UP AND RUNNING IN 30 DAYS: Real Estate Training and Coaching

Do You Believe You Would Benefit from a Coach?

August 1st, 2019

Do you believe you would benefit from a coach? You’ve made your goals for the year. You’re excited. But, you feel somewhat unfocused. You may need a coach to get your priorities right, and to stay on track. If not, what’s going to be different this year from last year? So, this month, I’m spotlighting coaching. Thanks to all you awesome coaches who help raise the standards of the industry.

Have you considered a coach? Here are ways to find out if you’d benefit.

Skills Come from Practice and Coaching Assistance

The difference between one person’s success in any field and another lies, in part, in their comparable skills.

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All experienced pianists can put their hands on the keys. They can play the notes. But, most pianists haven’t mastered playing the notes. They haven’t mastered the interpretation. That takes practice and coaching. Interestingly, real estate professionals seem to discount the ‘mastery’ truism……They must believe they can’t get better! (not true!)

Do you need a Coach?

If you’re:
• Not optimizing your talents
• Not attaining your goals
• Spending too much time spinning your wheels
• Spending too much money for little return
• Hitting ceilings of achievement
You will benefit from a professional business coach.

What Your Coach Can Do For You

• Help you focus on our goals so we get there faster.
• Motivate you to get into meaningful action.
• Encourage you to keep on keeping on.
• Offer resources for new ideas so we can take a different look.
• Appreciate your efforts when no one else seems to!

Real Estate Salespeople and Managers—a Special Breed

Approximately ninety percent of all real estate salespeople and managers have behavioral styles that are highly aggressive and/or promotional. That’s not like the normal population! In other words, we like people and we charge ahead (my motto is, when all else fails, read the directions……). Only fifty percent of the normal population exhibits those behavioral styles. Other styles are more task focused and embrace procedure.

Yes, we salespeople-types have special talents—and special challenges. Our biggest challenge is focus. We’re great with people. We get into action fast. Our problem is that people and actions pull us in various directions, and we lose the one thing that drives us toward our goals—focus. The first and biggest benefit a coach can give us is to keep us focused.

Coaches Provide Much-Needed Models and Systems

Models and systems are woefully lacking in our real estate industry. After all, we’re the people who’ve always said, “Fake it until you make it.” What if your surgeon said that? Or your accountant? Historically, we real estate professionals have had an aversion to following procedures. Yet, in the world of business, systems are the basis of all business growth. For us too, systematizing is the best way we can build big, profitable businesses. A competent coach uses and teaches proven models and systems and processes that do more than stop our crisis management. They teach us how to think about our business.

A Coach Helps You move Faster and With More Confidence

Armed with great models and systems, you and your coach have a common language from which to work. You will benefit from gaining focus. You will accomplish more faster, gain greater confidence, and be able to set higher goals as a result of your coaching experience and relationship.

Why Not Check out our Exclusive, Custom Coaching Program?

This IS NOT for NEWBIES! And, it’s not a ‘cookie-cutter’ program (a training program hiding out as coaching….). This program is a fully customized, true coaching program for seasoned agents. Also, we only have real estate professional coaches–coaches who have been successful selling real estate! Why not check out our unique Career Achievement Coaching, and schedule a Complimentary Consultation?

Categories Coaching, Experienced agent, goals, New Real Estate Agents, Real estate as a career, Real Estate Sales, Real Estate Success, Real estate systems, Training
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Can You Afford NOT to Hire a Coach?

by Carla Cross

July 23rd, 2019

Waiting until you’re successful to hire a coach may not be your best strategy. Read why hiring a coach–before you’re ready–can be the best decision you can make!

Money is tight. You are experiencing more challenges than you thought possible in real estate sales. Who can afford a coach? Well, maybe now is the time you CAN”T afford NOT to hire one.

Ask yourself: How are you going to get better? How are you going to break through those ceilings of achievement? Have you been ‘trying harder’? Doesn’t work, does it?

