If you're a New Agent looking to crack into the Real Estate business, then pay special attention, because I'll tell you the one thing you can do right now to help you stand out from the crowd.

You ready?

Develop a sphere of influence. That's right. Create some type of niche that differentiates you from the other 9,999 new agents who just got their license last month. (Source: NAR.)

Whenever I recommend this to my coaching clients I usually get a gasp of disbelief on the other side of the phone, as visions of turning away prospect after prospect dance through their heads.

"Hi, my name is Jim Smith and I'd like to buy a home with you."

"Oh I'm sorry Jim, but you don't fit my carefully orchestrated niche. Let me refer you to someone else."

I can understand where they're coming from. They're trying to build their business and get themselves up and running as fast as possible. And the last thing you want to do is feel like you're turning away prospects.

But here's the thing, when you develop a sphere of influence or niche in the market place, the exact opposite happens. Why? Because prospects begin to see you as the "expert" in that field.

You're not just Sally Sue who sells homes, but someone who specializes in first-time homebuyers. Or Downtown condos. Or "move up" buyers.

As a prospect, I can get any Realtor to help me buy a home. But if I'm buying a home for the first time, can I get any agent who understands my anxieties and has some ideas on government-sponsored programs?

Maybe. But the minute I find, or even hear of someone who works primarily with people like myself, the more likely I am to use that individual. That's true with your doctor. It's true with your attorney. And it's true with your Realtor.

So the question becomes, as a New Agent, how can you develop your very own sphere of influence?

First, look at your skill set and see what naturally flows to the top. I was coaching a New Agent the other day who was 23 years old and lived in the Midwest all of his life. For those of you who live in that area, you know the early 20's is around the time most couples get engaged and get married.

And what do 95 percent of most couples do after their wedding and honeymoon?

You guessed it. They buy a house.

So I recommended that this particular agent specialize in first-time homebuyers, and more specifically, recently engaged couples. A lot of his friends were already in that stage of their lives, and being someone who's in that age group, his prospects would naturally feel more comfortable working with someone like themselves.

Everybody has a strength. Everyone has a skill set. The trick is leveraging those skills that make you most appealing to prospective homebuyers, and allows you to distance yourself from the competition.

And that's just one option.

Any way you look at it, being a New Agent is tough. But when you can carve out an area you can call your "own." you'll stand a much better chance of building a profitable, lasting real estate career.