What to do as a junior broker
I just got my real estate license and I decided to join a small boutique brokerage and I love the atmosphere and all the brokers are very successful. I get paid a small monthly salary to start, but I am not able to make commissions. Unfortunately, due to the small size I don’t have a ton of stuff to do. I have a mentor who is awesome, but not always available. I have been proactive in asking for small tasks and projects, but some days I just have very little to do. However, things are picking up and I am getting entrusted more and more responsibility.

What can I do as a junior to build up my contacts? What should I do to be productive with my spare time? Any suggestions or experiences might be helpful.
[{"id": "fb8zjqq", "text": "Who\u2019s your dad?", "replies": [{"id": "fb9iela", "text": "I hope OP doesn't get offended by this comment, this is the quintessental \"it's funny because it's true\". Commercial real estate is so much about who you know, it's the reason so many CRE families exist. We're naturally networked and many of us (myself included) had years of exposure to the industry before becoming professionals.\n\n\nI started with my father's company after 13 years in another industry. I had been offered an outside sales position with a major manufacturer that would have me on the road 20 days out of the month and my (now ex) husband at the time didn't want me to take it and told my father as much. Dear old dad asked me to come \"help\" him in the office a few days a week to update lease files, track transactions, and clean up databases, all while while getting my license and then I could assist him with transactions. Like you, I received a reasonable salary and tried to make the best of my time: informing myself of the market, familiarizing myself with developers' projects, self-educating about economic trends, and networking. But it wasn't enough, so I gradually began suggesting organizational and operational improvements, incorporating tech, etc. \n\n\nAs it turns out that my capacity for business operations and management is even better than my customer service and sales skills, and in 2017 I purchased the company from my father. \n\n\nIf you are being allowed the space for growth and improvement, take it and make the best of your time. If you can find a way to be impactful, do it. You never know how far it will take you.", "replies": [{"id": "fc701qh", "text": "You sound like the broker I work with on behalf of my employer.  He is the third generation in his family firm, they've occupied the same modest office for probably 20 years.  My broker knows the local markets backwards and forwards.  You can name a major road and he'll tell you major road and he knows about all the recent transactions on that road. In addition, he has understanding of local zoning and development approval processes. \n\nHis family firm has a great reputation for honesty and no BS when representing buyers or sellers and other brokers like working with them.  We just went under contract on the 3rd property he has sold for my firm.", "replies": [], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "fb90q7d", "text": "I would start generating leads. Your office should have a subscription to a property owner database (I use reonomy). Start by familiarizing yourself with the details of whatever property type your ofice specailizes in. If you don't have a speciality, then start learning about whatever property type is well-represented in your area that interests you. Once you have a feel for who the typical tenants or buyers are for that space and how much they pay, start calling owners and pitch them on leasing or selling their property. If they are interested, turn the leads over to your mentor.   \n\n\nCredentials: I'm 7 years in commercial real estate from the Ownership side. I've hired and fired several brokers and have in a brokerage capacity on a small deal this year.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "fb90ufn", "text": "if you are full salary and aren't able to earn commissions you are basically an analyst. If you want to change that , start prospecting, cold calling, bring in deals. also start learning the industry on your own time. are you in leasing, investment sales, cap markets?", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "fb93j8x", "text": "This is almost exactly how I started. I am now 4 years in. Here are some tips i've gotten:\n\n\\- Become a market savant. Learn every available space, building, pricing, etc.\n\n\\- Meet other brokers in your market so when you do get deals they know who you are and want to work with you. Take them out to coffee/lunch/beers\n\n\\- Business development. Find leads. Take pictures of tenant rosters. Call them all.", "replies": [{"id": "fc6zdsv", "text": "I love your term \"market savant\"!  I'd also get familiar with as many deals as possible from the last year or so in your market.  This will sound old-fashioned, but you could go to your local library and get online access to local newspapers and business publications and search for announcements of building sales and signed leases and save PDFs of the articles to Google Drive or Dropbox.   These articles will give you names of principals involved and particulars not available in public record.  \n\nI would also become as familiar as possible with all online resources of your local government, the property appraisers office online search, the planning department's online zoning and other maps, zoning code etc. You could make an appointment with someone in the planning office to walk you through those online resources.  Also get familiar with your state's Secretary of State website so you can look up info on corporations and LLCs that own property in your area.\n\n I've never been a broker, but due my varied experience in the commercial real estate world, I can find out almost anything relevant to a commercial property in about 10 minutes.", "replies": [], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "fb9cz9w", "text": "Get real familiar with lease terms. Read whatever you can get your hands on. Join as many conference calls and meetings as possible (when appropriate). When can you earn commissions? If you are going after tenants deal cycle is typically 18 months so I\u2019d start calling.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "fb9jmjj", "text": "I'm in my second year as a broker at a small firm like yours.  I have few useful connections as my dad is a scientist. What I've been doing is going to networking events I'm interested in and calling potential tenants for listings I'm on.  Just try to dedicate some time every day to growing your network and it'll come.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "fb9rwph", "text": "I've brought on and trained a couple new people. Just because you can't make commission doesn't mean you can't earn them, correct? What I mean is just because you don't get paid on something doesn't mean don't do it. The best value you could add would be to learn the market better than anyone else since you have more time, make some calls, set some meetings for your senior guy and make sure you go along. That would catapult you to where you want to be because you'd learn directly what needs to be done to be successful, you'd watch your senior in meetings to learn how that goes, and making money for the firm will perk up some ears.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "fbfrsgh", "text": "You could join local branches of CRE groups (ULI, etc). Ask your brokerage to pay the fees.\n\nOur analysts work with research to develop pieces useful to the team (for biz dev purposes), but that might not be possible if you're at a boutique firm.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}]