CHAPTER 1 Why Should You Read This Book? ead This Book? Why does one agent toils away without much success while another enjoys a thriving business? Is it just luck? We talk about fate as though it were a living force that chooses some people and ignores others. When you think about it, it’s silly to believe some point; we can’t even define who gets to be successful. Is success based on talent, then? That’s another word we use a lot without really understanding it. Is talent some mysterious quality people are “just born with?” And how does it affect success? We all know artists and performers who seem to have talent — whatever that is — but aren’t successful. More and more, researchers and thinkers are increasingly discovering that success has more to do with preparation and opportunity than with mystical forces such as luck or talent. And here’s the thing: preparation and opportunity are things you can control. You can learn them, practice them, and use them over and over to build a successful business. That’s what this book will teach you to do! In the real estate game, you can prepare for success by increasing your market knowledge, practicing your people skills, differentiating yourself from competitors, and training yourself to be a more effective negotiator. You can create opportunities by looking for prospects in places other agents ignore, finding ways to meet more prospective buyers and sellers, and sharpening your marketing focus. When your preparation intersects with opportunity, your success isn’t just more probable. It’s inevitable. But first, you have to get noticed. As you probably know, there is a lot of competition in the real estate business. The National Association of Realtors® has more than a 1 million membership 1
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