As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention saves a pound of cure. Consider this article, in two-part, your prevention formula. Just watch for and avoid the following ten frequent real estate agent mistakes to steer clear of trouble and success-eroding errors. Here, in Part 2, I will cover the second five.
Making Yourself Available to Prospects and Clients 24-7
The most respected professionals are not available to their clients round-the-clock. They set normal professional work hours, they conduct business in their offices where clients come to meet them, and they make after-hours appointments a rare exception.
Doctors, Dentists, Attorneys, Accountants, and Financial Planners are service professionals, yet none make themselves available 24 hours a day 7 days a week. In contrast, most Real Estate Agents follow a work schedule that runs practically round the clock. What results from this workaholic approach is a loss of momentum and eventual burnout.
Give yourself a break. Take back control of your time. Set working hours, manage your days, schedule personal and family time each day and week, and commit to vacations that allow you to restore your energy and enthusiasm. Remember, real estate isn't your life. Rather it's what you do to fund your life.
Failing to Communicate Frequently
The biggest complaint by customers of Real Estate Agents is lack of communication. The antidote is to establish a great communication system that you and your clients buy into.
As you launch the Client-Agent relationship, explain the frequency of communication you will have with your clients and check to make sure that level of communication meets their needs.
As your clients' deal becomes a pending transaction, reconfirm the level of frequency and method of communication they prefer. Some people only need e-mail updates; others, like me, prefer the personal connection that a phone call offers.
Lastly, don't quit communicating with your clients after your commission check is cashed. Ongoing communication will win you clients for life and the kind of endorsements that lead to new clients and sales.
Being Inconsistent
This is the old tortoise versus the hare lesson. In real estate, as in most other endeavors, if you're consistent your efforts will lead to larger-than-expected rewards; if you're inconsistent your results will be notably disappointing. Inconsistency derails success faster than any other factor.
To a Real Estate Agent, the consistent activities of daily prospecting, daily lead follow-up, daily practice of sales skills, daily personal development, weekly planning, and scheduled evaluation time will create exponential return compared to the effort invested. On the other hand, occasional bursts of activity create work with little payoff.
As an easy analogy, say that you want to lose five pounds next month and that you need to increase your physical exercise by moving your body 60 miles over the upcoming 30 days in order to achieve your goal. You could put in the miles over a few muscle-aching days (after which you revert to ice cream sundaes and afternoons on the sofa) or you could commit to walk or run two miles a day for each of the next 30 days. Which approach do you think offers the greater probability of success? The consistent approach will always win out.
Ignoring the Fundamentals
The fundamentals of real estate sales success aren't exciting or exhilarating and for that reason it's easy to get sidetracked by new ideas that seem more interesting and innovative.
Consistent prospecting, client communication, transaction management, and flawless property marketing are hardly flashy and they never make headlines or draw crowds. In fact, on some days they feel downright boring. Meanwhile, sales gimmicks generate enthusiasm, attention, and publicity spotlights - even if for just a quick moment in time.
Agents seeking public recognition can count on being rewarded by flashy promotions, but they can't count on making more money. Remember this line like a mantra: You can build your business for your ego or you can build it for your income, but you can't do both at the same time. If financial success is your objective, stick to the fundamentals.
Talking Too Much, Listening Too Little, and Then Going Silent
We were given two ears and one mouth . . . God is brilliant! Unfortunately, most of us use our mouths twice or three times more than we use our ears.
When working with prospects and clients, follow this advice: Use your mouth primarily to ask questions. Contrary to popular belief, the person who asks the questions is really the person in control, not the person who is talking or answering questions. Then once you ask a question, accept and enjoy the pause and silence that precedes the response. Your power as a salesperson is intensified if you are willing to withstand the temptation to barge into the silence that follows your question.
tried it all, and then some! Newspapers, local magazines, national magazines, mailouts, and more. I felt like much of what I did in that initial year or two provided a quick education on which marketing truly works. 
election or the economy (gas prices, etc.). It's not difficult to segue into real estate when discussing either of these topics. Here are a couple of lines off the top of my head which would work well: