If you’re in the real estate industry you know… a HUGE part of this business is all about talking to people. Whether you’re making cold calls, networking (more on that here), showing homes, or closing a deal, there is always constant communication with clients and colleagues in the field. Because of this, I get a ton of questions about building confidence in the industry – how to do it, how to maintain it (especially if things aren’t going your way), and how to use it to show that you’re an expert in the industry.

I wanted to break down all of my top tips on developing confidence and how I personally did it, and while I’ll be speaking on this in the context of the real estate industry, I think these tips can be useful regardless of the industry you’re in.

Be Prepared ALWAYS

The best way to build and have confidence? BE PREPARED. And I mean always. I can guarantee you’ll feel more confident when you actually know what you’re talking about.

If I’m going to go somewhere, I try to anticipate all the questions that I’m going to get because I do not want to be the person that is staring at a client like a deer in headlights. Of course, you can’t always anticipate every question and especially starting out, I tried to always prepare the night before. Even driving on the way there I would recite answers and go over everything mentally! Being as prepared as you possibly can is my #1 tip to build confidence and will establish you as someone who is knowledgeable about the industry and committed to your job.

Fake it till you make it

While I think being prepared is a foolproof way to build confidence, you can’t know it all and anticipate everything coming. So, when in doubt… fake it till you make it. Now I’m not saying you should start spewing bullshit to people who clearly will pick up on the fact that you don’t know what you’re talking about, but I AM saying you can fake the confidence. Take that anxiety and nervous energy and try your best to let it fuel your confidence and turn it into positive energy you can use to your advantage. There are days that I STILL get anxious to go to showings, but I always try to switch my mindset and remind myself that I got this.

Always be open to learning and listening

Whether you’ve been working in real estate for decades or you’re just starting out, there’s always more to learn. I’ve been doing this for a while now and I still am learning new things and learning how to be a better agent. Let’s be real for a second – there’s always going to be someone who knows more than you, is smarter than you, is better at their job than you, and so on and so forth. Instead of looking at that as a negative, change your perspective and see it as a way that you can grow in your career by using these people as mentors and resources. The more you learn, the more your confidence in your ability will grow.

Don’t let a bad experience define you

If you work in real estate, you know this can be a TOUGH industry, one you have to bust your ass in to be successful. I think we’ve all had our fair share of bad experiences and fuck ups (if you haven’t, don’t worry, it’s coming…) but another crucial way to build confidence is not letting these bad experiences define you. It’s not always going to be perfect, and bad experiences are going to happen. You’re not always going to close the deal or make the client as happy as possible, and that’s okay. Now look, I’m not saying you shouldn’t work hard and do everything in your power to make that happen, but it’s not always going to work out and that’s reality. Dust yourself off, hype yourself up, and get back out there.