With the holidays finally behind us, new agents all seem to be asking the same thing: What can they do to move their business forward in 2006?

If you're tired of doing the same old, same old, why not take a fresh new approach with your business and see what you can do to kick-start its growth in 2006?

Ask the "right" questions when engaging potential clients. I can't tell you how many times I've seen new agents make this mistake. A good sales-related question is a genuine effort to gather more information, while at the same time uncovering some of the prospect's buying motivations.

Why are they interested in buying a new house? What events led up to this decision? Where were they living before (e.g., apartment), and have they looked at any other neighborhoods before contacting you?

A "good" question should always facilitate the discussion of your service, without directly talking about the solution you provide. Sometimes as new agents, we're so excited to actually be talking to a prospect, that we focus the conversation more on us (who we are and what we're all about), than on the prospects.

But when you're asking the right questions, you're all about uncovering their challenges and understanding their situation. As opposed to "asking" a series of thinly veiled attempts to have them work with you right away.

Prospects hate that.

Recommendation: Jot down a few good questions to use at every prospect meeting from now on.

Then, after you work these questions into the conversation and start hearing your prospects buying (or selling) motivations, see if that doesn't help you come across as the more insightful Realtor with whom everyone wants to work.

Stand out from the crowd in a highly competitive industry. Let's face it: Real estate agents are everywhere. And most of these agents have been in the business a lot longer than you.

So what can you do to stand out in such a highly competitive industry even when you're new?

Well, I typically advise my clients to develop a Unique Selling Proposition (USP). This is a sentence or two I help them put together that clearly articulates what they do, and how it helps their prospects. As an example, a USP could be:

I specialize in helping first time homebuyers find the home of their dreams.

Think of it as a response to the age old "So what do you do" question, I've personally been asked 1.5 million times. (Slight exaggeration, but you get the idea.) Ideally your USP will be intriguing enough to get that person to ask you how.

How do you help first time homebuyers get into the home of their dreams? And when they ask that, off you go educating a potential client or referral partner about your business.

Most of the more "seasoned" agents just say, "Well I'm a Realtor" or something like that. And they might get away with it too, simply because of the word of mouth marketing they already have from past clients. But as a new agent, we don't have that luxury.

So as a new agent that should at least get you started as you head into the New Year. But if you'd like some more ideas on how you can kick-start your business in 2006, just email infor@agitoconsulting.com with the subject, "3 Easy Ways new agents Can Get More Business" for a free report on what new agents can do to keep the business growing.

But either way, as you get even further into 2006, consider putting some of these tips into practice and watch your business soar.

Published: February 14, 2006

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As a popular speaker and author of the resource How to Get More Business in Today's Tough Market, Brian specializes in helping busy agents get more leads and close more deals - even in a market as "challenging" as this. For a free report on 2 Easy Ways to Get More Business in Today's Tough Market, just email my office and we'll send it right over.