Fostering Collaborative Spirit in Your Brokerage

Jon R. Katzenbach and Douglas K Smith, author of The Wisdom of Teams, observes, “There is virtually no environment in which teams—if done right—can’t have a measurable impact on the performance of an organization.” This statement is true for your brokerage, too. Building and keeping a team of agents who share your brokerage mission is the starting place for building a culture of support and fostering a common drive for success. Your ability to communicate and lead is critical to motivating the team and getting positive results that are greater than the sum of their individual parts.

Recruit Right the First Time

As you know, creating a solid team of both veteran and new agents is crucial to your brokerage. Skills, ethics and motivation are always important factors to consider, but you also need to determine if each agent has a vision and drive similar to yours. All it takes is one bad personality to ruin an otherwise good team of agents and lower your credibility. Take the time to recruit the right agents and you will have no regrets.

Be a Leader

Building a real estate agent team means you’re in charge; so be a leader. Believe in your agents and your purpose. You should know the strengths of all your agents to determine how you could best to use them to elevate the brokerage. Then encourage them to take on certain roles based on their strengths. This will help reinforce teamwork, while still allowing them to be independent. For instance, perhaps one of your agents is skilled in contract writing and agrees to teach a few classes a year for your agents or help new agents write their first contracts. Or maybe younger agents can provide older agents some social media tips and tricks to make them more comfortable using that medium. Mentor wisely, as being a leader means allowing everyone to grow personally and professionally, while encouraging them to care about each other’s well-being.

Consistently Strengthen Your Brand

While your agent team may continually change, there are a few things that should remain constant: all agents should align with your basic brokerage values, all should have clear goals and a path for success, and all should follow a level of consistency in how they represent your brokerage as a brand. Building a brand is especially important for the independent broker who does not have a recognized national brand to leverage. Let each agent know how to present your brand in the sales process and on listing appointments so that your competitive advantages are really highlighted. Consistency here will create local awareness and a strong brand for you and your agents to stand behind. Katzenbach and Smith believe that leaders must communicate the “purpose, meaning and performance implications of visions”.  By sharing and articulating your goals to your team and asking for their help and participation, your agents will feel invested and empowered to achieve them. They will want the plan to succeed as much as you do.

Benefit From a Culture of Sharing

It’s a natural inclination for a team to want to win. Agents in the brokerage must share an eagerness to ask questions, try new approaches, learn from results and take responsibility for making change happen. They should be able to do this in a safe environment, where mistakes are not overly criticized, but treated as coaching opportunities, and new thinking is considered an asset. If your agents succeed and feel like they are an integral part of the growth and success of the organization, you’ll have happier agents, strengthen your bottom line and drive a positive perception of your brand in the office, which projects itself into the market. Who doesn’t want to work with a happy, successful office?

Create a Shared Purpose. Celebrate Successes.

Do more with your current agents and hire new agents with your vision in mind. Everyone has a strength. Use those strengths for the betterment of the brokerage, while fostering an agent environment of communication and teamwork. Have actionable goals for agents to work toward as a team, such as a certain number of listings and a certain amount of open house traffic each month, so everyone gets a chance to contribute. Keep the individual in mind, too, to reward key players who go above-and-beyond to help other agents. For instance, those who bring in the most listings in a given month or close the most transactions.

Continually lead in new ways that bring out the best from all agents. Together, agents can help each other overcome obstacles to growth while learning along the way. Build team of positive-thinking individual agents and by motivating each other, you’ll watch as they gain prosperity and happiness, while your brokerage triumphs in productivity.

Team Dynamics Can Be Tough To Get Right

You know how to run your business, but everyone can use a little help sometimes.  Having a resource that provides you with the systems and the coaching to help grow your business can make it easier and help you reach your goals faster. As a Weichert Affiliate, our mission is to see you succeed and our service teams are always there to help, so you never feel like you have to go it alone. That’s the power of We. That’s the power of Weichert.

If you think your brokerage could benefit from becoming a Weichert franchise, call 877-746-8807 to learn more or go to weichertfranchise.com.

Original content posted on https://www.weichertfranchise.com/real-estate-agent-recruiting/fostering-collaborative-spirit-in-your-brokerage/

Demonstrating Value: The Power of a Good Listing Presentation.

When competing for a listing, every Agent wants to maximize their commission. However, in an age of discount brokerages and easily-accessible online information, clients are often left wondering whether they are getting the best value. “What exactly am I getting for my money?” they may ask. This is where having a solid listing presentation can be as good as gold. By clearly demonstrating to your clients the services you will be providing, outlining a clear marketing plan for their home and the expertise you bring to the transaction, any questions in their mind over the commission go away and the only question left is “where do I sign?”

But having a good listing presentation shouldn’t stop at your own listings. Creating a solid listing presentation is an important tool to have in your brokerage to be used by all your agents. Not only does it avoid each agent having to recreate the wheel, but it ensures all the agents within your brokerage are communicating a consistent message to the clients in your market and gives you something to provide brand new agents to help ensure their success. So how does your listing presentation stack up?

