Networking for Real Estate Agents

I've been going to real estate conferences for over a decade. Here's what actually works (and what doesn't): Most people waste thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours because they approach these events completely wrong. With events season coming up, here's what actually works: 1/ The 3-Week Rule: Most people wait until they're at the conference to start networking. That's too late. Your highest ROI outreach window is 3 weeks before the event. Too far out, and people haven’t started thinking about the event yet. But wait too long, and the best prospects are already booked up. Use the sponsor list, speaker roster, and attendee directory to identify your targets. Cold emails mentioning shared attendance convert way better than generic outreach. 2/ Get The Cell Numbers: This sounds obvious, but many people don’t do it. LinkedIn connections are fine. Email exchanges are better. But cell phone numbers? That's where real relationships happen. When someone says, "let's connect at the event," immediately ask: "What's your cell? I'll text you that day." 3/ Control The Location: Many startups are tempted to spend tens of thousands of dollars on an expensive booth on the show floor. But the branded happy hour at the bar across the street? That's where deals actually happen. After-hours events are way more valuable than anything during official programming. People are relaxed. Guards are down. Conversations go deeper. Here's what most vendors get wrong: they think the goal is to pitch at the event. Wrong. The goal is to collect contact info and schedule follow-up calls for the week after. Nobody is making purchasing decisions while they're rushing between sessions and trying to remember if they validated their parking. Here’s what you should do: • Before: Prospect the attendee list 3 weeks out • During: Get cell numbers and schedule post-event calls • After: Follow up within 48 hours while you're still fresh in their mind The conference itself is just the excuse to start the conversation. The real work happens in the weeks before and after. P.S. Our Selling Into Real Estate Owners course is a must for anyone heading to real estate events. It covers this and a lot more, from identifying your customer to building your sales funnel. Link is in the comments.

Lessons Learned - Knakal Knuggets #99: It’s About the Connections, Not the Dials.   A few of the Knuggets address the importance of market presence and the most important aspect of market presence is making cold calls. If you have identified a sphere of folks that are in your targeted prospecting market (which you should definitely have), then after a couple of years of making your calls, they will no longer be “cold” calls, they will be warm calls, or simply “prospecting” calls.   When you start a prospecting plan, it is important to identify the group of people you will be focused on developing relationships with. It is remarkable to me that most people in the commercial real estate business have no formal prospecting plan. You need to have a target group to go after. This group of prospects should all be associated with the area of specialization you have selected and, as we have discussed elsewhere in these Knuggets, selecting that area of specialization, and becoming a market expert, will be the best way to differentiate yourself from all of the other people you are competing with and will create a competitive advantage.   A robust market presence campaign consists of several things like sending out email blasts, texts, hard mail, creating content, networking, speaking in public, being active on social media and, most importantly, making cold and prospecting calls.   I have seen so many individuals and companies track how many dials are made but do not track how many connections are made. This is backwards thinking. While dials are an indication of effort, connections are an indication of success. Yes, you have to make the calls and tracking dials is a way to make sure you start the effort. But what really should be tracked are how many people you are actually speaking to. That is what really matters. Would you rather dial 100 times and speak to 7 people or dial 10 times and speak to 8 people? Sure people might call you back but if they don’t know you, the likelihood of that happening is very small. Focus on the connections.   I have taken this to another level. Prospecting calls don’t count for me unless I get the target on the phone AND get around to asking them if there is anything in their portfolio, they are considering selling. Of course, I always lead the call offering something of value like a property for sale or a market report. But to count as a prospecting call, I have to get around to asking if there is anything for sale.   My goal, when I started, was to make 40 connections per week. Then after several years, that increased to 50 and stayed there for decades. It wasn’t until I worked from home for about 9 months during the pandemic in 2020 that I became aware that achieving 100 connections per week was possible. I came to discover that without the interruptions caused by (as Jerry Seinfeld would put it) the “stop and chat,” tremendous productivity could be achieved.   Continued in the comments... #KnakalKnuggets #BKREA

