In a previous article I shared five things I’d wished I’d known before I became an estate agent. As I wrote the piece it became clear that restricting myself to just a handful would be difficult. So, here are another five matters that would have made life a whole load easier if I’d only been aware of them as a new agent.

1               People watch

Perhaps one of the most important things I learned, but only about a year into my career, was to observe my work colleagues. What did they do that worked well? What did they do that didn’t? I’d then keep notes.

And this wasn’t just restricted to the company I worked for.

I did the same when dealing with agents in a property chain. Some of the most important business skills I ever learned was from this one action. I wish I’d started this the first day I joined the profession.

2               Don’t be brash or arrogant

There were moments where I got carried away with being a young, enthusiastic property agent and was more than a little loud and brash. And, occasionally, when things were going well and sales were rolling in, I’d lapse into arrogance. There’d be a ‘look how wonderful I am’ swagger and perhaps even a disregard for the feelings of others.

These are not appealing qualities, especially to those that pay an agent’s wage – the public.

Fortunately, the public can be relied on to bring you back down to earth again with a crashing thud and a reminder that the only thing that should matter to a property agent is to meet the customer’s needs with respect and humility.

3               Patience

A couple of years after my business partner and I opened our estate agents I was asked to sell a house in the area. It was a standard three bedroom semi that should have sold without much effort. Unfortunately, the property market had slumped only months before in the late 1980s, and finding buyers brave enough to commit to a purchase wasn’t easy.

We tried for several weeks to secure a buyer but without success. It reached a point where I felt we’d done all we could do with it. It was taking up time and effort better spent elsewhere on other properties for sale.

But my business partner, who was a lot older and wiser than the young whippersnapper I was, said we should persevere. And, with a little bit of creativity and hard work, the house eventually sold. I was taught the lesson of being patient, not because a buyer was ultimately found but because the home owner was so happy with us, that we were then instructed to market other properties we discovered he owned.

Admitting stupidity is not an easy thing but in this instance I was every inch the idiot for not showing patience. Had I been left to my own devices, I would have gifted this client to another estate agent. Lesson learned.

4               Time wasters

Can I be the only one who in my youthful years would fail to win an instruction and blame it on the home owner? “They obviously weren’t serious about selling,” I’d tell myself. “They were just wasting my time for a free valuation.”

Does this ring a bell with any readers?

And we all know how this story ends. Days later, after promising work colleagues that the seller was a time waster, we’d then see their property on the market with another agent!

If there is one thing I wish I had learned quicker than I did, it’s this: there are very few customers who are time wasters – just people whose needs we haven’t had the skill to discover and meet.

5               Never judge anyone quickly

I know that this story is one common to many agents and sales people in general.

It involves a young and cocky Paul Jager (that’s me) seeing an individual come into my office. I prayed he’d walk to anyone else’s desk but mine. I was busy and didn’t have time to spend with someone who had parked outside in an old, unloved car and was dressed in a well-worn coat and untidy clothes.

Thank goodness that when he walked to my desk something made me stand up and deal with him with the respect that any customer deserves, smartly dressed or not.

You can probably guess that this individual was far more than the sum of his clothes. He was a very successful developer who I was a heartbeat away from dismissing out of hand. Someone was looking down on me that day. He became a very important client over the years.

Please learn from my short sightedness here. ‘Never judge a book by its cover’ is something that every agent should be taught on day 1 of their property career.

Anyone else brave enough to share their property agency mistakes that others can learn from?

Paul Jager is head of the property division at MOL, who provide a variety of training in property and management.

For more details on these call MOL on 0345 203 2103 or visit their website at www.mollearn.com