The Keys to Overcoming Objections

It is up to the listing agent to present themselves in a way that makes it clear that there is a world of service a client gets with a full-service brokerage. There is also a world of things that can go wrong with companies selling properties on cut-rate commissions. It is up to your agents to really lay it out for them.

Here are some ideas to incorporate into a listing presentation template that clearly show the client all your agent brings to the process:

• Showcase their home. Show that the agent understands their property and all of its features.
• Present a market price analysis that takes into account local trends to assure that the property will be priced properly to help it sell quickly at the best possible price.
• Outline a marketing plan with everything that will be done to market the home from the exposure your brokerage will provide for the property online to attract buyers searching, to neighborhood marketing, to open houses.
• Create a handy chart and/or infographic that lists the myriad of things the agent will be doing to help the client sell their home. From setting the price, to holding open houses, to negotiating the final contract. Clients often have no idea all that goes into the process.
• Craft a brokerage page(s) that lists the resources the agent makes accessible to the seller, from the support of the team within the office, to mortgage and insurance partners, to relocation partners and other service providers.
• Include a resume template where the agent can outline their expertise, from their selling experience to their local knowledge of the community and notable recognitions.

Agents appreciate having a listing presentation template that incorporates this type of information to help sell their services and is packaged in an easy-to-follow, attractive format.  At Weichert, one of the most highly regarded tools used by its affiliates is the DOORS listing presentation. The Weichert presentation can be easily customized online and creates a powerful visual presentation that showcases a client’s home through photography, outlines all the support resources from the brokerage available to support the seller, provides a comprehensive plan to market and promote the home online and in the community and more. In addition, it promotes the agent, demonstrates their value in the process and helps them maximize their commission.  The agent can have the presentation bound or present it electronically depending on what will be best received by the client. When put up against competitive listing presentations by other agents, the Weichert agent walks away with the listing more often than not. It’s a big step in getting potential sellers to understand what a full-service brokerage is all about.

Maximize the Agent Commission. Maximize Your Brokerage’s Bottom Line.

Sellers want a deal, but they also want to make sure their biggest asset is in the best hands. Give your agents the tools to give them confidence in their worth by demonstrating extraordinary market knowledge and the ability to provide high-quality service. By helping your agents maximize their commission, you help your bottom line.

It can be difficult for you to find time to develop the right tools for your agents, such as an effective listing presentation. As a Weichert Affiliate, you get access to a suite of proven marketing and sales tools which are always being refreshed, so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. This leaves you with more time to manage your brokerage. If this sounds like something your business could benefit from, find out more. Call 877-567-3350 or visit weichertfranchise.com.

Original content posted on https://www.weichertfranchise.com/blog/demonstrating-value-the-power-of-a-good-listing-presentation/

Franchise Success Spotlight: Weichert® Affiliate Steve Wilke – Weichert, Realtors® – Triumph Group

As Weichert® Affiliate Steve Wilke stands out in front of the construction site where he will build the new 5,000 square foot home of Weichert, Realtors® – Triumph Group, he can’t help but reflect on how far his brokerage has come in such a short time.

“I’ve been a broker since 2002, but my most significant growth has happened only since 2016. That was the year I became a Weichert broker. Prior to that we didn’t even have an office; my agents and I worked out of our homes.”

While Steve may seem like an overnight success story, his real estate career actually began when he was just a boy knocking around Dublin, Ohio.

“I used to cut grass for a guy whose son was a big real estate success locally. He drove a fancy car and he always wore a suit and gave off an aura of success. I kind of liked that. When I started as an agent, he’s who I went to work for.”

Dublin, Ohio is really a Columbus suburb, so relocation into this major city and surrounding areas is a big business driver. When Weichert found Steve in 2016, he was a broker running a team of about 20 agents out of his home, doing a fair amount of relocation work. Like many independent brokers, he was also still the top producer in his agency. “I wasn’t really trying to get listings, but they came to me due to the reputation I’d established over the years. Generally, these listings were from my sphere of influence.”

But in 2012, one of their largest relocation clients left them. JP Morgan Chase, a major banking client with national relocation needs informed Steve that they could only offer Columbus relocation work to brokerages with a national presence.  Almost overnight, Steve lost a major source of business and began to consider what being part of a respected national real estate brand would mean for his credibility in the marketplace.

Steve had heard from Weichert in the past, but when they called again in early 2016, Steve was ready to listen. Through prior contacts with Weichert and personal observation, Steve already knew Weichert was the only real estate franchise he would consider affiliating with. In a few short months Steve was ready to sign, but only one small problem remained. Weichert requires affiliates to have an actual office address. So for the first time, Steve rented office space in a local building and moved himself and his team in.

Finding His Way With Weichert

Steve’s agent team welcomed the change to Weichert. The Weichert “Fast Track” training program and its methodology around the automated DOORS listing presentation really sealed the deal. In Steve’s words “As a broker for almost 15 years I thought ‘what are these guys going to teach me that I don’t already know?’, but the bottom line is that you don’t know what you don’t know. I learned a ton.”

