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Having a successful career in real estate can depend on many factors, but having confidence in yourself and your abilities is crucial. If you don’t believe in yourself and your skills, you’ll never land that career-making listing or robust client roster.
Having confidence is the secret weapon to selling different types of properties and negotiating with ease. Here are a few pointers we’ve learned along the way to gaining confidence as a real estate agent.
1. Practice makes perfect
Confidence comes with practice. Whether it’s cold-calling potential clients, door-knocking in desirable neighborhoods or sitting at open houses, practicing these skills on a regular basis is important.
Practice develops muscle memory and sharpens our ability to recall information. It also helps with discovering new ways to perfect existing strategies and techniques while learning what works and what doesn’t.
2. Know your strengths
Creating a solid foundation of confidence begins with knowing what your strengths and weaknesses are. Are you a good negotiator? Are you a great salesperson?
If you have a clear understanding of what you’re good at and focus on improving and perfecting these aspects of your personality, you will be able to build on them and relinquish focus on your perceived shortcomings.
3. Remember that a ‘no’ gets you closer to a ‘yes’
We like to say that every “no” gets you closer to a “yes.” There will always be naysayers and those who may doubt you, but that shouldn’t stop you from being relentless, speaking up and doing what you believe in.
Stay focused, and forge ahead. If we stopped pursuing our careers due to criticism, we would not have all the success we enjoy today.
4. Don’t let fear stop you
One of the biggest setbacks when building confidence is the fear of failure and stepping outside of your comfort zone. According to Forbes, “Failing isn’t your enemy, it’s fearing failure that truly cripples you.”
In these moments of apprehension, you must find the courage deep down to feel that fear and still go out and pursue your dreams. Stepping outside your comfort zone is how confidence is built.
As New York Times writer Eric Ravenscraft wrote, “Confidence is ultimately about being comfortable in a wide variety of situations that would make most people feel uncomfortable. So if you stretch your comfort zone every day, very quickly you’ll have a large comfort zone and be able to feel more comfortable even when outside of it.”
5. Have direction
Knowing your desired direction will get you closer to your end goal. Do you want to close a particular listing in 30 days? Win a multimillion-dollar listing? Network with high-net-worth individuals? Knowing your goal and having conviction will allow you to move toward that goal with confidence.
According to Tony Robbins, “Once you know your purpose, learning how to build confidence becomes a matter of retraining your brain. To accomplish your goal, you need to present yourself as a confident person. There is no other way to do it. Ignore the uncertainty that holds you back; second-guessing yourself will open the door to hesitance, doubt and fear. ”
6. Know your market
Knowing the latest trends and information about your target market will help you feel more confident when interacting with clients. Today, there’s a wealth of resources available to help you be as informed as possible.
Whether it’s through blogs, podcasts, news sources or other forms of research, gaining knowledge leads to confidence.
7. Find a mentor
Having a mentor is a great way to boost confidence while also building on your own skills and expertise. Learning from a seasoned real estate broker, including from their failures and triumphs, will help you get ahead.
If they’re gracious enough to allow you the opportunity to co-list with them on a property, take the opportunity and run with it. The reward will be well worth the work.
All in all, confidence is an important aspect of becoming a successful real estate agent. Investing in yourself and utilizing the resources at your disposal — whether that’s research tools or finding a mentor — will instill the confidence you need to succeed. Ignoring the doubters and having direction will provide you with a clear compass for navigating your first few years in real estate with ease.
David Parnes is a director at The Agency in Los Angeles. Connect with him on Instagram. James Harris is a director at The Agency in Los Angeles. Connect with him on Instagram.