“I’ll Get Coaching and Training from My Company”

How’s that working out for you? The real estate industry is cyclical. You’ve heard people say that. There are ‘buyers’ markets, and ‘sellers’ markets. There’s another way the real estate industry is cyclical, too. It’s cyclical in its approach to supporting its agents. When I started in real estate, (almost three decades ago!), there was no training. Then, companies started training programs. When I went into management in the early 1980’s, we were also taught to coach agents to higher productivity. But, as money got tight, and real estate companies became less profitable, they dumped their training programs. They asked managers to also sell. Just ask any selling manager today whether they have time to train and coach……….you know the answer. It’s ‘no’.

Coaching is Big in the World of Business Today

However, in the world of business generally, coaching has become a big thing. It’s even swept into the realm of real estate again in the form of paid, independent coaching programs. But, you may be one of those who says, “I don’t need a coach. I’m a self-starter. I can reach my goals on my own.” Having been in real estate for three decades, I’ve heard that comment a lot. But, my experience has shown me that almost everyone benefits from coaching.

Skills Come from Practice and Coaching Assistance

As a pianist since I was four years old, I know that peak performance comes only with practice—perfect practice. And, therein lies the rub. When you attempt to learn to play the piano by yourself, without a teacher, you can’t hear yourself play. You can’t make adjustments fast enough alone. You need a great piano teacher who is helping you assess your performance, make adjustments, and challenges you to stretch to higher goals. The difference between one person’s success in any field and another lies, in part, in their comparable skills. All experienced pianists can put their hands on the keys. They can play the notes. But, most pianists haven’t mastered playing the notes. They haven’t mastered the interpretation. That takes practice and coaching.

Could You Benefit from Coaching?

If you’re:

Not optimizing your talents
Not attaining your goals
Spending too much time spinning your wheels
Spending too much money for little return
Hitting ceilings of achievement

You will benefit from a professional business coach.

What Your Coach Can Do For You

Help you focus on our goals so we get there faster.
Motivate you to get into meaningful action.
Encourage you to keep on keeping on.
Offer resources for new ideas so we can take a different look.
Appreciate your efforts when no one else seems to!

Real Estate Salespeople and Managers—a Special Breed

Approximately ninety percent of all real estate salespeople and managers have behavioral styles that are highly aggressive and/or promotional. That’s not like the normal population! In other words, we like people and we charge ahead (my motto is, when all else fails, read the directions……). Only fifty percent of the normal population exhibits those behavioral styles. Other behavioral styles are more task focused and embrace procedure. Yes, we salespeople-types have special talents—and special challenges.

We Real Estate People’s Biggest Challenge

Our biggest challenge is focus. We’re great with people. We get into action fast. Our problem is that people and actions pull us in various directions, and we lose the one thing that drives us toward our goals—focus. The first and biggest benefit a coach can give us is to keep us focused.

Coaches Provide Much-Needed Models and Systems

Models and systems are woefully lacking in our real estate industry. After all, we’re the people who’ve always said, “Fake it until you make it.” What if your surgeon said that? Or your accountant? Historically, we real estate professionals have had an aversion to following procedures. Yet, in the world of business, systems are the basis of all business growth. For us too, systematizing is the best way we can build big, profitable businesses. A competent coach uses proven models and systems and processes that do more than stop our crisis management. They teach us how to think about our business.

A Coach Helps You move Faster and With More Confidence

Want to see if coaching may be for you? Take this evaluator.

Check out our unique coaching programs here.

Categories accountability, action plan, Business Plan, Coaching, Experienced agent, goals, mentor, New Real Estate Agents, Real estate as a career, Real Estate Sales, Real Estate Success, Real estate systems, Training
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Has Your Manager Shared His/Her Expectations with You?

by Carla Cross

July 3rd, 2019

Has your manager shared his/her expectations with you?

