Last week we started a series of articles about real estate careers, answering some of the most common questions people have about becoming a REALTOR®.
Next week we are hosting an online career seminar where we will discuss getting started in a real estate career including topics such as: skills, training, costs, selecting a brokerage, commissions, prospecting, working with a team vs flying solo, and more. If you're thinking about a career in real estate, or are already taking the course register today for our online seminar and get your career going in the right direction – there are only 15 spots available on a first come first served basis. The seminar takes place on Monday November 9 at 6:30 pm.
We have found there are 5 common reasons why most new agents are out of the business within two years. The previous article discussed the lack of planning that is common among new agents. The topic today is:
Lack of Commitment
No one starts their real estate career thinking "I’m not committed to real estate" (just like no one gets married thinking they are not committed to their spouse, but divorce happens a lot!). It's only later that you discover the restrictions that were placed on their commitment:
- "I had to hold a part time job bar-tending because my family couldn’t survive with no money coming in, and it was just too difficult to make it work."
- "My fiance makes a salary with benefits and I have to work around his schedule. That means taking care of the kids in the morning and not scheduling appointments when he has to work in the evenings."
- "I have a certain lifestyle that’s most important to me. Golf and travel are important so my career will have to be secondary to that."
I’m not saying that these (or other) reasons are bad, but when you are new in a competitive industry, the difference between success and failure is often those extra steps you take for your clients. As an employer/manager I care about your personal struggles and priorities, but some of your clients will not, especially when hundreds of thousdands of their dollars are on the line.
My Sensei (a very successful Edmonton real estate agent) always says, if you want to be great at something “you are either all in or all out.” The bottom line is, that truly successful people in this industry are extremely committed in the begining and yes, that means some personal sacrafices may have to be made. Once you are truly sucessful you can manage the balance between personal and career objectives more easily but at the start commitment and hard work are key.
If you're interested in more information about working at our little company, check out www.jointeamjohnston.com today and don't forget to register for our online career seminar.
