Real Estate teams, whether large or small, have become more successful than the single agent because of the sheer volume of tasks agents are expected to do with each transaction. Being part of a team allows you to streamline the process, delegate tasks that take up too much of your time, and allows for clients to be able to get a hold of someone quickly and easily.
Below, I go through things to consider whether you are an agent looking to join a team, or a leader looking to recruit agents.
An Agent Joining a Team
If you are a new agent, take your time to find a team that resonates with your wants and needs. Some brokerages will not allow you to move to another team within the same brokerage. Explore the options in your marketplace as you prepare to get your license.
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Do your research. At Tom Ferry’s Marketing Edge, I told agents the first thing they should do is find the teams who are dominating in your marketplace. Do some research on before reaching out. How many people are part of the team? What types of content and marketing are they putting out? Are they working with more sellers or buyers? Having a grasp of what each team does and specializes in will help you when reaching out and your initial conversations.
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Contact the top 3-5 team leads and meet with them. You do not have to pass your test and get your license before reaching out to team leads. Contact the teams you are interested in, let them know where you are in your real estate career, and ask to meet for coffee or lunch.
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Ask specific questions. Not all teams are built the same. Some recruit new agents to handle the overflow of leads and don’t provide adequate training. Even as a part of a real estate team, you are an entrepreneur, which means you are responsible for your own business. Find out what type of training is offered. Is it limited to the real estate process and filling out forms? What accountability systems are in place? Is there a team that helps agents find their own leads and build their personal brand? Asking these questions will give you an idea of how the team will support you.
A Team Lead Recruiting Agents
On the flip side, if you are a team leader looking to expand, you also need to be selective in finding people who fit the team culture you want to establish.
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Know what you want. On the Real Word 067, Tom Ferry said it best: “This is how we do it.” As a team lead, know your process, your expectations, and your requirements from team members. Explain to everyone that this is how we do business, and if you cannot commit to that, you can work somewhere else. Don’t be afraid to weed out or say no to people who do not fit in with your vision.
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Offer relevant training. Tom Toole and I discussed the importance of the basics on episode 013 of The Byron Lazine Podcast. Know that training takes time, but is well worth the investment, as you are helping to strengthen individual agents and the team as a whole. Train and hold agents accountable to making calls, role play, and feedback, as well as technology and building a brand. Reach out to experts in your marketplace or ecosystem to deliver training that is out of your wheelhouse, working toward bettering the collective group. Real training is tailored to take your team to the next level.
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Help agents build a personal brand. Marketing and lead generation go hand in hand. Agents need to share and deliver valuable content to stand out from the rest. You can showcase your agents on the team’s page, social media, and podcast, and that will certainly help. I suggest taking it one step further and teach the members on your team how to build their own personal brand. At One + Company, we have marketing trainings that are separate from real estate training, hold the expectation that agents should have a business Facebook and Instagram account, and boost one post per week for each agent. Each agent has different strengths and their own style on social media, and they hold each other accountable for posting and creating content.
Whether you are an agent or a team leader, real estate teams should help you build your own business and hold you accountable for your greatness.