Managing Technology in Your Brokerage

While every broker understands how important technology is to an increasingly younger home buying audience, managing the selection and use of technology in your brokerage can be a challenge to say the least. With real estate software vendors, advertising agencies, mobile apps, and website technology issues all competing for your time, it can be difficult to get traction on technology initiatives, or even know where to turn for reliable, impartial advice as to what to use, and how to use it.

Technology Management Is A Process 

Often, it feels like there’s a new piece of tech or some hot new real estate marketing strategy coming out every day and brokers are trying to make sense of it all as they consider juggling their technology investments. What brokers must consider is that understanding and managing issues around technology does not require an engineering degree, but it does require a process. A process that can happen regularly, does not take a lot of time, and leverages resources that are truly experts in real estate technology.

The experts at Weichert recommend that you look at your brokerage’s technology on a regular basis.  Look at your technology investments from a few different perspectives:

1. Where am I spending the most money on technology? – You should consider your marketing spends on technology based advertising as a part of this analysis. (ie. Google Adwords, Trulia, Facebook Ads, etc.)
2. What are the most labor-intensive activities inside my brokerage? – How much time does your team spend doing postcards, creating listing presentations, publicizing open houses, getting contracts together, following up with prospects etc.
3. What solutions do I already have, and what are their weak points? Are they expensive? Hard to use? Collecting dust because your agents won’t use them?
4. Leverage your Network as to what new solutions exist, who is using them, and is there a trusted resource to discuss them with? For instance, Weichert Affiliates have access to technology guidance through our training & support teams, regional coaches, and a network of peers that can share experience about what does and doesn’t work in our industry. Whatever your network is, leverage it heavily for opinions about useful technology.
5. Is there a “techie” on your staff that you can charge with evaluating some of the new technology offerings? Some of the younger agents are great to tap for this as they are likely to have a more intimate relationship with technology.

If the selection and use of technology to support your processes is too often the thorn in your side or you feel like you can’t keep up, affiliation with one of the larger real estate brands can be a tremendous resource in this area. They take that burden off your plate, freeing you up to focus on other things related to running your brokerage. Weichert, for example, is continuously improving existing technology and evaluating new ones to ensure it’s using and providing the most efficient and effective techniques for managing real estate business. Affiliates are given access to these technology tools, such as our online marketing resource center, paperless transaction management system and our WeichertPRO CRM tool.

Developing A Productive, Successful Relationship with Tech 

As a broker, you’re a relationship builder. So, it’s key to build a “relationship” with the technology you use and your process for evaluating it. The brokerage that makes effective use of technology is one that will develop into a real force to be reckoned with now and in the future. A brokerage with well-integrated technology will have a more efficient workflow, smarter online real estate marketing tools, and timely, consistent follow-up. Furthermore using effective, up-to-date technology can lead to higher agent retention, better productivity, and more efficient team dynamics. And who doesn’t want that?

Real estate is ultimately a face-to-face industry and Weichert firmly believes that technology will never replace a handshake – but we also understand how the real estate industry is changing – and we want to deliver the best of both worlds in order to help build stronger, more effective brokerages. If you share this vision, get in touch with us today at https://www.weichertfranchise.com and let our team show you some technology solutions that can help take your brokerage to the next level.

Original content posted on https://www.weichertfranchise.com/online-real-estate-marketing/managing-technology-brokerage/

Franchise Success Spotlight: Weichert® Affiliate Brandon Long

While they haven’t yet isolated the gene for real estate success, Weichert affiliate Brandon Long may be the perfect test subject. Brandon inherited his mother’s love for the real estate industry and more than a little of her drive for success as well.

“I grew up in a real estate family,” mused Brandon, on a typical busy day that took him between two of the four offices of Weichert, Realtors® – The Griffin Company, in northwest Arkansas. “My mother started a brokerage back in 1974 when I was just 4 years old. In those days, you could just get a license and open a storefront.  She’s been at it ever since and is still the largest independent broker in her market.”

When he was in his late twenties, Brandon took the plunge and got his real estate license, too. After a few years as an agent, Brandon knew that owning his own brokerage was where he wanted to be. Brandon and his good friend Carter Clark, started an independent brokerage focused on the residential market in and around the Northwest corner of Arkansas in 2003. “Our market is in an area with some of the largest corporate headquarters in the county. Walmart and Tyson Foods are based here and every vendor that sells to them has a presence in the local area,” notes Brandon.  “We are in a beautiful corner of the state and many of those employees decide they want to settle out here.”

While achieving some growth from 2003 to 2007, the housing crash propelled Brandon and Carter to consider some of the challenges they were facing as an independent brokerage in a highly competitive market.  “Recruiting and training agents was a big challenge for us,” says Brandon, “We had nothing formal and weren’t sure how to develop it.”  By late 2007 it was getting harder and harder for them to see a way forward. They decided to consider a franchise relationship.

Due Diligence

In researching possible franchise affiliations, Brandon and Carter looked at literally every real estate company out there. “It came down to Weichert and one other company,” says Brandon, “We chose Weichert because they were the only company that really cared about how we would make a profit.”

In late 2007 they signed on with Weichert Real Estate Affiliates, Inc.  In their first couple of years, which was in the midst of the housing crash, the brokerage grew from 20 to about 70 agents. Their success did not go unnoticed by other local brokers and they were presentedwith an opportunity to merge with another large brokerage in the area. The Weichert corporate team assisted with due diligence throughout the merger and Weichert, Realtors® – The Griffin Company was born. With the help of Weichert and through other acquisitions over the subsequent years, the brokerage grew steadily. In January of 2018, their company will open its fourth office in Fort Smith, adding another 35 agents to the roster.

The Weichert® System Today

As a franchisee for a decade, Weichert, Realtors® – The Griffin Company continues to derive great value from the relationship with Weichert.  Some of their favorite benefits include the Weichert Listing Presentation system aka “DOORS”, which has become an indispensable part of the agent selling process. The sales team uses it on almost every listing presentation. In addition to creating a powerful and accurate presentation, DOORS is facilitated by online tools provided by Weichert which make creation of the material easy. “If I go up against another broker with our Doors presentation vs. whatever they bring, I’ll win the listing 95% of the time,” says Brandon.

For Brandon, another great benefit of the Weichert affiliation has been the coaching and training–for Brokers. “I’m always learning something from Weichert Training.  I never miss the “Saw Sessions” and I’ve gone three times to the Weichert Management Academy.” The endless opportunities for coaching and learning through Weichert continue to allow the company to stay ahead of changes, technology and opportunities in the industry.

But according to Brandon, no discussion of the Weichert System would be complete without mentioning the Weichert Lead Network. “We develop a huge amount of opportunities through the Weichert Lead Network. In 2017 we anticipate that 90-100 closings will happen through these leads.”  Brandon points out that the National Association of REALTORS® says on average it takes 48 hours for agents to respond to leads and 50% get no response at all.  According to Brandon, “With the Weichert lead acquisition and technology systems, the leads are pre-screened and transferred to a live agent on my team within 3-5 minutes of receiving a call or online form. This makes an enormous difference in our ability to be first in our market.”

