Differentiate Your Brokerage—And Help Your Agents Stand Out

One of the best things you can do for your agents is help make their job easier. The more your brokerage is able to offer them, the more valuable they will be in the eyes of their clients and the more valuable you’ll be to your agents. That’s great for business and great for agent retention. But where should you start?

Brokerage Differentiation 101

There is clearly a wide variation in the quality of service provided across our industry. As an independent broker, being able to offer a unique set of capabilities, track record of success, or partner relationships will help set you apart in your market. Even if these capabilities are not exclusive to you, presenting them in the right way to potential buyers or sellers, makes all the difference in how your agents and your brand are perceived.

Consider the following:

1. What marketing support do your agents provide to sellers beyond just the MLS? Do they hold open houses? Do they have the means for attracting online buyers? Do advertise or use professional looking direct mail?
2. Can you cite any reasonably objective metrics that show you to be #1 in your market in some way? Average time from list to close? Production track record?
3. How strong is your listing presentation? It’s perhaps the single most important sales tool you will create and present. Consider the impression left by an agent who shows up with a loosely organized presentation all about them and some printed comps stapled together vs. an agent who comes with a bound, professionally designed presentation. A presentation focused on the seller’s home complete with marketing plan of everything they plan to do to sell the property, plus a full pricing analysis that they can knowledgeably speak to. Who would you list with?
4. What partnerships do you have? Mortgage? Moving services? Staging & photographers? Handymen to help with repairs to get the home in sales shape? How comprehensive is your service offering compared to the next guy?
5. What is the role of technology in your brokerage? Your ability to tout a tech savvy marketing plan and refer to advanced systems used in your brokerage creates the cutting edge, energetic impression that will wow both buyers and sellers.

Making It All Happen

Part of differentiating your brokerage is having a proven and effective system and plan in place that your agents can plug into and follow. This can take a lot of trial and error to get just right and it constantly needs to be updated and adapt with the times. At Weichert, we know what it takes to run a successful brokerage. We run one ourselves. We already have the systems and tools and make them available to our affiliates.  They in turn, can offer it to their agents. And we are constantly fine tuning and utilizing new techniques. One example is our Listing Presentation. Professionally designed and easily customized through our Digital Platform, the agent can bind it or present it on a laptop. It puts the focus on the seller’s property and makes a great impression. Even newer agents with little experience look great and feel confident using it in their presentations to sellers.

Want to offer your agents more?  From proven systems, to real estate brokerage coaching to effective marketing tools, Weichert has so much to offer to complement your existing business and help you differentiate your brokerage. To learn more about the advantages of becoming a Weichert Affiliate, contact 877-746-2067 or go to www.weichertfranchise.com .

Original content posted on https://www.weichertfranchise.com/blog/differentiate-your-brokerage-and-help-your-agents-stand-out/

Truth: Your Agents Will Leave You Someday. How Strong Is Your Recruiting Plan?

As with any business owner, you must hire well for your business to succeed. The growth of your brokerage depends on the number and productivity of your agents. Continually recruiting agents—new or seasoned—who are enthusiastic go-getters adds excitement to the entire office and motivates current agents to do better. Having the right recruiting tools and systems ensures that your pipeline of potential agents remains full and you won’t be scrambling to replace production if, in fact, an agent leaves you.

Business Plan And The Numbers

Doing a formal business plan every year isn’t always the first thing on a busy brokers long list of To-do’s. Yet at Weichert, we emphasize the importance of this tool with all our affiliates. Your business plan should include a recruiting plan that should be a constant point of reference for you, not something you do and forget about. You should keep it current with an updated assessment of the brokerage’s needs in terms of agent count. Just adding 10 new recruits a year can substantially increase your gross sales income. Adding 20 a year is even better.

Think about your own plan. Do you have a realistic growth goal for your business? Do you know how many recruits you will need to reach your income goals this year? Knowing your financial goals and how that translates to additional sales and feet on the pavement is critically important in determining the minimum number of agent recruits you need to bring in for your desired profitability goal. Weichert affiliates are taught efficient ways to conduct productive recruiting activities, roll up and review the numbers each week to determine if they are on track to reach their yearly goals and can adjust their strategies if not on target.

