Making the Team Concept Work

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RISMEDIA, July 28, 2008-In any group of people working toward a common goal, different personalities are an element to contend with. In a real estate team, personality conflicts can be fatal to the business. What are some behaviors that can cause a team to fail? Read LA team leader Brad Korb’s insights and how to manage them.

Brad Korb
The Brad Korb Team
RE/MAX in Action
Years in real estate: 29
Years as an agent team: 7
Number of team members: 10
Region Served: North Los Angeles County
I formed an agent team…so we could have specializations and greater efficiencies

How many team members are on your team and what are their respective roles?
Of our ten team members the breakdown works like this: One team member is a listing and marketing coordinator; one is the sales coordinator and she works on new sales so once the contract is signed she coordinates everything from the signature to the closing. Then I have an executive assistant who is in control of my day. For my part, I do all the listings and act as the rainmaker/listing specialist. We have a team courrier who takes the photos and makes sure the flyers are in the brochure boxes, does hand deliveries, meets appraisers and checks to make sure signs are in good order and where they should be, etc. Then we have a receptionist who we call the “director of first impressions,” an escrow person who also manages the office and does all of the paperwork for bank foreclosures and, last but not least, we have three buyer’s agents who work with our buyers.

How do you effectively delegate and maximize efficiency of the team?
One of the most important things is that each team member specializes in a certain area, which keeps me focused on dollar-productive activities.

What are some critical components of making the agent team concept successful? We all work together as a team and we are all here to help each other.

What behaviors/practices must be avoided? What will cause a team to fail?
The biggest thing that could bring down a team is negativity so you need to make sure it doesn’t come into the office. I have a positive attitude and I try to instill it in the office by walking the walk. I always try to put a positive spin on everything.

Success Strategies

How do you maintain profitability with an agent team?
I try to keep the team members focused, motivated and happy. Then I try to get them to be goal oriented. What’s our goal and what do we need to do to get there?

How do you ensure cohesiveness among team members?
We do team building activities together. We go to dinner together. We’ve gone bowling as a group, we go to baseball games as a group and we have team events.

What are some tips for keeping everyone focused on the same goal?
I have reviews with each individual team member on a weekly basis. As for the buyer’s agents, they come in and they should have certain times in their day for follow-up calls to their “A” buyers, their “B” buyers and their “C” buyers. We also have our buyer’s agents prospect. They can’t just wait for the calls to come in-they have to make phone calls to get new business.

What are some signs to watch for that might indicate your team is in trouble?
It goes back to the negative attitude. If they are negative, it affects our listings and then our bottom line. So, on a daily basis we make sure we are being positive.

What’s the one thing your team can’t live without?
A positive attitude.

What is your personal philosophy for a successful life in real estate?
I focus on what matters to my clients. And then of course I focus on my family and my relationships. I come into the office every day with a smile on my face and I make a gratitude list. I ask my team members, “What are the five things in the morning you are happy for today?” There has to be at least five things. Sometimes it’s as simple as hearing the birds chirping and seeing the sunshine.

–Lesley Geary

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