A survey I did a few years ago of 155 new agents revealed some compelling facts. For example, most agents coming into the business today as ‘full-time’ careerists have high expectations. 92% of the new agents surveyed expected to make more than the median income of all Realtors. The most stunning statistic, though, from these new agents, was that 65% expected incomes in the $31,000 to 75,000 range–their first year in the business! This survey of new agents was done to gather research for Carla Cross’s book, What They Don’t Teach You in Pre-License School.

New agents need to be focused on business development—not training

Another stunning finding from the research was that 62% of the new agents expected to get a check in their first sixty days in the business! They expect to hit the ground running.

To do this, the new agent’s focus needs to be on business development, not on training. Normally, companies put the new agent into a ‘curriculum based’ program to tell them everything they’ll ever need to know about real estate. Unfortunately, the new agent thinks that all that knowledge equals success in real estate. That’s wrong.

Creating Success, not Useless Knowledge

New agents create early success when they focus on a business start-up plan that contained heavy business-producing activities. If you’re a new agent, you have to develop the mental toughness to ignore information that’s not critical to your business production. If you don’t, your money will run out before you learn everything! (Give it up; you’ll never know everything!)

Your expectations may vary from your manager’s expectations of you.

If the new agent expects high earnings fast, what did his manager expect from him? Most of the new agent respondents from the survey didn’t know. They hadn’t asked, and the manager, in the interview, had not volunteered to share any management expectations.

No News is Good News?

71% of the respondents didn’t know even the minimum expectations of their managers–the minimum production standards they would have to meet to have their contracts renewed the second year (or to be retained during any start-up period). To assure that the new agent and manager see ‘eye to eye’, both parties need to agree on mutual expectations in writing prior to hiring on.

Not only getting the ‘what’ in writing, but the ‘how’. Even agreeing on minimum activity and production standards doesn’t assure that the new agent will meet his goals with the full support of his/her manager. The new agent needs to see the ‘how’—exactly how that manager will coach the new agent to quick success. If you’re a new agent, you need to see the exact business activity plan* that you will be coached to. You also need proof that the plan has worked with others in the past to deliver the results you expect of yourself your first month, quarter, and year in the business.

Matching expectations assures no surprises and gets planned results. Take the wishing out of business expectations. Both new agent and manager need to get expectations in writing, agree on a business start-up plan, and start working together with mutual accountability to partner in great results. Your manager must be accountable to coaching you on a regular basis with a proven business start-up plan. You, the new agent, must be accountable to do the activities in the plan. Together, you will achieve your mutual goals.

Here’s the right combination of knowledge, skill and ACTION to get a sale in eight weeks–or get really close! If you’re not experiencing the success you expected, why not give yourself the gift of this proven business start-up plan? You’ll reach those goals and establish life-long business habits to ever greater success! Check it out **here!**

Categories 5th Edition Up and Running in 30 Days, accountability, action plan, Business Plan, Coaching, creative training methods, lead generation, new agent business plan, New Real Estate Agents, Real estate as a career, Sales Strategies, Training, Up and Running in Real Estate, What They Don't Teach You in PreLicense School
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Your Goldmine: Are You Cultivating a Database that Rocks?

by Carla Cross

June 28th, 2019

Your goldmine: Are you cultivating a database that rocks? Do you even have one yet? Most new agents are certainly not ‘database freaks’. In fact, I estimate less than 5% of agents under a year in the business even have a ‘purged’ (up to date) database! And, I estimate less than 25% have even any sort of populated database. How are they gathering and managing all those contacts they are getting from their lead generation? They aren’t–or they aren’t lead generating.

Social Networking has Taken the Place of Databases, Carla–You old Fuddy-Duddy…..

I know. You just love social networking. You could spend hours on it (in fact, you do). You go to all those classes on social networking, and, by golly, you know more about it than your manager. Don’t get too cocky yet.

