Beginning a career in land real estate is exciting for many new agents, but it’s important to remember that success in the land industry is dependent on more than just a solid understanding of land management, access easements, or 1031 exchanges! One of the most important things for new agents to do is build their reputation.

Understanding how to talk to people, create new relationships with potential clients, and build your own personal brand and reputation are crucial skills for any real estate agent. During his recent appearance on the National Land Podcast, OK Land Professional Dillon Smith shared his advice for new land agents as well as the skills necessary to succeed in the land industry.

Here are a few tips for new agents to create stronger relationships and build their personal reputation!

Creating New Client Relationships With Social Media

In our modern world, social media is one of the most powerful marketing tools available to real estate professionals. With the ability to promote listings and brag about recent sales to an audience of hundreds or thousands and beyond, social media can help build an agent’s reputation and connect them to new clients faster than ever before.

By posting stunning photos and videos of new listings across their social media accounts, real estate professionals can not only advertise their current listings to attract potential buyers but also show off their abilities as agents to new clients. Social media is also a great place to share positive reviews from former clients which can further improve an agent’s reputation as a trustworthy professional.

Regarding the incredible power of social media for real estate professionals, Smith stated the following: “Overall I think social media has a giant influence on bringing buyers and sellers to the table. It really helps local on-the-ground boot work. I think it’s the most valuable form of marketing, like bringing in doughnuts to the local grain mill or talking with farmers at co-ops. It’s all about talking to people and introducing yourself to as many as you can, and social media is a great way to do that.”

The Importance of Doing Good Work

Apart from social media, good local word-of-mouth is likely to be a real estate agent’s best friend when it comes to creating relationships with new clients. With a great reputation in their local market, clients are more likely to seek out an agent specifically when they’re ready to buy or sell. This takes some of the responsibility of putting boots on the ground to meet new clients off of the agent and allows them to focus on providing even better service for their existing clients.

Providing quality service is the best way an agent can garner a good reputation among landowners. A great agent should go above and beyond for their clients, as Smith explained during his podcast appearance. He stated, “I’ll look at properties online to see what would be a good fit for my buyers. Then I’ll start sending letters and start talking to these landowners to see if they’ve considered selling their land. But I try to do as much as I can if I’m working with a buyer who’s looking to buy relatively soon. I’ll go above and beyond to make sure that I can facilitate that transaction for them.”

“It’s easy to develop a great reputation when you do great work, because if you do well by someone, all of those farmers will be sitting in the co-op or the sunrise cafe having their morning breakfast, and they’ll tell each other, ‘Hey, this guy sold my 80 acres and it went really smoothly.’ That’s the most organic form of marketing I can do. It’s also easy to lose reputation in a small community. Your worst job with a client will be the one you’ll be remembered for. It’s always my goal to try and serve everyone to the fullest extent that I can because word travels fast. 

At the end of the day, you’re working with people to help them get from point A to point B, and all that matters is how you go about making decisions and handling situations on their behalf. Always making sure that you’re doing right by [your client].”

Duck hunting legend and Land Professional Ramsey Russell of GetDucks.com also echoed this sentiment during his appearance on the National Land Podcast. Speaking to the importance of personal branding, Russell stated, “Your brand is your reputation. It’s what you consistently do for your customers. And over time it becomes credible and it follows you and you can’t shrug it. If you continue to do bad [work], you’re gonna have a bad reputation.”

“Each property is unique, one of the principles of real estate is a property’s uniqueness. Well, a client looking to buy a piece of property is unique too. And you’ve always got to be figuring out what he wants and reconcile that with the uniqueness of a property to make a perfect match.”

Leveraging Relationships With Knowledgeable Professionals

As most people are aware, networking is a core skill for successful real estate professionals. Sponsoring and attending local events is a great way to meet potential clients, but it’s also important to seek out industry-specific conventions to network with other real estate professionals. 

Meeting and collaborating with other knowledgeable professionals creates opportunities for valuable business referrals and can help keep new agents abreast of industry trends and market changes. These seasoned professionals can also be a wealth of information and an incredible help in navigating the complex trails of real estate during an agent’s first few years. 

Smith shared a story from early in his career that highlighted the way a more seasoned professional can be a true asset to beginning land agents. Smith stated, “During my first closing, neither party wanted to do e-sign, we only did physical documents for everything. So I was running around getting physical paper and ink signatures, and I’d send pictures to my broker like ‘Hey is this correct?’ And he’d say ‘No, you need to go back and amend this and this.’ So I was going back and forth between the sellers and the buyers multiple times, but I learned a lot and feel much more confident with stuff like that. I feel lucky to have had people like my broker and other agents who would pick up the phone and tell me if I was doing something right or wrong.”

Embracing social media, providing excellent service, and creating relationships with other real estate professionals are all great ways for a new agent to start building their reputation as a trustworthy and effective professional. If you’ve got more questions about techniques to build your reputation or want to know how joining National Land Realty could help, contact your local Land Professional today!