One of the most underused strategies in business development is bringing people together around a theme. Think about it. Everyone is busy. Everyone gets invited to another reception or cocktail party. Most people say no because they know the value will be surface level. But when you create something intentional, something smaller and more thoughtful, people notice. They make time. A dinner for women GCs in private equity. A roundtable of next generation dealmakers. A conversation between founders and investors who have successfully scaled. These kinds of gatherings give people the chance to connect with peers who understand their challenges. They create space for conversations that don’t happen in a big room. And here’s the part many professionals miss — when you’re the one convening, you’re not just building your own network. You’re helping others expand theirs. You become known as someone who creates opportunities. That’s memorable. It makes people want to stay close to you and your organization because being connected to you means access to something bigger. But it doesn’t end with the event. The real business development happens in what you do afterward. ✔️ If two people hit it off, follow up and connect them directly. ✔️ Share a quick recap of themes from the evening to keep the conversation alive. ✔️ Create touchpoints — an article, a coffee, an invite to the next dinner. ✔️ Build continuity with a series so people look forward to the next one. ✔️ Share high level highlights on LinkedIn to reinforce your role as the connector. Bringing people together in the right way isn’t just about networking. It’s about creating community. And the professionals who do this well strengthen relationships, build influence and grow their business in ways that feel natural. Let me know when you think of this tip and if you will try it! #BusinessDevelopment #ClientDevelopment #Networking #LegalMarketing

After working with 1,000s of investors over the last 22 years, here are 5 things that work for building trust as a property advisor. It’s a competitive market. Projects are everywhere. Brokers are everywhere. Buyers are more informed, more connected, and more spoiled for choice than ever before. In a competitive market, the rules change. It’s no longer enough to be the first to pick up the phone. Investors are done looking for brokers. They’re looking for a partner who has their best interest at heart. So how do you win that trust? Here are 5 ways I’ve seen work time and again: 1- Do your homework before the pitch. Don’t push the first property you see. Research your investor’s profile, priorities, and financial strategy so your advice is precise. 2- Advise, don’t sell. Be the broker who says, “Don’t buy this one” if the deal doesn’t suit them. That kind of honesty pays back 10x. 3- Stay top-of-mind with value. Show your clients you listen to them. Remember the small stuff. Build a personal bridge. 4- Invest in relationships offline. Attend networking events, industry panels, and community gatherings to plant seeds that grow into trust. 5- Build a visible personal brand. Consistently share insights, market updates, and smart content on relevant digital platforms. Investors trust people they see as thought leaders. When a client realizes you care more about them more than about closing the fastest deal, that client will never forget you. They’ll come back again. They’ll refer their friends. They’ll trust you for life. What’s the one thing you do to win long-term trust in a competitive market?

You don’t need to “network more.” You need to network smarter. Because if you’re at the mid-to-senior level, you don’t need 100 coffee chats. You need the right 5 conversations-with the right people. Here’s how experienced professionals network differently: 📌 1. They lead with insight, not a pitch Instead of “I’m looking for a new role,” They say: → “I’m exploring leadership roles in healthtech—especially where brand, product, and ops are deeply connected.” → “Given your experience at [Company], I’d love your perspective on what makes candidates stand out at that level.” Why it works: It’s clear, focused, and invites dialogue-not pressure. 📌 2. They reconnect with people they used to know Weak ties-former colleagues, old mentors, even college contacts-are often the ones who unlock opportunities. Not your closest friends. Start here: → “We haven’t spoken in a while, but I always appreciated your perspective. I’d love to catch up and hear what you’ve been working on.” 📌 3. They create visibility, not just 1:1 reachouts Smart networking isn’t just DMs. It’s showing up consistently: → Commenting where hiring managers hang out → Sharing your thinking in posts → Highlighting others in your network Visibility builds trust-before the first message is ever sent. 📌 4. They give before they ask → “I saw this opportunity and thought of you.” → “Let me know if you’re hiring-I’ve spoken with someone who might be a fit.” → “Here’s an article I thought you’d enjoy based on our last convo.” People remember how you make them feel. Be the person they want to help. Bottom line? You don’t need more coffee chats. More messages. More blind outreach. You need strategic conversations, built on clarity, curiosity, and consistency. That’s how senior professionals network-and how they get referred, remembered, and hired. If you’re tired of chasing job boards and want a smarter way to build traction- Follow me for real-world job search strategies that actually work.