Here’s a few tactics you can try to improve your pipeline of potential agent recruits.

Participate In School & Community Recruiting Events

You know that recruits can easily be found at real estate schools or college campuses, especially one that has a real estate program. Be part of recruiting events at these locations. Request to put a recruiting flyer on a bulletin board with a business card pocket to help gain interest in between recruiting events. Check it regularly to keep the pocket constantly filled with cards. Track who responds and from where to gauge the best locations and strategies.

Have Attractive Marketing & Training Materials

Use updated and well-designed marketing materials as recruiting tools. Professionalism is key. Be prepared to show your stuff to potential recruits with modern materials that describe your company culture, your success, the value you offer, and other important information that agents new to your brokerage want to learn. Inexperienced agents will be particularly interested in how you are going to train them to get up to speed and productive. Highlight strongly all the formal training and mentoring programs you have in your brokerage to keep them competitive. Really give them a sense that you will be fully vested in their success.

Promote Online

Let your online presence do some talking for you. Use your website to attract recruits with a career section that tells them why they’d love to work with you! Include information on company culture, photos of agents working and having fun and descriptions of all the great tools, training, sales successes and support every agent receives as part of your brokerage team. Social media works well to search for and solicit potential recruits, especially those more seasoned, who already have active real estate social media profiles.

Use Brand As A Power Tool

Sometimes having the right brand can be a powerful recruiting magnet. No matter how successful your independent brokerage is now, being part of a nationally recognized brand can open doors that accelerate business growth and more easily attracts recruits. Not to mention it often allows you to offer your agents much more than you could on your own.

Host Regular Career Events

One of the most effective activities can be holding regular recruiting events at your office. Promote through email, phone calls and social media. Make sure you have a dynamic presentation, be prepared with takeaway materials, show off your awesome office space and brokerage personality. By the time you’re done, they won’t want to work anywhere else!

Yes, effective recruiting is a big investment, but it is the single most important thing you can do for your brokerage. How do you find time to create the materials and training programs you need and where do you start? That’s where being able to plug into an existing, proven system can help. Companies that affiliate with Weichert, for example, are coached in best practices for recruiting, including effective ways to conduct regular recruiting outreach, hold career events and how to roll up and review the numbers each week to determine if they are on track to reach their yearly goals so they can adjust their strategies as needed. Weichert also provides affiliates with the presentation tools and marketing resources to make that dynamic recruiting presentation and professional impression. Plus, we offer training to get new agents up to speed and working in no time. All that plus national brand recognition which amplifies the attractiveness of your brokerage. All you have to do is implement. How easy is that!

Good systems, smart tactics and regular ongoing activity will keep your recruiting pipeline filled with agents eager to be part of your team. If a recruiting system like Weichert offers is something you’d like your brokerage to plug into, contact us for more information at 877-746-2067 or view weichertfranchise.com.

Original content posted on https://www.weichertfranchise.com/blog/truth-your-agents-will-leave-you-someday-how-strong-is-your-recruiting-plan/

5 Things You Can Do On LinkedIn to Increase Leads

There are many social networking sites that can contribute to lead generation within your brokerage. Most brokers and agents are already using Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, but LinkedIn is probably one of the best, yet most underutilized lead generation sites. According to HubSpot’s recent survey of 5,198 businesses, LinkedIn provides almost three times the lead generation potential of either Facebook or Twitter. LinkedIn had a lead conversion rate of 2.74% to Facebook’s 0.77% and Twitter’s 0.69% rates. In the world of digital marketing metrics, this difference is significant. If you are broker who has been largely ignoring LinkedIn as part of your marketing strategy, here’s five things you can do right now on LinkedIn to add this important funnel to your overall lead generation strategy.

1. Complete Your Company and Personal Page Profiles

This is an important activity for the Broker to complete on behalf of the business. Start or fully complete your brokerage company page. Make sure it is tied to your personal LinkedIn profile and keep the look of it consistent with your other branding. A company page allows you to showcase your brokerage in many ways by publishing content on it. Encourage your agents to have a LinkedIn presence, as anyone who clicks on the brokerage logo from any of your agents’ pages will be directed to your company page. You only have a few seconds to make a lasting impression on each viewer, so choose your words and visuals wisely.

