The path to success is not clearly marked. It is muddled. It is foggy. You realize you have gone off the path as you get up from the ditch. In this 2-part post, I want to help shed light on the path to success by sharing the 12 keys to becoming a top producer – faster! In this post, I cover the second 6 keys. (You can find Part 1 here.)
In my last post, I introduced the first 6 keys to becoming a top producer – faster! Before I share 7 – 12, let me briefly review the first 6:
- Obtain Knowledge
- Become a Student of Top Producers
- Hire a coach!
- Go to Conferences
- Read!
- Systematize Your Business
12 Keys to Becoming a Top Producer – Faster!
7. Use Technology for its Time Management & Efficiency Benefits – I am not the tech geek that can explain to you how things actually work. I just love using technology to squeeze more productivity out of a day. Top producers are fanatical about time management and efficiency. I have written posts that go into more depth about this:
- My Tools to Manage Twitter in 15 Minutes a Day
- The 5 Steps to a Paperless Office
- Light Bulb! The 5 Benefits of the Virtual Office
8. Build a Team – Top producers are team oriented. Top Producers are not loners. They don’t try to do everything. They understand the value of a team. And not only just having a team, but maximizing the production of that team. Rod Santomassimo discusses this in his best-selling CRE book – Brokers Who Dominate. Beyond the fact that I am profiled – along with about 22 others – this is must reading for any CRE practitioner.
Top producing brokerage teams are generally made up of a Senior Producer (Rainmaker), and Junior/New to the Business advisor, and an administrative assistant. The key to the best teams is hiring/recruiting well and assigning tasks according to the strengths of the team. The best teams run like a well-oiled machine (or the Colts offense in the 2nd half of Sunday’s game!). They do so because everyone knows the plays. They know their roles. Systems and communication are vital. Read more about systems here.
9. Treat Your Business Like a Business – The alternative is treating it like a hobby. You’d be shocked at how many brokers treat their businesses like a hobby. I can look at your books and tell you in 30 seconds whether you have a hobby or a business. The difference? Brokers that treat their business like a business invest in it. They spend money hiring a coach. They advertise. They go to conferences (see key #4 above). They hire talented team members. Brokers that have a hobby tend to whine about not having money to put in their business. It is really that simple. Top producers invest in their business.
10. Focused and Positive – Top producers work while they are at work. This seems so simple, but it is not. Top producers don’t spend much time chatting with others in the office. They are not found at the water cooler. They never take an hour “off” for lunch. They may have a lunch meeting, but they never shut it down for an hour in the middle of the day.
They also have unwavering positive attitudes. PMA – positive mental attitude. They choose to be positive – optimistic. They understand the message of Dead Poet’s Society because they live it.
11. Specialization – In retrospect, specialization should be #2 on the list. Top producers are not generalists. They specialize in an asset vertical or at least a geography. (I have to throw the geography part in here because I am a small town geographical specialist – at least in part.) This allows them to create presence as an expert – to be the go-to guy. If you are the broker who will work on anything – stop it. Pick a lane and become the subject matter expert in that lane.
12. Passion – Top producers bleed passion. It oozes out of their pores. They can’t wait to get to work in the morning and absolutely love what they do. Everyone has tough days, but passion is what top producers rely on to persevere. Passion is the ingredient that brings the other 11 keys together into a sum that is much great than its parts. Passion sells – it is obvious to your clients whether you possess it – or you don’t!
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