A simple conversation is the spark. Community involvement isn’t just about showing up at events. It’s about connecting with the people who shape the market and building relationships that create real opportunities. In commercial real estate, collaboration is everything.  The most successful brokers, developers, and landlords invest time in: → Joining professional groups (NAIOP, SIOR, ICSC, CCIM) and local associations such as the Chamber, Downtown Madison Inc. → Attending community and industry events such as Recon in Vegas, REJournal, and many others → Building relationships with developers, investors, and city leaders → Sharing insights and learning from peers The Urban Land Institute found that developments engaging with their communities and industry peers early on see:  ✅ Stronger tenant retention ✅ Up to 15% higher property value growth Because when collaboration happens, trust follows. Having grown up and lived in the area for 50+ years, I've created and fostered many relationships which is the cornerstone of our work. We've experienced tremendous growth over the decades and it continues. And in commercial real estate, trust drives growth. At ABSTRACT Commercial Real Estate, we’ve seen how meaningful connections create stronger projects, better outcomes, and long-term impact. #Entrepreneurship #Networking #CommercialRealEstate

I just watched a sales rep spend 3 hours crafting the "perfect" LinkedIn message to a prospect who bought from his competitor yesterday The prospect had been posting about their challenges for 6 weeks. Sharing articles about the exact problem this rep's solution solves. Commenting on industry discussions about implementation timelines. But this rep never engaged with any of it. Instead, he was busy perfecting his cold outreach template while his competitor was building relationships in plain sight. This is social selling backwards. Most sales teams treat LinkedIn like an email database with better targeting. They research profiles → craft personalized messages → send connection requests → pitch immediately But social selling isn't about better cold outreach. It's about becoming part of your prospect's decision-making process before they even know they're buying… and just keeping it casual, like a normal human. Here's what the highest-performing social sellers actually do: → They follow prospects months before reaching out → They add value to conversations prospects are already having → They become a trusted voice in their prospect's content feed → They earn permission to have sales conversations When you consistently add insight to someone's posts for 4-6 weeks, your eventual outreach isn't cold anymore. It's the natural next step in an existing relationship. Your prospects are literally telling you their priorities, challenges, and timeline through their LinkedIn activity. Stop treating social selling like fancy cold calling and start treating it like relationship building at scale. How much of your prospect research happens on LinkedIn versus actually engaging with their content? — Enjoy this? 📱 Join our community: https://lnkd.in/e3WAJnft

