While deciding if marketing was right for me, I become a realtor for 4 years. Every day I thank myself for taking the leap into a career that I knew nothing about. Even though it led me to recognize marketing as my true path, my time spent as a realtor shaped how I run my business today. I didn’t know it at the time, but realtors are truly business owners, with the most professional and disciplined amassing a worth that typical “business owners” could only dream of.
How Being a Realtor Shaped the Way I do Business Today:
- Have thick skin. You will get burned (by everyone!). Be careful not to celebrate before signing the contract (or literally closing escrow in the case of a realtor). Also don’t take things too personally. It’s just business.
- Use detailed language in contracts and proposals. But not too detailed from a legal standpoint. 🙂 This is the point that led me to writing this blog post. I recently felt very (probably overly) adept at writing a proposal for a law firm—like I could protect myself and play with the big boys.
- Connect with people. What other people say and do is our greatest source of inspiration when attempting to market something. They also bring us all of our business. Get out and about!
- Pick up the phone. While email has its purpose, you really cannot effectively communicate complexities in text.
- Weather the storm. Imagine selling homes during the housing boom. Many people jumped on the bandwagon and got their real estate licenses. Imagine selling homes during the economic depression. This takes a certain kind of tenacity and skill that few realtors, or other professionals for that matter, have.
My point is that you never know where your professional path may take you. What might seem like an odd tangent, or even bump in the road, will probably serve as inspiration for you in another professional lifetime.
