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No Sales Meetings?

Yesterday I was thinking about a colleague who moved to a new real estate brokerage a few years back and was telling us what a great place it was. And one of the things he loved the most was that there were no weekly business meetings.

And that's a good thing?

Our meetings are Tuesday mornings, and I rarely miss one. But I have to say that my broker makes them interesting.

It starts with the agenda she passes out, always with a funny little quote. Today's?

"Everyone has a plan 'till they get punched in the mouth." That would be words of wisdom from Mike Tyson! Guess he's a guy who's had to tweak his business plan from time to time!

And there are almost always enough success stories that if I'm not one of them, I know it's me and not our local market.

There are often guests who update us on everything from green renovations to how to stay out of jail for harassing some poor slob appraiser who comes in way too low on one of our sales. We cover updates on changes in the ground rules for doing our jobs, things about our local and national economy that impact sales, and upcoming training, both in house and sessions offered by title companies and national trainers.

And as new challenges come up in the process of getting a house from under contract to settled, we share our war stories and goof ups so our colleagues might learn from our experiences.

These meetings are not mandatory - it's hard for any broker to make them mandatory for independent contractors. But our meetings are interesting enough to attract almost all of the agents in the office.

I, for one, would not find no meetings to be a plus in any office where I worked. And I probably wouldn't work someplace where the meetings were a bore or a snore.

Posted by Patricia Kennedy on 06/25/2009 10:27 AM

Comments (104)

Office Meetings in the Training Channel

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104 Comments on No Sales Meetings?

JUN

You are lucky if your manager "gets it" and knows how to make a meeting interesting...too many offices have a meeting because it's Tuesday with nothing of real interest or importance to say and then they wonder why attendance falls off...snoooooooooorrrrrrrrrrrrrre.

I could not agree more! It's important to stay current on so many topics the best way to do that is with weekly meetings.

Hello, Pat,

Although our meetings can run hot and cold, it is one of the few things I deem necessary. We then caravan new listings - doubly critical. Some of my fellow agents don't share my view on the Tuesday commitment, but most of the time the proof is in the pudding...

"Everyone has a plan 'till they get punched in the mouth." that's quite a quote I think I would like your broker. Adjust as needed.

I too like meetings, for the content and the regularity of them.

I love not having office meetings I have worked at both. It ends up as chat session alley afterwards. I am more productive and do more business without them but then again that's not for everyone and some people need that interaction and motivation which is fine.

I worked in an office for just over two years with sporadic sales meetings and since we were a sister office to a resort area anchor office, we occasionally had to drive thirty miles or so to go to that one. We rarely had anything of significance presented and the big one became an ad for "You need to buy this" insurance, flooring, use this mortgage company, or this really expensive software. It was a waste of time and a joke.

Now I am with a company where the broker not only gets it, but also does short training sessions for us all, too. Never overwhelming, always significant in some way, and always well attended. I'm with you. I would not work again with a company with no weekly sales meeting. Been there. Glad I'm gone.

I wish I could say we have them on a regular basis. But when we do they are interesting for sure. I enjoy them, interesting thing, many agents just complain or don't show. I will say no more.

I love the quote: "Everyone has a plan 'till they get punched in the mouth."

As always, great post Pat.

Pat - I agree with you about our meetings. I always regret missing one, like I did yesterday. (I'll have to bring our broker a note from my contractor.)

Another reason to attend them is if you're new or a recent addition to the brokerage. You get to meet and bond with your colleagues.

The key is to make them interesting and informative -- worth coming to. I know the Maryland Real Estate Commission requires Brokers to keep a log of the agents who come so, if there is some trouble down the road, there won't be a question as to how the Broker provided plenty of opportunity for "adequate supervision". In other words, it may be best for agents to attend the meetings even if they're boring so the Broker will stand in your corner, if the need arises.

Hi Pat

Having a regular scheduled productive sales meeting can be a valued resource for the sales team.

Good luck and success.

