How to Become a More Effective Real Estate Agent

What are you good at?

Figure it out – and focus on it. That’s Shay Hata‘s first piece of advice. Hata, who be presenting at this year’s Triple Play Convention in Atlantic City in December, offered tips to become a more effective and productive agent, as well as what works for her.

“I’m an introvert, so the idea of cold calling, door knocking and working expired listings makes me want to crawl under my desk and die, yet that’s what most coaches will tell you you have to do if you want to be successful. I don’t believe that’s true. I’m successful because I focused on the things I’m good at, treating my clients like gold, targeted client communication filled with content clients need at the time they need it, client events, post-transaction follow-up, etc. If you hate doing something, you aren’t going to be good at it and you aren’t going to do it regularly. Figure out what you’re good at and what you like doing and develop a niche focused on that,” added Hata.

Hata said automating communication with clients is key. Be prepared with those communications for clients before they sign a contract, once they are under contract and post-transaction.

“This allows Realtors® to provide exceptional customer service to every client, so clients feel you’re there holding their hand every step of the way, while in reality, you’re freed up to concentrate on lead generating or simply enjoying free time.”

In today’s instant gratification culture, it can be hard to not reply to every message immediately. Hata suggest putting a stop to that. “In my listings in the MLS, I say that all offers submitted after 5 p.m. will be responded to the next business day. I also answer voicemails at 10 a.m., 3 p.m. and 8 p.m., so I’m not distracted by my phone all day. For those with assistants or teams, I’m a huge fan of Slack to streamline team communication and reduce the number of emails received within the team,” she said.

Increasing productivity doesn’t always mean trying each and every new tool or gadget made for Realtors®. Hata suggests picking one or two tools, learning how to use them and utilizing them to the full extent.

“I believe every Realtor® should have their own beautiful website, not provided by their brokerage, as well as a robust CRM, which can automate their communication and help with transaction management tasks. That’s it. I could run my entire business and be successful with just those two tools. This is a basic business. Treat your clients like gold. That’s it,” said Hata.

“To be successful, you have to put in the work. Treat this like a business. Time block. Be more professional than every other Realtor® in your marketplace. Run a monthly profit and loss statement. Figure out what lead generation tools are giving you the biggest ROI and focus on those. This isn’t a hobby. This isn’t a job. This is a business. You are a CEO. Act accordingly,” added Hata.

Hata will be a part of the Grow Your Business Panel on Monday, Dec. 9, from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m., and will be presenting Automate Your Business to Increase Efficiency on Tuesday, Dec. 10 from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. and again from 2 to 3 p.m. and  15 Creative Lead Generation Ideas on Tuesday, Dec. 10 from both 10-11 a.m. and 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.