2. Add A Professional Banner To Your Profiles

A large graphical banner is now an option on both your company page and your personal page. Don’t leave it blank like so many do. Spend the time to create an image that shows your brokerage’s unique characteristics and conveys why you are the go-to brokerage in your local area. Keep the banner simple and easy to read at a glance with a minimal amount of text. Take care that it is fully visible on your profile once uploaded as LinkedIn will overwrite parts of it with other graphics.

3. Connect, Connect, Connect

If you’re just getting started on LinkedIn, getting connections is your #1 priority. You can send connection invitations essentially to everyone you know (who is on LinkedIn), and everyone you’ve ever done business with. Later through searches, you can connect to people who you would like to do business with. The more connections you have, the more visibility the content you syndicate will have (ie. Walk through videos, Listing Updates, Local Market updates, etc.)
One note here, don’t use the generic LinkedIn Invite. Take the time to craft a personal invitation to connect, and make sure to send a thank you follow-up if they do.

4. Most Companies are on LinkedIn

Almost every large company has a profile on LinkedIn. Use this fact to your advantage by doing something called “Circle Prospecting”. In this technique, you draw a radius around one of your listings that includes at least 5 mid to large sized companies in the area. Then using LinkedIn Search features, find lists of employees of those companies in your area. You can then reach out for a connection, or direct message them a video of your listing. You may find in some cases the HR or even the RELO Director (in larger companies) and these are excellent people to reach out to and ultimately make into first degree connections.  Bottom line: People who work nearby, may want to buy nearby.

5. Repurpose Your Website Blogs as LinkedIn Content

Many Brokers have understood the benefit of regular content production and already have some staff creating or curating content on a regular basis. Now let’s add LinkedIn to the list of places that you publish this content. Use the long form publishing feature of LinkedIn to republish the entire piece on your company page.  Then have your agents publish links to it on their personal pages, expanding it’s reach. Make sure to monitor for comments and those who engage with the content are likely to be worthwhile business contacts.

Use LinkedIn To Increase Leads Now

With such a relatively high conversion rate, some time spent cultivating LinkedIn is a worthwhile activity for your agents and your brokerage. It will take some effort to engage consumers and get leads through LinkedIn, but having another source of quality leads isn’t an opportunity you want to pass up in your quest for growth.

Of course, LinkedIn is just part of an overall lead farming strategy to bring leads directly to your team. At Weichert, we have an extensive and comprehensive lead strategy that all our affiliates have the ability to plug into. From tools and systems that work, to the support to help implement them, if you want to get to the next level of success, talk to our team to see what we can do for your business.

Learn more at weichertfranchise.com or call 877-746-2067.

Original content posted on https://www.weichertfranchise.com/blog/5-things-you-can-do-on-linkedin-to-increase-leads/

Best Way To Get Full Commission? Know Your Value.

In the ultra-competitive market for local home listings, the pressure to discount commissions is ever present. Some brands in your market may even make the discounted commission their primary marketing differentiator while selling themselves as full service agents. How do you compete with that?

Is discounting simply devaluing your services or something you have to do to survive? Here is some insight from the online real estate marketing specialists at Weichert.

Educating Clients About the Value of your Services

If you want to keep your full commission, you have to sell the value of what you do for it, plain and simple. A 4% commission from the other guy may sound great, but we all know he’s cutting corners somewhere to do that. Yet for clients, cutting broker commission seems to be the easiest route to saving money – and in their heads, this makes sense because they often lack the insight into what it is that real estate agents actually do. Taking the time to keep the client informed of the services you will provide at every step of the way is key. These include, but are not limited to:

