Rental Beast Blog

The stars of Million Dollar Listings all wear shiny suits and have very fresh haircuts. They lounge in luxe offices, target celebrity clients, fly around in private jets, and get a huge commission check at the end of the day. Everything about them screams aspirational. They are top producers, the picture of #goals— highly successful real estate agents. Maybe you don’t even need to turn on your TV or scroll through your phone to find that superstar; maybe they’re in your brokerage.

You probably already know that they didn’t get there without a whole lot of hustle. There’s no magic bullet for lead generation, and no way to ensure that every rental client you work with is ideal. Here at Rental Beast, we see lots of agents generate rental leads, get in front of clients, and close deals, but we can’t promise to know your role-models’ top-secrets. However, there are a few habits that are absolutely necessary, especially in 2019, to become a successful real estate agent. Get on the road to becoming your own real-estate hero and someone else’s role-model with these tips.

Build a Social media Presence

Here at Rental Beast we think a lot about social media, and with good reason. Pretty much everyone is on social media. It can be used to do everything from keeping up with your niece’s middle-school soccer career, to finding a perfectly priced cocktail dress, to (of course) find a great real estate agent. Top producers don’t underestimate the power of social media and the internet. They post listings regularly (the more the better!) and

use social media to keep in touch, and top-of-mind with clients. Get well aquatinted with all the social medias you can, but figure out which makes the most sense for you to use. Facebook is a good place to start, followed by Instagram and Linkedin. Get into a groove and a regular posting schedule. Remember! The worst thing you can do is leave your page gathering dust-bunnies. Top agents don’t over-extend and make promises that can’t be kept, they dedicate themselves to a schedule.

Focus on Relationships 

Top agents don’t see themselves as just using clients as a source of commission. Rather, they see themselves as forging a solid relationship that blends both the personal and the professional. Now, we don’t mean to say that the 30-something-year old couple who rented the brownstone downtown are going to be your best buds, but stay friendly and keep in touch with your clients.

We hear this from our agents all the time: “I’m in the real estate industry because I like helping people.” If this is how you think of it, too, make sure this message is consistent in every interaction you have with your client. Contact your client regularly with email newsletters, birthday and holiday cards, hand-written notes to let them know how happy you are the continue the conversation. Even invite them out to lunch. When you’re working with rentals, remember that renting clients don’t want to rent forever; they want a path to home-ownership. If you’re able to keep a strong relationship with your rental client, you’ll be the very first they contact when they’re ready to buy. 

Successful Real Estate Agents Run like a Business

As an agent, you don’t just clock into and out, you run a business (even if you’re a single agent working from the comfort of your own home!) What does running like a business means? Create a fool-proof process for everything. When a lead comes in, what is your plan of action? Top producers have a system that each client passes through. It keeps them organized and better equipped to deal with problems as they arise. Think big, and think ahead. Set goals— for the day, for the month, for the year. Write them down on a white board, the front of your planner, or another highly visible area to make sure that you remember. Most importantly for new agents, all successful agents made themselves available for their clients, 24 hours a day, 8 days a week.

Highly Successful Real Estate Agents Work With Rentals

The high volume of renting clients mean that new agents can cut their teeth on dealing with consumers, and experienced agents can keep cash flow consistent and weather down-markets and slow home buying seasons.   

Rentals are particularly important right now. Check out why. 

High levels of organization

Maybe you keep organized by using a special floral planner that you pencil in every event you need to attend, or maybe you just tap in every event you need to attend on your iPhone calendar. Just make sure you organize! Make sure that all pieces of information are filed away and easy to access.

A Client Relationship Management tool is a must have.Keep organized with Rental Beast— the Rental Beast Broker Portal includes powerful tools to automatically contact your clients when new listings become available, note down the interactions you had with them, and tracks their activity.

Professional Photos

This is a basic one, but it’s still so important. Potential clients will judge you on what they see first— your appearance. Good head-shots and professional-looking social media photos will make you seem legit, and ready for a client to contact. Your head-shot should feature you from the shoulders up, smiling, against a blank background, without any props or gimmicks. If you start feeling shy or insecure about the way your hair looks or how your smile looks, cut back on the self criticism! The client will see you eventually after all.

If you’re listing a property, make sure you take steps to ensure that your photos come out looking great. Avoid windows that are whited-out from sun-light, photos where shadows obscure important details, and photos that show the cluttered mess the last occupant left. Top producers let potential clients know that they mean business. 

Never stop learning

Top producers never stop learning. It’s wise to always think of yourself as a student of the area you work in, the real estate market, and of yourself. Approach the areas you want to work in and the real estate market with curiosity and a willingness to learn. There’s no wrong way to learn. Draw from blogs, books, and other agents, and look within. Learn what works for you, what’s not going well, and be ready to adapt.
No super-successful agent had a straight path to success. They all had to adapt and change what wasn’t going well. So, always remember that if you feel like you’re not doing well in one aspect of your business— be it lead generation, constructing and systemic, powerful outreach plan— don’t get discouraged. Top producers figure out what their weaknesses are and start making them into strengths as soon as possible. 

Successful Real Estate Agents are Resilient

The best agents bounce back when they fall and course correct effectively. 

Not every day or week is a good one. Not every year is a good one, but this can’t mean that you give up. Remember the goal you’ve set (a Italian vacation? helping your daughter with her student loans? Just helping match clients with a home where they’ll be happy?) and write it down somewhere that you’ll be sure to see it. Whenever you’re feeling stuck in the middle of a bad patch, remind yourself why you’re doing what you do. The best agents bounce back when they fall and course correct effectively.

Ready to get started with rentals and become one of the highly successful real estate agents you respect? Get started with a free demo and unleash the Beast!