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Agents: Do You Think Managers Should Fire the Non-Producers?

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Education & Training with Issaquah, Wa.

Lately, in this challenging market, I’ve been helping management teams turn offices from ‘in the red’ to solid profits. One of the most challenging areas in helping these managers go from ‘maintenance’ to ‘leadership’ is to help them set standards for the kind of people they want in their offices. They are sometimes afraid to fire non-producers. And, I don’t think they understand the great negative impact those non-producers have on productive agents.

So, I’m asking all you producers:

Do you think your manager should fire non-producers? Why or why not? What effect does a non-producer have on your business? Your attitude? The image of your company?

Huge Study Shows the Effect of Non-Producers on Producers

In a recent study of 70,305 executives in 116 organizations, surveyers asked , “What kind of impact are underperformers having on your workplace?” Eighty-seven percent said working with a slacker actually made them want to change jobs. 93% said it had hampered their development or decreased their productivity.

As a long-time performing musician, I know the very physical and immediate effect a poor performer has on the way I perform. It’s almost magical to work with a low performer, and then work with a great musician. Anyone who doubts that performance is greatly impacted by who you are associated with has never thought of their jobs as performance. (What is sales or management if not performance?)

Let me know what you think. I’ll pass on your comments to the managers I’m working with, so they know what productive agents want from their managers, and can start managing to productive agents instead of to non-productive agents.

Carla Cross, CRB, MA, is president of Carla Cross Seminars, Inc. and Carla Cross Coaching, specializing in real estate sales and management. Cross, an international speaker and coach, is the author of 6 internationally published books, 20 productivity programs, and is a winner of the National Association of Realtors’ National Educator of the Year award. Contact her at www.carlacross.com or 425-392-6914.

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Real Estate Training Company        Carla Cross, CRB, MA

Comments (1)

Charlotte Koch
Keller Williams Greater Cleveland Southwest - Strongsville, OH
Realtor-Strongsville,Ohio

I guess the real question is: who is a non producing agent?  The agent whose sales this year or last aren't as great as they were 3 years ago?  The agent who still hold open houses, mails, and calls and just isn't make the "grade"  Who sets up that grade?  Sometimes that guy who is not  producing as much as his top producing colleague is in the office, has a great attitude, attending classes and meetings, and makes everybody else feel good........let that loser go, I wouldn't!

Ask your managers what they are doing to keep their agents engaged.  Especially the newer agents who may have slid into an easier market and are having difficulty learning the basics and sticking to task. 

We used to have lots of training classes, now it seems the excuse is that agents are too busy hustling business to attend, yet they aren't getting the results. 

As a former musician, the best musicians inspired me to do better when I played next to them.  Watching their style and ease at performing made me sit a little straighter, play a little better, and even though I didn't have their talent I still wanted to compete!

Practice can help anyone improve, as long as they know what to practice.  That was the job of my music instructor helping me practice the right things. 

I remember a tennis coach who said as we left the class one week, " and don't practice this week, you don't know what you're doing, and you don't need to reinforce bad habits" 

Maybe managers need to become "engaged" with the pulse of their office and come up with a helpful agenda for those guys who are struggling.

Sep 30, 2008 12:42 AM