Do you ever find yourself scrambling to find more time to get your work done? If you’re anything like me, you may struggle to prospect, call clients back, negotiate transactions, and take care of things back at home. If so, you should consider taking steps to build your real estate team.
See, I knew things needed to change because what I was doing was not sustainable and certainly not scalable. So, I thought…how can I duplicate myself and use leverage to create a more sustainable business model?
For me, the answer was hiring a virtual assistant (VA) to take care of the things that didn’t need my personal attention, yet needed to be done. Hiring a VA would allow me to prospect for more real estate leads, convert them, and actually work with them through the transactions. So, that’s what I decided to do.
So, I hired a virtual assistant. (Here’s the company I used in case you need one.) But the BIGGEST mistake I made early on (which ended up leading me to fire her) was not training her. Yes, it was BECAUSE OF ME that this relationship didn’t work out, and to this day I feel bad about it.
The issue wasn’t her abilities, the money I was paying her ($3 per hour), or anything like that. The issue was that I NEVER trained her. I did not slow down to onboard her into my business correctly. So, of course she was going to fail…she’s a VA, NOT a mind reader!
But let’s get back to the main point—what is the quickest way to build your real estate team? It’s to duplicate yourself!
Build Your Real Estate Team Through Duplication
When you realize you have more tasks to do than time to complete them, it’s time to begin thinking about adding to your team. Here’s how you can duplicate yourself and build your real estate team quickly.
- Identify what tasks you need help completing (prospecting, following up, showing homes, etc.).
- Determine the type of hire you need (buyer’s agent, virtual assistant, personal assistant, etc.).
- Create a training guide by developing a Standard Operating Procedure that outlines EXACTLY how you want things done (use Tango for best results).
- Give your new hire time to adjust to your way of doing things.
- Either keep the hire or fire them.
It truly is this simple to grow. By replacing yourself in certain parts of your business, you are freeing your time and energy to complete higher ROI activities.
The Importance of Training
The most important thing to get right in this simple hiring formula is the training. How will you onboard your new hire so they can quickly do your job?
The last thing you want is to hire someone and then feel like you have TWO jobs (trainer + your regular job), all while paying their salary. The quicker you can hire, onboard, and train your new team member, the quicker you recoup your investment.
For at least a week before you hire, take copious notes on how you perform each task (calling, prospecting, showing homes, etc.—whatever tasks you want to hire out). Then, use those notes to create an SOP that outlines the EXACT steps you take.
With the correct SOP in place, your hire will not be wandering into your business lost, confused, and wasting time trying to figure things out. Instead, they’ll be able to jump right in, follow your SOP, and get things done in just as timely and efficient a manner as you do!
By following these simple steps, you’ll easily be able to duplicate yourself, build your real estate team, and get more done with less work.