As an office sales manager, how can I help my agents through this challenging market?

What actions do you need to take to insure that your office and its agents survive while everyone else "melts" away?

You must get your agents treating this like a real job. The manager must lead by example, in by 8am out by 6pm, dressed every day to meet with clients. Agents need to get up every day and come to the office - even if they have nothing going on.

The office manager has to be positive with a balance of realism. You have to put "fun" into the environment any way you can. Recruit your agents every day with a breakfast or lunch with groups or individuals from the office at least a couple of times a week.

Hold back-to-basics training classes in the office, getting top agents involved in these if you can.

Weekly office meetings become a "touch point." Make them informative and high energy. Call those agents you don't see at the office meetings, and have a conversation at least once a week with every one of your agents.

Do quarterly reviews to find out what the agent is working on and set written goals for the quarter and year.

Implement a steering committee in the office so that you can hear what the office needs from the agents and so that you can run ideas by the members on ways to motivate and improve the office.

Personalize your office by remembering birthdays, etc. and recognizing agents for their outstanding achievements throughout the week with notes and voice-mail messages.

Comments

[Nicolai Kolding]

Scott:
To add to your comment that agents need to treat this like a real job, a manager can help his or her agents (and vice versa) by involving them in the business decision-making process. I think if done properly the manager can get the agents to appreciate better the big issues the brokerage is facing and then get a better buy-in. If you could get all agents and managers together for a strategic brainstorming session and talk about what the residential real estate business will look like five years from now they would each see clearer what must be done now so each side can survive (or even thrive!) when that day arrives. Agents would appreciate more the crisis many companies are facing with expenses and each side could together address the issues and offer new perspectives. I think this is right in line with your theme that we all need to get more involved with each other.

[Interested party]

what is the website url for gibson international?

[john beck foreclosure]

I think this is right in line with your theme that we all need to get more involved with each other.