Lou Ludwig

Pat - When I worked for a large office I looked forward to weekly meetings. Most of the time they contained timely information, trends, watch-outs, and camaraderie. To me they were important

Pat, I see two sides to this coin. Some agents as independent contractors don't want mandatory meetings even if informational, and others like the distribution of all the news and information between colleagues. It just depends which model fits your business best. Whichever mode you feel more productive in is the way you should want it.

Pat - sounds like your meetings are well worth the time. I think they can be a mixed bag depending on the brokerage and other factors. My first office back in Boston had monthly meetings that were terrific. Out here my office had an occasional meeting, meaning several times a year but recently has started up weekly meetings.

Jeff

I think it's about content. I spend a ton of time on them and try to make them a large part of what I do. I have always felt that I have failed if people don't find them a strong use of their time!

Pat ---OK -- this is most interesting to me. I absolutely "hate" (and I don't hate) a meeting just to say we are having a weekly meeting. Sounds as though your broker makes it very interesting -- my meeting are twice a month and they are always educational. If I don't have a reason to have a meeting, I refuse to have the meeting. Too many brokers don't prepare for their meetings and they become so disorganized.

Mama Liz's Signature

Hi Pat, I think it's great to get together, as team spirit is infectious. And, I think hearing about what is going on with others in your office is quite beneficial.

Hi Pat... clearly your broker takes the time and makes the ffort to make your meetings worth attending. The reason attendance at many sales meetings is lackluster is that many brokers do little to make them interesting and/or non-repetitive. When the same agenda and information is repeated regularly (or the meeting is continually starting late or runs on too long) it ceases to be worthwhile for many agents.

Pat..Our meetings are once a month..interesting ..and we get a full course breakfast..Who can resist free food these days..Thank you

HelpfulHannah

Our office has meetings most Wednesdays and I make it a habit to attend as many as I can. Some are more interesting then others but with all the changes taking place now a days it is important to keep up.

JUN

Until recently I worked for offices where meetings took place monthly, not weekly. Even so, my most recent brokerage had meetings worth missing because they were usually extremely negative and provided few, if any, industry updates. It's hard for me to get into the habit of weekly meetings now after 20+ years, but I nearly always learn something new from my very positive and helpful manager and other agents in attendance. Content and attitude are king in meetings, as well as blogging.

Patricia-

It sounds like our brokers/managers took the same training courses! We always have a quote or story to go with the agenda. An occasional funny internet clip on the screen or a guest full of relevant information! It really does make a difference as our meetings are usually very well attended! Occasional treats / breakfast helps too!!!

I'm BIG believer in weekly meetings - but I have to say the growing trend is away from them...sad to say..

I learn a lot from our office meetings. These guys (my brokers) job is to learn about anything new, tweaked or otherwise that will keep me out of trouble. That allows me to do my job of selling while they are combing legalities to inform me of changes that affect me and the office meeting is when those discoveries come out.

Like Liz, I am a huge advocate for weekly evaluation and brainstorming meetings.

They tend to hold you accountable and keep you on track.

I love meetings !

We meet once a month and I like that. I think a meeting is a plus too!

I do like occasional meetings that are productive, interesting and conveniently scheduled.

We meet every Tuesday also. I have a trainer that conducts the meeting and we also bring in guest speakers and we also have lunch(paid for by me-broker/owner).

Congrats on the feature:)

I am considering looking at new horizons... :) I have been with the same company since I started..and I really don't know anything else...

Pat: I want to come to YOUR meetings. I haven't been to one of ours since the beginning of the year. Same old, same old. And they take up two hours!

Patricia,

To meet or not to meet...??? Let's call a meeting and settle this once and for all...!!! LOL

Thanks, Fran

P.S. Hmmm...Mike Tyson...!!! Is that the chicken guy...???

I am not one of the people who love meetings, but I think they are great for the folks who like to get together and chat. An ideal way for me would be for the legal updates and timely information to be sent via email or posted on the company blog, so it is available to all the agents, especially when there are business related reasons that keep some from attending.

