You can be the most proactive agent in the world when it comes to continuing education, attending real estate seminars, or putting in extra effort throughout your daily work routine; yet, nothing matches experiencing the business from the perspective of a top agent.

While coaching and training sessions can be beneficial, shadowing a fellow agent with years of expertise and sales transactions to back up their success will genuinely help you raise your career. What can you do to maximize your shadowing opportunity?

Make Contact With The Appropriate Agency

Not all agents are made equal in terms of productivity and interactions with other industry professionals. You want to discover someone who you not just look up to as a real estate expert, but also with whom you have a strong relationship and who adheres to core values and a business strategy with which you can align yourself.

Make A Schedule

Not every day will provide you with complicated talks to overhear in order to enhance your negotiation and client engagement skills. Instead of scheduling random sessions, communicate with the agent you will be shadowing and devise a game plan.

Do they have any listing appointments that you can join? Is there a price reduction discussion you can attend in the next weeks? Is there an open house the following Sunday (one that is expected to be active) where you can see lead conversion scripts? Determine the talents you wish to improve the most and inform the agent so you're both on the same page.

Pose Questions

While it is crucial to be as unnoticed as possible when shadowing an agent who is chatting with a customer, it is OK to ask questions at the end of a session. When merely listening to a conversation, there is a lot to take in, so taking notes and clarifying any questions you have will only help you improve your own skills. If you're concerned about taking up too much of the agent's time, inform them that you'll be submitting a few queries via email to be answered later.

Contrast With Your Own Strategies

Remember that there is no one correct approach to practice real estate. Each agent has their own style of doing business. While shadowing a top agent will get you started in the right direction, you may discover that some activities are best left unchanged from how you normally accomplish them, some may require a total makeover, and the remainder may become a blend of what you already do and what you've learned.