Getting started in the Canadian real estate industry as a real estate agent isn’t complicated. If you can pass an examination and obtain a license, you can set up your own office the very next day and start looking for clients. But that’s when things come into perspective. In a crowded marketplace with so much competition, it is not easy to get a foothold, let alone build your own brand as a Canadian real estate agent.
But you should not give up because, as the age old saying goes, wherever there is will, there is a way. With hard work, persistence and a well laid out plan, you will find success. So here are some strategies you can use to build your brand as a real estate agent in Canada:
- Build Your Reputation as an Honest Agent:
In the real estate business, honesty is the best policy. Today’s Canadian home buyers and sellers are smart and they have access to most of the information they need about real estate through the internet. Always be honest and truthful. Never give false information about the property you are trying to sell or about a client who is trying to buy a property. If you are caught being dishonest, your clients will move on to another agent. Once you have got a reputation as a dishonest agent, you will probably never be able to repair it.
- Build Your Reputation as an Agent who Delivers What They Promise:
If you make a promise and fail to deliver, your clients will lose faith in you. The phone calls will stop coming and you will soon find yourself struggling to pay your bills. Never tell a seller that you can sell his property the very next day when you know that it will probably take you weeks. In the same way, never tell a buyer that you will reduce the price of a home by 20% when you know that you can’t. There is no shame in admitting what you can and can’t do as an agent, and your clients will admire you for that.
- Build a Strong Personal Relationship with Your Clients:
In today’s socially driven market place, no real estate agent can succeed without building a strong personal relationship with their clients. This is easier said than done, but you can do it if you try. Phone them from time to time just to keep updated. Send them the latest market news by e-mail. Add them to your friends list in Facebook and other social media sites. Hold open houses and invite your clients and their guests. Repeat customers are great for business as they help spread your name around.
- Build a Good Personal and Working Relationship with Other Agents and Realtors:
In today’s highly competitive real estate market, you simply cannot work alone. The seller has his agent and so has the buyer. If you represent the seller, then you need the buyer’s agent to bring his client to you. This won’t happen if you don’t have a good relationship with other agents. So work towards building a good personal and working relationship with them. Remember that every agent counts, whether he is currently successful or not.
In addition to these strategies, you should join several listings services, network with as many real estate agents as you can, educate yourself continually, maintain your own website, make maximum use of Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites, attend seminars and do whatever is necessary to make yourself known as a reliable and efficient real estate agent. Once people know you and trust you, which is what building a brand is all about, you will soon be on your way to success.