A healthcare company recently asked me an interesting question: "how would you teach sellers to social sell with LinkedIn?" Here's a summary of my thinking: 1) Get into the habit of posting. Share your perspectives from conversations with buyers. Share what you're seeing. Mistakes being made. Cool things you're seeing teams do. ... this will feed into point 3 2) Be a "reply guy" Who are the big names in your space? (With a bajillion followers posting insightful stuff) Comment on their posts. They have the visibility - use it. Who are folks posting about topics connected to what you do? They don't need to be big names. Comment on their posts too! This will be more natural because the connection to "your thing" will be easier. Thoughtfully respond to their posts with your own perspective. Not AI generated summaries. Not "agree" slop. Like actually sit and have a POV. Disagree even! You job is to add to the conversation with either humor... or helpfulness. 3) As you do outbound to your prospects via other channels, connect with them on LinkedIn. Send a thoughtful note w the connect that connects back to why you reached out to them via other channels. Note that you're reaching out via other channels. When they connect - the social feeds will prioritize your content as a new connection. This adds surround sound to your outreach by putting your thinking in their feed > their inbox. 4) Once they've connected... don't aggressively pitch. Yes... if your thing is just sooo relevant and the timing is just perfect... sure. But remember. Social media isn't a direct response engine. It's a place for making connection. Your sales job will extend beyond your current role. You want to build network > being another seller annoying them in another channel. Seek to learn, and help them learn as well (and no... they don't want to check out your post/webinar/etc.... this is weird behavior) 5) Don't overdo it If they're not responding.. that's ok. Last thing you want is to have your connection removed. Keep posting content. These 5 steps do something simple: 1) They show you're a real person with something to bring to the table 2) It creates an opportunity to nurture 3) It gives a lower pressure way to engage with you 4) It amplifies your other outreach to say "I really am a person and I wanna talk to you" I'm certainly not the "expert" here... I look to people like Darren McKee who are phenomenal about nurturing the folks that engage and humanizing outreach with 1:1 techniques like selfie videos. But, thought this could be helpful as you consider leaning into LinkedIn beyond another place to spam people.

𝐀 𝐟𝐞𝐰 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐠𝐨, 𝐈 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞. 𝐇𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬, 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐝𝐈𝐧, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐬. 𝐈𝐭 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐬. By the end of the day, my pocket was full of business cards, but I couldn’t remember half the conversations. That’s when it hit me: networking isn’t about collecting names, titles, or LinkedIn connections. It’s about building relationships that actually matter. Here’s what I learned the hard way: - When you treat networking as a numbers game, you end up with contacts, not connections. - When you reach out without a clear purpose, people can sense it—and the conversation rarely goes far. - When you don’t nurture relationships over time, they fade away before any real value is created. So what works instead? - Adopt a value-first mindset. Before reaching out, I ask myself, “How can I contribute to this person’s journey before asking for anything?” Sometimes it’s sharing an article, making an introduction, or just offering encouragement. - Prepare before connecting. A little research goes a long way. Personalizing a message shows genuine respect for someone’s time and creates a much stronger first impression. - Maintain relationships. I’ve learned that small, consistent touches—congratulating someone on a promotion, commenting thoughtfully on their posts, or checking in periodically—make a big difference in keeping connections alive. Over time, I’ve discovered that quality connections always outweigh quantity. The few meaningful relationships I’ve nurtured have opened more doors, created more opportunities, and led to more collaboration than any pile of business cards ever could. 𝐒𝐨, 𝐈’𝐦 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬, 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠? 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘯 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘦, 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨-𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘴? #NetworkingStrategy #ProfessionalGrowth #BusinessRelationships #CareerDevelopment #LinkedInTips #RelationshipBuilding #CoachIshleenKaur #InternationalBusinessCoach LinkedIn News LinkedIn News India LinkedIn for Small Business

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲... I remember one of my first real LinkedIn connections, it started in the comment section of a post. We kept engaging with each other’s content, which eventually sparked a conversation in the DM. Before I knew it, that connection opened doors to an opportunity I never saw coming! That experience showed me firsthand that your next big break could be just one conversation away. Fast forward to today, I’ve built incredible connections that led to career opportunities, friendships, speaking engagements and so on. 𝗔 𝗳𝗲𝘄 𝘁𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲: 📌Engage genuinely: Don’t just post and disappear, comment on others’ posts, share insights, and start meaningful conversations. 📌Give before you ask: Genuine connections thrive when you give value first. Support others, celebrate their wins, and share useful knowledge. 📌Be consistent: You won’t build trust overnight, keep showing up, sharing, and engaging. 📌Take conversations beyond the feed: Some of my best connections started in the comment section and turned into DMs, Zoom/Google Meet calls, and real-life collaborations. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗱𝗼𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺. Have you built meaningful connections online? What has worked for you? Have a lovely weekend, LinkedIn fam!💗 #ChekwubeUchea #PersonalBrandCoach #CareerCoach #AuthenticStoryteller