When entering the real estate world, one of the most important things you can do is start on a team and while there, try to learn as much as possible. After you establish a reputation and gain years of experience, you may find that you have the drive to start your own team. As a mom, you know that raising kids takes a village. And especially for a mom trying to thrive in her career, having support from a dedicated team is key.
Here are some savvy tips on how to grow your team from Kristin Abell of Compass!
Grow Slowly and Organically
Kristen’s approach has been less about recruiting and more about identifying needs and growing organically. As with building any team, the main questions to consider are: How do you find new agents, and how long can and should you expect them to stay?
Remember, growing a team is not just about growing in number. It’s also about adding quality and skill and adapting to evolving needs. Ultimately, it is about attracting the right personality profiles and being able to find the best fit for each role. When this is done with attention and care, your team will be much happier — and more successful.
Keep it Small
When developing your team, keep in mind that it’s about quality over quantity. A primary focus is hiring the right assistant and/or transaction manager. Having a right-hand can be game-changing when you are ready to start expanding. The addition of a buyer’s agent can also be beneficial. When you want to be present for your children, it’s important to find team members who can fill in for you and take the lead.
Kristen’s team hired an operations manager who transitioned into a listing manager, and as that transition progressed, a new operations manager was added. Later, Kristen hired an assistant who turned out to be a rockstar agent. When you are building your team, you never know how things will work out, but putting people in positions where they will grow and thrive is the most important.
Establish a Flexible Infrastructure
As a team grows, so will its needs. You want to make sure that if you expand, the team’s infrastructure is flexible and able to adjust to the ever-changing demands of the business. Kristen’s team currently outsources transaction management, but with its flexible infrastructure, the team has the ability to perform the role in-house, as well. The key is to have a fluid structure so that you can decide whether inhouse or outsourcing is most efficient.
Find the Right Group Dynamic
What a busy working “momtrepreneur” needs is a team that simply gets it. Whether that means you build an all-women’s team or work with other moms, finding the right dynamic for your team is crucial. Remember, it is important to recruit people with different backgrounds and skill sets. Varying perspectives can allow for creative ideas, as well as a more multifaceted and effective team.
Cultivate Passion
When building your team, let your passion drive you. You may surprise yourself in regards to which aspects of being a team leader you enjoy most. You may discover that you love mentoring new agents, helping them build their confidence and achieve their goals. You also will love seeing your team overcome obstacles and reach their overall goals. The more you embrace being a team leader, the more rewarding it becomes for everyone involved.
Take Challenges Head-On
As with building a team in any industry, there will be a number of challenges to navigate and overcome. How you manage them will depend on your attitude, approach, and preparation.
Having the right skill set is not enough when joining a team. Everyone has to fit well with the team’s culture and align on core values. As important as it is not to rush in recruiting and hiring, you must ensure you take the right steps to hold on to quality people.
Invest in the well-being and success of your team as a whole and on an individual basis, so that when challenges do come up, you have a formidable force ready to tackle them head-on.
And on that note – we hope this helps you find the right approach to building your team!
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