How Brokers Farm for Clients (Excluding New York City Rentals) So what do we brokers do to find these customers?
The standard myth is that brokers spend their free time farming for leads, where “free time” means any day we aren’t actively working with a client. Supposedly, farming encompasses various sources, some of which include (from most desirable to least): • Referrals from satisfied past clients • Referrals from friends, neighbors, and business relationships • Holding open houses and meeting buyers / renters who want something else • Leads from your heavily-trafficked website / blog / news column • Partnering with a seasoned pro who hands you smaller “teaching cases” By now, you must be pretty depressed if you are a new agent, because if you actually got your leads from any of these sources, you certainly don’t need much help! Ok, the next tier of farming is largely unsolicited asking for business, and it will certainly feel like dirty work at first. Many new real estate agents dislike it. You will be turned down by almost everyone, sometimes rather impolitely. It may even feel rude at time
