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Top producers who are killing it: What they do and how they do it

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Who better to learn the ins and outs of working your way up to the top than by some of the nation’s top producers? Million Dollar Listing Miami’s Samantha DeBianchi asks the questions.

Dolly Lenz, CEO/Founder of Dolly Lenz Real Estate says to get the listings you need to “walk the walk, talk the talk,” know everything cold and have a strong opinion. It takes a lot of hard work, follow-through and networking, and you can network literally wherever you go.

Coaching is a valuable option for a lot of people, but not for others. Lenz suggests trying it on for size.

But in the end, as long as you’re authentic and telling a story, you’re going to be OK. Be real and genuine.

“Everyone has to know what they are good at, what they have value with. You need to target who you really want to meet,” she says.

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You should learn from your own mistakes as well. Luckily, you have to look at what you took from the experience, even if you’ve lost. You may have learned more about process or picked up potential clients along the way.

“As a broker, you have a lot of balls in the air and you never really know what’s going to fall,” she says.

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Madison Hildebrand at The Malibu Life says the three keys to success are support, dedication and systems. But also, it’s important that the people you choose to be around, help you out, be a part of the process. Systems can help tremendously if you know how to work them well enough.

Personal presentation and branding is extremely important. It doesn’t matter what type of market you are in, you are still doing the same thing. But even though it’s your brand, you need to learn when and how to delegate properly, otherwise you’ll get sick or be unhealthy.

Marketing doesn’t have to mean spending a bunch of money, you can just specifically target the individuals who you are working with. Hildebrand says that they provide clients with just listed and just sold marketing information so that home sellers already know what the market is like in the area.

You must do all that you can to ensure that clients are well-aware of the process and expectations. Hildebrand suggests making sure that in the initial listing appointment that you and your client are on the same page. Really get into the questions and find the answers to set yourself up for success. “It is my job to sit down and pull the right questions and answers out of them,” he says.

Santiago Arana with The Agency says the most important thing is feeling 100 percent every time you go out there. If you are not on top of your game, it can go in the wrong direction. He starts each day by meditating and praying.

Arana’s story began with about $100 in his pocket and very little knowledge of English. He started to knock on doors and cold call. He found the most success with open houses because it gave him the opportunity to meet face-to-face with people — you meet people that you want to talk to.

“I didn’t speak good English, so I needed the face to face because otherwise the person on the other end of the line is just going to hang up,” he says.

He also suggests that agents find a good coach to will help you be accountable and take your experience and work to the next level. Set goals and you have to plan it. Be very clear and very focused on what you want.

Email Kimberly Manning.