10 tips to make you a better agent in 2022

The most successful agents are usually the ones that invest in themselves. Whether it’s through keeping up with social media changes, trying new dialogue, or testing out the latest gadgets and platforms — the best agents are always looking to ‘be better’.

It’s why Openn created the The Better Agent Series – to help agents be better by bringing you practical advice and tips from some of the industry’s top leaders.

With the end of 2021 almost in sight, we’ve done the hard work for you and pulled together 10 cracking tips you can put into practice in 2022.

1. Practice delayed gratification

“I think in this industry, we do something – whether it’s a letterbox drop or a call – and there's an expectation that every action should result in a positive outcome. Delayed gratification is what I had to practice. Just do the work and the results will come. That changed my business and being more persistent with what I did.” - Alex Jordan, McGrath Paddington & REA’s No 1 Agent For Queensland (2021)

2. Pick up the phone

“Trust me, you’ll be the only one calling them. Because everyone else is texting, SMSing, emails, DM’s whatever – which are fantastic – that puts you in touch with more people. But pick up the phone and speak to people. They will challenge you, they’ll argue with you, they’ll agree with you. You’ll have a relationship and they’ll do business with you – that's my biggest tip.” - Ray Ellis, CEO of First National Real Estate

3. Ask more questions

“I learnt pretty early on that selling wasn’t ‘telling’ – it was asking. If you ask the right questions, you’ll get enough answers. The answers the prospect gives you tell you what you should be saying next, if you're really listening. Too often we try to be the answer to their prayers before we find out what they are praying for.” - Rik Rushton, Peak Performance and Communication Coach

4. Less is more

“The typical thing a rookie marketer tends to do is to fill every blank space with something and some call to action. Don’t throw logos and stuff at me. I’m not interested – just give me the copy and tell me what’s going on because I’m getting a million other emails in my inbox every day.” - Ray Wood, Co Founder of Jigglar & LockedOn

5. Block out time for ‘you’

“I know it sounds so basic, but I open up a lot of agent’s calendars and they say they are stressed, overwhelmed – there's no buffers between appointments. At the start of every year, I put two times in my calendar as a reoccurrence – and that’s to eat my lunch and to have a coffee in the morning. I know that sounds crazy, but I've spoken to sales agents who don’t drink water on Saturday because they don’t want to go to the toilet – I mean that’s just madness. So some of the basic things like that are incredibly important.” - Kylie Walsh, Director and Founder of Regrowth

6. Arm yourself with digital tools

“I remember when technology was coming out and everybody was saying real estate agents are going to become obsolete. Fast forward two or three years and actually that couldn’t be further from the truth. I don’t, for a minute, believe that real estate agents are going to be superseded by technology – but I do believe that the agents who adopt technology in smart ways will definitely supersede the agents who don’t.” – Leanne Pilkington, Laing & Simmons CEO

7. Hire people you can trust

“I like people who have good morals because they are engaging with client's biggest assets. Can you think of other people in society who get given the keys to someone's front door? That is the ultimate trust in my view. When I'm looking to hire people, I ask myself, can I trust them with a set of keys?” - Matt Lahood, CEO of The Agency

8. Consistency over skill

“People always want to talk about scripts, dialogue – you’ve got to train yourself to be consistent. Someone out there right now, if you don’t feel like you’ve got the skills to be where you want to be and you’re looking at someone who is more skillful than you, just say to yourself, 'I'm going to take more actions and fire more shots than them.' Then over time, I reckon you’ll pass them.” - Jess Densley, Real Estate Coach & Top 50 Australian Real Estate Industry Influencer

9. Keep building resilience

“We’re in an industry where we take a lot of hits. We might make 100 or 200 phones calls and get one person to say 'yes. That's not the industry for everybody. So building your resilience is important, and finding books and apps or attending courses around building resilience. It's like a muscle; the more you use it, the better it becomes. If you become more resilient in this game, then with the highs and the lows, there will be less of a gap between them.” - Kylie Walsh, Director and Founder of Regrowth

10. Empower yourself through education

“Read every day. Read a book, a blog, a website – anything you can possibly do to educate yourself. You’re being inundated with technology every day – it's like water through a firehose. But you have to try and understand it, don’t just try to push it aside. Educate yourself, learn something, get involved in the technology and then make your own decisions. But don’t stop teaching yourself. Our industry is evolving; it’s going to evolve much quicker than it ever did.” - Eric Byrant, Openn USA Director of Operations

For more tips, follow The Better Agent Series on Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. To learn more about Openn, visit www.openn.com.au