Once upon a time, there was a young girl with a retired Granny. And Granny filled her days going to morning mass, baking cookies, working in her garden, making vegetable soup, shopping on QVC, and sewing.
Okay. So, she really called her “Grandma,” but Granny adds more fun to our story.
Granny sounds like the dream grandmother, right? She bakes, she’s crafty, and she’s even a bit outdoorsy. And we didn’t even mention that she likes sports! Yes, boys and girls, Granny does it all.
But. Yes, there’s a very definite but.
Granny managed to overbake her cookies every single time. What kid doesn't like fresh chocolate chip cookies? Every grandkid that was subjected to those cookies, that’s who. They were awful—even dunked in milk.
When the little girl went to Granny’s house after a day spent in the kitchen, she’d leave with an ice cream tub full of vegetable soup loaded with green beans from her garden. We’re talking about the gallon-size tubs with a handle. That’s a lot of soup. That’s a lot of terrible, waxy, plastic-tasting soup.
Perhaps the most memorable times spent at Granny’s were the days she made the little girl a dress. Granny had a way with patterns, she did something extra special while she made her custom dresses. Every single one of her dresses had a crooked hem.
No matter how the girl shifted her dress, the right side hung lower than the left and the front was longer than the back. It was wonky.
And yet, she felt like she had to wear it. Granny made beautiful quilts and had years of sewing experience. She spent time and energy creating the little girl’s dress.
The little girl felt obligated to keep the dress without complaining. It seemed disloyal and dishonoring not to wear it. So, she wore that dress. She stuck with a dress that should have been made perfectly for her, that should have been just right for her … and yet it wasn’t a good fit.
Isn’t that just the way it goes sometimes?
You keep using something even though you know it doesn’t work as well as you need it to. You wear clothes that were given to you by someone you love even though you don’t really love the way they look. You pledge your loyalty to someone you care about in business situations despite the fact that they aren’t getting the job done.
You keep sticking with something that just doesn’t fit.
How’s that working out for you? Are you kicking butt and taking names living a life that is two sizes too small?
You want more. You want to kick your real estate career into higher gear. You just need a little help to get you there. You need a mentor. No. You need a great mentor.
Well, you’re in luck! I know how to succeed in real estate, and I want to help you figure out how you can find a great real estate mentor.
How to Find a Great Real Estate Mentor
We get it. You have taken the right courses and attended the extra classes. You followed the proper steps, worked hard to get your real estate license, and made a business plan. You found just the right clothes to give you that polished look. And yet, your real estate business is just sitting there like a dud.
The first thing we want to tell you is that having a mentor in no way means you are doing poorly or failing at your job. It’s actually quite the opposite. Having a mentor is a sign of wisdom and a desire for growth.
If you look into it, you’ll find that many of the most successful people have coaches or mentors. Tony Robbins is one of the most successful self-improvement gurus on the planet. People like Oprah Winfrey have sought him out for his counsel. Even Tony Robbins had a mentor.
All that to say if you are searching for a mentor, good for you! You are headed down a path for growth and progress. That’s fantastic. You are ready for the work it takes to excel in the world of real estate.
But …
Why Should You Work With a Real Estate Mentor?
I think we’ve already established that you want some guidance and that it’s a really good thing to be in that place, right? Yes! You are ready to tackle the real estate world and live in financial freedom!
A good real estate mentor will help you focus on your goals and consistently point you in that direction when you get off track. You might have a little bit of squirrel syndrome and find yourself distracted by every new idea that runs past your line of sight. Your mentor should help to redirect your energy back toward the prize.
There are times when you must run your race alone, and there are times when you need someone else to run alongside you. A mentor is a person who can run alongside you and encourage you to keep going forward. Not only can a mentor keep pace with you but your mentor should also be able to push your pace, causing you to push a little harder and achieve a bit more.
So, in real estate, you should expect your mentor to pour into you when you are frustrated and tired. Some days, this will look more like a cheerleader, and other days it may feel like a personal trainer who is pushing you to draw the best out of you. The point is that an effective mentor can read your situation and help propel you to where you need to go.
This person, this coach, is giving you new legs to stand on. They are helping you learn how to stand stronger on your own so you can run the race you are meant to run, to climb the mountain so you can reach the summit. And hopefully, you can be at such a place where you can give back to those around you.