Hi Patricia ~ I always try to attend my offices weekly meetings! It helps to stay informed and up to date on current happenings. We always have a tour of new listings after each meeting. It is a great way to see and share new listings. Sellers love it as well.

And, every once in a while, I get impress the office with some "hot off the press" information that I read about on ActiveRain that no one has heard about yet! I always check to see what is happening on AR in the a.m. and if I find anything pertinent to our discussion that morning, I'll pass it along.

Our meetings are not bad... we only have two a month and I think our manager does a pretty good job of keeping them interesting.

Ours are on Tuesday too, the weeks we don't have meetings we often have workshops in the office, this past Tuesday was a funny topic, a recap of the sales meeting the week before for those who did NOT make it to the office meeting. I wonder how many showed up? There was lots of important stuff covered. I should talk, I skipped meetings most of 2008 but made a New Years resolution to show up. I think our manager IS not as big a meeting person as our old manager (probably 8, 9 years ago now) .... but he makes them less the same.

I have found tweeting during the meeting helps my sanity. Nothing confidential or company secrets of course...

Here in Mason County Washington, we definitely know how to host a meeting. Its my favorite part of the week! We often enter the meeting room, our broker has some jams playin, hes always giving us information and telling jokes, then we tour as an office. The meeting is the chance for us to all wake up and get hopped up on coffee and sugar!

Hi Pat

As the broker and sales trainer I know how valuable meetings can and should be. It takes planning aheard to find relevant topics that will be intesting,informative and create conversation and debate. I also invite guest speakers to share whatever expertise we need at the time. It is not mandatory for seasoned agents to attend but newbies are required. As the broker - I am required to teach them proper ways of doing biz - az law mandate - and I agree with it ! If I were to find that the meetngs were BORING, I'd find another way! Love your brokers for making sales meetings GREAT - that takes work and doesn't happen by itself!

When I was just an agent I apprcieated the meetings because the brokers made them relevant and it was fun getting together and brainstorming.

Our company meets every other Tuesday but we have weekly tours of new properties on the market. I get a tremendous education from our meetings whether it is changes to our MLS, new city ordinances, or social networking updates.

A company who does not have regular meetings is only putting forth unknowledgeable agents.

Pat - I used to find office sales meeting of little value .... I now prefer sharing information on-line.

I used to laugh to myself because it seemed like most people only attended for the free doughnuts and bagels.

We have three meetings per month which is not that bad. I like to know what is going on within the office and since change is a constant in our industry I like to attend. I am fortunate that my broker holds useful and valuable meetings. If they were not then I would not attend :-)

We meet twice a month which always causes a lot of new content to be shared. As a sales mngr. for

the last 18 years, it gets more difficult to provide value( a clear cut reason to attend) on a weekly

basis. I refuse to bring a group of agents in just to read announcements, have yet another

mortgage person read their rate sheet to us, or sic some vendor on them trying to sell them

something !!!!!

Pat - We have never had regular weekly meetings at our company, and I guess I attract others who hate meetings as much as I do. I simply don't have enough stuff to talk about every week. We have meetings as needed for training, etc.

It sounds like your broker does get it! Meetings can be productive, motivating and very rewarding; unfortunately most meetings are really a waste of time.

If you're interested in reading up on the subject I recommend a great book by Patrick Lencioni called DEATH by Meeting. It does a good job describing the many challenges of a typical meeting. It also discusses some great ideas on how to make them more productive. It's written as a Fable so it makes for a fun read.

I hate meetings for the sake of meetings, I was in politics and I had a lifetime of meetings in 10 years, most in an intense 3 year period.

If you want me to come to a meeting:

1) have an agenda

2) have stuff on the agenda that matters

3) keep people on topic

4) have a resonable time limit for the meeting

5) if there is nothing new to talk about dont be afraid to cancel the meeting!

On the other hand if you dont want me there, disregard all of the above, I'll get the hint ;)

The sales meetings in my office are essential if you want to stay on top of the local market. An MBA type, my broker keeps lots of statistics relating to local sales and trends and we are updated on a weekly basis - he's the only one I know of in Tallahassee who is tracking the market so closely. He and other very experienced agents give sage advice and strategies for making sales even in a declining market. The only reason I miss a sales meeting is if I'm at a closing.

