First thing to do is to read No B.S. Time Management for Entrepreneurs if you haven't done so already.Always think to yourself, "is what I am doing now a revenue producing activity?" If it is not, don't do it. You'll need to be disciplined but if you follow this and other advice, you'll achieve a better use of your time every day which will help you increase your income and have more time to spend time with your family and to do the things you want to do outside of real estate.

 

Prospect, prospect, prospect. Marketing, marketing, marketing. If you focus on those 6 items you'll consistently get in front of more buyers and sellers every day. Learn from some experts on Prospecting and Marketing about the things you should be doing on a daily basis that will magically cause you to get in front of more buyers and sellers (it's actually not magic, it's just working hard doing the right things that have been proven to work in the industry.

 

Every self made entrepreneur had this challenge at some point of their career. How you handle it will determine if you are one of the great success stories  in business and real estate or if you fade into oblivion like so many other thousands have over the years. The first thing to do is to find the free marketing that is out there. Yes, there are plenty of free marketing techniques out there. After utilizing the free stuff (boot-strapping), you can always raise money, partner with other agents or get creative and find ways to have others sponsor your marketing or events. All of this is possible. It has been done time and time again by those who take the time to seek out hard stuff. Remember, if it was easy, everyone would be doing it. 

 

That is completely understandable. However, there are resources (including many free resources) out there to help you become more of a computer person. Outside sources, training from your broker and training from a national franchise are all typically easily accessible and free. Complaining about it isn't going to make it better. Take action. Take massive action and change this weakness to a strength. You must in today's real estate industry or you'll be swept away.

 

First off, read The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It if you haven't already. The problem with many real estate agents is they act as if they have a job. Real estate agents do not have a job, they are entrepreneurs who will ultimately make their own destiny (and income potential). They can work hard with discipline to follow a highly specialized plan or they can haphazardly go through their day hoping for a lead to come in. You must have a written plan in place. It must be a work in progress. You must revisit and refer to it often to make sure you're on the right track. Some time must be spent on this. That means that you'll have to put in extra time on top of your prospecting, marketing, showing, negotiating, calling people back and all the other stuff that us realtors do. You can't and won't be able to do all that to ensure you're making a living plus spend the time you need to put a real plan in place if you want to go home for dinner every day at 5 and not work weekends. I'm writing this at 11:01PM and I have to be on a 6AM flight tomorrow. You need to go the extra mile and start planning and acting like a successful entrepreneur and not someone with a job (which, by the way, do you know what job stands for? Just Over Broke)

 

Mentors can be from within or outside the real estate industry. Look around in your life. Who do you know that is a successful businessperson or executive? If you don't know anyone; who do you know that knows someone like that? If you still can't find someone, get a SCORE counselor to answer some of your questions (they typically are hit and run and only answer questions but that might be a good start). If your leaders at your brokerage are not true leaders, there is only one thing you can do: Join REMAX Results ;)

 

First thing you can do is go out and pay for it. I've paid tens of thousands of dollars in training over the years and it was all well worth it. Learning never ends. There are plenty of education providers who teach real estate related material. Most established brokerages should have a formal training system in place. If your firm does not, is it really the type of professional environment that you will succeed and prosper in? Probably not. Just as a coincidental example, RE/MAX has RE/MAX University available for free to all of our agents 24/7/365.

 

Motivation stems from the people you surround yourself. If you hang around with losers, guess what there's a strong likelihood that you'll become? It also stems from attitude. A can do attitude is contagious and will get you motivated and feeling good and working harder and smarter and making more money. This also goes back to leadership. Do your leaders inspire you? They should. If they don't you're in trouble. You need be around success. It is so motivating to see others who have accomplished exactly what you are challenged with. You need good positive reinforcement from your leaders and you need a competitive environment. 

 

Better training, tools, brand name, motivation, systematization, more prospecting and better time management. Nuff said.

 

Although there are probably hundreds of different ways to prospect in the real estate business, there are only 7 that are guaranteed to work. Referral system, Fsbos, Expireds, Open houses, Online presence, Mailings and door knocking, Handing out cards and talking to people everywhere you go. How's that for transparency? Using them and using them regularly is a guaranteed way to success. We are proud to teach what we preach to all of our agents. Want to find out more, let's talk. Schedule a meeting with me and I promise to show you that we are the real deal and have much much more to offer to all of our agents than the answers to these 10 Deadly Realtor Frustrations. All meetings are confidential. You have nothing to lose and I guarantee that you'll learn something from me in our meeting. See you soon. ;)