In short order, Steve got back the relocation work from Chase. Then he added relocation work for companies like Disney, Pepsico, Lowes, Black & Decker, Dupont, Scotts Lawn, etc., all referrals to his brokerage through Weichert Workforce Mobility, a national source of referrals for Weichert brokers who are operating in relocation markets.

Getting Results

In the almost 2 years Steve has been with Weichert, Steve grew his agent team from 20 to 52 agents following the Weichert strategies for recruitment and training. Steve attributes the growth primarily to the increased credibility that being part of the Weichert brand has brought him. His brokerage is the place to be and attracting and keeping agents has become much easier.

But even more amazing is Steve’s top line growth. In his first year, sales rose a respectable 18%. Then as his team became experts in delivering the Weichert sales methodology, the Weichert Lead Network driving more business opportunities, and the DOORS listing presentation driving even more listings and closings, sales in his second year are up over 500%.

And so, Steve finds himself looking at the grounds that will hold the beautiful new home of Weichert, Realtors® – Triumph Group, an office he is building from scratch. “I could rent, but I’m in this for the long haul. Having my own place from which to run the business is really a dream come true for me.”

See what Steve has to say about Weichert’s strategies for recruiting agents.

For more information on how Weichert helps put brokerages on the path to growth, call our team today at 877-567-3350 or visit our website weichertfranchise.com.


Original content posted on https://www.weichertfranchise.com/blog/franchise-success-spotlight-weichert-affiliate-steve-wilke-weichert-realtors-triumph-group/

5 Habits Of The Most Successful Brokers

You’re an independent broker who understands the real estate business. You convey confidence and know how to motivate others to be their most productive, but you need to stay fresh and relevant to get ahead of the competition. Set your sights even higher using these five habits for successful brokers adapted from Stephen R. Covey’s The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.

Habit 1. Create New Opportunities

As a tenacious broker, you get every job done. Being proactive and vigorously pursuing new opportunities is crucial for brokerage growth. Stay persistent and build new business, whether local or outside your area. Tap outside vendors, contractors, investors and builders for sales leads or partner with them for co-marketing opportunities. For instance, contract with a builder to list multiple units in a new condo conversion with your brokerage or maybe get a janitorial service you use to promote your brokerage on their company vehicles. Always remain proactive and in control while searching for new avenues of business and don’t be afraid to create your own opportunities.

Habit 2. Have A Plan

You obviously had goals to get you where you are today, so you understand how goals drive success. Leverage those goals by making them the focus of your daily habits. On a larger scale, use your carefully crafted business plan as a guide toward your continual long- and short-term goals. Factor in flexibility, which is important to making your goals come to fruition. Staying one step ahead by analyzing such things as market fluctuations, economic changes and technological trends and adjusting your plan early on are habits that can make your brokerage thrive no matter what comes your way.

Habit 3. Work With Others

To make your plan come to life, it takes a team. Build a mutually beneficial group of managers and administrators as a support team, as well as a team of agents that can help resolve problems based on legal, ethical and brokerage laws and procedures. They can become a sounding board for each other. Actively listen to and understand your support team and your agents to gain their respect, so they will listen to what you have to say, too. Accomplish more through good relations and outstanding synergy, which is easier than working alone.

Habit 4. Be A Leader

Having trouble letting go of management tasks that eat away at your time and stop you from taking business to the next level? As an independent broker, you’re not alone in letting go. After all, the brokerage is your baby. But can your goals really be achieved when you’re spreading yourself so thin? For optimum success, you need to allow yourself time to use your ingenuity and make your personal vision truly come to life. Step aside–it’s time to be a leader and let your trained support team manage the brokerage’s day to day tasks.

Sometimes being a leader also means reaching out for help for the greater good of your team and for expediency. Having an expert coach or a network of trusted advisors is important. A common theme among experienced independent realtors is that they’ve “seen it all”. And yet when they go through the Weichert training as a new affiliate, a common reaction is “I just didn’t know how much I didn’t know”. A Weichert Affiliate gets lots of coaching and support from our expert team of industry professionals and other peer affiliates nationwide and this can become a priceless asset to growing your brokerage.

Habit 5. Avoid Burnout

If you follow the above four habits, you have created a more sustainable business model. Business is only part of life. Learn to balance your work and personal life to avoid burnout. That means taking time for yourself and your family to recharge your energy and renew your mind. Do things you love, take a vacation, honor family time, go out with friends, work out, practice mindfulness, keep learning and eat healthfully. Pursue community service to give back by donating time or money to a local cause. Schedule business and personal or family time separately to create a model that works for the long-haul and keeps you at your prime.

Success is a Habit

Get the expert coaching you need to actualize these five habits and build on your brokerage success. Learn more about becoming a Weichert Affiliate at weichertfranchise.com or call 877-746-2067.

Original content posted on https://www.weichertfranchise.com/real-estate-coaching/5-habits-of-the-most-successful-brokers/