Everyone in the industry is always looking for ways to grow. Whether it be in name recognition or in “sales” it’s one of the most common themes among agents. A lot of times, we think everybody else knows something we don’t know. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

1) Prospecting. I know, you’ve heard this a million times but it’s true! You should consistently cold call, door knock, send newsletters, and try to be in front of as many people as possible. I’ve learned that time blocking is the best way to never miss a day. Try it out and thank me later.

2) Networking. If you want to grow your sphere and business, you need to be networking. Do you know how you go to Starbucks every day and get coffee? Does the barista know you’re a real estate agent? How about the cashier? The best way to become a household name and get referrals is by telling everybody you’re a real estate agent. Not only by extending this to your day-to-day contacts but specifically by making time to go to networking events and socialize with professionals also.

3) Farming. A great way to grow your business is by farming. This is a marketing technique used by many real estate agents. Using this technique, you develop business in a specific area or market demographic. This will involve previously mentioned newsletters, door knocking, and other forms of contact but in a targeted area. Great agents will use all information they can pull from multiple listing service (MLS) and become the local expert. Agents will also attend local events and make sure they are well-known in the community.

4) Invest. Always invest in yourself when it comes to growing as an agent. The reason this is very important is that you will only grow so much with the techniques mentioned above and vice versa. While using the techniques you should learn the best times, areas, demographic, and things of that nature to in turn invest in targeted ads.

5) Branding. The importance of branding usually goes unnoticed. I feel this is one of the most important things you need to do as a real estate agent. This goes way past picking a “font” and your “colors” etc., I am speaking more of image. How do you want others to perceive you? I know the idea of “brand” is so broad and everybody has their own opinions on the subject but I believe it’s an area that is extremely important for agents.

Now that you’ve read through all the different techniques I suggest implementing. Let me know if you have anything you used to grow as a real estate agent.