It Takes a ‘Vyllage’ to Foster a Culture of Success

WHY VYLLA HOME BELIEVES IN THE IMPORTANCE OF

MAINTAINING A CULTURE THAT INSPIRES, RECOGNIZES AND SUPPORTS ITS AGENTS By Caysey Welton

There are several attributes that make real estate agents successful. Experience, talent, brand affiliation and a commitment to quality service are certainly among them, but Vylla Home also places a great deal of emphasis on providing the right support system and environment for agents to coalesce their best attributes and maximize their success. In simpler terms, Vylla believes that culture is what brings out the very best in agents, and is what is needed to succeed in today’s complex real estate industry.

“It’s important to agents because they tell us this,” says Chad Ruggles, senior vice president and head of Vylla Home.

Support That Starts at the Top Vylla’s brokerage size is advantageous to fostering the type of culture Ruggles wants for his agents. Home to just under 1,200 agents, or Vyllagers, as they are known within the company, this breaks down to a 60-1 broker/ agent relationship across its markets. Ruggles says he plans to call every Vyllager on the phone this year to check in and have a real, person-toperson conversation. What’s more, every Vyllager has Ruggles’ cellphone number and email address. It’s a true open-door policy, regardless of geographic distance.

“The nature of an agent’s role creates challenges,” says Ruggles. “It can feel lonely at times. I want agents to stick with us through thick and thin, so I am constantly asking myself how. That’s not the same at some of the larger firms, where they see it as the manager or team leader’s responsibility. I look at it differently: It’s my responsibility.”

This top-down approach doesn’t begin and end with just Ruggles, though. In fact, he tells RISMedia that Vylla’s entire senior leadership team makes themselves available to the Vyllagers.

“One of the requirements to work on our management team is to be a servant leader,” he says. “The client for us is the agent. That’s the kind of support we give our agents.”

In addition to a supportive team of leaders, the company also boasts its “epic back-office support.” This support includes an operations team made up of REO experts, transaction coordinators and a marketing team that ensures every Vyllager has access to branded materials.

Ruggles

Vylla Home also equips its Vyllagers with simple, powerful tech at no cost. Its proprietary Inside Vylla hub has everything an agent needs, including a transaction management system, CRM, email platform, customized website builder and interactive educational tools.

The company also offers mentoring and training for agents of all experience levels, including customized programs.

Recognition Goes a Long Way Developing the ideal Vyllage goes beyond access to leadership and support. The brokerage ensures that every new agent feels welcome and understands its unique culture right away.

“The week you start we do a live orientation that I lead,” Ruggles says. “Some weeks it may only be one, and others it could be as many as 20. Our entire back office—the highest brass— are there to welcome new agents and answer any questions they may have. We want them to learn about our passion and value proposition that first week, and we get a first-hand introduction to every agent that joins our company.”

This level of interaction and feedback remains consistent, regardless of tenure. The company holds monthly Vyllager town hall meetings, where they not only discuss what’s happening with the company, they also celebrate a range of accomplishments among the Vyllagers. These “Valued Vyllager” awards are given out for several reasons, from a thank you to a congratulations to a job well done. Not merely based on production numbers, these awards come by way of nominations from colleagues and clients, and Ruggles says they receive hundreds.

“It feels really good,” he exclaims. “It’s nice to recognize somebody for doing things right.”

This approach supports the company’s belief that positive reinforcement, peer-to-peer learning and open dialogue will lead to professional growth and success. Finding the Right Fit While Vylla is a nationwide brokerage, it thinks locally.

“Our brokers are in the same market as their agents,” Ruggles explains. “Even though we have a virtual hybrid model, you should work shoulder-toshoulder with your broker.”

Ruggles suggests that this allows the company to maintain the culture it is so passionate about. Vylla’s goal is not to scale to tens of thousands of agents across the country, but at most, they would entertain doubling their current size. Essentially, the hyper-local touch is what sets Vylla apart and what ultimately attracts the sort of talent the brokerage seeks.

“We’re the place for agents where culture is important; a place where people want to be a part of the brokerage,” says Ruggles, who admits that culture isn’t important to everyone, which is why they are upfront with every agent they engage before onboarding them.

“When you’re recruiting, you’re telling agents what’s on the box,” he says. “That’s important, but you also have to tell them who you are and what you do. I’m proud of our company. We have a series of five core values, and we talk about them on a weekly basis: people, communication, community, expertise and trust. So, when we recruit, we talk about that.”

Once a Vyllager is onboard, the company guarantees that happiness in additional ways, besides maintaining a best-in-class work environment, recognition program and constant feedback loop. The company also offers a revenue-sharing program for Vyllagers who bring new agents onboard, and Ruggles says they are compensated upfront for this.

That said, Ruggles suggests that these types of frills take a backseat to company culture when it comes to agent retention.

“I don’t think any one thing keeps an agent, assuming you have the basics,” he says. “So why would they stay? It’s because they feel like they are part of something here. They’re part of our Vyllager culture. The Vyllage depends on you, and you depend on the Vyllage. That’s how we put the uniqueness of our culture into words.”

Why It Really Matters Naturally, Vylla Home wants to succeed as a business—and to do that, agent success is required. To achieve that success, the company is placing its bets on inspiring its Vyllagers as the underpinnings of its big-picture strategy.

“When you have the culture that we have, you’re inspiring agents to be the best version of themselves,” says Ruggles. “They become better brand ambassadors. When they’re plugged in and inspired, they begin to love the company more. They become an asset in recruiting. We’re trying to build connection and engagement through culture. Success is a byproduct of that.” RE

“One of the requirements to work on our management team is to be a servant leader. The client for us is the agent. That’s the kind of support we give our agents.”

– CHAD RUGGLES SVP, Head of Vylla Home

Caysey Welton is RISMedia’s content director. Email your real estate news ideas to him at cwelton@rismedia.com.