The Results

In 2007, Brandon’s brokerage was looking at the most depressed housing market in a lifetime. After instituting the Weichert System, he was able to more than triple his agent team in just under two years. His success attracted opportunities. After a merger, and several acquisitions later, Weichert, Realtors® – The Griffin Company has increased its agent count by almost tenfold since it affiliated, has 4 offices in northwest AR, and business is booming.

Brandon sums it up this way, “We couldn’t have survived without Weichert and we continue to succeed because of their active commitment to our success.”

Visit Brandon and the team at http://www.weichertgriffin.com/

For more information on franchise opportunities with Weichert Real Estate Affiliates, Inc. visit https://www.weichertfranchise.com/

Original content posted on https://www.weichertfranchise.com/blog/franchise-success-spotlight-weichert-affiliate-brandon-long/

Lighting A Fire: How to Keep Real Estate Agents Motivated

Real estate is both a rewarding and challenging profession. Associates are constantly learning and are highly knowledgeable about local community issues and the national economy. While every transaction is unique, helping people achieve their dream of homeownership is a gratifying experience that never gets old. The passion your agents have for the real estate industry is why many home buyers and sellers choose your company over your competitors. Just like a high-performance engine needs an occasional tune-up to continue performing at optimal level, your agents also need some regular coaching and encouragement from you to stay motivated and achieve the best results for your brokerage.

Get To Know Your Agents

As a successful broker, you probably have a team of agents with diverse personalities. While a pep talk during an office meeting may fuel the enthusiasm of some agents for weeks, others respond to a one-on-one conversation with you about their individual business plans and revenue-based goals. You or your manager should regularly schedule a time to meet with each of your agents personally to discuss their current clients and transactions that are in progress. This also provides the management team an opportunity to learn more about them and their lifestyle. Understanding your agents helps know how to best to motivate each one of them and lend your experience where needed on deals that are in progress.

Acknowledge Their Strengths and Accomplishments

Recognition is one of the most effective methods of motivating your team. Everyone wants to be appreciated and respected, especially younger, or new to the industry agents. These agents in particular will need encouragement as they exrealerience the normal initial disappointments and setbacks of the selling process. Let them know you recognize that they have the potential to be exceptional real estate agents, while gently coaching them toward best practices.  Make a big deal of their first sale, and let them know they have a safe, professional home within your brokerage.

It is also important to let your experienced top producers know how much you appreciate them. Reliable agents who always do well can too easily be taken for granted. Allow them to mentor junior agents, as a sign of how much you respect their abilities.

Maintain a Great Work Environment – Every Day.

Motivating agents is not something that you can write on your to-do list and achieve in one day. Agents have different temperaments and they have good days and bad days. Brokers should strive to maintain a positive company culture that fosters agents’ creativity, teamwork, and passion for their profession. At Weichert, we have seen that the workplace culture of a brokerage often reflects a brokers’ personality. When thinking about motivating agents, be sure to take some time each day to remind yourself why you started a real estate brokerage and acknowledge that you have accomplished a lot of great things. Part of motivating agents is taking care that you are also motivated and feel good about the job you are doing, and the positive difference you are making in the lives of your agents, and the lives of your clients.

At Weichert, we know a few things about building motivated real estate team. We know that Realtors working together can accomplish great things. Our real estate franchise system is created by brokers, for brokers. For information on the benefits of partnering with Weichert, visit https://www.weichertfranchise.com/ .

Original content posted on https://www.weichertfranchise.com/real-estate-coaching/lighting-fire-keep-real-estate-agents-motivated/

Don’t let Leads Go Cold Part 2 – Have a Follow Up Process

In Part 1 of this series about keeping leads warm we discussed the new definition of “responsive” and the importance of being that first conversation with a lead. In the second part of the series our focus moves beyond responsiveness and answers the question: “How do we nurture and leverage all the contacts we make even when they aren’t ready to engage?”

Facts About Lead Follow Up

A study by the Harvard Business Review found that most businesses fall into a pattern of neglect when it comes to leads. They waste about 71 percent of leads by not following up or stopping contact too soon. Then consider that lead-to-close rates in real estate sales run between 1% and 5% in most studies and you begin to see why every contact is precious. For every 100 contacts an agent gets, they will do a deal with 1 to 5 people. If an agent is not engaging every contact and their close rate is at the lower end of that scale, they are doing themselves a disservice and limiting their income potential.
The message here is clear for brokers and their agents: Even if the vast majority of leads do not immediately turn into transactions, each new lead should be treated with a sense of urgency and pursued as if it is coming from a ready, willing, and able home buyer or seller. Most experienced real estate professionals we talk to understand this intuitively, yet many of those same individuals struggle with both the timeliness and the consistency of this follow up for all but the most promising opportunities.

Contacts are Investments

Timely response to leads makes the prospect feel appreciated and makes the impression that you are a highly responsive professional. But how do you nurture contacts who are not ready to move forward?  Here are a few ideas from the team at Weichert Real Estate Affiliates.

1. The contact information of the person can be added to your CRM system for periodic email contact and promotion. The more information you can record about the individual in your initial conversation, the better. This includes address, profession, reason for the contact, family members, ages, even birthday’s or anniversary’s if possible.
2. They can be encouraged to like your office or business Facebook and Instagram Pages, increasing the reach of social media marketing efforts.
3. Things like birthdays can be put into your CRM system so best wishes can be sent as a reminder that you are there for them.
4. Send them a hand written card in 6 months reminding them of your conversation in some way. They’ll be impressed that you haven’t forgotten them and the personal touch will be appreciated.
5. A newsletter can be mailed or emailed to them periodically to stay front of mind.
6. They can be personally invited to open houses, improving the pool of potential homebuyers for all such activities inside your brokerage.
7. Host a home buying/selling seminar and invite them to attend.

All this nurturing is done by the most successful associates and creates the kind of relationship that can lead to an active lead, when the prospect is finally ready to move forward.

Nurturing Contacts Efficiently

As Brokers, we need to focus on helping our agents close sales and often the time required for good follow up on everyone else is hard to come by.  Nurturing leads tends to slip as a priority when faced with clients active in the home search or the offer stage. That’s why having both a regular process and tools for lead nurturing can be so valuable to brokers and agents. An obvious aide to efficient lead nurturing is a good Real Estate CRM.  As an example, Weichert offers its proprietary system to all affiliates called Weichert®PRO. This system is tied directly into our national lead generation technology, enabling both brokers and agents to effectively manage more leads and clients. Things like planning, promotion and follow up from an open house are facilitated within the tool, leveraging software designed specifically for that. Email campaigns can be configured to regularly stay in contact with everyone on your contact list. Even personalized ones can be easily generated for birthdays and anniversaries etc.

But perhaps most important is the use of a specific process for lead follow up that is timely, efficient, and personal. For instance, at Weichert we have developed a system for nurturing that is actually supported by our CRM tool. The tool perfectly aides this process, and your team can define highly effective nurturing campaigns, while spending less than ½ hour a week to keep those leads from going cold.

