Help Me Help My Agents! Four Strategies to Answer This Manager’s Plea

By Julie Escobar, ProspectsPLUS! Director of Corporate Marketing

"Help me help my agents." Training experts across the nation are scrambling to answer this challenging plea as our markets continue to shift and normalize.

Savvy management professionals understand that in ANY market, the strongest teams are built when leaders passionately seek the best available resources, solutions and skill builders-then deliver the goods to their associates each month, each week or, when necessary, each day. 

How do you help your agents adjust to challenges, turn obstacles into opportunities and excel in their careers? Consider these four strategies:

1.    Believe. Norman Vincent Peale taught us that "belief is the most powerful of all problem dissolvers." Now more than ever, you have to believe in your agents-oftentimes more than they believe in themselves.

As expressed by Steven Covey in The 8^th Habit, "Leadership is communicating to people their worth and potential so clearly that they come to see it in themselves." Shine the light on what is possible, then project the belief systems, path to success and foundation for staying the course. Help your agents develop and sharpen their lead-generation and negotiating skills in an environment that assures them both collectively and as individuals that they can do more than survive-they can excel.

2.    Shock the system. Many agents demonstrate avoidance behavior when markets tighten. They start coming into the office later, leaving earlier or immersing themselves in the busywork of "getting organized." Breaking the habits of complacency, apathy, fear and/or monotony sometimes requires unorthodox or "outside the box" methods of shocking the system.

There's no time like the present to shake things up a bit and get non-producers out of their comfort zones and into production mode. For example, approach your agents and say something like, "For the next week, we are going to meet in the office at 7:00 a.m. every day. We're going to role play for two hours, then block out some group prospecting time. We'll have coffee and bagels and every tool you'll need to effectively handle the phones."

Sure, it will be uncomfortable at first; however, that's how we grow-both as sales professionals and as people. Somewhere between the coffee, the phone calls and the shock, your agents will emerge ready for a challenge and on the path to greatness. As John D. Rockefeller said, "Good leadership consists of showing average people how to do the work of superior people."

3.    Specialize. Whether you have a team of 10, 20, 50 or 100, challenge everyone to specialize in one area for a week. Or start a contest that tracks appointments, listings, sales, buyer referrals and listing referrals for one segment such as FSBOs, expireds, geographic farm areas or first-time homebuyers.

If your entire office was on the same page for just one week-prospecting together, sharing ideas, collecting data and competing for prizes-three incredible things would happen: First, your agents would acquire new skills and overcome fears. Second, statistics and other valuable information gleaned from the experience would allow your agents to present themselves and your organization as "specialists" when they face the same types of prospects in the future. And third, your entire office would enjoy a renewed (and very energizing) sense of pride and teamwork.

4.    Take massive action. Action overcomes fear and uncertainty. Jump into the ring, set the standards, shine the light on what can be and then-together with your agents-act, act and act again. You can think, strategize, plan and believe all day long, but until you act and lead your team to act, your entire organization will lack the forward momentum necessary to achieve and sustain excellence.

So lead the way for your agents, and heed the words of E.M. Kelly: "The difference between a boss and a leader: a boss says, ‘Go!' - a leader says, ‘Let's go!'" Focus your agents on the fundamentals of our industry, and challenge them to:

•  consistently stay in touch with their sphere of influence

•  make Just Listed/Just Sold marketing an "every time" action item

•  develop a niche market or neighborhood they can "own"

•  practice what Anthony Robbins calls "CANI-Constant and Never-ending Improvement-by    attending and absorbing any and all training and skill-building opportunities

You will be helping them do far more than simply weather our current market; you will be helping them build strong, saleable books of business that will sustain them throughout their careers.

Take these four strategies to heart-and put them into action-and you will play an invaluable role in helping your agents become their personal best. Lead by example, and remain open-minded in your approach to inspiring, training, recruiting and retaining. You might be surprised at how many managers close the door on new solutions, tools and strategies simply because they assume that they won't work, are afraid to admit that they don't know or lack the experience to view their role as anything more than "gatekeeper." 

Believe in your agents. Challenge them, and help them develop the skills that eliminate fear and encourage exponential growth. Then ask them to listen to the voice of Og Mandino in his powerful book, The Greatest Salesman in the World: "I will act now. I will act now. I will act now! This is the time. This is the place. I am the person." 

ProspectsPLUS! develops the systems, tools and training managers and leaders rely on to create momentum, inspire greatness and promote achievement in their organizations. Visit www.mastermarketingmeeting.com for more ideas on how we can help you help your agents. If you would like to explore the in-office or webinar workshops we offer on a wide variety of topics, call Julie toll free at 866.405.3641, or send her an email at Julie.Escobar@prospectsplus.com.