STANDING OUT AS LEADERS
Randy Smith
I am often asked, “What attribute should a real estate professional possess to differentiate him or her from the rest of the pack?” My first response is always, “Many attributes can achieve the differentiation a salesperson seeks to compete successfully, but if I had to select one personal and professional quality which tops the list, it would be ‘leadership.’”
Why not the development of top notch ‘sales skills,’ one might ask? Because we don’t sell anything; [as real estate professionals] we help people achieve what they desire and need to achieve in buying or selling real estate. We educate, counsel, consult, and teach, and then we lead them through this often complex process. This is precisely why those with a teaching background do so well in real estate sales. Ask Rita Santamaria, owner and founder of CSRE, and she will tell you she began her professional career as a teacher. Oh, by the way: teachers tend to be great leaders too. I love these words from President John F. Kennedy, “leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.”
Leaders define reality for their clients. They educate them as to current market conditions and what will have to be done to achieve their goals within said market. Leaders point the way, and in doing so effectively, their clients follow their lead. Great leaders also avoid engaging in the emotion of a residential real estate transaction. Accepting that emotions often run high, a solid leader knows that while they can be compassionate as to the emotion, they can ill afford to be sucked into the emotion. An agent who knows how to lead metaphorically acts as the “adult in the room.” Many great real estate professionals have made a note of this quality. It is a quality of a great leader.
Whether a real estate agent or client realizes it or not, a client is drawn towards a leader. I find this to be the case regardless of the price point of a transaction, but particularly relevant at the higher price points, especially when working with luxury home buyers and sellers.
We discuss this value point extensively in the Accredited Luxury Home Specialist, ALHS Designation course. But here’s a thought that should support my point: Luxury home buyers and sellers are more likely to be a leader within their chosen professional field, which is why they have arrived where they have. They are a leader in their field, and they will choose only to work with someone who is a leader in their field, and why would they work with anyone less?
Leadership is the most important attribute any professional must commit to developing throughout their career. Great leaders know when to lead from out front, from the side, and more often than not, from behind. And they also know when to follow. The greatest leaders possess the humble capacity to translate a vision into reality, always with an eye on the positive, always inspiring those they lead to aspire to the same.
– Randy Smith
Like this? Check out Randy’s other recent blogs:
- The More You Learn, The More You Earn
- A Look at Drive
- The Courage to Begin
- The Secret of Real Estate Success
- Nothing is Impossible if You Persevere
