“I don’t need an office; I can get my work done at home. I’m all set up with a home office. There’s nothing that I can’t do at home that I can do at the office.” We hear these comments in management all the time. So, here are my thoughts on that…
The value of being in the office is multifold.
Ah yes, I know that some of you who read this worthy paper are commonly known as “floaters” or “work from home agents.”
And a good majority of the work-from-home variety of agents do exceedingly well without the synergy or the ambience of your modern offices.
But what do you miss? Well, for starters, the brokers who run your offices have a great deal to offer to you. “Ah yes, you say. But I already know what I have to know about doing business.” That may be so, but consider this: according to National Association of Realtors statistics, agents who work from an actual office, not an at-home office, outperform those at home by 25 per cent annually.
They see the value of the office for the following reasons:
1. In most offices there is a feeling of success that emanates from the synergy connected to the “brand” of the agency.
2. The broker(s) who are usually in the office bright and early have much to offer each and every agent who seeks them out.
3. There’s always some new listing that comes into the office that is discussed around the coffee area.
4. Maybe, just maybe, the broker who has many years of “real experiences,” will share some great ideas with you after you discuss your weekend activities.
5. If the office has a number of “ancillary” services such as an in-house lawyer, a professional stager, a home inspector or a mortgage broker, these professionals are at hand most of the time. And guess what, they look for referrals like you do and are prepared to reciprocate in kind.
6. Last, but not least, are the advantages of the camaraderie that is instilled in the brokerage on an ongoing basis.
I realize that a lot of work-from-home agents will say otherwise, but the proof is in the pudding as my many years in the business will attest to.
Here’s a real example of what actually happened about 9:30 am on the Wednesday after Labour Day weekend. An agent who’d been with us before and went to three other brokerages looking for “greener pastures” found out there weren’t any. She came back at our invitation. Working alongside the agent, we discovered that: a) she had no real methods of staying in touch with her former client base; b) her advertising wasn’t pulling ad calls; c) her former office’s brokers were really not interested in her “book of business” going forward, so that she would eventually make more money and have more time at home; and d) she had no formal business plan to review with the brokers.
Fast forward to this month. Her client base is under control with referrals coming in, the ads are pulling calls and overall, I’d say she’s a real happy agent.
“When the student is ready, the teacher will come.” – The Talmud
Stan Albert, broker/manager, ABR, ASA at Re/Max Premier in Vaughan, Ont. can be reached for consultation at stanalb@rogers.com. Stan is now celebrating 40 years as an active real estate professional. He was recently approved to teach three of the Real Estate Training Institute’s CEU courses.
Stan Albert, ABR, ASA is a consultant with Re/Max Premier in Vaughan, Ont. He can be reached for consultation by email. Stan is now celebrating his 45th year as an active real estate professional.