The truth is that something inside of you is telling you a mentor might be just what you need. There is a reason for that. Trust your gut. The more you learn to trust yourself, the better off you will be in this process. Every step toward trusting your own voice will increase your chances of a successful mentor relationship and flourishing business.
The old saying that two heads are better than one holds true in many circumstances. A real estate mentor will help you think through circumstances, layout workable plans, and give you new ideas that may have never crossed your mind without their help.
Along with giving you new ideas, they may also help you put unproductive ideas and practices to bed. If your feet are stuck in the mud of a bad idea, a mentor can help you first recognize that you are stuck. And that’s the hurdle, isn’t it? You might not know what is holding you back!
Sometimes it takes a little push or pull from another person to move you out of your own way. Nobody stands in our way with more blindness and stubbornness than we do! Another pair of eyes, another trusted mind, can speak into your life and shine a light on the broken and stuck places.
Once you’re unstuck, your mentor can help you see the possibilities that are waiting outside of your comfort zone. When we are in our own way, it’s practically impossible to see and believe what is possible.
“Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.”
–Michael Jordan
You can do this.
You just need to find some help! Let’s rephrase. You just need to find the right help.
Finding the Right Mentor for You
First things first. Are you ready to go all-in on changing your life? Seriously. Ask yourself if you are ready to commit to change. If you are not completely on board with putting the work in to change your life, then you may not be ready for a mentor.
Hopefully, you have done a little soul searching and know that it is high time you make some seriously positive changes to your real estate business. You, my friend, have learned from the past and want the best things for your future! If that’s you, you are ready to find a great mentor!
Here are some tips to get you started.
Review the Real Estate Agent Reviews
Research is key. If you just search online for real estate mentors, you will be frustrated because a hodgepodge of things will flood your screen. So, be sure to use a trustworthy real estate website.
Make sure the people you’re looking at have experience selling the type of real estate that you’re interested in. In other words, if they specialize in commercial property and you want to stick with homes for personal use, then it’s the wrong person for the job.
How many homes have they sold? Their numbers should be better than yours, otherwise, it’s kind of like the blind leading the blind. That isn’t what you need. You want to find someone who has sold more homes and has been in the industry for at least a few years longer than you.
Next, you will want to see how much they are selling homes for. Are they consistently selling homes at a luxury price point, or are they selling homes between $100K and $200K? Consider your desired price point and find someone who does that and does it well.
Read those reviews! The more reviews a realtor has, the better. As you have probably experienced, real estate agents regularly receive reviews from their clients. Someone may have great numbers on paper but their clients have no desire to work with them again. Or they may sell at a lower price point but their customers speak very highly of them and recommend them to friends over and over.
Interview your prospective mentor. Sit face to face with them and get a feel for their personality. Ask questions about their business philosophy and values. Be sure that they are a good fit for your needs.
Check out their skills and certifications. Has the realtor continued their education and expanded their skillset? You want to choose someone who is keeping up with today’s real estate market. If all of their experience is from ten years ago, times have changed. Technology has changed. The way we market and see marketing has changed.
Speaking of marketing … Digital marketing is where it’s at! Digital marketing has the capacity to elevate your real estate business to a level that will change your life for the better. Finding a real estate mentor who knows digital marketing and can teach those skills to you is extremely valuable in the current world of real estate.
But you can’t just wing it. There is a definite skill to digital marketing. A great real estate mentor already has their own plan in place for digital marketing. They will be able to coach you through the entire process. That includes undergirding you with a stable business foundation, developing lifelong clientele, and creating workable strategies that put you on a trajectory toward lasting success.
If you don’t know what it looks like to have a solid digital marketing strategy, that’s okay. It’s part of the reason you need a great real estate mentor. You can look into these free resources and get your feet wet with a free Mini-Course and Lead-Gen + Conversion Playbook. This will give you an idea of what digital marketing looks like.
Final Thoughts
Choosing a mentor is personal, and it’s business. You need someone who fits into both categories for you. We’re not telling you that you need to be best friends, but you definitely need to trust your mentor because you are essentially trusting them with the future of your business.
And what is laying at the feet of your future business? Your livelihood, your level of success, and fulfillment or lack of fulfillment of your dreams!
Krista Mashore has extensive real estate experience. She is a game-changing digital marketing genius. And she is a four-time best-selling author. If you’re not sure where to look for a great mentor. Then, look no further. You’re not going to find a more qualified mentor than Krista.
If you want to go from doubting to dominating, then Krista can get you there!
