  Prioritising stuff in your diary is an excellent way to focus on the correct transactions.

Making Real Estate Headway

The best agents are those that control their activities to a basic plan. However, in saying that and adopting the strategy into your real estate day, you cannot control everything, nor should you try.

The easiest way to work with this problem is to attempt to control 50% of your day with rigid effectiveness. Then, the other 50% of your day can be devoted to solving real estate problems, absorbing pressures from transactions, clients, and negotiations.  Simplify your day and stay on task.

Agent Controls

As a special note, the top agents of the market always apply strict controls to their activities and a focus. They stay on track as best possible given the pressures of the property market and current client or listing situations.  They know what they should be doing regardless of everything else.

So, ask yourself the question now as to what you should be doing and how you can improve that real estate focus.  What did you do yesterday that was a waste of time?  How can you avoid that problem today?

Increased Property Activity

So, there are some things that you can do here to improve your real estate business and remove the typical hurdles that will apply.  Here are some of the specific pressure points for most agents today.

1. Avoid setting appointments with people or in situations that are low priority.  It is tempting to agree to have a meeting with someone when asked. However, consider what you will get from that meeting before deciding or agreeing to attend it.  Is there something of value that you can achieve in that meeting?  If the outcome is not clear, then don’t agree to the meeting. Protect your real estate time at all costs.  Only do the things that matter and help you or your clients get results.
2. Remain focused on the best clients and the exclusive listings in your portfolio.  We all have quality listings and good clients.  They are the ‘A’ and ‘B’ class situations to focus on.  At the other end of the scale, some very poor listings and situations are ‘C’ class on the priority scale.  Your real estate business will and can only be built around your choices and progress.  The properties and clients in the ‘A’ and ‘B’ groups are those that you should work on.
3. Keep your transactions moving ahead and negotiations well documented.  Some property situations become very complex and can take days, weeks, or months to get on paper in the form of a workable contract.  Your organisation with real estate notes and communications is so important through all that activity and time.  Property transactions are full of discussions and disagreements.  When an important contact or comment has been made, create your notes, and record it for the relevant people or progress situation.
4. Recognise that some deals are very complicated and protracted.  The legal elements of a property sale or lease should always be investigated in the listing process and then shaped and communicated when things move towards a transaction.  As an example, some contracts or leases can be extensive.  The property transaction documentation to reflect the complications can be several hundred pages in large properties.  Creating the documentation, checking that, and the signing process will take considerable thought and effort.  Don’t get ‘out of your depth’ with a complex property transaction.  Use qualified or experienced property people to help you through whatever complexity arises with a new sale or lease situation.
5. Build new relationships with new people each day and, whilst doing that, consolidate existing relationships with quality clients.  The best way to progress in commercial real estate brokerage will always be through contacts and relationships.  That comes down to the basic level of agent and client contact. So, ensure that you plan to build positive relationships with the right people.

So, these things are the most common barriers to agent progress.  They can put plenty of pressure on your efforts as an agent. But, through all that pressure, know your real estate plan, know your priorities, and keep control of your time and how you apply it.