Follow Up Makes a Big Difference

Whether it is a phone call after an initial meeting or a handwritten note expressing gratitude for the opportunity to earn their business, small gestures do mean a great deal. It’s definitely the Weichert Way. When you make a personal connection with leads early, it increases the effectiveness of all future communications and lays the groundwork for a successful long term relationship.

If you would like information on how your brokerage can benefit from the training and lead nurturing tools provided by Weichert, Contact our team at https://www.weichertfranchise.com  today.

Original content posted on https://www.weichertfranchise.com/blog/dont-let-leads-go-cold-part-2-follow-process/

Don’t let Leads Go Cold Part 1 – Being Responsive

As an experienced real estate broker, you’ve spent your time in the trenches as an agent doing whatever you had to do to create buying and selling opportunities for yourself.  How do you help your agents approach their business with the same level of excellence?  You can probably think of instances where  buyers or sellers slipped away because follow up was a little late, or even non-existent.  Perhaps some competitor was just a bit quicker on the draw or had the right message at the right time and so a nice opportunity quietly disappeared because there wasn’t a safety net to ensure that it didn’t.

At Weichert we are razor-focused on the nurturing of leads and we can confidently say that ability to keep leads warm until they are ready to act comes down to exactly two things: responsiveness, and follow up.

The Definition of “Responsive” In An Online Age

If a client has taken the time to make contact by phone or through the internet, that’s a big step toward opportunity. What they want is to speak to someone, and generally the first person to do that will have the best opportunity to work with them.  While online leads now bring most new business opportunities, studies have shown that online leads go cold incredibly fast. A study by Harvard Business Review shows that companies that contacted leads within an hour of receiving them were nearly 7 times as likely to engage with the lead vs. companies that took just a ½ hour longer—and more than 60 times more likely to engage with the lead than companies that waited 24 hours or longer!

When you look at how leads are handled by your office and agent team, there are a few questions to ask:

1. How often does an initial phone inquiry go to voicemail?
2. How long does it take to follow up on these leads?
3. How many calls are unanswered and then no voicemail is left at all?
4. How long does it take for your team to respond to form inquiries from internet or website sources?
5. How quickly are after hours contacts handled?
6. Do you have a process for assigning leads that come into your brokerage?

If you don’t have a good real estate lead-handling system in place for your brokerage or know how well your agent team is keeping up with incoming leads, you could be letting good opportunities slip away.  This is an area you may want to look at bolstering within your brokerage.

Large real estate brands often centralize their contact handling to ensure all of these scenarios are addressed and handled in a timely and efficient manner. Weichert for instance, has a national call center which responds to internet and phone leads typically within minutes of receiving them. The leads are pre-qualified by our trained representatives and then immediately forwarded to qualified agents across the country for follow up. This occurs 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. By having this contact occur promptly, and screening for only the serious inquiries, our system creates the right first impression, and does not waste agents’ time with unqualified buyers or sellers.  It is an invaluable resource to our affiliate brokerages.

In Part 2 of this topic, we’ll talk more about what happens after you make that first contact with a prospect who perhaps isn’t ready to move forward.  How do you insure that you are the one that is there when they are ready, and how do you maximize the value of that contact in the meantime?
Stay tuned!

If you are a growth-minded broker looking for other ways to make your brokerage more productive and get to the next level of results, talk to the Weichert^® franchise team today.

For more information visit https://www.weichertfranchise.com

Original content posted on https://www.weichertfranchise.com/blog/dont-let-leads-go-cold-part-1-responsive/

Real Estate CRM’s – A Must Have Tool For Your Brokerage

The leads generated for your company and your agents are one of your most valuable assets. Anytime a prospect moves on to another brokerage or doesn’t close because your agents did not actively nurture them and convert them to clients, you are losing potential revenue that could have come into your brokerage and your team. A real estate Customer Relationship Management tool (CRM) is designed to help solve this problem. The best real estate CRM tools provide sophisticated contact management and automated communication. These systems help experienced agents manage their past clients and referrals and help new agents who are cultivating prospects and trying to grow their business. There are a lot of real estate CRM’s to choose from. You need a powerful system that is user-friendly and will help your agents advance your business.

Benefits of Real Estate CRMs

The ideal CRM saves time and functions as an automated personal assistant. It should provide agents with notifications from clients and prospects along with reminders, calendar alerts, and insightful data about clients all in one easy-to-use platform. Agents should also be able to tell if there are any buyers seeking information and take steps to ensure they receive that information in a timely fashion. It must be complex enough to manage all the nuances of real estate sales and marketing, but do so in a way that simplifies the agent’s workday.

Better CRMs will also have a comprehensive system for managing the contacts made at open houses. Beyond just contact information, these systems will contain fields for searchable notes, scoring of lead potential and urgency, and be able to use leads to create scaled marketing campaigns. These systems keep agents front of mind and work to show prospects your listings to keep their pipeline filled, while they focus on closing the deals at hand.

Other important features of modern Real Estate CRMs include:

• Full Mobile Access: Real estate agents are frequently on-the-go and need the ability to access their contacts, calendars, and clients at all hours of the day. Real estate CRMs with integrated mobile functionality help your agents maintain a healthy work-life balance by keeping them connected while they are away from the office. It provides peace of mind to know they are not missing any vital communications.
• Automated email marketing: New and experienced agents can create impressive email campaigns in just a few minutes, regardless of their level of technical skill. The best real estate CRMs include branded templates for holiday greetings, special promotions or allow agents to create their own templates.
• Increased conversions of prospects to clients: Converting prospects into clients is a skill that agents do not develop overnight. Even the best agents are always working on improving their conversion rates. CRMs can dramatically increase the number of clients for each agent through improved contact management.
• Integration With Your Lead Sources: Having a CRM that integrates into your lead generation system and supports your workflow makes it even more powerful. For instance, WeichertPro, the tool used by Weichert Franchisees, is fully integrated into its national lead generation system. When a lead is assigned, it goes directly into the agent’s profile, preventing the need for manual data entry or assignment of initial lead data.

Final Thoughts on Using a Good CRM in Your Brokerage

Sometimes the most valuable clients start as just an email address of someone seeking more information. Every contact can be valuable and it is not always clear initially which are serious buyers and which leads are going nowhere. An effective CRM allows agents to view all prospect data and easily identify the stage of the buying process for each person. It prevents enthusiastic agents from burning themselves out chasing dead ends and provides both agents and their brokers with insights that can help them close more sales.  If you and your agents are not already using one, take a look at the many options available and see what’s right for your business. At Weichert, we were fortunate enough to be able to invest in our own CRM technology to ensure it had all the functionality we needed and support our real estate business model.

Long-term success in real estate requires constant improvement. If you’re looking for solutions to build your business, partnering with Weichert with all its resources may be what you need. We provide proven systems, expert advice, and coaching that benefit you, your agents and your brokerage. Contact https://www.weichertfranchise.com  today for more information.

