The real estate and property markets are highly competitive. This is why it can be extremely difficult to stay in the business and find a career beyond your initial success, especially if you’re a real estate sales agent.Longevity becomes the primary issue and agents are left asking themselves how they ended up not having inquiries when just yesterday they were doing fine.
CEO of Key Real Estate, chief adviser of the CVEA and vice-chair of Eurocham’s Real Estate & Construction Committee, Mr. Alex Evengroen addresses this issue and explains that this may be because of a weak grasp on how professionals perceive real estate agents. In a sit down interview, he reveals a couple of tips that will take professionals in the industry from an agent status to real estate sales guru.
Character
One of the fundamental characteristics of a successful real estate sales agent is not his educational attainment, but his character and the way he conducts business. Though being certified by an institution gives you an additional coat of credibility, being certified by the clients themselves from their own personal experience will give you an edge. This becomes an advantage when they start referring you to friends and family who are looking for the same services that you offer. People have a tendency to trust people they know and a personal certification from them will always outweigh a formal one in the long run.
Coverage
While good character is important, it should also go hand in hand with being knowledgeable in terms of the ins and outs of the industry. Knowing property types and location and showing that you know what you're talking about will assure your clients that they will get the best and the most practical deals from you. It’s also crucial to give the property investment experience a personal touch. So, even if you know what you’re talking about, Evengroen says that you should still ask your clients some questions to find out what they want. This not only allows you to provide them with more flexible options, this also gives you the opportunity to compile your own personal statistics on that client and develop your own portfolio.
Communication
Evengroen says that communication is one of the most important things that you can learn in the industry. This not only extends to communication principles and etiquette. This also includes working on your language skills. He emphasizes that you have to keep learning. Knowing an additional language will give you a competitive start and follow through you need for further growth. It also builds character and your ability to learn anything. It allows investors to feel a familiarity they may otherwise miss when they transact with other agents. Among the leading languages in Cambodia are Khmer, English and Chinese. The more languages you know, the more sales you can make.
Community
Developing relationships in the industry is one of the biggest contributors to the successes and failures of real estate sales agents and agencies all over the world. Without good networking skills, you lose the potential client base that will organically come through referrals. So, this means that you not only develop relationships with the clients. It also means that you should develop a deeper connection with colleagues, other agents and organizations. This is why Evengroen suggests all Cambodian agents should join the CVEA - which is a big group of real estate companies registered with The Ministry of Economics and Finance.
Being part of a community like this gets you the chance to learn from like-minded individuals who are willing to support you and who are also seeking to improve the industry conditions itself. So, whether it’s CVEA or not, make sure that you become part of a group of credible people and harness the power of numbers!
Consistency
“You only get one chance” at making first impressions. This is the sentiment shared by Evengroen during the interview. He says that who you are the first time people meet you will last until they decide to part ways with you. So, you want them to feel the support you are willing to offer them. A bad impression can somehow be offset with consistent follow-ups though. And whether you’ve made a bad or good impression, follow-ups remain one of the best ways you can close the deal. Just be mindful of the frequency so that it won’t reach a point where clients are inconvenienced by it.
Confidence
Being a personal and professional success coach, Alex Evengroen believes that agents should first and foremost believe in themselves. They have to dare to be different. He says that "if you copy other people, no problem. But then you're one of them and you're the same.” And while it’s important to mould ourselves in the image of a successful person, our differences will serve as our personal and even professional marketing tool. He states that we must make a conscious choice to be confident. "So, if I don't believe in myself, why should you believe in me?”
He further emphasizes that confidence makes other people confident that you will support them when they need it. With that assurance and with the utilization of all these tips, Evergroen firmly believes that you’ll be able to last long and hit it big in the real estate market. So, continue improving yourself and be aware of the things you’re still able to work on. And since the industry is fast growing, agents and agencies should have no excuse to do anything else other than focus on growth.
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