The Advice You Should Be Giving to New Agents on Your Team
How to Lead Your Team to Succeed
Many of us have experienced “that person” on our team that likes to pave their own way.
Not that enthusiasm is a bad thing or passion about your job for that matter, but many new agents like to run 100 miles a minute and often in the wrong direction.
We get it. Everyone starts somewhere.
As a team leader or even a broker, training new people to be effective in your methods is a time-consuming task.
This is especially true if you get someone whose strengths lie elsewhere instead of listening to the constructive advice of those with more experience.
Many new agents will do the standard Google search and develop their own ideas about what they should be focusing on to grow their business. However, as leaders, we want to hone their skills and give new agents a direction that will lead them to help the team succeed.
Here are some great tips to help you succeed as a team leader or broker when trying to give advice to any new team members.
Have a Plan
Make sure that you have a plan. That plan should include teaching your new agent how to make a one as well.
When you are given a new member for your team, it may not be as easy as you would like to get them running at 100% and producing results. That will be frustrating for both you and them.
One thing that can help minimize this is to make sure that they have the education needed to be successful.
Let them know that their pre-education is very important to their success out of the gates.
Real estate advisor, Ken Jones, says, “The single most important thing every newly licensed real estate agent should do – before ANYTHING else – is to invest in getting professional education on how to become a productive real estate agent.”
You are the one that should check this and make sure that your team is properly educated for their job. Make sure to have connections and recommendations on good programs to take to start off ahead.
After the initial educational program, there is the ongoing training that you can provide your people to keep them moving forward professionally. Starting off with effective training from day one is key to building a great new agent.
Really sit down and build a solid training program for your team.
This is probably even better if it is written down in a format that the new agent can follow along with. Many times a simple checklist is an easy way that you can make sure not to leave important information out.
Every position has parts of it that new people will have to learn on the job, but you can set your new team member up for success by making sure that they are introduced to as much of the process as possible in their continuing education.
When asked about the importance of developing a plan, Karen Clime of Demetree School of Real Estate says, “It’s the #1 tip for any business… develop a plan. The plan is not set in stone. But a plan will help you focus your time and money. It will eliminate indecision. It will eliminate confusion. It will help you prioritize.”
Have your plan, then be ready to flex that plan based on the needs of your people.
Train in Tech
One tip from Debe Maxwell of the Maxwell House Group gives some great advice about tech integration. “Definitely #1 is to set up a CRM and …start working your sphere right away. So many people are shy about reaching out to people they know but, those who know you WANT to support your new endeavors and will happily help you build your business.”
Make sure that you have your CRM active and be in a position to help new agents to set up their systems. Then you can give them training and time to learn how to use them.
Many brokers use a variety of programs and to make their lives easier every day. Each business uses the same ones a little different, based on their priorities and direction from their leadership.
Have a succinct way to walk the new agent through the company’s workflow or even just your team workflow. Since your CRM is the heart and organization behind many agents’ success, make sure that you are using one that is intuitive to learn and encourages integration throughout your team.
Set Up Lines of Communications and Expectations
Is there a team meeting every Wednesday at 8? Is your team expected to reach out to 10 new leads every day by email?
You need to spell out whatever your team norm is.
How do you want people to get a hold of you? How often?
Think about what you really want out of your team and make sure to let your people know.
Wanda Kubat-Nerdin of Prado Real Estate South, mentions that you should be continuously learning. “Consistently adapting and adjusting while continuously learning is pertinent for longevity in this industry.”
This goes for you and your people.
Work to be always learning about something new and communicate what you learn with your team. If a process that you set up is not working, try to come up with a better way.
Treat Them with Respect
“People count; Numbers don’t” advises Jay McHugh of Laer Realty Partners, “Focus on People you will have an infinite amount of business; Focus on Numbers you will create cement shoes and fall into proverbial bankruptcy.”
Being a leader is not easy.
There are many parts to leading a team that can only be learned by doing it. Whether you are an experienced team leader or broker, or you are just starting out, there is always something that you can do to get better.
Make sure that you treat your people as people. While people are always moving jobs and companies, it is far easier to work with an established team than to have a team with a high turnover rate because they decide to move on.
Toxic leadership is one big reason that people decide to leave the job that they are in for greener pastures.
Build up trust and respect amongst your team and they will want to close deals for you. Be there for them, especially in the beginning, available to give them whatever advice and support they need, and you’ll have a solid, thriving team.
