Empowering Women in Real Estate® - The Podcast with Karen Cooper

Thank you for listening! Click subscribe to be notified every Wednesday when our latest episode is released, and be sure to check out our group on Facebook. We are over 25,000 members strong and we want you to join us!

If you are interested in more detailed coaching from Karen, you can find her at www.empoweringwomeninrealestate.com or you can follow her team on Instagram or on her personal Instagram account @karen.w.cooper.

Thank you for listening! Click subscribe to be notified every Wednesday when our latest episode is released, and be sure to check out our group on Facebook. We are over 25,000 members strong and we want you to join us!

If you are interested in more detailed coaching from Karen, you can find her at www.empoweringwomeninrealestate.com or you can follow her team on Instagram or on her personal Instagram account @karen.w.cooper.

We have a very interesting conversation that we're really excited to bring to you today. We're sharing Karen's guest appearance on Rob Houghton's podcast WDC Metro Insurance Careers.

Rob is a top recruiter for insurance positions in the DC area. He invited Karen on his podcast to ask her perspective on office dynamics among women, especially in leadership roles.

It is pretty refreshing to be able to hear such a frank discussion about women in sales, office politics and the best ways to have great working relationships.

We would love to hear your feedback on this topic. Please share your experiences with us in our Empowering Women in Real Estate group on Facebook.

Thank you for listening! Click subscribe to be notified every Wednesday when our latest episode is released, and be sure to check out our group on Facebook. We are over 24,000 members strong and we want you to join us!

If you are interested in more detailed coaching from Karen, you can find her at www.empoweringwomeninrealestate.com or you can follow her team on Instagram or on her personal Instagram account at @karen.w.cooper

Another Tell-All episode for you today with Karen Cooper.

You wanted to know what the best use of time is starting out, the biggest waste of money starting out, how careful we should be with our intellectual property, and how Karen and Vicky Noufal started their partnership. Karen answers all of these questions and more!

Thank you for listening! Click subscribe to be notified every Wednesday when our latest episode is released, and be sure to check out our group on Facebook. We are over 24,000 members strong and we want you to join us!

If you are interested in more detailed coaching from Karen, you can find her at www.empoweringwomeninrealestate.com or you can follow her team on Instagram or on her personal Instagram account @karen.w.cooper.

Here's your chance to ask Karen anything! Today she's answering the first round of questions, and this week you still have the chance to submit more questions in the Empowering Women in Real Estate Facebook Group for Karen to answer in "Ask Me Anything - Part 2."

Most of us want to know when we'll stop feeling like beginners and feel like legitimate real estate agents. When will we start to feel like we can say we are successful? It would be nice to have a time frame for our progress. Karen answers how long it took for her to start to feel like she could say she was successful, what that means and how to get there more quickly.

Karen also answers questions about balancing being a full-time real estate agent with being a wife and mother. She says that real estate is one of the most flexible jobs and one of the least flexible jobs at the same time.

She encourages us to set up a few systems and patterns so that we protect the most important aspects of each role from being encroached on by the other roles. For example, one of her rules was that she wouldn't missed 2 dinnertime/bedtimes in a row. Another rule was that if she was at one of her son's games and she had to look at a contract on the stands, that was OK!

In answer to questions about getting the hang of things starting out Karen recommends going into the office everyday. Now, this might not currently be an option for us during the pandemic, but wherever possible, be around others who are doing the work.

Another great question was about how to do your budgeting when you were starting out. Listen in to hear what matters most at the beginning and throughout your career when it comes to budgeting. Hint: it's not fancy shoes.

Thank you for listening! Click subscribe to be notified every Wednesday when our latest episode is released, and be sure to check out our group on Facebook. We are over 24,000 members strong and we want you to join us!

If you are interested in more detailed coaching from Karen, you can find her at www.empoweringwomeninrealestate.com or you can follow her team on Instagram or on her personal Instagram account at @karen.w.cooper.

Here's a topic Karen gets asked about quite a bit: building confidence in your role as a real estate agent. And, it's not just brand new agents who want to know how to present themselves as knowledgeable. At every stage of her career Karen has put in to practice certain tools to appear confident and actually feel confident helping people buy and sell homes.

Let's go straight to the sources of confidence: knowledge and repetition.

Karen's first tip is to memorize some good, current stats so you know how to answer when people ask you "How's the market?" Instead of saying, "It's good," you can say, "It's really strong. The average days-on-market is 7 and at this time last year it was 33." This is a very confidence-inspiring way to talk with people and it gives the conversation somewhere to go!

