According to just about every source related to the housing and real estate market, times are tough. Things are slow and sales are few and far between. But, if you have to sell your property, or need to buy a new home due to transfer or other reason, you'll want to find the best Real Estate professional you can. The question is, how do you identify them and where do you look?

After nearly 15 years of training sales professionals, including many top Real Estate Professionals, I can tell you where to find them. You need to go where all the top performers hang out. Go there and you'll have your choice of which one of the best the industry has to offer. The best place to go to find top talent is to visit a training event.

I know what you're thinking. Training events are for beginners. You want to hang out with experts. Look again. I said training event, not a trainee event. The top performers have learned to eliminate one word from their vocabulary and replace it with another. These pros are never about doing the best they can and then throw up their hands. What makes them the highest level of professional is that they've replaced "best" with "better."

Once someone does their best, it's over. But, as long as you are always open to the idea of doing better for your office, your clients, and even yourself, you'll find many opportunities and information that will help you achieve higher levels of personal and professional performance.

Oh, I know, you think I'm just playing word games. Fine, let's play. I'll put out some words, you read them. Then after you've finished, tell me which choice you'd make to handle any property needs.

Average Agent: Training. What can they say that I haven't already heard?
Pro Agent: I need to get back to basics so I can maintain top performance.

Average Agent: If I don't get credit for this, it's a waste of time.
Pro Agent: If I can pick up just one idea…

Average Agent: The market's too slow to spend extra money on training.
Pro Agent: I need to find a way to be successful in spite of the market.

Average Agent: I'm doing the best I can, what more can I do?
Pro Agent: If I can just get a little better, I'll help more people.

This trend is not unique to Real Estate. The top people in any profession are constantly looking for ways to improve. Even if there are no ideas that occur during a training program, they go anyway. That's because of the other people there. Guilt by association can be a good thing. Hanging around with other top Real Estate Professionals on a regular basis will gradually bring your own level of production higher.

It's been said that if you tell me the incomes of the five people you spend time with, I can tell you your income as well. Getting into a group of top listing agents, and top sellers is one sure way to create a better income for you. That's because the best training doesn't always occur at paid events. Just discussing issues and concerns among top producers will go a long way to give you a competitive edge in your market.

In my white paper, "Setting Trends in the Real Estate Profession," there was a section called, "What's Wrong With Being Average." The answer is that there is nothing wrong with it. Unless you want more. If you're happy with the way things are going, fantastic. Enjoy what you've earned. You're entitled. But, if you want more, you must be prepared to do more.

What frightens many agents and brokers at that concept is that they think they must make massive changes. Absolutely false. They panic at the thought of giving up all they've learned to change to what seems to be working today. But, that couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, as a top trainer, I'd recommend that you continue doing much of what you've been doing. Just add something new.

If you were working with an investor who specializes in flipping properties, and they planned an addition on a property, can you see the value improving? Of course you can. Extra square footage can always add value. But, does the client have to tear down the entire house to put up a small addition. Usually, they just break through one wall and add to the overall look of the property.

It's baby steps.

For example, you've become an expert on a particular neighborhood. If a property needs to be sold, you're often contacted. That's high praise and you must have earned it. Now, what can be done to improve upon your success under those conditions? Obviously, you've done well over the years to develop this reputation and, nothing should be changed to your process. But, what if you added one small piece of information?

Since you've earned this reputation over time, perhaps there's some information that may help you sell the properties quicker and closer to the asking price. If you look back over all the previous transactions, there may be some information that's common to all of them. Where are the buyers coming from? Many times buyers from one area, move into another. Your neighborhood may be one that people from certain areas look to as a move up. Knowing this information may allow you to target these areas looking for specific buyers. Doing so will often result in faster sales cycles.

Let's look at something even simpler and more under your control. Suppose, for example, I told you that the secret to Real Estate success required you to have five college educations. Would you even be in the profession?

But, what if I told you that simply reading good books on personal development, marketing, success biographies, and the like would make you a more confident and successful Agent or Broker? If you would just read 15 minutes per day, in the course of your lifetime you would have acquired nearly five college educations. (For a free list of top ten most influential books, click to email the author of this article).

The secret to success is no secret. If you're willing to do more than you've done before, you open yourself to the possibility of having more than you've had before. When I'm doing my next training session, I'll finish by shaking hands with the best. Will I be shaking yours?

John Fuhrman is a best-selling author of nine books dealing with rejection, leadership, finance, and peak performance. He has spoken around the world working with top performers in a variety of industries. He is now contracted to be the exclusive trainer for mygreenparachute.com -- the fastest growing Real Estate Referral system in the world today. His programs are being delivered at events, individual offices and seminars. You can contact him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .