5 of the Best Networking Tips from Top Real Estate Agents

Although you may be inclined to view other real estate agents as the competition, sometimes it's to your benefit to form positive relationships with your peers and the network of real estate agents you're a part of. More often than not, when you connect with other agents, you exchange stories (good and bad), share what you're working on, and hopefully trade off some tips and tricks that you've learned along the way.

With that in mind, we turned to the real estate agents in our own network and asked if they would share some of their top tips. With decades worth of combined real estate experience, one theme seemed to emerge from all the tips we got; being a real estate agent is tough, and there's no easy way to go about it. But taking the time for your clients, your potential clients, and even those cold leads can make a huge difference for your business. And yes, that means going above and beyond the typical 9 to 5 work day.

We spoke with real estate agents and Realtors from all over the country, and collected a few of our favorite quotes and tips here just for you. Whether it's best practices on what to put in emails to clients, or how to engage with potential clients with cold emails, each of these top agents brought their wisdom, and in some cases their humor, to share a little bit of their agent personality. And as we all know, the real estate agent's personality can make all the difference in a client's experience when they're buying or selling a home.

If you Google 'real estate tips,' there are over 95 million search results that pop up. And while some of these are absolutely worthwhile, very few of them come from the agents themselves. As of 2015, there are over 1 million Realtors in the United States alone. How often do you get a chance to actually speak with other agents and exchange tips and wisdom? With so many of them out there, it may be hard to get a good grip on your own network, let alone start reaching out to another million Realtors to add to your network.

But, haven't you ever found that the best advice always comes from those who are actually in the weeds? When many of these tips that come up from the search are aimed directly at the buyers and sellers on the market, it doesn't prove to be too useful for you as an agent. The value instead is found in hearing from and talking with other agents themselves, and understanding what works for them and what makes them successful.

Bill Tierney, Cohasset, MA

I don't think there are any magic tips. I just follow the system as it was explained to me. I did take some considerable time to bucket my database (something that was long overdue to happen). And then I set up my follow up dates. Some buckets hear from me more than others, for obvious reasons, some less. I use MailChimp to hit mass market like my agent and vendor spheres, and I am very cognizant to send good local information so my open rates remain strong.

For instance, there is a local charity benefit concert that benefits a group of which I am on the board. This email will go out to my local folks, in what looks like a very personal appeal, but in fact it really is a template. I guess what I try to do is to keep in front of people, with something of interest, and I try to minimize my selling real estate with things like open houses, just listed, just solds.

Yolanda V. Burgess, Washington, DC

Treat everyone the same, whether they're renting or buying. And never be a 9 to 5 Realtor.

Nick El-Tawil, New York City, NY

Cold e-mails: Keep them short and sweet. Writing them is the easy part. The hard part is finding the contact info, and then doing that THOUSANDS of times.

• Summer season: I work my ass off year round. I just do what I always do.
• Warming up leads: First I take off my tie... then my shirt... (just kidding)

Greg Brock, Baltimore, MD

I would put it simply: If you put the client's best interest first and focus on building other's wealth, personal wealth will follow!

Tom McGlynn, Washington, DC

It's not an easy slog. A lot of people have a romantic notion about real estate, but it's not even close. When you start out, go where there's mentoring, training or a team to get you started. It takes at least five years to really learn what you're doing.

Take these tips...

...and run with them! Sure, we know that's easier said than done, and that changing your habits as an agent can be a tough hurdle to jump. But taking a look back, it's amazing to see how similar all of the tips are, and that the common theme seems to be that maintaining your personality, creating a real and authentic relationship with your clients, and making yourself available beyond those typical work hours, is what makes you a 'top agent.'

To view the original article, visit the Contactually blog.