People list with people

There are a lot of great things about being a real estate agent. It’s an adrenalized profession where every day is different.

Extroverts thrive because they’re always meeting new people, while becoming enmeshed in their lives during one of their most important decisions – whether to buy or sell a house.

Agents also love the buzz of bringing a property to the market, designing a selling strategy, and finding the perfect balance of price and presentation.

And don’t get me started on the rush brought on by negotiations or selling a property under the hammer at auction.

It’s also a field where you get to build a personal profile and become engaged with your community. As agents, we are well remembered by residents in our area, often given a hello on our walk to the local cafés or when volunteering at the school fete.

Yes, there’s plenty to love about this job, however there’s one task that’s essential to success that most agents hate, and that’s getting more listings.

Hunting listings can be tough, but they’re the lifeblood of an agency. Without listings, there’s no sales, and without sales, there’s no commission.

I would say this is the number one fear stopping high-performing agents from striking out on their own, away from big franchise operations. They’ve convinced themselves that without a major brand name on their business card, the listings will dry up.

Well… they’re dead wrong. Here’s why.

People list with people

If there’s one key lesson I’ve learned in my years as a top agent and business owner, it’s this: people list with people, not agencies!

In the modern era, it doesn’t matter who you work for. From big franchise to bespoke local offices, when it comes to sellers selecting a representative, they’re seeking the right agent for the job regardless of the banner they work under.

Successful agents have a high profile in their niche – price point, property type and location of speciality.

They become their own brand and generate their own leads. The agency they work for plays little to no part in feeding them listings.

Ironically, many agents don’t know they’ve become their own attraction business. They just continue working for the big office unaware they no longer need them to get listings.

This sort of personal brand comes through building trust and delivering exceptional service consistently over time.

And you know what follows? Word-of-mouth marketing builds a valuable brand, and that’s brand YOU.

Building an attraction brand

There will still be established agents reading this who are wondering whether they can start their own business and generate enough listings to keep themselves profitable.

I would encourage them to do this exercise.

Look back over your past 12 months of sales and ask, “Where did each of these listings come from?”

I guarantee, the vast majority knew you by name and reputation. Almost none will have called your business and asked for whoever was available to sell their home.

If you have the skills to generate this sort of business off the back of your own name, why do you need to give away half your commission to a business that isn’t helping you generate listings? It’s your work – you should be reaping the rewards!