“An original life is unexplored territory. You don’t get there by taking a taxi… you get there by carrying a canoe. ”
Alan Alda (born 1936); actor, director, screenwriter
Often when new agents sign up for Tuesday Tactics, they email us for any advice we may have for them as they’re just starting out. Some of you may have to think back a long time to remember what it was like to just begin building your business, expanding your circle of contacts, and working those early listings. For our new subscribers, that time is now, and they’re entering into real estate in a time where marketing, communication, and selling are all in tremendous flux.
While new agents will certainly have to cut their teeth the old fashioned way on some hard-learned lessons, there’s one piece of advice I always share with them (and in fact just shared this weekend):
“Don’t be afraid to follow your own path in real estate. A lot of established agents will tell you how it should be done, and you should listen, but you should also trust your own perceptions as a newer agent, too. You will often see things with fresh eyes, and don’t let those fresh perspectives get squashed.”
As Alan Alda says in the quote above, an unexplored life isn’t found by taxi. You have to get into the woods and find your own river. Part of that will demand you look places other people aren’t necessarily looking. Don’t rule anything out. Experiment. Ask questions, but don’t always let the answers stand-in for the truth. Often you have to find the truth out for yourself, and sometimes you’ll find out that what’s true for others doesn’t turn out to be true for you.
I figure we have a lot of new agents out there, now that we’re seeing some encouraging signs of life in the market, so perhaps this advice will land in a few ears that haven’t asked the question yet. Regardless, I hope Tuesday Tactics continues to encourage and educate you. We wish you the very best, every day.