Original content posted on https://www.weichertfranchise.com/blog/real-estate-crms-must-tool-brokerage/

What You’re Really Paying for When You Invest in a Real Estate Franchise

When you’re considering purchasing a real estate franchise, brokers inevitably focus on the costs of the investment trying to understand if gains made by the relationship will ultimately outpace costs of the relationship. While each franchise is different, here are some of the key things you should expect from a real estate company offering a franchise opportunity.

• Brand Recognition: National real estate brands all have varying degrees of name recognition among consumers. Much of this depends on the area of the country you live in. While some level of name recognition in your area is good, equally important is that people perceive that you are part of a larger national organization. They may further understand that a large national real estate company has resources to offer that many independents may not. For instance, Weichert has nearly 500 corporate and affiliate offices in over 39 states, giving franchisees considerable brand reach to leverage in most areas of the country. Equally important however are the assets that Weichert offers you to build brand in your local area. If you still wonder just how transformative a good brand can be for your business, try speaking to a few franchisees about their experience.
• Lead Generation: Some real estate franchises offer you little more than their name. Look for a franchise that not only has an excellent brand, but supports it with a proven system that puts you in contact with buyers and sellers in your local market. A bonus if it also has referral resources across the country and around the globe. Your ability to derive additional sales from such a system, is one of the key considerations in determining how much you can grow your brokerage under a franchise model.
• A Franchise Should Give you A Blueprint for Growth: The best real estate franchises will offer a proven system for success and sophisticated tools, training and people that support it. This means the system and its steps are a tested recipe, which you can plug into and follow. Make sure the system has a track record of broker success stories and that you can talk to them about their experience.
• Ongoing Support: Too many real estate franchises, start with a flurry of activity, but then leave you alone in the woods to find your way on your own. You need to be sure that any training and tools you receive are actively supported by both digital and human resources. For instance, Weichert Franchise Brokers and their agents are exposed to comprehensive, systematic training on the Weichert processes and systems as part of our onboarding program. They have 24/7 access to “Weichert University” our online e-learning portal and our resource centers filled with sales and marketing tools. Plus, they have access to expert, experienced support, through regional business coaches, corporate training, marketing and technical expertise, as well as best practices derived from our own brokerage business and an active network of peers who aren’t shy about giving you the skinny on things. When looking at franchises to invest in, make sure the one you choose offers this type of proactive, energetic support in all areas to help you build your real estate brokerage.

With the Right Partner, Franchising Benefits Quickly Outpace Costs 

It’s easy to get caught up in the numbers when you’re looking at a franchise opportunity, but it’s important to never lose sight of what each franchise is really offering you in return for your hard-earned money. Pay close attention to the totality of each brands’ offering and remember that what’s cheapest isn’t always the best deal – the returns on your investment and the scope of training and support that is offered are what really counts.

At Weichert, we believe in the power of the handshake, supported by advanced technology and proven processes. With Weichert you have both digital assets and expert real estate professionals that provide you training and coach you through your specific challenges every step of the way. If this sounds like a good fit for your business, we’re happy to chat with you in more detail visit https://www.weichertfranchise.com for more information.

Original content posted on https://www.weichertfranchise.com/real-estate-broker-marketing/youre-really-paying-invest-real-estate-franchise/

Blogging: Why Brokers Should Jump on The Bandwagon

Blogging – It’s something that it seems like everyone does now. You’ve probably already heard that you should be doing it and maybe you even have a twinge of guilt that you’re not or not doing it enough.

So, what is it all about? And how exactly does it help you market your brokerage?

What is Blogging?

Simply put, this is publishing a series of short articles on a website. It’s a bit like an online chronicle of interesting subject matter or stories related to real estate in general. You can publish images and video along with your stories too and they can be viewed by anyone on the internet. While it’s often used by people sharing their hobbies and interests, the fact is that blogging is one of the best, low-cost marketing tools available for promoting the visibility of a brokerage in their local market.

Why Blogging is One of the Best Online Real Estate Marketing Strategies

When you do it right, or even mostly right, the regular production of content on your website can produce additional visibility for your brokerage. And with over 90% of homeowners looking online for information during their home search, the right blog content can help get you in front of clients. With a good blog, you’re also able to:

• Attract A Younger Generation Home Buyers And Sellers: Think about how millennials and first time home buyers will search when looking for a home, like “Tips for first time home buyers” or “Schools and amenities in Fort Worth area” or even “Eco-friendly homes in Tampa Bay”. Search engines will present your blog if it aligns with phrases commonly searched, increasing the visibility of your brokerage.
• Give Your Blog Content Multiple Lives: By syndicating (distributing) your blog on your website with comments enabled, off your website, and excerpting it on various social media channels, you can often get readers to engage with the content. Engagement should always be responded to and these interactions can form the basis of a lead funnel.
• Blogs Can Feed Your Email Campaigns: Your blog can be the source of content for an email campaign, effectively killing two birds with one stone. Using an email campaign, you can forward your blogs to a wider audience driving them back to your website. This helps keep your brokerage at the forefront of the minds of potential clients.

• Increase Your Authority: Well written blogs will convey to consumers that you are an expert in your field and involved with all aspects of the buying and selling process. That’s good for your brand and can help differentiate your brokerage in a crowded local market. It also helps break the ice making potential clients more comfortable dealing with you because they feel they know you through your writing.

Blogging Is A Key Part Of Online Real Estate Marketing

Some people hate to write, some people love it. To begin blogging you don’t have to take this on yourself.  You can find an associate on your team who loves writing. Or have it be a round robin responsibility within the brokerage. However you do it, it is important to establish a plan and do it consistently to reap the benefits of real estate blogging. What should you write about? Anything a consumer might find valuable, whether it’s a real estate topic or simply tips and advice for homeowners.

If you are a growth-minded broker looking for Online Real Estate Marketing Strategies and other ways to make your brokerage more productive and get to the next level of results, talk to the Weichert franchise team today and visit https://www.weichertfranchise.com.

Original content posted on https://www.weichertfranchise.com/blog/blogging-brokers-jump-bandwagon/

Why the Internet Will Never Replace a Handshake

It’s no secret that the Internet has changed the real estate industry – and every other industry for that matter. It’s made every transaction easier, smarter and faster. We can sit at our computers or look at the palm of our hand and browse a home down the road or across state lines, ask a real estate agent across the country about a home’s location over social media, or evaluate possible mortgage and financing options on websites.  All done without so much as a phone call.

Most successful brokers however, understand that in the sale of residential real estate, having a personal, face to face connection with a buyer or seller has a power well beyond the individual home being discussed and gives you maximum influence during the sale.

Marrying the Digital Age With The Personal Touch

What we need to realize is that the need and importance of the personal connection in real estate selling hasn’t really changed much in the last 50 years. What has changed is simply when and how that happens. In the digital age, more and more initial contact with buyers and sellers happens online. They respond to digital ads, search online, respond to Facebook posts and Tweets, watch virtual tours posted online, or visit your brokerage website. The difference today is that your client is better informed and has a much better idea of what they want before you ever get to talk to them.

