KIM ZUROFF

5 THINGS AGENTS LOOK FOR

WHEN CHOOSING A TEAM

BY KIM ZUROFF

TEAMS. TEAMS. TEAMS.

The real estate industry is abuzz with talk of teams. They’re touted as the future of real estate. When we take a bird’s eye look at teams across all brokerages, we see a vast difference in the definition of “team”.

The first kind of “team” is one that has a strong, compelling value proposition and has many of the 5 things agents look for when choosing a team.

The second kind of “team” is actually not a team at all, but simply a glob of individual agents attached to one person’s credit card. They are each responsible for their own business but they brand together under one team name.

Through running a top brokerage in the Maryland/DC area with over 800 agents in our organization, we were able to do an analysis on exactly what real estate agents look for when choosing a team. This was an important exercise for our brokerage, as we now tailor our organizational structure and our brand messaging to prospective recruits based on our findings.

Here are the top 5 things agents look for when choosing a team:

ONE LEADS Agents are looking for company-generated leads. Company-generated leads could be internet generated, they could come from working your database, or they could be open house opportunities, etc. As a team leader, if company-generated leads are part of your value proposition, it might be time to invest in hiring and training an Inside Sales Agent (ISA) to work on converting these leads. Brokerages with ISAs tend to have higher conversion rates.

Action item:

Add one more lead source and/or add an ISA to your team. THREEADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT/ LEVERAGE

Agents want help with the administrative side of the real estate business. This includes contract to close/transaction coordination, marketing, social media help and more. If you have administrative and/or marketing team members who can assist your agents, be sure to highlight this support in your recruiting marketing materials.

Action item:

If you have admin help, make sure it’s highlighted in your recruiting materials. If you don’t have admin support, figure out what needs to be done in order to get to the point of hiring your first admin and start down that path.

TOP 5 THINGS AGENTS LOOK FOR WHEN CHOOSING A TEAM

TWO CULTURE

Agents are looking to be part of an organization bigger than themselves. They are looking for a culture of collaboration and fun. Do you have FOUR clarity in your Mission, Vision, and Values? What does your company culture convey? What are the standards that you have in place for the members of the team? How is the team involved within the community? These are all things agents look for when it comes to culture on a real estate team. Action item: Define your Mission, Vision, and Values. FIVE

MENTORSHIP/ TRAINING Agents look for mentorship and training. Brokerages/teams with mentorship and training as part of their value proposition include things like structured meetings, either 1-on-1 or in a group setting, content libraries created by the Lead Agent, monthly sales meetings with a training component, or paid continuing education opportunities. Bottom line: agents are looking for that hands-on training experience.

Action item:

Add at least one training piece to your monthly team itinerary.

FUTURE GROWTH OPPORTUNITY Does your org chart match your goals? What, if any, future opportunities are available for someone on your team to grow into? Agents are looking for teams with unlimited growth opportunity. Having your agent “path” mapped out is crucial to attracting top talent.

Action item:

Create a company org chart and map out different agent journeys, from one or more starting points, to multiple endpoints. In many cases, Lead Agents (Rainmakers) move too fast, putting the cart before the horse, so to speak. They get excited about the thought of having a “team”, yet they don’t have a strong understanding of the top five things that agents look for in a team. If you are a leader and you’re missing two or more of the five things, you may have a harder time attracting top talent, and the agents currently on your team will likely look to make a move.

Homework for current leaders of teams/brokerages:

Review these top five things agents look for, rate your organization on each, build your unique value proposition on the foundation of these five things, and then work on communicating your unique value proposition to top talent.

Homework for agents looking to start a team:

Before starting a team, make sure you have clarity in your “WHY”. Why, exactly, are you looking to start a team? This is a much bigger question than it appears. Consult with your coach on how to answer this question, then figure out what the next best leverage piece is, and move one step closer to living your Unreal Life.

Kim Zuroff has mastered every aspect of real estate at the highest level, quickly ascending the ranks from agent to productivity coach to CEO/Team Leader.

NEW COACH

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leadership. im Zuroff has been in the real estate industry since 2011. She began her career as a real estate agent and because of her passion to serve others, she shifted her focus to executive

She has served as the Team Leader/CEO within her brokerage in Columbia, Maryland for the last 6 years. Through this time, she has attracted over 500 agents into the organization and productivity has increased 36% to $1.5 billion+ per year.

Kim believes that no one succeeds alone. A big part of her journey has been failing forward and learning how to effectively build a great team around her.

Kim is a partner in multiple real estate ventures and the founder of The Leverage Centre, a company that helps agents net more money and get back their time.

Outside of work, Kim spends as much time as she can hiking, trail running, competing in triathlons, and traveling. Two of her greatest memories include summiting Kilimanjaro and completing an Ironman triathlon.

KIM ZUROFF

Glover U Coach