In today’s competitive world, real estate agents need specific skill sets to be successful. While hard skills like contract negotiation or understanding finance laws may be helpful for real estate professionals, an agent’s soft selling skills often go the distance in closing deals.

Here are some of the most important soft skills an agent can develop to snag new clients and increase their repeat and referral business.

7 Secrets of Soft Selling Skills in Real Estate

Active listening

Active listening involves more than smiling and nodding when others are speaking. Pay close attention and read between the lines to hear what is not being said. Ask clarifying questions to demonstrate that you care about your client’s needs.

Time Management

Good time management skills can benefit anyone—especially salespeople. Organize and prioritize tasks to stay ahead of deadlines and help resist the urge to procrastinate.

Growth Mindset

Everyone experiences failure occasionally, but individuals who embrace a growth mindset view failure as an opportunity to learn. Embrace challenges with positivity to help you achieve your career goals.

Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence allows individuals to identify and manage emotions in themselves and others. Valuing your EQ score as much as your IQ score allows you to communicate clearly and build a strong rapport with your clients.

Adaptability

The sales industry—especially the real estate industry—is constantly changing. The key to survival—and success—is the ability to quickly adapt to fluctuating markets, new technology, and new client demographics.

Resilience

Any salesperson can tell you that rejection is inevitable. However, the soft skill of resilience helps you bounce back after rejection, giving you the mental strength to regroup and tackle the next opportunity.

Humility

Arrogance is an unattractive trait, especially in sales. But don’t confuse arrogance with confidence. You can be both humble and confident in your abilities. Healthy humility allows you to build trust and credibility with your clients, resulting in more sales—and more friends!

Soft skills training and development are essential for a successful real estate career. Focus on developing active listening, time management, a growth mindset, emotional intelligence, adaptability, resilience, and humility skills to continue selling successfully!