Archive for new agents
Why Your New Agents Shouldn’t Make Business Plans
Posted by: | CommentsI once coached a manager who proudly told me that she helped all her new agents plan out 5 years. Unfortunately, though, 90% of those new agents failed in their first 6 months in the business! I started wondering why she was so fixated in helping them do long-term planning, when they couldn’t make it through their first days in the business?
Don’t Take Your New Agents Through the ‘Full-Blown’ Business Planning Process
Your new agents’ problem isn’t that they don’t know where they’ll be in five years. Their problem is that they don’t know where they’ll be–and why they’ll be there–in 5 minutes…….
Instead of spending hours in dreamland with your new agents on that vision and mission, do what needs to be done and help them craft a business start-up plan. In other words, start at the beginning of their career, and help them build a step-by-step action plan to get a sale fast. At the same time, show them how this plan fits into the bigger picture.
Failure Isn’t Predicated on Lack of the ‘Seasoned’ Business Plan
New agents come into the business, excited because they are ‘in business now for themselves’. They don’t have a “boss”. They can organize their time. They look forward to lots of ‘free time’. What a dream world! Worse yet, they don’t know how to start the business! (Who would?) So, they fill the time with what comes easily. Most of us are afraid of rejection, and fear what will happen if we talk to human beings and ask them to buy real estate from us. So, we stay away from those activities that invite rejection. We gravitate toward ‘safe’ activities, such as:
- get organized–all day
- attend classes–all day
- preview properties–all week
- observe others–all week
- do research and follow-up
A friend of mine observes that they seem to be “getting ready to get ready”.
The very dangerous thing about agents creating a daily plan without good business-start-up principles, is that they create habits of failure. In effect, they created their own start-up plan—one that assures low production.
Evaluate Your Plan for your New Agents
Why not rate your plan now to see which path you are putting your new agents on? Simply add up the number of hours you’re having them spend in the activities above. Now, add up the sales producing activities (lead generation, showings, listing presentations, sales, and listings gained). Which of the categories has the larger time block? What does that tell you about the job description you have created? Is it a job description that leads to sales?
Attributes of an Effective Business Start-up System
So, then, what is an effective business start-up plan? And, what else do you need? An effective business start-up plan has these attributes:
1. An organized activity schedule that has certain activities prioritized first, so agents can manage your time effectively—throughout your career
2. A schedule that has certain activities scheduled secondarily—and why—so they don’t teach themselves to be failed agents
3. A road-map for a continuing plan, so you can continue growing your business to the next level. (These are all attributes of Up and Running in 30 Days, the new agent’s business start-up plan).
The plan must be integrated with training and coaching. But, that’s not all you need. You need integrated programs with a skilled coaching professional to help agents implement. You need a cohesive system of development.
When are agents ready to ‘graduate’ to the whole ‘seasoned’ business planning process? Generally, when they have completed 8-12 transactions in a year. Until that time, they don’t have the steady work habits, and the history to review their businesses and make decisions about changes or additions in their careers.
New Business Planning Program for Managers
Do you find it difficult to get your agents to plan? Do you put off doing your office plan? Here’s your solution. This all-new program does several things for you:
2 webinars teach your agents how to plan using Carla’s strategic planning system
14 planning documents are included to guide your agents right through the planning process
3 webinars for you:
1. How to Create a Great Office Plan
Included: 22 office planning documents to make it easy for you to stay on track and create a great plan
2. How to Convince your Agents to Plan
3. How to Integrate your Office and Agents’ Plans
Also: Hundreds of dollars of bonuses included. See more at Come See 2012: Beyond the Basics of Business Planning. Why not build a great office plan and get every agent a real strategic plan–one that’s inspirational all year?
What’s your ‘bottom line’ for an ideal start-up plan for a new agent? Many managers tell me they don’t want to hire new agents because they’re too much work–and, too many of them fail. True. Yet, on the other hand, managers find it difficult to recruit seasoned agents who fit their profile, culture, and standards. One answer to this dilemma is to develop a start-up program for new agents that avoids the pitfalls associated with hiring new agents.
The Ideal Porgram Should Assure…
1. The new agent will succeed–fast (not this normal 50% failure rate!)
2. The new agent is directed by the start-up program–not a situation where the manager has to re-invent the wheel with every new agent
3. The manager doesn’t have to invest hundreds of hours in a new agent–only to find that agent fails
4. There’s direction from a ‘trusted advisor’–an outside coach, to save the manager’s time
5. There’s coordination and interaction between the ‘trusted advisor coach’ and the manager, so the manager isn’t left out of the loop
6. The new agent is challenged by meaningful activities leading to a sale, not just unprioritized busy work
What other goals should your ideal program provide you?
Re-Inventing My Start-Up Plan
I’m doing the fourth edition of my best-selling start-up plan for new agents, Up and Running in 30 Days. I want to assure that it fulfills all the goals above–and the goals you have for me. Here are some methods I am using to ‘take the load off’ managers, and still assure the program is effective:
1. I’ll be doing short instructional and motivational videos to teach the agents the best planning strategies AND motivate them. This saves managers so much time, because they won’t have to teach the program. I will.
