Real Estate Team Building Guide: Step 1
Is it time for you to expand your business? We’re looking at you, superstar Real Estate Agent!
To help you make that decision, let’s look at the good, the bad, and the ugly of a super successful real estate professional.
The Good
You’ve been kicking butt and taking names in the last 12 months. Your numbers are through the roof. Your phone is ringing constantly with referrals. You are making more money than you dreamed you could.
The Bad
You’re working every day of the week… 16-18 hour days. You barely have time to eat in the car by yourself let alone sit down with your family for a meal. You haven’t taken a vacation in 3 years. You are regularly up until midnight running contracts.
The Ugly
Your office. ‘Nuff said.
If any of the above are true, it’s definitely time to make that hire. If you’re really a rock star, we’re thinking they’re all true.
OK, you admit some help would be great, but who is best suited to take some of the weight off and help you expand your business?
Should it be a Buyer’s Agent who can handle some of your referral workload? With someone to return those phone calls and do some hand-holding, they’ll make you more money!
How about a Showing Assistant who has the patience to show the 33rd house? They can help you focus on new listings and that will make you more money!
Sure those 2 can help you bring in more business, but who is going to handle all the subsequent paperwork?
You? You’re already up until midnight. Your new BA? Uh-uh. They hate paperwork as much as you do. The Showing Assistant? Negative. They’re too busy showing houses.
Nope, you need yourself a Rockstar Administrative Assistant. Most agents know this yet they hesitate to make the hire. Why is that?
5 Bad Reasons Why You Don’t Have an Administrative Assistant
Most agents resist making that hire for a variety of reasons that are pretty… well, unreasonable. Here are some common misconceptions:
- They’ll cost me money
- They’ll take too much time to train
- They’ll see just how disorganized I am
- They won’t do the work like I do
- They’ll be hard to get along with
There’s no easy way to say this, so we’ll just say it:
You’re wrong.
And here’s why…
5 Good Reasons Why You Need an Administrative Assistant
- The Cost. Yes, they will draw a salary but because they are pulling administrative tasks off your plate, you are free to sell even more and make up for the dent in your bottom line.
- The Training. Honestly, you’re probably the one who needs some training. Just look at your desk. Sure you’ll need to bring them up to speed on how you like things done, but you’re hiring an organizational expert, hopefully someone with real estate experience. They’ll end up training you.
- The Mess. See #2.
- The Work. They won’t be up till midnight running contracts because they LOVE running contracts, are good at it, and run through them much faster than you do. If you make the right hire, they’ll buzz through complicated paperwork because they’re built for it. Their personality is well suited for detailed work. You can see it on their DISC profile. (More on that in a minute.)
- The Relationship. We’ll give you this one. Because you need someone who loves paperwork and details and you don’t want to be bothered by those things, there is the potential for some friction as you’re getting to know each other. But with some patience, understanding, and knowledge of each other’s DISC strengths and weaknesses you can get through it.
We just mentioned DISC twice, so you’re probably asking…
How Can DISC Profiles Help Me Find New Hires?
DISC provides clarity on the strengths and potential weaknesses of different personality types. The DISC assessment evaluates an individual’s behavior in these 4 areas:
D – Decisive
I – Interactive
S – Stabilizing
C – Cautious
*Note: The above terminology used to describe the D, I, S, and C was interpreted by Innermetrix. You may have seen or heard different words used to describe the categories like Dominant, Influencing, Submissive, and Compliant or Dominance, influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness. All of these variations highlight the same types of behavior based on the science first studied by Dr. William Marston. Innermetrix has chosen positive terms more appropriate to the current times.
Most super-successful real estate agents are highly Decisive and Interactive. Look in the mirror a second and see if these qualities describe you:
- Determined, Driving, Competitive, Daring
- Inspiring, Persuasive, Gregarious, Enthusiastic
Is that a fair picture of you? All of these qualities make you great at selling houses, and probably make it hard for you to sit at your desk pushing paper, hence the late nights.
Super-successful real estate assistants are great at what they do because they score higher in the Stabilizing and Cautious dimensions. Here’s what they see in the mirror:
- Patient, Predictable, Stable, Consistent
- Careful, Systematic, Perfectionistic, Orderly
Doesn’t that describe a great paper-pusher? And the best part is, they LOVE to do what comes hard to you.
So how can 2 people with such disparate personalities work together?
DISC Assessments: Knowledge Is Power
The best way to quickly connect with your new administrative assistant is to have a frank conversation about both of your DISC reports. Swap the pages and examine each other’s strengths. Dig deep into each others potential blind spots. We think you’ll find that together you make up one Rockstar Real Estate TEAM.
The most effective teams appreciate each other and value their diverse natures. Rockstar agents learn to tone down their restlessnesses and give their admins time to explain their need for organization. Rockstar admins try not to bog down their agents with details and just have things ready for signatures. A comprehensive DISC report can provide you both with the knowledge necessary to communicate more effectively.
Conclusion
If you want to expand your business, you have to recognize that you can’t do it alone. It’s too many hats to wear. You simultaneously need to be a marketer, file clerk, negotiator, home stager, photographer, sign runner, project manager, social media poster, networker, and sometimes even a therapist. No wonder you’re up till midnight!
And not only are you trying to juggle all of these hats, some of those hats are heavier than others because of your DISC behavioral preferences. If you want to achieve more success in real estate, take that step and hire that admin. Having an admin is critical to a Rockstar real estate professional. Find someone who loves working behind the scenes so you can get out into that spotlight and shine.
