Should You Hire a real estate coach?

There are three rather steep learning curves when one enters the real estate industry as an agent. The first is learning all the boring stuff, such as metes and bounds, riparian rights and agency.

Then, there’s that baptism-by-fire thing that happens when you hang your license with your first broker. As a boot on the ground, you learn by doing, how to list and sell homes, how to fill out the contracts, how to give a listing presentation.

The third learning curve involves finessing your business so that you don’t waste time on lame lead gen that doesn’t offer a decent ROI.

This last is one curve that many agents never take. They prefer backtracking to accelerating into the one curve that will make them more successful.

It all comes down to complacency or hunger. Agents in the latter group, especially those who have hit a plateau, may just benefit from life or business coaching.

Are you struggling?

“Impossible decisions. Immovable objects. Unstoppable forces. Problems abound, financial, career, health, relationships, life.”

Sound familiar? Sean Everett, editor at Humanizing Tech, calls this “A hero’s journey.” And, if it does sound familiar, he suggests that you need a coach.

Think you don’t need one? Eric Schmidt, former Google CEO once felt the same way. He was at the top of his game when someone suggested he hire a coach. He initially resisted but finally caved.

He’s not the only member of the rich and famous crowd to realize the need for help. Oprah, members of Metallica, Leonardo DiCaprio, former president Bill Clinton, Andre Agassi and Hugh Jackman represent a few of them who credit their success to their coaches.

Everyone needs a coach

That’s a quote from Schmidt, in an interview with Fortune magazine. If you:

• Have no idea about last year’s production
• Have no clear plan for this year’s
• Lack a marketing budget
• Are confused about lead generation
• Feel stuck and/or overwhelmed
• Are frustrated

you need a coach.

The benefits of working with a coach

Inman.com published a survey a couple of years ago that found that 90 percent of agents who worked with a coach saw at least a 10 percent increase in their production after one year.

Twenty-six percent said theirs increased more than 25 percent and 10 percent of this group of  agents’ production increased between 100 to almost 200 percent.

That is a crazy amount of winning, right?

A real estate or even a life coach can view your business as an outsider. Not being involved in the day-to-day minutiae has benefits. They examine the big picture and simplify your process.

“Coaching helps you to take responsibility for your life, let go of what others think and become your true self. It’s about you creating the life that you want – and deserve,” according to Emma-Louise Elsey, founder of Simplicity Life Coaching Ltd. and The CoachingToolsCompany.com.

If you want to reap the rewards of working with a coach, though, commit to doing what he or she says.

Choosing a real estate or life coach

Coaching is offered in a variety of media so decide first how you best learn, which type fits best into your schedule and the one you’re most likely to stick with.

When considering a coach, look at his or her background because you’ll only want to “take the advice of people who have done what” you want to do, according to entrepreneur Tim Kitchen at Forbes.com.

Then again, sometimes it takes a fresh pair of eyes from someone who has never done what you do, such as President Bill Clinton who was coached by Tony Robbins.

If you need help generating leads or someone to hold you accountable for following up with them, there are plenty of real estate specific coaches from which to choose. Don’t be surprised if you end up working with several before you find the one that’s a good fit for your needs.

Take a look at the comparison of three of the most popular real estate coaches, Ferry, Buffini and Proctor at FitSmallBusiness.com.

The agents we’ve spoken with all say that it’s important to feel comfortable with a coach. Keep looking until you’ve found “the one.”

Send the Looking For Some Expert Advice postcard from the Get More Listings Series to an area where you want more listings.