As we prepare for the 2021 real estate year, I thought it would be a good idea to take a look at some of the skills that are critical to success in 2021, or any year.
Read on and as you do, take a moment to reflect on how you see yourself in each of these areas. Are you at the top of your game? Could you use a little improvement? Do you need to really buckle down and master that particular skill?
The answers to these questions will help you have a great 2021.
- Lead generation – Let’s face it. If you can’t find clients that want to buy or sell houses with YOU, there is no point in becoming great at the rest of these skills. What do you do every day that you work to find new clients? You REALLY need to have an answer to this one!
- Expert Communication – You need to be excellent at communication with your clients in a variety of ways such as text, email, video, voice and person to person. Also important is speed of response. It is not in your best interest to adopt a response methodology that is not near instantaneous. Today’s consumer wants speed. Getting back to someone hours later is costing you business. Learn how to manage that email inbox, return calls and generally be more available.
- Teaching – I know, you are not a school teacher, but you DO have to be able to answer questions in a way that educates your client. Sometimes you need to slow down and question for understanding. Sometimes you need to be able to be concise and quick.
- Be tech aware – New technology is constantly appearing and you need to stay on top of the trends that consumers want. If 2020 taught us anything, it was that tech saved our bacon. From Zoom to Docusign to virtual tours, aerial drones and virtual open houses, that tech kept us in business.
- People Skills – Buyers and sellers want to know that you have their best interests in mind. Make sure that your communications with them reflect that and that you reinforce the value that you bring to help them achieve their goals.
- Time Management – For crying out loud, PLEASE be on time…in everything that you do! Learn to schedule and block time in your calendars so that you can get everything done that you need to get done at the time it needs to be done.
- Negotiation – How are your skills here? Your clients are relying on you to help with this. Maybe it’s time to take a course on negotiation…
- Market knowledge – You need to know the value, history trends and everything else that there is to know about your market area. What are you doing to stay up on this information?
- Marketing – In addition to marketing your self, what are you doing to market your listings? How do your listings stand out in comparison with your competition?
There are other skills that you need to master, but these are some of the most important ones (in my opinion). Get a handle on this and reap the rewards of a robust real estate market in 2021.
