Hello!
Today is officially my first full day in my new career as Executive Coordinator for Terri Buseman of Chicago City Estates. We work from the Keller Williams office in the West Loop. My goal in Active Rain is to use this blog as a journal of my career. It seems to me that there is very little information on the web about Agent Assistants. I can't provide you with information about how you should find an assistant, what they should do for you, or how you should pay them. That is all up to you. What I can do is share a little of how we work and why. I hope through my posts and your comments this proves to be a useful conversation to us all.
I've been interested in Real Estate since shortly after graduating from college. I managed a clothing store and one of my employees became an agent. We were living on the east coast and I didn't know the area well. I also didn't have money for classes. Instead I enjoyed listening to her tell me about floor time and baking cookies at open houses. I don't know what became of her, but when I moved back to Chicago to restart my adult life I promptly got my license and tried to sell on my own.
The first company I worked with lead me to believe that the best and most affordable way to get leads and start a business is to call 250 people throughout the month and ask them for business. This plan may work for some people, but I was a very shy person then, I did not know 250 people, and I felt awkward asking my friends once a month if they or anyone they knew was interested in buying or selling a home. After a year of this I made one sale to a family member. I used the money to get my broker license, but quickly left the business knowing that I was not in the right place in life for it yet.
I took a day job and in the next few years joined Toastmasters and met my husband; both of which taught me how to break out of my shell and start networking. My husband and I bought our first home a few years ago and that was what gave me the itch again. I was feeling more ready to return to the business, but I wanted a solid plan, the means to afford a few potentially bad months at first, and perhaps even a mentor.
I applied at one company, but the owner mostly wanted me to sit at a desk and make calls with approximately 15 others. It was not what I was looking for. I mostly stopped looking for new work until my husband was laid off. That got me going again. We knew we needed some extra money, so I thought I could use my skills assisting a busy agent. I started searching the internet, but not much was to be found. Every so often I've seen listings on Craig's List, but not at this time. I decided I needed another plan.This is where my original training paid off.
For practically no money I printed some calling cards at Vista Print. They had my contact information and the title Licensed Real Estate Broker. I brought these cards to open houses in our neighborhood. In one weekend my husband and i toured the types of properties we think we might look for when we are ready for our next place. At the same time I introduced myself to every agent and asked if they were looking for an assistant or knew if anyone was. I figured if this is the way they drum up business, this should be an effective way to get their attention.
I had lovely conversations with a few agents, but did not meet anyone who was in the market for an assistant. However, I met one woman who said another agent in her office was thinking about hiring someone. We exchanged contact information and I promptly went home and emailed my resume.
Shortly after Terri Buseman called me for a phone interview. At the end she asked to meet with me for lunch. We were on the same page from day one. She impressed me with a business plan, otherwise known as The Milliionare Real Estate Agent and I poured through the entire book before the end of the next week.
For the last year and a half we have been working together part time. Around the same time we were realizing that the part time work just wasn't enough to move us forward at the rate we want to move my husband was hired permanently from his contracting position. The stars may be aligned. He learned of his hire date the same day Terri gave me an acceptable plan on how to hire me full-time. I couldn't start with her until we had our new insurance cards. They came two weeks earlier than we thought they would, allowing me to give three weeks notice and leave my 9-5 one week earlier then expected. On top of that today our office had a photographer taking head shots for a great price, tomorrow I start taking 36:12:3, a Keller Williams class to teach us how to close 36 deals in 12 months on 3 hours of prospecting, and Terri tells me there is an Active Rain blogging class starting Wednesday. I think these classes will be a great way to get us on the same page for our business plan and really hit the ground running.
I should probably go to sleep, so I will be awake for class tomorrow.
Cheers!
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