Here are several real estate sales books that we consider must-reads here at Discover Publications. Some are hot of the press and some have been around for a few years and are still just as important.
Agent Entrepreneurs, Mike Turner, August 2016
Many of us know Mike Turner. He runs a successful brokerage and has an obvious passion for helping other real estate agents. He hosts a podcast, publishes an agent-to-agent newsletter, and has written several books on “making it” in real estate. Admittedly, this book made our short list because it’s both fantastic and hot off the press. We get excited every time a juicy new book on real estate sales success hits the shelves, then usually a little dismayed or bored after reading it, but not so with Agent Entrepreneurs.
This real estate sales book is a great read on the personal misadventures of Turner and chalk-full of practical advice. Many of the tactics you will read about are unconventional, but they’re backed up with the success Turner personally experienced. So keep an open mind. Certain markets may respond differently to different approaches, and sometimes a competitive environment or economic circumstance will render the best advice obsolete. We encourage you to dig in and enjoy this one – it’s a fun, easy read and you will undoubtedly have gained something in the end.
Read more about Agent Entrepreneurs on Amazon HERE.
Death of the Traditional Real Estate Agent, Rise of the Super-Profitable Real Estate Sales Team, Craig Proctor and Todd Walters, March 2015
Although we know and work with Craig and Todd, rest assured there’s no paid endorsement here – in fact, they’re not even aware we’re recommending you read this book. This is a real estate sales book that you should crack open.
We are big believers in results over theories. Over the last 20+ years we’ve seen and heard it all, and have had the benefit of great relationships with some of the most successful agents, brokers, and coaches on the planet. It isn’t easy to get a trendy new idea past one of our veteran marketers. This book really struck a chord with us as upholding and modernizing solid real estate marketing principles, especially as we enter the dawn of “content marketing.” What we appreciate most is that Todd and Craig speak through the voices of incredibly successful agents. Many of the chapters are written or co-written by greats like Jim Bottrell and Nathan Clark.
This book will challenge some of your closely held assumptions and convince you that the only way to scale is with the right team. The authors will show you how to build that team and give you a glimpse into top performers think and act so differently from the other 95% of agents.
Read about Death of the Traditional Real Estate Agent on Amazon HERE.
7L: The Seven Levels of Communication: Go from Relationships to Referrals, Michael Maher, April 2016
Michael Maher impresses us because he reached a phenomenal level of success with his real estate practice in a very short time, and is now also a successful coach to other agents. In this book his mantra is all about referrals, which as you know are hugely important in the real estate business. But this book is more of a system for running your business, not just a series of tactics for asking for referrals. We think it’s a solid, no-nonsense plan to going from a haphazard approach to a systematic way of generating a high volume of quality leads.
Read about 7L HERE on the author’s website and check it out on Amazon HERE.
Shift, Gary Keller, Dave Jenks & Jay Papasan August 2008
Gotcha! You thought we would put “The Millionaire Real Estate Agent” on this list. Well, it certainly belongs. It’s on every Real Estate sales book list you’ll see out there. Rightfully so! Heck, we here at Discover (back then, Custom House Publishers) worked with Gary to promote it when it was hot off the press. Not only can we safely say that Gary Keller has achieved Guru-status in Real Estate, we can also vouch that he’s just a great guy with a huge heart.
You’ve either read The Millionaire Real Estate Agent already or wake up every morning with guilt for having not read it… but have you read Shift? This is a lesser-known gem from the Master. Notice the publish date – literally moments after the financial and real estate collapse in 2008. When the industry was freaking out, he went right to work to show agents how to keep their heads above water and actually succeed during the turbulence.
In this fantastic book, he recognizes the deep implications of the recession but makes the point that it soon will pass. He opens the book talking about the 1979 collapse and at first you think he’s talking about 2008. Throughout the book you’ll read about what he and the elite group of top-performing Keller Williams’ Mega Agents were doing to recalibrate, re-define their prospect market, stay positive, and double down to not just survive but truly succeed. It’s inspirational and relevant whether you’re in the peak or the trough of a market cycle, and will most certainly give you a leg up when the time comes again to “shift.”
Read about Shift on Amazon HERE.
