When you have a good team and reputable people in your circle, you can accomplish much more than you would be able to do alone. As a real estate investor, you will be able to land more deals and build an excellent reputation if you can create trust between you and your clients and you and your employees. Building trust is one of the most important things you can do when creating business (as well as personal) relationships. Trust glues people together and creates long-term partnerships.
The Importance Of Trust
In real estate, I’ve found that there is naturally a lot of distrust out there. It can often be a challenge to find good real estate agents, investors, lawyers, and contractors. People will risk the downsides of not taking action— as opposed to taking action and looking like a fool. Any successful business progress you hope to make will require that you take time to build trust. Once you have worked on creating trust, you will realize deals that you first never had an opportunity to actualize before.
The reality is that people will make their mind up about you within seconds of meeting. Maybe even less. These split judgments and intuitive senses you get about a person, right off the bat, are happening all of the time. Later they MAY take a minute to look you up and screen you. Make it a point to create “Trust Signals.” Trust signals includes cultivating a branded presence on social media, a reputable ranking in Google Searches, and respected and recognizable brand.
Build Your Reputation
Along with showing up in excellence in your digital content and personal presence, it’s important to have a resume that shines. What are your achievements? Many new real estate investors— as well as established investors— lack a suitable resume. Displaying your portfolio of work and your track record is important. Many will look at your current performance as a clue to what your future performance will look like.
So, what do you do if you don’t have a long history of doing real estate deals? Build up an incredible resume that highlights skill sets that will (and do) contribute to your success as a real estate investor. Then, align yourself with a partner who does have a great reputation.
Your next step is to TRACK EVERYTHING! Take notes of the deals and tasks you do the first time around. If you don’t track first, you will probably never go back around to organize the information later. Between smartphones and technology, you can backup the information as you go. This documentation can be used for case studies and credibility in the future.
Loud And Proud
A critical contributor to your success as a real estate investor is to “make some noise.” The brand that is “the loudest” often is the brand that wins. This is true for every industry. Don’t be afraid to talk loudly about what you believe in even if it’s against the so called “norm” it will allow you to separate yourself from the crowd of others. People will choose real estate agents because they continue to see signs or marketing material that reminds them of that person or company. Disregard that they may never, ever speak with that person during an entire interaction. We trust visibility. We are confident in the brand with a ton of Facebook likes. This would be even the case if the company purchased the likes or followers. We trust TV actors and movie stars, because of visibility. As an investor makes some noise and this will raise your level of trustability.
Honest Foot Forward
Telling the truth is one of the most important things you can do as a real estate investor to build trust. Always tell the truth and do what you say you will do. By telling the truth, it might appear (initially) that you are taking the long route to success, but in the long run, honesty pays back tenfold. Always think of trustworthiness and long term success. A mindset like this will have a big payoff.
Authenticity and rapport will take you far. If you believe you lack in social skills, don’t worry. Warren Buffett and Mother Teresa had to learn that too when they started out. Everyone begins somewhere. What’s most important is that you choose to start. You have the power to hone your rapport-building skills. Hire a coach or a writer who can help you craft your voice and presentation. Do what you need to do to take your business to the next level.