This move to digital should not be viewed as a threat, but as something overwhelmingly positive. By learning to use digital mediums more effectively, you can create MORE opportunities to have those important face to face contacts that make a difference. Social media, and other real estate portals instead of threatening our livelihood, have actually made it easier for professionals to connect with buyers and sellers.  What’s more, you can connect with them at the moment they are interested in your services, something the internet has given us that we rarely had in a pre-internet world.

Real Estate Marketing – One Handshake at a Time

At the end of the day, real estate is still a scary and complex process for customers and that personal service they get from you, guiding them through it all, can make all the difference between the experience they get from Brand X and you.  And if you do it right, you will build stronger relationships with buyers, sellers, browsers, and people of every age and from every walk of life. Years from now, when they are ready to sell their homes, it’s not your clever Facebook post they’ll remember: it’s that you looked them in eye, shook their hand, and made them feel like you would do whatever it takes to make their dreams a reality.

Making personal connections is something we believe whole-heartedly at Weichert. It’s what we teach, what we believe, and in many ways, it’s how it all got started.

The Power of the Personal

Back in 1969 a man named Jim Weichert started his career in real estate in an interesting way. With his new broker license still hot in his hands, Jim wasn’t content to wait for customers to find him. Instead, surrounded by dozens of more established real estate brokers, Jim started handing out business cards at local train stations. Every morning, and every afternoon, you could find Jim greeting prospective customers commuting to New York City. His approach was refreshing and highly personal, supporting his long-held belief that “people buy people before they buy your product or service.”

The Weichert brokerage grew dramatically, but through it all, Jim maintained the importance of the personal touch as a core value driving the Weichert methodology. Even as the internet became the predominant method of advertising and promotion, his “people first” business philosophy maintains a central role in the operational systems he developed for the Weichert franchise model. By perfecting those systems and recruiting strategies, he created a business model that other brokers could follow with ease and greater certainty.

In the current digital world, Facebook is the new train station, where you can connect with much more than commuters. (Though you are welcome to go to train stations too, this still works!). In this age of self-service and fast moving content, there is something refreshing to a consumer about that personal touch, good customer service and personal reassurance that everything will be fine. Don’t use technology to replace a handshake; rather, use the technology to prompt one.

If you have a vision for your success that includes listening, learning, and working differently than your competitors, you just might be next Weichert Franchise success story. Contact our team at https://www.weichertfranchise.com  to learn more.

Original content posted on https://www.weichertfranchise.com/blog/internet-will-never-replace-handshake/

Top 3 Reasons to Invest in a Real Estate Franchise

There are many reasons why independent brokers chose to hitch their wagon to a real estate franchise after going it alone for years. These reasons are as diverse as the brokers themselves. Some want a better lead funnel. Some need operational support. Some look for a better quality of life with guidance from a partner who is an expert and is vested in their success.

Still there are a few common themes that persist more than the rest. If any of these items have ever crossed your mind, maybe franchising would be a fit for you.

The Power of a Name

Many of the brokers we talk to have a good reputation and are known in their local market. Despite this they are concerned that they are missing leads to companies with more brand power behind them. Whether it’s due to the inherent trust and familiarity that a recognized brand name carries with it or the brand’s ability to invest more heavily in marketing and recruiting materials and advertising. In fact, depending on your location, Google searches favor these national brands putting consumers instantly in touch with big brand competitors right in your local market.

Franchising offers brokers the chance to leverage a national brand in their local market. Almost overnight, they accrue all the brand power and visibility of the franchise brand they affiliate with. They become that recognized, trusted, and stable industry leader. One that has the infrastructure and processes to offer clients the best practices and service in real estate and offer recruits the best training and support around.

Being able to instantly access the strength and reach of a franchise brand can take a load off your shoulders because you’ve leveled the playing field. The brand you now wear only adds to the reputation you’ve already earned in your local market.

 Lead Generation

Many independent brokerages are also looking for a steady source of leads to help bolster their business. It’s important to find a franchisor who invests in lead generation and is structured to provide various sources for leads. Many real estate franchises claim to offer this, but in reality are just speculating that the new sign out front will attract more clients than before. A franchise such as Weichert, on the other hand, is an example of a franchisor structured to provide its franchise brokers with access to leads from a variety of sources:

1. Weichert Lead Network – Online Lead Generation And Call Center
2. Weichert Relocation Network – With a Clients And Locations Around The Globe
3. Weichert Referral Associates – Who Can Refer Leads To A Local Brokerage
4. Broker to Broker Leads – Via Our Internal Network Of Brokers

The Weichert Lead Network, positions our national brand in local markets through both digital and traditional mediums, so your agents can get the call when buyers and sellers are looking. Calls are routed to our national call center, screened and transferred to you in under a minute. Our investments in Search Engine Marketing drive over 40 Million visitors to our corporate website every month from all over the country.

When lead generation is a key consideration for a brokerage, it’s important to align with a company that is aggressively investing in their brand like Weichert.

Support and Coaching for Real Estate Brokers

Brokers are also looking for the right tools, marketing support and guidance. Having a blueprint to follow and a coach by your side, is always easier than having to go it alone. The best real estate franchises offer multiple levels of support that are designed to assist their business in a strategic way, allowing them to succeed and grow even through challenging times.

As an example, Weichert offers one-on-one business coaching, as well as a full array of training opportunities, including its Weichert University online courses. Combine that with a full suite of marketing and sales systems and tools, franchisees experience a level of support that simply doesn’t exist when you’re an independent broker.

Discover if a Real Estate Franchise is the Right Fit for your Brokerage

At Weichert, we’re in the business of building real estate success stories by delivering the support, tools, quality leads and brand power that brokerages are looking for. If we sound like the right fit for your business, speak to our representatives today or visit us at http://www.weichertfranchise.com.

Original content posted on https://www.weichertfranchise.com/blog/top-3-reasons-invest-real-estate-franchise/

How to Generate Leads with Content Marketing

In 1996 Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, famously said “Content is King”. While his vision has taken some interesting twists and turns over the years, the basic idea is now well-established. The development of content as a tool for marketing businesses of all types contributes heavily to the millions of content pieces published on the web every second.

For brokers however, content marketing has been a double-edged sword.  Where do I publish, what do I publish, and how effective is it for the time I’ll spend doing it? These are all great questions, with some surprising answers from the marketing experts at Weichert.

What Is Content Marketing?

Content marketing is about creating and sharing different types of information online (i.e. videos, blogs, Tweets, and so forth), that is aimed at creating interest around products and services without trying to directly sell to the reader. For example, a real estate broker might post content about maintenance-free gardening, remodeling or decorating. They may conveniently include a couple pictures of the listings they have to illustrate and link the post back to their office website. This creates a nice little funnel back to the brokerage on a subject that creates local brand awareness, whether readers are currently interested in home buying or not.

But is this kind of thing effective? In fact, recent studies show that it is not only effective, but it is becoming even more effective as more and more customers turn to the Internet to do research. Leaders in content marketing for a given subject experience stronger brand recall, 7.8 times more website traffic, and conversion rates that are 6 times higher than their competitors (Source: Aberdeen). What’s more, content marketing isn’t affected by ad blockers – a distinct advantage when you consider that 200 million people now use them to block Internet advertising.

