How to Explain Your Value as a New Agent

By Jesse Myles

Originally hailing from Seaside California, Jesse Myles is a 20 year Army veteran, came to the Ft Hood area in 2005 and retired in 2012, Jesse strives for only excellence with his real estate customers.

At some point, every new agent has to sit across from a potential client and answer the question they’ve been dreading: “How many homes have you sold?”

Maybe the answer is one. Maybe it’s zero. And in that moment, everything you learned in your licensing course doesn’t help you, because the person in front of you isn’t asking about real estate law. They’re asking why they should trust you with the biggest financial decision of their life.

I’ve watched new agents handle this moment in two very different ways. Some try to dodge it. They change the subject, rattle off their brokerage’s stats, or oversell themselves with promises they can’t back up yet. The client sees right through it, and the conversation is over before it starts.

The other group does something different. They answer honestly, and then they redirect the conversation to what actually matters.

The question behind the question

When a client asks about your experience, they’re not really asking for a number. They’re asking, “Can I trust you? Are you going to take care of me? Do you actually know what you’re doing?”

Once you understand that, the answer changes completely. Because you don’t need 500 transactions to prove you’re trustworthy, prepared, and committed to doing the work. You need to show them that right now, in this conversation.

What you’re actually selling

Here’s what I tell agents on my team when they’re starting out: stop trying to sell experience you don’t have. Sell what you do have.

1. Sell your preparation. Walk into that conversation knowing more about their neighborhood, their home, and their situation than they expect. Pull the comps. Study the recent sales. Know the average days on market, the price trends, and what’s competing with their home right now. When you show up with that level of preparation, the client doesn’t care how many homes you’ve sold. They care that you did your homework on theirs.

In a market like Austin where prices have pulled back and homes are sitting longer than they did two years ago, a client wants to know that you understand what’s happening right now, not what happened in 2021. If you can walk them through current conditions with real numbers and real context, you’ve already separated yourself from half the agents out there, experienced or not.

2. Sell your availability. This is the advantage that new agents have and almost none of them use. A top-producing agent with 40 active clients cannot give your listing the same attention that you can. You have the time to be responsive, to follow up on every showing, to communicate daily, and to be present in a way that a busier agent simply can’t. That’s not a weakness. That’s a selling point. Say it out loud: “You’re not going to be handed off to an assistant. You’re going to work directly with me, and I’m going to be available when you need me.”

3. Sell your brokerage. You might be new, but your brokerage isn’t. Your broker has closed hundreds or thousands of transactions. Your office has systems, training, legal support, and market knowledge that backs every deal you do. You’re not operating alone. You have a team behind you, and that team’s track record is part of your value.

Here in Killeen, The Myles Group has built a reputation over years of consistent work. When a new agent on my team walks into a listing appointment, they’re not walking in alone. They’re walking in with everything we’ve built behind them. That matters, and it’s real.

4. Sell your hunger. Don’t be afraid to say it: “I want this listing, and I’m going to work harder for it than anyone else you talk to.” Clients respect honesty. They respect hustle. And they know that a new agent with something to prove is going to pour everything they have into making the deal work, because their reputation depends on it. Every established agent started somewhere. The clients who gave them a chance early on got an agent who was hungrier, more available, and more determined to deliver a great experience than anyone else in the room. That’s you right now.

What to actually say

Here’s a version of what that conversation sounds like when you put it all together:

“I’ll be honest with you. I’m newer in the business, and I’m not going to pretend I’ve done this 200 times. But here’s what I can tell you. I’ve done my homework on your home, your neighborhood, and what’s happening in this market right now. I have the full support of my brokerage behind me, with experienced agents and systems that have handled hundreds of transactions. And because I’m building my business, I have the time and the drive to give your home more attention than most agents can. I’m not going to hand you off. I’m going to be in the details on this from day one.”

That’s honest. That’s confident. And that’s a lot more compelling than pretending to be something you’re not.

The real shift

The agents who struggle with this question are usually stuck on what they don’t have. Not enough closings. Not enough years. Not enough testimonials. But the clients sitting across from you aren’t comparing you to some perfect agent who has everything. They’re comparing you to the other agents they’ve talked to, and most of those agents are giving them a rehearsed pitch, not a real conversation.

When you show up prepared, honest, and genuinely invested in their outcome, you stand out. Not in spite of being new, but because you’re approaching it differently than everyone else.

If you’re a new agent in Austin or Killeen trying to figure out how to get that first yes, I’d love to help you work through it. Reach out to me at (254) 535-8792, email me at info@themylesgroup.net, or visit centraltexasrealestatecareers.com. I’ve been in this business long enough to know that the agents who learn this early are the ones who build something that lasts.