RETECHNOLOGY PREMIUM MARKETPLACE RELATED PRODUCTS | WEBINARS | SPECIAL OFFERS

business woman A few days ago, we noticed a blog post about things managers should say to their employees. Many of these concepts are relevant to brokers in their relationships with agents. We’ll share a few of them here. You can find a link to the blog post at the bottom of this article.

1. “I’m sorry.”
As difficult as it may be for some of us, there’s nothing quite like a good apology. And I mean a “good” apology – one that is brief, sincere, and only made when you’ve truly screwed up. When you apologize for your mistakes, you earn your agents’ trust and model behavior you’d like them to mirror.

2. “I want to hear your feedback.”

No one is perfect. Although you do want your agents’ respect, you should make it clear that you also need and want their feedback. When they offer suggestions and constructive criticism, these pointers can help you become a better broker. Of course, if you ask for feedback, you need to be careful to respond appropriately to that feedback. Be gracious and receptive.

3. “Please remind me.”
You’re busy. So busy, in fact, that you can’t always answer an agent’s question at the moment they ask it. Saying, “Sorry, but I’ll have to get back to you” is just fine, as long as you actually do get back to them. But the busier we are, the more likely we are to be forgetful. To make sure that you don’t forget an agent’s inquiry, consider saying, “I can’t answer that question right now, but I’d love to talk to you more about it. Will you please send me an email to remind me to follow-up?” This puts the ball back in their court.

4. “Great work! How did you do that?”

When an agent achieves something great or discusses an accomplishment, don’t just say, “Way to go” and walk away. Ask them about it! Take the time to listen to the full story. This accomplishes two important thing: it makes them feel good and it educates you. You can pick up all sorts of tips and tricks by listening to your agents.

This brings me to another important point: how do you deliver praise? Clearly the broker-agent relationship is not identical to the manager-employee relationship, but it does share some similarities. Delivering praise is something brokers and managers do (or should do) on a regular basis. So it’s a good idea to know how to do it properly. Here are some tips:

Avoid generalizations (i.e. “nice work” or “well done”). Instead, tell the agent specifically what you liked. “I’m really impressed by the way your excellent follow-up turned around that client relationship.” “You did a fantastic job in converting that lead.” “Nice job on that short sale.” “How did the listing presentation go with the smith family?”
Don’t make things up. Your excellent intentions are heartwarming, but compliments don’t mean a thing if you’re making them up. Of course, if you’re avoiding generalizations as I suggested above, it’s more difficult to fall into this trap. Just remember that praise isn’t worth anything if it’s not sincere. It won’t ring true to the employee and it won’t help them improve.

Share the love. Just because one of your agents is a stand-out rock star, it doesn’t mean the other agents are lackeys. Make the extra effort to recognize their accomplishments and acknowledge their accomplishments.
No backhanded compliments, please. If you’re giving sincere praise, just give it! Don’t feel tempted to throw in some nuggets of constructive criticism.
Do it at least once a day. This isn’t a must, but we’ve seen it work in our own lives.

Want to read the original blog post? Click here.

Other articles of interest: [Podcast] The Benefits and Pitfalls of Agent Coaching with Kathy Schmidt | The KPIs and Metrics That Matter for Real Estate Success