Online Content Marketing for your Brokerage  

Perhaps the best question is not whether it works, but what are my options for getting a content marketing program going with limited time and budget?

• A little Content Marketing is better than none. We recommend at least one original piece of content every month, posted to your website and any other real estate sites that you belong to that take content submittals (i.e. ActiveRain, etc.). Make it 300 words, minimum, with at least one interesting picture. You can assign this to someone within your team each month on a rotating basis to share the responsibility, plus it will ensure variety.
• Make primary purpose to educate: Content marketing is not about the hard sell. It’s about providing assistance and education to your target market. Think about questions you often get asked by clients, challenges they have and useful information they can utilize to help make the selling or buying process easier. What’s it like living in the area where you have listings? Are there good schools? Where are the major business districts? What should they look for in a real estate agent? And so forth.  It keeps you top of mind and you’ll be remembered for being helpful.
• Be creative: Different customers prefer different media, so don’t just set yourself on one type of content. Mix blogs up with video content, short-and-sweet social media content, emails and more. Images make more of an impact than text. So, be sure to include high-quality images along with your text to make it eye-catching.
• Capture leads:  Don’t forget to incentivize your customers to give you their contact details at every stage of the sales funnel. An example of this could be subscribing to your email newsletter.
• Syndicate Widely: The more places you can stick your content, the better. In addition to your website, excerpt your content and post links to it on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, Tumblr, etc. This gives your content added reach and life and improves the likelihood of it landing in front of a buyer or seller at the right time.

Content Marketing Benefits from Having a Plan

Online real estate marketing using content is a different ballgame than traditional advertising, but when the two are brought together through a comprehensive and targeted strategy, brokers have a powerful and highly functional means of connecting with customers and generating quality leads. At Weichert we believe that this can be a powerful complement to the lead generation systems we provide to franchisees and an important part of your overall formula for success.

If you are a growth-minded broker looking for other ways to make your brokerage more productive and get to the next level of results, talk to the Weichert^® franchise team today.

For more information visit https://www.weichertfranchise.com.

Original content posted on https://www.weichertfranchise.com/blog/generate-leads-content-marketing/

It’s All In The Attitude – The Power of Positive Energy

“Commit to CANI! – Constant And Never-ending Improvement.” – Tony Robbins
If you ask any expert, there are a range of elements that must be present for a business to succeed, whether you are a real estate broker, CEO of a Fortune 500 company, or just starting out on a new venture. Some of these are easy to think of:

• Resources
• Skilled employees
• Effective marketing strategies.

Others are more industry-specific. But don’t forget the driving force that brings these elements together–the glue of any growing business–which is positive energy and a can-do attitude.

What Is Positive Energy?

It may sound like something right out of an alternative lifestyle book, but it simply means having the right attitude. When you see nothing as an obstacle, but rather challenges to be overcome, you become that positive force that drives your brokerage forward. Think of leadership as a responsibility to inspire, not just give commands. This mental shift will affect everyone in your brokerage including:

• Yourself
• Your team
• Your vendors and partners and those you touch
• Ultimately, your clients

A positive, energetic attitude has that same effect on anyone you meet, drawing their most positive selves to the forefront. With a brokerage team aligned with your vision and this kind of positive mindset, there is very little you can’t accomplish.

Most successful business owners use this “can do” approach towards their professional goals, allowing them to achieve maximum effectiveness and results in the delivery of their products and services. Even if you’re more of an Eeyore than a Tigger, you can learn just a few behaviors that will make a big difference at the office and in all your interactions.

How Does Positive Energy Influence the Workplace?

An attitude shift is not about being unrealistic or seeing the world through rose-tinted glasses. It’s about creating a culture where achievements, success, innovation, and improvement CAN happen and are celebrated. The interesting thing is that studies have shown that simply by achieving this mindset, business owners receive the following benefits:

• Improved problem solving: Solving issues and developing creative solutions is key to having an agile, competitive business – especially when you’re in an industry as competitive as real estate. Positive thinkers have been shown to have a greater ability to absorb new information, leading to a more rounded perspective and better-informed decision-making.
• Improved resilience: This is the ability to bounce back after a failure or setback– something every business owner must deal with. No matter how careful you are, you won’t avoid every challenging, frustrating situation on the path to growth. Instead it’s learning not to take every problem as a blow. It’s learning to see every problem as opportunity to learn, improve or build better relationships.
• Builds energy and enthusiasm: Real estate agents and brokers work at the top of their game when they’re feeling engaged, driven and competitive – a mindset that is encouraged by having a positive workplace culture. Not only will employees work harder to achieve their own personal career goals, but will actively engage with the big-picture business goals.

This is especially important for brokerages with a less experienced team. With a leader setting the standard for positivity and creating a safe work environment where it’s ok to fail once in a while, your team will strive to accomplish goals more effectively, regardless of their formal experience.

• Removes the influence of negative energy: Many of us have been part of a workplace with bad energy. In these workplaces employees lack a team focus and often lack respect for leadership.  Attitude filters from the top down and consistent positive energy from leaders builds trust and respect. It can transform an office and its employees into a place of enthusiasm and willingness, focused on how to grow, thrive and succeed.  It also makes people with negative attitudes stand out, making it obvious that their behavior doesn’t fit in.

Increase Your Can-Do Attitude, Increase Your Results

As a successful broker, you’ve already learned how to keep your team happy. But why not kick it up a notch? You don’t have to start dancing down the aisles, but many times it’s small things like choosing to coach, instead of criticize. Celebrate the positive, can-do attitude of others on your team. At Weichert Franchise, developing positive team dynamics is a cornerstone of our philosophy and an attribute of our most successful brokers.

For more information on how Weichert Franchising can be a positive force in your business, visit https://www.weichertfranchise.com/.

Original content posted on https://www.weichertfranchise.com/blog/attitude-power-positive-energy/

Six Tips For Writing A Real Estate Franchise Business Plan

If you think writing an annual business plan is a waste of time, think again. If you don’t know where you are going, you can’t possibly plot a solid course to get there. Then you are left meandering trying to find the best way forward, instead of having a focused plan of attack. While you might think you have it all figured out in your head, the act of writing it down can actually help you think things through and flush out the necessary details.

A typical real estate business plan will formally state your business goals, strategy, and the operational structure of your brokerage. This can sound time consuming if you haven’t done one before, but in reality, it is a helpful exercise. There are even many online business plan templates available to help and if you are part of a franchise system, like Weichert, not only do you get help creating a business plan to identify your goals, but you get the added benefits of plugging into a time tested blueprint to help you define the activities needed to reach your goals. What is most important, however, is that creating the plan takes you through a comprehensive thought process that involves every area of your current and future business. When you are done with a good business plan, you will fully understand the path you are taking, and how you expect to achieve it from both an operational and a financial standpoint. You’ll understand the challenges you are likely to face and some strategies for minimizing risks. You’ll define your relationships with your partners and investors.  You’ll sketch out your real estate brokerage marketing plans and understand the unique challenges of your local market. You’ll set some yearly goals around sales targets and revenue and set a basic plan that will allow you to get there. Ideally, you’ll want to review the plan regularly to confirm you are on track. This also allows you to react if you aren’t.