I agree 110%....I fact we were just discussing the fact that we missed last months meeting and we need to make sure that does not happen again!!

Happy Thursday!!

Lori

Our Office Meetings are Thursdays and I think they are Great! Our office manager knows how make sure we are informed with the best and worse in the business. Sometimes we can't read everything that is going on and these meetings are what helps us stay informed.

Our office meetings are monthly, and we have a high level of participation. We enjoy the synergy and learning about new things (from office policies to regulations/requirements to local market trends and best practices.)

I understand people being busy and not wanting a weekly meeting, but no meetings at all is just crazy. As agents, we are responsible for so much that is continually changing and it often seems the people who resist sales meetings the most are often those who need them the most.

We don't have meetings in my office. I like it that way. It's part of why I left corporate America and decided to work for myself. There is always a continuing ed class going on somewhere and I attend those. There is a ton of great information sharing online and that works for me too. It's good that there are brokerage options for people who like them and those who don't.

our meetings are interesting enough to attract almost all of the agents in the office.

Meetings that are interesting, and informative, can be very valuable. I really like the fact that you share success stories in your office. You are blessed with a wise broker.

Love to read this post; as we want to make meetings meaningful and not just a time to meet. We do the same by bringing in someone to teach us something we did not know. I stopped the typical sales pitches by builders, save free lunches after our meeting at their model once a month. That too is very helpful to our agents. Cheers........

Pat, Sometimes the material is not all that interesting but really is necessary to improving agent skill-set.

I love hearing this stuff! Congrats to your manager and your office for keeping the dribble away and sticking to topics that are of interest. I always ask my self before beginning my meetings...would I want to attend? I have sat through the self absorbed meetings where the topic is "How are we going to get the coffee fund going?" Meetings need to be interactive, fun, educational and inspiring. Mst people are visual, so I like powerpoint presentations. Thanks Patricia for sharing your great office magic with us.

Pat, I've never been in an office that had a weekly meeting and doubt that I would want to be in one that did. Now as a Broker of an office, I have only held one official meeting. As a company, we've always had quarterly business meetings and an annual convention. Now, we've recently moved to monthly meetings. To be honest, I think most agents time is better used being out there with clients, etc. than sitting in meetings.

I often sit in the back and play games on my phone, (oops, the secret is out!), but my ears and brain are tuned in to the meeting. While many of the speakers go on for too long, I continue to learn, and it is good networking. We have about 180 agents in our office, it is good to see and be seen.

There are just too many managers that have meetings because it is Tuesday. Or a "what are you doing/ pick up the pace" beatdown. What a good manager can do is make the meeting interesting and have a point, build your crew up with ideas - don't crush them down.

I am such a geek that I show up early, sit on the front row and actually pay attention to the meeting.

I love seeing everyone together and figuring out the vibe in the room. There are often times where I walk out of a meeting with 5 blog topics sparked just from being there.

What is wrong with me?

Hi Pat, Contrats on the Feature. Meetings cannot be mandatory in FL, but I will look to go with an office that does have them, I think they are important.

My managing broker and I spend on average 1-2 hours a week planning our weekly sales meetings. The focus is on market stats, where the market is headed and putting this information into a format that clients can understand. We utilize guest speakers, game show formats, agent panels and small group activities to impart information. Almost every meeting is presented in a PowerPoint format and there are minutes available via email. Several times a year we do something for fun and team building, such as a road rally during tour. We do tour every week, I think getting into homes is so valuable, especially to me as a sales director, it's tough to advise agents on price without being in actual listings.

Having said that, there is still more that we can do! We continue to look for suggestions and ideas on how to improve our meetings and provide value. I also hate meetings for meetings sake and we want to pack in as much info as we can!

I've presented to many Realtor sale meetings over the years & it's interesting to see the difference from agency to agency.

