I was prepared to be disappointed....and boy, was I disappointed!
I am not one to normally comment on actions by a competitor, but Long and Foster is one of the largest real estate firms in the US. Respecting and recognizing agent ideas and needs may be the main reason for its' success.
Please leave any comment on the link to Susan's post just below
Okay, so, I admit it, sometimes I get geared up for a fight that never happens. Well, maybe not a fight, exactly, but a situation that may be less than pleasant.
And I was sorta/kinda/thinking maybe this was going to happen today.
Our OLD TOWN ALEXANDRIA Long & Foster office held a "command performance" meeting this morning - at least as much of a command performance meeting as you can have with a bunch of ornery, strong willed independent contractors.
The subject? Compensation. Changes to our commission structure. Money. Our money.
Because of the size of our office, we met in a meeting room at a local hotel. There was a beautiful display of fruit, yogurt, granola, muffins, danish twists and bagels.
Ah....smart people, these corporate types...they know agents are gluttons for free food. They have apparently seen us prioritize brokers' opens every Tuesday by whom the caterer is.
Anyway, we all show up, slightly nervous/stressed/tense because, well, you know, we are going to talk about MONEY.
They lead off by announcing a couple of very positive changes that frankly, I thought deserved a round of applause, but the room was strangely quiet.
I guess we were all waiting for the other shoe to drop.
And I could hear the whispers around me....Would we lose our support staff? Our graphics staff? Our company provided advertising, signs, supplies? Our coveted garage parking spaces in OLD TOWN ALEXANDRIA? Would we suddenly be nickled and dimed to death over copies, faxes, phone calls? Would we make....gasp...less money? After all, although our office finished the year NUMBER 1 in both volume and units for the entire state of Virginia and although we are NUMBER 3 in the entire company (that's 7 states plus DC), you just never know what is going to happen. After all, the past few years in real estate have been tough all over.
All of us gathered there KNEW, just KNEW, our world was about to change. Didn't it have to? After all, we are in belt-tightening times, times of increased pressure to save money and cut back.
Imagine our surprise when the new plans were unveiled and wow, they were great. There is a plan to fit the needs of any agent in the company. And, if we are happy with the splits we have currently, that's okay, too. We can stay with them as long as we like.
And that was it. No other shoe dropped.
After all the angst, the speculation, the worry, the stress...nothing. Nothing but relief. Okay, maybe a little deflation we weren't going to have a raucous discussion.
The excitement is sinking in, though, about all the new opportunities we suddenly have. Now, to figure out which plan to pick!
From the looks of the plans, it is apparent the company really listened to its agents and took what we said to heart. And that's a pretty darn good feeling!
(If you're thinking you may like to consider joining a LONG & FOSTER office, let me know and I'll hook you up with the branch manager in your area. I think they are definitely worth a look...and if you are interested in the OLD TOWN ALEXANDRIA office, I would love to show you around!)
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