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There was a time when real estate agents could be classed as salesmen, but a leading agent believes there is more to the job now.
Speaking on an episode of the Secrets of the Top 100 Agents podcast, Raine & Horne Double Bay principal Ric Serrao has revealed how his role as a real estate agent has transformed over the years.
Mr Serrao firmly believes he is a salesperson. However, he thinks the traits of a salesperson have changed over the years.
“I think we tend to be marketers first,” he told host Phil Tarrant. “Especially with the vehicles that we have to sell properties.”
As a result, real estate agents have to be marketers, communicators, psychologists and then salespersons.
When he started as an agent 30 years ago, the role was more linked to that of a salesperson.
“You were literally putting people in your car, taking them to properties, selling them the suburb, the street, the positives of a property through marketing and everything else,” he said.
“We don’t tend to sell so much now. We tend to educate the buyers where we can. We tend to give a lot more feedback to our vendors than what we used to.
“I think we’re probably marketers and communicators rather than salespeople.”
However, what a real estate agent does day to day does not determine their success.
“I tend to think that there’s a lot of people that get into the industry thinking it’s going to be easy and some transactions are gifts, let’s face it. But there’s a lot who take a lot of time, that does take a lot of people management, whether it’s buyers, sellers and their advisers. And I think they come into the industry for the wrong reasons,” Mr Serrao said.
While all agents do their job for the income, agents need to come into the industry looking at the big picture and having a long career as an agent, he said.
“It’s about building relationships.”
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