How to Land Your First Client as a New Real Estate Agent
Kickstarting a career in real estate is an exciting and sometimes daunting process. One of the most challenging parts can be landing your first client.
There's no magic trick to getting your first real estate client; it just involves a lot of hustle. Below, you'll find how to get your first client as a new real estate agent.
#1: Tap Your Social Network
You know people. And the people you know also know people.
Take advantage of your existing relationships by bringing up your new career and asking them to keep you in mind. Ask them to spread the word as well, when appropriate, and provide real estate marketing collateral like business cards or flyers to pass along.
We’ll admit, this one isn’t a groundbreaking new strategy – it’s often first on the list of tips for landing real estate clients without experience. But we’d encourage you to think broadly about “who you know.” Don't just have this conversation with your family and immediate friends. Talk to your former coworkers, your partner's coworkers, your kids' friends' parents, and anyone you know through your hobbies or community activities.
Consider touching base with these people multiple times in several ways. For example, get in touch personally by phone, text, or email, add them to a periodic reminder email blast, and post a flyer at your old place of business (if appropriate).
#2: Seize Opportunities from Your Brokerage
No new real estate agent guide can go without mentioning your sponsoring broker as a potential source of opportunities. Your brokerage knows you're new to the business, and your success is in their best interest. As a result, most brokers will offer opportunities for new real estate agents to start accumulating leads.
One common method for sponsoring brokers to help you with lead generation is "floor time," where you become the first point of contact for any questions about listings. Take these opportunities when your broker offers them, and then make the most of your resulting conversations. Learn the best questions to ask new prospects, and be sure you have the answers to any potential questions they might have.
#3: Get to Know Your Colleagues
There are the official opportunities offered to you by your sponsoring broker, but your colleagues can be an even richer potential source for your first real estate client. Figure out who the real movers are in your brokerage and get to know them.
First, offer your assistance with any work you can take off their plate. This is helpful for a few reasons: you gain hands-on experience, you get to see how a successful real estate agent runs their business, and you start building goodwill and trust with your more established colleagues. Do your best work on menial tasks, ask good questions, and they may begin to trust you with more important work.
The ultimate goal is to become the go-to when someone is too busy to follow up on a valuable lead, but you may not get there right away. More experienced agents don’t want to hurt their reputation by recommending the services of an unknown quantity, so tasks like cold calls and open houses can help build their confidence in your abilities.
It’s best to approach your more experienced colleagues with a helpful state of mind. You don’t want to forget that your bottom line is building your own client base, but people don’t respond well to obviously self-serving overtures. Build common ground, remember personal tidbits they share with you, and show them that you can be a good teammate. The advantages go way beyond landing your first real estate client – if you build a good relationship, there will be other less tangible benefits as well. You can pick their brain on local market knowledge, get real estate client tips, brainstorm your target niche, and have someone to call on when you need a favor.
#4: Build a Professional Network
Relying on your existing network and brokerage colleagues will only go so far. You want to build a self-sustaining leads-generating machine, and that means creating a larger professional network that consists of solid relationships.
There are many ways to build your network, and one of the best networking tips for new real estate agents is to actively work a few different angles early in your career. Build relationships with agents and brokers, but also with related professionals like lenders, renovators, real estate photographers, stagers, and the like. Look for opportunities to do them a favor.
When your networking pays off, be sure to show your thanks, or it might be the last referral you see. Writing personalized thank-you cards can be a great touch in this digital, bulk-processed world.
#5: Create a Strong Online Profile
Of all the real estate marketing strategies for beginners, the most fundamental is just to establish your professional online presence early on.
The first thing any potential prospect will do after hearing about you is google you. You want to be sure that this initial search creates a positive and professional impression.
Focus your online profile on how you can help buyers and sellers accomplish their goals. Provide a little taste of your personality without giving away too much information. Definitely don't mention that you're brand new to the profession. Avoid deceiving anyone about your experience, but you want to create the impression that you know what you're doing.
#6: Share Your Expertise
Speaking of knowing what you’re doing, the best real estate marketing is information. As you get more established, you’ll probably have limits for unpaid advice, but when you’re still searching for your first real estate client, you don’t have the luxury of being stingy.
Since you don’t have the weight of experience behind your license, you’ll need to prove to potential clients up front that you have the knowledge to help them navigate a property transaction.
There are a lot of ways to apply this recommendation. If you’re given floor time or an open house, answer people’s questions to the best of your ability. Ask questions to probe for additional areas of guidance you can give.
Follow up this process by offering a more structured real estate consultation for free. Try to set an appointment for a longer conversation while you still have them in front of you.
Finally, social media plays an important role in real estate marketing, and sharing helpful pointers can be a great strategy to build your following. Unfortunately, it’s also a potential black hole for a real estate agent’s time, so it’s best to limit how much free advice you pour out on social media.
#7: Get the Most Out of Your Real Estate Education
No matter which state you're in, earning a real estate license requires extensive mandatory pre-license education. Some states also require post-license education to be completed in your first year or two. All states require a certain amount of ongoing continuing education as a license renewal requirement.
To be successful in real estate, you should avoid thinking of these required courses as obstacles to clear or items on your to-do list. Instead, think of them as opportunities to build a solid foundation from which to launch your career.
This means a few things. First, if your state allows you to make choices about what topics to study, pick the ones that will be the most useful at the beginning of your career. Knowledge related to long-term success can wait.
Second, take your mandatory courses in the most efficient way possible. Online training like ours is the most cost-effective way to earn your credits, and it allows you the flexibility to study at the most convenient and distraction-free time.
Finally, don't put off your mandatory education until right before the deadline. Head to our website and start today!
