Independent contractor status has long been a hot topic in the real estate community. As a broker, how can you create accountability for your team members working as contractors? As an agent, how can you support your team and hold yourself accountable? RISMedia's latest Broker Best Practices webinar focused on just that.
The webinar was moderated by Cleve Gaddis of Workman Success Systems and Gaddis Partners, RE/MAX Center, and featured panelists Miles G. Murphy VI, vice president of Sales, Mark Spain Real Estate, and Nate Martinez, broker/co-owner, RE/MAX Professionals, along with Bill Yaman, president and chief revenue officer of Imprev, Inc., sponsor of the webinar.
Gladdis navigated the topic, asking the panelists what tools they use to keep their thriving teams of independent contractors accountable. One topic that was mentioned repeatedly was marketing.
When working as a cog in the wheel of an organization, it's important to stay branded. This can be difficult with dozens or sometimes hundreds of independent agents working under the same brand umbrella. The key to keeping your team on-brand, according to Imprev, is marketing automation.
“By using [marketing] automation, agents really don't have to think about being accountable, nor do the brokers in the brokerage—it's taken care of automatically,” said Imprev's Yaman.
This can work a number of ways, from social media consistency to Imprev's brochure auto-population tool, which immediately auto-populates listing brochures with photos from the MLS within a brand template, creating very minimal work for the agent. “We're here to help agents build a better business,” explained Yaman.
Automation is not the only way agents can stay accountable. Martinez pointed out the importance of accountability in terms of staying true to core company values. For RE/MAX Professionals, these values are “Recognize,” “Inspire,” “Simplify” and “Excel.” When an entire team operates under the same vision, supported by the same values, each team member is held culpable. “We have to look at these core values to make sure every decision is in alignment,” said Martinez.
Millennial Miles G Murphy talked accountability in terms of creating two-way expectations, so that both the business and contractor knows what to expect from one another. “This sets the stage for a genuine relationship that shows that we care,” commented Murphy.
Other topics addressed included monomaniacal focus, which occurs when your team is properly split into areas of focus so that your agents aren't taking everything on themselves. This equates to a highly focused process for the agent, who knows their role and isn't wearing too many hats.
The webinar in its entirety can be viewed below:
