Kathryn Wheat is the president and chief executive of the Kathryn C. Wheat School of Real Estate, as well as the author of Networking: Naked & Unafraid, working in Houston.

Every week, we ask a Houston real estate professional for their thoughts on the top three stories from the week before. This week, we spoke with Kathryn Wheat, president and chief executive of the Kathryn C. Wheat School of Real Estate and author of Networking: Naked & Unafraid. 

Houston Agent (HA): As a professional networker and author of Networking: Naked & Unafraid, how do you initially broach the subject of your profession with someone you’ve met unofficially in public?

Kathryn Wheat (KW):  My definition of networking is simply starting a conversation with no destination in mind. We meet people everywhere but we shouldn’t automatically size them up to decide if they may be a potential prospect as soon as we meet them. It’s important to get out of the sales mode. Just start some conversations with people you come in contact with and see where that conversation takes you. Of course, it’s okay to let people know what you do, but wait for them to ask you about it.

HA: How important is networking to growing a real estate business?

KW: Super Duper important! Real Estate is a relationship based business. I think networking is like speed dating. You’re going to have a lot of five minute conversations and from there, you’ll decide who you want to spend a little more time getting to know. You won’t connect with everyone and that’s okay but you have to get out there and start a conversation.

HA: What advice would you give to a rookie agent who’s not only trying to learn how to network, but where to start?

KW:  First, I’d say you need to look at your personal brand. Do you have your name registered as a dot com? If not, I advise you do that right away. When people are considering doing business with you, they will put your name into a search engine and see what comes up. You want to be the one to lead that online conversation. Not having an online presence is like not having a credit score. It’s not good. It’s up to you to create one and provide those searching for you with accurate information. In my book I talk a lot about how important personal branding is for business and the options you have if your name isn’t available.

We actually network in our everyday lives. Think about all of the people you come in contact with on a regular basis. Do you golf, play bunko, have kids in scouts, attend church, attend social or charitable meetings or any similar kinds of activities? If so, you are networking. You are growing a group of connections where people get to know who you are and what you stand for. These are excellent places to start telling people that you have become a Realtor. Then, when you are ready, visit a variety of small networking groups and get a feel for which groups you fit into. They are all slightly different, so try out many and remember: stay out of the sales mode. Be genuine and authentic. People want to know who you are before they care what you do. When you show up as your genuine self and don’t try to “sell” people, it takes all of the pressure off of you and networking becomes more enjoyable and productive. #NetworkNaked