How do get started in commercial real estate as a junior sales agent?
Ill start with my background first. I have been licensed for about 2 years now, started in residential with my first escrow at 6 months which unfortunately didnt end up happening. I then left residential and went into commercial to see which one I would like more. I didnt really have any help when i started, not sure how to cold call, etc, no mentoring, but ended up going on a few appointments with clients that I connected with from Zillow advertising and trying to build my business and reputation on my own. 

I am now currently a (Commercial) junior sales agent working under a senior agent who has been in the business for 20 + years. After seeing how successful he was, i wanted to take on the opportunity to learn and pretty much move forward. I have now been working with my senior agent for about 7 months. My senior is always there when I need help, have questions, etc. But now I feel as if I hit a plateau. I spend the most of my days cold calling on listings that we have, and my mentor tells me that it will just take the 1 call to get a buyer or a seller. But as I think about that method, it makes me feel that this is purely luck? I have heard stories on how people have cold called for 2 years with no results. I know its still very early and I have along time to go, but I am starting to worry now about 6 months down the line being in the same situation that I am currently in now. I am building a data base, I have been on appointments, wrote offers, but no deals. I am also only on commission so I wont make any money until I bring in a buyer or a seller which is also my other worry. I have rent, car payment, bills like every other person. My senior does do any type of advertising or cold calling and literally just get listings from referral, so thats not really helpful to me because Im still stuck trying to figure out how to market myself. I really feel like a telemarketer here, and I cant get in on any of the deals to understand how the rest of the transaction process works...

I have to admit the more I work with my senior, the less I like working with him because hes more for himself then helping me out. Any suggestions, should I find a new senior? I have heard there are actually some paid junior sales agent positions out there, and some seniors will even allow the junior to come in on one of the sides of the deal so they can understand how the process works, AND so they can live. 
[{"id": "cx6f4p2", "text": "Let me stress something very important to you: \"You have a sales job!!!\" \n\nSeriously, you are making cold calling sound like a mundane task, which I know it can be at times, but you have to be excited about every opportunity you get to engage an investor/landlord/tenant (whichever your focus).\n\nIf you are aren't passionate about the sales aspect, converting leads, following up on requirements, and tracking your leads timelines, no amount of luck is going to help you in this industry.\n\nGood luck, it isn't for everyone.", "replies": [{"id": "cx7bfa4", "text": "Sure, but he's not cold calling FOR listings, he cold calling ON listings.  I think he's saying that all his boss has him do is cold calling potential tenants or buyers to see if they will buy existing listings.  Cold calling to find buyers and tenants, at least in my market, is a tiny, tiny aspect of marketing a property that rarely pays off. What he's doing doesn't sound like a great model in my opinion. Also, there's something very, very wrong with a model where OP only gets paid on deals if he brings a tenant or buyer- he should be working in a supporting role on a fixed set of deals, and getting paid on them whether or not he procures the business. ", "replies": [{"id": "cx7g9aa", "text": "You're absolutely right. It sounds like he is being told to cold call for the listings. That being said, with some creativity and a little tenacity, he could be generating a deeper discussion from the prospects he has a conversation with. Or who knows, maybe he has the wrong mentor, got to be careful in this industry, choose the people you work with and for very carefully.", "replies": [{"id": "cx7jcgx", "text": "yeah I'd definitely focus on looking at my calls, what is successful, what isn't, improving strategies etc before going the 'fuck it, you just need to get lucky, it will happen when it happens'.  \n\nWe all get lucky or unlucky of course, but relying on luck isn't really a great strategy... ", "replies": [], "depth": 4}], "depth": 3}, {"id": "cx7ivc5", "text": "yep.  if you are going to be prospecting for buyers/sellers on the listings for the 'mentor' he needs to get a piece regardless.  Also he should get his name on the listing.  Even then, that should be a part of his prospecting at most.  \n\nAgree with everything you say and just want to second it.  \n\nIf this is what they are pitching to OP i have no idea why he even has a mentor.  