Some brokers do a great job at keeping things fun & informative, and some are the most boring dreary times imaginable.

Hey Pat,

I'm lucky enough to have a great broker who really works at making our meetings productive and informative. I often wonder if the folks who NEVER attend really have all the answers . . .

Michael

Sales meetings are imporatnt.. I attend meetings becuase often enough there topics covered that I may not have been up to speed with or there may be some sales tips that is discussed and that i can use..

I'm a broker and my sales meetings are only quartly unless we have invited in a loan officer/ insurance agent/ pest control specialist... something. I don't make them boring, but I don't think they are needed weekly. Of course I do make myself available to my agents ALL the time and have contact with them about their listings and buyer clients on an on going basis.

We too have our meetings on Tuesday mornings and I rarely miss one. A lot of good information is gleaned from these meetings. We usually get about half of our agents attending, which is sad really because many of them could use the information. Good post and best of luck.

thanks for the post . We have meeting and I have to say my team is better educated and prepared for what the profession dishes out!

We have meetings all the time but as you said...no required...I'm not at most of them unless I think it's a beneficial reason. The only thing I don't like to attend is when they bring all these vendors in to try to sell you something...that's just me...if it's a class like meeting on something I can pick up as a tip ...I'll go.

Patricia,

Last year I was at our local Century 21 office. It is a small office, about 8 or 9 agents. The broker quit having office meetings because no one was coming to them but ME. In September I moved to Keller Williams, which has about 60 agents. We have weekly office meetings which are interesting to me. Next week we are having a stager to speak. But only 15 to 20 agents show up. Which I think is a shame because we usually learn something that made that hour worthwhile.

Such as, last week we learned you can't just use a resale contract for a new construction, you have to use either Incomplete or Incomplete new construction contracts.

Wow! I just got home from a day on the streets to discover a gold star and more comments than I can respond to! This seems to have hit a nerve. I think that, like so many other things in real estate, we have to find what works for us and our business and then do it. I like to camaraderie and knowledge that I find at my office's meetings. But I've worked places that did not have that, and since they couldn't make anything mandatory, I'd often stay home and work - or find a new office!

I have to agree the meetings are very useful; covering changes in laws, procedures, and the market.

I'm a broker. I have some different feelings. I HATE having meetings that people don't show up for. I hate BEGGING agents to show up to show them the new program, and they don't come. I've taken to having periodic meetings - only when something REALLY needs to be talked about.

Having said that, I send out TONS of emails. We get people going, laughing, jabbing, using email. It seems to be fast, timely, and keeps less driving time. I like the meetings, but too often I've seen companies have meetings, and say the same thing over and over. Week after week....

Whatever motivates you is good. I haven't been to too many sales meetings over the last five years, they just don't get to me. When someone from MLS brings new developments I am there. I prefer webinars that target specific knowledge that I need. This week I have been on with CDPE, Altos Research, Diverse Solutions, InvestorLoft, and today was the CRS Council on appraisal. Unfortuneately, at least in my market, Borkers just don't keep up, and can't give you the information you need.

I have worked in offices where I referred to them as the "Weekly Beating" instead of the weekly meeting! Ugghhhh....waste of my time! So when I became a manager and now a broker/trainer...WE HAVE FUN!!! It is engaging, humorous and value packed! If I am going to take agents away from their business for an hour, you better believe I am going to make it worth their while!

One of the benefits of being on ones own -- no meetings. Have had our share of those in the "big boxes" and they were always sooo boring.

I worked at an office which required meetings, and they were supposedly mandatory. But each meeting it seems the manager was either there to try to make us buy something, or informing us of new office regulations/rules. THey also had a sales award, and almost every meeting one of the 2 selling owners received award after award (top producer, top lister,...) Very demotivating to the non-owners.

Now I have my own company and there are NO meetings. Once a week I meet with each agent personally in the office or via phone. One on one.

I attended weekly meetings for years but haven't for the last 13. I always thought they were a must but with the internet making it so easy to forward important information, I don't think they are as necessary. That being said, we probably have a meeting once per quarter.