There are two problems you’re creating for yourself by relying on social networking to keep track of your contacts:

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1. You are probably spending too much time at your computer and not enough time meeting real people and forming relationships. Remember, buying a home is not like buying a set of knives. You’ll have to work hard to establish a trusting relationship. Most of us aren’t good enough at writing to do that without finally meeting someone.

2. You are not gathering your future goldmine–your database full of people who are going to love you and what you do.

Who do you ‘Own’?

Here’s the problem with relying on the social networking sites to keep track of your potential clients. You don’t own them. The social networking site could go out of business. It could start charging you. It could sell your contacts. That’s why you need to ‘own’ those contacts in your own database. Now, you can create a marketing plan. You can communicate with those people on a schedule.

Also: You want to be able to put in notes about those you meet: Their birthdays, their anniversaries, their addresses, their kids’ names, their dogs/cats’ names…..those things that signal to them that you care more about them than just a commission!

Start and Populate your Database Intensely

You’re a newer agent. You want to make money fast. You want to establish a solid long-term career. Become a ‘database freak’ so that you can remember all those wonderful people you met. Lead generation is the most important part of the sales business. Doing a lot of it assures high income. That means tracking all those people you meet. It takes more than one communication to create a loyal client.

New Agent Key to Success: Right Priorities

Those of you who have used Up and Running in 30 Days to start your careers know that I have worked hard to prioritize your business for you so that you are successful quickly, and gain business management habits for life. I’ve prioritized types of business, best sources of leads, and all the activities you’ll do to get started quickly. I want you to prioritize your technology activities, too. Remember, you’re a salesperson.

Become that database freak and see your business develop quickly.

The Easy Way to Launch Your Business to Success

**Up and Running in Real Estate** is like Up and Running in 30 Days ‘on steroids’. Get a proven system to follow. Get the training you need in 25 short videos. Why not struggle? Start fast! ***Check it out here.***

Categories 5th Edition Up and Running in 30 Days, customer loyalty, customer service, lead generation, Marketing, New Real Estate Agents, Real estate as a career, Real Estate Sales, Real Estate Success, Real estate systems, Sales Strategies
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Lead Generation: What The Experts Say Now

by Carla Cross

June 21st, 2019

Lead Generation: What The Experts Say NOW

You’ve heard lead generation is important. But, do you really believe it? Or, are you like thousands of new agents, looking for a different, a better, an easier way to sell real estate? If you’re one of those looking to reject lead generation as the principle for success, you’re not alone. That’s why the failure rate of new agents is so high! The vast majority fail to start lead generating in time to save their businesses!

My Business Start-Up Plan Again Updated

Dearborn Education Company has published the fifth edition of my business start-up plan, Up and Running in 30 Days. Of course, this business start-up plan accentuates lead generation. For the fifth edition, I’ve added new studies, along with advice and observations from top-producing newer agents and their coaches.

Although all successful real estate agents have embraced lead generation as their main reason for success, the majority of real estate pros haven’t acknowledged this same importance of lead generation until the last few years.

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Up and Running in 30 Days puts lead generation front and center as THE main activity real estate agents do to be exceptionally successful.

One of the studies I included in this latest edition of Up and Running in 30 Days was How to Fix New Agent Onboarding, a special report from Inman Select.

Inman Survey: New Agents Are Unprepared for the Realities of Working Independently

One of the big principles in Up and Running in 30 Days is to reveal how agents succeeded—and why they failed. One of the big takeaways of this report is that three-quarters of the respondents said new agents fail in large part because they are unprepared for the realities for working as an independent contractor.

The study revealed that, though some large franchises and boutique companies’ training programs were highly rated, it’s not enough to assure success. Other support systems, mainly coaching and mentoring, were deemed as needed to assure the new agent transferred the knowledge and skills gained in class to ‘real life’. In other words, lead generation activities need to be featured AND coached to.

Does Your Training/Coaching Spotlight Lead Generation?