2. I’ll be providing Internet-based forms that the agent will complete, (both in business-producing and busienss-supporting work), and those forms will always be available to the manager. These forms will tell the agent, too, how he’s doing in comparison with the standards and goals of the program. In other words, using programmed ‘feedback’ on progress, I’ll help the agent stay on track and congratulate him/her on accomplishments.
3. I’ll provide guidance to the manager on how to coach the agent during the good and the rough times, with short videos and forms provided.
What else would you like to see as I update the program?
Thank you for making this program the best-known and most successful program internationally to start new agents on the path to success.
P. S. This program is not meant to be a full-blown training program. It is a business start-up plan–meant to be an immediate start to the business, so the agent doesn’t have ‘down time’ between his hiring/orientation and training. Just think of what the agent could accomplish if he started lead generating on purpose in his week 2, rather than waiting until after that formal training program (about 4-6 weeks!)…….
Managers: What’s Your Ideal Training for New Agents?
Posted by: | CommentsManagers: What’s your ideal training–get started NOW program for new agents? What do you want your new agents to be able to do by the end of their first month in the business? How competent do you want them to be?
I’m working on the fourth edition of Up and Running in 30 Days, the new agent’s start-up plan. The program is designed to get an agent a sale in 30 days. It has a bit of training in it, so the agent gets the ‘how’ along with the ‘what’. In addition to that book, I’ll be doing a ‘version’ of it that will be very interactive, with me as coach. So, I want to know from you, both manages and agents, what you’d like to see in your ideal program for the new agent?
Here are questions I’d love to get feedback on so I can create the program that would work best for you:
1. What’s the major concern you have right now about the program you’re using?
2. Is the program you’re using designed to get the agent a sale in 30 days? If not, what is it designed to do?
3. What’s the best thing about your present training/coaching program?
4. What would you like to see in a start-up/training and coaching program for the new agent?
5. For agents under a year in the business (if you’re reading this as a manager, please ask your agents this question): What do you wish would have been in your training program? How could it have helped you get a sale sooner?
6. Coaching: What do you want that enables you to coach to the agent’s success better?
Please let me know by commenting on this blog. I want to make this program stunningly successful for both new agents and managers.
In my next blog, I’ll tell you some of my ideas about how I can ‘take the load off’ managers, and provide much of the coaching and accountability myself in this new version of this very successful program. Thanks in advance for your comments!\
Help New Agents Take Their Whole ‘Lives’ With Them into Real Estate
Posted by: | CommentsDo you feel that your new agents are more tenuous than they need to be? Are they holding back from making lead generating contacts because they’re not confident enough? Here’s how to help them.
Most new real estate agents, think they don’t know a thing. (And even very seasoned agents don’t take advantage of the strategy I’m sharing with you here). After you read this blog, you’ll see that’s not true that agents are really ‘new’–or that agents can’t use your skills, qualities and talents as a seasoned agent.
I just did a series of complimentary coaching calls for those people in the Up and Running in 30 Days coaching program. First, let me congratulate one of the agents in the program, Carlena, for attaining 108 lead generating contacts in a week! I wanted to have a little fun and competition in the call, so I set up a friendly contest: Which caller on the line made the most lead generating contacts in a week? Callers could pick any week of their Up and Running program.
Note: Look on this blog for interviews with Carlena and Emily, both doing a great job in generating many, many leads with the start-up plan as their guide.
Agents Need Confidence to Succeed in Sales
To help the agents on the call get much more confidence, I did an exercise with them I call Bringing your Skills and Talents to Real Estate Clients. I’m sharing this with you so you can use it in your office with both new and seasoned agents.
Why is this important? When we’re new agents, we think we know nothing. We’re constantly humiliated with our lack of knowledge, and inability to handle objections. We get so tired of ‘nos’ that sometimes we forget that we are capable, honest, caring, responsible humans. We actually come into real estate with a whole adult experience of widely developed skills, qualities, and natural talents. These are much more useful to us than we give ourselves credit for.
How is Music Helpful to Real Estate?
Let me give you an example. As many of you know, I was (and am) a musician since age four. But, when I went into real estate, I felt like I knew nothing! And, it is true I didn’t know anything about selling real estate. But, I carried with me many great skills into the business that in turn carried me to success fast. Can you guess what some of those skills were—and are?
Had to practice piano 2-4 hours Tenacity
Put off mastery for years Persistence
Followed direction of a coach Coach ability
Application
How could I show one of these, tenacity? I actually presented an offer and got 10 counteroffers! I just never gave up, because I felt it was in the best interest of both parties to buy and sell from each other. I could show that marked-up purchase and sale agreement. Where could I share that quality? I could show testimonials from my clients in social medial, and in my Professional Portfolio.
Bringing your Skills and Talents to Real Estate Clients Exercise
Have your agents draw three columns. Name the first ‘skills and talents’. Name the second ‘benefits to clients’. Name the third ‘how/where to show clients’.
Now, list at least three skills and talents from your former business life. What about these skills/talents are benefits to clients? How would you show this? Where would you show this?
Enlist a Partner
If your agents are having some ‘mind blocks’ on how and where to show these benefits to clients, have them enlist a partner to brain storm
the possibilities with each agent. Once agentsstart crafting these, they’ll get much more excited about their ability to help people—along with that confidence to expand their leads and help more people.
Managers: Use this exercise to relate to potential recruits. What skills and qualities did you ‘attach’ as benefits to recruits? How did that raise your confidence?