Month: January 2018

I thought I’d post this question from Melissa T since a lot of people seem to be asking it lately:

I am a real estate agent in Southern NJ. I spent a lot of time deciding on a Broker to join. I decided to go with a small real estate company for the “one on one” touch. I signed up two weeks ago and it is off to a bad start. I have yet to have my extension on the company phone system, my info is not on the website with the other agents and they recently printed out new brochures a few days ago and I am not on it. There are even people who joined after me on it. Whenever I ask about it, they say “Oh, I will get right on that”. But, it is never done. One of the brokers (there are two) actually seemed agitated when I ask her to show me how to use the Trend system. At this point, I am only signed up for Trend. I have yet to get info from Realtor, E&O or anything, even though I gave them all the checks for it when I signed up. I have business cards that they printed out for me on day one with my picture, but that’s it. I want to get started but I don’t feel like I am an agent.
Answer: J Philip has a good point. Whatever you do, explain your reasons first and let them know why you’re not satisfied, because you may end up working with them in a transaction later and want to keep a good relationship and a professional reputation. Just let them know you don’t feel like they’re giving you what you need to get your career started and you’re possibly going to look for an office that’s a better fit. Beyond that, if you do decide to go to another office, do some research and try to talk to at least one agent who works there and one that’s moved from there to another office about the good and bad points of it. Most brokers will try to “sell” you on their office, because they make money form desk fees, commission splits, etc by having you with them. Find one with a good training program, and possibly a mentor program, if you want that one-on-one type of touch. Also, find out how much ongoing training/education is offered, and what you’ll have to pay for out of pocket vs. what is provided by the company.For training and education, I’m partial to Keller Williams, but I’ve also heard good things about Coldwell Banker, some C21 offices, and Tarbell. There are also good 3rd party training & coaching programs, and many will try to get you to sign up, but they’re very expensive for someone just starting out. You can learn a lot of the basics from reading books and online info & scripts – the hard part is making the time to practice the scripts, and follow through with the basics [ie, making prospecting calls, knocking on doors, sending out postcards, etc]. Also, remember you are now in business for yourself, and you’ll have to treat it like a business, rather than a job, if you want to make any money, or even just break even.My top book recommendations for new agents are:The Real Estate Agent’s Business Planner – Bridget McCreaThe Millionarie Real Estate Agent – Gary KellerThe Complete Idiot’s Guide To Success as a Real Estate Agent – Marilyn SullivanMastering the Art of Selling Real Estate – Tom Hopkins21 Things I Wish My Broker Had Told Me – Frank CookOther good authors/speakers to look for, for both real estate and general sales training, as well as motivation/mindset are Dirk Zeller, Brian Tracy, Zig Ziglar, Mike Ferry, Carla Cross, Brian Buffini, Jeffrey Gitomer, Og Mandingo, Napolean Hill, & Earl Nightingale. Whatever personal development and “training” you can give yourself will be just as important as the training your broker provides. It’s a lot cheaper getting the books from the library or ebay than it is signing up for expensive seminars and teleconferences to tell you the basics that are covered by most book and tape series. Once you master the basics, and are earning the income to cover the investment, then consider paid coaching and.or training.

Here a good question I found in the comments section of a previous post. ‘Luis’ asks us the question:

My Name3727 West Bellevue Street Apt #210, Not My Address, AZ 85416602-907-3921larubio@gmail.com EDUCATION The University of ….., Somewhere in, AZ Bachelor of Science in Public Management and Policy, May 2012 Minor: International Business EXPERIENCE BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse, Service Assistant: July 2011-Present Monitor a friendly organized work environment by completing structured daily assignments Communicate and promote new special offers and deals that the company may be offering Harkins Theatres, Team Member: April 2008-August 2011 Inform all customers of current and new promotions and sales the company had to offer. Trained new staff members in customer service, company policies, and money handling skills. Disabled Resource Center, March 2010-February 2011 Contact professors and students by telephone or email discussing accommodations and services Assist in updating program information on computers when needed. Manage filing, copying, and faxing confidential paperwork and documents. Deliver packages and materials around the university’s campus VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE AND ACTIVITIES New York Road Runners Organization, New York, New York, July 2011-Present Promoted and raised $2630 for Team for Kids Charity (associated with New York Road Runners Organization) Big Brother Big Sister’s, May 2010-Present Active Big Brother, mentoring and guiding little in many areas of life. Boys and Girls Club, April 2011-Present Coordinate and create proactive activities for children involved with after-school programs. Marathon Runners Club, September 2010-Present Helped lead and promote healthy living through running. Primavera Foundation, Volunteer, September 2009-Present Organized appointments, mail, and distributed food items and toiletries for individuals who were involved with the programSKILLS Professional: written and verbal communication, leadership, analytical, customer service Languages: Advanced Spanish Computers: Microsoft Windows XP, Word, Excel, PowerPoint

Answer: You have sort of a weird thing going on with verb tenses. In some places, you describe your current activities in a past tense (“Helped”, “Organized” under present volunteer activities). In other places, you describe your past and present activities with an infinitive form (“Monitor”, “Communicate” under your current BJ’s restaurant job) and in yet other places you use a past tense and an infinitive form when describing different aspects of the same position (“Inform” and “Trained” under your past Harkens theater job). It’s pretty confusing. I would avoid the use of the infinitive altogether in the experience and volunteer sections, as it makes it sound as though you were/are not the one actively doing those things. Say “Monitors”, etc (present tense) for your current employment, and say “Informed”, etc (past tense) under your past jobs. This makes it clear when these experiences took place, puts you verbally in the driver’s seat with respect to the things you did, and shows a more consistent use of the English language. On a content note, is this a generic resume? It’s fine to have a basic format that you use for all your resumes, as they’ll each include much of the same information, but be sure to tailor each one to the job for which you’re applying in order to maximize your chances of being noticed by any one employer. Perhaps you’ll put a different “objective” statement (in which the infinitive form would be appropriate; “to obtain a position…”) on each resume, but try not to leave it at that. Expand on or omit items in the body of the resume depending on what kind of position you’re applying for.Other than that, it looks pretty good.