The Difference Between 'Wanting' and 'Being' a Top Producer

Over the years, I've found that many Realtors, especially those that are newer to the industry, lament not being a top producing agent in their marketplace. The thing of it is, though, that I don't think many of these agents understand the path to become a top producing agent because they were never really properly taught.

On the one side, I get it. It is this agent's livelihood. They are working for themselves and putting it all out on the line to one day become successful. With that big of a risk, they really should take the initiative and figure this stuff out if they ever really want to break through and get to that next level. However, the reality is many agents unfortunately work for brokerages where the brokers are busy. They are busy dealing with dozens of issues on any given day, and because of that, they simply don't have time to properly mentor and train agents.

In the 20 or so years we've been working with agents, we've seen countless agents start from ground zero and grow to be the dominant real estate thought leader in their marketplace. Working with all these folks, we've been fortunate enough to notice some common traits that these agents exhibit. Today, I want to share with you a few of these common traits in the hopes that if you are struggling trying to become the top producing Realtor in your marketplace, it will be helpful.

Top Producing Realtors Have a Routine... AND They Stick to It

Some people like to pull out the line, "If you don't know where you are going, any road will take you there." It's a great thought, but the truth is that in real estate, if you don't know where you are going, you are never going to end up in top producer territory. The reason for this? You'll end up doing things that you think you should be doing, but they do not necessarily add to the end goal of reaching "top producer territory." Instead, you end up not getting there and feeling like you are spinning your wheels.

Top producing Realtors, on the other hand, have a plan. They not only have a plan, but their daily routine supports that plan and getting themselves to the next step along their path to success. They are wildly relentless with their routine. Everything they do to build their business is put under consideration. If they cannot answer the question, "What would this activity/thing do to your overall goal of growing your real estate business?" they do not do it. It's that simple.

The net result is a highly effective, well-oiled machine that is making progress, day after day, toward their end goal of success.

Top Producing Realtors Don't Just Plan, They Follow Through

Another key element to the success that top producing Realtors exhibit is their fanatic follow through. Simply put, they don't just plan great things that they want to one day put in place, they go out there and do it. And guess what? Follow through works. When I talk about follow through, I don't mean set an end goal and reach it right away and that is great follow through. Effective follow through is actually bits and pieces of successes every day that you make daily that will eventually get you to your end goal.

Think of the day-to-day small things as the short term goals you follow through to complete every day. Then, once you've completed enough of those, you find you've reached your long-term goal. It's a very practical way to not only build your real estate practice, but to keep from burning out in the process.

Top Producers Are Fully Committed for the Long Haul

Top producing real estate agents have patience. They are comfortable in this space and are well aware that the journey they are on is not a sprint, but rather a marathon. This is one of the key differentiating factors that determines whether a new agent will become a top producing Realtor or end up leaving the business all together. The numbers are staggering. In fact, over 85 percent of new Realtors leave the business in the first one to two years.

To be a top producer, you have a have a strong constitution. Running any business, there are going to be highs and lows. There are going to be things that happen that you can't believe were so fortunate, and also serious things that are going to slap you back to reality, knocking you off your path and making your goals seem further away. The key here is do not give up.

If the first way you try something doesn't work, that is okay. The key is being able to accept your failure, looking at it as a learning opportunity and allowing yourself to re-tool and re-deploy, keeping your eye on the overall goal of one day becoming a top producer.

As I mentioned, over the years we've seen many key common characteristics of clients that move from "newbie" to top producer. These three items in my estimation set the foundation for the journey. If you can master them, you are on your way.

To view the original article, visit the Leading Agent blog.