Passivity And Reactivity A Killer For Many Real Estate Agents!

Passivity: defined as: ‘the quality or state of being passive’. Being aware of your passivity is the first step toward making changes to your behavior that could lead to much-improved performance!

Reactivity: defined as: ‘the quality or state of being reactive’. Reacting to the ‘past’ rather than anticipating or planning for the ‘future’.

The $64,000 Question:  Why are so many Real Estate Agents  more passive / reactive rather than aggressive / proactive?

Answer(s): Because they enter real estate under a set of ‘False Assumptions’!

1. I work FOR the broker! NO! You work WITH the broker…you work FOR yourself!
2. What I learned in Real Estate Licensing School is enough ‘training’ to get me successfully ‘Jump-Started’ in the business! Wrong! In the ‘real world’ of real estate, the crap you learn (at great expense!)  in ‘Real Estate Licensing School’ won’t buy you a ‘Starbucks’! You need comprehensive/multi-level agent business-development training if you want to be consistently productive! How do I know this? I’ve ‘owned’ a Real Estate Licensing School, ‘trained’ over 300,000 agents and ‘owned’ 2 multi-office real estate companies!
3. I need to join a ‘local’ real estate company with high ‘local’ and ‘on-line’ visibility! NO! You need to develop and implement an aggressive ‘local’ and ‘on-line ‘personal marketing’ campaign the moment you enter real estate to create ‘personal recognition’!
4. I need to hang my license with a large ‘franchise-affiliated’ company! NO! You need to hang your license with the ‘Right’ company…for you!
5. The physical look and location of my broker’s office is absolutely critical! Baloney!  A nice looking office in a great location doesn’t hurt …but it sure doesn’t predetermine your success… YOU DO! However, your office does have to look, and operate, professionally!
6. If the real estate office I am thinking of joining doesn’t have enough ‘bells & whistles’, I should keep looking for an office that does! Wrong! In the final analysis, it's what  YOU do WITH ‘bells & whistles’ that really matters.
7. If the real estate company I am considering expects me to pay for certain things like: Realtor Association Membership, MLS Membership, business cards, leads, training etc., then I should find a different company that will provide those… for FREE! Wrong! Most companies don’t! You’re ‘a business within a business’! YOU need to INVEST IN YOURSELF AND YOUR BUSINESS!  
8. If the company I am thinking of joining doesn’t have ‘Floor Time’ and/or a ‘Free’ Lead Generation System, I should find another office! Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! ‘Floor Time’ and ‘Lead Generation Systems’ are ‘bait’ on the end of the ‘recruiting hook'!  When used as ‘bait’ they are the  worst 2 things that have ever happened to real estate agents! Why? Because they send a passivity/reactivity message to the agents at precisely the wrong time! ‘Join my company and I’ll get you into ‘THE GAME’ on Day #1! Just sit on your butt on Floor Time 4 hours-a-day and watch (all the crappy, low-level leads I can generate for you!) Or, ‘Just sit there and wait for my Lead Generation System to dump 25-50 leads per month in your lap (98% of which will NEVER close a transaction with you!)

Rather than using ‘Floor Time’ and ‘Lead Generation Systems’ as ‘recruiting tools’ and unintentionally  sending the ‘wrong message’, they should be positioned and promoted as ‘icing on the cake’  after the agents: ‘invest in themselves & their businesses’; successfully complete the company’s training program(s); begin building a ‘personal website’; join the Realtors Association &  MLS;  organize & develop their ‘sphere of influence’; identify and set-up their Farm Area(s)…etc. etc. etc.  CHANGE THE MESSAGE! The message should be: GET PROACTIVE AND GET RESULTS!

Recommended Reading: The Energy Bus…Jon Gordon