• Start with a great listing presentation and local market analysis. If you impress them with the professionalism and thoughtfulness of your competitive research, you’ve immediately set yourself apart as a professional who is deserving of full compensation.
• Do the legwork – Scheduling multiple open houses, tours, inspections, re-inspections, conducting follow up, recommending small changes to make the house more sellable, running ads in local real estate publications, posting in supermarkets, mailings… the list goes on and you should be able to tell prospective home sellers exactly what they won’t get when they go to a discount brokerage.
• Most people hate to negotiate – It’s a fact, but as an agent negotiating deals is your bread and butter. Agents can spend hours presenting, convincing, and following up on an offer – and only their experience and negotiating expertise maximize the seller’s chance of selling quickly at the price they want.
• Expanded Property Marketing Exposure – This is achieved by accessing your real estate agent’s branding and MLS platforms, the most important of which is its online space. Buyers predominantly search the Internet for housing choices, and it’s almost impossible to get the same visibility and access to buyers through a discount realtor.
• Accurate pricing – There are always properties that are overvalued by owners and may stay on the market for months or even years, just as there are undervalued properties that are rapidly sold for far less than what the owner deserved. Accurate pricing ensures a good result for owner and buyer, as well as a faster selling process.
• Executing the sale – Completing a sale is a complex process that is made far easier, faster and more reliable when taken on by an experienced professional agent and broker. A full service agent will often have a real estate crm system to help them stay on top of potential buyers and a transaction management system to manage the transaction in a way that for-sale-by-owners, or discount brokers will not.

Technology plays a vital role in achieving this and is another area where you can show the value you add at full commission. As an agent, you have access to expert online marketing tools for real estate agents, a broker who is able to properly leverage the full power of their local brand and reputation, as well as a network of financing, legal, and construction professionals who you can recommend and help manage for your client.

Transform the way you sell with industry-leading real estate coaching programs 

Built on the expertise of experienced brokers, technology specialists and real estate industry leaders, Weichert is focused on providing effective answers to the challenges faced by today’s real estate agents. From marketing strategies for agents and a cutting-edge lead generation system to the best real estate coaching programs in the industry, we provide all the solutions you need to build your business and succeed in even the most competitive climate.

If these tools and solutions sound like a good fit for your brokerage or you would like to find out more about the Weichert system, please contact us today.

Original content posted on https://www.weichertfranchise.com/real-estate-coaching/best-way-to-get-full-commission-know-your-value/

Time Management For Real Estate Brokers

Do you feel drained at the end of the day with a dozen important things remaining to be done? Do you leave tasks half-finished as you respond to an endless stream of urgent interruptions? Are you sacrificing time with your spouse and children? As a hard-working broker, you manage all types of tasks every day and may work long hours to accomplish them, from creating a marketing campaign to training new agents. Developing a work-life balance all comes down to using your time wisely. It’s easy to say but surprisingly hard to do, especially for brokers.

Here’s a few tips on how you can have the business you want, along with the lifestyle you deserve, from the experts at Weichert Real Estate Affiliates.

Principles of Broker Time Management

Time management is learning to accomplish more tasks in less time. It means better productivity and more quality time to renew and recharge. In turn, scheduling your time provides a more nurturing work-life balance that helps avoid broker burnout. There are a few main principles of broker time management that will have you working more productively with more time for yourself and your family:

1. Organize your daily goals
2. Delegate, delegate, then delegate some more.
3. Use automation and tools
4. Establish operational checkpoints on a regular basis

Daily Goals – The Most Powerful Part of Your Day

One famous dissertation on time management says you should write down 6 important goals you want to accomplish each work day. Whether your number is 5, 6, or 10, taking that 5 minutes each morning to define your priorities for the day is probably the single most important thing you will do all day.

Then as you accomplish each goal, cross it off your list to give yourself that feeling of accomplishment. Don’t get overly upset if you fail to achieve your full list, but make sure you follow through the next day.

Delegation

The temptation to take on certain tasks that you know you will do better than anyone else is strong and common. Yet if you never allow someone else to challenge themselves at this, you will be forever obligated to do it yourself. As a brand representing hundreds of brokers across the nation, Weichert experts will tell you that the most successful brokers have managed to be almost 100% strategic in their tasks and have delegated tasks they never thought they could.

Today pick one time-consuming activity that “I have to do myself”, and train someone in how to help you with it. They may stumble at first, but with patience and consistency, it is you who will run faster in the end.

