I like looking at Mad Men, the television series about the Advertising Executives on Madison Avenue in the 60s.  The focal point of the series is about Don Draper, a Creative Director at the advertising agency, Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, and the people in his life, both in and out of the office.  The plot focuses on the business of the agencies and features a few memorable, successful sales pitches.  It is a must see for anyone involved in selling.

Looking at these clips, one can’t help but think that the key to being a successful sales agent, be it for advertising or real estate, hinges around making an outstandingly persuasive sales pitch.  While this is important, in real life, it’s not the one off outstanding sales pitches that makes a successful sales agent, but his or here overall productivity.

It is productivity over the long haul that distinguishes the greats in real estate as in other endeavours in life.  It is not the occasional big six that makes a career, but the productivity of a Sachin Tendulkar that takes you to the top of your career.

Productivity in real estate service is working by the numbers.  The number of qualified leads that you follow up with interviews, day in, day out, over many years.  It is said that an overnight success takes fifteen years.  This is true.  To succeed in real estate sales once must be productive.

So if you are not able to make the grand Don Draper sales pitches, do not lose sleep over it, instead focus on servicing your customers and potential customers.  Be concerned about their welfare and successful purchase, seek their best interest, go out of the way to serve them, give added value by walking hand in hand with them througtout the purchase and build your productivity one happy customer at a time.  And, one day, maybe fifteen years from today, you’ll look back and see that you have built a successful real estate agency business.  CONGRATS in advance!