Mary Jo Morgan has been using Zurple since 2009 and is proud to be one of the early adopters. She was designated as a real estate “Top Producer” for 10 consecutive years in world famous Coronado, California and is well known as a successful and knowledgeable realtor. Thanks to Zurple, Mary Jo has been a #1 agent in her area year after year.

Have you ever asked why some agents are on top of their game and others seem to struggle? Which one are you? The differentiator is where you choose to spend your time, energy and resources.

Every real estate agent has an area that they find challenging. You can continue battling or ignoring it adding to your stress levels and impacting your bottom line. Or you can face your problem area head on and find an effective solution. The difference between a successful agent and one who feels stuck and lost is where each decides to focus their efforts.

Here are 3 areas to focus on to crush it as a real estate agent:

Can you sell a home to a potential client by just knowing their name and the amount they are willing to spend? I hope you’ve said ‘no’. Most of real estate interactions still happen in person despite of all the technological advances. It's important to take time and get to know your potential clients.

What is more important before you proceed with any new client is to pre-qualify them. You should value your time and set proper expectations from the beginning. By asking right questions and listening carefully, you can find out true clients’ motivations and timeline.

Ask these questions to pre-qualify all your potential real estate clients:

As a real estate agent you encounter so many different people: some great and some – not so much. There are also a few clients who are downright mean. Or even toxic.

Tell-tale signs of a toxic client:

• They take advantage of you. 
• They can’t make up their minds.
• They’re volatile
• They are rude to you and your team.
• They’re never satisfied. 
• They suck up a disproportionate amount of time.
• They cost you money and/or they don’t make you much money. 

If you decide a toxic client is worth keeping, here is an important piece of advice I want you to take to heart and put into action each and every time you end up with a difficult client. This approach also works for a high maintenance client.

Advice to follow to a tee when dealing with a difficult client:

In today's Agent Insights post, Ashley Cox - a Real Estate Agent in Dallas, Texas - talks about top myths about real estate agents.

Here's Ashley:

There is no doubt that the experiences of family and friends impact our decisions greatly. We value the opinions of those we love the most and when they have a bad experience, it's easy to draw assumptions about the culprit, whether actual or misconstrued.

Real estate agents aren't above this. In some circles, we have a bad rap.  But if you take time to read this post, you'll learn about our commitment to valued relationships and field of expertise.

Let's debunk Top 10 Real Estate Agent Myths.