Dialogue: Real estate only for those who'll do the hard yards

By LEILA MACDONALD*

Chris Skinner's recent Dialogue page article made interesting reading to most in the real estate industry.

He was obviously reporting his views on the likelihood of success for those embarking on a career in selling real estate. But his disparaging comments about the personal qualities of experienced salespeople and the facilities available to a new salesperson should not be relied on.

Mr Skinner's views of real estate salespeople appear to have been formed on inadequate facts and an attempt to justify his failure compared with those who succeed.

He wildly generalises by grouping together all companies, managers and salespeople. Maybe he was expecting too much when entering the industry. Did he ever think to prepare himself or consider that he had the necessary work habits, adequate financial backing and personal and business skills to be a long-term success in real estate?

When you join the industry nobody owes you a thing. You live and die by your own work habits. Daily tasks that have been proved successful must be performed throughout a real estate career, whether you are a new recruit or someone with 10 years' experience. Some of these tasks are not always pleasant and easy to perform, and practice is the only teacher.

New recruits start on equal commission terms with seasoned professionals. There is no tiered commission structure which allows for experience. Everyone is treated the same way in the different companies.

When you enter real estate, you are competing with the "big boys." But you are paid the same as the big boys for performing the same tasks, and nobody said it was going to be easy.

When school-leavers want to enter a trade as apprentices, they are not paid the same as a tradesman, nor are they expected to have the experience of a tradesman. They serve their time as apprentices and gain as much experience as possible by learning their chosen trade. Experience and enthusiasm are necessary attributes when selling real estate.

The new recruit has only enthusiasm. Experience can come only with time in the business and learning the hard way. Many lessons can be taught only by failure. However, if you learn something from failure, that must be a beneficial experience.

Mr Skinner states that it is "common knowledge that so-called winners possess a singleness of purpose and a ruthless disregard to others which enables them to bulldoze their way to the top." A salesperson acting without professionalism, integrity or with a ruthless disregard for others will not last long in the business.

Today more than ever, real estate is a personality business. Every potential seller and potential buyer has freedom of choice. Customers can choose whom they do business with and with whom they do not.

Mr Skinner also says that "door knocking and door-to-door canvassing is very tiresome, ineffectual and unprofitable, the same as other pyramid structures." Success in real estate is not about luck. To be successful you may need to be very tough indeed, but it is not toughness that creates repeat business. This is produced by personal service, respecting people's privacy, giving good advice and acting professionally.

Good old-fashioned hard work if not directed correctly will not bring success. Delivering a huge number of property pamphlets will not guarantee one single listing because people have to be convinced that your service is the best their money can buy.

Where the experienced salesperson wins hands down over the new recruit is in repeat business. At company level, branch level or personal level, this is the single most productive source of income. It is a valid means of measuring your success in real estate.

New recruits do not have a backstop of satisfied clients or good business referrals from previously satisfied customers. They don't have any satisfied customers and until they get some, they won't have any referrals.

Successful real estate salespeople should have been measured by different yardsticks than those used by Mr Skinner. He should have tried to understand why these people were successful and then learned from them.

Generally, real estate salespeople will tell it all, even spending time to divulge the secrets of their success. Ultimately, however, it is down to the individual. That is what commission selling is all about. If you don't do the hard yards, no one will do them for you.

Those considering real estate should spend considerable time analysing their alternatives - the location they should work from, the area on which they are going to concentrate and the company for which they would like to work.

Then they should set realistic goals, so that in the long term they develop a professional attitude and act with honesty and integrity.

* Leila MacDonald has been a real estate salesperson for 18 years. She has twice been the Real Estate Institute's salesperson of the year.