Spend some time studying the market and get familier with all the brokers listings.  Cold call and pitch other brokers listings.  At least then you can pick and choose the best ones or be quick to suggest stuff.  \n\nI'm not saying don't prospect, but fuck the way they are telling him to do it.", "replies": [], "depth": 3}, {"id": "cxb1jhv", "text": "I agree, thank you.", "replies": [], "depth": 3}, {"id": "cxu4l5d", "text": "What kind/type of marketing do you find most effective in your market?  I am in the same exact position as OP", "replies": [{"id": "cxu6yjr", "text": "loopnet have, by far, been the single best tool for me. ", "replies": [], "depth": 4}], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "cx6gg7o", "text": "Get out from M&amp;M would be my suggestion. Are you in a major market?Do you have an asset class that you focus on? ", "replies": [{"id": "cxb1ek9", "text": "Im not in M&amp;M, not in any of those big commercial brokerages. In Los Angeles, Class B and C Buildings. ", "replies": [], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "cx6lpda", "text": "Cold calling is an important part to getting started but you should also be out shaking hands and attending networking events. Most of my early leads came from people I met at various events. ", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "cx6wy1u", "text": "As a junior agent your only job is to book appointments. Don't get ahead of yourself. Don't worry about the next steps in the process. The next steps will be explained by the senior agent when you get there. \n\nDecide on a specialty and learn everything you can about that. medical office, inline retail, pad site sales. You need to bring something to every conversation. It's likely that the people on the other end don't undertand why you're calling and don't have time to listen to your pitch. Provide them value in the first 10 seconds and they'll listen. ", "replies": [{"id": "cx7j3qa", "text": "Posts like this make me so glad I don't work for M&amp;M or CBRE.  ", "replies": [{"id": "cxq44h2", "text": "Who do you work for?\n", "replies": [], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "cx7b7ec", "text": "Quit. Get a 9-5. Real estate isn't for everyone. You need a hunger and the ability to self motivate. The drive to learn on your own and get better. \n\n&gt; luck\n\nThe harder I work, the luckier I get. ", "replies": [{"id": "cxb1hc1", "text": "Quitting isnt an option, Im trying to work smarter here, not harder.", "replies": [], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "cx7bjz0", "text": "This sounds like a terrible model.  He's only going to pay you on deals that you bring in?  A mentor should be at the very least, having  you helping him with the more mundane aspects of existing deals (aka kind of the role of a transactions services person) and paying you on them, even if it's only 5%-10% of what he makes in commissions.  You need to find a better opportunity with another broker.  \n\nIn my market, at least, I do very little cold calling for the listings that I have.  It's FAR more important to get your listings on the right marketing platforms and follow through with warm leads from good research.  Cold calling for tenants or buyers is typically of very little use.    I think this guy just has you around because it's not costing him anything, and he may make some money on a couple deals you find.  Does not sound like a good mentoring situation, at least the way you describe it. If anything you should be cold calling owners to find listings, not calling for stuff you already have. \n", "replies": [{"id": "cx7ehxl", "text": "this was what I was going to post.  Sounds like that guy is using OP to sling his listings all over for nothing in return.  Fuck that, if you are going to make shit tons of calls focus on getting your own listings.  Then buyer/ten rep will come to you.....", "replies": [], "depth": 2}, {"id": "cxb1d5z", "text": "Yeah, unfortunately my mentor also has 2 assistants that pretty much handle each of his transactions so there is no place for me in that area. I just handle the cold calls, calling buyers and sellers in areas where we have active listings, asking them if they are interested in buying our properties or selling theirs. And yeah, im sure he has me around because it does not cost him anything. He could only benefit in this situation. ", "replies": [], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "cxa6hdn", "text": "Apply for an associate job at a large, national,  brokerage where you can work on a team that has revenue sharing.  What you are doing is not going to work and you will quit the industry within a year or less.", "replies": [{"id": "cxb1fb1", "text": "I will look into that, thank you.", "replies": [], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "cxu4mez", "text": "I am curious how you are doing now.  I am in the same exact position. \n\nHope all is well.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}]