In that Inman Select survey I mentioned earlier, How to Fix New Agent Onboarding, 47% of respondents stated lead generation is critical in initial training. And, they observed most new agents struggled with lead generation. That’s why this Up and Running start-up plan is so important to follow to the letter!

Inman also noted that new agents spend too much time on marketing and too little time on lead generation.

Which kind of agent will you be—or are you? One who gets after it by contacting many people each week so you have great leads? Or, the kind of agent who rejects active lead generation and looks for ‘an easier way’? It’s as simple as embracing success or predicting failure!

What is the reason you believe new agents fail?

You’ve observed agents coming in and out of your office. Why do you think they fail? What can we do, as trainers and managers, to assure a better success rate?

Take a look at what’s new in Up and Running in 30 Days: updates in 5th edition. This invaluable book is only $32.95 plus shipping, and has been used by thousands of new agents to launch successful careers. Order here.

Categories 5th Edition Up and Running in 30 Days, Business Plan, goals, income, lead generation, mentor, New Real Estate Agents, onboarding, Real estate as a career, Real Estate Success, retention, Training, Up and Running in 30 Days, Up and Running in Real Estate
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How Much Energy are You Putting into Inaction?

by Carla Cross

June 13th, 2019

How much energy are you putting into inaction?

In the 5th edition of Up and Running in 30 Days. In it, I’ve included lots of up-to-the-minute updates to our business. You can read some of them, in these blogs.

Click here to see the updates in my fifth edition of Up and Running in 30 Days.

Below is an excerpt from this edition of the book.

Real Estate Sales IS Challenging!

I’ll bet you didn’t know how challenging real estate sales were until now. To cope with those challenges, your creative subconscious may be coming up with ways to convince you to avoid getting into action. You might even start believing your subconscious!

One of the most common reasons new agents (and some seasoned ones) don’t get into action is the old “I can’t do that because I don’t know enough.”

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Or, maybe your subconscious has convinced you that you’re not organized enough to get into action, or that you’re not perfect enough.

Getting Ready to Get Ready

Ned, an agent in my office, acted in a way that is an example of creative avoidance. In the business eight months, Ned had made only one sale. However, he was in the office regularly and appeared busy with paperwork. He attended law courses and was well-informed on financing. One day I saw Ned collating maps. I asked him what he was doing. He explained that he was putting together a series of maps for a buyer’s tour. I thought that was exceptional; buyers would really want to know the whereabouts of the homes they were seeing.

Does What You’re Doing Matter?

Unfortunately, Ned had used his strategy with only six buyers—all the buyers he had put in his car in the past eight months! He had spent his time on this nifty map system, but had not talked to enough people to get them into the car—or have the opportunity to appreciate the map system! Which is more important to your goal attainment—talking to people, qualifying them, and showing them homes, or working diligently on a map system in case you find someone who wants you to show them homes?

How People Get into Action

How do you “get into action”? In a wonderful book, The Conative Connection, Kathy Kolbe explores the ways different personalities get into action—not how we learn, but how we get into action. Some people barge ahead and worry about the details later. We start badly, but, because we’re tenacious, we surprise people by how good we finally get. Unfortunately, our supervisors often remember only how bad we were when we started. We must be tough-minded and keep at it; we must retain an image of ourselves as “finished products,” because others will not see us that way. Other people observe the action for a long time. Finally, when we feel ready to perform well, we get into action. We start slowly but well.

Positive reinforcement? Because of our slow start, we don’t get much positive reinforcement from our supervisors (or coach or manager), who note our lack of progress compared with others in the office. If slow starters are tenacious and believe in themselves, they become very good because they practice perfectly. Kolbe points out several “get into action” styles. This book will help you pinpoint your “get into action” style as well as the barriers and challenges you face as you start your real estate career.

Embrace Embarrassment

Go ahead—be embarrassed. There is no way to be experienced until you get experience. No agents like to take risks, be embarrassed, or have buyers and sellers guess that they are new in the business. But face it—everyone has been new in the business. Just go ahead and get those first few months over with. You will be embarrassed every day—many times. As a new agent, my most common statement to buyers or sellers was “I don’t know, but I’ll find out.” In music, little could stump me—but in real estate anything could stump me! Still, I muddled through it, and you will, too.

