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Is "Floor Duty" Dead?

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Real Estate Agent with VIA Group Realtors

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Floor Duty.  Opportunity Time.  Floor.  Desk Time.  Whatever you call it, what it really means is that there is an agent sitting in the office wishing they didn't have to be there.

It's one of those necessities of the business.  If you have a store front, you have to have a sales person manning the store.  But with the increase of buyers using the Internet to search for homes, the number of calls coming to the office have decreased.... dramatically.  Many if not most agents have direct numbers on their yard signs that drives the calls directly to them instead of through the office main number.  Print advertising and Internet marketing drives the client to contact an agent via email.

So my question to all of you... Does your office still have floor duty?  Is it required by your broker?  And HOW DO YOU GET AGENTS TO VOLUNTEER to do floor duty?

Donuts anyone?

 

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Eric Webster
Five Star Real Estate - Grand Rapids, MI
Grand Rapids, MI, Five Star Realty

We do not, and have not had Floor Time.  Agent's direct lines are on signs and advertising in most cases, and the few calls that come into the receptionist are routed to whomever is available if the listing agent is not.

I love that a new person (likely) who has never seen my listing is not fielding calls on my listing. 

I really don't miss killing a couple hours in a floor booth either.

Oct 15, 2007 02:41 PM
Bill Gillhespy
16 Sunview Blvd - Fort Myers Beach, FL
Fort Myers Beach Realtor, Fort Myers Beach Agent - Homes & Condos
We still have floor time.  Many agents decline it and some are o.k. with it.  I look on it as a way to play the numbers game to my advantage.  While there I make calls and catch up on my paper woek.
Oct 15, 2007 02:43 PM
Sherri Elliott
INTEGRITY TEAM - eXp Realty, LLC - Flower Mound, TX
We have Opportunity Time. Get this..you have to earn it by going on 2 tours a month (our office tour). We have new agents who do the floor time, and some older agents whose business is not as good. My personal opinion is I can MAKE MY MARKET..Not WAIT on IT!
Oct 15, 2007 02:44 PM
Keisha Hosea- KASIHomes.com
KASI Homes - Chino Hills, CA
Real Estate Solutions For Real People
My "floor time" is networking at some local event. I do not want to answer the office phones.
Oct 15, 2007 02:45 PM
Les Sulgrove
VIA Group Realtors - Des Moines, IA

Eric, Thanks for the quick response.. I have a feeling I'm going to see two distinct sides to this topic with the scales tipped heavily towards No Floor duty. 

Bill, you mention that some agents decline floor time, does your office have a rotation of agents that "want" floor duty or is it up to an assigned agent to find their own replacement if they don't want it?

Sherri, I didn't even want to bring up the topic of office tour aka caravan... what is the attitude of your agents and floor.. do they actually go on tour just to earn floor opportunity? 

Keisha, Face to Face, Belly to Belly.. the BEST networking an agent can do for sure!

Oct 15, 2007 02:55 PM
Dan Gobis
Re/Max Newport Realty Corp. - Racine, WI
Floor time has been a challenge in Real Estate Offices forever. In good times it can be enforced rigidly, in slower times it can be a challenge. After 25 years in the business I still take floor time. I feel it is an obligation to myself, my company, my sellers, and the industry, committed to being available to serve anyone that has questions in regards to listings, the market in general, or any other question the caller may have. Not to mention a floor call I received in 2001, that has to date resulted in over $200,000 in commissions to me, and I will get business from that 1 call for the rest of my career. GO FLOOR!!!
Oct 15, 2007 02:56 PM
Keith Perry
Coldwell Banker - Hiram, GA
REALTOR - West Metro Atlanta
We sort of have it in a way... if you are in the office the call goes to whoever is on the list if not then it goes to whomever is there. New agents love it veterans hate it. I volunteer to sit at the front desk when the receptionist has no one to take her place for lunch or while our secretary is out. Good to have folks to back up.
Oct 15, 2007 02:57 PM
Ryan Martin
Pacific Continental Realty, LLC - Bellingham, WA
Bellingham Commercial RE Broker
Les, Yes our office still has floor time. We are in a GREAT location for walkin traffic, so it is easy to fill the floor schedule. If you are having a hard time getting agents to sign up. Try shortening the time slots to 2 hours or less. Agents are sometimes reluctant to sign up for "Big" time commitment, but you can usually get someone to cover an hour or two.
Oct 15, 2007 03:01 PM
John Novak
Keller Williams Realty The Marketplace - Las Vegas, NV
Henderson, Las Vegas and Summerlin Real Estate
Our team gets plenty of sign and ad calls, but with just about every agent being reachable by cell phone or email, there's really no reason for anyone to be physically present in the office. Instead, agents simply tell our admin staff when they're available to take forwarded calls.
Oct 15, 2007 03:03 PM
Ron Holborn
Short Sales, Foreclosures, Rentals, Income Real Estate - Anaheim, CA
Commercial & SFR, Anaheim CA, Real Estate & Short
No floor time since 1988 we use a professional receptionist  Thanks for the post.
Oct 15, 2007 03:03 PM
Eric Bouler
Gardner Realtors, Licensed in La. - New Orleans, LA
Listening to your Needs
Our office has floor time. its a lot less effective than it once was. Its the nature of the business. I get a lot of calls still from my flyers. I still cannot believe agents still do use them or keep them full. I got 3 leads in the past week from my flyers. it works in this market. I am not sure about the desk duty.
Oct 15, 2007 03:24 PM
Les Sulgrove
VIA Group Realtors - Des Moines, IA
Dan, we really never know when that next big buyer is going call or walk in.  I can personally remember a time when I had stopped in the office on New Years day to pick up my day planner (this was a few years back BEFORE COMPUTERS) and the phone rang... I picked it up and it was a call from a young lady that was in town visiting relatives.  She had recently lost her husband in an auto accident and had received his life insurance settlement.  The house next door to her relatives had gone on the market during the week between Christmas & New Years and she tried calling the listing agent from the number on the sign.  Long story short, I showed her the home that day, wrote a cash offer and learned a valuable lesson.  You have to be there to answer the phone.  She obviously was going to call every real estate office in town that day until she found someone... I was that someone.  The same can be said for floor duty in my opinion.  There will always be that someone that walks in the door or calls the main telephone number of the office.  I just hope that there is someone at my office that will be able to take care of that client.
Oct 15, 2007 03:29 PM
Brian Wentz
Keller Williams Greater Des Moines - Des Moines, IA
Realtor - Des Moines Iowa Real Estate
Les, we did away with floor from day one at Burnett.  Like so many above, all the calls get directed to the agent with the listing. It is great, and who else is best suited to answer the buyers questions?
Dec 04, 2007 02:11 PM
Carole Cohen
Howard Hanna Cleveland City Office - Cleveland, OH
Realtor, ePRO

Floor duty is fairly good in my office. It's in the middle of a business district in a busy neighborhood and I think that helps...but the phones ring rather well too.  one caveat? The holidays slowed calls a bit lol

I always encourage new agents to not only sign up for flr time but hang around the office and learn the ropes. To me, there is a lot of creative power in an office when agents are gathering and so it's good to be there, floor time or not. I work out of my home on most days but I am there at least three days a week. Just my two cents

Dec 22, 2007 10:03 AM
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