An enterprising agent – what are they like?

Enterprise is mainly optimism and dynamism in action, the ability to analyse, to take the initiative, emotional and intellectual richness, solid knowledge, resourcefulness and assertiveness. What else? Certainly organisational and leadership skills, the ability to make decisions, as well as ambition, courage and self-confidence. Without a doubt, an agent should have all of these traits in order to achieve their goals!

An estate agent should not be afraid to take on new challenges and to act proactively. Hard work translates directly into earnings. An agent should express their views clearly and openly, answer for their words and actions, and be honest towards others. Ambition lets them reach the full height of their abilities, and courage and confidence can help them in this. With these traits, an agent is not afraid to take risks and willingly takes action even in difficult transactions, for example those involving properties with a legal defect. Enterprise is needed for an agent to be able to organise, run and manage their own company. But what exactly is enterprise?

Enterprise is an important trait of an effective salesperson and entrepreneur – and therefore also of an estate agent. Besides the traits listed earlier, emotional intelligence is very important. It is the ability to recognise your own emotions and to read the emotions of others. It is extremely important in the work of an estate agent, who is in contact with clients every day. Interestingly, people with a high IQ do not always have a high level of emotional intelligence. In relations with clients, empathy is very important, but so are distance and even the ability to build contacts and the capacity to cooperate.

Entrepreneurial competences are an important driver of an agent's self-development. It is important to practise them systematically and keep raising the bar. Various kinds of coaching sessions help with this. They are particularly important in the work of an estate agent, who, because of the nature of the job, is at risk of professional burnout.

People described as enterprising must take care not to fall into complacency and a lack of self-criticism. This can have a bad effect on relations with clients and with the team of agents. It can show itself as excessive ambition, setting overly high demands and unrealistic goals for yourself and the team. This leads to workaholism and an inability to admit failures, which happen to everyone at times.