* Big Idea: Your ability to get into action and risk being embarrassed is one of the attributes of a successful new agent.

Why not take your time? I’ve interviewed prospective agents who told me they really didn’t want to sell real estate right away. They wanted to learn everything they could. Then, after six or eight months, they would feel ready to sell real estate. It doesn’t work that way! I wish I could tell you that you can successfully launch your real estate career by taking lots of time to “get ready.” However, if you take all the time in the world, you will fail. Why? Because you will lose your enthusiasm and motivation. You’ll start telling yourself you really can’t do it!

Real estate is a performance art. It doesn’t matter how much you know; it only matters how you interact with people. And that takes practice and performance. To remember and emulate good performance, we need to perform right after we have heard, seen, and practiced that performance. Learning something in a class and letting that skill lie dormant for months just guarantees poor skill—and high stress.

* Big Idea: 99 percent of what we learn we learn by doing.

On a scael of 1-10, 10 being “I jump right into action”, how would you rate yourself in getting into action?

Do You Have a Proven Start-Up Plan with Inspiration Built In?

Up and Running in 30 Days has lots of up-to-the-minute updates. Plus, a proven, prioritized business start-up plan with inspiration, motivation, and action items built in. Check it out!

Categories 5th Edition Up and Running in 30 Days, accountability, Business Plan, Experienced agent, Motivation, New Real Estate Agents, Real estate as a career, Real Estate Sales, time management, Up and Running in 30 Days
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The 10 Commandments to Follow to Get the Best from Your Manager

by Carla Cross

June 5th, 2019

Here are the 10 commandments to follow to get the best from your manager.

I’m sure you’ve told your manager what you want from him/her. And, the manager has eagerly agreed to give it to you! But, what’s your responsibility to the firm?

From working as an agent for 8 years, and managing agents for almost two decades, I’ve drawn some conclusions about the ‘turnabout’s fair play’ that I believe agents owe managers. I’ve also listed these in the Up and Running in 30 Days, because, I believe if managers are willing to give 100% support through training and coaching each agent to success, agents need to give it their best, too.

Here are agents’ ten commandments to get what you want from your manager:

Do the work.
Don’t argue.
Don’t make excuses for not doing your start-up plan.
Don’t tell the manager you’ve been in the business two weeks and you have a better way.
Do thank your manager frequently.
Do tell other agents that you appreciate your manager’s efforts.
Do tell other new agents you meet in other companies that you have a great manager.
Don’t bug other people in the office to find another answer because you didn’t like your manager’s answer.
Don’t change the Up and Running plan because you “don’t like it”. (You just don’t like lead generating, do you?)
Don’t miss a coaching appointment!

I’d love to hear what you think of my ‘ten commandments.’ Are there others you think are important?

Managers: Why not make your own ten commandments and discuss them in your interview process. Then, turn the tables and ask the agent about his expectations of you and the office.

Agents: Before you hire on, get in writing exactly what your manager is going to do to assure your success, so you won’t have disappointments later. Getting agreement on what we both expect before we decide to work together is key to a happy partnership. The only surprises I want you and your agent to have after you start working together are good ones!

Side note: Managers: My belief is that you owe it to your agents to coach each one, regularly and professionally, in starting his or her business. That shows your 100% commitment to each person’s success.

Are You Achieving What You Want?

Many times, we’re not achieving as we desired because we’re not following the right plan–or a plan at all! Why not get on track with the plan that thousands of agents have used to succeed? It’s online now, too. Check out Up and Running in Real Estate. It’s so affordable, at only $249, and it’s instantly available to you. In 8 weeks, it will take you from 0 to successful.

Click here to find out more.

