As a real estate agent, your business grows as your network grows. Whether it’s new clients, professionals you can work with, or anybody else, you need to be growing your network as much as possible. This is especially true for new agents.
Real estate agents have to have the right networking tips to help. If you want to grow your network and achieve success, the right tips will go a long way. Here are some of the best networking tips for real estate agents you will find.
Top 13 Networking Tips for Real Estate Agents
1. Give, Give, and Give Some More
One of the best ways to build your network is to give more than you get. Always give and support others as much as you can and you can grow your network faster than you might imagine.
Make sure you’re always known as the professional that helps and gives of their time and talent. You want to deposit into relationships before you withdraw anything from them. If you follow this tip, you will build a network of people eager to help you when you need it.
2. Become a Great Listener
Nobody wants to be around a person that never shuts up. It’s better to be a listener than to be the person that is always chatting away. Listening helps people feel heard and they will want to be around you. Plus, it allows others to talk about themselves, which most people love to do.
Ask questions of those you network with. This can help you get the information you need and let them feel heard in the process. If you do this well, you can solve issues for others and those favors will be reciprocated one day.
3. Don’t Just Attend Events
Attending events gives you a great opportunity to mingle and grow your network as an agent. However, you cannot just show up and expect networking to happen. It’s important to be seen and to see others.
When you go to events, talk to people and get around the room. This can help you to make more connections and make the event worthwhile. Of course, choose events you won’t be bored out of your mind at, or it can be harder to network.
It can even be helpful to go into events with a plan. If there are specific people you’d like to speak to, make sure you find a chance to do so.
4. Adopt an Attitude of Fearlessness
Those with fear don’t build great networks as real estate agents. Make sure you have a fearless attitude and be ready to approach anybody. This can help you to get to where you need to go and build your network.
People are drawn to those with confidence, not those afraid to speak. Don’t be afraid of an awkward conversation or even rejection. Building a large network means you have to be willing to speak to people and take the fear out of the equation.
5. Know Where to Network
Sure, real estate events are great for networking, but there are more places to network, too. Local charity events, seminars, industry conferences, and many other places offer networking options. However, there are fewer conventional options, too.
Maybe you strike up a conversation with another parent at a school event. There are also the local chamber of commerce meetings and so much more. Anywhere there are people you can talk to, you have an opportunity to network.
6. Network Online
You can certainly grow your network as a real estate agent online. Today, this is easier than it ever has been in the past. With so many social networking platforms to choose from, you can grow a massive network online.
Whether you choose to use LinkedIn, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, or any other platform, you can start expanding your network. Share good content, use video to connect, and make sure you use actually connect with your followers and fans.
It’s also good to have current clients and potential clients follow you on social media. This can help you build a network through them. Social media and the online world offer a massive opportunity for real estate agents. Some find a large percentage of their clients online in today’s world.
Most real estate agents use Facebook, at least. Twitter is the second,-most used and LinkedIn is right behind. More than 80% of real estate agents are on social media and you need to be, as well.
7. Volunteer in the Community
Volunteering is a great way to build your network. This is one of the top tips for real estate agents looking to grow their network. You don’t even have to do anything crazy. Just volunteer and talk to those you are helping or working with.
When you volunteer for local groups and organizations, you will meet more people in your community. It can be a great way to spread yourself out there and get to know people.
There are many ways to volunteer, too. Not-for-profits often need help or you can join a social group. Attending fundraisers also helps you with networking, as well.
8. Join a Church
Of course, you shouldn’t join a church just for business purposes. However, if you have a belief system and it fits with the church, joining gives you a great opportunity to build your network. Of course, it takes more than just saying you are a member of a specific church.
After joining, get involved. You can join bible study groups, attend events, go to mass/services, and get involved in different areas of the church. This can be a great way to network without even trying to network. Everybody will be curious about what you do and it’s pretty easy to hand out a business card when this question comes up.
9. Network with Other Agents
Other agents offer a great opportunity for networking. While you might view other real estate agents as competition, they don’t have to be. They can help you and you can help them.
Maybe you want to network with out-of-town agents. Schedule time to meet with them and establish referral relationships. You never know how this can pay off when it comes to people relocating.
For example, if you’re a real estate agent in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in Texas, you might want to network with agents in Austin, Houston, or other areas of Texas. Then, when you have a client looking to relocate, you can refer them to the agent you know and vice versa.
When people relocate out of the city, they often hire two agents: one to sell their current home and one to help them buy a new home. This can be a big-time win-win for you and the agents you network with from out of town.
10. Schedule Time for Networking
Whether it’s online or an event, always schedule time for networking. If you don’t schedule it, you probably won’t do it. Real estate agents tend to be very busy. You have to commit time to grow your network, which means it belongs on your calendar.
11. Be Different
Everybody sends a Christmas card or even a birthday card to their clients. Why not be different and stand out? Sure, you can send birthday cards and Christmas cards, but you can also send cards for Easter, St. Patrick’s Day, Valentine’s Day, or another different holiday.
When you seek out ways to be different, you’ll stand out. You can apply this trick to so many other areas of networking, as well.
12. Master the Follow Up
Without the follow-up, people will forget about you. Every successful real estate agent needs to master the art of the follow-up. It’s a bit easier online, as you can set some of this stuff on autopilot.
However, when you meet someone and you say, “I will email you,” do it. Actually, sit down and write them an email to connect. You will be amazed at how your network grows when you follow up.
13. Knock on Doors
Very few people actually enjoy doing it, but knocking on doors can allow you to market. This is a good way to meet a lot of people pretty quickly, especially when you’re new in town or a new real estate agent.
While it’s tempting to simply hand out marketing materials and give a pitch, find a way to stand out. For example, maybe you love to bake bread or cookies. Make up a batch, wrap them up all pretty with a business card, and go hand them out throughout your neighborhood.
If you did something like this in every neighborhood where you helped sell a home, you could grow your network very fast. Plus, who’s going to forget the agent that gave them a delicious loaf of bread or bag of cookies?
There are many good networking tips for real estate agents to consider. Use these 13 tips and figure out how you can grow your network this year.