Best of all, you’ll have a document you can reference at any time or show future stakeholders that gives a great overview of your business. Here are a few tips for making this process easier from the real estate business coaches at Weichert^®:

Creating Your Real Estate Business Plan

1. You don’t have to start from scratch: There is no reason to re-invent the wheel. There are many templates out there. Find one that fits your style. If you are part of a franchise, like Weichert, you’ll have even more resources at your fingertips, including a template to follow and coaching on strategies and costs of tools and lead generation that is consistent with the best practices in the industry.
2. Introduce your business: Include a complete and comprehensive description of your brokerage, from identifying your products/services, the nature of your market, and your operational approach to challenges and risks you are facing. Include a management section with information about key management roles and define what each role is expected to accomplish.
3. Define your customers: The key here is to avoid the temptation to say “well, everybody!”. Is your market primarily retirement age buyers and sellers?  Are your clients urban or rural? Is relocation an important part of your offering? As a successful broker, you have a good understanding of your local market, but a franchise opportunity can bring you new lead opportunities and strategies. It is worth taking the time to define your typical customers and especially any groups you want to focus on, instead of everyone.
4. Marketing: Your new business plan should reflect all new real estate marketing tools and strategies you utilize. When you are part of a franchise, this can be quite extensive. Weichert for instance, provides comprehensive training and tools in marketing best practices that can help streamline your day to day activities and improve the visibility of your brokerage to both buyers/sellers as well as recruits.
5. Financial Position:  Documenting your financial position, assumptions, and necessary cash flow is essential whether you are applying for a business loan, have investors, or are using your own investment capital. Include an analysis of all costs related to the business, including commissions, rent, fees, marketing costs, salaries and other overhead. We call this knowing your company dollar. You should also forecast the increased revenue you expect to achieve by reaching your goals over a given time period.  A business coach can help you with benchmarks and strategies to help you meet them to ensure a sustainable, profitable business.
6. Get an independent review: Even if you’ve reviewed your franchise business plan over and over, it’s always recommended getting a fresh set of eyes on it to ensure that all your bases are sufficiently covered and that the information is relevant, clear and concise.  A business coach can be invaluable in helping with this.

Take the Time, Do the Plan

The development of a good business plan is a rewarding exercise. The work is its own reward, we promise! And if you’ve chosen a partner like Weichert, you’ll have expert advice and a business coach to support you every step of the way.  If you are a growth-minded broker looking for ways to make your brokerage more productive and get to the next level of results, talk to the Weichert franchise team today.

Visit https://www.weichertfranchise.com for more information.

Original content posted on https://www.weichertfranchise.com/blog/six-tips-writing-real-estate-franchise-business-plan/

Focus On The Willing (Let Go Of The Rest)

In any brokerage, there are team members who embrace, new ideas, new tools, new strategies with enthusiasm and energy. You know who they are: the people you go to when you want to bounce a new idea off someone or discuss a change you want to make. They will take the time to listen and give you good, constructive feedback. They are the people who support what you are trying to accomplish and get in the boat with you so you can all reach the end goal together. These are “the willing” and the people you can build a successful business around.

Then there are the “unwilling”. Those who react adversely to anything requiring a change to the status quo or the way they like to do things. These are the people who always want to follow a different path than the one you are forging and create distractions within your office and among “the willing”. As a broker you need to ask yourself: How much time and energy am I spending trying to convince, cajole, motivate, and oversee the implementation of my business strategies with those who are less than flexible and unwilling to change the way they do things?

The Willing Will Enhance Your Agency Culture

As a broker, you’re running at light speed, trying to give all aspects of your business the attention it needs. We understand this, we’ve been there. Managing change is one of the central activities you have and is essential to your continued growth as a brokerage. The problem is that it’s easy to get caught up spending too much time trying to convince the naysayers in your organization to follow the systems and plans you set forth. Negative people are like an anchor, draining your enthusiasm as well as your time. Instead, filter these people out from your agent team over time and seek to surround yourself with positive, energetic people who share your goals and vision.
Here’s a few things to consider:

1. Create And Communicate A Mission and A Vision – Sometimes this is all it takes to change the unwilling to the willing. People need perspective on what they are doing and a reason why. Even if they disagree, when they see you have a clear strategy and a destination, they might be much more “willing” to at least try it.
2. Involve The Team In Planning Your Initiatives – Where possible, be collaborative and get them vested in any initiatives by soliciting and incorporating their ideas and allow them to be part of the solution. When people are invested in the plan, they are more apt to want to see it succeed. Showing your willingness to implement and credit other people’s ideas and feedback is one of the most powerful things you can do to create positive energy inside your team.
3. Let The Willing Be Your Ambassadors –Rather than allowing the negative players drain your energy, work through the willing and hold their example up for everyone to see. Let them act as examples and even coaches for those who are slower to get on board.
4. Be Willing To Let Go Of The Chronically Unwilling – There will occasionally be those in your organization whose attitude may work to undermine your leadership. If they cannot be coached, ultimately both you and they will be better off with an amicable parting of the ways.

Attracting the Willing To Your Agency

Remember, positivity attracts positivity. Your ability to focus on The Willing and celebrate their success will create a positive, supportive culture inside your agency. This in turn will become the word on the street for you, which will help you attract other like-minded agents. Who doesn’t want to be on the cool team?  It is also incumbent on you to sustain that positivity by feeding it. Walk the walk. Talk the talk. Provide the enthusiasm and energy for your team to feed on. One of things we focus on in the Weichert^® System is training and coaching offices on the importance of building and maintaining this positive culture to attract and retain new agents. Your ability to understand these behaviors and implement them in your brokerage will go a long way toward building the kind of willing team and workplace that gets results.

For more information on how you can partner with Weichert Franchise, visit https://www.weichertfranchise.com.

Original content posted on https://www.weichertfranchise.com/blog/focus-willing-let-go-rest/

Making Great Customer Service A Full-Time Gig

If you ask 10 brokers what great customer service is, you’ll get 10 different answers.  But they’ll all tell you that they provide “great” customer service.

What does good customer service really mean and how does it impact your business?

Here’s a few thoughts on this:

1. Speak your customer’s language and be responsive. With so many ways to communicate these days, it’s no surprise that it’s no longer a one-size fits all world in how best to communicate and follow up with customers. Find out how each of your customers like to communicate with you and use that method. If they like texting, text them. If they don’t like texting, don’t text them, call or email them. No matter how you stay in touch, make sure you always return calls and inquiries quickly. If you don’t respond, the next guy will.
2. Be a resource. Offer information, assistance and guidance – even if there’s nothing in it for you in the near term. Not only does it position you as a knowledgeable, trusted resource, but people will remember you and your efforts will pay you back in dividends.
3. Make it personal. In the age of digital and online options in real estate, is important more than ever before to bring that personal touch to the real estate process. Practice your hellos and goodbyes and include as many opportunities as possible in your prospecting activities for personal connections. Digital is convenient, but it doesn’t replace a handshake, making eye contact or that personal touch.
4. Stay top of mind. Staying in touch is everything in real estate marketing. Don’t just focus on the hot prospects. Nurture all your contacts – you never know when they or a friend or family member will need your services. The more you stay in touch, the more likely you’ll be the one they call when they need real estate help.
5. Exceed your clients’ expectations. Let’s face it, when it comes to service, how often to you get more than you expect? Most people are content to put in a minimum amount of effort to get a job done. And when someone goes above and beyond, you remember the experience and recount it to your friends and family. Don’t be content to just check the boxes. Provide your clients with memorable experiences and be the one that they talk about.

