Each month, Homes.com sponsors the Secrets of Top Selling Agents webinar program, offering agents a free training resource where they can learn advanced real estate strategies. However, before you learn the techniques of the industry’s biggest earners, you must master the basics. Here are ten things every new real estate agent learns.

1. You won’t get far without at least 3-4 lead sources.

   In a perfect world, your business could run off referrals alone. In the real world, however, you may need to knock on doors, use direct mail, try social media marketing, call expired listings, track down FSBOs, reach out to past clients, develop your signs to generate leads, work your way into local homeowners associations, or try any number of other lead generating strategies to get the leads your business needs to grow.

2. Social media can be great…if you use it right.

   Setting up more social sites than you can manage might actually cost you business. Some ambitious agents identify abandoned or neglected social accounts and poach leads from them. Social media works best if you find out which networks your leads are on and then post interesting, local content on that network that sends leads to your website’s lead capture.

3. Everyone is obsessed with video.

   More and more agents are making names for themselves with videos. These days, you can’t look for advice in real estate without the topic coming up. Luckily, all you need to create videos is a smart phone.

4. No one answers their phone. Or emails. Or texts.

   Considering that most internet leads reach out to you first, they can be hard to get in touch with, especially if you miss their initial call. However, you can reach 93%of your leads if you contact each one at least six times. There are also programs like  that can help you get in touch and follow up with new leads faster.

5. A good CRM is essential.

   Nothing is more frustrating than finding out one of your leads who went cold is closing on a listing with a different agent because they couldn’t find your number. A good CRM will let you set up automated emails, track important dates, and make notes so that following up with leads is easy and timely.