Ryan Casey, Paige Slocum, and Heidi DeRusso are all in their third year of real estate.
They all began their career at a different brokerage before joining One + Company.
And this year, they are all averaging a deal a week.
I recently sat down with them to learn more about their journeys and how they carved their paths to success.
The First Six Months
The first six months are never easy. After passing a class and a test, agents are thrown into the industry. Without the right guidance and support, the first six months can lead to extreme stress and burnout. Here’s what each agent I spoke with had to say about their first months in real estate:
“It’s not that glamorous, and I think people have to realize that…. at the end of the day, t’s a sales-oriented business.”
Paige Slocum
“I jumped in and I was lucky enough to get my first listing in a month, because that’s what families for. And it was terrifying. It was awful. Everything that could go wrong went wrong. And I learned a lot. I cried. And then my second deal I double ended I had dual agency, and that’s when the fire sparked in me.”
Heidi DeRusso
“I hated my first six months. They were horrific because….I’m originally from a different state. My first house was a family member, which was a three-hour trip. I was like, ‘This is brutal. I can’t keep doing this.’”
Ryan Casey
Moving Past Fear
You must be willing to spark a conversation with everyone you meet as a real estate agent. There often comes a lot of fear with that: the fear of hearing no, the fear of being hung up on, the fear of someone yelling at you. To grow your business, you must create a mindset that allows you to move past those fears.
“You can’t always think you’re going to hit a home run every time you talk to a client. You’re just kind of looking, like, ‘Oh, great. I’m getting a whole bunch of leads. Maybe I’ll see these people in the spring.’ So that’s where you have to have your mindset.”
Ryan Casey
“I truly honestly believe I’m helping every single person that I come in contact with. And then there’s no fear of me making a phone call because it’s like, ‘I’m taking time out of my day to call you to help you.’”
Byron Lazine
50+ Deals a Year
After getting past the first year, the goal for most is to continue to grow your business. So the next question is, how do you build up to a deal a week?
“If you’re able to put your head down and just listen, learn. I came in, I’ve eaten humble pie, and it’s helped me grow my business. (You have to) be able to take feedback, be able to learn, be able to say to yourself, ‘Hey, you know, there’s more than one way of doing things.’”
Paige Slocum
“The important part is surrounding yourself in the right environment. You need to surround yourself with people who are hungry and know what they’re doing as well. All of us (at One + Company) – we call each other constantly for advice.”
Heidi DeRusso
Advice for New Agents
So, now that they’ve worked their way to over 50 deals a year, what advice do these three agents have for those joining the industry? Find out below.
“Sign on to a team, where there is support, and cover every open house, every showing possible. Whatever you put into this business, you will get out. The more you work, the more you will learn, the more deals you will get.”
Heidi DeRusso
“I would say the first thing is, How bad do you want it? You’re gonna be busier than you could ever imagine. You gotta have that fire. And I feel like that’s what the people here right now at this table have in common, is that we have this fire and this desire to do great ourselves, and we want the people around us to do well.”
Ryan Casey
“Tell me your why. Tell me what is driving you? And I would tear them all the way down, and then build them back up. I would be the one that would try to deter them. I want people to realize whether you’re 18, 28, 38, whatever, wherever you are in life, this business has to really resonate with your why – whatever that is.”
Paige Slocum
“My advice is to get a coach day one, before you talk to a client a prospect or whatever. Whether your coach is like that team leader, because you’ve done the research, whether that’s a broker, but you have to make sure. Do they have a plan on how you’re going to be coached? Make sure you’re joining an environment where somebody is going to coach you, hold you accountable, every single week.”
Byron Lazine
Tune in to the entire conversation here!