Tend to the Talent

There are a few simple rules of thumb that team leaders can follow to build morale and help their recruits succeed. Perhaps the most important is to give agents the trust and freedom required to do their best work. As Salinas says, “We have such a strong work ethic that we expect the same from our team members, and we know what we are looking for.” But as author and entrepreneur Seth Godin points out in a recent blog post, “It’s unreasonable to expect extraordinary work from someone who isn’t trusted to create it.”

To reach that level of trust, teams must invest in their members’ continuing development. The Wexler Gault Team has a detailed transition plan and mentorship system they employ whenever they recruit a new agent. “When a new agent joins our team, we provide unlimited mentorship on how they can transition to not only our team but to @properties,” Salinas says. “We are always available to team members when they need us; their success is our success.”

Successful teams keep recruits engaged and productive by building on their existing skills and providing growth opportunities. Many agents enter real estate from a previous business career and have some transferrable skills. According to NAR’s 2015 Member Profile, 19 percent of Realtors had a previous career in business, management or the financial sector, while 16 percent came from retail or sales. Skills required to succeed in these sectors have obvious applications in real estate: a new recruit with a retail background, for example, could offer fresh insight into salesmanship, staging or even pricing.

Skill sets and job descriptions may evolve as team members gain experience. For example, if a showing specialist demonstrates his or her ability to generate leads on their own, they may be a good candidate to train and transition into a licensed agent’s role and add value to the team that way.

Ultimately, many agents find greater success and strength in numbers, even if that’s a partnership with one other agent. Investing in talented recruits has long-term benefits for teams, as the Wexler Gault Team can attest to, and combining complementary backgrounds and work styles results in full-circle client service, as illustrated by the Carrie and Renee Team. No matter the structure of the team, one truth is universal: a team is only as strong as the individuals that comprise it. A healthy and resilient team culture takes time and effort to build, but is an invaluable asset in an industry as relationship-driven as real estate. CA