Is a bachelor degree necessary to sell real estate?
As I was preparing to respond to a request from a seller on a national lead generation website today, and I was mused.
The request from the seller was as follows:
Agent qualities should include: time management and high customer service skills; with at least a bachelor business degree with sales or market specialties; good negotiator & communicator; honest & ethical; motivated & driven; full-time & working out of the Happy Hollow area; membership in community organizations a great plus; understanding of the housing market; only serious agents need to contact with complete proposal on stages to be taken and corresponding time frame (operations plan), with complete customized marketing plan.
Just Curious? How are your time management skills? Do many sellers ask this of you? Or are you able to "sell the seller" on what you can do for them? Your experience, your track record.
Not sure about your area, but in the southeast Michigan area during the past year, the listing price more than anything is the reason why a property will sell!
Some of the best agents I know have no college at all. They have taken every oportunity to education themselves in that which is important in the occupation. That comment blows me away. I have always thought there is no way a piece of paper can measure the quality of an individual.
Gwyn Besner
www.besnerauciton.com
Dave,
Very interesting post. In reading your article, I was struck by the fact that the best agents are doing all of the above; but we're not promoting it. To be a success in this business, particularly now, you must know how to manage your time well, be a skilled negotiator, promote your business effectively with niche marketing, communicate with clients well, verbally & electronically and be knowledgable about your area. Sometimes, it takes an outsiders perspective to highlight our intrinsic value.
Lola Audu, CRS GRI
In real estate, a degree is not as important.... probably in most sales jobs too. There are more important qualities to seek in a skilled sales personality than what the paper on the wall shows.
I actually have a degree in early education. The only time it ever helped me is when I was training new agents for a local large broker. Felt like I was back in my kindergarten classroom again!