All The Right Tools

The promise of so much technology and electronic capability is to do things faster and more efficiently. Unfortunately for too many brokers, technology promises have been offset by technology complexity and cost and brokers we see are either not using their tech properly, or at all.

And yet when you and your team are properly trained and fully utilizing modern systems like real estate CRMs, online lead generation and marketing, or even just using Microsoft Excel better, you achieve a level of organization and time management you can only dream of. You don’t have to be a computer geek. You just need to be willing to learn or leverage learned resources to be sure that the promise of the technology you use, is realized.

Trust But Verify (Regularly)

Even if your team is trained and motivated to use the systems and tools you have in place, establishing regular operational checkpoints is a must. This is an activity you can’t delegate. Having a look into how critical systems and initiatives are performing in the brokerage, provides you the critical insight you need to make larger, more far reaching decisions. For instance, you may find that agents are interpreting data in your open house management system in several different ways, causing problems with follow up. Or that the whole system simply doesn’t work the way you need it to, leading to an important strategic reinvestment in a new CRM.

As you grow, your verification activities should rise as well. Insist on the lower level process and tech reviews, but conduct your reviews with your team leaders. Hold them accountable for metrics at the lower levels while you up-level your view.

A Little Discipline Saves a Lot of Time

You don’t have to run your brokerage like a military operation, but a little discipline is certainly necessary. Having proper processes and systems in place that you don’t have to invent or constantly change is a big part of time management, success, and achieving that elusive work-life balance. Don’t spend time thinking about things that can be automated. Save that thinking time for the bigger strategic issues you really need to put thought into.

Management Systems. Digital Tools. Selling Systems. These are all things the team at Weichert can offer your business that you can plug into.  If you think this could benefit your business and put you on the path to growth call 877-567-3350 or visit weichertfranchise.com for more information.

Original content posted on https://www.weichertfranchise.com/blog/time-management-for-real-estate-brokers/

Differentiating Your Brokerage In A Crowded Market

It’s a crowded real estate market out there. Between independent brokerages and national brands, there are a lot of options for agents and potential buyer or sellers. What’s going to influence their decision and make you stand out?  Maybe it’s a good reputation for performance and service; maybe it’s how often they see your signs in the neighborhood or wherever they travel or how often they see you in advertisements. As an independent broker, how do you compete?

Recruit Effectively

Agents are subject to the same perceptions as consumers when it comes to the power of a well-known real estate brand in their market. They may feel that the bigger the brand, the better the marketing, support and lead generation will be to better support their efforts and lead to greater earnings potential. What’s really important, though, whether you are affiliated with a big brand or not, is that you can provide value to your agents and offer a positive, supportive environment in which they can thrive. Equally important is having a recruiting strategy and the materials to attract recruits to you. You create value by providing them with tools, training and leads to help them succeed. Recognize their accomplishments.  Encourage a culture of support and have a little fun!

Demonstrate Your Value

Sure, there are a lot of discount brokerage options out there, but that puts pressure on profitability. Consumers are willing to pay for full service, but it’s up to you to demonstrate all they will get for their money. Make sure you have a dynamite listing presentation that shows them everything you and your agents will do to sell their home. Make sure that you have the right marketing and online programs in place to support clients’ listings and purchasing needs.  Provide references and testimonials of satisfied customers. Do what you say you will do, be responsive and over-deliver on your promises. Make sure your marketing materials are professional and impressive. People like to be part of something positive. Do all these things well and you will draw in buyers, sellers and agent recruits alike without having to give away the store.

Build Your Brand

You must spend time and effort to build a brand that reflects your brokerage values and services. To attract buyers, sellers and recruits, people need to know who you are and what you stand for. Here are a few suggestions for brand building:

• Advertise your niche in the area. For instance, maybe your brokerage specializes in relocation or rural properties or is heading that way due to a need in the market. Perhaps you also do property management and work with residential property investors. Find a niche or two that need to be filled and make it part of your brand. Offer agent training in the specialty market(s) chosen to get those interested up to speed.
• Be consistent in the look, feel and messaging coming from all aspects related to your brokerage. Consistency is king when it comes to brand building. It not only fosters brand recall, but it nurtures consumers’ expectations of your business.
• Be visible. This can be through local advertising, participation in the community or grassroots word of mouth. You won’t be remembered if you are not on their minds.