Creating Memorable Experiences

In some brokerages, customer service often takes a back seat to sales. Yet the truth is that a consistent focus on building a relationship with both clients and potential clients brings significant rewards in the long term:

• Builds a positive brand reputation for you
• Fosters word-of-mouth recommendations
• Brings business right to your doorstep.

In most cases, lackluster customer service doesn’t necessarily mean clients are treated badly. It could mean greater focus is placed on keeping business and sales ticking over as quickly as possible and Customer Service takes a back seat as a result.  There are lots of reasons this can happen:

• Agents lack the time to provide any extra service or information.
• Closing Sales is a natural priority and they only focus on hot prospects
• They don’t have an efficient way to maintain touch points with potentially hundreds of buyers/sellers.

The most successful brokers and agents we see, however, have found a way to balance the customer service elements through a combination of the right processes, tools and technology. When you add a great brand name to the equation, everything works together. Now you can be both effective, and efficient, which makes clients feel special and you exceptional.

The Weichert® brand is known for its systems and tools that build business while fostering satisfying customer experiences. If you are a growth-minded broker looking for ways to make your brokerage more productive and get to the next level of results, talk to the Weichert franchise team today.  Visit our website at https://www.weichertfranchise.com.

Original content posted on https://www.weichertfranchise.com/blog/making-great-customer-service-full-time-gig/

Yes, Culture Does Matter. And It Starts With You

Is your real estate agency growing? Chances are, you’re focused on issues related to commissions, marketing/advertising, agent training and inventory, all of which affect your ability to recruit and keep good real estate agents. But one thing brokers often forget to invest in is the culture within their brokerage and how it affects both agent retention, real estate agent recruiting and productivity.

What keeps agents with an organization? Money is often named as a key motivator for retention. However, at the end of the day, it comes down to much more than that.  Feeling like they are part of something bigger than themselves, creating a positive environment that is both supportive and respectful and fostering a management team that is engaged and interested in the growth and success of its agents—just to name a few.  Money will work for a little while, but to retain people long-term, it’s important to pay attention to the culture you are creating for your office. When agents are motivated and happy, it extends to the experience their clients have, too.  And that’s good for business.

What Makes For Great Brokerage Culture?

Workplace culture is essentially the personality of your business: the environment, attitude, expectations, and ethics that you want to foster to achieve your business goals. While successful brokerages vary on the details, they all have one thing in common: a supportive and positive company culture.  And the more unique you make it, the harder it will be to find it somewhere else.

In a positive company culture, creativity, energy, enthusiasm, and teamwork are encouraged. And while all brokers aren’t Tony Robbins, you don’t have to be in order to make your business a place good agents want to be. When we coach our Weichert® franchise brokers, these are some of the things we help them focus on:

1. Training. Being able to offer courses, tips, best practices, or insights from your years of experience are enthusiastically welcomed, especially for new or younger agents.
2. People first. Recognizing achievements as well as celebrating the small personal milestones of folks in your brokerage helps to create a feeling that you are a team that cares about each other beyond the job. These personal relationships create the glue that keeps your team together.
3. Communication. Don’t hide in your ivory tower, communicate the business of your agency often, in both individual and group settings. Open communication is the heart of an empowered agent team. If they know where you are headed, they may just be able to help you get there.
4. Support. Even when you’re too busy to help, don’t ever make your agents feel that their requests are unimportant. Find the time to follow up with them, and make it clear that their success is your priority. In fact, it should be if you want to be successful.
5. Make it Fun. Just because it’s work, doesn’t mean your agents need to feel negative about doing it. Find ways to get people involved and encourage them to do the things they need to do to get the job done.

Your business benefits from the passion, productivity, and loyalty that results from the consistent application of these principles.

Creating a positive, fun and productive workplace doesn’t just happen by chance. There are many things a broker can do to foster a great environment that will create the kind of buzz that brings agents to your door.

If you have a vision for your success that includes listening, learning, and working differently than your competitors, you just might be next Weichert Franchise success story. Contact our team to learn more, visit https://www.weichertfranchise.com.

Original content posted on https://www.weichertfranchise.com/blog/yes-culture-matter-starts/

Is Franchising a Fit for You?

Don’t be so fast to say “no”.  If there’s one thing we’ve learned at Weichert, it’s that every brokerage is unique and that success is found in surprising places.  So many of our most successful franchisees first told us they weren’t looking to franchise. It’s not always experience, knowledge, or having some great agents that makes a brokerage successful: it’s also the ability to develop, follow and execute a well-thought out and strategic plan. This is the key to making franchising with the right partner a successful, profitable and rewarding business choice.

Analyzing Your Readiness for Real Estate Franchising

If you’re running your own business, you probably set certain goals for yourself. How have you been progressing toward those goals? Are you getting there as fast as you’d like? Or maybe you feel like you’ve plateaued and are looking for a solution to get you to the next milestone. If you fall into either of those categories, you might be ready to consider a franchise. It’s important to evaluate different franchise options and find out exactly how the process will work for your business.  Will the services they offer meet your brokerage’s needs and align with your company’s goals and values.


Another thing to consider is that no two franchise systems are created equal. Some, like Weichert, offer a high level of support, while others offer little more than their logo. Certain franchises ask for a significant investment, while others require less capital to become part of their brand. It’s all about understanding what you as a brokerage are getting for your part in the specific franchise that you are considering, and that means plenty of research. Not only should you be certain that you are going to get the growth you want, you should have a clear understanding of their services as they continue after your partnership, the expectations on both sides, and the reputation of the brand and franchising system itself.


Finally, you need make sure your new brand will support you in your market. The best real estate franchises will respect what independent brokers have built and the following they’ve developed. These opportunities offer high level support, ongoing services and a level of security in challenging real estate markets. This kind of support has often meant the difference between surviving and not surviving for many businesses. From real estate CRM and marketing tools to real estate coaching, Weichert in particular, has always been a franchise ahead of the curve when it comes to offering brokerages effective tools and support designed specifically for business growth.

To Join, or Not To Join a Real Estate Franchise

Tying your wagon to a real estate franchise is a big decision that demands serious consideration on the part of any broker. But if you have a vision for your success that includes listening, learning, and working differently than your competitors, you just might be next Weichert Real Estate Franchise success story. Contact us at https://www.weichertfranchise.com  for more information.

Original content posted on https://www.weichertfranchise.com/blog/is-franchising-a-fit-for-you/

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