Tip: Master the basics—cold calling and dealing with objections.
Jason Edwards stumbled into real estate during a high school work-study program with the Texas Association of REALTORS®. On a whim he took—and passed—some GRI exams that were sitting in the office. Could he be a natural for the business, he wondered?
He wasn’t. He says he could barely make ends meet for the first two years he practiced. Then he attended Sweathogs, a well-known sales training program, where he mastered the basics and learned to work the phones.
Edwards, now a salesperson at Keller Williams Realty in Austin, focused his new skills on a 300-unit condo complex where he lived. Using calls, mailings, and a fair amount of schmoozing, Edwards turned his business around. In just a year, he had the majority of the complex’s market share. He then farmed two nearby townhouse communities and captured huge market shares there.
“I did what others weren’t willing to do—make calls,” he says. “The contacts I made are still a vital part of my business.” His efforts netted him $10 million in sales last year. Despite the fact that most of his business is now from referrals, Edwards says, “I still schedule 20 cold calls per week to keep my skills sharp.”