Differentiate Your Brokerage

Recruiting effectively, demonstrating your value and building your brand will help you carve out a place for yourself in your local market and stand out. It can be hard to do this effectively on your own. Fortunately there’s an easier way through franchise affiliation and not all franchises are alike. A franchise model like Weichert provides you with recruiting strategies, materials and support to effectively compete for recruits, provides materials and guidance for demonstrating your value to consumers and has the recognition and support of a national brand that you can easily plug into your market and leverage.

If this sounds like something you could use to power your brokerage, contact Weichert Real Estate Affiliates, Inc. today to see how we can help. Call 877-746-2067 or learn more at weichertfranchise.com.

Original content posted on https://www.weichertfranchise.com/real-estate-marketing-tools/differentiating-your-brokerage-in-a-crowded-market/

The Right Ingredients for an Attractive Brokerage

Think back to the real estate brokers you worked for when starting your career. What drew you to work there in the first place and what prompted you to stay or move on? Did you feel your input mattered or that no one cared what you had to say? Was there a real team dynamic or was it everyone for themselves?

As a broker, now is your opportunity to build the company culture you want. Whether you worked in real estate your entire life or started out in another industry, there are key attributes that make any business worth working for, including yours.

Trust And Honesty

Believability is important to success. Honesty and trust go hand-in-hand. Trust your agents enough to let them do their job of selling homes and provide the training and support for them to do so. Even as broker you aren’t expected to know everything but know how to get the answers. So, the next time an agent asks you a question you can’t answer, commit to researching it and getting back to them as soon as possible.  And then make sure you really follow up. Use the calendar app in your phone or email to set a quick reminder for yourself. When agents see that their queries are important to you, it makes them feel valued and deepens your relationships.

Respect

Trust and honesty lead to respect. But it’s a two-way street. You must respect the agents that you brought on to earn their respect in return.  This includes the young, inexperienced ones who may test your patience at times. Always be polite, actively listen and talk with your agents as equals. These agents, who you took the time to recruit, may provide you with a novel way of doing something that can set your brokerage over the top, which can only be learned through mutual respect.

Recognition

Recognize the talents and accomplishments of the team of agents you recruited. Did an agent close a particularly hard transaction or a new agent complete their first transaction by themselves? Announce it.  Did they close a personal record-breaking deal? Give them a shout out. Let everyone know of their achievements. Recognition isn’t all about highest grossing or most transactions in a year. It’s also about general accomplishments and teamwork to help all agents—new and experienced—feel valued. Agents who know their contributions are valued strive harder to succeed.

Support

If your brokerage goes above and beyond to provide the right tools and techniques for your agents to succeed and properly trains them in the use of these tools, then word will spread that your agent support is exceptional. In turn, these support tools make your brokerage the go-to destination for recruits, saving you time and effort in both real estate agent recruiting and retention.

Putting It Together

Re-evaluate your brokerage to make sure you are creating a dynamic and positive culture that values your team as a whole, as well as individuality. Model by example and your agents will do the same. Build a solid team of agents with the right tools, techniques and attitude and you will stay competitive in your market. While it’s up to you to build a culture of trust and respect, there are easier ways to provide everything else than trying to keep up alone. Affiliating with a National brand, such as Weichert, who already has the tools and systems in place makes it easy for you to plug in and run. You get a wide array of agent training opportunities right out of the gate, for example, including sales coaching, weekly and monthly seminars, general industry trainings, online courses, technology training and more. Plus, leverage awards and recognition programs, sales tools and techniques and technology platforms. With all of these things readily available to you, you have more time to focus on your brokerage-building strategy.

If you want to learn more about how Weichert can help your brokerage dynamics, contact us today: weichertfranchise.com or 877-567-3350.

Original content posted on https://www.weichertfranchise.com/real-estate-agent-recruiting/the-right-ingredients-for-an-attractive-brokerage/