Categories 5th Edition Up and Running in 30 Days, Coaching, expectations, Experienced agent, Interviewing, manager, New Real Estate Agents, onboarding, Real estate as a career, Real Estate Sales, real estate team, selection, Training, Up and Running in 30 Days, Up and Running in Real Estate
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Do You Know What Your Manager Expects from You?

by Carla Cross

June 1st, 2019

Do you know what your manager expects from you?

I’m consulting with a real estate company about their onboarding procedures. Besides our wanting to assure that the procedure is as close to perfect as it can get, we want to assure, too, that the agent who’s joining understands his/her responsibilities to the firm and to the whole team. Does that sound fair to you?

You Know What They Promised–What Did YOU Promise?

When you interviewed, I bet you asked your manager what that manager and company were going to do for you. Did you find out what the expectations were from you to the company? I’ll bet not. So, in these next two blogs, I’ll tell you what I think the agent should do for the company. Why?

To get the best from your manager, you must give your best. It starts with expectation sharing, and that’s what we’ll discuss here.

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Good Managers: Always Working on Getting Better

Managers study how to attract and keep agents. They learn how to do recruiting presentations that they hope are mesmerizing to their candidates–so mesmerizing that they’ll say yes when offered a position in the company. They don’t rest on their laurels; they hone their skills so they’re better managers, trainers, and coaches. In other words, good managers are always working on how to be better resources, coaches, and trainers for their agents.

What’s the Company Getting from You?

My eighth grade teacher, Mrs. Taylor, had wonderful sayings that she would drop on us at opportune times. These either kept us attentive or scared the you-know-what out of us! They included, “Time passes. Will you?” and “to each his own, as she kissed the cow.” (Well, some were better than others). The saying I’m remembering now, though, was, “Turnabout’s fair play”. In other words, if you mess with Mrs. Taylor, you will get the appropriate treatment! And, if you cooperate and get your work done, you’ll get appropriate treatment, too. So, let’s apply that idea to the relationship and expectations of agents and managers.

Did You Exchange Mutual Expectations in the Interview?

The real estate industry is the only industry I know that hires with a “trust me” from both the manager and the agent. No mutual expectations here, just promises! It may have worked in the past, but it won’t work in the future. A challenging market and/or challenging clients mean we’ll have to do things differently. Managers should have a list of what the manager and company will do for the agent–and what is expected from an agent. This is the Mutual Expectations agreement. As a new agent, you should have gone over that agreement in the interview. (There is an example mutual expectations agreement in Up and Running in 30 Days, the new agent’s business start-up plan).

Consequences of the Mutual Expectations Agreement

Managers are constantly concerned about retention. Providing a mutual expectations dialogue and agreement is one of the best retention tools in the world–hiring agents who promise to go to work! Experienced agents love the fact that the manager is not hiring deadwood to just get in their way and pull down the reputation of the company.

What’s In It for the New Agent?

In my book What They Don’t Teach You in Pre-License School, I surveyed hundreds of agents in the business less than three months. I asked them, “What number of transactions do you have to complete in your first year to avoid being terminated?” 71% did not know! Now, would you take any job where you didn’t know the expectations? Yet, most managers avoid telling those expectations–if they have them. And, agents avoid asking because they don’t want to know. However, if you don’t know what’s expected of you, how will you know if you’re achieving? How will you know if the start-up plan your manager is using with you (your manager is using a start-up plan, I hope….) will get you to your goals? And most important, how will you know if what you’re doing is going to get you to the goals YOU want to achieve?

Lack of Expectations Is a Bad Thing…

If your manager didn’t discuss expectations with you, what does that mean? Probably that anything you do will be okay. That is, you can fail. You can fail to achieve your goals. You can avoid doing the work that needs to be done–and there are no consequences. You know that’s not a good thing. So, if you don’t know those expectations, go to your manager right now and get them. That’s a good thing!

In my next blog, I’ll give you 10 commandments that agents should learn and follow to assure they get the best from their company and manager.