The whole point of networking is to sell houses, right? Wrong! The purpose of networking is to make connections. With that in mind, here are the top 6 real estate agent networking mistakes—and what you can do to fix them.
Jumping the Gun
One of the worst pieces of advice is “It never hurts to ask.” It does, in fact, hurt to ask if you start the conversation with a pitch. Whether you’re looking for mentorship or a new client, you should try to connect with the person before asking them for something. If they’d rather run for the hills than have a chat over a cup of coffee, then you’ve tanked that relationship before it had a chance to being.
Not Helping Others
Think of social capital like a bank. You have to make some deposits before you can make withdrawals. To network successfully, focus on how you can help others. Helping people builds goodwill—and that goodwill leads to positive word-of-mouth, recommendations and referrals, and sales.
Making It All About You
You might think you’re the most interesting person in the room. But so does the woman standing next to you, and that guy over by the buffet, and the group of people in the red blazers near the door. That’s right—everyone thinks they have something of value to say. If you want to be successful, you need to listen more and talk less.
Thinking About Transactions, not Relationships
If you go in with a sales-focused mindset, you’re going to fail. Yes, your bottom line depends on sales. But real estate is about so much more than that. It’s about helping people understand what they need and then connecting them properties that meet those needs. You can’t do your job well if you don’t put relationships first before transactions.
Following Instead of Leading
Maybe you don’t feel ready for a leadership role yet. But at some point, you’ll realize that even though you may not be an expert, you still have something to offer people who are a rung or two down the ladder from you. Join organizations and be an active volunteer. Step up to help when you can, and prove yourself to your peers, your mentors, and your future clients. It can be daunting at first, but the best way to develop leadership skills is to actually lead. You’ll be more visible in your new role and remembered as someone who’s always willing to lend a hand.
Trying for Quantity Over Quality
You may hear people say that networking is a numbers game. Those people aren’t exactly correct. When it comes to real estate agent networking mistakes, going wide instead of deep is one of the most common. It doesn’t matter how many contacts you collect if you’re not connecting with those people on any meaningful level. It’s better to have a genuine, meaningful interactions with 50 people than handing out 500 business cards.
