How to Remain Authentic as a Real Estate Agent

By Tiana Baur, Content Marketing Manager

With constant societal pressures, staying genuine and truly being ourselves can feel like a struggle (especially depending on your office or company culture). And yet, those that know how to remain authentic are often the ones that stand out and succeed, in both their professional and personal lives.

Here are some ways you and strive to maintain authenticity in your day-to-day life as a real estate agent:

Be present.

Listen. If sometime is talking to you, give them your undivided attention. Being a great listener is not going out of style, although in the world of smart phones and smart watches, it can be hard to grab and maintain someone’s attention. You will undeniably stand out to your peers, your clients, your prospects, and your loved ones if you practice and perfect the art of listening.

Being present also demands that we remove the daily clutter and baggage in our lives, so we can truly be “in the moment.” Think of this like your client shred events or your junk mail folder.

Acknowledge the negative (and strive to rise above it).

For agents, this could simply mean a negative or otherwise unpopular review. Don’t ignore it and pretend it will go away; view any and all feedback as a gift. If no one ever tells you how you’re doing, how will you know? See it as an opportunity to learn from the feedback and respond professionally.

Here’s a sample response to a bad review:

“First of all, I would like to thank you for the time to give feedback on your experience with my team and me. It’s only through feedback like yours that we are able to grow and improve our services for clients. I’m sorry to find out that our services weren’t what you were looking for. I’ve already set up a meeting with my team to discuss ways to prevent further instances of this kind of miscommunication. As always, feel free to email me, call, or stop by our office at any time.”

Don’t get too nosy.

Staying out of other people’s business is an essential piece of being authentic. If you’re always focused on others – what they’re doing, how they need to change, etc. – then you’re not looking inward enough or focusing on what you’re doing and how you could be a better version of you. That office gossip might be fun, but let’s face it: you and your business are better off without it.

Dare to be yourself.

Unfortunately, with the rise of social media, people lean towards portraying themselves and their life as something it’s not; just the good, perfect, photo-op moments. You’ll stand out from the rest if you start showing the real you. Did you trip and spill coffee all over yourself this morning? Obsessed with Star Wars? You never know what parts of you will resonate with existing or new clients; even the “ugly” parts of yourself.

Take care of yourself.

Knowing how to remain authentic means knowing how to stay true to yourself. This means you need to make sure you’re taking care of the most important part of your business: you. If you’re sick as a dog and need to cancel a meeting, do it. If you want to hit ‘snooze’ for once, go for it. Making sure you’re not running low in fuel is essential to keeping your business genuine.