Next, get familiar with the tasks you do. It will just take time and experience but if you can practice filling out paperwork, for example, and have a mentor look it over, you'll be much more comfortable doing it for real. And actually, being able to explain what everything in the paperwork means is a very important part of being an agent. Your clients will feel secure if you can help educate them.

In the same vein, preview the properties when you can so that you can have another go-to answer when people ask you about the market and so that you feel ready to show these properties.

If talking to people isn't your strongest trait, honestly, here's a super easy trick: wear a name tag. This way even if you're not feeling confident enough to initiate conversations, you're making it easy, people know you are in real estate and they can feel a little more comfortable approaching you. A name tag is basically a professional invitation to talk about work.

Karen's final tip for building confidence today is to work with renters. It's not the most glamorous work we can do, but it is so helpful as we are learning.

You want to stay fresh, on top of your game and confident throughout your career. These will be things you can keep up your sleeve all the time.

Thank you for listening! Click subscribe to be notified every Wednesday when our latest episode is released, and be sure to check out our group on Facebook. We are over 23,000 members strong and we want you to join us!

If you are interested in more detailed coaching from Karen, you can find her at www.empoweringwomeninrealestate.com or you can follow her team on Instagram or on her personal Instagram account at @karen.w.cooper.

We've heard some industry-shaking news announced this week about Zillow buying ShowingTime. Karen Cooper is showing up today to share some reassurance and perspective, so we can get through this.

Your first thought might be to question the relevance of personal real estate agents in the future, but we're going to keep being amazing resources for our clients. Karen's nearly 20 years in the industry have taught her that things work themselves out, roles shift and the work moves on.

Please take this opportunity to learn more about Karen's coaching group for help shoring up your business. It's only $59 per month and there is no commitment required. Karen covers weekly lessons and action items for growth and streamlining, customizable marketing materials and she answers your questions so that you can get the most out of the program!

https://empoweringwomeninrealestate.com/coaching/

Technology makes things easier for your clients. Do you? Join us!

Thank you for listening! Click subscribe to be notified every Wednesday when our latest episode is released, and be sure to check out our group on Facebook. We are over 21,000 members strong and we look forward to seeing you there.

If you are interested in more detailed coaching from Karen, you can find her at www.empoweringwomeninrealestate.com or you can follow her team on Instagram or on her personal Instagram account at @karen.w.cooper.

Today Karen is sharing a fantastic YouTube Live chat that she had with Caitlin Ellis and Courtney Brown about balancing motherhood and real estate. Each season of motherhood will bring new joys into your life and new challenges with making time for work, your family and yourself.

Karen, Caitlin and Courtney share some seriously helpful lessons they've learned about delegation, time management and mindset. Tune in for actual examples of how to set up systems to make things go a little more smoothly.

Check out the video here:

https://youtu.be/tAuZgZPjV_c

Thank you for listening! Click subscribe to be notified every Wednesday when our latest episode is released, and be sure to check out our group on Facebook. We are over 21,000 members strong and we want you to join us!

If you are interested in more detailed coaching from Karen, you can find her at www.empoweringwomeninrealestate.com or you can follow her team on Instagram or on her personal Instagram account at @karen.w.cooper.

Written reviews can really boost your "know, like, trust factor." When a potential client checks out your name online you want them to see social proof of how wonderful it is to work with you.

Karen recommends inviting clients to leave reviews right after the transaction and again in 2 months, as needed. It's a small ask and you have so much to gain in just a few sentences from a happy buyer or seller.

In addition to these reviews being online on Google or Facebook, you can re-use them on your website and social media. Listen in for a timely update on the status of any reviews you may have on Zillow!

Yes, it is amazing to get good reviews, so make sure to return the favor this week and leave positive reviews for the people you work with!

Thank you for listening! Click subscribe to be notified every Wednesday when our latest episode is released, and be sure to check out our group on Facebook. We are over 21,000 members strong and we want you to join us!

If you are interested in more detailed coaching from Karen, you can find her at www.empoweringwomeninrealestate.com or you can follow her team on Instagram or on her personal Instagram account at @karen.w.cooper.

Today's topic is so fascinating and we're a little riled up about it. Think about the advice you've been given or the things you've been told about your business. If some of them were less-than-helpful or self-serving or discouraging, then let's take a moment to stop and flesh them out. We can still learn from them because we can turn them upside down and move ahead with new understanding.

Thank you for listening! Click subscribe to be notified every Wednesday when our latest episode is released, and be sure to check out our group on Facebook. We are 19,000 members strong and we want you to join us!

If you are interested in more detailed coaching from Karen, you can find her at www.empoweringwomeninrealestate.com or you can follow her team on Instagram or on her personal Instagram account at @karen.w.cooper.