With fewer deals to go around, many markets experiencing a downshift and more agents than ever, it makes business sense to reach for the fundamentals. That’s why at Inman, we’re going Back to Basics with curated throwbacks to some of our most-read stories as well as new insights from agents in the field — all culminating in Inman’s Playbook for the Fall Market, a two-day virtual event that you should make plans to attend.

Beginning a career as a new agent is both exciting and daunting. On the one hand, you’re ready to start a new journey. Conversely, it can be intimidating, especially if you’re new to the industry or area.

Despite the challenges agents may face, the steps to success are straightforward. Whether new to the industry or a veteran, there are several tried-and-true paths to success. New agent at The Tom Toole Sales Group, Ted Clair, provides three tips that can make all the difference between success and a standstill.

Find the right environment

Finding the right environment is essential to success, especially when new to the industry. When starting as an agent, you’ll have many questions, so it’s important to surround yourself with a supportive team who can help you along the way. When you have experts on your team, you will feel more confident when working with clients because even if you don’t know the answer, you can rely on your team to help you find it.

Being in the same office with experienced teammates can be beneficial because you learn their strategies and how they approach situations throughout the client experience. Don’t try to do it alone – surround yourself with a team who takes care of their clients and colleagues.

Be consistent 

It may sound simple, but daily consistency is one of the keys to success as a new agent. Create a schedule and habits, and stick to them to hold yourself accountable. For example, you may be on the phone by 9 a.m., spend two hours prospecting, follow up with clients, go out on showings and research properties for clients. 

Putting everything in your calendar and prioritizing income-producing activities are part of being consistent. A lot of agents make calls, prospect, and follow-up only when their pipeline is dried up and empty. This is a critical mistake to avoid.

Whoever talks to the most people will go on the most appointments and will sell the most houses. If you are doing this, you will be busy. Putting everything into the calendar ensures you do not miss an appointment or overbook yourself.  

It’s important to remember that this career is unlike any other. You won’t have a boss looking over your shoulder telling you what to do, and you aren’t going to punch a clock for a set amount of hours. It’s up to you to motivate yourself and do the work every day. Input matches output and personal responsibility will be a major driver of your success.

Focus on the person, not the property

Client care is integral to an agent’s skill set, regardless of how long they’ve been in the industry. Approach every client with a long-term relationship in mind, no matter their budget.

If you are working with someone you already know, treat them with the professionalism you would with any other client. Remember, they are your client, so give them expert-level care. 

When you treat clients like family, they will be so happy by the end of the transaction that they will not only refer you to their friends and family but will never even think about working with anyone else.

A career in real estate is both rewarding and fulfilling. Although it can be daunting, surrounding yourself with a supportive team, staying consistent, treating everyone like a client, and emphasizing the magnitude of the transaction will make the difference between jump-starting your career growth consistently over time and hitting a plateau that you can never break through.

Tom Toole is the founder and team leader at Tom Toole Sales Group. Connect with him on Facebook or LinkedIn.