I guess I do okay with our meetings, because I usually suspend them in December (for my own sake) and have some grumbling about it. We do alot of what you do Patricia, tips, war stories, success stories, what someone learned this week, etc. I think it really is helpful for the regulars. Some don't come, but I think they have no clue what on the job training they are missing.

I thought about skipping our annual sales contest this year and the agents didn't like that at all. So we are doing one. And having fun with it, so I'm glad I didn't.

Pat...

We went from once a week to once a month ... and then we all decided that we wanted to back to once a week meetings. We enjoy the interaction and benefit from the information!

Patricia - Great point ! Those meetings can be quite informative and timely. Often times agents go to their brokers with questions all day long that were answered during the weekly or monthly meeting ! Is a great way also to have some unity and learn from your peers.

I like our monthly focus groups. We usually have around 10 agents share there thoughts on what's working for them.

Our office has monthly meetings and I have to say I look forward to them which wasn't always the case. We used to have them at our office until there wasn't enough room with the amount of agents we had. They were then moved to a room in our local library which was okay until we outgrew that too. Our last 3 monthly meetings have been breakfast meetings in a local restaurant. The atmosphere is wonderful as is the food and it has been well received by everyone in our office.

Hi Pat ~ Interesting topic and interesting comments too. Made me think more about how I felt about our weekly meetings as I read. While there's certainly some grumbling, the vast majority of the agents in my office attend the meeting. It's held after our weekly tour and for me I think the tour is as or more important than the meeting.

But I do enjoy the roomful of my colleagues - there's a lot of energy and a lot of good ideas in the room. I would not want to work for a company that didn't meet regularly, preferably weekly, and the office tour is the most important reason to work for my office in my opinion.

Liz

weekly meetings add continuity to the office/group I think. I like things the way they were not the way they are.

Patricia

I recently worked for a company who has a phone in mandatory meeting at 8:10 am every Monday since it was rural ag related company with agents all over the state...one the absolute biggest wastes of life ever. The same blah blah blah every week. Fun and informative okay...dull and lifeless...no way.

Even fun meetings can be a drag when one has to drive 45 minutes each way to be there....

Hi Pat -- Before I started on my own, the meetings I attended were mostly worthless. Half the time, some vendor paid for lunch so they could hawk their wares and other mindless things. If great info is produced, it seems like time is well spent.

A company without weekly sales meetings.... Uggg... How do they keep their agents up to date and trained ?

JUN

Maryland requires that brokers conduct meetings at least every 2 months. Sadly, most meetings are no more than sales "rah rah rah" meetings with little training involved. But, at least they know that the agents who show up are still breathing, which was the criteria for hiring.

When I held a lot of licenses, I loved the meetings. We had one every two months. Of course, often more when something critical in licensing, law, lending, etc. came about. It let me really get to know our agents better. I soon learned who would suddenly have a last minute doctor's appointment (that doesn't impress Lenn), or who would attend and make comments to the guest speaker or others that showed a sad lack of commond sense or ethics.

One new agent, when attending a meeting with a termite inspector as guest speaker, when beserk declaring that he "would never sell a home that had ever had termites". When trying to explain that, unlike upstate NY where he came from, most homes in MD were subject to termite infestation, he continued to rant about never, never, never. Refusing to listen to facts and reason, I asked him to move his license. Not because of his never sell a home with termite decleration, but because he had exhibited a level of ignorance and lack of self control that I didn't want representing my brokerage.

Folks like that are risky.

Lots of Pros and Cons, I just e-mail the information as I am a small office. I do pay for agents to go to the monthly board luncheonsthough to stay in touch with agents.

Lenn, as they say in these parts, there are two types of homes. Those with termites and those that will get them. I hope the fellow you let go found another line of work!

Thanks Patricia - I think formal meetings with a good agenda is important to keeping agents informed and out of trouble. I think we all have our own way of working with buyers and sellers, but we still need some formal heads up on changes and market info.

