Connecting the Dots: Networking Early in Your Career

A number of factors can impact your success as a fledgling commercial real estate broker – cold calling, building market knowledge, learning the ins and out of transacting a deal from start to finish. But perhaps one of the most important – and, often, most fun aspects of the industry is networking.  Commercial real estate is easily one of the most relationship-oriented businesses out there.

When I was fresh out of college and looking to make the jump into the world of commercial real estate, a friend in the industry gave me a great piece of advice that I believe is equally important for both the first-year broker and the seasoned veteran.  He said, “You can never know too many people.”

That was helpful when I was trying to land a job.  I reached out to anyone and everyone that I knew in the industry and, in turn, each person I talked to recommended two or three additional people to meet.  Eventually, I met the right person at the right time.  Now that I am in the business, I have found that the need to network only increases.

Networking provides several benefits that make it worthwhile to wake up early to meet someone for breakfast or stop by a happy hour instead of going straight home.

First: it’s fun.  Meeting new people is exciting and easily one of the more rewarding aspects of networking.  There are plenty of opportunities for happy hours, breakfasts, lunches, networking events, and summits to make networking worthwhile.

Second: people do business with people they like.  A senior broker is more likely to answer your phone calls or make themselves available if they have met you.  Similarly, people like to do deals with people that they enjoy working with.

Third: you gain information.  In a business where access to information is essential, building a network of people in the industry with the ability to trade information is a key to success The more people you know, the more information you have.

Make the most of every opportunity that you have to meet new people or rub elbows with others in the industry.  You will be surprised how much of an impact it will have on your career and overall enjoyment of the job.

Connor Hunt, an associate with DFW Lee & Associates, specializes in tenant representation and corporate services for industrial users and tenants of local and multi-location national companies. Learn more about Connor on our website.