Becoming a real estate agent is often viewed as an easy transition. You take some real estate classes, get certified, and start selling houses. If you are selling houses part-time while working a full-time job, those approaches will be practical for you. However, if you are looking to build a real estate business that will be your full-time income, there is much more you need to learn and do. There are elements of business that are not taught in real estate classes, and there are elements of real estate not taught in business classes.

Here are three things to do to up your game as a real estate agent.

While there is specialized training to become a real estate agent, you need to strengthen your understanding of business to grow a successful real estate business. Taking classes or pursuing a degree in associate business management will provide the foundation of business knowledge needed to start and grow a business. Other degree programs include business administration, international business, entrepreneurship, and human resource management. However, not all of these programs will offer the classes and information that will help you work in real estate. Before registering for a program, look at the courses required for that program and determine if those are the topics that will help you excel in real estate.

Real estate relies heavily on visual marketing. You need to develop a foundation in marketing best practices, which can be learned through business classes, getting a real estate mentor, or self-taught through observation and online learning. There are a lot of free educational resources online for marketing that you can seek out. The most important thing to remember is that real estate is visual, which means you need eye-catching and effective business cards and a real estate flyer for each property, website, and social media. While you need to know and understand best practices, you don’t have to do the actual work. The creation of flyers, websites, and social media can be outsourced to individuals or companies with years of experience and knowledge in the area.

People skills describe the soft skills that allow some people to connect with others easily. You may have heard of the term emotional IQ, which is also closely related to this development area. Your ability to communicate with people includes compassion, empathy, active listening, and quick connections. Little things like remembering people’s names and repeating them back, smiling, and making eye contact can make a significant difference when interacting with someone. Real estate depends on making personal connections with people and building loyalty with past and potential customers. Potential customers need to believe that you genuinely want to help them make their dreams come true, and you will do whatever you need to do to make that a reality. Dale Carnegie was an author and public speaker in the 1940s who brought soft skills to the forefront, and his classes are still taught today.

Going from being a real estate agent to running a thriving real estate business requires hard work and a good foundation of business, marketing, and soft skills. There are many ways to gain the knowledge you need in these areas if you are motivated and willing to work for it, and there are a plethora of resources you can find online in these areas. Still, it is critical to find reputable resources with established credentials in their teaching areas. Unfortunately, anyone can post information online and claim to be a professional, so you need to do your due diligence in vetting resources.