Internet and phone conferences cannot replace the face to face.

I find the legal updates at our bi-monthly meetings crucial, as well as the information shared from the state and association levels as many of our agents are involved in those organizations. Representatives from affiliates occasionally speak, but so too does staff from our corporate headquarters, letting us know what's on the horizon, and sometimes providing a mini-training on some cool new technology tool.

I like the comradarie aspect and how agents share real time experiences, giving us a leg up on something that worked well, or a sticky situation they encountered and how we can avoid it. It's always good stuff!

Pat, why loose time unncecessarily? Lots of us are 'meeting out'... why do I say this? Because most of the meeitngs are not interesting, not educating or just simply boring...

What is needed is a meeting where the broker is prepared, has 'point to sell', inspires and motivates to take action...

majority of the offices don't offer such format...so it is not so surprising that associates don't show interest...

With smiles,

Bo in Yukon

I have changed companies within the last year. At my previous place, the meeting was mandatory, or there was no phone duty. So everyone who needed this phone duty must come to meeting. I love my new place, because meetings are not mandatory. So many times, the meetings were just boring. thx for the great post!

I used to not have meetings at my office until a few years ago when the state changed the law increasing brokers liability for managing the sales associates. That's when I started them up. I can't imagine not having them now. People need motivating especially when they are new or haven't sold anything in a while.

I cannot imagine not having nor wanting these meetings, they are too important. I notice all the TOP producers in our office attend the meetings, doesn't that say something?

Stale office meetings? Suggest a local property manager be invited to give an overview of the local rental market AND investor sales potential. I do brokerage sales meetings when asked and enjoy them a great deal!!!

Ask us and we will come!!

Pat - That's exactly the reason why I choose my company to start with and have stayed. Not only does my manager have office meetings, our CEO / Owner comes in and give us perspective of the whole S.F. NorthBay market trend from his view (we are the leader in S.F. Northbay). A none competitive attitude among offices also allow other managers to share their views.

Knowledge is king and being able to be in the frontline is key to success.

Sylvia

When I interview agents, many times one of the first few questions is, ARE MEETINGS MANDATORY? or DO YOU HAVE MEETINGS?

Most agents I interview don't seem to WANT to waste time in meetings when they can be out doing business.

Hi Patricia - I too attend all of our weekly office meetings and always feel that I benefit from them. Even when we don't have a specific agenda, we always have our "mortgage minute" from a loan officer (which sometimes expands to close to an hour when we all have questions and don't have another speaker), and we all share our listings, price reductions, open houses and war stories. I always learn something, and it's great to keep up the camaraderie with the group because most of us operate primarily from our home offices and wouldn't see each other very much otherwise.

P.S. Our meetings are not mandatory and some of the agents in our office don't attend or attend only sometimes, but unless I have an appointment I cannot reschedule, I am always there.

What a way to open a meeting. With a Mike Tyson quote. Who knew that man could spout wisdom and truth.

No one wants to go to a boring meeting. Make it interesting and exciting--with coffee and donuts--even I would show up.

Your lucky your broker makes it interesting. We don't have weekly meeting and I don't miss them one bit since leaving a 50/50. War stories? Are they really stories or just letting the agent vent unproductively? They should only be lessons to improve.

While there have been a few meetings that I've left asking myself "Why did I just waste my time here today?", the vast majority of our meetings are filled with quality dialogue, training, relevant news, etc. We have an opportunity to showcase our new listings as well as price reductions (30 seconds of attention from 40 agents is good!). We can ask for help regarding a tough or unusual situation that we might find ourselves in; again, it's nice to get many people's thoughts and insight as opposed to 1 or 2.

I agree that if the meetings are boring and filled with nothing of value, then don't have them. Wait, maybe that's why some people don't like real estate agents, because the ones they know are boring and bring no value...

Pat - Meetings which are informative are something every agent should look forward to.

JUL

I am all for the occasional motivational pick me up Patricia. Usually I am so busy with my RE duties that a weekly meeting is usually just a formality and a waste of time.

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