Use Youth to Your Advantage
Young, Professional, and Network are three powerful, meaningful words that can give us direction and clarity. Let’s break each down:
Young. With the average age of a REALTOR® 51 years old, young real estate professionals face a set of challenges and opportunities in this field. When dealing with the risks and importance of real estate matters, many customers may automatically choose an older agent. That’s fine. There may be little or nothing that you can do about that.
However, being a young real estate practitioner can offer you certain advantages and benefits that you may not otherwise get. After all, young people, in general, tend to be technologically superior. Therefore, you may have the know-how to offer podcasts through your Web site regarding your listings. You may understand the importance of offering MP3s or digital photo CDs in your marketing materials. Digital cameras, iMovie videos, text message marketing, and other media may offer you a distinct advantage over older agents. Additionally, your overhead may be lower since other non-technologically savvy agents must hire others to do this for them.
Youth can be energy and opportunity. And, growth, humility, and work can produce expertise.
Professional. We participate in a very important service industry, from the constitutionally relevant issue of private property rights to the financial importance of real estate transactions. To be professional is more than dressing well, practicing good grammar, or showing up on time. Professionalism is about appropriateness, attentiveness, acceptance, perception, expertise, willingness, and decisiveness.
Becoming a professional is a process. We can fake it ‘til we make it only so long. If we lack
game, eventually we’ll be found out.
My contention is that the flash and sizzle of sales is not the gist of real estate. The issues with which we deal are far too important. The current mortgage loan crisis was worsened by a few unethical agents that assisted bad decisions. Professionalism must make the client’s best interests a centerpiece of every choice.
Network. We are hard-wired biologically for connection with others. We feel better when we have trustworthy others to lean on, to confide in, to learn from.
My great hope is that we learn from each other, that we reach out in honesty and transparency to be a support for one another. Networking is a significant concept in life, not just real estate.
Do you have a soul network, a mind network, an emotion network, an exercise network, etc.? Networking is about connecting with others that can provide positive, consistent support.
Richard Barbee works with Realty Executive Associates in Knoxville, Tenn., specializing in new construction marketing. Prior to working in real estate, Barbee worked as a marriage and family therapist for seven years.
Subscribe to this blog's Web feed
Comments
As an "Seasoned Professional" I'm delighted to see the young guys using web 2.0 tools like blogging to advertise themselves.
I'm also delighted to find Rich online; he works in my office and is a real asset to the company and the Realtor associations.
Posted by: Jim Lee | April 17, 2008 01:10 PM